A Great Thanksgiving w/ our Utah Family!

Orem 4mile Turkey Trot. 23degrees. Gobble Gobble, burrrr, Gobble Gobble.

Thanksgiving Feast @ Solitude Ski Resorts Creekside Restaurant.

First year not having Pumpkin pie....it was Pumpkin Cheesecake on our menu. It was great, but we are looking forward to the traditional assortment of Pies next year!!

And we have to give credit to cute Eli, who was the BEST lil trooper EVER!!




Hope everyone had a Great Thanksgiving!! We did, thanks to the Primos!!

Are Peas and Lentils seriously related??

So while all of ya'll were crying over The Bachelor, my night went a little something like this....
Our wonderful friends(i won't mention names) made this vegetable soup that looked so delish, I just had to try. Well, I'm allergic to peas and Chris has tried to train me to always be careful with soups because a lot of soups contain peas. This soup had lentils in it...that's a bean, right?!? I thought for sure I was fine! Chris didn't want me to try it but I couldn't resist, I LOVE SOUP, and I sneaked a spoonful....NOT KIDDING, 30 seconds later my lips and tongue started to itch. I convinced myself that that was way too fast of a reaction and that it was all in my head...but when my lips started to swell, I knew it was for real. We hurried home and I downed benadryl and allavert. Didn't work. My insides were just swelling faster then I've ever experienced before. I remained calm and focused on my breathing...didn't want to go into shock. I then spent a good 15 min leaning over our bathroom sink letting the never ending, fast coming, saliva pour down...couln't swallow, throat swollen shut. My misery finally climaxed when everything inside of me, along w/ my stomach's innerlining, came shooting out. I felt better and tried to sleep but if I rolled over on to my back while asleep, I would wake up to myself choking. After a few hours and another swig of benadryl, I finally slept peacefully and woke up with a very sore throat.

I didn't tell Chris this but I'm pretty sure I should've gone to the hospital...it was that scary. But I don't have insurance and couldn't bare to see what that bill could've possibly been!! I guess it's time to carry an epi-pen with me because my food allergies have definitely gotten worse & benadryl no longer works!!

F.Y.I....Lentils and split peas : two members of the legume family

Turn your Jiggles into Jingles....what?!?

Holiday Weight-Loss Plan...

Turkey w/ gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet-potato w/ butter, green-bean casserole, small slice of pumpkin & apple pie = a nice 5pound year end bonus! No worries...with an everyday eating and exercise habit, we can pull through this!! For all you runners, this should be a little easier. If you're not a runner, I'd consider taking up the sport ;)
Here's a few suggestions for the day after the Turkey feast (Thank you Runner's World):
Even though you'll feel like going anorexic for the day, it's best to start with a hearty breakfast. Suggestions would be yogurt w/ granola & berries or whole grain toast w/ cottage cheese and fruit. Then hit the road for a long slow run. From all the muscle-fueling carbs and protein(which is good for rebuilding muscle after a long run), your body is primed for that! Then hit the mall!! The longer you can stay on your feet, the better!
Suggestions for after a Dessert Binge:
When you do a hard core workout, you're tapping into those carbohydrate stores at a higher rate. So try doing 6 - 8 30second repeats at about 90% of your top speed with 2minute recovery jogs in between. Then end your speedwork with a 2mile jog.
Turkey Overload = Protein Overload:
Try going Vegetarian for a Day. Restore balance by eating primarily veggies and whole grains and maybe some lean protein(fish). I know Turkey Leftovers is a fav and must for most of you so maybe try doing this a few days after.
Good luck everyone! I'm excited to stuff my face and not feel too bad about it knowing that I'll do some repair work the day after!!

Thankful for Mothers , Fathers, & Sisters!

So today I got the sweetest little package from my Mom, Dad & sister Emily....


They were just thinking about us because we're up here freezing our lil bunz off and this will be our first Thanksgiving away from home and away from all our family. I love my Mom and Dad so much and I'm so thankful for them and the examples they are to us. They're constantly thinking of others! So I just hope during this great Thanksgiving Holiday, Chris and I can think of ways to serve others. Love you Mom, Dad & Emily and Thanks!!

Hey all you Runners!

So I was noticing that there are a lot of you out there who either enjoy running for exercise, or are training for some sort of race. I too enjoy running and there's a 1/2 marathon in sight for me...so I've decided to make some of my posts dedicated to running. I love reading Runner's World and getting tips and thought I could share them with ya'll!
"Runner's Knee"....when the patella is tracking just a little bit off, rubbing the cartilage in an abnormal way & wearing it down. That said...DON'T NEGLECT STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES & LIGAMENTS THAT SUPPORT THE PATELLA(kneecap)!
Preventive Steps...these can seem annoying because all we want to do is get out there and run our lil hearts out until we feel that runner's high! But we should really stop and think about our bodies...how long do we want to be able to run for?? I don't know about you, but I want to be one of those ladies in her 60's who is still tracking 2-3 marathons a year!! haha, I haven't completed one, but that's my aspiration. So that said:
Leg Lift: Put a resistance band around your ankles. Stand on your left leg with your knee slightly bent. Lift your right leg up and extend it back at a 45-degree angle. Do three sets of 15 on both legs.
The Stork: Stand w/ your right side a few inches from a wall. Balancing on your left leg, bend your right knee, then press it into the wall as you squeeze your glutes. Keep a slight bend in your left leg and don't let your shoulder rest on the wall-only your knee should make contact. Hold for 30 seconds(work up to a minute), then repeat on the other side.
So if any of you have any other tips for our precious knees...fill us in!!

5th Water Hot Springs...beware of Nudees!

So the other weekend, Chris and I decided to hike to some Hot Springs. We met a really nice older couple at the beginning and then saw them again at the end. Except they weren't getting in any of the pools. We asked them if they were going to jump in and there response was, "Well we didn't wear our swimsuits...we didn't realize that Saturday was BYU student day. We usually come on Sundays and it's a very different crowd." We just laughed and agreed that ya, there were a lot of BYU students. They offered us a beer for the hike back, we kindly declined and said we were one of the BYU students and our Gatorade would do....we didn't realize til' later that they were totally planning on jumping in NAKED. Pretty funny. We didn't think the sign "Beware of Nude Bathers" at the beginning of the trail was for real!

Halloween Festivities!

Ward Party & HeeHaw Farms