Taking on another project

After two long years of waiting, we have purchased the play place of my dreams. Cory has agreed to take on another project for me. This one will keep him and the kids out in the backyard for 40-48 hours (according to the instructions) over the next couple of weeks. When we first moved into our home in Farmington, getting a nice playset was one of the first things I wanted to do. Fast forward two years...
This is our new 9 foot slide! Really Winter is way more excited than I am, but I am pretty freaking happy!

Of course we choose to be green as can be. I know no one is surprised :)

The Sky Fort! It even has an ubber cool name.

I should have realized I was going to be expected to help with this little project when I saw this image on all the boxes. One of them weighted more than twice what I do so I was pretty useless in helping get that one out of the truck.

Four boxes total and one awesome slide. Shortly after getting everything in the garage the reality of this project hit me. Cory says we have to make a flat spot in the yard for it. Ha ha we have a huge yard, its all flat, right?! No. The slight slope that is in our yard counts as not being flat. That means yard work, lots and lots of digging and sod cutting, and dirt pushing, and wall building, and rock placing, and and and and. I can't bare it. I grew up in a condo where they take care of all the outside stuff for you. I hate yard work. I kill most plants. I thought we could just buy a play place and put it together. Ha ha ha not even close. A mile from being close.

Project progress to be updated soon.

I have a problem with food

Does that look good to anyone? KFC recently decided this was going to be released as a new item on their menu. I bet it smells good, but beyond that, it makes me feel really sick at the thought of eating it.

A few months ago I saw a great episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats. The show is usually good, informative and fairly funny. This particular show was about how he lost all those added pounds he was showing. Not your last 10 or 20lbs or some get trim for summer, but a change your life style of food. Everything he talked about made sense. He gives the example how usually people eat and eat and eat. But you would do that with your car. If you took your car in for a fill up everyday, you would need a place to store all the extra fuel. The same is true for food and your body.

Watch the clip, he explains it better than I can.

The short and sweet version, we all should be eating nutrient dense foods, instead of just energy dense foods.

When Cory saw the episode a few weeks ago, it really "spoke" to him. He decided he was going to change his ratio of nutrient rich foods and hopefully lose a little weight in the process. The four lists that now run things for his food consumption are:

Eat Daily

- Fruits
- Whole Grains
- Leafy Greens
- Nuts
- Carrots
- Green Tea

3 times a week
- Oily Fish
- Yogurt
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potato
- Avocado

He can have once a week
- Red meat
- Pasta
- Dessert
- Alcohol (if he did, he would be allowed once a week)

NEVER!
- Fast Food
- Soda
- Processed meals/frozen dinners
- Canned soup
- “Diet” anything

AND: Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions.

That's all fine and dandy for Cory, but what about me. WHAT AM I GOING TO EAT?! As most people know, I have the worst eating habits. No big deal because I am not 20 over weight or have high cholesterol, right? I could easily eat anything I want and there is no looming problem with that. The problem is that I don't really feel that way. For me it's not about what won't happen in spite of what I eat, but rather how much better I feel when I eat better. For me food doesn't really hold much joy for me. You see, for the most part it is just life sustaining. Unless it was really really good and I am talking about how much I LOVED it, it will always be "just ok." That's why I crave sushi, why I could skip a meal and really not miss it, why when I am pregnant I have to make myself eat, which usually makes me literally gag. I love thanksgiving because it is all my favorite foods on one day. Like I said, I have a problem with food.

Well, it has been a couple of weeks and it is going pretty well with the Alton Brown change. Cory is better with it than I am, of course, but dinner is always something tasty and healthy.

Cheers to change and better eating!

Just look at her

Lately Winter has been trying my patience. I swear she is made of grapes, because all she does is whine! I have even been pushed to the point that I called her a brat to her face. Not my proudest mommy moment, but you had to be there. She is learning that she can say "no." More than that she has learned that she can say "no" in a back talk, watch mom jump off the couch and ask her "what did you say?!" kind of way that gets her sent to her room.

While most people are worried about the teenage years, I can't wait for them. BRING IT ON! At least with a teenager you can rationally (to a point) talk to them. Not with a 3 year old. She listens, says she understands, and then does what she knows she is not supposed to right in front of me not even 2 minutes later. And I know she remembers, this girl remembers things from two years ago when I didn't even think she could make memories.

I am not complaining, just giving some insight to how Winter can be. This afternoon we went outside to bask in the only slightly cool air. In the backyard she came alive and was happier than I have seen her in awhile. She is very active and I would definitely consider her a "spirited" child. Being outside seems to release the whiny, aggravating child from her inner self and is replaced with a beautiful angel that I thank the universe for giving her to me. Looking at her through my camera lens made my heart ache knowing she was mine.

Stinker!

And the winner is...

ME!

Angie Monson is a fabulous photographer and designer local here to Utah. She recently had a give away for her beautiful new Dreamy Album. I entered not really thinking I would win but drooled over the album all the same. But I did win! YAY!

Winner!

Missin' Hawaii

Ok the cold is finally getting to me. In Utah it hasn't even been that bad. This is probably the mildest winter in the past 9 years I have been here. But at last, today, I have had enough. I realized I never posted any photos from our amazing trip before Ledger was born. We went to the Big Island of Hawaii. It was the best vacation I have ever been on. There, I said it, Cabo was wonderful, but Hawaii was the best. And someday hopefully Australia will top it!

The Forrest

Something that is so great about the Big Island is there are so many different types of landscape. Forrest, mountains, beach, snow, heat, adventure, calm peacefulness, oh how I miss Hawaii.

Waterfall in the jungle

These trees were not actually trees but the roots of tree high above. They grew all tangled together and could easily have hidden tribes of people in them.

Another breathtaking waterfall

It was fall when we went but all the flowers bloomed just the same.

Grasslands

These little guys were all over the fence near our resort. Cory caught one and gave to me to hold.

VOLCANO! One of the funnest things we did was hiked through a lava tube late at night. We were the only people in the whole park and definitely the only ones going through the tube at that time of the night. I admit, I was scared. I was afraid there might be some bum living in it somewhere or that we were going to get robbed or something. I am so glad we went through and hiked out through the jungle on the other side. The moon was beautiful and bright. Coming down through the leaves, it was magical.

Sea turtles on a black sand beach. I was as close as this image reflects. The turtles were every where. We saw them on the beaches, when we were out in the water snorkeling, and even when we got caught in the rain looking at some sites.

Black sand beach.

Tera and Steve on our ride to the green sand beach. It was supposed to be a long, somewhat hard "hike" to the green sand beach. Thank GOODNESS some nice guy picked us up in his truck. Being pregnant with Ledger, I would have never made it. About half way there I was thinking maybe the ride was going to be too long.Green sand!
The green sand beach was this little hidden cove that no one was at. It was a sunny day and the water was rough. The sand sparkled like tiny green jewels.

Cory knows I use to drive a mustang so when the rental car company asked if he wanted to upgrade, he did. Here we are with Shaylee and Justin crusin' around the Island in our Mustang convertible.

YUMMY! The bathroom was open to our bedroom so I snapped this quick shot of Cory shaving. By this time we both were sporting a nice tan.

The resorts decor
Cory and Tera are literally eating the fruit right off the tree just outside our rooms.
For going to listen to a presentation we got tickets to a luau. It's part of owning a timeshare and totally worth giving up an hour of my time to get free tickets. The luau was really good and a great way to end our trip.They had to put up nets in case, you know, he almost lights someone on fire.