November:
McHardy-Davis Thanksgiving was a success (unless you count Gregor forgetting 2 of the siblings in the prayer...twice. haha) Good company, games, and LOTS of yummy food, including Ian and I's deep pit roasted turkey! Seriously. There is no other way to cook the turkey anymore. We paid $20 for the scouts in our ward to cook our turkey for us overnight in a deep pit underground, all we had to do was prepare it. I didn't do too shabby of a job if I do say so myself. ;) BUT OH that turkey was good. And I am not much of a turkey person at all. Every piece of meat was literally falling of the bone. When it was time to cut up the turkeys, we just went in there and scooped it out. Even the white meat was as juicy and flavorful as the dark meat. Best of both worlds, babe. I salivate just thinking about it...
Oh and that weekend, for funsies, Ian and I went with my mom, who doubles as an amazing realtor, to look at the houses we were considering. First house was alright, nice and open, majority of it being tile, kind of a fixer upper since the previous tenants never finished their DYI home improvement projects. It was a 7 out of 10. Ian on the other hand absolutely loved it. That was his firs pick right up front. Clearly, we are not agreeing as quickly as I thought we would. Second house, I AM IN LOVE. No vaulted ceilings like the first one, but it came with a finished back yard/pool, awesome upgrades in the kitchen and outside, the front door was red, it was great. Ian of course wasn't on the same page. Third house was better than the first, but running second to the one we had just looked at. Not pretty in the front. Literally looked like a dollhouse made out of a cardboard box. A big square. Nice and open on the first floor, finished backyard. The only weird thing was that there was carpet in the bathroom...? Wut. After that we were about to call it quits for the day but decided to look at one final house. Pull up and it's darling out front. Has a castle-esque feeling to it. Walk inside and it was pretty much everything Ian and I loved in our respective houses we had look at earlier. Vaulted ceilings, open kitchen into living room, loft, finished backyard WITH A GARDEN. 3 different citrus trees, lots of peppers, herbs, and a pomegranate tree. Custom patio. Not too big, a good $20,000 under our budget, and it was screaming our names. We knew this would go fast if we didn't jump on it. We both just instantly felt so good about it, we had to go for it. So we did. :) Everything has been falling into place since we put in the offer. It's been the most gentle of a rollercoaster that home-buying is. We are to close next week on the 7th. It's kind of surreal how everything has worked out for us just so. How many people can say they bought a house exactly 4 months after getting married? This is big kid stuff, guys. We are also fortunate to have over a month between closing and the apartment's lease being up at the end of February, so we can take our time moving in. We are both so excited to be in our space that we'll be in for the next decade at least. Oh, and it's out in San Tan Valley. Yes. Clear the heck out there, but the houses are new, big, and cheap. JUDGE ME.
December:
Now December has hit. Resonance concerts are in full swing. SO MUCH FUN. Such good music, such talented people, you all should be totes jellin' right now. There was the Messiah Sing-Along as well, where there was Jordan-Freaking-Bluth as the tenor and my super amazing father in-law as the bass. Good night all around. Also, our best friends Taylor Kerby and Jadyn Hicks got married on the 13th. Best day ever. Jadyn was absolutely STUNNING and Taylor was looking pretty sharp too. Those two deserve the best and the day was so beautiful; from the sealing to the reception, everything was perfect. Those two are kind of our favorite people. Fo sho.
Not because I am biased or anything, I just set them up. ;) HA just kidding. I merely introduced them--they did the rest. :)
And of course you can't forget Christmas!!! Since majority of my siblings are now married, we rotate through who gets us for Christmas. This year, I was with my mom. We still did a gift exchange/Christmas with my in-laws right the Monday before. That's where by wonderful thoughtful husband decided to give me a gift that will keep on giving. As I believe I had mentioned before, I played the French Horn in Jr High/HS, and I was actually quite good. Top band starting freshman year and so on. Since then, I have started to really miss playing, and I talk about it a lot. Apparently, that sounded like the perfect gift, so what does he do? Buys me a brand spanking new Horn, with a fancy case, playing gloves, a polishing rag, valve oil, and tuner.
WHAAAAT WHHHHHAAAAAATTTT I kinda died right then when I saw FRENCH HORN on the side of the massive box. It's now my baby. And now I feel like I need to make Ian's birthday EXTRA special. Just you wait, honey! You're in for it. ;)
Another wonderful surprise, my dad drove all the way from Utah to come spend the weekend before Christmas with my brother and I. We went out to dinner, had our own gift exchange and then the next day spend the day at the mall and saw the Hobbit at the theater. Great two days to spend with my dad. Meant a lot to me for him to come down for such a short time. :)
And of course there was the actual Christmas festivities at my mom's. We have a Christmas Eve tradition where we go out for Chinese food and then come back and watch Christmas Vacation. This year was the luxurious China Super Buffet! Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra! It was actually pretty good. I couldn't complain. Since we had all of my siblings there, that included 6 of my nieces and nephews, so Christmas and Santa was much bigger deal than it has been in a long time. Meaning we woke up at 6 AM to open presents. Too early in my opinion for Christmas, but hey those kids were just so excited, it was worth it. Love those little chillin's.
For me, it was a well deserved 3 day break from work where I could relax, eat good food, read my books, and escape for a little while.
2014!!!!!
Now that it's officially the new year, everyone comes out with their short-lived resolutions to last them until Valentines Day. I know I am definitely one of those people are determined to lose weight, get a bikini ready body, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Then of course I got a party or something and my progress gets thrown out the window. BUT THIS TIME I AM SERIOUS. I've done fad diets like HCG and South Beach, I've done pounding out workouts for hours every day, and I am tired of watching myself slip and fall back into what I have tried so hard to claw my way out of. I worked so hard to look good for my wedding, and though I did lose about 8-10 pounds, I wasn't close to where I wanted to be. Then the weight I lost came creeping back after I got married, and THEN some after the holidays. I've never been super overweight or anything but I've always had that extra around my middle that I have never been able to get rid of. It's been a real struggle for me since I can remember. I am done being self-conscious and I am done trying and failing. Based on what has worked for lots of people and combining what I know will work for me, I have created an action plan:
1) I have ordered Shaun T's Rockin Body Workout, which I will faithfully do 5 days a week. Ian will join me most days so I don't have to do it alone. I don't want to kill myself doing Insanity or P90X, but I still want a work out that will challenge me and one that I won't dread doing. What better way to do that than to combine intensity with dancing? The only way I'll stay motivated to work out is if I'm having fun.
2) Shakeology. I've heard lots of great reviews about it and it's made up completely of herbs, protein blends, vegetables and digestive enzymes. They have nutrition label online and there aren't any weird ingredients in it. A meal replacement shake only supposed to be used ONCE a day, not however much you want. It's supposed to help with portion control, digestive health, as well as curb cravings. If I combine that with making a weekly meal plan that's made with good ingredients, I think I will succeed.
3) Buy GOOD food. All the meals I make will be made as healthy as possible (what my budget will allow). This also means that all snacks will be good for me too. No more vending machines for me!
I know this will take time because it's not supposed to be fast. My goal is by Spring Break to be within 5 pounds of my goal weight when Ian and I got on a short trip to Cali. That gives me at least 8 weeks to get majority of the way there.
Here goes nothing guys.
Good luck to all who are making changes for the better! :)
