Day 5 - A letter to your crush

Dear Crush,

I don't remember the first time I met you, which makes me sad.  I wish I remembered what you were wearing, where you sat, what you said, and what I thought of you.  I wish I'd had a special "feeling", like knowing that we would be together forever.  But my heart was pretty entangled somewhere else and I just wasn't paying attention.  I really wish I remembered all of that.

I do remember the first movie we ever watched together, though - "It's a Wonderful Life".  I suppose that was kind of a "date" but it wasn't official.  We only watched half of the movie, because you had to get up early the next day to fly home for Thanksgiving (which was a new concept for me, to be honest.... fly 2000 miles home for a weekend, with Christmas right around the corner anyway?).  But your mom had just had a baby so you wanted to see your brother.

I knew you were going to ask me out, but I beat you to the punch when I invited you to go to "Christmas Around the World" on campus.  I had bought the tickets long before and didn't know who I was going to take, but figured it would be a perfect first date.  And it was.

Our second date was to Salt Lake City to see the lights on temple square.  We spent the entire ride up there naming Christmas songs, taking turns back and forth.  Whoever could name the most would win.  You didn't believe me that "The Holly and the Ivy" was a real song, and I didn't believe you that "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" was a real song.  (Mine's a classic; yours: Dolly Parton).

We got married.  Six years ago this month!  In some ways time has flown by, but sometimes it also seems like forever ago.

The first semester back at school was one of your most challenging semesters at BYU.  You took 18 credit hours of chemistry, biology, physics, and anatomy.  It was hard but I figured it was good practice (for me) for medical school.  It was.

After graduation I worked my last 2 weeks at BYU and then we moved to Georgia.  Remember before we left for the cross country drive, we bought a loaf of bread and made pb&j sandwiches with the whole loaf of bread?  We literally could NOT afford to buy fast food the whole trip, so we just made those sandwiches last us for 3 days.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And it worked, mostly... we stopped at McDonald's only once.  And we stayed in the cheapest hotels we could find.  I think we rolled into Georgia with literally less than $20 to our names, remember?  And remember when we got lost in Savannah, because you couldn't remember how to get home? :)

Garrett, I have always known that you are "driven" but I didn't realize just how much until I saw you go through medical school.  You worked HARD.  I remember one time at Church, someone asked me a question (I don't remember what it was), but I remember saying, "I don't know, I haven't seen him since Wednesday".  For some rotations you were going into work at 4 a.m., coming home at 10pm (if you weren't on call and working all night as well).  You spent hours on end at the library (I still don't know how you can study for that long at a time).

But, I knew it was all for a bigger purpose (other than becoming an M.D., that is).  From the beginning of medical school, you promised me that if we sacrificed now, it would pay off later on (not just monetarily).  You assured me, more than once, that if you work hard now, if we give up time together, if we sacrifice in a big way, if you got good grades, if you worked long (sometimes extra) hours, then you would be qualified to get into a specialty that would allow us to have more family time later on in life. You promised that four years of enormous sacrifice would pay off someday.

And honey, YOU DID IT!  You matched into your #1 choice in a top program in one of the most competitive specialties there is.  I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you.  The future is very bright.  And the funny thing is... when I really think about it, medical school wasn't that bad! (For me, anyway.  Of course I can't speak for you.)  But I think you would agree with me that our life was pretty great during medical school.  We did so many fun things, saw lots of family, and had so many, many friends.  Residency will be hard, but I think it's safe to say that it won't be too bad.

Thanks for choosing me.  Thanks for marrying me.  Thanks for coming from such a great family, thanks for being the dad of our little girls.  Thanks for working so hard, for sacrificing, and thanks for the throw pillows for the couch that you are going to buy me for our anniversary (surprise!). I love you.


****************
Up tomorrow - What I Ate (don't fall off your seats with excitement!!!)

Day 4 - A photo of you taken over 10 years ago

This picture was taken in 1984, so I was probably about 6 months old or so.  I kind of think I look like Ellie, but maybe that's just wishful thinking?

But let's face it, what people REALLY want to see is an awkward teenage picture.  So here you go.

Haha, it's not even that awkward!  Sorry (not really).  This was taken at girls' camp in 1998, and yes I got three bulls-eyes!  I'm pretty sure I stole that shirt.  My brother-in-law John has since stolen it from me.  I miss it.

Up tomorrow: A letter to my crush

Day 3 - Favorite Movie

This is a tough one!  I think most people would agree that it's nearly impossible to narrow it down to ONE movie, but some movies I can watch over and over again include:

Pride & Prejudice (A&E)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride part 2
Fever Pitch
Rudy
Gone With the Wind
Toy Story (1 & 2)


Up tomorrow: A photo of me taken over 10 years ago....

Day 2 - A bulleted list of today

6:57 - The kids are awake, I can hear them playing in their bedroom.  Abby comes into our room, looks at the digital clock, and goes back to her room.  She knows not to bother us until it AT LEAST says 7! (many days she waits until it says 8, thankfully).


7:10 - Even though we were up late I know I won't get back to sleep, so I roll out of bed and go into the girls' room.  Give them a bath, feed them breakfast.  I'm letting Garrett sleep in because he's put in a lot of hours at work this week (including a couple 30+ hour shifts) and never gets to sleep past 6 or so these days... if he goes to bed at all, ha.


8:45 - Ellie goes down for a nap.  I actually like when my kids wake up early on Sundays because that means Ellie will get a full nap in before we leave for Church at 10:30.  After Ellie goes down I hang out with Abby and do some last minute planning for singing time in Primary.  I am teaching them the song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" this month.


9:45 - Garrett is still sleeping (!) so I head to our room to wake him up, but he comes out just as I'm about to open the door.  I make him some waffles while he showers and irons his clothes for Church.  I decide to double the batch of waffles so the girls can eat them this week for breakfast.


10:45 - We're out the door, 5 minutes behind schedule (Church starts at 11).  Usually I am very uptight if we leave late but today I'm feeling okay and I know we'll get there in time. (To me, "on time" is being there at least 5 minutes early... we walk in with about 3 minutes to spare, whew).


11-2 - Church.


2:30 - We're finally home.  Naptime.


4:00 - I take some "artisan bread" bread dough out of the fridge to start rising for dinner.


4:45 - Ellie & Abby wake up


5 - Start thinking about dinner.  Usually we eat around six, but Garrett suggests going down to the beach to go for a walk so I decide to make some spaghetti now so we can go soon.  


6 - We load the stroller and kids in the car and we're off to the beach for a stroll.


6:20 - Turns out Sunday night must be a big night here at the beach... there are tons of people everywhere, a live concert going on, concessions, etc.  It takes a while to find a parking space but when we do, it's near the edge of the crowd so when we get to the water, we walk in the opposite direction of where the crowds are.


8 - Home, get the kids in bed, turn on the oven so I can bake the bread dough that's been sitting out all afternoon.


8:15 - Haircut for Garrett


8:30 - Bread's in the oven, we settle in to watch some Netflix.


10/10:30 - Bed. (I'm just going to post this now instead of actually waiting until later... I assume we'll hit the hay around then, though, since Garrett's got to work early tomorrow)


Today was a great day - so relaxing and it was nice for Garrett to actually have a day off for once, and I didn't have to wrestle the kids by myself at Church!  Here's to a great week...

50 days, Day 1

My sister-in-law is doing a sort of "50 Day Challenge" on her blog where she has a list of 50 different posts that she will be doing for the next 50 days.  She got the idea from another blog, so I'm assuming this list is going around blogland.  Anyway, I like lists and I like learning more about the people whose blogs I read, so I'm going to do it!  Maybe I'll miss a day, maybe I won't, but I'll go in order.  So, it may take me more than 50 days.

I hope some of my friends (& sisters!) will do this on their blogs, too!

Day 1: Introduce yourself
Day 2: A bulleted list of everything that happened in your day
Day 3: Your favorite movie
Day 4: A photo of you taken over 10 years ago
Day 5: A letter to your crush
Day 6: A list of what you ate today
Day 7: A youtube video you find funny
Day 8: A photo of you taken recently
Day 9: List some of your favorite blogs
Day 10: A letter to a person who has caused you pain
Day 11: Share your favorite recipe(s)
Day 12: Self portrait
Day 13: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 14: A song from your childhood
Day 15: A letter to someone you wish you could meet
Day 16: Provide pictures of 5 celebrity crushes
Day 17: A photo that makes you sad
Day 18: Set or share a goal
Day 19: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 20: A letter to someone that changed your life
Day 21: Your favorite television program
Day 22: A photo that makes you happy
Day 23: Share one of your favorite tunes
Day 24: Time to face morph (I have no idea what this means...??)
Day 25: Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 26: Favorite books
Day 27: A talent of yours
Day 28: Favorite places to shop
Day 29: Your favorite color
Day 30: The friendliest person you knew for only 1 day
Day 31: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 32: A photo you took
Day 33: What you're craving right now
Day 34: Your favorite quote
Day 35: A letter to an ex
Day 36: Some hobbies of yours
Day 37: A song that you like to dance to
Day 38: A photo of your parents
Day 39: Zodiac sign and do you think it fits your personality
Day 40: A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 41: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 42: A bad habit you have
Day 43: A picture of your favorite place in the world
Day 44: Something that fascinates you and why
Day 45: A letter to yourself a year ago
Day 46: Photos of personal things in your life (pets, family, house, etc)
Day 47: Birthday wish list
Day 48: A photo of you right now
Day 49: Hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
Day 50: A letter to your reflection in the mirror

Today is day 1.  Introduce myself.

I think if you've been reading my blog at all, you pretty much know the basic things about me that I would post here.  I'm 26, been married almost 6 years, and I have 2 little girls, Abby & Ellie.  My husband is a physician, and he's doing his intern year here in VA near the coast.  After this year is up, he'll complete his medical training at the University of Florida.  He's going to be a radiologist.

I grew up in a couple places, mostly New Hampshire.  I miss New England but I don't really miss the long cold winters.  I've grown to love warm weather and mild winters!  Good thing, too, since we'll be living in Florida for 4-5 years.  I don't know where we want to end up but I really love North Carolina, Virginia, the midwest (I like cornfields), Phoenix.  Random places, I know.  I also really love Utah (St. George) and Utah Valley (I miss the mountains!!), but I don't think we'll end up in Utah.  I also like California but I would never want to live there.

Not really sure what else to say about me... I love seafood, enjoy the beach, I like running and working out (most of the time).  I like country music, concerts, and reading.  You'll learn more about me as the next 50 days progress. :)

I'm a loser

...losing weight, that is.

My first "weigh in" after Ellie was born was on August 1, 2009 - one year ago, so I thought it would be a good idea to see how I progressed over the last year.  I've been tracking it off and on over the last 12 months, but nothing consistent.

So, I've officially lost 26 pounds since 8/01/10.  I have mixed feelings about it... I mean, I feel great that I've lost that much weight.  I am pretty much down to the weight I was when I got pregnant with Ellie (I gained about 35-40 lbs by the end of my pregnancy, but I guess I lost 10-15 when she was first born.  Half of that was 100% baby, though :) ).  However, it's really frustrating that I've only lost 26 lbs in a year... I have worked SO HARD over the last 6 months especially, and I just don't understand why I can't lose more.  And, that 26 is a little misleading because it doesn't even represent weight I've lost working out... on average, I've only lost about 1.5 lbs per month.  I know that doesn't average out to be 26 pounds.. that's because I lost 8 lbs when I stopped nursing! (I hate when people say they lose weight like crazy when they are nursing.  It has always been the opposite for me.. my body keeps the pounds for some reason.  Frustrating.)

I began running and lifting weights a lot more in February, and I've only lost 8 lbs since then.  I know that muscle weighs more than fat, blah blah blah, but I still don't like it!

The only hang-up I can think of is my eating habits, but the honest truth is that I am very careful about what I eat.  I don't snack very much, and the extent of my "dessert" is usually 3-4 m&m's (Garrett brings home a pack every day... dang that free cafeteria food for doctors! haha).  My only real "weaknesses" are... bread (artisan! yum) and cheese.  I love cheese.  I love bread.  But other than that, I have no idea (portion control, maybe?).  I've been buying lots of fresh veggies and fruit, so I eat a lot of that, and we have been eating lots of brown rice, chicken, etc.  I also really, really like pita chips, but I only buy those once every couple of months. COME on!

I've tried counting calories, but it's so hard to find the right balance.  I'm working out a lot (average 6 times per week, sometimes more because I do it twice some days), and some websites say I should be eating 2000 calories for my activity level, others say I should be eating more or less than that.  It's hard to understand how many calories I should be eating in order to work out as much as I do, but also to lose the weight at the same time.

Anyway... I guess I'll just keep plugging away.  I love the way I'm feeling, I love having a healthy body, and I'm really glad I'm finally back in all my regular clothes.  I love being able to run a mile without getting out of breath, and being able to run 3+ miles without stopping to walk.  I'd just like to see a bit more progress on the scale...

The look for less

For the last couple of weeks I've been looking for some nice lamps to go on either side of our couch.  I've been going back and forth in my mind about what kind I want to get (big round glass base?  slim and metal?  colored, or silver, or black?  shiny or matte?).  I've never really thought about lamps much so it was so hard to decide the look I was going for.  I fell in love with a lot of different lamps I found, but they were all very expensive and really trendy, and I decided that I didn't want anything too trendy, for obvious reasons.

Finally, I found these lamps that I love on Pottery Barn's website:

Simple and sleek, and they also adjust heightwise, to match the scale of the room.  I love that they are simple but classic, too.  They'll easily transition to different homes, or different rooms if I decide to use them in a bedroom in the future.

However, the $110 (on sale!) price tag wasn't too pretty, and that didn't even include the shade!  So, imagine my surprise when I found this at Walmart.com:

For $35.88 (shade included), it's the same look!  I was thinking of buying these for our anniversary.  They are such a great buy that I'm tempted to just add them to my cart now! (Traditionally, instead of buying gifts for each other for our anniversary, we buy something we've both been wanting/needing for our home.  And since our apartment doesn't have overhead lighting in the LR, I would classify this as a "need"... wouldn't you?).  Now if only I can convince Garrett that he likes them....