{Ali}

{July}

Soooooo......here we are in the midst of July.

I don't get it.

I really don't.

It was just Christmas.

Life 5 seconds ago.

Where, oh where, is the time going?!?!?!??!

The last two years I've compiled a Summer Bucket List.

Here is 2012 and 2013.

There is no 2014.

What?

Well, it's freaking July already!  I am way behind!  The time has gotten away from me.

Once again.

Oh well, it's all good!  

Right?

We've already attended some Baseball games, tried a new restaurant and gotten involved with a new business.

Life has been crazy!  

I have a few things that I am planning on accomplishing by the end of the summer:

Farmers Market

Deer Valley Music Festival

Go Hiking

Host an outdoor cocktail party on the patio

Go to the State Fair

Go to an outdoor movie

and MORE!

I hope the summer slows down just a little bit, so I can get some things on my bucket list checked off!

What do you have planned for the summer?

Please share!

{Daily doTERRA Routine}

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

It's been a while since I've posted on the ol' blog, hasn't it? Just when things are going along nicely, and I am back in the habit of blogging.....life happens! Oh well! It is, what it is! :)

Just over a year ago, when I was deep in the pain of herniated discs in my neck, my good friend Julie introduced me to doTERRA Essential Oils. Since then, I have become a huge fan of these FABULOUS oils. I use them for EVERYTHING! Because I use them for so many things, it's hard to really explain their many uses in just one post. I thought it would be easy to just do a post telling you about my daily routine using doTERRA oils. These are the oils I use everyday, no matter what.

My morning routine begins with these four doTERRA products:

The Facial Cleanser, Tightening Serum, Hydrating Cream, and Immortelle. Since using these products, I have noticed a huge difference in my skin. Especially, since I added Immortelle to my facial routine (it's like a secret potion or something)!  I've had more compliments and people commenting on my skin in the past year, then the past 20 years combined. Totally worth it! I can't say enough about the doTERRA facial line!

Right before I leave for work, I place a few drops of two Essential Oil Blends, on the bottom of my feet. Balance and Elevation. Both oils give me a little boost of happy, and make me feel ready to start my day.

We are having a water challent at work right now, and I'm not a huge fan of plain water. Unless I'm super hot, or working out, then plain water is perfect.To help myself drink more water, I put a few drops of Lemon, Lime, or Grapefruit oil in my water. I love it! And the water is much easier for me to drink!

I usually try and get to the gym after work for Zumba, treadmill running/walking, or a crossfit style workout. If I am feeling sore, or if my neck/back is bothering me at all, I use the Deep Blue. Man, I love this stuff! It was one of the things that helped me sooo much during my recovery from neck surgery. My husband, son and daughter also use it, when they are playing softball, racquetball, or workingout.

Right before bed (after my facial routine), I place a few drops of Lavender oil on each of my temples, to help me sleep. If the dogs are restless (during a thunderstorm or summer fireworks), they will get a tiny amount of lavender on their ears. Calms them down so well!

I tend to suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome some nights, so if I do feel it coming on, I will mix drops of Lavendre oil with Fractionated Coconut Oil and rub that on my legs. Works beautifully!

That is just a few examples of how I use doTERRA Essential Oils. I use many more of the oils for other specific reasons, which I will cover in another post. The oils above are the ones that are an essential part of my day!

Do you use doTERRA oils? If so, what is your favorite oil? If you don't use essential oils, would you like to learn more about them? Or do you have any questions? If so, leave a comment below! I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

{What month is it?}

Is it really October?  I can't believe how fast this year is flying by!  Craziness, I tell ya!

I also can't believe I haven't posted in so long.  And I really don't have any reason why I haven't.  I did have my 30th high school reunion last month (I know, I know, I can't possibly be old enough! wink!), and the planning for that took up a lot of my extra/free time.  I will have to do a post about that soon, and show some of the fun decorating type things we did.  It was a great time, and I loved seeing so many friends and blasts from the past!

I've been toying with the idea of hosting a Holiday Boutique before Christmas.  Have you ever hosted a boutique?  Any thoughts or advice?  I've been trying to get my craft on, and get some things ready, but my creative mojo seems to be hit or miss lately :)

I have become obsessed with embroidery. And tea towels. And boxes with embroidery thread sorted by color (I'm weird).  Carl has been on a different work shift the past few weeks, so he tries to get to bed before nine.  That is way to early for me, so I have been spending some time stitching up a storm.

Fun stuff!  I'm a total novice and don't really know what I'm doing, but it has been a really good stress buster and relaxation tool for me these days!

Welp, no idea if anyone is out there reading anymore, but thanks for stopping by if you are! I hope you are having a FABULOUS Wednesday! 

What have you been doing this fall? 

Any college football fans out there?  If so, what team do you root for?

{The Most Wonderful Time of the Year}

Well, it's finally here!  The most wonderful time of the year!

I bet you thought I was going to say Christmas, right?

Well, I do LOVE Christmas!  But today is the first day of college football, and the first day of Utah Football Tailgating!  I couldn't be more excited!  We have such a fun group, and we always have a FABULOUS time!

Here's to College Football and the UNIVERSITY OF UTAH UTES!

Do you love college football?  If so, what team is your favorite? 

Do you tailgate? 

Happy Thursday Friends!

 

 

 

{Summer Bucket List Progress}

 Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Yesterday, I took a look at my 2013 Summer Bucket List and realized I was seriously slacking!  It's the end of summer, kids are going back to school, the night's are getting cooler, and football games are on the horizon!  And I still have a bunch of items on my Summer Bucket List to check off!  Let's see what kind of progress I have made:

 

I was able to check a few items off my list back in July when I scheduled a weekend away at The Canyons in Park City.  We discovered a new hike, rented bikes, and dined out al fresco on the patio.  What a fun weekend!  But since then, I haven't done too much!  I did attend an outdoor concert with some friends.  We saw Kenny Loggins at Red Butte Gardens, which was a great night!

My company has a night at the Salt Lake Bees, (our local Triple-A baseball team) which was last Saturday night.  Summer + Baseball + Fireworks = FUN!

Not sure what I am looking at?

Anyway, we've also had dinner out on our patio quite a bit, as well as outdoor restaurants.  My favorite thing in the summer!  And I've gone to he Bountiful Farmer's Market, but not the Salt Lake Farmer's Market.  Still so many items left to check off! 

I think we will do an outdoor movie night soon, which may also involve making s'mores over the fire pit.  Boating is out of the question, due to my ACDF surgery.  Too much jarring for my neck, riding in a boat.  Bummer.  We may still get to a Drive In Movie, and the Utah State Fair is still about a month away.  So, I guess I might get more than half of my list done!  :)

Oh, and I did finally pick a summer theme song!  Well, I actually picked two.  I love them both, and they are both songs that we do in Zumba, and they make me happy and just feel like summer to me. 

One Direction - The Best Song Ever

Katy Perry - ROAR

Yes, it's true.  I am a One Direction fan!  :)  Well, I guess I better go get busy on my bucket list!  Have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend!

Do you have a Summer Bucket List?

What is the funnest thing you have done this summer?

I'd love to hear from you!

 

{26 Years! We Made It!}

{26 Years}

26 years ago today, I said "I Do" to my best friend.  I don't know where the time has gone, but I swear it doesn't seem like it's been 26 years.  I've been with Carl longer that I've been without him.  The years haven't always been easy, but they have been so worth it.  I can't imagne holding anyone else's hand through this crazy thing called life. 

• We've raised two pretty fabulous kids
• Lived in countless apartments and two houses
• Had 3 dogs and 1 cat
• Way too many cars and jobs (me!)
• Spent countless hours in the car together on road trips to baseball, basketball, football, softball games and cheerleading competitions
• Argued and made up
• Survived huge windstorms and house floods
• Been through tough times and good times
• Laughed and cried together

Every single thing has been worth it.  You've been by my side every step of the way, and I love you evern more now, than I did 26 years ago!

Happy Anniversary!  Here's to 26 more years together!

 

 

{8 Years}

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Happy Friday!  I am so glad that Friday is finally here.  What a long week! 

So this month is my 8th Anniversary.  Anniversary of what, you might ask?  Well, this little blog of mine turned 8 years old just about a week ago.  Crazy! 

Eight years ago, I didn't know anything about blogging (I still don't), but I decided to start documenting what was going on in my life.  I was an avid scrapbooker at the time, and my son was getting ready to start high school.  I felt like I wanted another way to document everything.  My very first post can be found HERE.  Totally cracks me up!  My blog has taken many twists and turns over the years, focusing mostly on scrapbooking and my kids, moving to crafting a bit, taking an almost two year break (very sporadic posts), and ending up back to where it is now.  Pretty much where it began.  Just me and my thoughts and my life.  Still documenting things, both big and small, exciting (to me) and non-eventful (to you), happy and sad. 

It's been fun to look back on some of the posts and remember a specific time in my life.  I'm so glad I decided to start a blog 8 years ago.  Even if I am the only one still reading it!

Some favorite posts:

A Scrapbook Layout (Madi looks so young!)

5 Random Things

My Cutie Patootie Niece Erin (This girl is now a sophomore in high school!)

Congrats Madi!

Happy 2007

Twinkle Toes Tyson

The End of a Chapter

Some Mad Dog Love

First Day of School

Tyson's College Choice

Sweet Cheyenne Boo

Softball Football and Chloe

Master Bathroom Reveal

The End of an Era

DIY Chalkboard

Steak & Arugula Sandwich

Weightloss and GPP

Universty of Redlands Graduation

My Favorite Things Party

Christmas 2012

 My Dad

Valentines Day Cookie Exchange

Blend Retreat 2013

Pretty crazy to go back and look at some of the posts!  So much has happened in the last 8 years!  So much that I didn't even blog about! 

All in all, I'm really glad I started this blog!  It's nice to be able to look back on the years! And it is always nice to connect with others via the internet!  Thanks for coming along on this ride with me!

HAPPY FRIDAY! 

And now, I have a couple of questions for you:

Do you blog?  If so, for how long?

Do you like reading blogs?  What are some of your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by!  I'd love to hear from you!  Leave me a comment!

 

{12 weeks post ACDF Surgery}

WOW!  I can't believe it's already been twelve weeks since my ACDF Surgery in May! On the one hand it seems like it's been longer than that, but when I look at how far I have come in a short time, it is crazy!

I mentiond that I had been in pain since last November, and it was hard to even imagine what being pain-free would feel like.....well, it feels pretty freaking FABULOUS!  Although, I'm not 100% pain-free yet, I'm pretty close!  And being able to get back to being active is the BEST part!

My x-ray from my first follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon, showing the plates and screws that now reside in my neck:

According to my neurosurgeon, my neck is stronger than ever now.  The part that takes time, is the fusion part, which can take up to a year to complete.  It involves making sure that my new discs (cadaver discs + my bone shavings) fust together with my spinal cord, etc.  I will be going in for follow up x-rays every few months, in fact I go in tomorrow.

I'm hoping to be released to up my exercise a bit, which includes running more.  I have been walking like crazy and slowly jogging a bit, while trying to keep my neck somewhat stable.  No hard core running yet.  I'm not able to go boating, or mountainbiking yet.  Nor am I able to play golf, go on rollercoasters, etc.  What I have been doing is "light" zumba (what is that?), yoga and walking.  Baby steps!  I'm just thrilled to be able to get those endorphines going a bit!  It makes all the difference in the world to me!

I've had such wonderful support through all of this!  My husband and daughter have been willing to go walking with me anytime I wanted and my Zumba friends all kept me and my family fed during the first few days of post surgery, as well as keeping me motivated to heal and get back to class.  And to those that have sent emails/comments/messages to keep my spirits up...THANK YOU! I am very blessed!

One day at a time!  It's all good!

Happy Thursday friends!  We are so close to Friday and the weekend!

 

Have you ever had a major surgery that put you out for weeks/months?

What is your favorite way to get fit in the summer months?

For me it's Zumba for sure!

 

 

 

 

{Kenny Loggins at Red Butte}

Hello, hello!  Happy Monday!

Can you belive we are in the last few days of July?  Where has the summer gone?  Aaack! 

It's going by too fast!

Well, I've got another item to check off the 2013 Summer Bucket List!  Slowly, but surely I'm getting a few things checked off!  Last week, I attended an outdoor concert at Red Butte Garden with two friends.  If you live in Utah, and haven't gone to a concert at Red Butte, you are missing out!  Such a GORGEOUS venue!

We originally had tickets to see Earth Wind and Fire, but they ended up canceling (what??), so we saw Kenny Loggins, which was fine by me!  I happen to be a HUGE Top Gun fan, like HUGE as in it's my favorite movie of all time.  Love me some Tom Cruise (don't judge)!

"I feel the need, the need for speed"

Anyway, we had a great time!  The concert venue is pretty large and you are allowed to bring in whatever food and/or drinks you want.  Some people get very elaborate with huge picnic spreads!  Love it!  We just picked up salads from Corner Bakery, grabbed some wine and called it good!

The weather was perfect and the music was great!  A little Top Gun and Footloose, thrown in with some old classics!

 

Another item off the 2013 Summer Bucket List!  Thanks for a fun night girls! 

And thanks for the tickets Arriann! 

Have you been to a summer concert at an outdoor venue?

What is your favorite movie of all time?

{Summer Lovin'}

 Happy Friday, friends!  I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by! 

 Oh well, at least it's the weekend, right?!

Today, I wanted to share with you a few things I am lovin' this summer! They are mostly new to me finds that I think are pretty fabulous!

1.  Frozen Grapes:  I had never tried to freeze grapes before this summer (what?), and I cannot get enough of them!  I especially love red grapes frozen!  I eat them every morning when I get to work! 

So good! 

source

2.  Skinny Pop Popcorn:  Have you tried this stuff?  Only 39 calories per cup!  It's the perfect snack in the afternoons, when my work day is dragging.  A friend of mine gave me a bag after my surgery, and I was hooked immediately.  I find mine at Costco.  Try it!

Skinny Pop

3.  Nuun:  I am a recent convert to Nuun!  We have a water challenge at work, and I have a hard time drinking just plain water.  I like Crystal Light and Propel drops, but they almost taste too sweet for me.  I discovered Nuun this summer, and have been enjoying the Nuun All Day Hydration at work, and the Nuun Active Hydration during my Zumba classes and other workouts.  Loving it!  A nice light taste that isn't overpowering at all! And, it's full of vitamins!

nuun

4.  Lululemon Headbands:  Lovin' these headbands by Lululemon.  They don't slip off my head or give me a headache when I wear them - either while working out, or just hanging out.  I prefer the medium width or skinny width best. Works perfectly to keep my bangs off my face, and the sweat out of my eyes!

 

Lululemon

 5.  doTERRA Lip Balm:  If you know me at all, you know I am a Carmex junkie!  It's ridiculous.  I don't leave home or go anywhere without my Carmex.  I have recently discoverd doTERRA Lip Balm, and I love it.  I am trying to wean myself of the Carmex, and I think it's working.  The doTERRA Lip Balm has an awesome flavor, and it really seems to moisturize my lips, rather then dry them out. 

Have you tried it?

So, there you have it!  5 things I am lovin' this summer!  And now some questions for you:

What are you lovin' this summer?

Are you addicted to anything weird, like Carmex?  Please tell me, I'm not the only one!

Have a great Friday y'all!  And a FABULOUS weekend!  Make it a great one!