Playing Cards can be a Workout?

I tried a new workout last night that I thought was really fun, a great workout, and very convenient. The nice thing about this workout is that you can do it at home, at the track, at the gym, or really anywhere. Last night I did it while watching my favorite TV show. What you do is get a deck of cards. Then, you assign each card with a different exercise. Last night I assigned:

Diamonds = Lunges

Hearts = Squats

Clubs = Push-ups

Spades = Tricep Dips

Jokers = 50 crunches

OUCH! I'm sore today. There are a lot of cards in one deck. You could do this at the track or find a grassy area to do plyometrics or sprints - I think I might try this one next. You can really make up any exercises you want. It's also kind of exciting because you never know what card you're going to get next.

It was 9 pm last night and I wanted to get a workout in so I decided to try this little diddy out and it was great! So if you find yourself too busy to cram a workout in, I dare you to try this while you're watching TV before you go to bed. I promise you'll be sore.

I'm sensing a theme here...

Do you ever find yourself attracted to certain items, colors, or patterns when you shop? A few months ago I was totally attracted to striped shirts. Today, I just came to the realization that I've had a reoccurring attraction to purple stuff.

Purple Loofah...oh and I just noticed my razor is purple

Purple Shoes

Purple Swim Suit

I just got a pedicure. What color did I choose? ...Purple

Then I just realized I have a purple phone.

Purple isn't even my favorite color, but I just can't seem to get enough of it lately.

Pump Me Up

All I have to say is I'm sick of seeing that Christmas tree every time I look at my blog...

I've started training for a 10K in May and am trying to get a little more fit for swimsuit season. I want to load some new music on my iPod that can help me totally get pumped! I know a few of you that read my blog are training for triathlons, marathons, or are just working out, so give me some songs!

My top 5 favorite songs to workout to right now are:

1. Shakira - "Waka Waka" (World Cup Song) or any Shakira song on her SheWolf Album

2. J-Lo - "On the Floor"

3. Jonsi of Sigor Ros - "Go Do"

4. Kesha - "Blow"

5. Britney Spears - "Toxic" - I know this song is old, but it puts an extra kick in my step.

P.S. Life is good here in Boise. I love my job, love my hubs, love life.

Good Things

Things have been swell over in B-town. A lot of good and fun things have happened since I last blogged. I am loving my new job. I am so busy, but it makes the days go by fast. Everyone is so nice and I'm learning a ton. I get a lot of overtime so the extra moola is nice.

We got a new car! A 2008 Subaru Outback. It is nice to have a reliable car. We got a swingin' deal on it.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were great. We loved hanging out with the fams. Here are some pics. I have been slacking at taking pictures, but I tried hard to remember to take pics at Christmas.

Here is our meager little Christmas Tree.

I had the opportunity to get together with my pals from high school at our usual spot - 5th street Bagelry. I love you guys!! It was so great to see everyone.

We love to do puzzling at Christmas. Everyone worked hard to get the finished product.

This is Payzli, Cole's cousin's baby. Isn't she a cutie patootie? She makes me want to have one of my very own. The pictures is a little fuzzy.

The pooch wanted to come in and hang out too.

We played Just Dance and bowled on the Wii. It was a hoot.

We got lots of good gifts. We got an Xbox 360 Kinnect! Here are our stocking stuffers.

I got a gift card to the mall to go shopping.

My friend Ambie got me these slippers that I love. My feet were always cold...not anymore.

We celebrated our 4th anniversary December 29. Time has been flyin' by with a great guy like you Cole. Love you! You mean the world to me!

Cole bought the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. If you like to cook, I highly recommend this cookbook to you. The recipes are awesome. Thanks for introducing it to us Hilary! I've always wanted to make a layered cake so Cole and I made this out of the cookbook. A lot of work, but yummy and pretty.

2010 was a rough year for me, but it ended great and I am determined to make 2011 da bomb!

Here are some of my goals:

1. My sister challenged Cole and I to read the Book of Mormon in 60 days starting January 10, so my goals is to turn the TV off a little earlier every night to read my scriptures.

2. Improve my fitness - Run two half marathons, get ripped for summertime. Not sure what my plan is yet, but I will blog about it once I get my workout plan put together.

3. Learn to play the guitar.

4. Try to live a healthier lifestyle full of lots of fruits and veggies with every meal.

Life is good. Until next time. Happy New Year All!

Timing

Timing is everything. And the last two months, I've truly learned to trust in the Lord's timing. The economy is rough right now. I came to Boise thinking I would get a job within the first few weeks we got here. This did not happen! And I was frustrated!! I applied and applied and applied, interviewed, interviewed, interviewed, and got denied, denied, and denied. After a while it really started to wear on my confidence. But I kept telling myself that something would come along. Every time I didn't get a job I would feel really sad and wonder what I did wrong or why they didn't like me.

Then a few weeks ago I got called for a phone interview. They liked me so they invited me in to do an in-person interview, then I did a second interview. It was a long process, but it was worth it because I GOT THE JOB!! And the cool thing is that it pays better and the hours are better than any of the other jobs I applied to before. So all the times I prayed to the Lord to please let me get this job and I didn't get the job, He knew what he was doing. He was holding me out for a way better job. I will be a receptionist at an Environmental Engineering Company. I am excited to go shopping for dress clothes. I feel very official because I get my own spot in a parking garage downtown and I ride an elevator to get to the office. Something about riding an elevator to get to work makes me feel important. Ha ha.

Trust in the Lord's timing. He knows what he's doing. I feel so grateful and feel like my prayers were truly answered!

Sweet Guy

If I were having a really frustrating, bad day, it would make me so happy if someone bought me a a card that sang "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" and a bouquet of flowers in my favorite color.

And my hubby did just that. What a sweet guy! I sure am a lucky ducky!

Thanks COLE! You make my life!!I love you!!

I'm lured to sleep at night

by 12 air conditioners...

right outside our bedroom window. Even in cooler weather our neighbors still do not turn off their air. Sheesh people.

Good news is I got a job. It is not really what I want to do at all, but hey its a job for now. It is at a place that takes calls for AT&T so for those of you that have iPhones and are calling AT&T to complain about something, please be nice. You might just be callin' Cicily! :)

Until next time...

What I've been up to

Looking for a job, Looking for a job, and looking for a job. I'm so exhausted from looking for a job. It has really been a roller coaster ride for me for the last well all of 2010. It is really frustrating to go to school for six years and not be able to do what you went to school for. I feel like it was a waste of time. I could have been working and getting experience in something else. But then I tell myself to be proud. I am proud, but just a little frustrated. I know that my education will pay off eventually. I can't get a teaching job and the sub lists are even full here in Boise. That is so weird to me. If I can't get a teaching job, I also can't get any other job because they wonder why I don't wanna be a teacher and am afraid I will leave them to be one. AHHH!! Well, call the wahhhmbulance right?? This is helping me get some frustration out. :)

On a happier note, here are some of the other things I've been up to since we moved to Boise.

1. Learning how to get from point A to point B. Now that we have the internet, I can MapQuest everything. That has been nice. I'm really picking it up quickly though.

2. Making zucchini bread. All of our family members have gardens so they stocked us up with lotsa zucchini. So what better to do with all the excess zucchini than to make yummy bread.

3. Watchin' a little Boise State Football. I've always kinda liked BSU ever since we watched them win the Fiesta Bowl on Cole and I's honeymoon about four years ago. It is also soooo fun and exciting to live in a city where there is actual school spirit... Sorry Bengals, but I am definitely joining The Bronco Nation!! On game day we went to the grocery story and almost everyone was in their BSU get-up. Go BSU!!

4. Labor Day Weekend we went up to Red Fish Lake. It was chilly, but really fun. Sorry no pics. I have had no motivation to take pics lately. We just relaxed, went to an old ghost town, and went on a four wheeler ride.

5. Trying to stay busy - cleaning, reading, exploring Boise, going to the temple, floating the Boise river (where Cole got knocked out of the raft by a giant limb hanging from a tree. He did save us all on the raft from getting knocked off and from getting the raft popped. He's my hero.), playing board games, and spying on our neighbors. ha. We live in a big apartment complex so anytime someone walks by our window we check em' out. Seeing if they might me prospects for a future friendship. Ha. So far... no winners. ha. I sound like a loser.

So that is what I've been up to. Just trying to be patient and realize that something will come along. I really like the Boise area a lot, but miss my family and friends. Next time I post hopefully it will be about me getting some great job. See ya later peeps!!

When life gets you down....

COUNT

YOUR

BLESSINGS!

I'm grateful

for:

This guy

This place

These books I'm reading right now

This place I'm about to go on vacation tomorrow!!

My family and friends

My education

This cute pooch...truly a (wo)man's best friend

And a warm bed to sleep in and a roof over my head

Cole and I are headed to Boise in less than 2 weeks. I'm starting to get a little nervous because we don't have jobs and I don't know anyone or where any things at. But I truly am grateful for all the blessing I do have. I'm blessed with good friends and family that do soooo much for us. I'm going to be sad to move away. I guess it will make our get togethers all the sweeter.

In Honor of...

May being NATIONAL RUNNING MONTH, I am making the commitment to log a whopping 100 miles of running. There are 31 days in May and four Sundays of which I will not be running. That leaves me with 27 days to do this. This means that on average, I need to run 3.7 miles per day.

ANYONE....

care to join me????