Book Reviews

I just finished the following books:

I am not the greatest at giving Book Reviews, but I'll at least say a few words about each.
Memory Keepers Daughter: I thought it was pretty good. It was somewhat depressing to read about how one set of parents made bad decisions time and time again. Also it was depressing to span the lifetime of these children so quickly because it made me feel like my time with my kids is so short. However, when the book was finally finished I felt like I hadn't wasted my time reading it, and that is always a good thing. =)

Freakonomics: Wow, interesting read! If you want a book that will make you think from an entirely different point of view, this is a great one. Be forewarned though, there is a section about abortion and it's effect on our society that most Pro-Lifers will squirm through. It's always nice to read a thought-provoking book that promotes free thinking though.

Tribute to my Diet Dr Pepper

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

It's been over a week since I gave up my beloved Diet Dr Pepper. And you know what? I feel better! I have MORE energy. I also am LESS hungry. It's been a fun ride, Diet Dr Pepper, but the time has come to part ways. I've enjoyed you being a staple in my life for the last 2 years, but I'm ready to start enjoying Propel's company now. Thanks for the great memories! I'll cherish them forever.

New Week, new begining

Today is the day. I have committed to Weight Watchers. If I do it diligently from now until Christmas I will be 3 sizes smaller - and that is the best Christmas gift I could give myself. I'm hoping if I tell the world that I'm committing to Weight Watchers then I'll actually continue doing it. Wish me luck! I'll keep everyone updated periodically.

More randomness

Being sore from head to toe all day every day for 4 weeks is totally worth it if you are actually losing weight. But being sore from head to toe for 4 full weeks and NOT losing a single pound? That is just cruel and unusual punishment. Life isn't fair.

I hate skinny people!

***

Open letter to random people....

Kinsey, seriously!... Do you have ANY other way of communicating besides whining or huffing? I'd really appreciate it!

Travis, you don't have to argue with every single word that comes out of my mouth.

Ben, I cleaned the garage today (again) and I am counting it as TWO additional workouts for the day. Can you help keep it clean this time? Thanks.

***

Oh, another reason I love Fall... Hoodies! I can't wait to bust 'em out!

***

I've over-scheduled myself. I admit it. Some people work well under pressure. I am not one of those people. You know what I do when I have too much on my plate? I decide what is least important (even if I've made a commitment to someone) and I just don't do it. No note. No phone call. I just blow it off and walk away. Yes, I suffer serious guilt over this, but my biggest problem in the first place is my inability to tell anyone NO. If I could say NO from the start I wouldn't get into these situations to begin with.
So, besides the obvious Family, getting the kids to school, etc, my FIRST priority in my life right now is working out. Next would be coaching Travis' soccer team and getting the kids to their gymnastics classes. After that is my adult gymnastics class and then everything else. I'm totally slacking on my hair bow website (I have an order at the moment that I've put off for over a week! ack!) and visiting teaching. (I'm dodging my companion at the moment b/c I'm too embarrassed to face her). What have I totally blown off? PTA. I told them I would be there, I signed up to help out, and now I'm in hiding. I just haven't shown up. I don't have time! I can't even get my laundry done or keep my car clean much less do PTA at a school that Travis will probably only go to for at most his Kindergarten year.
I hate having this dark cloud of guilt hanging over me because I blow people off. I don't want to be unreliable. But in the end, it's easier to duck and hide then have to say NO.

***

I organized my email! I sorted and deleted ALL my email and now I have NOTHING in my inbox! I feel so accomplished.

Reasons I love the Fall....

Fall is quickly approaching!! I went outside this morning at about 7am and it was COOL! I know most places are cool in the mornings, but not Texas, so this was a very pleasant surprise! There is also a scent that comes along with Fall. It's very minimal, but it is there. It's like the smell and feel of the air before a rainstorm. You can just smell it. Anyway, I smell Fall air and I felt the breeze, and I am SO EXCITED!
I love the Fall because....
1) Ben and I were engaged through the Fall. The Fall always reminds me of us dating and getting married and it brings those first jitters and new love feelings back into our relationship. When the Fall rolls in just the weather alone reminds me all over again why I love my husband.
2) Ben and I were married in the Fall. Again, cool weather makes me reminisce about our wedding and why I married him!
3) I HATE, no I DETEST, hot weather. I hate hot Texas weather so much that when the Fall rolls in it is that breath of fresh air that I have been needing and yearning for since April.
4) Fall is the start of a new year for me. Yes, January 1st is actually the start of a new year, but school starts in the Fall. Therefore, when I feel and smell the first signs of Fall, I feel like I'm starting a new refreshing year.
5) TV!!! All my favorite shows begin in the Fall! I am really really really looking forward to Grey's Anatomy and several others.
6) And just for Ben.... FOOTBALL season! When we were first married almost 9 years ago I hated football! I didn't grow up in a football house and I didn't understand it. Well, I was jolted quickly into football reality when I married Ben b/c he worships football. UT football to be precise. I went from never thinking about football to eating sleeping and breathing football. Ben has season tickets so I had to get use to him being gone 6-7 Saturdays each Fall. And the biggest adjustment... Thanksgiving and New Years Football. I still admit that I don't particularly enjoy having two of my holidays over-run with football, but it is what it is so I guess I should jump on for the ride. Anyway, I really do love the atmosphere of UT Football games and I really do understand more about a Football game then I ever thought was humanly possible for me. More importantly than all of that though... Ben loves it. If he loves it so much, I can support him and love it too.

I know some of you are laughing that I am going on and on about Fall considering in Texas there really isn't a "Fall". I do like the cooler weather though and I do love the idea of watching leaves change and seeing the earth become beautiful again.

Random thoughs about exercise

How come I can fairly easily run 2 12-minute miles back to back (24 minutes non-stop), but when I try to run one 10 minute mile I literally think I'm going to die?! Building up endurance sucks.

On a side note... I realized today while at the gym that I'm still fairly athletic and strong. I think I might just have a pretty hot little body hidden away under all that fat.

Hopefully with the excessive amount of exercise I've been doing lately I'll be able to rediscover that hot little body.

Also, did you know that exercising daily curbs your appetite? Well, it does mine. And even better than that? Exercise in the morning AND night and you might as well not eat ever! (Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but I swear, the more I work out, the less hungry I am all day.)

One more for the road. I don't want to shout from the roof tops quite yet, but I'm down about 3 pounds. My schedule these past two weeks has been as follows: Monday-run 1 mile and weights in the morning. Adult Gymnastics class in the evening (and as Kristine would say, that class is HECKA FUN!!!). Tuesday-Rollerblade for an hour and a half. Wednesday-run 2 miles and weights in the morning. Coach soccer in the evening (more of a workout then you'd assume). Thursday-Rollerblade for an hour and a half. Friday-more running and weights. Saturday and Sunday-off. Ben and I may start up Racketball again too. Now THAT is fun!

I don't have a Meth Lab.

How come when I get allergies really bad I can't just buy Sudafed anymore? I was at Costco today and decided to pick up some Claritin-D - Claritin for allergies with sudafedrine (is that spelled right?) - and because it has Sudafed in it, it now gets locked away behind the counter. Now the saying "over the counter" really makes sense. Anyway, not only do they need two forms of identification to purchase anything with Sudafedrine in it, you also can only buy one 15-count box at a time. However, after your buy your 2nd box (minimum of 24 hours later) you then must wait a full 30 days before you may purchase sudafedrine again. So what you are telling me is if I want a month supply I have to buy 15 pills one day, come back the next day and buy 15 more and then wait a full 30 days to re-stock? So if I take one a day then I have to wait 24 hours after I take my last pill to purchase more. Can't I get it just one day early so that I don't have a full blown allergy attack the day I have to go back to the store for my refill?

A few brags

I'm allowed to toot my own horn on my own blog, so here it goes...

1) I just ran a mile in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Pretty darn good for someone who "isn't a runner". Next week I start interval running training though, so no more mile updates for awhile.

2) Travis had his first soccer practice last night - I'm the Coach. Coach Hepworth... lol. I told the boys to call me Coach Allison. They are so cute and adorable and most of them are totally awesome soccer players. I was quite shocked and pleased. I'm sure with this great team we may actually win a few games this season! We are the Mighty Sharks and are black, white, and gold.

3) I did a much better job coaching then I thought I would. I was nice to all the boys (lol - I was worried they would all irritate the crap out of me), we had a fun time, I never ran out of drills to do, and I was so much more confident then I anticipated. I think I may like this Coaching thing after all! 'Cause you know I like to be the boss!!

Hobbies

So I've been bothered lately with the idea that I have no hobbies. Everyone has a hobby, right? Some scrapbook, some watch sports, some play an instrument, etc. Well, there are things I like doing, but I wouldn't consider them a hobby b/c I don't yearn to do them all the time. All I could think of as hobbies for me are taking care of my kids, surfing the internet, and reading celebrity gossip. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Anyway, as I've been becoming more frustrated with the idea that I am so boring that I don't have hobbies, I finally realized I do in fact have a few.
First off, I own my own business. Some may laugh, but I do love maintaining my business site and blog and I love making hair bows - and it does bring in a decent amount of money too!
Second, I like updating all my blogs. I have 3 now. lol
Third, I think my main hobby is exercise. I try to do something 5 days a week. I love to run - mainly a mile or two at a time (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), Rollerblade (on Tuesdays and Thursdays), and do my Adult Gymnastics class (on Monday night). I look forward to exercising each day and have fun while I'm there. Now if only it would actually help me shed a few pounds....

And, on a small side note, I would like to brag that today I ran a mile in 11 minutes and one second. This may seem slow to most, but for me, this is great. I've run a 12 and a half minute mile for at least 6 years, so the fact that I've shaved off a minute and a half is a huge accomplishment for me. I'm pretty confident by Wednesday I'll be able to shave off two seconds and come in under 11 minutes. Happy Day!

Magnet Quote

It's on my fridge:

One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. -Nietzsche

I'm glad to know that all my chaos is going to good use!

The answer is...

None of your flippin' business, but "never" will work too.

The question, "When are you having another baby?"

Okay, here is my long reply...

Just because I'm Mormon and just because I got married at 18 does NOT automatically imply that I will be birthing 12 kids.

If you knew me at all you wouldn't even consider asking the previous question for very obvious reasons. If you know me you would already know that we have spent thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant with the first two. You'd also know that I am at my mommy max with the previously mentioned two.

After countless tests, surgery, fertility drugs, intrusive fertility treatments, two horrible pregnancies, two c-sections, two bouts of post-pardum depression, at least 4 fertility cycles that didn't work, a chemical pregnancy, and 7 years of complete roller coaster emotions, my final answer is, "DON'T ASK. If I get my way, we are 100% DONE, if Ben gets his way we are probably 85% done." And for the record, I AM allowed to change my mind in the future if I decide to do so. (Not that it will matter b/c we can't get pregnant anyway.)

We are thrilled with the two we have, we love them, we are extra lucky to have one of each, and we appreciate the fact that we even were able to conceive them. With that said, no, we are not bummed out that we can't get pregnant again, and yes, we are done. Stop asking.