Gettin' my sweat on...

I stole that phrase from my sister, Kayleen. She says that occationally in reference to working out, and I find it amusing. So, I'm a thief.

This is the program I've been on the for the past 3 weeks (and MANY more to come.) Kayleen made it up. She's my personal trainer. :)

Monday:
-20 minutes of intense cardio
-leg press...3 sets of 15 (I've upped it to 20)
-20 lunges with 10 lb. weights then 20 air squates...repeat that 3 MORE times
-inner thigh press...3 sets of 15 (also upped it to 20)

Tuesday & Thursday:
-20 min. run
-20 min. stair stepper
-20 min. elliptical/bike

Wednesday:
-20 min. of intense cardio
-2 sets of the following:
-15 reps of bicep curl (10 lbs.)
-15 reps of over head lift (10 lbs.)
-15 reps of side lift (5 lbs.)
-15 reps of straight in front lift (5 lbs.)
-lay down and pull 20 lb. bar over head

Friday:
-20 min. intense cardio
-3 back machines doing 3 sets of 20
-3 sets of 20 on ab machine
-50 crunches
-50 side crunches

This exercise program plus a diet that's not too strict...just staying off carbs Tuesdays and Thursdays and then limiting my carb intake to good, healthy carbs on the other days...plus LOTS of veggies and fruits in between meals and a good, hardy breakfast (lots of egg whites and oatmeal(on the carb days) has really helped me look better, and more importantly FEEL great!
This is me about 4 months ago when I first moved to Utah.

This is me now.

I don't know if you can tell a difference, but I sure can. And, I know this is just a face shot. I can feel somewhat of a difference in my body, but it always seems to leave from my face first. I'm way excited to see what happens in the next 4 months! I LOVE gettin' my sweat on!

Only God knows...

This tender man, dear friend, and beloved Elder from my Mississippi Jackson Mission died today; he drowned in a lake near St. Anthony, Idaho (I had previously said Rexburg, because that's where he was living, attending BYU-Idaho.) Lance Jensen. My prayers are definitely with his family and fiance right now. I don't have much to say. I just wanted to pay tribute to this guy. He was and still is an inspiration to MANY people throughout the world. The spirit world sure has a heck of a hard worker with them. He'll work miracles over there. He definitely did over here, and I'm blessed to have known him.

Thoughts

A girl named Crystal dropped off a huge box full of tomatoes and a huge box full of avocados. That's what you get when you live like the Petersons and make friends whenever possible. Lots of goodies as payback for your hospitality. Fortunately, I live with this dear family, and benifit from the goodies. I LOVE avocados and have never had this many at my fingertips before. It's pure heaven.

I love it when you get surprise visitors at work. Sometimes, no matter where you work, you get tired and bored. But a friendly, non-work, familiar face can lift you up and brighten your soul. They remind you there's life beyond work...that soon the shift will end and you will embrace freedom once again. This happened to me today. My good friend Rebecca Joy Somers and her new husband, Rob, came in to say a quick hi. It made me happy.

I sometimes wonder if I'm too much of a little girl to get married. I remember being 6 or 7 and looking at all the adult women at church and thinking, 'one day i will be big like that and wear makeup and dress fancy and have long nails and i'll have a husband.' Well, I don't think I've achieved the image my little 6-year-old brain had of womanhood. Nor do I think I'll ever achieve it. I don't have long beautiful hair (and I never will.) I'm not tall. I'm not thin. I'm not an accomplished business woman. I don't wear much makeup. I don't wear high heels. And I can't flirt worth crap. It's going to take a special guy to take me off the market.

"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is the most brilliant movie/book ever created. All the brilliant ideas are taken before they come to me. I'm telling you. If you are not familiar with this story, you MUST discover its beauty.


I'm going home in TWO days!

Recent Project

It's not the best song I've ever written. In fact, it's not even in the top 15. But, it's the first song I've finished in 3 years. And there's something to be said for a completed project. It was a break-through, and it feels good.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Please excuse the less than decent vocals...what can I say...it was late.

My brother loves me: Part 2

So, I had originally wanted to post this video with the "My brother loves me" post...but I wasn't able to figure it all out. So, now that I have, I want to share. I love Kevin. He's a stud. He made me promise...actually swear that I would never post this on facebook. But, he never mentioned anything about my blog, and since I'm 99% sure that none of his friends even know who I am, let alone read this blog, I'm going to post it here for the viewing pleasure of my fan base...all 2 of you. :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Reunion!

Yay! Happy day. Yesterday I was able to see my mission girl, Sista Joy Wiechmann (the one in the middle) for the first time in a year. It was lots of fun. She, Sis. Draper and I all hooked up for dinner and chatting at my place. I was very blessed to have the opportunity to train this individual. She's the most humble, forgiving, gentle, independent, spiritually in tune, confident woman I know. I admire her a great deal and hope to gain some of those qualities in the future.

My brother loves me

This is the lovely image that pops up on my phone whenever Kevin decides to call me. Well, that's basically never. But, on the rare occasion, I get to see this image, and hear his voice. Recently, I've been trying to get a hold of him to talk about some BYU-I stuff. And, we finally connected and were able to talk tonight. At the end of the conversation do you know what he said? He said...without me saying it first, or coaxing it out of him, "I love you." TENDER. My brother is a man of few words, but those words he deemed worthy to say. I love him dearly.