Update: 101 Goals in 1001 Days----5K's & More!

You all may remember a while back, I posted my 101 Goals in 1001 days.  This is a list of things I want to accomplish, some big, some small.  I decided to write a little update on how I've been doing!  I have fully completed 3 goals and there are a lot "in progress."  I will highlight a few things here, but the full updates & notes have been made on the original post.


Goals #1, 2, & 4 (These go hand in hand, and are all "in progress"):
1. Exercise 3 times per week for six months 
2. Run a 5K  
4. Lose 15 more pounds 


I started running about 3 times per week in March, after I had an idea to run in the Beach to Bay relay Marathon.  A group of great girls that I know from Church formed a team and we are running together every Saturday morning in preparation for the race.


I really, really struggled with this at first.  I used to be an athlete, so I thought it would be relatively easy to get in shape if I really put my mind to it.  Well, it wasn't like that.  Pregnancy really changes your body (or at least, it did for me).  Hormones and pressure on your joints mess with your ligaments and things just aren't the same.  I had not exercised like this in almost 2 years.  I wanted to give up, but then something amazing happened.


I figured out that an essential part of any kind of success in MY life, is prayer.  It may sound silly to pray for help or success with fitness goals, but lately I have really felt the power from it.  A few weeks ago, I could barely run for more than 5 minutes without stopping.  I was so discouraged.  So before my run last Tuesday, I prayed for help.  I prayed that the Lord would help me accomplish my goals because I know that this is a good thing for me to do and my intentions are good.  I prayed for the determination and strength to complete them.  I prayed for the will to continue and to not give up.


I really felt that as I worked out that day.  I felt an inner strength that I hadn't felt before.  I wanted to keep going.  Although it was hard, I kept running for 15 minutes without stopping.  It felt amazing.  I pushed through a barrier that I haven't been able to do since before I was pregnant.  Thursday, same thing--I was able to go for 23 minutes.


Saturday, when I ran with my team, was even better.  We have a route that increases each week and that day was 3 miles.  I was determined to finish with running and walking.  I was able to run for 35 minutes without stopping!  I just couldn't believe it.  I know that the Lord was helping me.  I never would have thought that I could do this!


Why would the Lord help us with goals that don't seem all that important on the surface?  Because we learn about ourselves and the strength of our character and a potential as a son or daughter of God.  Because when our physical bodies are healthy, we can be more in tune with our spiritual side.  I am seeing the parallels between reaching goals and my testimony has grown that the Lord WILL help us with our righteous desires.  When we don't have the strength to continue on, somehow we find a way to keep going and the Lord helps sustain us.  He is aware of our struggles.  Just as physical endurance takes time to develop, and a LOT of work, so does spiritual endurance.  I want to continue to develop the attributes of dedication and commitment in all parts of my life, and I feel like this experience is really contributing to that!


As of the beginning of April, I have lost 25 pounds!  I only have 5 more left to meet Goal #4 and only 5 more after that to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I am very excited about!  


I don't have any overall pictures to show the difference, but I think these show a difference in my face:

Other completed goals:
10. Do my hair and makeup every day for one week
75. Donate clothes I no longer need


#10 seems easy, but I always seem to neglect this due to lack of time in the mornings.  Well, I did it, and it felt great!  It's not the most important thing in the world, but I felt more upbeat and productive when I felt like I was "put together."


#75 was a hard one for me.  I tend to kind of be a pack rat, which can drive James nuts!  I have a completely full closet, though the majority of the clothes don't actually FIT me.  They are in about 4 categories:  Skinny day clothes (high school/college), pre-pregnancy clothes (bigger, but still small), maternity clothes, and "bigger" clothes.  I carefully sorted through every.single.item. in my closet and filled up two trash bags full of stuff.  I probably could have done more, but that will come at another time.  Many things had a lot of sentimental value and that I had owned for so long.  Some high school clothes, even...had some great memories wearing some of them on fun trips or events.  But, the reality is, most of them will NEVER fit again (unless I lose another 30-40 pounds ON TOP OF what I've already lost, but that's not going to happen), or they are too worn out to look good.  So, I mourn the loss of my cute skinny clothes.  I feel great giving up those things, and hopefully someone else can use the ones that are still in excellent condition.  It is freeing to get rid of clutter.  I am getting better at letting go of things.  All I have to do is watch that show, "Hoarders," and then I get afraid I will become that person, and then I am motivated to get rid of stuff!  haha.


So, that's it!  More updates will come in the coming months!

Whataburger Family Convention

At the beginning of April, we were priviledged to be invited to attend the Whataburger Family Convention in Dallas, TX to accept our award for winning second place in the Whataburger's Biggest Fan contest!  All of our expenses were paid which made it a wonderful mini-vacation for us.  This trip far exceeded any expectations that I had.  The conference and all the activities were very over the top and it for sure was a once in a lifetime experience.

There were Whataburger banners everywhere! We stayed at the Gaylord Resort and it was amazing! It had a huge atrium in the center of the hotel that made you feel like you were really outside and there were several restaurants and shops along the indoor riverwalk.  I couldn't stop staring at everything!  You had all the benefits of being outside without any of the yucky parts (heat & humidity).  It was beautiful.

 The view from our balcony

 Grant really loved the hotel room and was excited to explore everything.  He was going nonstop like a crazy man, running everywhere!

 Of course the first thing he did was go straight to check out the bathroom and stuck his hand in the toilet before we could catch him!  haha.

Another funny story is that they provided a small crib, on wheels, for us to use.  Grant apparently thought this was for him to play with, not to sleep in.  He kept pushing it around the entire room.  It was funny to see him walking around pushing an entire crib.

 We received a gift bag upon arrival with lots of delicious treats!  We enjoyed double chocolate chip cookies, cinammon rolls, jalepeno cheese biscuits, and brownies!  We also got a few goodies like our Whataburger cups and our gift card prize.

 When we went to dinner the first night, we couldn't believe how huge the event was!  There were over 2000 people there, with a big decorated stage with a full array of lights, sound, and smoke on the stage that almost made you feel like you were at a concert or something.  They played the videos that they made of each of the winners, including pictures of us from our video submission and also when the videographer came to interview us, and pictures of us from our photoshoot.  It was so strange watching ourselves on the screen.  It was a little embarrassing because when we were being interviewed, they said that they would focus on the one person who was talking, so James and I both were fidgeting and doing random stuff while the other was talking.  Well apparently they had us both in the shot at the same time!  Oh well.

  The meals were super fancy. We had salad, chicken, veggies, lasagna, and the yummiest dessert I've ever had! Of course I had to cheat on my diet during this trip.

Grant liked the food, too.  Of course he tried to grab and throw everything on the table, which included fancy plates and glasses, and a million pieces of silverware.  It was a battle keeping everything away from him, lol, but luckily everyone just thought it was cute!

 Grant really enjoyed all the festivities and interacting with all the people.  He would stare at everyone nearby and try to talk to them and get their attention.  He was being such a ham!  Many people already knew who the "Whatababy" was and several people came up and talked to us.  I have to say, it was weird feeling like everyone "knows" who you are and is staring at you.  In the world of Whataburger, we were treated like celebrities.  On the one hand, it was really fun, but on the other hand, it can be overwhelming.

 They had a musical performance to kick off the event.

After dinner Gen. Colin Powell spoke! What a surprise! We really enjoyed that; it was a special treat! He spoke about focusing on your core strengths as an organization, about how every person and every function are important, and the importance of education. He had some really awesome stories to tell.  It was an inspirational speech.

We had fun after that exploring the hotel and looking around.  There was so much to do there and it was so beautiful!  Here we found a water fountain that sprayed water at least 20 feet in the air.

 When we got back to our room, we found another special treat.  There was a duffel bag with a Whataburger blanket and some t-shirts left for us!  I was so excited to even see my name on the t-shirt. :)

 The next morning, we attended the Dobson family chat.  The Dobsons (family owners of Whataburger) discussed the Whataburger family history and the legacy of their parents in founding and running the organization. There were some wonderful heartfelt stories and values that they shared with us. It made me love Whataburger even more!

We also had a personal meet and greet with them and got to talk to them individually. They each spoke with us and highlighted the points of our story that they liked the most, while also telling us a little about themselves and the company and how they appreciated us.  They presented us with a Whataburger history book and all of the winners, including us, were in the book!  So cool and pretty much fulfilled one of my dreams!

 Next we were off to watch the WHATAGAMES!  This is like the Whataburger Olympics. Months and months of competitions between Whataburger stores over policies, procedures,and history of WB came down to 15 teams in the final round. It was sooooo cool, like a real game show.  James and I remembered a lot of the answers and thought it would have been fun to participate ourselves.

We didn't realize what an intense event it was, though.  Everyone took it VERY seriously.  Later we found out one of the reasons.  Each member of the winning team won $5,000 EACH!  Whataburger had many other prizes to award to employees, franchisees, and others as well (including 25K to the general manager of the year), which made me realize what a generous and successful company they really are.

 This was the other part of the competition: the restaurant operations competition. Each team had half an hour in the store to take orders, make, and hand out $500 of custom orders (that is very busy, like Aggie game day busy!). They even had judges requesting orders in the drive through. It was amazing all the detail that went into the competition. Oh, and we got to eat the orders!!!

Grant was very social during the Whatagames and wanted to play with everyone. Here he is with Karl and Carol, the first place winners.  They are from Rockport, TX and very nice.  They eat at Whataburger every single day, sometimes 2-3 times per day!  They now have a goal to eat at every single Whataburger in the Corpus Christi area (there are TONS!).

Grant playing with his buddy Micah. He was the 3rd place winner. Grant took a warm liking to him and always wanted to play with him.  He is always very interested in kids and they can really get him to laugh a lot!



Taking home a souvineer!

We went swimming in the indoor pool. It took Grant a while to remember what swimming is all about. There were two pools, one indoor and one outdoor.  We went with the indoor pool because we thought the outside water would probably be too cold.  Inside was VERY nice!  Grant seemed a little scared at first, but once he started getting used to it, he started kicking around and getting excited.  Then he was shivering cold, lol. He was very cute!

Accepting our award at dinner. This was the one part of the trip where I got really nervous.  They had a specific order and instructions for us backstage on what we were to do and when, etc.  I kept worrying that I would trip or do something dumb in front of everyone, but of course everything went great.  Grant did surprisingly well on stage! I have to say it was a very strange feeling standing in bright lights in front of 2,000 people who are all clapping for you. Very fun, though!

We then watched the rest of the Whatagames awards.  The teams who competed were so happy and very proud of the good jobs that they had done.

Our happy family enjoyed the trip of a lifetime!  Everyone loved Grant and he took pictures with lots of people who already knew who the "Whatababy" was.  We were also so happy that he was VERY well behaved and mostly enjoyed every minute of the trip!  He didn't cry on the flights and was a happy and laid back baby during the activities.  However, Grant was passed out by the time the awards were over! There were several after parties, including a performance by the Spazmatics, but we took sleepy Grant back to the hotel room, lol.

The last morning was the farewell breakfast. By far the best Breakfast buffet I have EVER had! Sooooo goooooood.  We wished we could have stayed longer, but it was time to go home.  Before we left, we got to spend a $150 gift card that they gave us to use at the hotel.  Since we didn't get to go to the spa or anything like that, we hit the many gift shops that they had there.  We bought a baby outfit and some baby cowboy boots that were ADORABLE!  I also got a few random souvineers and other things for us.  We also got to hang out with our college friends, Heather & Jake, who lived near the area, and catch up a little bit.  It's so crazy to realize all that has happened and all that has changed since our college days.

We had a blast on our trip and will never forget it!!!  Now we get to enjoy our Whataburger yummyness!

3 Year Anniversary

James and I celebrated our 3rd year anniversary in March.  We had a very fun weekend together and James made me breakfast Friday morning and sent me flowers at work!  It was a very nice and thoughtful surprise on both counts.

That night we went on a date and ate pizza at our apartment, and then saw a movie together and went out for ice cream afterwards.  We saw the movie "Unknown" and it was pretty good.  Then we went to this relatively new place called Camille's where they get vanilla ice cream bars, dip them in hot melted chocolate, and then roll it in your topping of choice.  I got mine rolled in oreo cookies, it was so yummy!  We rarely get a night out alone together, so this was a special treat.  :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAMES!

You are my best friend, my confidant, my biggest support, the one I can laugh with, the one I can play with, the one I have always been able to talk to...my other half, the one I would not be complete without. I have always loved you, and I always will.

Arizona

Over Spring Break I was able to go to Arizona for a wonderful occasion.  My friend Jackie, who I met and taught on my mission in the Virginia area, was getting married in Mesa, AZ and things worked out that I was able to go.

A little history.  When Jackie and I met in Virginia in 2007, we had a lot in common even though we were several years apart in age.  We could really relate.  What amazed me the most about Jackie is the strong desire she had to follow Jesus Christ.  She was in high school when we met and despite the hard time that others gave her about wanting to live the standards that the Lord wants us to, she stuck to it and eventually was able to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints about a year later on her 18th birthday.  I am still amazed by her strength and dedication.

It has been such a blessing to watch her grow into a wonderful young woman who understands her worth and potential as a daughter of God, and that she found a partner who treats her that way and who complements her so well.  I wish them all the happiness in the world!  Here are some highlights from the trip:

It was Grant's FIRST airplane ride!  I was a little nervous about how things would go, but I got a lot of great tips from friends and everything went very smoothly.  I was pleasantly surprised with how helpful and accommodating the airport staff and airline personnel were.  Lots of people offered to help me since I was flying with Grant by myself and many people smiled and talked to Grant which made him VERY happy.  He did not cry on the plane ONCE either way.  He got a bit whiny on the second flights (we had one layover), but got over it. :)

 We stayed with Jackie at the Fuller's house (Jackie's in-laws).  Wow, what an experience!  11 kids and 15 people in one house!  I have never seen anything like that before but I have to say it was pretty fun. Grant had a little playmate, Chloe, who was just a few months younger than him.  They played very well together and had a great time.

 The day that I got there, Jackie and I were able to go to the Mesa temple together for a session and have some time to reflect on how much has changed since we met.  The Lord truly does guide us and help us to get where we need to go, even if that is not in our plans at the time.  He has a plan for us and the temple really helps remind us of that.

The Mesa temple is extremely beautiful, and BIG.  It's not.what I expected on the inside.  It has beautiful murals and mounted quotes with intricate details in the woodwork and an overall "golden" feel.  The above is a picture of a painting of what it kinda looks like.  I'm not sure where the painting came from so it might not be completely accurate.

Friday was full of getting ready for the big day.  We ran lots of errands and help decorate the Church building.  We also went to a dinner that night at the Church and got to watch a slideshow of pictures of Jackie and Creed since they had known each other.

Grant had a blast at the party especially with all the people there.  He also kept running around everywhere in the Church building exploring everything.

I went with Jackie Saturday morning to the temple to help her get ready.  Here we are ready to leave with our hair and makeup done.  It was so special to share this day with her.  It meant so much to me and it was wonderful to be there to support her.

The ceremony was short and beautiful.  It helped me remember my own wedding day and the promises that James and I made with each other.  It is a very special feeling to know that we can live with our spouse together forever.

They looked so happy and were glowing!

Of course Jackie had to show off her special shoes for the event.

I also got to see Dani, one of my companions from my mission.  I was her "mother" aka trainer.  Haha.  She is doing great and it was so fun to reminisce and catch up.  The Ansteds, a family from Virginia, were also there and it was WONDERFUL to see them!

Grant loved being outside.  It was nice and warm the whole time we were there.  I decided to do a mini photo shoot of him and me since the grounds were so pretty.

He wouldn't let go of his sippy cup for the picture.  Oh well, haha.  It was fun to watch him look at all the flowers and examine and touch them.

Grant had fun taking out ALL my stuff from my suitcase on our last night where we stayed at a hotel.  Overall it was an EXCELLENT trip and I was so glad to be able to go.  Congrats to Jackie and Creed!

Video of Grant pulling our suitcases

Grant loves to pull and push things around. Lately he has been doing this with everything: his Little People barn, his stroller, boxes, packs of toilet paper, and anything else that he can move! Here is is pulling our suitcases in our new townhouse (he did this for almost an hour, lol). I really wonder what he is thinking sometimes. He is so focused on what he is doing that he barely even responds to us calling him or trying to get his attention, haha. He has already developed selective hearing.

Cute videos

Here are some recent videos of Grant! Our video camera has had a dead battery for a while and I really missed taking videos of him. We really take a LOT of videos, but I rarely post them because probably no one else besides us would find them interesting. I like to film a lot of his everyday activities, because I feel like that is what I will miss the most when he is older. Just the everyday things that he does.

But here are some that I thought might give others a good laugh and a smile...

Grant gets trapped in a blanket: He LOVES to play with blankets. This time, he got kind of stuck and got a little scared. His reaction is very cute.

Grant's full body wave: Sometimes when he doesn't feel like waving, he just waves with his whole body. :)