Life Update

• We have been landscaping our yard for the last couple of weekends. I am completely sick of picking up rocks.
• We should be able to close on our house this Wednesday!! and move in Thursday!!!!!!!!

{This is the most current pic I have of the house, but it is done now!}

• Matt and I just got back from a rained out Youth Conference. We were the goodly parents of 9 teenagers. If you thought it was cold last weekend in the Salt Lake valley, it was really cold up in the Uintahs.
  
• For the three months we lived in the Bluffdale First Ward, we were both called to be on the activities committee, substitute primary teachers, and asked to go to Youth Conference. Plus, as a parting gift, they asked us to speak in sacrament meeting last Sunday. I don't know why they decided to pick on us...Maybe because my dad is the ward clerk...perhaps he had something to do with it.
• Matt and I are running the Ragnar Wasatch Back this weekend. A team of 12 runs from Logan to Park City (188 miles).

Matt

• Matt just graduated from the University of Phoenix with his bachelor degree in Accounting. Yay!!
  
• He was accepted to the Weber State MBA program and will be starting this fall.
• Matt is training for the Ragnar relay race. Matt will be running three legs that equal 18 miles. And he will be doing it in these bad boys:

{these are not Matt's feet, but they are his funny-looking shoes}

Ashley

• I finished up the school year with AMES and I'm not sure what I'll be doing next year.
• I've gained 7 lbs living at my parents house. Good thing I'm moving this week.
• I decided last minute to join Matt's Ragnar team. I will be running a total of 13 miles as runner #4 (hopefully I don't die mid-stride). I haven't run much since the Marathon in September. In fact, I will only have 1 1/2 weeks of training for this weekend. Fortunately, it is one of the easiest legs.
  

Parker

• Basketball was so last month. Now, it's all about baseball.
• Parker LOVES to sing. He sings Hallelujah, ABCs, and his very first original song. It goes like this: mama (high), dada (low), mama (high), dada (low)
• He love the alphabet almost as much as he loves sports. Every time we drive anywhere and he sees building signs, he starts pointing at the letters and saying "A, O, B.." http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo

50 special moments in 2009

1. Running my first 5K and almost dying in the process
2. Parker being pretty much the chubbiest baby I've ever seen
3. Parker learning to crawl
4. Successfully implementing cloth diapers
5. Lots and lots of running
   
6. Still not having all our doors properly installed in our home (we've lived here 3 years)
   
7. Going to the zoo with Parker. He didn't care too much, but I had fun.
   
8. Matt losing 36 lbs in 13 weeks and winning the title of biggest loser
   
9. "Vacationing" at the Grand Canyon and by vacationing I mean "boot camp"
10. Sharing a pork salad at cafe rio. . . a lot (did you know they give you a free "kid's quesadilla?)
    
11. Still being just as in love as the day we got married (actually, more in love)
    
12. Taking Parker up in the mountain often, and exposing him to climbing early
13. Did I mention I ran a lot?
    
14. Taking Parker swimming for the first time. He didn't like it at first.
    
15. Running my first half marathon in 2:05 at Bear Lake and NOT almost dying from it. Best Race Ever.
    
16. Matt redpointing his first 5.12
17. Going to the Temple almost but not quite once a month (maybe more like every 2 months)
    
18. Even more rock climbing
19. Piano students stealing Matt's ipod...and my favorite piano book. grrrr
    
20. Hanging with Matt's family in St. George
21. Redpointing a 5.9
    
22. Parker pointing at everything. Literally everything.
23. Doing a little photography on the side
    
24. Matt's promotion to Senior Accountant even though he doesn't have his degree yet (coming this May!)
    
25. Singing a song I wrote to the Young Women while playing the guitar. Scary.
    
26. Climbing with my best friend to the top of the Grand Teton and almost dying in the process
    
27. Reaching the car after we finished the Grand Teton
28. Attempting to "go organic"... ok, it's a small attempt, but I'm still working on it
    
29. Accepting a new job to teach the science fair class at AMES
30. Wishing I hadn't accepted a new job to teach the science fair class at AMES (even though I like it... most of the time)
31. Getting the biggest kisses from my little boy
    
32. Crossing the finish line at the top of Utah Marathon and almost dying in the process
33. Parker learning to walk (0r wobble. However you want to look at it.)
    
34. Parker turning 1 and having his first birthday party with family and friends (what a popular little guy)
35. Sewing my Halloween costume and having the cutest Toy Story family ever
    
36. Being called as the Young Women President just when I thought my life was busy enough
37. Matt being called, the very next week, to be the Executive Secretary even though his life is busier than mine
    
38. Parker swallowing my wedding ring
    
39. The very next week, Parker swells up like a balloon because of a peanut allergy
40. Matt learning and implementing the concept of "barefoot running"
41. Dancing in the kitchen with the cutest kid I know
    
42. Giving up on cooking dinner for practically the whole month of december
    
43. Parker learning to talk "ba ba ba ba..."
44. Matt achieving "Employee of the Year" for the accounting department
    
45. Parker's fear of action figures
    
46. Having the opportunity to participate in the "Sub for Santa" for our ward and feeling the gratitude of others
    
47. Matt's first bouldering competition and taking 5th in his division
    
48. Giving Parker tons of gifts for Christmas and him loving the cheap "hit the ball with a hammer" one I got from walmart for, like, 10 bucks
    
49. Watching Movies in "The New Room"
50. Continuing to live "happily ever after" one day at a time
    

Healthy and Happy

What more can you ask for than health and happiness?

I love listening/reading about how Utah compares in various categories. One of the more recent studies concluded that Utah is the happiest state. They interviewed 355,000 people to make this conclusion and it was based on a variety of factors life satisfaction, work quality, healthy behavior, physical health, emotional health, and basic access to necessities like food and shelter. Some contribute this Utah's low unemployment rate which is 4.6% compared to the national rate of 7.6%.

In addition to being the happiest state, Utah is also considered the 2nd healthiest state by another recent study. I know that I've heard the whole "fat mormon" stereotype, but it simply isn't true. In fact, Utah ranks 8th lowest in obesity rates and lowest in childhood obesity rates. Another important contributing factor, believe it or not, is our location by the mountains. It follows the trend that mountain states are more health than states without mountains (in general).

I can't really say that Utah is both healthy and happy because of the large percentage of LDS people living here, but I believe it is a contributing factor. The fact that the LDS church discourages smoking and drinking and encourages its members to have a healthy body makes a huge difference in the lives of many people, leaving them to live healthier, happier lives. "By their fruits, ye shall know them."

Read here for my past post on the past US census (which also, undoubtedly, contributes to the happiness of the people in this state.)

Masochistic Ambition

One day I decided that I could run a marathon, 26.2 miles. "People do it all the time. Why can't I?" Training for a marathon was pretty much the way I guaranteed that I would lose the baby weight I put on with Parker. At first, about 2 months after I had Parker, I couldn't even run a mile. What was 25.2 more miles? Yeah, it was that bad.

I planned on doing the Top of Utah marathon in Logan, UT. I went to college in Logan and it is sort of my second home. I loved the idea of running through the canyons, watching the colorful leaves fall from trees, the autumn breeze in my face, smiling intensely as I crossed the finish line. Of course, in all my imagining I forgot to add in the pain I would feel in my toes, my legs, my butt, well, just about everywhere.

So I trained and I felt pretty good about it. I ran the Bear Lake half marathon (13.1 miles) in 2 hrs. and 5 min. and felt great afterward. I thought, hey I can run a marathon at the same pace, maybe a little faster, and get in around 4 hours. Ha ha. I didn't realize that running a full marathon is completely different than running a half.

I actually slacked on my training. I got sick. I took a couple of weeks off from climbing the grand teton. Things came up and I didn't make it my priority. Oops. Who'd have thought I'd regret that?

So September 2009 came and I ran the Top of Utah with my mom and younger brother. I really enjoyed the first half of it. I was running it at my half marathon pace, but the second half...I didn't like so much. I started thinking that forcing people to run farther and farther would be a really effective method of torture.

Daddy was taking care of Parker. Hence the lack of shoes and sitting in the dirt.

Parker and Matt at Mile 15. It was so good to see them.

But I finished.

Going strong at the finish line. Or at least trying to.

I came in at 4 hours and 47 minutes. Not such a great time. It is about an 11 min/mile pace. Remember my goal was a 9 min/mile pace. But I finished.

Mom, Me, & Cameron. We look good for just torturing ourselves.

It is so hard for me to be proud of myself because I really did not make my goal..even close to it. I guess I'll have to do another one. Maybe it will help me get into shape after baby #2.

Just a little bragging

I have fallen in love with running 5ks. I started running 5ks while training for a marathon this fall. My marathon training isn't going so well (I'm behind on my mileage) but I'm doing awesome at my 5ks. At least I think so.

I remember how difficult it was to run 10 minutes a couple of months after I had Parker. And I am using the term "run" quite liberally here. I was moving at a sluggish 12 or 13 minute/mile. But as with anything, improvement comes after hard work. My first 5k (3.12 miles) was in St. George in January. My goal was to run it under 33 minutes. I killed myself running it in 29:02. Seriously, I pushed myself so hard that I times I started to think that I wasn't going to make it.

My next 5k was the "Budd Family Race" in April and I ran it in 28:33. Not only did I run it faster, but I was not dead tired afterward. I think I could have pushed myself harder.

Next, I ran the "Race for the Cure" on May 9th in 25:51. That was an 8:30/mile average. I felt good about that time.

I'm telling you this, not to brag...actually it kinda is to brag. I'm really proud of myself and how far I have come in the 7 months after Parker was born. I was sooo out of shape at first, but now I'm feeling confident that I can achieve anything.

Chiropractic Care?

So I went to a chiropractor for the first time for a back analysis because I have been have some constant back pain and didn't know what else to do. He took X-rays and hooked me up to some electrodes and did all these tests "does this hurt?" balance on one foot type of things.

So the verdict is in and I have one messed up back. He says I have developed scoliosis that has developed because of misalignments in my lower back and pelvis or something like that (he said it is not because of genetic reasons. I wasn't born this way). He also says that my neck looks like I've been in a car accident. I haven't. And I know that he isn't just saying this stuff because I saw the x-ray and my back LOOKS messed up. It curves significantly to the right and because it does this I have a few ribs that are out of place (that is where I feel most of the pain).

the picture on the right is pretty much what my spine looks like
except it curves in the other direction

Problem is that Matt's insurance doesn't cover chiropratic. That is where I was hoping I could get some input. Do you know of any thing that helps this type of problem? Have any of you been to a chiropractor? Is is worth it? I know that some people label them in the realm of psudoscience, but there does seem to be some truth to alignment. I'm just trying to figure out if I should pay all this money or if there is an alternative way to fix my back.

Best Workout Video Ever

This is the most amazing workout you will probably ever see. I was first introduced to BODY FLEX by Matt's dad. They seriously own this workout video. It is for real. Get ready for body flex:



(I know the sound is a little off, but I think you get the idea)

Wow.

Goiter Girl

This story starts senior year of high school. I was a pretty busy person who was involved in lots of things. I always thought this was the reason I was tired. I would come home from school, plop on the couch turn on the TV to watch cartoons (Spiderman and Recess) and within 10 minutes I would fall asleep.

I couldn't help it. I was exhausted. Then night came and I had a hard time getting to sleep so I would, again, plop on the couch and watch movies--always a cartoon, usually disney. I would actually rotate through certain sleep inducing movies like Land Before Time, Lion King, and Mulan. On an unrelated note, I think the Land Before Time is actually an allegory of our life here on Earth as journey to heaven.

(think about it: a spirit guides the way through many obstacles for
them to reach a place they can be together with their families. I think
Don Bluth ripped this story off the plan of salvation. He was LDS, you know.)

My family would make fun of me, not just for watching so many cartoons, but for being so lazy and sleepy all the time. Then, the summer after graduation my Dad noticed something. "What's wrong with your throat?" "huh? Nothing's wrong with it," and I stormed out of the room to see what he was talking about. My throat looked like it was swollen. I ignored it for a few days, but then I realized what it was:a goiter. I had learned about goiters in my biology class. They are caused by abnormal growth of the thyroid. I didn't want to post a real picture of a goiter because they can be ugly, ugly things. Google it if you're curious.

So I diagnosed myself with help from the internet and determined I had Hypothyroidism. I went to the doctor and confirmed my suspicion. It is fairly common in women so if you have many of these symptoms, you should get a blood test.

• Poor muscle tone (muscle hypotonia)
• Fatigue
• Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold
• Depression
• Muscle cramps and joint pain
• Goiter
• Thin, brittle fingernails
• Thin, brittle hair
• Paleness
• excessive sweating
• Dry, itchy skin
• Weight gain and water retention.
• Bradycardia (low heart rate: less than sixty beats per minute)
• Constipation

At first they put my on a high dose of thyroid hormone replacement. That kept me pretty wired at night during the first few months of my freshman year of college. I had serious insomnia. Finally they got the dose right and I've been fine ever since and my goiter went away for the most part. Throughout my pregnancy, my levels were normal. So my doctor told me to get it checked after I had Parker. I thought to myself, "I feel fine. It has never changed before. I'll do it later." So I never got it done. That backfired on me. I've been pretty tired lately. I even have to admit something horrible. I'm ashamed of it, but last weekend was pretty crazy and I didn't get very much sleep. Sunday came along, and I was too tired to wake up, get Parker ready all by myself, prepare my lesson and get to church on time at 9:00. That's right. I sluffed church.
I've never done that. I was just so tired and I wasn't thinking straight. Matt was gone to meetings, so I just slept in as long as I could. Fortunately Parker was tired too. I felt so bad. Then the next day I was looking in the mirror and noticed something. My goiter was back. It was smaller than the original goiter, but everything fell into place. My thyroid levels were off. I went to the doctor as soon as I could to get my blood test and the results were as I suspected. So my medication will be adjusted and hopefully I get back to normal. Moral of the story: listen to your doctor and you won't get a goiter.

Now I'm in the mood to watch some spider-man cartoons.

My Health Advisor

Drumroll please...dun dun dun dun (is that how you would spell a drumroll?) I have a new blog called My Health Advisor. I'm sort of obsessed with health, fitness, nutrition, and all that jazz. So I decided to do something productive with all the stuff I have learned. I specifically want to focus on the science of health, but not in a difficult "I didn't understand a word you just said" sort of way. Science can be like that sometimes. Anyway check it out at http://myhealthadvisor.blogspot.com/ and be sure to add comments or suggestions. If you want me to research a certain health topic, let me know.

It is a work in progress, but hopefully I can help some people learn about health.

St. George 5K

Last weekend, I ran my first 5K. It was in St. George, so we also were able to spend time with Matt's sister Sarah and her husband Eric.

For being in St. George, I was cold running the 5K. Well, most of me was hot, but my hands were icicles. Matt's dad, sister, and brother-in-law ran it as well as Matt and I. I got the worst time out of everyone, but I still beat my goal. My time was 29:02 for the 3.12 mile run (9:20/mile pace). Matt did awesome at 25:27 (8:11/mile pace). Everyone got addicted to the racing idea.

I got to use my Christmas present that Matt gave me: Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch and heart monitor. I love it.

Afterward we went mountain biking on the Bear Claw Poppy trail. You're probably thinking I'm really hardcore, but don't. I did horribly. I was too scared to go down the big hills and too tired to ride up them. I still had fun...in a really slow type of way. I haven't been on a bike for over a year, so I'm going to cut myself some slack.

Next race we are planning on doing will be a 10K around the end of March. If you know of any, let me know.

The Year of Unstoppable Me

I am a HUGE goal person, so, of course, New Years is an excellent opportunity for me to write resolutions. On Sunday, I was teaching my Young Women how to set S.M.A.R.T goals. That is: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goals. It got me thinking about my goals and posting them in public forum. A goal is only a wish if it isn't written down and I thought I might take it a step further by sharing my goals with everyone (I could use all the motivation possible, even if it is harassment by my friends).

PHYSICAL
-run a marathon 9/19
-climb a 5.11a 10/1
-lead a 5.10a 10/1
-do a pull up 10/1
-weigh my ideal weight +/- 5 lbs (depending on fat loss & muscle gain) 2/1
-maintain weight throughout year

MENTAL
-learn 3 new Spanish words a week
-read 25 books this year
-learn 4 piano songs
-learn 4 guitar songs

EMOTIONAL
-Never criticize my appearance
-Say "I love you" every day to Parker and Matt (This is an easy one)

SPIRITUAL
-Read the Book of Mormon 6/1
-Pray 2x a day
-Read scriptures daily (no exceptions)
-Go to the temple once a month

Maybe I'm being a bit ambitions, but I'd rather reach for the stars and land in the trees than reach for the trees and land in the mud.

I want my body back!

I remember the month before I gave birth. I was so anxious...mostly to hold my baby but partly (a big part) to get my body back. I didn't realize how lengthy the process would be for my body to return to normal, let alone the effort it would take. I don't know what I was imagining...that my abs would just snap back into shape and my skin would magically tighten? Well, that didn't happen. Not only that, but I am soooo weak. I guess that is what happens after 9 months of no strenuous exercise. Granted, I should have worked out more while I was pregnant. All I really did was go walking (a lot of walking) and climb the stairs in my home (which for a pregnant woman IS a real workout). I'll have to remember this and lift some light weights more often in my next pregnancy (I'm not making any announcements, if that's what you're thinking).

As a side note, right after I had Parker, Matt got a look at my stomach and started to laugh. Yeah, real sensitive of him. I kinda thought it was funny looking too: all flabby and loose. Six weeks later it isn't so funny. Now I just want it gone. It has shrunk a lot, but definitely still there.

The other day, all the boys in my family were having a one-armed push up contest. They encouraged me to do a push up. I thought I'd be able to do ten because that used to be easy. I got down on the ground and fell on my stomach. I couldn't even do one and I was shocked. I thought maybe I just didn't have the right form. I try again with the same result. I guess that is what happens when you don't do push ups for nearly a year.

I am committed to getting back into shape. Now that it has been six weeks, I feel well enough to exercise. I want to be able to do fun things like rock climb and snowboard. Another thing I really want to do is run a marathon. This has always been a goal of mine, but I have never found the time to do it. Well, it is now or never. 26 miles seems daunting right now when I can barely jog 1 mile, but the marathon isn't until September 19, 2009. Here is the training schedule I'm going to follow. Notice it doesn't start until January, so I have until then to build my current status (a slooow 1 mile) up to 3 or 4 miles. When I look at this schedule it doesn't seem so impossible. My sister-in-law Rachel and my mom are going to do this with me. Let me know if you are interested, too.