It's My Life - It's now or never!

Watch out for that first step! It's a doozy! Happy Groundhogs Day!

2012-02-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

I love this holiday, especially this movie ...

Sometimes life can be monotonous ...

And sometimes we run into people like this guy...

The reason I love this movie is because it has a great message. Even though life can be monotonous and people are annoying or we step in a puddle and get our feet wet, we can still enjoy life. If we have hope and are truly happy, we will naturally look for ways to serve others. I love the transformation Phil goes through.

Every day is a gift ... even if every day is the same day.

BING!!!

Cooking for One with Katy (without Sugar & Flour) Season 2, Episode 01

2012-01-29T21:01:00.001-08:00

A typical dinner for Katy

January FHE @ the Wakefields

2012-01-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

This is such a fun goal. I love spending FHE with my friends!

Lucky Kenon, she gets to live with all these men.

We sang "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" and then Tyler gave the lesson on faith and courage.

We then played a very intense game of gospel pictionary. And let it be known that Kenon gave hints to both teams so it was fair ...

But in the end, my team (with Kade and Easton) came out on top.

Cooking for One with Katy - Episode #26

2012-01-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Chicken & Rosemary Potatoes with Lemon Cookies

With Aly & Alissa

A few goals for 2012 ... can you help?

2012-01-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

I, Katy Knight, swear to accomplish the following in 2012 ... can you help me?

Attend an endowment session in 6 temples outside of UT

Wanna come on a temple trip with me?
Or can I come and stay with you if you live in a place where there is a temple?

Attend one FHE every month with one of my friend's families ...

Can I come over one Monday night in 2012?

Shoot, edit and post one episode of “Cooking For One with Katy w/o sugar and flour” per month

Will you be a guest cook on my second official season of CFO with Katy (w/o Sugar and Flour)?
Can you teach me how to make a healthy recipe?

Complete two half marathons

Wanna run one of these with me?
Wanna train for one of these with me?
Wanna cheer me on?
Any suggestions?

Complete one Olympic triathlon

Anyone?
Any suggestions?

Read 12 books other than the scriptures ... cause I'll be reading those too, duh

Any suggestions?
Can I join your book club?

Focus on my dissertation and graduate in December 2012

Please ask me how this is going whenever you see me ... I'm in need of some encouragment.

OK, so I can't promise I'll complete all of these, but I sure as heck will try ...

Oh, and after much deliberation, I have decided NOT to try and give up diet soda in 2012 ... just FYI

Cooking For One with Katy - Episode 25

2011-12-30T06:41:00.001-08:00

A very quick and healthy meal ... Thanks Lisa!

Three things ... to do with memories.

2011-12-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

I was at my brother's house a couple of weeks ago and I saw this chair in his basement and a flood of memories from my childhood hit me ... that is all I have to say about that one.

This is some art that my mom did at the Aspen Center for people with Alzheimer's ... I wish her memory was in tact. I miss her.

A month or so ago I went swimming at the indoor pool in the Richard's building at BYU on my lunch hour. I've been doing this consistently about twice a week for a few years now. I have a rental locker and I've used the same padlock the whole time. My routine is to lock my clothes and valuables in a big locker while I swim. I take a clean pair of underwear and a towel along with my shower supplies over to the shower so that when I'm finished swimming, I can go directly to the shower. After my shower, I dry off, put on my underwear and then go unlock the big locker and finish getting dressed and ready. Well this particular day for some reason, I forgot my combination. I sat there for 20 minutes (or more) trying every combination of the three numbers I was certain made up the combination ... but it didn't open. I had saved the combination in my phone so I could look it up in such situations. However, my phone was locked in the locker ... so I stood there in my underwear with a towel on my head trying and trying to remember. There were numerous ladies trying to help me and give me moral support. I felt dumb and embarrassed. There I was, half naked, with a towel on my head and feeling quite helpless. I was by far the youngest of all the ladies in that section of the locker room and I was concerned I was showing signs of "early on-set" Alzheimer's disease. One of ladies went to the issue desk and came back telling me that my only option at this point was to have them cut the lock. So that is what they did and I have subsequently bought a new pad lock. I almost published the combination with this post for future predicaments like this but then why have a lock in the first place?

Vanasher ....

2011-12-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Asher & Van

I love that I get to see Vanasher (Van & Asher) so often since they live so close! Here is a quick picture review of some of their adventures from 2011:

Asher with his aunts at Kari's wedding

Wrestling with cousin Jordan

Van's blue print for their home's Halloween decorations

Asher's color coding line up of all his cars

Asher and cousin TJ

Vanasher taking care of me after my surgery (AKA watching Kipper on Netflix)

They thought this outfit was particularly funny...

Vanasher with little brother Milo

Cars 2 date with me!

Watching the fourth of July parade from my balcony...

Monster paintings ... Vanasher are both very artistic

Here they are acting like monsters ...

Face painting for Lacy's birthday ...

Trip to Walmart with Katy

Christmas morning in their new monster pajamas ...

WATCH OUT!!! Cause this little guy is gearing up to join the fun and then the craziness will begin!

2011 Temple Goal

2011-12-04T09:02:00.001-08:00

This has been one of the most fun and fulfilling goals I have ever set and accomplished. I also was able to go to the Las Vegas Temple and yesterday to the Idaho Falls temple. Each temple was so different and yet the same. I learned a lot and had a good time with whoever it was that joined me to visit that temple. So I just wanted to thank all my family and friends who helped me reach my goal. I think next year I'm going to make a goal of visiting 6 temples outside of UT so let me know if you want to host me or join me (Las Vegas and Idaho Falls don't count).

Here is a list of the temples I visited this year and a picture:

Ogden - 1.22.11 with Dave and Erin

Monticello - 2.19.11 with Erin

Draper 4.13.11 with Angela

Mount Timpanogos - 5.7.11 with Kim

Oquirrh - 5.13.11 with Angela

Provo - 6.14.11 with Wendy

Bountiful - 6.18.11 with Sandy

Jordan River 6.30.11 with Amy

Vernal - 8.20.11 with Wendy ... failed attempt

Logan - 8.27.11 with Ben Rock

Vernal - 9.17.11 with Stephanie

Manti - 9.24.11 with Woffindens

St. George - 9.30.11 with Ellen

Salt Lake City - 10.29.11 with Karen, Tommy, Shantay, Raven

Las Vegas - 9.4.11 with Amy

Idaho Falls - 12.3.11 with Amy

Vernal Temple ... I've been there twice now.

2011-09-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

On August 20th ... Wendy and I drove many miles and hours to meet at the Vernal temple. Wendy got there a few minutes before me and called me right away ...

"Um Katy, I think it is closed."

"No way. It can't be."

Well when I had originally planed this trip, I was going to go the Saturday before and I had checked the schedule. However, I decided to push it back a week so I could go to a family reunion and just assumed that it would be still open the next Saturday. But it wasn't!

LET ME IN!!!

Luckily my friend Wendy is awesome and laid back and is the type to make "lemonade out of lemons." So I bought her lunch at the Vernal Cafe Rio ... yes, there is a Cafe Rio in Vernal. The weather was great and we spend a couple hours eating and chatting outside on a blanket that Wendy had in her car. It was a very pleasant day and it wasn't too big of deal to make such a mistake. We actually got to talk a lot more than we would have if we had been able to go in.

The problem was that this meant I had to come back out so I could reach my goal. Some people thought I could count this temple since I made the trip. However, the point was to do an endowment session and actually be able to see inside. And I'm so glad I went back. You all should make this trip. This temple is so great and beautiful. It might be my favorite so far.

So yesterday, my friend Stephanie came with me and we really enjoyed our drive and session. We talked for a bit with a temple worker who gave us a bit of history about the building and the remodel process. This is the only temple that was constructed from an existing building. It was such a great day and we made it back in time for some dumb football game that I'd like to pretend never happened.

Only 3 left ... Manti, St. George and Salt Lake City and I'm going to hit Manti and St. George in the next couple of weeks. This goal has been great. I recommend it to you all!

Cooking for One with Katy - Episode #24

2011-09-12T06:44:00.001-07:00

Very yummy Cheesy Chicken Rolls with roasted broccoli on the side. Delish! Thanks Lindsay!

Eric and I are back together ...

2011-09-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

and his wife doesn't even mind. She even comes with us and does cardio. Eric and I worked out together for about 3 years and then he quit, got married and moved on.

After I lost all this weight (with absolutely no exercise at all) I sent him a picture of myself and said, "look what happened to me once I quit working out with you." He knows me well enough to know that I was just kidding. Especially since I asked him to start working with me again.

So we are back together and this time, I'm eating healthy and really taking care of my body. I think Eric is excited cause on Friday he had me run 1 mile at an 8 min/mile pace and I almost puked. And this was the day after I did legs and I could barely walk. In desperation I exclaimed, "just cause I lost a lot of weight does not mean I'm in shape!" He laughed and then yelled at me to get back on the treadmill. I need this guy cause I not only would I not push myself that hard, I probably wouldn't even get out of bed.

I did a search on my blog for "trainer" and came up with these great posts:

August 7, 2007 - I pay these people

November 29, 2007 - Some recent thoughts

March 31, 2008 - Personal training in review

July 15, 2008 - LOR Personal trainer reflection

September 21, 2008 - Conversation with my personal trainer

October 20, 2008 - Advanced Client

April 2, 2009 - Gold's Gym analysis

I'm not too cool anymore ...

2011-09-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you're from Provo, you can be too cool for certain things ...

EFY
Education Week
BYU dances
Student teachers in every class
hiking to the "Y"

When I think of hiking to the "Y," I think of my mom because she would always answer this question with the same sarcastic answer ...

Hey mom, what are you doing?

Just hiking to the Y

Translation: Isn't it obvious what I'm doing? Why are you asking me such a dumb question?

I can only remember hiking to the Y once growing up when I was a "Merrie Miss." Do they even have those anymore? I found a couple pictures:

Pretty rad hair cut and pretty cool walkman ...

Katy, Jayne, Jessie and Chuck ... who is the girl in the pink?

Dave, Jayne, Chuck, Katy ... who is this other girl in the pink?

Then in 2008 someone convinced me to hike it one day and it really kicked my butt. I had to stop at pretty much every switch back to catch my breath. It was hard.

Then in 2010, I hike the Y with these guys to watch the fireworks. That was fun and the hike wasn't too bad and the weather at night was beautiful.

Then in 2011, I hiked the Y with these guys , again to watch the fireworks.

On Labor Day, I told Karen I'd get up at 6 AM and hike it with her. It was great. I got up and back in probably only 45 minutes and was able get up there while the sun was still rising.

And now I'm not too cool ... I might do this a lot more often.

Almost exactly 6 months ago ...

2011-09-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

I had two major ligaments repaired in my knee.

Almost exactly 9 months ago ... I cut out sugar and flour from my diet and lost 70 + lbs.

So this triathlon was kind of a big deal for me. I wanted to beat my previous times in each of the three events and I sorta did ...

The weight loss was going to make it easier and the knee was going to make it harder. I took an ibuprofen before the race and was able to run. The knee definitely hurt especially because they had us run up and down a bunch of the hills behind the state mental hospital and that was not good for my knee. Running and biking and swimming have been so much easier and enjoyable now that I'm carrying 70+ less on my frame.

These boys (including baby Milo who is behind Van) and their mom came to support me. Although after the bike they were waiting for me to cross the timing mat but I got confused and missed the mat and just hopped the fence so I could go directly to the pool. So they waited and waited for me and never got to see me jump in the pool ... but they did get to see me run out and to the finish line.

I did well on the bike and I really tried to push it. As I was finishing and turning back into the park, I saw a tall man walking along Seven Peaks Drive in a red baseball hat, listening to his ipod. I yelled out at Larry who wasn't even there to cheer me on but just happened to be on his regular morning walk. It was sorta like I was cheering him on.

Here are my times:

Somehow, even though I missed the mat, they came up with a swim time for me. I did really well on the swim although it was quite annoying because I couldn't really get in a rhythm with the narrow lanes and all the bodies in my way. I literally passed at least 10 people and no one passed me. So although I was slower on the run, I made up some time on the bike and swim and passed quite a few people.

Here are my other sprint triathlon times ... the 5K on the Telos triathlon is much easier than this one and the bike ride is only 10 miles, not 12 so ...

My favorite part of the race was as I turned on to Slate Canyon Drive and at the top of the hill I looked out as the sun was coming up. I saw dozens of bikers pushing up the hill with the fields of gold behind them. It was beautiful ... I wish I could have taken a picture but I did take a mental picture that I hope never leaves me. I'm so excited for more beauty and fun in my future!

Lazer Larry ... Happy Father's Day

2011-06-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is my dad Larry (my brother Joe too):

I like this picture because I remember that it was my off-color joke that made him laugh like that.

This is Larry and Jewel in Alaska overlooking the cruise ship.

I don't know anyone who is more:

kind
soft spoken
giving
loving
selfless
generous
caring
slow to anger
proud of his kids
humble
willing to try new things
smart (you need a degree in physics to really understand what he did for a living)

These are some of the things we all (Larry's kids and grandkids) get from him:

his good looks

First generation (Larry) Second generation (Dan & Sam) Third generation (Asher) - many other grandkids look like Larry

love of sports
love of the gospel
love of good food (although these days he eats really weird combinations of things)
his testimony
love for a spouse
work ethic
free dinners
father's blessing
patriarchal blessings
ability to be calm in stressful situations
the importance of an education
example of never-ending faith and hope in the potential of others
acceptance
wisdom
all that he has and is

When we were growing up my dad would make breakfast every morning and sing crazy folk songs that didn't make much sense. Then he would walk Ann Dee and I to school. He never missed one of my basketball games (including Jr. Jazz). He always has shown unconditional love for me and confidence in my abilities. When things get hard, I have often thought, "I can do this because my dad knows I can."

My dad would do anything for me or any of his kids or grandkids. Right now he is doing and being everything for his wife. It is very touching to watch them interact. He is always tender and sweet even when sometimes the situation is very frustrating. Last week in his talk, my nephew Jordan talked about the example his grandpa Larry is of love. I think we are all better people because of my dad's example in caring for his wife. I would be so lucky to have someone love me and take care of me like he does her.

Here they are dancing at Jewel's (named after her grandma) wedding.

I'm so glad that I was born into this family, even if my parents were a bit older when the had me and Ann Dee. Most likely my kids won't know my parents like I do or my older nieces and nephews do. That is why records like journals, family histories, and even blogs are important.

Happy Father's Day ... a week late.

to be AND not to be ... that is how it is.

2011-05-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where exactly my mom is. She is there and she is not. She can interact and joke and laugh and in the next moment get mad and threaten to kick me for being a brat ... and none of it makes any logical sense.

It's hard to know how to feel. It's hard to know if I should laugh, because a lot of what she says and does is really, really funny. It's hard to know if I should cry because sometimes I don't like it when we laugh at her and I'm sad when I think about my real mom. That mom would not think this situation was funny.

That mom ...

wanted her kids to be happy and would sacrifice much to see that they were
went back to work after raising a bunch of kids to have enough money to send a couple of those kids on a mission at the same time
worked very hard at every church calling she ever had, especially gospel doctrine, temple worker and missionary
read to her kids ... even when we were older. I remember listening to my mom read Ann Dee and I books like the "Secret Garden" and "Anne of Green Gables"
would make funny faces and voices of various characters when she read to us
bought books for her grandkids for birthdays and Christmas
was proper and polite and taught her kids to be proper and polite
worried about her kids and lost hours and hours of sleep because of it
gave birth to 9 kids and lost one at 5 weeks old
loved her parents
wanted me to be a great violin player
sang the hymns in church in alto
was very anxious when my brothers played football because she was always worried they would get hurt
always bought me a new Easter dress
loved chocolate and would hide it around the house and in the car
once surprised me and Ann Dee and took us to Disneyland even though I know she was tired and I didn't even ride on the roller coasters
loved scary movies
used funny words and make funny sounds ... like cumi (butt)

Katy, Ann Dee, Mom at Stewart Falls

On the balcony of the Oak Lane house ... I'm the red headed girl who looks like a boy.

This mom ...

eats ice cream every day
sleeps a lot
doesn't always know who she is talking to but is so skilled socially that you might never know it
still sings the hymns in alto
doesn't know what holiday it is or what season it is but she always tells me to wear a coat and shoes
laughs a lot
makes us laugh a lot
sometimes gets disoriented and lost because she is looking for the people or the kids
once asked me, while on a walk, if my mom knew where I was
doesn't worry as much or forgets things too quickly to worry about them
loves to read letters and cards and notes sent to her by her friends and family
loves movies and sporting events
loves her Larry and feels most safe and comfortable with him

I love both this mom and that mom. Even though sometimes I really, really want to talk to that mom. Happy Mother's Day Mom ... no matter where you are, you are my mom.

I'm not a wuss

2011-04-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Feeling like a wuss
For the last two months since my knee surgery (ACL & LCL repair), I've felt like quite a wuss. I was still on crutches and after faithfully going to physical therapy and working hard, the progress was minimal. In fact, my bend actually got worse. Although it grossed me out to think about what they do to my knee during the manipulation surgery, I really wanted to do it. And yesterday they did it.

Helpful Niece
My niece, Kari took care of me for those first 24 hours that you are not supposed to be alone. She had to drive me to physical therapy twice and sleep over and basically babysit me. It was very kind of her. This is Kari with her new cousin, Milo:

New Nephew
Ann Dee also had her baby yesterday. Little Milo has red hair. It is pretty light so it could go blonde but I hope it stays red.

First Place
Since the beginning of January, I've started a new food plan which includes cutting out all sugar and flour. It is an amazing program and I've lost over 40 lbs in 3 months. Most of that time, I was unable to exercise, so there is your proof that weight loss is mostly about what you eat, not how much you exercise. I entered a contest sponsored by triathlon coach, Keena. Anyway, I won first place and the price money was $350 which will help tremendously to pay for this second surgery. I would like to spend the money on new clothes but that'll have to wait.

Spices
I'm still finding things to organize in my house. With my new food plan, I've been cooking so much more and I finally got frustrated enough with how my spices were organized that I found a system that works for me and my kitchen.

FHE is back
With this injury and surgery, my FHE schedule was messed up. I am happy to report that I have started it back up and my Monday nights are starting to book up again. Last Monday was FHE at the Browns. Amy's mom gave a great lesson about the ressurection and then we colored eggs. Did you know that you can decorate hot eggs with crayons? Totally cool. This most recent Monday, I went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the MOA with a singles group and my friend Angela pushed my around in a wheelchair. It was a very cool exhibit and I was happy to be able to attend.

Turns out I'm not a wuss

After the manipulation, my surgeon came to see me and told me that it was a good thing we decided to do that surgery because he was able to break through scar tissue and heard popping etc. It made me feel so much better because it means I'm not a wuss. I have been able to move my knee so much better in both directions ever since. And yes, I'm on pain killers and yes, I have months and months of rehab ahead of me but this will save me so much time. This is one of my favorite T-shirts designed by my brother-in-law, Doug. Check out his other t-shirts: http://www.wussywear.com/ This is me and my cousin, Ann back in 2005 before the Provo Freedom Run.

A few things ...

2011-04-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

My knee doesn't move and so I still can't walk. I have to wear this as long as I can while I sleep ... sleeping doesn't happen very well because it puts a constant, mild stretch on my knee and it is NOT comfortable. There is a possibility that I'll have to do what is called a manipulation surgery where they put me under and then crank the heck out of my knee. I'm guessing it will hurt when I wake up but at least my knee will move, right? I think they will decide on April 25th.
Made it to the temple finally. Angela and I went to the Draper temple tonight and I was able to attend with my crutches. You know how temple workers are always nice? Well, try going there with crutches, they are extra, super nice. It was a good experience. I'm a bit behind on my goal to attend every temple in Utah in the year 2011. I'll have to go more than once a month since I missed March and there are 13 temples in UT. I can do it.
Millie took some photos of me last week. Here are some of my favorites:
I went bird watching last Saturday on crutches in the snow and thoroughly enjoyed myself. We saw 37 species of birds! To see which species we saw, go HERE.
I've come to grips with the fact that I will most likely not be doing any races this year and possibly won't be able to golf (keep your fingers crossed that I will). But hey, I can drive a cart!
My nephews, Tyson and Luke, were in the "King and I" at their school play. Luke played Louie and sang his solo perfectly: "you can be as brave as you make believe you are."
The Bean Museum represents in BYU's Divine Comedy's Harry Potter parody ...
Ann Dee's baby boy is coming soon and I'm excited to meet him. I hope he is as funny as his brothers.
I miss my mom.
I think my dad is amazing and I'm really thankful that he helps me almost every day take things down to my car in the morning. Oh and he goes grocery shopping for me too.

My Left Leg ... again

2011-03-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

Over 5 years ago I tore my achilles tendon on my left leg. Here is a picture ... oh how I love to post this picture:

It was a horrible experience. And now I'm going to tell the story of how I tore a bunch of ligaments in my left knee ...

On Valentines Day I was given some roses from my niece Holly and her husband, Tod (yes, one "D").

That night I went skiing at Sundance after work with my new friend Rafael. We were having a lot of fun and after a few hours we decided we were going to go for one more run so we could still do something fun that night like watch Brad hand out roses. Well it was dark, cold, icy and I'm not very skilled so because I was going faster than I should have and because my ski caught an edge, I couldn't recover and I went down. The bindings didn't release immediately so my body fell one way while my knee went the other. I thought I had just twisted my knee until I tried to stand on it. Now I'm going to list what happened next cause I'm tired of all this writing.

snowmobile ride down the mountain
drove myself home with Rafael following me
Rafael helping into my house
Bachelor
Visit to orthopedic doctor next day
MRI the next day
Results the next day ... torn ACL, MCL, meniscus (couldn't see the LCL because of the swelling but I tore that too it turns out)
Surgery on March 1st
My good friend Angela happened to be assigned to work as one of the surgical nurses during my operation ... it was so comforting to know that she and our long-time family friend, Doug (my surgeon's PA), were assisting with my surgery
I don't really remember what happened during the surgery cause of the anesthesia, ya know but this is the result ...

That is Justin's finger holding up a penny. You should have seen the spreadsheets he created for all my many caretakers to keep track of my mediations. It was pretty impressive.

I've spent a lot of my down time with good friends playing this nerdy card game:

DOMINION ... read Naomi's post here about her experience playing this game.

Don't knock it until you try it.

So many people have helped me post surgery and I'm very grateful so I made a list so I could write and send thank you cards. I was amazed to learn that over 80 people were on that list and I'm guessing it will grow because I'm still accepting help as I'm still on crutches and waiting to start physical therapy. This might be a cop out, but I decided to dedicate this post to all those who have helped me as my way of saying thank you.

EXAMPLE ONE:

These boys have helped quite a bit ... they love to watch "Kipper" via Netflix on my new Apple TV (thanks Eric) while Ann Dee fixed me meals or cleaned or changed my laundry. They love to hear the story of how I hurt my knee and how I got to ride on a snowmobile. Asher helped me fasten my brace one day ... he took the responsibility very seriously. I think he likes me now.

EXAMPLE TWO:

Melinda and Russ took me out one day and we went to lunch and then the mall. Russ tracked down a wheelchair which made my shopping experience much more enjoyable. Thanks to Todd and Amy, I bought a awesome watch with a little bling ... yup, bling.

I've had a couple of moments of self-pity and frustration this last month but they have been few and far between. When I think back to my achilles surgery, I'm amazed at how different my experience has been post surgery. Instead of soothing my physical and emotional aches and pains with food, I've been able to eat well and keep focused on my goals. There are certain things I cannot change in my life right now and knowing that I can't control these things has brought me peace. I've been able to let go and exercise faith and patience and try to find the silver lining in this experience ...

great parking for 6 months
can still drive cause my right leg is very capable and I no longer own a car with a manual transmission
rest ... maybe my body needed a break from all the physical exercise
this type of surgery has been improved over the years so I can expect a complete recovery which means more triathlons, racquetball, golf and skiing some day
being able to borrow my mom's showering chair to make getting ready in the morning an easier experience
my home and my place of employment both have elevators
saved lots of money by not going to Vegas last weekend for the bball tournament or St. George this weekend for the golfing trip I was going to plan
haven't received my tax return yet so I will have the money to pay the deductible on this surgery
realization that "this too shall pass"... I will get through it and it won't last forever
realization of how many people love me and are happy to help me

Anyway, if you think you are on that list of 80+ people, then you probably are and I'm very grateful for your kindness and concern. I am one lucky girl.

The words of this note I received with those roses on Valentines Day take on a whole new meaning after this experience.

So much for ...

2011-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

this ...

(already purchased and paid for)

and that ...

(already registered and paid for)

and this ...

(totally JK)

Instead I'll be doing...

this ...

and this ...

and that ...

(we hope anyway)

Wanna come and hang with me?

Ogden Temple ... 1 down, 12 to go

2011-01-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Last week Dave and Erin and I made it to the Ogden Temple. Below is my tentative plan for the rest of the temples in UT. If you want to join me for any of these, let me know.

FHE @ Allens

2011-01-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

It didn't surprise me when Amy told me that the FHE lesson/activity would be about physical fitness and that I was to wear my sneakers. This is my college roommate who was some sort of high school record breaker in cross country running. When we lived together she would often convince me to go on her runs with her only I'd ride my bike. And yes, she would keep up to me.

This was a fun FHE and the kids had a blast.

Cooking For One with Katy - Episode 23

2011-01-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

This is a very healthy recipe and quite delicious to boot. Enjoy!

A New year, new goals, new hope

2011-01-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

Goals for 2011 - Simple and Consecrated Life

My goal for 2011 is to live a simple and consecrated life (as described by Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Christofferson)

To do that I will work on the following, more specific goals:

Attend an endownment session in every temple in Utah (pictures and posts to come)
Try not to swear so much (especially in my car when I'm by myself)
Repent
Read the Book of Mormon
Stay focused in all three meetings at church (no sleeping or day dreaming)
dissertation prospectus passed (winter semester)
10 new ipads purchased for dissertation (end of summer)
data collected for dissertation(fall)
Live within monthly budget and maybe even save some ...
Read 3 non-scripture church/historical books (David O. McKay, Monson biography, Joseph Smith Rolling Stone)
Read at least five other books (non-fiction or fiction)
Focus on nutrition in addition to exercise (last year I completely neglected nutrition)
Complete 1 sprint triathlon without walking the 5K (Ice Breaker in March)
Complete 1 olympic triathlon without walking the 10K (Green River in August)
Continue to attend FHE's of family and friends
Organize the rest of my parent's house (pantry, closet, laundry room)
Help Larry keep it organized and clean (check in on them at least 3X/week)
Digitize Jewel's recipes (organize this family project, enter at least 10/week)
Get to work on time more consistently
Blog at least once a week
Go on at least on legitimate date/month (planned, paid for, and paired off)

Need help here ... can you set me up?

Post at least 12 new episodes of Cooking for One
BDAA (western US, save up vacation days)
Be kinder and nicer to people

December ... 2010

2010-12-27T21:53:00.000-08:00

FHE ... catch up

December 6th - I was scheduled to go ice skating with Rachel and her family. However, I caught some nasty something the weekend before and I was so sick I could not even talk so I had to miss that event.

December 13th - Dan's family again. I was asked to give the lesson. It was a lot of pressure but it went OK and I was impressed with how much my nephews knew about the gospel. We then played some egg cracking game and then psychiatrist.

December 20th - This night I babysat for Ann Dee and Cameron so they could enjoy a night out for Ann Dee's birthday. Kari (one of my adult nieces), Van, and Asher and I drove all over Provo while Asher sang Christmas carols and Van played Angry Birds on my ipad. It was a blessed FHE.

December 27th (today) - I forgot to take a picture but I had dinner and FHE with the Gardners. It was a blast. The lesson was team taught by all four boys about Daniel and the lion's den and how we should have faith in God. I was in charge of the opening and closing songs. I chose "Once there was a snowman" (opening) and "Follow the Prophet "(closing). It was a bit awkward cause I didn't really know the verses to "Follow the Prophet," just the chorus but luckily Jackson knew the words to the verse about Daniel and the lions den so it worked out OK.

Other things ...

Basketball is in full swing. I had a fun trip to Grand Junction, CO for a tournament with these girls.

My annual holiday puzzle ... finished before Christmas eve. Next year I won't open the puzzle until Christmas eve.

This was Tommy's attempt at winning over every little kid in the family. Buddy the elf was much more of a hit than Santa would have been.

Would this picture be the same without the laptop showing some movie about racecars?

New Year's Resolution post coming soon. Check back if you give a flying rip about my goals in 2011. 2010 was a crazy year with a lot of good and hard times. I'm grateful for both.

I also have about 5 Cooking For One episodes I need to edit and post.