North Carolina

Last week Trent and I flew out to North Carolina for a job interview.  I had no idea how dense the trees were out there!  We got off the flight, got our rental car, and thought we'd stop at the first fast food place to catch some dinner (we were starving from the flight.  Pretzels just don't cut it after 7 hours).  We drove for a while and didn't see ANYTHING!  I got on Google and tried to find restaurants close by....the closest one was 30 mins away!!!  Once we got fed and back on the road, it was another 40 mins to our destination: Pinehurst. 
The next morning I dropped Trent off at the hospital to interview and I went exploring.  I drove into Pinehurst village.  It was so quaint!  all these beautiful old white buildings with brick sidewalks and old people everywhere!  I drove around a little more and found beautiful golf courses (there are over 60 in the area), historic buildings, trees, and more trees.
Later that night, the head CRNA and another CRNA from the hospital and their wives took us out to dinner at this perfect little Italian restaurant.  The food was amazing (and free)!  Then they drove us all around showing us the area and filling us in.  We were definitely wined and dined :)
The next morning a real estate agent picked us up and showed us several neighborhoods in the area and took us through a few rental homes.  The houses out there are HUGE inside and they all have a ton of windows and high ceilings.  I am completely in love with them (the style, the size, the layouts)!  However, the neighborhoods aren't like in Utah... Each house is set in it's own thicket of trees.  No 2 homes are side by side, there are tons of pine trees to separate them.  And the soil there is pure sand so you have to bring in top soil to get anything to grow.  This may be a problem...
Saturday was our last day and we wanted to see the beach.  We took off in the rental car and drove past these brown fields that were speckled with white.  Upon closer inspection, we discovered they were cotton fields!!!  There was cotton growing right out of the ground!  So cool.
This week we fly to Arizona for a couple more interviews.  Pinehurst wants an answer this week so probably by Friday or Saturday this week we will know where we are headed.  Wish us luck!

Jane turned 6 so we had a Party

I can't believe our little Jane is already 6 years old!  Man time flies!  This year was her "friend party" year and you know how I love to throw a party!  We had a bit of a struggle picking a theme and deciding who to invite but when all was said and done, we decided on a Jewery making party with no boys (except Bubba and Dad) allowed!

Here are the invites:

This was the set up: pink and black streamers, pink strawberry cupcakes, and purse shaped gift bags (that included ring pops, nail polish, lip gloss, temp tatoos, and a glow stick bracelet)

For activites, the girls made candy necklaces (out of colored twizzlers, gummy lifesavers, and fruit loops), they made colored pearl bracelets, and we played some rip roaring rounds of Freeze Dance.

Here's a pic of most of the girls.  We had 13 in all plus Jane and Grant:

And here is the birthday girl blowing out her candles:

"Our Wonderful K-World" Program

Yesterday, on Jane's 6th birthday, she had her Kindergarten program.  She had been practicing for  weeks on her songs and her speaking part and she was so excited for us to see the program.
She did a wonderful job!!!  The songs they sang were so stinking cute and they all sang with such vigor! Some of the songs they sang were: "Take Me Out of the Bathtub", "Baby Baluga", the Welby School song, "Witches Sailing through the Moon",  and "Let's Go Fly a Kite". Jane nailed her speaking part: "Eachone paints our world in colorful hues"  

We are so proud of Jane and all that she has learned this year!  She has truely advanced in leaps and bounds. 

She had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. McDougal who absolutely spoiled the kids!!  Jane has brought home countless books, notebooks, erasers, treats, crafts, and prizes throughout the year.  It will be a rough transition next year into 1st grade :)  Mrs. McDougal was very good about teaching and enforcing manners and  getting the kids to listen to and follow directions (which really showed at the program...the kids sat still for over an hour with thier arms folded and quiet feet!!  When we first learned who Jane's teacher would be last year, I had a friend of mine tell me that she had had her when she was in Kindergarten.  I thought, 'this lady must be ancient! I hope she's not a burned-out, grouchy grandma!'.  Nothing could have been further from the truth!  That sweet woman has more energy than the kids in her class!  She goes a hundred miles an hour and hardly slowed down at all in December when she got foot surgery.  We will miss Mrs. McDougal and all her happy energy!

 

30, Flirty, and Thriving!

Today I turn the big 3-0!   yay me!  It isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.  Yeah, I'm older than I once was but that can be said about everyone.  I'm grateful to have made it on this earth for 30 years.  Growing up I remember my mom complaining about her birthdays, complaining about aging.  Then she got cancer.  Every birthday after that battle had been a celebration.  She is grateful for every year she has been given.  And I've decided to take her frame of mind.  I am blessed to have been given 30 years.  Those years gave me friends and experiences and a wonderful husband and 2 crazy and beautiful children.  Thank you to everyone who has been a part of them!

Here's what I've learned in the past 30 years:
-I am stronger than I think I am
-Gravity wins, every time.
-I'm not the mom I thought I would be
-I'm not the wife I thought I would be
-Sleep is not optional
-Turns out that calories count every day--even on holidays and weekends.  boo.
-Despite the state of the world, there are still so many amazing and kind people.
-Unconditional love is not a myth. It's real and it's amazing!
-The best guys are bald :)
-I don't care what anyone says, caffeine is a drug...a strong one! (and I love it!)
-Facing fears is a huge adrenaline rush!
-People change
-Nostalgia can be dangerous
-If you're not moving forward, you are moving backward
-Laughter is the best medicine for ANYTHING!
-Wii bowling is very different than real bowling
-Pulling weeds is good therapy
-Tip your waiter/waitress
-Always pay the Karma jar. (learned that one the hard way...)
-My kids have a lot to teach me about being out-going


Here's what I look forward to:
-Staying fit
-Watching my kids grow
-Living out of state
-Going back to school
-Going back to work
-Completing my first Triathlon in July
-Traveling

Losing It

So around November of last year, I was going through a hard time.  My doctor started me on a new medication and the side effects were awful!  In 2 1/2 months I gained 17 lbs.  I was the biggest I have ever been, not pregnant.  I needed a change.

I got off of that med and Trent and I decided to do a program called "Feel Great in 8".  It's a fitness an nutrition tracking system and you compete against one another for 8 weeks.  We started towards the end of January and it was hard at first.  But as time went on I was feeling better and had more energy an felt more in control of my life. 

The 8 weeks ended and I tried to still stick with the tracking.  I do Zumba twice a week and run once to twice a week. 

I am so proud to say that as of today, I have lost 15 lbs!!!!  All but 2 of the 17 I gained!!!  I feel great and  look forward to losing the next 7!!!