Next Best Thing!

this... is my new favorite song!!! great for running to.. i LOVE it!!! oh wait, i already said that huh.. 

{one thing though: you'll have to disregard one bad word in it, cuz the beat is rockin'!!!}

check it out!

 

..and if ya sign yourself up for a marathon.

don't blame me.

it's

The Next Best Thing!!!

my life right now...

is busy... and full of change. 

I've decided to participate in this-

12 People. 2 Vans. 200 Miles {ish}. 24 Hours. 

RUN. DRIVE. SLEEP? REPEAT.

..and to say, that I often wonder what the heck I was thinking when I committed to it, and that I'm freaking out and mustering all the positive thinking within me to block out the negative thoughts of whether I can really do it or not... is a major understatement! I have never been much of a runner... or a runner at all. I've been intrigued by the idea of "becoming" one and trying a 5k or two over the last few years but just haven't been consistent, set an actual goal and signed up for a race, and now this! I am excited and can't wait for the sense of accomplishment that I'll feel at the finish line, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I have my doubts everyday and have to keep telling myself the famous President Kimball quote: 

 "JUST DO IT!"

I remember back in my days of competing ballroom dance. My Mom was my best advocate. She was my teacher of positive thinking.. of believing in my yourself... she gave me a card with a picture of Pres. Kimball on the front and underneath it said in big letters "DO IT.." then on the inside it read "JUST DO IT!" I loved that card and I still have it stashed away in my keepsakes. My mom would also tell me constantly "If you think you can do a thing or you think you can't, you're right!" She hated the word "can't" if she ever heard me say "I can't..." she'd stop me immediately and say "don't say you can't... say you'll try! You may not know how now, but you CAN learn and you CAN try!" 

*I also love these quotes...

"what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"


"ALWAYS leave room enough if your LIFE to do something that makes you HAPPY, SATISFIED, or even JOYOUS!"  -Paul Hawken

In an effort to make better food choices for myself and my family  this new year and be more conscious of the amounts of food we're eating Andres & I have started following the Weight Watchers point system with some other friends and family members. This has been a good change, which brings me to the subject of eating dinner around the table as a family every night. Of course we all eat dinner every night.. but do we make it a special event every night? That doesn't mean we have to pull out the fancy dishes.. but do we treat it as something we can't miss out on, of great importance, or do we let other things get in the way of it??? I have to say that since the new year and our making better food choices, etc.. it has made me plan our dinners out better and instead of the kids sitting around the bar and Andres & I standing to eat across from them we've been getting the kids more involved and having them set the table and sitting down to put our full focus on eating around the dinner table as a family each night and it's been so much fun. I love it! I feel like we're back in the Brady Bunch or Leave it to Beaver days and that's what I really want! 


Another thing that has made our dinners around the table as a family fun to look forward to is a gift that we got for our family for Christmas. It's a little interactive game called: The Family Dinner Box of Questions - Cards to Create Great Conversations!

I keep mine atop my favorite scalloped edge, Martha Stewart Cake Stand and when the kids set the table, this goes right in the center of the table. We take one card out a night and read & answer the question. 


I'm finally getting caught up on my laundry... thank goodness! ..and my yummy yarn goodies shop over at my all things gritty blog has been keepin' me hoppin' too! 

I took some photos of the puppies now... and a nice sunny day almost a week and a half ago and haven't blogged them yet, so here they are:

Look at those big paws

I just love 'em...

and we can't forget about 

Pigwit

afterall... she was 

the first puppy around here

One of her favorite places to sleep in under the end table, next to the couch. Tanner always likes to make her nice and cozy with a blanket and if I'm listening to music, which is pretty much 99.9% of the time he always tells me I need to turn it down because Pigwit is sleeping. Gotta love the fishy cracker crumb on the floor next to the leg of the end table! 

Winter scenes outside my window...

Even know it's still cold... 

the gorgeous blue skies and sun shining made it seem so much warmer! 

I'm excited...

Tonight is the night I get to celebrate Valentines with my Man!


We already have tickets to go see this:

I hope it's as good as I want it to be... LOL and I'm so glad I have a man that likes to see a good romance movie just as much as he likes to see something like Transformers or Avatar! First we are going out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Magleby's Oyster Bar and Grill! Mmm...... 

Anxiously awaiting...

the clock to strike 

5:00~

*did I mention that my man is doing the Wasatch Back Relay too!
It's goona feel like we're back competing together again.. only we won't be dancing this time, we'll be runnin'! Woot-Woot!