Happy 4th of July!!!

I love the 4th of July. This was our 4th celebration of the 4th here on Center Street, and it did not disappoint. Every year, I fall more in love with Murray and our small community feel in the middle of the Salt Lake valley. It started early that day with the annual parade. Some of Mike's family came to celebrate with us for the day.

Murray Fire Department

The SWAT Team

Mayor Snarr and his Mustache

Riverton City Royalty

The X96 Short Bus

After the parade, we made some lunch and then went over to Murray Park. There we saw the vintage car show, the community talent show and the kids got hosed down by the fire department. That evening we watched the fireworks and went to bed. It was a lot of fun and a good time with some of the family.

Springtime Fun

Well friends, this has been a long month...not gonna lie. But, things have improved since my last post, at least on my insides. I don't feel so down and blah. I am actually starting to feel a little better about life.

So I have been doing water aerobics now for almost a month and I am still totally in love with it! I love being in the water. I really did forget how much I missed swimming. I haven't had a swim or water aerobic class since my senior year of high school. I can tell my endurance is getting better and each class I can push myself a little harder. I sleep great the nights I go and even though I really haven't lost much weight yet, I don't feel so self conscious walking around in a bathing suit. If these people who are in their 50s and older don't care, then neither should I! I have made some friends in my classes and it really is a great way to spend an hour in the evening after a crap-tastic day at work.

Thanks to my hubby and my father-in-law, I have been able to take my bike to water aerobics everyday. I have a sweet basket on the front of my bitchin' ride now.

It has been fun to ride my bike. It gets a little rough when I am riding home because I am already tired and my legs are usually burning. But it burns so good! I want to build up my endurance enough so that I can start riding my bike to and from work. My office is only 1.5 miles from my front door, but some if it is uphill. But we'll get there.

A few weeks ago we got a late Easter present from my sister, Jill. Her friend from work build planter boxes that are meant for apartment porches, or anywhere that has limited spaces for growing stuff. So she bought us two along with some dirt. We spent last weekend, when it was warm and in the 80s and prepared the boxes by waterproofing them.

It was a good thing that we got them done when we did. Thursday night brought some crazy wind and rain and our poor boxes would not have fared so well. We are hoping to plant stuff this weekend, as long as the weather cooperates. I think we'll do some tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper and maybe zucchini. I am excited to see how this experiment will go. 

This week will be crunch time to get ready for the 2012 Komen Race for the Cure. It is in two weeks and I feel like I will be ready for it this time. This will be my third time doing the race and it just gets more cool every year. Two weeks after the Race for the Cure, my family is doing another run up in Ogden. It's called Run for the Wounded. It is an Eagle Scout project for a young man up there. The donations are for the Wounded Warrior Project, but is something that is very dear to my heart. Two years ago, my brother-in-law, Dave, was serving in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. On March 10, 2010, his convoy was hit by a road side bomb. He shattered his entire left leg, from the hip down, among other injuries. It took 86 pins to put it back together. We knew he would live, but the healing process would take a while. He was moved to the base in San Diego to heal and recover there. As a part of his healing, he would do races and other projects with the Wounded Warrior Project. This was better therapy for him that what could be done in the hospital or physical therapy. He is now home and will never forget the wonderful opportunities he had with them. So now, it's time for us to give back. If you want more info, or feel inclined to get involved, you can click here for more info.

So this is what we have been up to lately. I will post more about the garden when we get it planted and pictures from the Race for the Cure!

Welcome April!

Hello my friends in Blogland!


It has been a while since I have visited this site. And to be honest, it's because I haven't had much to say. Or, at least, I have thought that I had nothing to say. I thought that time was just passing, like sands through an animated hour glass, so are the days of our...well, you get it.


But it turns out that it's been rough the past couple of months. Not because of any one reason in particular, but just a conglomerate of different events and emotions. I haven't been me. I haven't felt well, physically or emotionally. It has felt like the world was going by in warp speed but I only saw it in slow motion. It was weird and I didn't like it. I got up, went to work, came home and just wanted to crash. Bed time couldn't come soon enough. I was getting upset with my husband over silly things and we fought about irrelevant things. At work, I just wanted to take a sharp, and sometimes blunt, object and just jab it into people's eyes just so they would leave me a lone. It was a mess. 


I guess we can call it depression, or blame it on the cold-ish weather we had the past few months that were supposed to be winter. I even went to my doctor and had my anxiety medication adjusted. I was diagnosed with general anxiety about 4 1/2 years ago and have been treating it ever since. I first noticed it when I was about 10, just after my dad came home from Desert Storm. It was a rough time when he was gone. But my mother was amazing and kept the house in order and calm. Not that I am blaming my anxiety on that situation, but that's when it started. My older sister, Jill, suffered pretty bad from it when she was a teenager. But after years of therapy and medication, she has been able to deal with it. Anyway, as time went on, the more stressed I was, the more panic attacks I would have. There were moments, or sometimes days, where I couldn't think rationally and would freak out. My heart races, I get dizzy and all I want to do is scream and either run away or go to bed and sleep it off. Once during an anxiety attack, my chest tightened up, my right arm began to tingle and I was convinced I was having a heart attack. And while it was only heat stroke, it was the worse feeling of my life. I went to the doctor the next week and finally decided to try medication. Even the idea of having blood tests done sent me into an episode. The medication has been working ever since and my chemical imbalance has been leveled. 


So this time when I went back to the doctor's, I had him check me for everything to see if we could figure out what was going on. I even had him check to see if I was pregnant. But, alas, everything came back normal and negative. I was healthy. Need to lose a little weight, but still healthy. So, it had to all be in my head. 


I started to think about possible reasons why I was feeling crumby. And after some long thinking periods and a few prayers, I realized that I need a change. Something new and different in my life. A new purpose and direction. So, I decided that I wanted to try and get pregnant! Yes! Having a baby would solve everything. I would have something new and different and exciting. We could start a family and then things would magically work out. I mean, isn't that what we have been taught? Mike and I have been married for almost four years and I am getting tired of the question "So, when are you going to have a baby?" This sounded like a wonderful idea! How could this fail?


And then the scare came a few weeks ago when I thought I was pregnant. I was late. I was bloated and not feeling normal. This was really happening! Here came the change I was waiting for. And then, it didn't. I wasn't pregnant. Turns out my body was reacting to the new levels of anxiety medication. For a moment, I was heart broken. Here I was, ready to give this little peanut a nice home for 9 months and then give this child all the love I could muster up.


And then I really started to think about it. I really didn't want to be pregnant. I talked things over with the hubby. We aren't ready. We have many things to do and accomplish before a baby comes. This really isn't what I wanted nor was this the answer for my need of change. Not yet, at least. And I was no longer sad.


So I my quest to do something different, I went over to The Park Center in Murray and joined the rec center. I even bought an unlimited pass for all of the group fitness classes I want. I decided that my first class was going to be water aerobics. IT WAS SO FUN!!! I was in there with people that are older than my parents. I was the youngest one on the class, but it felt so good to be in the water and to move my body. I felt relaxed for the first time in months. My anxiety melted away. The water massaged and soothed my muscles. I came home and slept like a baby. I woke up the next morning and was actually energized. I went the next night to see if I would get the same results. This time was even better. There was more stretching and moving. I have been four times this week and it has been totally worth it. Who would have thought that a little exercise would help. My mood has been better, I haven't been so tired during the day. I have already lost 5 lbs.  It's been nice.


Anyway, thanks for reading my little rant. Kind of random, but I needed to get the random out of my system. Next time will be more entertaining, I promise. :-)

Christmas Shoes 2011

This is the type of thing

that deserves it's own post.

This tradition has become a very popular

and widely known story.

I received texts, Facebook posts

and e-mails about the

story of 

The Christmas Shoes.

For the first time since it has started,

I had people begging for pictures

of the newest creations.

Thank you!

If you are new to the Christmas Shoes tradition,

you can read about it origins here!

You will not regret this.

So, without further adieu...

I give you

CHRISTMAS SHOES 2011

My mom's creation on the left, and mine on the right

My theme this year was

"A Jolly Holly Christmas"

I took some of my favorite things and 

and put them on another one of my favorite things,

FLIP-FLOPS!!!

Mom took a daring but intriguing route

with the theme of

"Christmas Shoes...on Shoes"

Yes, they are smaller shoes added

to the already glorious shoe base.

I went with pink as the main color

and added a pink poinsettia flower

with a feather boa 

and glitter

and smiley face stickers

OH, and rhinestone

trimming around the edge of the flip-flop

I could almost see this as another

Kardashian sister accessory.

The search for this year's Christmas Shoe

inspiration has already begun.

And...

If you are interested...

Once we have completed 

Christmas Shoes 2012...

We will be putting a calendar together

with pictures of all the shoes

that have been created thus far. 

Details will come later this year,

but we are considering

selling them for a very small price

so that you can have the spirit

of the Christmas Shoes

all year round.

What a great Christmas or birthday present this could make...

Just sayin!

Happy 2012!!!

Yeah...so...it's been a while. I'm sorry. Can we still be friends? 

Really?! 

Thanks!

Whew! Ok. Now that that part is done,

it's time to recap the holiday season.

NOVEMBER:

November came and went so quickly. And the sad part is

that it wasn't really eventful until

Thanksgiving. 

So here is a few pictures to show how things

went down

I finally perfected the crust. 

Boo-yaw!

Here is the completed work of art. My hubby really

outdid himself with this one.

Only a minor injury was sustained.

Here is a little tidbit of advice...

DON'T cut cold butter with a dull steak knife.

It hurts.

You will swear.

No really...you will.

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun!

We spent it at my parent's house and enjoyed 

all the fun and food.

It wasn't so cold this year

which made it very nice.

DECEMBER:

December was a little strange this year.

It didn't really snow.

It didn't really get cold.

It was kind of bizarre.

But, we made do.

I received a wonderful early 

present my SOL Jenn.

It has become my motto

I love it! I drink my green tea out of it

everyday!

We got around to putting up the tree

and, as always, it was fun!

Putting the tree together is an adventure every year

One of these years I will find

a way to make it easier

Christmas on Center Street 2011

can now begin!

I am sure that for everyone,

December is a very

stressful month.

I had a few naughty moments

but I didn't care.

For example,

this was my breakfast 

for a couple mornings

No, not the healthiest. The hubby

did pack me a breakfast,

but it was gone by 8 am and

I was still hungry.

Here is what saved me a couple times.

Try the Vanilla Coke Zero.

It's yummy.

My iPod is pretty much what

gets me through the day

at work.

On Christmas Eve,

my parents treated us to a wonderful

dinner at The Grand America Hotel

in  downtown SLC.

It was AMAZING!!!

There was so many different types

of yummy food.

And crab.

LOTS of crab.

King crab

Snow crab

all pre-cut and ready to eat.

The butter sauce was off the chain.

Seriously! 

Here are some pictures we took after dinner

while walking around.

Me and the hubby outside the toy shop

I can be a flying princess too!

The beautiful tree outside in the courtyard with my mom and sister Gina in front

Such a cool star!

My mom and Gina again

The Gates ladies after dinner
L-R: Jill, Wendi, Gina, Mom, Andrea and ME!!!

I want this tree!

Christmas Day was wonderful!

I got some sweet pink Bear Paw slippers

and the Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 game.

That came in handy when I got

the stomach flu and was down for a few days 

following Christmas.

Not cool. Once again, I hurt.

I swore...a lot.

In my stocking,

the hubby gave me a cute little monkey 

to add to my collection of decorations at work

Our nephew, K, gave me the flower

on our first Valentines Day together.

And, of course, our engagement picture.

It's nice to have these on my desk.

The monkey kind of looks like the hubby.

I love it!

So that was our holiday season. 

I don't have any resolutions this year.

I think it will take some time to come up with some.

Maybe...

Turning 30

Wow! What a wild ride it has been lately. And when I say lately, I mean the past 30 years!

I was a very spoiled girl on my birthday. I can honestly say this was one of the best birthdays I have had in a very long time. My sweet husband tried is very best to make it special. Here's how it went down:

 - Sleeping in and waking up to breakfast in bed

 - Opening up my cards and presents...in bed

 - A nice clean bathroom with candles, my iPod playing Josh Groban and 

some Diet Dr Pepper while I relaxed in the bathtub for an hour!

 - My husband and in-laws getting me a gorgeous new bed set

 - A homemade dinner from my hubby

 - A WILD costume party/dance bonanza

with 101.9 The End and Chunga!

 - Getting pulled over at 1 am because our headlight had just burned out

Here are some pictures from Chunga's Haunted House and Dance Party

The man of the evening...Jimmy Chunga

The set up at Club Halo

My friend Jessica and her husband, Mike

Mike as Shawn of the Dead and me as a pin-up girl

Chunga and the Go-Go dancers

It was so much fun! Mike was a little scarred by it all,

but I promised I wouldn't take him next year!

Not only was it my birthday weekend, but Monday

was also Halloween!

This is my 2nd favorite holiday of the year and it

was great to spend another Halloween

on Center Street.

Candy for the kids

Mike worked hard at decorating the porch

 

Mike getting the pumpkins ready

That's right! I live next to Elm Street...

The finished product

Our awesome pumpkins

The view of Center Street from our front door

Our happy pumpkin seed Jack-o-Lantern

It was been a very fun past week. I am so lucky to have
a great family, a wonderful husband and awesome friends
that have made my life great.

Next adventure?

THANKSGIVING!!!!