Me:)

Let me just say that I am a rambler:)  I'm not very confident in my writing abilities so I tend to ramble for a while to make my point when others could do so in a paragraph.  So upfront let me apologize for long posts and comments from now on... you've been warned... mwah ha ha. 

Anyway, I am so excited to be part of this blog and to learn from all of you and get to know you all better as we try to be more healthy together. 

I met Cammy in marching band up at the U before I even met Jeff and joined the family.  I'm so thankful to be her sister and friend.  She is the kind of friend that will love you and accept you even when you are inconsiderate and judgemental and that means a lot to me. 
I'm 28 years old, soon to turn 29, and am a mother of a cute 3-year old boy (this is actually a picture that he took of me which I thought was cute!).  My husband graduated from law school last year and right now we're living with his parents while he tries to find a job.  It has been a stressful time for us all, but we know that this is what the Lord wants us to go through right now and we just pray that we will learn the lessons that He would like us to learn.  Our faith has already been strengthened and we know that if we put our trust in the Lord He will lead us in the direction that we need to go and we will be better for it. 

My passions are music (playing my flute), teaching, reading, swimming, being outside, and going to the temple.  It is so wonderful to have things that you thoroughly enjoy that give you peace, fulfillment, and please.  I also believe that some things that are not your passions can turn into passions with hard with and perseverance.

I have so many blessings in my life.  I have a husband that loves me no matter what.  He is so supportive and is my best friend and I am so thankful to have him in my life.  I am also blessed, more than I can say, to be a Mother.  It is hard for us to get pregnant and so our little guy is our miracle boy.  He is the joy of my life and I am incredibly blessed to be his Mother.  I enjoyed College more than I can say, and I LOVED teaching school, but being a Mother is the absolute best thing that I could be doing.  There are days when I feel completely inadequate, insecure, lonely, depressed, selfish, and grumpy, but I keep trying my best and know that if I do all I can the Lord will help with the rest. Sure being a Mother has it's hard days, but the challenge makes it even more worth it in the end. 

Two years ago I had a huge "Ah Hah" moment after one of the hardest experiences in my life, my first miscarriage.  I discovered that, for the first time in my life, I really wanted to be healthy.  I didn't just want to loose weight, or fit into a previous pant size, I wanted to be healthy in all ways.  I had been in shape before being on soccer, swim, and softball teams as well as things like marching band and teaching that helped me stay in a good weight range, but I had never consciously chosen to be a healthy person.  I was so down, depressed, sick, and in a bad place that I had to do something to help me start feeling better about myself and to make my body feel physically better.  For the first time in my life I started working out so I could be healthy and I loved how my body felt during and after each workout. This was huge for me since I had never exercised before for these reasons and that made all the difference.  I now enjoy working out and enjoy how good my body feels when I take care of it and keep it strong. 

Also, for the first time in my life, I started wanting to eat healthy since I enjoyed how I felt when I put good things into my body, and I noticed how yucky I felt when I didn't.  I was always one of those people who made fun of "watery milk", whole wheat products, cereals without sugar, vegetable eaters, etc. but now I not only eat those foods- I really enjoy them!  The transformation has really been amazing to me and I feel like I'm on a new road in life and never want to go back. I want to be a healthy person and even though I continue to have good and bad days, this is something I want to strive for every day for the rest of my life.  This is what I can give to my son as a gift that he will have for the rest of his life.

It's been a real journey for me learning how to really exercise by myself these last few years.  I've tried all sorts of things and have really found that I have to do something that I enjoy otherwise I won't exercise as much as I'd like.  I've tried joining a community soccer team (bad idea since I got a horrible sprained ankle), completed a Sprint Triathlon (one of my biggest accomplishments in my life and incredibly hard for me), tried Spin Class, Yoga, Zumba, Power90, kick boxing, weights, biking, running/walking, etc.  I want to look forward to exercising and not dread it and make up excuses about not doing it.  It has been rough and I've had a steep learning curve, but I'm starting to find things that I really enjoy and that feel good doing.  One thing that I really enjoy is swimming.  I feel like I'm in a whole different world when I swim where nothing can touch me.  It's exhilarating and serene and therapeutic.  I wish I could swim every day, but since it costs quite a bit to go to a gym, this past year I've had to stop swimming for a while and find other things to do that I still enjoy but don't require a membership to a gym. 

I found that I LOVE going to Zumba and Yoga classes as well as my workouts at home or outside.  I also love going on family bike rides and walks together.  I think anything you can do that your kids can watch or participate in is also a great way to get them to love things that help them become more healthy.

I'm excited to learn from all of you and make goals for myself to help me be a better and healthier person.  I hope to improve spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially in my life and this is a good start.