Christmas Traditions

So, this will be my 6th Christmas being married to Luke and my 7th with knowing him...and we pretty much have 0 traditions. I was thinking of the traditions we had when I was little and wanted to know if you guys had some ideas for some fun traditions for a just a couple with no kids, and some of course for kids for when I have them. Here are a few that I remember from growing up....

Pajamas- We always got pajamas on Christmas Eve and we would wear them of course almost all day and then Christmas morning. I had 4 sisters but the first one got married when I was 4...then the next one when I was 6...the next one when I was 10 and then my sister just older than me got married when I was 16. So, my favorite picture/memory of us is when all 5 of us were home and I was like 3 years old and we got Simpson's pajamas. Each of us was a member of the family...of course I was the baby. We got little dolls to go along with them. :)

Stories- My mom loves to collect Christmas books and I remember her reading them to us on Christmas Eve. Some of my favorites were The Match Girl (very sad tho), we had a Touched By an Angel one, there was one with a bunch of mice families that lived in a tree that I loved, and Snowmen at Night.

Movies- I LOVE Christmas movies! Of course the classics...we would always watch these movies at least once every year...A Christmas Story, Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoons Christmas Vacations, Santa Clause (1,2 and 3), and I'm sure there's more I can't think of right now.

Arby's- I know this is weird...but we would always go and visit my Grandma on my Mom's side and we would go to Arby's on Christmas Eve because it was the only place open.

Grandparents/Great Uncle visits- I use to LOVE going to my Great Uncle Buddy's house. It wasn't necessarily always on Christmas Eve..although I think it was most of the time. But he always had the most thoughtful/cute gifts for me and my sisters. He lived in a tiny little basement apartment with a horse in the back and I just thought his house was the coolest thing ever! We use to also go visit my dad's parents on Christmas and they also had very thoughtful fun gifts for us, and of course I would see all my cousins that weren't even close to my age ha ha. But we always got to bring one toy that we got for Christmas and then of course we would get dressed up in our new clothes. My mom's parents were divorced but I loved going to their houses as well. My grandma always had a huge bag of gifts for us that were so thoughtful and it always was like she spent way more then she did because she was such a good thrifter. My Grandpa lived further away (about 45 minutes) and I would love to go and visit there because they had yummy food to feed us and I would always tug on his beard to make him "bah" like a lamb. I miss all of my grandparents very much.

Ornaments- My mom always gave us an ornament on Thanksgiving since she put up the tree that weekend. She always picked something that had to do with what we like that year. I have Barney, a piano, I Love Lucy...etc. Right now we don't use them because we have a themed tree that goes in our living room, but when we have a house and 2 trees I plan on doing the same thing with my kids and having all my ornaments on the tree from growing up.

These are just a few of the things that my parents did to make sure Christmas was very special for us. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! :)

*The picture is of Luke in 2008 which was our 3rd Christmas married.

Slowly. Surely. Becoming. a. RUNNER! :)

Okay, so I really will eventually continue my tributes...but I am just so stinkin proud of myself I had to share with everyone. So, on October 25th I wrote a blog on my Weight Watchers account that I planned on becoming a runner. That day I did the following workout....

5 minute warm-up

3 minutes "jogging" at a 3.5

2 minutes walking at a 3.0

For a total of 25 minutes

Then I walked 20 minutes at a steep incline.

I normally workout for 45 minutes while I watch Law and Order Criminal Intent to keep my mind occupied on something other than the run I am doing.

This morning I woke up and weighed in and had a small gain. Instead of letting it get to me I decided to take my frustrations out on my new friend...the treadmill. I did the following workout...

5 minute warm up walking at a 3.5

3 minutes running at a 5.0

2 minutes walking at a 3.5

10 minutes running at a 4.5

2 minutes walking at a 3.5

3 minutes running at a 5.0

2 minutes walking at a 3.5

10 minutes running at a 4.5

2 minutes walking at a 3.5

1 minute running at a 6.0

Total Time: 45 minutes Total Distance: 3.26 minutes Total Calories Burned: 490 calories

I know this isn't extremely fast especially to all of those runners out there, but it is the fastest I have ever run and the longest run I have ever run at one time. I feel it happening...slowly but surely but I feel that I am going to become a runner. I ran in the 5k last Memorial Day in Woods Cross and it took me over 50 minutes. My goal is to do that same 5k this Memorial Day in less than 35 minutes (Luke says 30 minutes). I'll keep you updated :)

A few ramblings...

Seriously. Can you tell that it is slow at work? 3 posts in one day...what is up with that? I have been browsing the web on this slow day from heck and I have a lot running through my mind...so I thought I would get it out.

* I'm a blog stalker. I know a lot of people say this and I really wonder what they mean. Do they stalk well known blogs and just read the most recent posts from when they found it? Do they read blogs daily from people they know? This is what I mean when I say that I am a hardcore blog stalker. I will find a blog I like and read it from the very first post...even if it has been years. This is one of my favorite past times to do at work when it is slow. Then, I periodically check back on these blogs and just hope that they post again because I love their posts so much! These are not just people that I currently know, that I have known or want to know but complete strangers which I never plan on meeting. Yup, the secret is out. When I do this it makes me start thinking and wanting to write a blog even though I know it won't be nearly as good as the ones I read.

* I have found the Cafe Rio salad. For years I have heard how amazing it is and that I should try it because it is delicious. The first time I heard or saw it...or heck even went to Cafe Rio was when I worked at a dentist office and we would get lunch once a month for meetings and then also for birthdays. One of my fellow assistants would always get the salad, eat half of it and save the other half for the next day. I never tried it because lettuce makes me gag so what is the point of having a salad? Well, on my quest to lose weight and become a healthier human being I have been trying a lot of new things and discovering that I like them. So, I decided to try the Cafe Rio Pork salad...and I'm addicted. I do the same thing at work where I eat half of it and save the other half for lunch the next day. Is there a support group for these salads?

* I love my job. I love coming in to work every day and seeing the clients and how happy they are to come in to their job. They are so nice and say hi to me every time I walk by...which is a lot, but I never get tired of their hello's. Ultimately I would like to be a mother, but if I could swing it to keep this job and be a mom...that would rock.

* I am feeling healthy today. I am trying to force myself to become a runner and a morning person...at the same time. Smart, I know. Since Friday I have dragged my lazy butt out of my nice warm bed in the morning to workout....including Saturday. Sunday is my only rest day, because...duh it's the day of rest ;) So, I have been running for anywhere between 45 minutes to 90 minutes every other morning and doing circuit training on the other mornings. Now, please don't get me wrong...when I say I'm running for 45 minutes that includes jogging with a little bit of walking, but I'm working on it. The other day the treadmill let me know that it doesn't like working in the morning either. I went to step on it while it was running and my brain was also mad about being awake and I didn't step on the side part...yup I basically went into the splits. The inside of my thigh hurt all day yesterday from it.

* I am also feeling domestic. Lately I have been super OCD about keeping the house clean, the laundry done, the meals cooked and everything in order. I have been making meals for my lunches on Sunday for the whole week which saves me a ton of money. We also have been eating at home more often, and I don't remember the last time I bought a frozen meal. It doesn't mean I'm making fancy meals...last night was french dip sandwiches, tonight is BBQ chicken pita pizzas. But, they are meals that Luke and I can eat without feeling guilty about spending too much money on or points (weightwatchers)

* I am EXTREMELY lucky to have the life that I do. Every morning I can wake up, get up and exercise, shower, eat breakfast, drive to work, work 8 hours, have a lunch in there, come home, eat dinner, watch TV with Lucas, take a bath, watch Gilmore Girls, and go to bed. (this is pretty much my weekday routine and I am asleep by 8:30 or 9:00) How many people do you think would love to have ONE of these things. A lot of the people I work with can't even get up and shower themselves in the morning. So, not only can I enjoy the simple pleasures in life I get my favorite man to enjoy those with.

There you go, some thoughts that have been running through my mind on this hump day :)

John Luke Beckstead

Of course I choose to talk about my love first...sorry sisters and parents, but he comes first. :) I have known Luke for 6 years now but I feel like it's been a lifetime. Here is a brief history on us...

I started working at Target in August of 2005 after I graduated high school as an operator in the fitting room. I know, sounds weird right? Well, I was introduced to Luke through the person training me and thought he was the neatest kid I have ever met. He was gentlemen, he complimented me, he made me laugh, he was nice to everyone (mainly the girls even though he denies it) and he really was very dedicated to his job. I hung out a couple of times with him and his friends (Jordan if you are reading this I am talking about you ;) ) He took me on our first official date in January of 2006. He told me to dress up really nice, so I asked what he meant by that and he said formal...but he wouldn't tell me what we were doing. So, I dug out a prom dress that I loved and got all dressed up for this secret date. He showed up on my doorstep with the prettiest lilies I have ever seen (and the first flowers I have ever received from a guy) in a tux. He still wouldn't tell me where we were going...we drove to the Hilton downtown where a carriage picked us up and took us to the jazz game! It was such a fun time and it was so thoughtful of him because he included so many things that I had talked about. The only thing he didn't think about was how we would get back to the Hilton after the game..so we walked ha ha. Our next big date was when he dressed up in a full penguin costume and picked me up for Valentines day. He was so nice while I paraded him to all of my sisters house before we went to dinner and a movie while he stayed in his costume the whole time. I knew this was the man I loved and wanted to marry! He asked me in May 2006 and we were married on October 6, 2006. It was the best day of my life and I will always cherish the special friendship that we have.

Luke knows me better then I think anyone else does, even my closest family. He has seen me at my ugliest and he has seen me at my prettiest. He has celebrated victories with me and he has mourned with me. We have had our struggles, our fights and our battles...but they never last long. We always go to sleep with a kiss and kind words...never angry. He loves his family with all of his heart and I can't wait to start our own family to raise. He is more than supportive in everything I decide to do and he is currently my own personal trainer when it comes to becoming a healthier me.

He is a super quiet, keep to himself type of person that a lot of people don't know how crazy he can be. Our idea of a perfect night is cuddling up on the couch and watching TV shows...Law and Order, Seinfeld, Office or Parks and Rec are some of our favorites. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does he really means it and so it's important to listen so you don't miss it :)

I don't know what I would do without him in my life and I look forward to the many years we have together. I love you Lucas!

A Tribute to....

So, it's been a while...I told myself that I would write on this blog more often even if no one ever reads it. I just want to be able to look back on this time of my life. Anyway, yesterday I was trying to decide what to write about and I decided to tell you about the people closest in my life! I love these people dearly and I think they deserve to be recognized. It's super slow at work right now so I may put several posts up at once...and some might take longer. But, keep an eye out because here it comes!

Holidays

I just have been bursting at the seams today because it is November and I love this time of year! I really think I love every time of year...but for now I'm just soo excited that it's the holidays! Here is a list of my reasons for loving November, December and January 1st (notice after January 1st....I would love for the snow to disappear and jump forward to spring. :)

1. In the past few years I have had a few jobs...and normally this time of year meant that I had to work around the holidays so I wasn't fully able to enjoy this time with my family and friends. This is my second year at my current position and one of the perks of working for the school district but not working at a school is that I get "float days" which are days that the district is closed, but we are not so I get another day off instead. I have a total of 5 float days in December plus since Christmas is on a Sunday this year I get the Friday before and Monday after off as well. So in December I will get the Thursday and Friday off for 3 out of the 5 weeks. Then I also get the day after New Years off. This is also during a time that Luke won't have school so it will be lots of winter and Christmas fun!

2. I love my family! I love spending time with them and just chatting until the wee hours of the morning. I feel like even though we all get stressed with presents and money and plans around this time of year, once it actually goes through and we are just chatting...it's just fun. We've talked about renting a cabin for Christmas Eve before and I just think that would be a blast! This pic is of me and Luke in 2008 at my mom's on Christmas Eve...we had already been married for 2 years and yes we look like we are twelve, yes Luke's hair is ridiculously long, and yes it got even longer before he cut it ;)

3. This year I have been doing a budget for the past few months and actually have money set aside to get Luke some presents and some for him to get me some of course! It's not a lot, but at least I can plan ahead and order stuff online and have it sent to the office and get better deals and not have his little nosy face poking around the packages that are being delivered.

4. Temple Square. We always love to get some hot cocoa and walk around and get cute pictures of us all bundled up. Whether you are religious or not...all of Salt Lake goes there at some point in their lives! We also love walking around the gateway and having so much fun walking around with hot cocoa.

5. Last, but not least is the snow! I love playing out in the snow, I also love shoveling the snow! I have been snowboarding a few times since I met Luke (yes I went the first 18 years of my life never even being in the resort during winter time and it's less than a half an hour from my house). But the last couple of years it's been hard because I was out of shape and my snow clothes just didn't fit right. So, I'm ready to take on that bunny hill this year and have some fun!

What is your favorite part of this holiday season?

Losing While Gaining

So, as I mentioned before I am currently doing Weight Watchers, and I am loving it! I love it because, it simply isn't just a diet..I have learned how to change my habits, learn to love healthy food, learn that I can still have treats, and that I love exercising! Fridays are my weigh in days, so I probably will end up talking a lot about those on Fridays on this blog. I just do Weight Watchers online so I weigh in at home and log it online.

I am excited to say that I have lost 9.6 lbs since August 5th, but most of it being since the beginning of September. I lost .8 lbs at my weigh in this morning meaning that I have lost more than 5% of my beginning weight. :)

But, more than just losing pounds, I have gained a lot in the last couple of months. I have gained control over my eating habits, I have gained more confidence, which makes me a happier person. I have gained a lot of knowledge on what healthy weight loss is, I have gained the ability to run, and I have gained so much wisdom from all my friends I have met through the Weight Watchers community. I have also been losing inches and gaining a larger wardrobe simply by being able to fit in clothes I haven't for quite a while.

Anyway, I have a goal weight that I would like to reach by next summer, and I am determined to get there and stay there. I have to thank Luke for a lot of what I have been able to do, he is like my own personal trainer and little angel on my shoulder warning me of the obstacles that could come in my way. We went to Disneyland for 3 days and I still weighed in that Friday while we were in California, and I stayed the same that week! That is a huge accomplishment for me since I normally would use a vacation as an excuse to go crazy. I was also able to walk around the parks for more than 10 hours a day for 3 days plus walking a little over a mile to and from the hotel every day.

I just thought I'd share some of my accomplishments with you, because I am feeling pretty good today! Plus, it's FRIDAY! I hope you all have a great weekend. :)