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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Blogging the Bach..in paradise-week 5

I'm pretty behind on this show. I missed last Tuesday, and I missed Monday this week. Basically all I know is this season is crazy. I'm not super into it-maybe because I have missed half of the episodes.

Ashley I is still crazy-why did they let her back on?
 Wells is the mr popular of the week
The Utah girl arrives.      
Evan gets the black box.
The Josh and Amanda show starts
And last 5 but no least...

And Nick is the next bachelor??? Aye aye aye.
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Thursday, August 25, 2016

WWYD...with the end of summer

I got thrown off on the schedule for what would you do this month. Our theme for the month is what would you do...with the end of summer.

I love summer! I am so sad it's ending. I am trying to take advantage of every second of summer. What I would do with the end of summer is spend every minute possible at the pool. Summer is so relaxing and fun. 
What would you do with summer? Link up below. 

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

train like an olympian

I am so sad the olympics are over. I love the olympics, but I didn't watch nearly as much this year as I wanted to. It's so inspiring to see the best of the best athletes. It's cool to see the competition, but I really love the performance. 

I saw a few posts on social media of people getting back to sports they once loved but have now neglected after watching the olympics. One friend decided to run a half marathon after watching some of the running. 
Actually being an Olympian requires full time training and complete dedication to the sport. Most of us aren't trying to actually become Olympians, but we can adapt a few things into our current workout routine to get a little stronger and perform a little better. 
I'm running the big cottonwood marathon in a little over 2 weeks. My big training goals have been to get a little stronger and perform a little better. Training smart is the key. Everyone trains differently. These are some things I'm doing to train smart. 
1. Clean up my diet-eating healthier makes such a difference. 
2. Lift weights-lifting makes you stronger. Being stronger makes you a better runner. 
3. Dress appropriately. The weather is starting to cool down here. Layering is generally a good option. compression sleeves are a good option for adding a little extra warmth without too much bulk. 
compression sleeves
What tips do you have for effective training?
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Blogging the Bach..in Paradise..week 4


we got a late start tonight. we spent  a lot of time chatting and took forever to get going
who's watching:celsey, alicia, lacey, amanda, megan, me

jared and ashley i are having the i love you convo for the 100th time
looks like ashley i is wearing that new lipstick everyone is wearing--lacey
i just want someone to love me like ashley loves jared--megan (who has a husband)
first world problems, ashley--megan
you feel like a stalker--cel

carly and evan also sarah and daniel
what???????

i had to step away for a few minutes and missed the rest of the cocktail party
daniel chooses haley at the last second
what does this teach us america? if you slut yourself out, you'll go places--megan
if you slut your sister out, you'll go places--alicia

ashley i comes back and asks for another chance. for some weird reason they let her. a few new guys arrive. we have no idea who they are.

caila gets asked on a date. she says yes then no then yes then no. and finally yes.
guys she's me. i can't even judge her--amanda

double date on the booze cruise. no one can remember carl's name. caila is so out of place. they come home, and caila is back into jared again. ashley is a bawling mess again.

ryan shows up. not one single soul has a clue who he is. he goes on a date. everyone is back at the house. grant and lace are in love. vinny and izzy are on the fritz.izzy has moved on. vinny has not.

to be continued...
i'm going to a concert tonight so i won't be able to watch. what happened?

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Monday, August 22, 2016

weekend happs

i started last week so extremely tired. work is pretty crazy right now. between the two things, last week was really long. i was ready for the weekend on tuesday. i was so happy when it finally came.

we had our annual alumni party at work on friday evening. it's always fun to see former families and catch up with them. by the time i left the party, it was time to go home and get ready for an early morning run.
i did my last 20 mile run before the marathon. we ran 10 miles down the canyon and another 10 once we were down. we usually have a solid plan, but we didn't this time. we ended up finding a great route with almost the perfect mileage. it was a great run and made me excited for the marathon.
saturdays at the pool are my fave. i'm so sad summer is ending. it has gone by so fast this year.
the pool closed when a kid puked in the pool so i decided to get my toes done. it felt so good after such a long run.
saturday night was highly uneventful.

sunday i went to church, picked up a friend from the airport, and caught up on things around the house. it was a really good productive weekend, how was your weekend?
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Sunday, August 21, 2016

churchy...prayer in numbers

it's been an unintentional several months since i did a churchy post. if we're being honest, i keep forgetting to post on the first sunday of the month. the first sunday quickly turns into the second, and it keeps not happening. i want to get back to monthly churchy posts.

i have always believed in prayer. i really can't ever remember learning about prayer. i feel like it is something i have always known. since i was a little girl, i pray daily to my Heavenly Father. i pray over meals. i pray when i need/want something. i pray for other people. i pray in gratitude. prayer is such a big part of my everyday life.
i currently have the opportunity to join friends of various and some of even no faith in prayer for our friend ana who is battling cancer. she is in the middle of very intense chemo treatments. one of our friends organized a prayer chain so that someone is praying for her every 15 minutes throughout the entire day. my time is 11:00pm. every night at 11:00, i stop whatever i am doing to pray. someone also suggested starting out our workouts each day with a prayerful plank for our friend ana. as part of my workout everyday this month, i pray for my friend ana (and recently another friend amber).

i believe so strongly in the power of prayer, but it is such a blessing to participate in something even bigger. joining thousands of people every single day multiple times a day to plead with Heavenly Father in behalf of our friend and her family gives me a much greater understanding of prayer and the ability we have to turn to a higher power. i know there is a God who listens to every one of those prayers. He may not choose to grant our requests, but i know they are heard. 

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Thursday, August 18, 2016

Foodie Friday...chicken tacos

I'm all about quick, easy, healthy meals. Tacos of any variety are one of my favorites especially when cooked in the crock pot. Chicken tacos are so easy and so delicious. 


6 lbs chicken
2 TBSP taco seasoning
1 c salsa
4 oz green chilies
1 TBSP minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
Cook in crockpot on low 8 hours
Shred and Serve

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Blogging the Bach...in paradise-week 3


Evan makes a date card for Amanda. I can't even handle him. I can't do awkward. I want to crawl in a hole and die.
Josh gets a plate of gross pizza delivered. He says it's the best pizza he's ever had. I feel very bad for him if that's true. Nothing in Mexico is the best ever. This is why we don't ever see them eat food. It's so annoying.

Rose Ceremony
Josh needs some full body Botox for all the sweating.
Why do people say the best anything on this show? I can't believe that it's the best food, best date, etc.
Josh and Amanda are the worst, but Evan embarrassing himself again isn't helping anything.
Why does Even think it's his personal responsibility to warn Amanda about Josh?
Girls have the power this week. Most of the roses are pretty predictable. Carly gives her rose to Evan-whhhhyyyy???? Haley gives her rose to Nick because "you deserve to find love." Does anyone think maybe he should look for love outside of the bach?!?

Caila, the sex panther, comes and steals Jared away immediately after Emily tells us how much she likes him-predictable. Jared and Caila actually make a good couple.
Carly says Evan has no swag. He literally has negative swag. Ewwwww!
Foam party at a bar??? What in the world?

Ashley I arrives and she looks better than she has ever looked. She has goals about crying. Jared does not seem too excited for his to be here. Ashley is crying already, and I'm not sure how many different ways Jared can say he's not interested.
This has turned into the Ashley show, and I'm bored.
I hope Jen and Nick like each other.
Carly says she is back on the Evan train. We think she is just lonely.
Ashley needs to pull herself together.

Another rose ceremony
More of the Ashley I show
 To be continued once again


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Monday, August 15, 2016

Weekend Happs

I didn't work on Friday so I should feel like my weekend was longer. For some reason it stills feels so short. Maybe it's because I try to cram way too many things into way too short amount of time.
After an afternoon at the pool, Tiffany and I met Sage for an early dinner on Friday. It was so early I don't even think I can say Friday night. After dinner I ran a few errands and planned to stay in the rest of the night. My friends called to get together at the last minute. I probably should have stayed home and had an early bedtime, but I basically can't say no to friends. It was so much fun and worth all the tired the next day.
I got up super early Saturday morning for a long run. I am 4 weeks out from the marathon so running is a huge priority on Saturday mornings. I was really really really tired. It was a beautiful morning, and it feels good to get those long runs a little closer to over with.
I ran some errands, did some things around the house, and spent the afternoon at the pool. I'm trying to soak up every bit of summer. I can't believe it is almost over. This summer went by way too fast.

We had a work party on Saturday night. Becky hosted us at her house for a summer bbq. She has a beautiful home and yard, and it was a fun low key evening.

Sunday I went to church, did some things around the house, accidentally took a 2 hour nap at 6pm, and meal prepped for the week.

How was your weekend? Any exciting happs?

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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

blogging the bach...in paradise week 2

who's watching: celsey and me (we went to the parade of homes on monday so we did a big sesh on tuesday)
i'm changing the format for this season.

the cheesy intro-so hilarious, so bad

i never got around to catching up on last week so this is my first intro to everyone.
-lace got some extensions
-evan is the grossest human
-i'm a little sad that sarah is still riding the bachelor train. she's darling, and i just want her to find someone outside of this world

leah arrives. we can't entirely remember her. she thinks she has friends just as girls are saying they can't stand her. why in the world is she looking for chad? he's the worst! leah definitely had some botox and filler since her season. i'm not knocking it just commenting. 

who is izzy? does anyone remember her?
Eeeeewww the twins with their bananas.
We're happy to see Jorge the bartender back.

Nick and Leah are on an explore the town date. Nick's kissing is the worst. Leah is basically planning the wedding. Nick is planning going on a date with someone else-Amanda. Nick's ego is boosted times 1000 having 2 dates in 1 day with different girls. This is the best first date Amanda has ever been on. I feel bad for her. She must have had some sucky first dates. Leah, the creep, is walking around the beach-the same place Nick and Amanda are making out.

Carly is wondering what it would be like to kiss Evan. My guess is it would be gross and weird. What does she see in him? I can't even with this...

It's rose ceremony time. Sarah and Vinny have a moment. They're the cutest, but then Izzy comes up. He kisses her too. What in the world? Leah is a mess. What is the deal with Daniel? And the roses go to
Grant-Lace
Nick-Amanda
Evan-Carly
Jared-twins
Vinny-Izzy
Daniel-Sarah

In walks Josh Murray. I liked the dude on the bach, but I've heard nothing but bad about him so far.

Josh is ready to fall in love again. Not to be a total cynic, but if he really wants to find love maybe he should look elsewhere than this show. Naturally Josh wants to go out with Amanda. Amanda says she has 2 kids. Josh says he has a dog-not the same at all. Josh asks Amanda on the date, and we're all worried Nick is going to kill Nick. Josh is not quite the charmer he was on Andi's season. Of course they're on a boat-classic bach date. Amanda and Josh seem to be pretty happy on their date. Nick is back at the house looking like a doof.again-I kind of feel a little sad for the dude. 
Evan gets a date card-right after Carly talks about how terrible things are with Evan. He's the weirdest so I don't really blame her. He creeps me out. Chris Harrison is on the date. Things cannot be good. They have to eat the hottest hot pepper and then kiss for 90 seconds. I can think of nothing worse. That actually was the worst. I did not need to see that.
NIght 2 starts. Carly does not like Evan in the slightest. Evan is not the smartest when it comes to women. Josh and Amanda are all down each other's throats. Nick says he's got nothing but love. I call BS. He obviously cares or he wouldn't be talking about it.
In walks Christian. Daniel thinks he has some sort of claim on Sarah. Christian asks Sarah on the date, and Daniel nearly loses his mind. Carly talks to Evan. He is devastated. We can't figure out what he was thinking in the first place. Carly and Christian are on their date and seem to be having fun. Now that Chad is gone, Daniel is the resident crazy. Sarah and Daniel talk. All of sudden she seems to like him. This is not going to end well.
Brandon comes in. No one has a clue who he is. He asks Haley on his date, and Carly is devastated. Haley and Emily switch each other, and it's so awkward.
Evan decides to throw a fit and I can't even handle him.
To be continued...
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Monday, August 8, 2016

beauty time tuesday-july empties

several weeks ago i talked to gretchen about her monthly empties posts. i LOVE using something until it is completely gone so i loved the idea. i really love getting rid of the stuff when it's empty, but i've been hanging on all month. here's what i used up in july.
Target brand contact solution (I don't know why I prefer the Target brand, but for some reason I do)
Bath and Body Works Twisted Peppermint body cream
Redden control addict hairspray
Bath and Body Works lotion
Kroger daily facial cleanser (compare to Cetaphil-basically the same)
Bath and Body Works coconut lime verbena lotion
Dove white soap
Mary Kay primer
Benefit Real Lash mascara sample
Clinique mascara sample
Intuition razor cartridge

I like all of those products and I would definitely buy them again.

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One Little Word: August Goals

The first of the month came so fast that I missed getting this post up last week. I have been thinking a lot about goals lately. I started out the year picking one little word like I do every year. I picked STILL because it was/is something I need more of in my life. As the year has gone on, part of me thinks maybe I should have picked another word, but the other part of me knows I really do need to focus more on being still.

yearly goals to be still
1. morning and night quiet time-I have quiet time on my way to the gym each morning. My nighttime quiet time has been a lot less consistent.
2. attend the temple monthly-I walked the grounds of the Seattle temple last week. It is such a peaceful experience just being on that sacred ground.
3. color once a week-FAIL-total and complete fail. I did buy some new pens to try.
4. prayer book-keep list of people i need to remember to pray for-the list is beside my bed. I added to the list for the first time in a while.

July goals
1. bed by midnight-100% fail. My sleep has been absolutely ridiculous lately. It is a never ending ongoing goal.
2. spend 2 hours each week on blog things-posts, edits, emails, etc.-I didn't do very well with this goal either. I want to schedule time to actually work on the blog rather than doing it so late every single night.

August goals-mostly fitness related
1. 100 push-ups daily
2. 100 sit ups/abs daily
3. 5 minutes of quiet(no phone or other distractions) stretching 

Did you pick one little word for the year? How are your goals coming?

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Thursday, August 4, 2016

blogging the bach...the end

confession(s)
1.i haven't watched men tell all. i heard it was basically the chad show. i'm not interested in that in the slightest. since abc pulled a fast one on us and aired 2 nights in a row, i was busy the night it aired. at this point, chances are pretty slim that i will actually watch.
2. i haven't watched the finale or after the final rose. i was flying home from seattle, and i haven't had a chance to catch up. to be honest, this season hasn't been exciting enough for me to even care to watch. i got all the info, and i'm basically ready to move on to paradise.

since i haven't seen it yet, i have a friend here to give a recap on the finale. she's been recapping for me most of the season, and her recaps make me laugh every single time.

Now, I haven't watched in weeks because the show wasn't worth staying up past my bedtime for especially once James Taylor got sent home (still love him sorry Aubs) **my edit-i still can't stand him.
But as a true bachelor fan, I sacrificed and watched the finale.
The episode starts with Jordan meeting JoJo's family. I am secretly on the edge of my seat hoping JoJo's brothers will be AHOLES again and that her mom will be drinking from the bottle but i was extremely disappointed. My first though is I bet JoJo's mom was really pretty at some point and has a banging body. Also why doesn't JoJo's sister get any love? Jordan makes everyone wear silly hats and then it's time for him to sit down and talk to JoJo's mom.
Now as cray as her mom looks, she is DEAD ON with Jordan. She is like I'm sick of jerks breaking my daughter's heart, so what are you going to do about it? She makes a lot of great points about how him and JoJo are both very likeable and have similar personalities. Mom is basically waving the red flag saying he's like all of your ex's combined into a mega heartbreak but she can't say that outrgith because then JoJo will for sure pick him to rebel.
Then the fake and stupid drama for the night is about how Jordan doesn't ask JoJo's dad for her hand in marriage.
Now it's time to meet good ole, salmon v-neck loving Robby. I think Robby is a babe and he is laying on the charm THICK for the potential in laws. He keeps saying he is googoo and gaagaa over JoJo and he will make her the #1 priority in his life and her mom calls her a princess and Robby is like she will be my queen. These guys are sweet and all but I've had more genuine love in my heart for a donut than either of these guys have for JoJo.
It's obvious that JoJo's family loves Robby and they are like see ya never Jordan. But JoJo clearly favors Jordan as she has all season. So as the family fawns over Robby, JoJo asks about Jordan. Her cute brother calls her out about always defending him and then her dad drombs the bomb that Jordan didn't ask for her hand in marriage but Robby asked for permission from her mom AND dad. JoJo has a melt down about loving both of the guys and not knowing what to do but really she is crying because she has wanted to pick Jordan all along and he majorly screwed the pooch with her family.
Now it's time for the final 1:1 dates. Robby is up first, for a beach date. They make out in the ocean, on land, and the Robby gives this weird where will we be in 5 years monologue which includes burning dinner which Becca pointed out on twitter is NOT ACCEPTABLE and i totally agree with her.
The best part is JoJo says "Ma! The meatloaf"
Then they go back to the hotel, they talk, it's all boring and the night ends.
Next up is the final date with Jordan. They are on a boat and she is like ahhh I wanna make out with you but i'm supposed to be mad at you for not asking for my fathers permission to marry me which Jordan surprisingly has a good answer for.
He says I know how I feel about you and yes I want to prompose, but I don't know what you are doing to do and I didn't want to ask your family for permission without being certain/knowing your feelings.
As a typical girl, she just still won't let it go and Jordan stands firm in his reasoning and I think he's totally legit and like the rest of this season they just keep beating the poor dead horse with this because everything is a snoozefest.
Here comes Neil Lane with the bling bling...Lauren B got the best ring in the history of the bachelor and these rings are a big thumbs down. Jordan even asks if there were any other options. HAHAHA.
Not surprisingly Jordan uses a producers phone to call JoJo's parents as he gets ready for the rose ceremony to ask for their blessing. They give it to him becayuse they know JOJo wants to pick him and they don't want to upset her but they really wish she was picking Robby (okay they don't say any of that but we all know that's what they are thinking.)
Robby gets out of the car first----it's not even a limo.
We all know this sin't good....he walks down to her and you can see on her face this isn't going to end well but Robby is blinded by his love for her and says a million sweet things to her and right as he is about to get into his lunge position she is like oh wait I can't take this moment away from you.
He is crushed and I'm sitting here yelling at the tv like WHYYYYY on earth did you let him say all that just to rip his heart out and stomp on it. No cool JoJo. you should know better after last season.
Robby keep it together and says nothing by nice things to her and wants her to be happy. Class act. And he is probably thinking his ex will be waiting for him at home but Chad has already swooped in.
JoJo is a hot, crying mess. Like STOP IT. You're annoying. I'm bored. We all know this won't last. Let's just skip to Bachelor in Paradise.
Jordan gets there. She suddenly has perfect makeup again and a huge smile and he proposes...shocker. They are overjoyed and so in love and can't wait to spend their lives together...YAWNNN.

thanks friend! i didn't really have it in my to watch all those hours. i'm happy this season is over.

who is ready for bachelor in paradise? let's pick up with that next week. 

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