Tag

You're feeling: Content with life
To your left: Window
On your mind: Buying a new van
Last meal included: Eggs
You sometimes find it hard to: Exercise when I should
The weather: Chilly today but Spring is coming!
Something you have a collection of: Books I haven't read
A smell that cheers you up: Fresh baked bread
A smell that can ruin your mood: Rotten potatoes or fish
How long since you last shaved: A few hours
The current state of your hair: Mid-day ponytail
The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): Phone
Your skill with chopsticks: No skills to speak of
Which section you head for first in a bookstore: Children's
...and after that?: Photography
Something you're craving: A new house :)
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: Ugh...I might just vote for Obama...that may shock the socks off most people I know...only because I am beginning to think that the war is madness with the state of the economy.
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: None (unless you count the ER twice for my kids)
Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: Any beautiful secluded place outdoors
You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: Recluse
Something that freaks you out a little: My kids are growing up so fast!
Something you've eaten too much of lately: Cookies
You have never: Eaten shellfish
You never want to: Live in Arkansas again...I'd visit though

I'm tagging: Anyone who wants to participate :)

No More Spiders the Size of Baseballs

I wanted to share how happy I am to be out of Arkansas for 3 months now! Yay! Of course there are a few things we miss (yes, we miss you Misty). But, there are more reasons that make me want to do cartwheels, I am so happy. Topping that list is that I have not seen a single spider in three months! Hallelujah! I know they will appear eventually here in Nevada, but in neither the quantity nor the gigantic size that they come out in Arkansas.

I bet we found at least 10-12 turantula-like spiders IN our house during the year we lived there. One was a wolf spider that carries their babies on their backs. It was in the middle of our living room one night. I was walking through and almost stepped on it. I freaked and thousands of tiny babies jumped off mamas back and started running in all directions. Somehow, through the screaming I worked up enough brains to grab 2 cans of bug spray from under the kitchen sink (one for me and one for Beau). I think we near emptied those cans until nothing was moving. Our house may have been a toxic site for a few weeks, but those spiders were dead! That was one of the most traumatizing experieces of my life!

The other day I saw a little fly and it dawned on me that it was the first bug I'd seen since I left the South! I could almost look it at fondly!

HOT DOG!

So, I know I have whined about this in previous posts, but I have new direction and am feeling the need to share. For some reason yesterday I googled something about caloric intake and was led to the following yahoo answer:

"Energy In/Energy Out:

If you eat 1,200 calories per day and one pound equals 3,500 calories,
to lose one pound per day, you need to burn your food intake plus your one pound of fat 1,200 (intake) + 3,500 (Outtake) = 4,700 Calories

You must burn at least 4,700 Calories everyday to loose one pound at least (per day). It is very easy to go up and beyond 4,700 calories each day. (Aside by Joy: Heck no! It is not easy to burn 4700 calories per day!) Best way to do this is to track your progress on a calorie counter monitor watch. If you do it by the numbers you can lose the weight. It is just a matter of changing the way you think about weight loss. Once you start wearing your calorie counter you can see the numbers increase and you fill find yourself doing extra things in your day, like tapping your foot while waiting at the light in your car, chewing gum, singing out loud and so on onto of your workout routines. You begin to see that everything you do in your day contributes to the overall numbers needed to loose that pound. (Aside by Joy: I don't know what kind of high tech calorie counter this girl found...I think most base the calories burned on number of steps you take).

Water Intake:
To determine if you are getting enough water use this simple formula. Take your weight, for example 150 pounds and divide by 2. Take your answer which is 75 lbs and change it to ounces, in this case 75 ounces. That is how many ounces of water you need a day."

That was a little long winded (I even took out some parts-if you saw the original post it was VERY long...I just cut out more than half). But, for some reason, this has hit home for me. Many times I have tried to track my caloric intake. After a few days it seems pointless too time consuming with no real payoff, so I stop. But the idea of tracking calories out really intrigued me. I have to reiterate that unless you are the either on the Biggest Loser and are being endlessly hounded by a trainer 8-10 hours a day or are the energizer bunny, 4700 calories is not an easy goal for one day.

However, creating a deficit of 1000-1500 calories is totally doable! I have looked up some basic numbers (very general-but they work to get a basic idea of calories burned). Sleeping 8 hours, your body's processes burn approx. 550 calories. Being sedentary (watching TV, reading a book, etc.) you burn approximately 100 calories per hour. So, if you sleep 8 plus 16 hours worth of your body simply functioning you are already up to about 2000 calories burned.

I bought a calorie counting (with pedometer) watch today. So, (I know I may be way off on this...but please allow me to be in my delirium if you know better) I figure that I will add the number of calories counted on my calorie counter (which I think are just tallied from number of steps walked) to the 2000 calories burned just being a person, then subtract the (hopefully) minimal number of calories eaten and the pounds will just melt away. Right?

By the way, I have been snacking on the yummy edamame suggested by Dawn and I am in love! Thanks Dawn!

The Power of Prayer

Yesterday on Oprah (yes, I love Oprah…come on, you know you do too) a woman named Marianne Williamson was on. I have read some of her books. She is an amazing woman! Anyway, Oprah read a card that Marianne had written to her when the big O turned 50. This is what it said:

“In that holy place where you tell Him everything and He understands, there are angels who stand in wait to hear His every command. How may they serve you and increase your joy. I stand with them, for this you have done for me.”

Ah! That may be one of the most beautiful quotes I have ever heard! And, it is so true for everyone on earth. God hears and answers prayer!

Another quote I love along the same lines…I cannot find right now. But it says something like: The forces you come up against every day are never as strong as the power behind you. That is not exactly it…but it was given in a General Conference talk a few years ago. If anyone knows the right quote, please share.

Amazing David Archuleta

This kid is incredible! So beautiful!

Some Pictures of my Cute Beau

What a hottie! Who cares that he graduated in 1986!

(he turns 40 in 2 months)

Aaah! This is Annette and Beau at Half Moon Bay in San Francisco.

I had to include this picture because Beau is always complaining how much he can't stand my dog...but, as you can see, when he thinks no one is looking, he cuddles with that sweet pooch!

Aaah! Aren't we Cute

I decided to take the baton from Dawn and find some cute old pictures of my blogging buddies! Oh, so cute!

From the Young Women's Presidency

Last night I was going through some old pictures and came across this. I laughed as hard last night as when I first got this postcard in the mail for my 17th birthday. We had a funny advisor in young womens from one of the Scandanavian countries who sent it. If you look very closely down at the writing in black it says, "Written by a bunch of sickos". I bet none of you got something so special from your Young Women's Presidency!

I Want to Zip Line

In Hawaii (Maui, I think) they have this cool zip line course through the trees in the mountains. It looks so cool! Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a scaredy-cat baby when it comes to just about everything. But I want to do this!

I told Beau and he said, "No way! You would never do that!" So I said let's go for our 15th anniversary (a few years away, but we have a few other goals first...build a new house, 4-wheel drive vehicles for this snow filled, back hilled place we live). Doesn't it look like a blast??!!

Earthquake

Hi everyone. For those of you who haven't heard there was an earthquake here this morning. The epicenter was about 50 miles from here so it was fairly minor for us. We felt it and the chandeliers were swinging a little bit, but that's about it. Apparently it was a 6.3 on the Richter Scale at the epicenter and caused quite a bit of damage there. But none here that I have heard.

I have had several calls this morning asking if Beau was at work. We are all thankful that he was not. (Some of you may not know that he works in an underground mine.) The mine he works in is another 30-40 miles away from the epicenter. And, there haven't been any reports of damage in any of the other mines around, so all is well!