Best Backyard on the Block

This post has been a long time coming..... like last fall, long time coming.  I have wanted to wait until all of the major projects were finished before I posted about this, but tilling the garden will not likely happen until this weekend and today is the day I have dedicated to catching up on my blog.  So here it goes.

First, a few pictures for reference.

This is Jack, and Matt, and Aubrey, our next door neighbor digging out the old path, making way for our new deck to be built.  Notice the crappy swingset and wood fence in the background.

In October, we were so excited to finally have our new deck built.  This has been on the to-do list since we moved in.. the former steps were precarious at best, and downright treacherous during the winter.  A big thank you to my husband for his awesome design and to Travis Jenkins for making it happen.

Fast forward to December 1.... the massive windstorm that destroyed half the city.  Here are a few shots of what we were left with.

Needless to say, with a dog and a baby, we were going to need a new fence, and sooner, rather than later.  Although this was on the list, it was much further down.  Thanks to the insurance company (we're in good hands) and to Clifton Anderson for making a new fence possible so quickly.  We had our new fence up by the new year.

Well, after these two major improvements, it became clear that the backyard was now THE work in progress.  So, we kicked it up a notch and decided to scrap the old swingset in favor of a new, much more colorful model.

Since the swingset, we've planted a couple of new trees, some raspberries and strawberries, a shade garden and some lilac bushes.  Matt put lights on the pergola of the deck and the hammock has been hung.

The herb garden... not sure it will work out entirely, but it looked like a good idea on Pinterest.

Strawberry Pyramid.... another Pinterest idea, and one that I'm totally thrilled with.

Our new Norwegian Spruce.  Totally psyched that we were able
to get a big tree to replace our flowering pear that died.

Finally, the piece-de-resistance, our new water feature.  Have I ever mentioned how awesome my BIL Spencer is?  He rocks!  He is so generous with his time and talents and our lives would not be the same without him.

We have been talking about putting in a fountain or pond or something since we moved here and this year was the year.  It was a lot of hard work, designing, digging, moving rocks and trouble shooting, but I am THRILLED with the result.  It is so nice to lay outside in the hammock and listen to the water bubbling in the fountain.

Oh, and one more thing that I can totally not forget about the backyard is the painting I did a couple of weeks ago.  Yay for new purple doors and a green picnic table (not shown.)

Needless to say, we will be enjoying our backyard quite a bit this summer.  We'll be chillin' in the hammock and playing on the swingset; digging in the sandbox and the garden and just generally loving life.  Come over and pay us a visit.

I'm Dwindling Away

Actually, not really, but I had someone tell me that the other day and I thought it might make a catchy title.

This post is a little late... like three weeks late.  But, with a birthday, a graduation, a wedding and life's regular stuff, I haven't had a chance to post much recently.  For any of you who are interested, this is the month three update on my weight loss journey.

So, May 6, 2012.... three months out from surgery and this is where I stand.  I have lost 56.2 pounds.  My BMI has decreased from a 41 to 32.5.  It's sad, but I guess I'm excited that I am no longer considered Morbidly Obese.... just Obese.  Isn't that nice?  I have lost 4" from my chest, 4.5" from my waist, 6" off my hips and 4.5" from my thighs.  I have dropped four solid dress sizes and depending on the clothes, it might be five.  I don't mind telling you people at this point that, wait for it, I weigh over 200 pounds.... but not much over.  One-derland, as us fatties like to call it, is in view.  I weigh less now that I did when I got married 15 years ago.  My kids have never seen me, as Erin puts it "so skinny."

Now, all of this is not so much a comment on where I am, but where I've been.  I still have about 65 pounds more to lose.... I am nearly halfway to my goal, which isn't terrible for three months time.  But it's getting harder.  I am really hoping to kick things in the butt and start losing again.  I have been stalled for the last couple of weeks (see birthday, graduation, wedding, etc.)  However, it is renewed determination that I have started to really focus on my exercise and stepping it up.

Here are a few highlights and observations from the last month.

Some NSV's (Non-Scale Victories)

Just imagine that I don't look like a zombie... too lazy to fix my eyes in this picture.  Yes, that's me in my wedding dress, and yes, I'm aware that I can still stand to lose a bit more, but, it fits.... I got it zipped up.  It's amazing however, what my four kids have done to my body.  I weigh the same, but everything is distributed differently.

Three months out, and I still have hair... actually a big relief.  I am finding a disturbing amount of it in drains and on countertops and bathroom floors, but I have enough that I can still color it (decided to go dark again) and can attempt to style it.  I say attempt because hair has never been my strong suit.  I didn't get a full body picture at the three month point, so this is going to have to work.

Finally, I reached a goal.  I was able to travel on an airplane without having to ask for a seatbelt extender or without cutting off circulation to the lower half of my body.  This truly is something you have to be big to appreciate, but for the last six years, I have dreaded flying.  Arm rests are not your friend when you have hips and if you're flying without your kids, your seat mates do not necessarily appreciate the overflow (if you know what I mean.)  I was able to fly to Ohio with my seatbelt fastened, arm rests down and, wait for it..... my legs crossed.  I was able to put my tray table down all the way; not that I used it for eating, but still, a success.

Things are going well.  I am making great strides.  All of my pants are baggy, not so much in the thighs and hips, but in the butt.... thank you Homer genes!  Life is good and I am committed to keep up this hard work.  I know that it has been worth it and has been life-changing for my family.  Stay tuned for next month.

Twenty Six Point Freaking Two

Matt ran his first marathon on Saturday, the Ogden Marathon.  This is kind of unbelievable to me because he has only been a "runner" for the last two years and the thought of running any farther than the end of my driveway makes me nearly pass out from exhaustion.  Overall, I think it was a great experience for him; one that he's committed to doing again.  After his race was over, he was overwhelmed by all the thoughts, emotions and comments he experienced and so I told him he ought to write them down so he could reflect on the experience later.  So, without further ado, here is Matt's first ever guest post on "the blog."  Hope you enjoy it.  Special thanks to my BIL Spencer for the awesome photos.

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My First Marathon

“Just close your eyes on the bus ride up. You don’t want to know how far it is.” Good

advice for a marathon.

Some of you know that I ran the Ogden Marathon, my first this past weekend. I say

my first because for some inexplicable reason I really enjoyed the experience and

have already signed up for another. At the risk of being narcissistic I wanted to write

something about it because I’ve been so inspired by the experiences that others have

shared with me and I’ve had a lot of people ask about it.

What was I doing at 5:45 am at 5,400 ft wearing shorts in 34-degree temperatures? A

marathon. I’ve never considered myself a runner. I have short heavy legs, flat feet, a

relatively inefficient cardiovascular system and I’m easily bored – yet here I was. After

trying a 10k on a whim two years ago I’ve run a few half marathons and up to a 20 –

miler in my training. I’ve read a lot and talked to a lot of people and something crazy

told me I could do this. No one is more amazed than me that I actually got better while

training thus indulging this delusion. So here I was.

The day started at 4:30 when I woke up in the hotel (I think it was about half an hour

after Will finally went to bed.) My plan for oatmeal for breakfast didn’t work out

because I couldn’t get hot water, so I ended up eating a protein bar, some jerky, and some

shot blocks – inadequate in hindsight, then I made my way to the busses a few blocks

away. I sat next to a very nice man from Michigan who drove to Utah for his fourth

Ogden Marathon. He told me he’d been running marathons for 20 years, that this is his

second one this year (the first was Boston) and that he had another one on the schedule

in two weeks. Crazy. But he also told me that it was the best thing he’d ever done, it had

changed his life and he predicted that no matter the outcome that I would find it to be an

emotional experience. I wasn’t prepared for that.

The scene could not have been more beautiful. As the sun came up and the temperature

increased in a small mountain valley, you could feel the excitement in this crowd of

2,400 crazy people. I didn’t find anyone I knew but I did not feel alone. Am I becoming

one of them? I felt good, but my legs were still complaining a little bit about my last

training run two days earlier and I could still feel the 90 min. of basketball from the day

before. But I felt great as the mass of runners streamed across the starting line.

With the rush of the crowd and the downhill course (most of my training had been

at elevation with plenty of uphills) I was going fast – and it felt great. The winding

mountain road was beautiful and as I heard Coldplay’s Til Kingdom Come in the

background I got a little choked up. After all that work, here I was, and it was going

well. I’d set a goal to finish between 4:15 and 4:30 and as I did the math in my head my

pace was good enough that I could slow down later and still reach the goal and my heart

rate was right where I wanted it. So I settled into a comfortable pace taking regular one

minute walking breaks about every two miles and adjusting what I was listening to from

time to time.

I don’t really remember much between there and the halfway mark except that it was

going well, the scenery was unbeatable and I felt good. I’d grabbed some GU and Power

Aid at the aid stations and was moving just like I had trained. I’d slowed a little but I

hit the halfway mark at the north end of Pineview reservoir at 2:09, eight minutes faster

than the Half Marathon I ran in January. Everything was on track to meet my goal. As

we came around to head up the only significant hill towards the spillway I slowed a little

more. By mile 16 my walking breaks were starting to come a little more frequently but I

knew that once I hit that spillway it was down Ogden canyon to the finish. Surely I could

handle the downhill. It was during this time that the 4:15 pace runner went out of site

with my goal, but 4:30 was still possible. I struggled to get to the dam, but took off again

once I did.

My legs were really starting to hurt. Just before mile 20 they started to rebel. My brain

was saying run, and they ignored me. I was only able to get a couple of minutes of

running out of them before they slowed despite my pleas. Several runners were very

helpful. One man saw I was struggling and spent about 10 minutes with me running and

walking and encouraging me at my pace. I found solace with a few others who were

struggling. I kept moving forward but was getting slower and slower. At mile 22 the

cramping started, first in my right leg, then the left and then, oddly in my right forearm

– which was the worst. I was able to work through them all, but I couldn’t get running

again for more than a minute without the fatigue in my legs demanding that I walk. I

had to dig deep but I was falling apart in spite of my best efforts. This race was quickly

destroying my confidence and hope. I’ve never done anything this physically difficult,

not even close. I barely even noticed the fantastic scenery anymore.

I missed Annie, my faithful running companion. My English Springer Spaniel has run

maybe a hundred miles with me while training. With more energy than me I think she

helps pull me along, and can be a bit of a distraction. Her enthusiasm for our runs is

contagious. I needed her through the last few miles.

I passed the 25 mile marker and turned onto the straightaway toward the finish line. I

could see it. There were now more spectators and fewer runners. My goal of 4:30 was

now long gone at this pace and I was now praying just to finish, and hopefully in under

five hours. I was nearly there but I couldn’t pick up the pace. I would look at a street

sign or light or building and think “I’ll run that far before I walk again”, but I couldn’t

make it. Tears came as my emotions were starting to get to me. Had I put in this much

effort and still not be able to run across the finish line in front of all these people? Not a good feeling.

With three or four blocks to go I started to run again determined to make it to the

end. I saw Rebekah and my kids and my brother and brother in law cheering for me

from behind the barrier with just two blocks to go. I was dying but had to keep going.

Suddenly Jack, my six year old son, was running toward me. He’d jumped the barrier

and came to run the last bit with me. 

He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the

finish line. He was running as fast as he could in his flip flops and literally pulling

me with him. He cannot know how much I needed that and I could barely contain my

emotions once we crossed.

I had finished in 4:47:53. The last four miles took 51 minutes (the first four took 36.)

but I didn’t care. I was finished and, importantly, I was wiser for the experience. I had

a lot of time to think about training, pacing, nutrition, hydration, sleep and several other

mistakes I had made as I struggled through that wall at the end. I was focused and, even

at that point in time, I wanted another shot to try again and fix some of those mistakes.

My muscles were taken to their breaking point but I was uninjured – something I didn’t

take lightly. I had suffered some injuries in the past and had worked hard to strengthen

my knees, IT Band and deal with some pretty serious plantar fasciitis, none of which

caused me any significant trouble. While I didn’t hit my goal time and had more that the

usual amount of fatigue, finishing healthy was a success.

I’ve found its often easy in life to fall into the trap of thinking you’re all alone in

something and that others aren’t really paying attention to you, until you have an

experience where you realize how many people really are interested in your life and want

you to do well. I discovered later that day that my sister had recently received some

bad health news and held off telling me because she didn’t want me to worry during my

run. A colleague in Colorado not only remembered I was running but actually looked up

the race results and emailed me to congratulate me on a great race. Many other family,

friends and neighbors have shown great interest and encouragement. Some near and

far have encouraged and inspired me by sharing their knowledge and their own training

experiences. Thank you all. I am so blessed.

My companion on the bus was right. It was emotional and rewarding. I’m grateful for

this experience and I now have a much greater appreciation for how difficult this can be.

I will never forget Jack coming to my aid. I will also never forget the support from my

family that made all of it even remotely possible; Rebekah’s encouragement to go on a

run when there were other things she wanted me to do with my time; My kids cheering

and making posters and asking me how my run was. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Thank you for your love, encouragement and patience. I hope that someday we can all

have the experience together – but without the bad stuff at the end of course.

We Bought A Zoo (Pass)

It has been awhile, but last week I ventured to the zoo with the boys.  Over the years, we have had season passes and have made visits, but for some reason, we haven't gone for a couple of years.  I think I'm going to blame it on me being fat.... those hills can be pretty daunting if you're not up for a hike.  However, since I've turned over a new leaf of sorts, and the weather last week was beautiful, Jack decided that the zoo was the place for us to go in celebration.  Oh my.... we had such a great time.  Jack is at the perfect age for all the animals, he actually wants to learn about the animals and has the energy to walk on his own.  Will is thrilled with being able to toddle around periodically and see everything up close.  Although he is not great at following directions to "not pound on the glass."  Obviously, Will was not thrilled that the sun was in his eyes in the above picture, but trust me, he was excited.

The first thing we saw at the zoo was this guy....

You can tell that he's perched and ready to jump.... much to the delight of all of the field-tripping school kids.  He put on quite the display; showed us all his feathers and wanted everyone to know that he was a big deal.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a great head-on shot of the guy, but I can't recall that I have ever seen a peacock's bum either.

Jack was amazed that this lovely piece of sculpture was, in fact, a working water fountain.  He had to have a drink, and when I didn't get a great picture of him drinking and asked him to pose again, he turned me down and told me it was disgusting.  Some things never change!

After the peacocks and the monkeys, we headed over to take a look at the elephants.  This has always been one of my favorite parts of the zoo, especially since they refurbished the exhibit a few years back.

This was the part where Will was amazed that he could walk around the zoo, independent of the stroller.  He loved watching the elephants (from a distance) and the baby elephant was his favorite.

Finally, we got a picture of the boys on the elephant sculpture.  So fun that these things exist and that I can mark memories of all my children on these sculptures.  Too bad you can't see Jack's face .... he was trying so hard to keep Will from falling.

Hogle Zoo looks to be finally finishing the renovations that they started nearly a decade ago, when my girls were little.  Their new Rocky Shores exhibit is scheduled to open on June 1.  The bears will be back, and the seals and who knows what else.  

We finished up our first trip of the year to the zoo with the train... always a favorite, especially for little boys.  You can tell by the look on Jack's face that he is very concerned that Will is going to fall out.

I am so glad that we have such a nice zoo relatively close by and the kids and I look forward to spending a lot of time there over the next year.

How Did This Happen?

I find myself at this particular point in time wondering how it is that I find myself with an almost teenage daughter.  This girl has turned into such an amazing young woman and I am so grateful for her.  Thankfully for me, she is starting to be fun again and not just a moody mess.  Over the last couple of months we have had some great experiences together.  She is not perfect, but who is?  Mostly as we approach her twelfth birthday I find myself feeling a couple of different things; regret for the times I've overshot or not done enough; and pure joy for the wonderful young lady she is becoming despite my mothering shortfalls.  This girls is compassionate, creative and determined.  She is clever and witty and is the soul of our household.  She is so excited for all that her life has to offer and I am so hopeful that life does it's best not to disappoint (too much anyway!)

A few things that Erin has been up to lately.....

Besides just the regular stuff, she has been hard at work trying to finish up her projects and requirements for her Faith in God award at church.  She only has a few more things to finish and I can honestly say that she has done it 100% on her own (or with the help of leaders) because she has not let me help with anything (although I have tried!)

In one of my last posts, I mentioned that Erin was a essay finalist for her DARE program at school.  They have spent quite a bit of time talking about decision making and friends and drugs and such in this program this year and I was thrilled to go to her DARE graduation a couple of weeks ago to hear her speak.  Her essay was really well written and delivered.  Such a proud mommy moment.  Besides, she was thrilled to win "a really cool backpack."

Sorry the picture is so blurry, but it was the best I could do while trying to keep track of Will at the same time.

The other big development in Erin's life is the fact that she has been selected as the 7th grade officer from her school.  Although the competition at her school was not especially stiff, she put A LOT of time and effort into preparing her essay and presentation.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall, but I have it from reliable sources that "she was stellar."  The committee was so impressed and said she was very poised and clearly comfortable in front of people.  For posterity's sake, I am including the text from her essay so she can always remember what she wrote.

Why I Would Make a Great 7^th Grade Officer

By: Erin Pierce

“Far and away the best price that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

President Theodore Roosevelt summed it up best with this quote. There are a lot of things in this world that require hard work, but the rewards gained from this work make up for the difficulty.

  Being a great 7^th grade officer is a lot of work and a big commitment. I feel that I could do this job very well because I understand what it means to work hard and follow through with commitments.

 I think that being a 7^th grade officer requires someone who works well with the others, can make friends easily, seeks consensus and can lead others in fulfilling plans. I sing in a professional choir and we are required to practice an hour every day with a two-hour rehearsal once a week. We have to learn many songs in different languages and different parts. I have been in that choir for 4 years and I have learned it takes a lot of hard work and effort.

 I am confident in my abilities to speak in front of others, and not afraid to stand out a bit. I am very creative and thorough in planning activities and I would love the opportunity to be involved.  My teacher expects a lot from me.  I learned a long time ago, if you want to succeed in her class you have to work hard; no exceptions.  I understand committing my time and efforts for the good of a group and being dependable to others. I would consider it a great honor, in fact a prize, to have the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

We are in the process of planning her birthday party... which she is very excited for.  We are having an "Erin in Wonderland" themed bash.  I hope it will be lots of fun and something she'll always remember planning with her mom.  

As we speed towards 12, and junior high, and Young Women's and boys, and all that stuff, I am so hopeful for this wonderful little girl will continue to grow and develop into the great person that I've always known was there.  Love you Erin!

Easter 2012 Was Egg-stra Special

Aren't these kids the cutest?  Even better when you consider that these girls MADE their own Easter dresses.  How did I get so lucky?  Wish we could've gotten the binky out of Will's mouth, but his brother and sisters got him up at 6:30 to look for Easter baskets and he was not a happy camper.  Thank goodness for Sunday afternoon naps.

Easter Sunday was great this year.  The kids loved their baskets.  This year, we went with themes; something new and fun.  

• Erin's basket was everything having to do with American Girl dolls.  Craft supplies, an outfit for her doll and a book about starting junior high.
• Allie's basket was an homage to her love of sewing.  Fabric, a pattern, sewing kit and a measuring tape watch.  So cool, Easter Bunny!
• Jack's basket was Super Heroes.  He got a new swim suit and shirt, coloring books, puzzles games and toys featuring the Avengers and Fantastic Four.  Super stuff for a super boy.
• Will was so excited to find his basket full of Mickey Mouse.  He got two new movies, a stuffed Mickey, a sippy cup and a new swim suit.  That boy is set.

Church was great.  We had great lessons and testimonies of Christ and his Atonement.  Our Bishop gave an awesome talk about doing our part to help the Lord, even when we may not understand what our part is or why we have to do it.

We had my folks up for dinner because they are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and although dinner was a little crazy, it made me very grateful for my family.

We also have some Easter activities from Saturday to report on.  We were excited to host the 2nd Annual Neighborhood Easter Bonnet Party.  That's a fancy way of saying that we invited all our neighbors to come over with food and hang out for a couple of hours, wearing super cool hats.  The kids had a great time drawing with chalk, playing with hula hoops, playing on the tramp and the swing set, and of course, creating their hats.

Thanks to great neighbors who are always game to drop by for a fun time, and for a husband who supports my social aspirations and tries to help me not freak out when I'm getting ready for said event.

So glad that spring is finally here and that the smell of lilacs in in the air.  So grateful that the tomb was empty and that I can be with my family forever.

Move on Down, Move on Down the Road

Be honest, did any of you just invision Diana Ross and Michael Jackson?  The Wiz?  Anyway, I have been moving more, and eating considerably less and am seeing great success.  The scale is moving down and my energy levels are higher than they've been in years.  How awesome is that?

Here's the photo for the month.  Not my favorite because it seems like I'm all boobs and I think I looked better last month, but oh well.

I will tell you that the pants and shirt are both a 1X which is down from the 3X I was wearing at Christmas.  I have bought new clothes and am looking forward to shopping at places like Target and Costco..... there you have it, the dream of a fat girl.

I have lost 32 pounds since my surgery and 47 since the beginning of the year.  From this point forward, I will be referring to weight lost as the number from the beginning of the year because that is when I started this whole process.  I am happy to report that I have lost 5 inches off my thighs, 3 1/2 inches off my waist, and an inch off my arms and neck.  See, writing this down makes me feel awful about myself, but this is documenting the journey, right?

Well, so now you have the numbers, I'm going to talk about some the NSV (non-scale victories) I have experienced in the last couple of months.

• Wearing a belt.... something I always found laughable when I'd go to Lane Bryant to buy pants and they'd ask if I needed a belt and I wanted to say, "no, this pooch of tummy fat will hold the pants up for me."
• Better sleep.... for myself and my husband.  My sleep numbers were awful... like averaging 65% sleep efficiency nightly.  Now I'm regularly up in the 80's and even 90's and I'm not snoring like a freight train anymore.
• Being able to cross my legs and not having my feet go numb, or looking like a man in a dress.  I think you know what I mean.
• Having my sweet neighbors tell me how good I'm looking; like stopping as they're driving down the street to share their opinions.  I have a hard time hearing it, but it's nice.
• Not sweating like a gut-shot hog every time I move.  I swear that I have pig sweat glands.  It comes from my Homer side.  Any amount of movement, stress, or effort would cause me to sweat.  Not that the actions themselves were difficult, but there was something in my body that liked to sweat, A LOT.  Especially as I was getting ready for church.  It's hard to explain if you haven't had the experience, but I often would arrive at church looking like I sprinted there.  Not so much out of breath, but dying for a headband, and hand towel and looking like I needed a Gatorade.
• Riding bikes and walking for miles without feeling like I need a nap afterwards.  That has always been my hang up with exercise.  What good does it do me to kill myself to get in shape if I have no energy for the other stuff in life that I have to do?
• Going shopping, buying clothes a size smaller than I wear and then getting them home and discovering that they're TOO BIG!  That was pretty much awesome.
• Being satisfied with less.  Half a chicken breast is just enough.  An M&M gives me my sweet fix and water is my new drink of choice.  Okay, so not completely satisfied; still miss the burn of my morning Diet Coke, but I'll get over it eventually.
• Getting through an Easter season for the first time in 25 years without those DAMN Cadbury Mini-Eggs.  They are like crack!  I love them and I didn't have ONE this year.
• Not having feet or knees that ache the way they used to.
• Being able to swing on our new swing set with my kids.
• Working in the yard for Spring Break with my family.  Feeling like I'm contributing to the great things happening in our family instead of watching them happen.
• Having a dear widowed friend ask me at Relief Society if Matt is chasing me around the bedroom.  Made.My.Day!
• Setting a better example for my children and those around me and knowing that it's only going to get better.

That's just the few that I can think of right now.  I really do need to write them down, but they come often.  I am so glad that I made the choice to have this surgery.  It has not been the easiest thing I have ever done, but it makes the hard things I'm doing really count.  I'm still waiting to see if I'll lose some of my hair, but I'm hopeful that I won't because my nutrition and vitamins are better now that they've ever been.

Life is full of possibilities, it seems to me.  I realize that I can't start over, but I can start now and make a new ending.  I am really feeling alive for the first time in a long time and I am so grateful for this experience.  Looking forward to the future.

Okay, if that made you throw-up in your mouth a little bit, you're not alone.  Sorry.  Thanks for caring enough to read my blog.  Peace out!