Shine...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you NOT to be?   You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Williamson

This quote was given to me a couple of months ago by a co worker.  He passed it around to all of us girls and it has been constantly in my head ever since.  How powerful is this message?  I absolutely love it and had to share it.

Memory Monday

Another post from my old blog.  My kids were 4 1/2 and 7 1/2 at the time.  I really miss moments like this.  I am SO glad I have this blog to reflect on.

Seventeen things...
May 10, 2008

This afternoon Sunnie and I took our kids to the playplace for some fun time. They had a lot of fun, of course but I have decided that I absolutely HATE those stupid little vending machines that have toys in them. First of all, they are expensive, and secondly the kids always know what they WANT to get but since they never get that thing they end up crying over what they DID get. Today was no different. Peyton wanted one of those sticky hands, but ended up getting a sticky butterfly. Pajha wanted a fairy tattoo but ended up getting some scary monster looking thing. Which she was actually "okay" with. So we are in the car driving home and that is when Peyton saw what she got from the machine.... this is when I just sat back and listened and here is what I heard...

• Peyton: "Pajha, will you please trade me? Look how cool this Butterfly sticky thing is... you love butterflies (which she REALLY does)"
• Pajha: "I don't think so Peyton... I really want my tattoo... and it is your isponibility (responsibility) to get the right kind of toy"
• Peyton: "Oh Come on Pajha... PLEASE? I will do anything you want!"
• Pajha: "Like jump off a building?"
• Peyton: "I can't jump off a building Pajha, I would die... but I will jump off something else"
• Pajha: "Okay, like a bed then. So you will jump off the bed okay?"
• Peyton: "Okay"
• Pajha: "But that isn't all, you will have to do a billion things"
• Peyton: "Pajha, I can't even count to a billion"
• Pajha: "Okay.... then seventeen things"
• Peyton: "Fine... I will do seventeen things, and then you will trade me?"
• Pajha: "yes"
• Peyton: "okay so what else do I have to do besides jump off the bed?"
• Pajha: "Well... you have to clean my room, and I want you to wash my hair and brush it. I think you could clean the windows too"
• Peyton: "Clean the windows? Pajha, that is moms job (oh really....) you can't make me do mom's jobs or she won't have anything to do (poor mom)"
• Pajha: "Okay fine, you also have to make my bed, and wash my floors, and you have to draw me a picture of a beautiful butterfly"
• Peyton: "okay, fine and after I do all those things you will give me the tattoo right?"
• Pajha: "Yes, Peyton. You know what? I kindof feel like your step-mother or something"

It was really funny and I was having a hard time keeping my laughter hidden. This conversation went on for the entire 20 minute drive home. Needless to say we got home and realized that there were two tattoos on the paper and they decided that they would just each get one. That is when Peyton said "guess I don't have to do those seventeen things for you!" Guess not!!!

8 weeks out

As promised... a few progress photos!  My daughter (the most disgusted photographer around) took them for me.. totally against her will but nonetheless here they are.  I feel like I am making some good progress.  With 8 weeks left I am hoping to lean out my legs a bit more, and really tighten those glutes baby!  Oh and get a really nice tan ;)

Ice Ice baby!

What a crazy week, the weather has been so strange.  Today it literally rained ice.  I cannot get over how slick the roads, sidewalks, and driveways were today.  I had an ice skating rink in my front yard.  I tried to shovel it up and after 30 minutes my arms were tired and I hadn't make much progress so I gave up for the night.  It is crazy.  My kids said that they just stood on the sidewalks and slid all the way home.  So scary!

In other news I was honored to receive this email earlier in the week:

Congratulations! We've selected My Fitness Journey as a winner of eCollegeFinder's Top Health & Fitness Blogs Award! Your blog stood out amongst stiff competition and is now featured on our site as a recommended health & fitness resource for our readers.

Such a surprise and with some fellow bloggers that I know and adore!  So honored to be on that list!  To see the full list and find some great reads go here! 

FITNESS.... as of right now I am still planning on competing on March 30th!  Time is flying by.  Things are going well.  I haven't been taking progress pics yet but I promise to start that at about 8 weeks out (which is coming right up).  Posing... I practice ALL the time just not in my heels.  I have some friends that I plan to start practicing with so that will become more frequent.  I am also planning on a new suit for this show and I am really excited about that.  

DIET.... I am pretty much sticking to what I followed for the last show.  My proteins are mainly fish, egg whites and chicken.  I really don't do a lot with protein powder anymore.  I have a ton of salads (love tons of veggies), basically anything that will help keep me feeling full and satisfied ;)  I also have incorporated my favorite bread that I told you about from the Julian bakery, this is the Amazing Sourdough, it is low calorie and low carb.  I am totally OBSESSED with it.  It is honestly GOOD.  It doesn't taste like cardboard.  I swear to you I panic when I get low on it.  I order... a lot...  :) They are in no way paying me to say this either.  This truly is my opinion and my opinion only.  Just thought I'd throw that in there!  

 source

Anyway, that is just a quick little update.  I haven't done one about my show plans for a while so I felt like I needed to do that.  I will get some progress pics up soon, in the next week or two.  Time to get serious.  I am ready to kill it.  

Memory Monday...

I can't promise this will be a consistent Monday theme but for today I'm just going to go with it and see what happens. Yesterday my kids and I were on my old family blog reminiscing, and we got reading back quite a few years and some of the posts had us tearing up a bit but others had us laughing hysterically! Most of you probably don't know anything about this old blog of mine and probably never read it but I began it years ago when we moved overseas as a way to keep our family "in touch" with our life since we were so far away. There is some pretty funny stuff on there from when my kids were really little. Every Monday I am going to try and post an old story from my old blog. I think it will be fun for you to get to know me better and for me to remember some really great things that I may have forgotten about over the years!  This one in particular had us laughing our butts off! Never a dull moment.


Saturday September 27, 2008

Weeeeeeeee

I have a story but in order to tell it right I have to back up a bit..... when we got our dog we decided that it would be best to mat train her. We chose this way because we got a puppy a couple of years ago and he was poisoned. Unfortunately, a lot of people around us don't really care for dogs. Long story short, we thought it would be best to keep her inside as much as possible. So we get these potty mats from the vet. Most of the time (when I am home) I will leave the back door open and she usually goes outside anyway. Her mat is very rarely used. Until recently. I have noticed more and more lately that I have had to change it every day as opposed to every few days. Hmmm... that is strange because I am almost always home and I see her going outside most of the time. The mat has been soaked through, completely..... very wierd. This afternoon I was sitting on the computer when Pajha came running over to me "MOMMY, MOMMY... Peyton is peeing on Nikki's mat".... "WHAT?????????????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????" sure enough it was true. HE has been the one weeing on the mat, not the dog. I was soooooo mad. I just couldn't understand why he would even THINK to do that. Especially when there is a toliet not even 2 feet away. UGH! So I made HIM clean it up, and mop the floor (because we know that no boy or MAN can aim properly and he had gotten it all over the wall and beside the mat). KIDS! As of right now, I don't find any humor in this situation. It reminded me of the time when he was about 3, he did his business (think #2) on the floor and told me that Shrek did it... and it wasn't even MY floor, it was my sisters floor. Maybe it will be funny another day. Right now I am just MAD!

For the record... its been a few years and I think it's pretty dang funny ;)

Two Thousand Thirteen

Happy New Year!

I don't do resolutions.  I never really have.  I am more of a make little goals all throughout the year kind of girl so the new year comes and goes for me.  One thing is for sure though, I am looking forward to putting 2012 behind me.  It has been a rough year for me.  It has also been a good year in many ways.  I started my job at the very end of 2011 (literally the last week) so really I started one year ago, which is where I met these two lovely ladies...

Wouldn't trade that (or them) for the world.  We took a trip to St. George, and had a girls trip to Park City, spent plenty of time at the gym together, played in mud, got chased by Zombies, and have laughed and cried together.  This year I turned 29 (again),  however my son turned 12 and my daughter turned 9... making me realize that I can't exactly keep claiming to be 29 anymore, I might actually have to be my real age (gasp!), also making me realize that next year (uh... I mean THIS year) I will have a teenager which scares the crap out of me.  I stepped on stage for the 11th time in my life in 2012 taking 3rd place.  I hung out with this girl as much as possible... 

My Bestie, she is a working mama like me, only she has 3 kids.  Our favorite thing to do is go to Applebee's and share a Blondie.  Only problem is half the time I am on a competition diet ;)  We do our best to see each other as often as we can, which is not often enough.  I love her to death, she has been there for me through EVERYTHING and has been the best friend a girl could ask for.  I don't know what I would do without her in my life.  I really don't.

In 2012 we also celebrated 12 years of marriage by being sealed for all time and eternity together in the Bountiful Temple.  Here are a few pictures of our special day and some family and friends that were there.

Although there were plenty of good times, there were also plenty of difficult times, too many tests, and I am ready to put 2012 behind me and hoping for a great New year!  Here's to 2013!

Ringing it in with my bestie and her munchkins!

waiting... and waiting... and waiting until midnight...

Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... 

four... three... two... one...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!