Father and Son

Last weekend Nathan and I went out to sight-in our guns with my Father-in-law Dave.  We had a great morning together.  This was one special moment I was able to catch with my camera.  Dave was watching where Nathan was hitting the target and giving him directions on what small corrections he could make.  Nathan trusts his father's instructions completely and so do I.  We are both so lucky to have the amazing fathers that we have been blessed with who we know will always help us to achieve our goals.

My new niece N

Early this month I was able to travel to Arizona to witness the birth of my best-friend M's baby girl N.  This was a special trip for many reasons.  First of all, M and I only get together about two or three times a year because she lives in Arizona and I am in Utah and we always have a wonderful time.  Secondly, it was a great privilege to be with C and M when baby N made her special arrival.  And lastly, I went by myself!  I have never traveled anywhere alone before.  It was a bit strange to just be dropped off at the airport and venture forward on my own.  The best part of traveling alone is that I could set my own schedule.  Do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it and not worry about entertaining or bothering anyone else.  It was so relaxing.

Beautiful M, who made childbirth look very easy.

C saying hello.  He was so cute with her.

T testing out his new Super T cape.

T is an amazing little boy, and
he will be a great big brother to N.

N on the quilt I made for her. 

Happy Aunt Jen with N.  I couldn't get
enough of this sweet little girl.

Last Day as a Den Leader

At the end of February I was released from my calling as the Bear Den Leader.  It has been such an adventure over the last year and a half to spend an hour each week with these special boys.  For our last den meeting together, we took advantage of the spring like weather we have been enjoying lately and went on a hike.  Now I would have loved to take these boys up the canyon on a 'real' hike but that would have taken too much of our little time on travel so we opted to just hike around some of the paths by our neighborhood.  We had a great time.  Truly 9-year-old boys can make an adventure out of everything if given the chance and this was no exception.

E's favorite part was finding the perfect stick.  He when huge.  He carried it all the way and was so happy to take it home to his own two dogs to play with.  (I wonder what his mom said about it when he got home?)
I will miss these boys.

Happy Thursday!

Recent Projects

This week I am in Arizona to attend the birth of my best-friends baby girl.  I am so excited to be able spend this time with her and her family, and even more excited to become an Aunt again.
As a tradition I enjoy making baby blankets for my close friends each time they have a new baby.  Over the years I have probably made about seven or eight of these to give away.  M's new baby girl is no exception.  And I am so happy with how it turned out.

I make 'big' baby blankets.  More like an adult sized lap quilt.  But I do that so that the baby can use my blanket for years.   I think I do this because of a blanket that I received as a baby.  My great-grandma Dixie have me a large baby blanket when I was young and I would sleep with it for years.  In fact I still have it safely tucked away in my ceder chest and it always makes me feel safe and loved.
M also has a little boy who now has the privilege of being a big brother.  I wanted to make him something special for this occasion as well.  After a lot of thought and careful contemplation I found the perfect idea.  I made T a Super T cape!  I am so happy with how it turned out as well.  I can't wait to see how much he likes it.

Happy Tuesday!!!

8 weeks into the Power-Foods Challenge

I can't believe it.  The 8 week Power-Foods Challenge that I entered in January has come to an end.   Eight weeks ago I started my journey to change the direction my body was going and to step out of my comfort zone.
Before the challenge I would eat whatever I wanted.  That included lots of butter, candy, and 3-4 Dr. Peppers a day.  I did not have any desire or history of exercising either.  Because of the bad habits I had developed I have steadily watched the scale slowly advance higher and higher.  Don't get me wrong, I was not overweight, and I was comfortable with how I looked.  But after watching a good friend at work transform herself and her body throughout the last year I realized that if I did not start now to develop good habits and to take care of myself I would someday find myself at the point that I did not want to be in.
So began my change of heart.  It was hard.  I had to spend hours each week preparing and packing the six meals that I would eat each day.  I would try lots of new foods, and even <gasp> come to enjoy cooking many of them.   I also went from absolutely zero exercise and energy to exercising at least three times a week for 35 minutes at a time.  I also over the first two weeks of the challenge I was able to completely kick my Dr. Pepper habit.  Honestly I now have one one or two a week and drink tons of water instead (and I enjoy it!).
I did not do this just to watch the pounds fall off.  Truly I was content with my body and myself before.  I started this in order to develop better habits.  For this reason I will not tell you my starting weight or my current weight.  But I will say that I have been rewarded with an 8lb weight loss over the eight weeks as well as loosing a pant size!
I am so happy that I had the courage to desire and stick with this.  I am also very thankful to those who have helped to encourage me to succeed and cheered me along the way.  Especially Nathan, Kristin and Jessie.

I will continue to use the skills that I have learned and the habits I have developed to continue to improve.  I am so happy with my progress and I am excited to see what I can do in the future.