Moving blog

So, I decided to start a new blog.

Don't ask why...just decided to. I attempt to explain on the first post.

Here is the address, I am no longer posting on this blog.

http://missdanyelli.blogspot.com/

White water rafting

A few weeks ago, Clay and I went white water rafting with some of his cousins and uncle. The family owns two huge rafts that have been in the family for over 35 years! Can you believe that? They have taken really good care of them. Anyhow, it was a BLAST! I loved it so much! The place we went was awesome because we had calm parts, bumpy parts, and pretty intense parts! Nothing that made me too scared or anything though! It made me want to do it every single year. A tradition. I'm so glad I went!

Goals by Numbers...to date

Wowee, well I sure have been slacking on my "Goals by Numbers" deal. But I figured I should get this tally up to date and try my best to hit my numbers by the end of the year. Let me tell you, I have a lot to get done in four months if I am to make all those numbers! Yikes! Summer has been busy and fun, so anyhow...here is where I'm at.

Play 1000 songs on the piano- 316 played
Read 12 new books- 4 read
Make 52 new recipes- 30 made
Have 12 memorable dates with Clay- 7 dates
Read Genesis through 2 Kings of the Old testament- Genesis read

So by my count this is how many I need to do by the end of December:

684 songs
8 books
22 recipes
5 dates
11 books in the bible

Yikes! I think I can definitely acheive some of those...but some I'm not so sure (coughbiblecough)...Oh well, I shall continue to try. I really think the books one is possible simply for the fact that in the fall and winter I read a lot...and go out a LOT less.

I will try and update the blog with all the fun things Clay and I have been up to. I've gotten quite a few things done off of my 25 in 25th year list too. I just love lists huh?

Well, wish me luck!

Workin out

Well these days I've been trying to go to the gym a lot. Be in the best shape of my life type of thing. I take 3 classes consistently: Powercut, Yoga, and Kickboxing.

Let's give a breakdown.

Powercut is on Monday's and Wednesdays and makes me want to die. As in...about 15 minutes in, I look at the clock and think WHAT?! I HAVE 45 MINUTES LEFT OF THIS DEATH?! I want to quit usually the entire time. It is SO HARD. It is a combination of cardio and weights. And the instructor yells things like, "IF YOU'RE NOT SWEATING, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO HELP YOU" and she is also really awesome cause she'll turn her mic off temporarily to come over to you and tell you your form is wrong and help you do it right (she did that for me on basically every single set the first couple times I went)...she is one of those ladies that is in her fifties but you'd never know it looking at her body. She is RIPPED. And she just kills me. I am ALWAYS glad when it's over that one, I have not died, and that two, I AM A ROCK STAR! Seriously, even if I have to stop and rest for one set or tone my set down a notch, I am sweating my brains out and my heart rate is up and I feel like I am the strongest person ever! (Except of course for the crazy tough people in front of me that I watch for motivation lifting like 20 pounds on each side of their bar). I am happy to report that I use 5 pound free weights, and 3 1/2 pounds on each side of my bar. Now, I need to tell you something. In the class I take- my bar looks like it has about nothing on it compared to all the people around me. But if you watch my face while I'm lifting that bar repeaetedly above my head, you'd think I'm lifting an elephant. I am growing muscles though and slowly moving up in my weights. It's great! Don't you worry- I wont become a meat head (I know you were worried).

Yoga is Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and is probably the best thing of my life. It's cut down on my chiropractic bill, it has calmed me in my hard times, and it has made me sweat from every pore of my body at times. I LOVE YOGA. My favorite instructor also wants to kill me though. She likes to do things like "Hey guys how about a 4 minute plank today? Yeah?" and then while I have to break every 10 seconds, she stays put the entire 4 minutes  making jokes and talking us through it and basically being amazing. I have a really hard time with plank pose. But my downward dog is awesome, and my child's pose is spot on :) ha ha. But seriously, Yoga is my friend, and it should be yours too. Namaste.



Kickboxing is only once a week on Friday mornings, so I only get to do it on my Friday's off. Kickboxing is taught by the same crazy woman that teaches Powercut. She encourages us to make a face that wants to kill someone and tells us things like, "You think he's scared?! Do you MEAN IT?!" and she'll even stand right infront of you until you look tough enough. It's pretty great. I seriously...SERIOUSLY am sweating from every part of my body by the time this class is done. But its good because sometimes when I hear bad things in the news that make me angry I think of those bad people who do the bad things and pretend I am meeting them in an alleyway and THAT is where my punches and kicks are going to. I don't like to envision people I know cause really I don't really know anyone in real life that I'd like to beat up. I have found that I am not very good at side kicks. It's a work in progress.

Overall, my gym experience has been fantastic. I like working out in big groups of people with an instructor telling me what to do. I have found if I don't, I don't work out. Or I work out for 10 minutes. This has been great. And I have some friends that go with me some of the time, which helps.

Clay's gym experience is more like..."We worked on legs today" and collapses on the couch. He has a friend that they do things like weights and treadmill and such. He also plays basketball once a week. Isn't that great?!

I am by NO MEANS a perfect gym goer. I don't know that I've ever gone to every one of these classes in one week. But I am trying. And that's what counts. Hopefully my dollar will motivate me.

Two dollars a day keeps our bodies at bay

Hopefully.

So Clay and I, like I've mentioned, have been in a bad sort of way. We kind of ate a bajillion grams of gluten and sugar this past month. Oh so bad. 

Clay's body has been feeling it. I have felt it a bit but I felt it in a MAJOR WAY this past week when my body decided to get BLOCKED. Oh man. Without sharing too many gory details, my body was full of crap! Literally! Which caused me to be nauseous for over a week and wonder if I was going into kidney failure. Nothing a few laxatives can't clear out (joyous experiences here people). 

So anyway, Clay and I realized...we have GOT TA CHANGE! However, we aren't very disciplined or motivated people. Simply having good health isn't enough for us. The deliciousness of ice cream and Chick file' is just too tempting. So we decided on a new system.

For every day that we DON'T eat gluten or sugar, we get a dollar (each). Also, for every day that we exercise, we get a dollar. 

For those not savvy with mathematics, that basically gives us each the potential to earn about 60 bucks every month for good behavior. 

I know what you're thinking- WOWSA that's a big chunk of change for something that you should just do naturally as an adult. Well, that's true. But this is also the only money we can spend on ourselves for fun stuff, "Play money" if you will, and ALSO- I kind of consider this as treatment for Lyme. Do you know how expensive it is to be treated for Lyme like we used to? I thought about sharing an actual dollar figure, but it's just too depressing. Trust me when I say, it's more than you'd even think. 

I TRULY truly believe that eating well and exercising is a lot of what keeps us feeling well. So, if we pay $120 a month to ourselves to spend on WHATEVER we want...and it keeps us well? I personally think that's a bargain! 

So we are pretty freaking excited about this new system. It's already motivating us. We've gone on multiple walks (since we couldn't make it to the gym), and not eaten treats!

I feel pathetic about this new system a bit. Pathetic that I can't just be motivated to live a healthy lifestyle. But it's okay. I also feel completely fine about it and accept that this is just the way we are and its totally fine. I love us. So, hopefully this works and we are super healthy folks here soon! 

Mack's Inn Float & Playmill

One of my 25 in 25th year goals was to float Mack's in River. Well, I found out the proper name for this is "Big Springs". It's such a shallow float...which is the only way we could get Patty in the water! She is deathly afraid of water, not surprisingly since both her husband and son almost drowned in really traumatic experiences!

Anyhow, this float is just so beautiful. It's such a shame none of us brought a water camera...because we passed two moose, a bald eagle, and a blue herring. It was so exciting! But the float was very slow going and we had to row our way through it cause it was so shallow and calm!

We went with Patty, Paul, Makayla, and Allen (Makayla's boyfriend). It was a blast. The weather was great, but the water was SO SO COLD! AHHHH! SO COLD! Needless to say there was lots of sneak splashing going on :)


After the float we ate a little picnic by the IMAX theater in the small amount of shade we could find! Harmoni met up with us for the picnic and then we headed to the Playmill Theater to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! Oh my gosh! I love that musical so much!

The Playmill actors are a bunch of locals and college kids. They started out with some jokes and little songs and stuff while everyone was trickling in, then they all sang "Home" by Phillip Phillips and it was SO GREAT! I just loved it. They also sang God Bless America (tear jerker) and did a wierd blue light dance, and then the play started! It was so cute and I loved it. I told Clay, "We need to come here once a year". He just rolled his eyes, but he liked it a lot too!

After the play we walked around West Yellowstone for a while and got some candy (made me miss home) and looked at a tourist shop or two. It was nice.

Then the drive home! It was so beautiful and such a nice sunset.

 This is me and Makayla trying to figure out how to get everyone in the car in the photo. Guess what? Everyone technically is! There's Me, Makayla, and Patty, in the obvious spots. The left back is a slice of Allen's face. To the right of Patty's arm and the left of Makayla's head is a grey shoulder- that is Paul's shoulder. To the right of Makayla is Clay's green shoulder. I call that a success!

Rock Climbing

One of my 25 things I wanted to do in my 25th year of life was Rock Climbing! We did this in June I just haven't gotten around to sharing it.

I wanted to go rock climbing for a few different reasons. One, to conquer a fear...I am quite scared of heights! And there is something about conquering fears that makes me feel like I'm growing...so there's that. Then I also thought this would be a good way to be in nature and enjoy the earth without much of a risk of ticks. I do admit though, the small "hike" to the wall (5 minutes or so) had me feeling anxiety as my ankles were brushing up against bushes! Eck! Will I ever not get worried? I don't think so. Just stepping in taller grass makes me nervous.

Anyway, our friend Lyon loves to rock climb and has been wanting us to go for years, so this was perfect! He offered to take us (he has all the equipment and such) and so we finally took him up on it!

It was so great because he gave us good tips and was there cheering us on throughout.

I didn't make it to the top, but I made it REALLY far and I was so proud of myself! It was actually really fun! I looked down only a couple times and it was pretty nerve wracking! But it is comforting to know that you have someone holding the rope at the bottom if you fall (I did fall at the very beginning...which I'm actually glad happened cause it made me realize how stable I really was in my harness thingy).

Clay made it to the very top! My battery died by the time he got there though :(

It was SO fun and I really want to go again! I need to get Clay to agree before the good weather ends.

(This is Lyon for those who are wondering-he was actually one of Clay's groomsmen for our wedding)

Mesa Falls

One of the things on my 25 things to do in my 25th year is go to Mesa Falls with Clay. On the list I said to ride the motorcycle...but turns out Clay says that isn't the PRETTIEST of rides (mostly highway) so he'd rather take me to Heise and get square ice cream cones, cuase it's a really pretty ride...I'm sure I'll be blogging that here in a few weeks.

So anyhow, we took Dante with us, which was fun...but I kinda regret. It was SO HOT that day, and poor doggies get overheated really easily (they can't sweat) and so he was just dying five minutes out of the car. It made for a bit of a rushed trip, but it was still SO BEAUTIUFL! Oh my gosh, the scenery around the falls was gorgeous, and the falls themsevles were just awesome. I love waterfalls! And this was a great trip because it was all paved/decked and I didn't brush up against bushes at all! (no ticks for me). It was really great. God's earth truly is beautiful.

A SHOCKING revelation about Full House

Okay...can I PLEASE get some feedback on this one?

One day I said something like, "Cut it out!" or "How Rude!" or "Have Mercy!" or you know...SOMEthing that is super duper FULL HOUSE. Clay gave me a funny look and soon after I made a realization...after seven years of marriage...that Clayton Paul Phillipp has not seen an episode of Full House.

Say WHAT?!

Yeah, I was shocked too. It gets better.

I've been giving him a bad time about it since and he will say things like, "I just played outside a lot, I didn't watch tv" or "You just grew up with a bunch of girls" but like...seriously this is a world wide famous show right?!

So the other day we are at some friends house and I can't remember how it came up...but I was like, "Oh well Clay has never even seen an episode of full house!" expecting them to be like, WHAT?! HOW?! WHY?! But no, instead they BOTH- two separate people- BOTH said to me, "What's full house?" as in...THEY'D NEVER HEARD OF IT!

What the?

I was SHOCKED. Is this an Idaho thing? Did they not air Full House in the nineties in Idaho? Cause they air it currently. I mean...seriously, who is with me? Isn't Full House like a really famous show that everyone has seen?

I still can't believe it.

Zimmerman & my patriotism

Well, I have decided that I used to give my true thoughts on life here on the ol bloggy, and I haven't been lately (I haven't even been blogging at all lately!) and the truth is, I want my kids to know how I felt about current events and things and so I'm going to just start giving my opinions. Take em or leave em!

The Zimmerman trial has been quite the trial for ME. Oh deary me. It has tried my faith in America. All along I thought it was sad that a kid got shot and died and that someone had to deal with the grief that undoubtedly comes from killing a person. It's all sad. I wish it never happened! However, I hate that Zimmerman was made out to be a racist, and a murderer. He was a defender, which every human soul should have the right to be. The fact is, our country believes in being innocent until proven guilty, and it has been a pretty good process for us. I believe in that justice system, and I don't believe the justice system failed at all.

I really didn't have too hard a time ignoring most of this trial until the President decided to jump in and make comments about how it could have been his son, or it could have been him. He gave a huge speech about how sorry we should feel for black men because they are still discriminated against so much. I have to admit something to you. The first 5 minutes after I read about his speech I thought, well good for him. He actually gave a not so crappy speech. And I thought, you know what, he is right...I do lock the doors often when a black teenage boy crosses the street. But then all of a sudden it clicked with me. Wait a sec Danielle, you lock the doors when basically ANY person- man, woman, even dogs- walk by my car. It can be a white man in a suit and I get a little nervous. We live in a crazy world and I am a cautious person! I realized...wait a sec, it has nothing to do with race when I do that...

Then I got to thinking, WAIT A SEC! Is the world not seeing this ginormous irony that I am now seeing? WE HAVE A BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! Who is talking about how hard it is to be a black man because they don't get the same opportunities as white men. Is it not obvious that the man speaking these words is in arguably the most powerful position in the world? And he's black?

These poor, poor, black men.

I admit that YES. Racism still exists. BUT- it is the exception. The fact that a black man sits in the oval office proves that the majority of Americans are NOT racist. Complaining about the rights and discrimination because of the color of your skin is basically like me complaining about being a woman. Yep, I have definitely been treated differently because I'm a woman, CLEAR AS DAY. But it is the exception. NOT the rule. But do I go waving my flag and marching on roads (violently!) because I have been treated less than fair in my life? NO. Life is what we make it, and I am afraid that many Americans are looking to snatch up any excuse they can to explain why their life isn't what they want it to be.

Racism exists. Sexism exists. Everything bad in the world that we can imagine in our brains, surely does exist. But that doesn't mean that is our life. It's not the reality of our current world (in America at least). It's dusts of the past holding on for dear life.

It all just baffles me and angers me a bit. I started losing faith in the American people. But then the other night we went to the Playmill theater in West Yellowstone (I will post more on that later), and in one of their beginning acts, they sang God Bless America, and had the crowd join in the last chorus and oh my word! My patriotism seeped back into my heart and there were tears in my eyes. It was so spiritual and wonderful and I realized, you know what? There are still true patriots in this world and instead of getting angry about the people going backwards in life, I am going to stand strong in the faith of my fathers. Be the best American and human being that I can, and stand up for truth.

So, that is what I learned this week.

4th of July Chaos

Oh boy. This one was a doozie!

So I begged, BEGGED with puppy eyes for Clay to take me as close as he was willing to the fireworks show. He decided we could take the motorcycle and walk to the bridge by the falls. This is close, but still a bit of a distance, but I was satisfied. We went about 9:30ish since the fireworks show was supposed to start at 10. We got a great spot that was perfectly infront of the lit temple, and the fireworks should've set off a bit to the left of the temple.

Well, 10:00 came and went, so did 10:30, so did 11:00....and let me tell you the fantastic entertainment we had during that hour and a half.

Let's set the scene.

Clay and I leaning against the bridge, staring at the river and the temple with the falls right by us, a beautiful beautiful scene. Enter 6-8 teenage HELLIONS. Now, I can literally say hellions- do you know why? There was one young man who decided to talk about his religious views, which is this: SATAN. I'm not summarizing here. He literally said the words, "Satan is a religion". And can I just say that I CURSE THE MIND I HAD TO LEAVE MY PHONE AT HOME THAT NIGHT! I wish so badly I could've snapped a picture of this guy! Picture a painted white and black face, which sure isn't that bad. But then...

Half way through the nights we saw his boots. Oh it was too much. Just the cherry on top! I said to Clay, "Hon...look at him" and he said, "I already did", and I said, "No- the boots, did you see the boots?!" I had one of those humor excited eyes raised expressions. He looked, raised his eyebrows, smiled, and said, "That's just the perfect cherry on top" or something like that. Oh man. We found him really entertaining.

But he was nothing compared to his normal looking friend who said the words, "I can do everything" about 5 times in the hour and half we were there. He was referring to his vocal skills. Which, looking at those boots, I bet you can imagine the music I'm talking about. It's the screamo music that literally sounds like you've been possessed by the devil. And you guys, he even learned it NATURALLY by ear. Which he was bragging about to the girls.

Now that we are to the girls. Lets talk about them! They, along with the guys, were swearin like sailors! F bomb every other word, and yes, threatening to kick other girls behinds if they didn't stop looking at them that way from across the street! I can't make these things up.

Clay and I thought about saying something to them, cause they literally were cussing more than I even remember people from my high school cussing (which is a lot)...but there were a lot of them and we thought they may have been under the influence of SOMEthing...and didn't want to cause trouble.

After learning that someone was missing IN THE RIVER and that was why the fireworks display was delayed, we started walking away and asked a police officer if they knew what was going on and the show was supposed to start any minute. So we went back and stayed and then the fireworks show looked like it was in a different spot, still a good view, but just further than I thought...we couldn't hear the music (the show is always coordinated to patriotic songs- its so cool), and all the kids next to us decided to light up cigarettes, and it just wasn't the scene I was wanting. We decided to leave, after all that waiting and suffering! Before the finale even. It just wasn't patriotic feeling and I was feeling a bit sickened at these poor poor teenagers who will grow up to vote and have children of their own. I just hope and pray they see some sort of light down the road to kick them out of this terrifying rut they are in!

Even with all the craziness that happened and dissappointing fireworks show....Clay and I still had fun! We really did get quite a kick out of these teenagers and the things they'd say. Some of it was FOUL and I hated it and almost left, but some of it was just plain funny. And Clay and I spent time together and so that was fun. Looking back, I think we should've left a lot earlier because I really doubt the Holy Ghost was able to stay with us in that situation. And there really was quite a bit of foul stuff that I wish my lady ears wouldn't have heard. Oh well, live and learn! I told Clay next time I want to be right under the fireworks right by the music. We did that my first year and it was amazing.

We found out this morning that they found the missing person and he had drowned. So sad. I feel so sad for his family. 20 year old boy.

Well, I just made cinnamon rolls and am planning and scarfing some! And relaxing! Have a happy weekend!

Christmas in July

Right now I'm listening to Christmas music.

It happens pretty much every year...July hits and I get a sort of homesick feeling for Christmas. Christmas is far and away the best time of year. And the music is fantastic. So...I usually listen to a few tunes to satisfy me. I'm listening to Mindy Gledhill's Christmas album...and I have realized that I just love her. I feel like the best way to describe her voice is to liken it to butter. Her voice is butter. And I love butter.

In other news...I told you how I painted the cabinets in our bathroom and hall white. SO pleased with the results. HOWEVER- I made the HORRIFIC mistake of thinking I should paint them ontop of my plastic covered kitchen chairs. I figured the paint would just peel right off! NO NO NO- THIS IS NOT TRUE. DO NOT DO THIS. I have scrubbed scraped and let me tell you, it is hard work. For every hour I put into it I maybe get an inch of paint off! I'm at a loss of what to do. I've used bleach, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and good old fashioned water. I've used my spatula, pie crust turner (don't know the technical term for it, but that's what I use it for), razor blade, edge of my dish scrubber thingy...nothing is really working that great. So, that is the stress of my life right now. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

It's hot. And I LOVE it!

My garden is doing great.

We went to Mesa Falls and it was great. And beautiful. But poor Dante went with us and just got so overheated that we couldn't stay that long. He was definitely the star of the show though. We got stopped so many times cause people just love him. It's always like that! He really truly is the cutest dog in the whole wide world. And the sweetest. And hammiest. And sneakiest! I love him.

We tried to do this three day smoothie cleanse and guess what? We gave up by 5 o clock on the first day :) I had the worst stomach ache after drinking kale, celery, and cucumbers. And I decided that it just wasn't right. So Clay and I made some rules and commitments to each other. We will continue to have a healthy smoothie each morning (not ONLY vegetable healthy. Like berries, kale/spinach, flax, bananna) and eat out less and only eat treats on the weekends. And as far as that last rule goes, we can only buy or make ONE treat for ourselves on the weekend, but we may enjoy treats at Clay's parents house on Sundays. This probably is just what normal people do...but this is a HUGE change for us right now. I am hopeful and glad we are doing this.

Alright, that is all for now! Enjoy the heat! I know I am :)

Life as of late

Weeeeeeeell, I think this is the longest I've gone without blogging! I think these are the major events from the last month or so.

Mom came to visit and we put together my garden! It is beautiful and wonderful and I have already eaten multiple heads of lettuce that taste DELICIOUS. I mean really, it is much better than the stuff I get from the store! Even the quality good stuff! We went shopping, and....

I got my wisdom teeth out while she was here! It basically went the best it possibly could. There are still holes in my mouth (or dents, as Clay likes to call them- it creeps him out that there are holes in my mouth). But I mean the day of I felt like I could do anything- but mom and Clay made me stay seated most of the day :)

Clay and I went to California and had the time of our lives! We went to the Zoo, Sea World, swam in the ocean, swam in Lizzie's pool, and spent lots of QUALITY time with Amy, Megan, Lizzie, and Rebecca's family. All my sisters together! It was so much fun. I loved every second! However, we ate SO MUCH JUNK! But the truth is, it wasn't junk. It was a lot of QUALITY treats and food. But just like a lot of gluten and sugar. So I feel not quite right saying junk since when I think of junk I think of doritos and candy. No no. I am talking extremely awesome quality chocolate chip cookies and gourmet pizzas. Holy smokes. Delish.

Ever since we got home from California (I think about a month ago now), Clay and I have been OUT OF CONTROL. Mostly my fault since I control the baking and cooking and shopping. But we just have been eating treats and gluten and such non stop! Eck! I have never been someone who is obsessed with ice cream...but lately it's my new thing. I love ice cream!

I went rock climbing, and planted flowers in the front garden bed, and have been watering my vegetable garden, and cut my hair, and working out and just a bunch of other stuff that isn't quite as fun but necessary none-the-less.

How could I forget?!?! I painted our hallway closet, our bathroom cabinets, our bathroom walls, and got new stuff for the bathroom like handles and shower curtain and rugs and stuff. It looks so much better!

What else? I've watched lots of tv.

I am hoping to calm down and read some books. I have a few good ones on my list and 3 at the library ready to be picked up.

Oh but I also just bought a victorian style LOVE SEAT! For $30!!! I am going to recover it. I'm so excited! I haven't recovered anything in forever and have strangely been craving it! It's a pretty rewarding process. I am currently deciding on fabric. Such a stressful decision. I've definitely decided some suede or fake suede, who knows what it is...is DEFINTEIly the way to go for me! I rubbed Dante's slobber on two types of fabrics. One was canvasy and one was suedeish and the suede one cleaned like a dream and the canvas was NOT easy to clean off...so yeah, that's the type of fabric I need!

I have considered stopping blogging...I just am kinda not sure anymore about it but we'll see.

I have been CRAVING Oregon and CRAVING outdoorsy things like rock climbing and swimming and waterfalls. I keep begging Clay and he keeps saying he's too busy. I don't really believe him though...we'll see what comes of this weekend.

Well, this is probably the most boring post ever but I figured I'd just update what I've been up to! Peace out.

Just some randoms

I haven't been updating and I think I should. I looked back on some old blog posts the other day and I was giggling a lot cause they were so funny! One of them in particular made me happy. We were living in our ghetto ghetto apartment on main street in rexburg and I had an entire blog post dedicated to our new fridge we got! I even took pictures of the insides. I mean, I'm telling you- I thought I had won the lottery! THAT is how happy I was. It was fun to look back on. I don't write as much about everyday life anymore and I want to start doing that again. Helps me reflect and center myself.

Speaking of centering myself. I LOVE YOGA! I crave it. It's my new thing. Don't get me wrong, I am AWFUL at it. I am constantly losing my balance (actually...not ever GAINING balance would be more accurate), and can never fully do most of the poses. But I am trying and I know I will get there someday! Already my downward dog is better...which I say is fantastic! I do have to say that planking SUCKS! But boy do I feel great by the end! I know it's so cliche but I feel so at peace and at one with myself afterwards. And...AND! It is a great workout! I literally sweat my brains out!

I also love kick boxing! Another great one! YES!

Life lately has had lots of stresses. I am constantly having to relearn that life with Lyme is just going to make lots of things harder than normal. As great a place as I'm in right now, the fact that I will deal with certain things the rest of my life is kinda a bummer. Especially the fact that local doctors just don't know crap about it. More on that later..

But it's okay. I remind myself that I have been through worse. Things I'm dealing with right now ARE hard, but they aren't the hardest I've dealt with. I think of the days that I would be so tired, but Clay was more tired, and Clay was herxing or in so much pain and so I would have to run to the store to get him something, or try to make something that was gluten free and sugar free and dairy free and then have to travel to seattle to keep going. I look back and think of those times and want to cry. But the truth is, I don't think we realized how hard it was while we were going through it. I mean...I dunno. All I know is how good life feels NOW in comparison to those days...that if I went back, it would probably be harder. In those times we had forgotten what good felt like....which is probably why it was hard at times to hope for anything better.

Clay has worked out about every week day since he joined the gym. I am so proud of him! He goes right after work and then comes home and drinks a protein drink and eats with me if I've made dinner. He is so dedicated!

I have been trying to work out as much as I can. It's hard when different things come up. Mutual, relief society activity, twisted ankle, hurt back...hah. But usually all those things only last a day or so, so I try to get back to it the next day! I always feel so good after I work out. I love feeling fit, but I equally love the emotional high it gives me!

Dante is a sweet little boy. I feel he has aged within the past month or so. He lays around so much...and he seems to get tired faster. Clay says it could be because he was sick...he threw up a few times (conveniently while I was home and Clay was not...fun fun experiences), anyway...I don't like it. I want him to perk up for summer to go on lots of walks.

My mom is coming to visit tomorrow! I'm SO EXCITED! We are going to set up my garden! HOORAH! OH YEAH- I planted flowers in my front garden bed! They are marvelous! I need to stop being lazy and post some pictures...I will eventually.

Last item of business...my dang wisdom teeth. I should've gotten them removed years ago but was too poor and too cheap and anywho...I've had a headache a lot of the day because of them and my jaw has been hurting a lot lately. ALSO, my dang cheeks keep swelling because I keep biting them! It has been decided this needs to be resolved. So I have an appointment tomorrow to get xrays and such to figure out a plan. I am hoping to get them out ASAP because I am sick of this nonsense. I might get them out while my mom is here...which is a bit of a double edged sword. On the one hand it stinks because I don't want to be bogged down doing nothing while she's here...on the other hand it would be great to have the best caretaker ever around! If I can I will probably do it Friday afternoon so we have two days to do whatever we want and then two days to take care of me :) haha. After researching online, I am DEATHLY afraid of dry-socket!

The weather has been so amazingly fantastic here. It makes me so happy. But its supposed to be all lightningy the next few days which I DON'T like. Boo.

Overall life is very very good. With all the lows are also some very wonderful highs. I'm so grateful for so many things in my life right now. Clay is working, I am working, we are both working out, I have been making more meals, we are slowly slowly making our yard look nice, so many wonderful things.

That is all for now. Ta ta!

Goals by Numbers : April

Play 1000 songs on the piano

I played 96!

Read 12 new books

Alright, I'm gonna count Anne of Green Gables because I finished it on like May 2nd or something. 

So 1 new book- which by the way, this might be my favorite book ever. It has brought so much joy! I LOVE this book. I have never laughed so much...I would constantly laugh out loud and Clay would be like, "What's so funny?" and I'd quote it and he would just roll his eyes and say, "Hun, that's not funny"...but trust me, it was hilarious.

Make 52 new recipes

Okay I totally did awesome on this one. I made 6 new recipes! I made these:

Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls

Buffalo Chicken wraps

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Parmesan Garlic Quinoa

Orange Sesame Stir-fry

Blackened Chicken & Cilantro

  Balsamic Steak Rolls

I have to say that I really liked all of them. EXCEPT the Parmesan Garlic Quinoa. Can I tell you something? Pinterest can really be such a joke. I pinned this and someone had written with the pin, "You will never eat mac n cheese again!" I thought, wow...that'd be awesome...we love us some mac n cheese! Let me shed some light on this recipe- it in NO WAY resembles mac n cheese. Like...literally- there is NOT EVEN A COMPARISON. It was pretty much not good and Clay couldn't even handle one bite. Lame. But the rest were fantastic!

Have 12 memorable dates with Clay

We had one very memorable date where we went to Jurassic Park 3D! It was pretty exciting. 

 

I have to laugh because Clay and I barely ever shell out the big bucks for the big theater, we usually just wait for the bluray to come out and we watch it at home...but both of us just really wanted to see Jurassic Park in 3d so we decided, what the heck lets do it. It was super fun!

Read Genesis through 2 Kings of the Old testament

I finished Genesis! Meaning I read 30 chapters! Good for me. Can I tell you? The bible is CRAZY. There are so many stories of women being barren and then having their handmaids get pregnant instead and then them getting pregnant later and then each other getting jealous or whatever. Lots of craziness happening. But I have to say, Joseph in Egypt, that story is so awesome. I just love it. I LOVE how strong Joseph is and I think he is awesome. On to Exodus! 

RUNNING TOTALS:

236 songs played on the piano

3 new books read

19 new recipes made

2 memorable dates with Clay

Genesis read

I have to say, I am so proud of my progress in April! Hoping to make great strides in May as well. Till next time!

Gym rambling

I joined a gym. For any of you who are familiar with Idaho Falls, I joined Apple Athletic Club! I went to my first class tonight called PowerCut and LET ME TELL YOU- wowee I almost died. But in a good way. I was happy to be feeling that way. In the middle of the workout it donned on me that I was doing it, an hour long intense weights and cardio combo workout and I was DOING IT! Yeah, I had 2 pound weights (vs the billions of pounds everyone else had) and my step thing had only one riser thing on it and I did quit earlier than she told us to some of the time, but you know what? I was so proud of myself for what I did! And my muscles are all shakin...but in the good way where I know they were worked good. At one point I was seriously laughing out loud (no one could hear me...I don't think...cause the music was so loud) cause I thought that my muscles were possibly killing me. Let me just give you a mental image. There is a step, you lay on the ground and put your legs on the step. Then you put the bar with weights on the ends of it on your hips, then you thrust your hips in the air over and over and over. This may not sound like much, but THIS was what had me laughing out loud. Cause when she said things like "Yeah! Doesn't that feel great!" I just laughed cause it felt like my lower body was on fire.

Tomorrow is Kangoo! I will tell you how that one goes. But it involves wearing shoes like this:

So that'll be interesting. My friend Angie said that it was more cardio than Zumba, so it should be great!

Clay also joined a gym, not the same one! ha ha. He decided to join one that his friend from work goes to so that they could go together and help motivate each other. I like that idea cause I don't think Clay would be going to Kangoo and yoga and zumba and such with me. He probably would do PowerCut- there were quite a few men in there! But the others not so much. So this works out great.

I chose a great week to join the gym because on Saturday I was doing yard work and realized that I did probably two hours of squats from putting leaves in bags. I am so sore! That's okay though. I'm just that much more proud of myself for going to the gym today when my legs are already so sore.

Overall I am a very happy girl right now. I feel like Clay and I are in a good place and I just feel so grateful for everything I have. Especially the gospel. Lately I have just been reminded how blessed I am to have it and how much joy and peace it brings me! I am a blessed woman. I also have such amazing family. I was born into the best family ever and married into the next best! I'm not just saying that either. I couldn't ask for better family all around. Life is good and I expect it to just get better.

Well I will be blogging within the next few days about my progress in April for my goals by numbers and let me tell you- I did great this month!

Ta ta!

New Prints

So Makayla, my sister-in-law, just started her own hair practice in a salon and needed some decorations. She asked me if I would make her some prints using some quotes she liked. I came up with the above! I have never done one like the last one- and she showed me one that looked like that, but she didn't like all the quotes in it. So I just copy-catted the style and did her quotes and some others, and I LOVE it! In fact, Clay and I like it much better than the one I was inspired by! So I'm pretty proud of that one. Anywho, I am adding these to the free prints tab if you want to download them for yourself!

PS- I am still freaking OBSESSING with the Les Mis soundtrack. Seriously, any chance I get- I listen to it. It's just my favorite. So full of emotion. I pretty much listen to the whole thing at least once a day.

Goals by numbers: March

Play 1000 songs on the piano
35 songs played

Read 12 new books
1 book read. "Eat that Frog!" It was pretty good! I already am doing a lot of the things it suggests, but it's always good to refresh and get some new perspective. I am motivated more than ever and it emphasizes making lists a LOT. I love lists! Incase you haven't figured that out yet!

Make 52 new recipes
1 new recipe- Pesto Chicken- YUMMY!!!!

Have 12 memorable dates with Clay
None I feel that are up to this category's expectations....soon soon.

Read Genesis through 2 Kings of the Old testament
Another embarrassing month. I am on Genesis 20...meaning I read TWO CHAPTERS this month! Oh boy. 

RUNNING TOTALS:
140 songs on piano
2 new books
13 new recipes
1 memorable date with Clay
Genesis 1-19 read


Not the best month, but not the worst.


In other news- Clay surprised me with the Les Mis soundtrack for my bday (just one of my great gifts!), and I. AM. OBSESSED.


And I'm pretty sure it's impossible to listen to this soundtrack without BLASTING it. Gives me chills everytime.

Time Out For Women 2013

So I went to TOFW (time out for women) with Patty, Denise, Cheryl, Susan, and Becky. That is my mother-in-law, her three sisters, and one of her sister's friends. 

Me, Patty, Cheryl, Denise, Susan, Becky

I have to admit something to you. I was a bit nervous for this weekend. Last year I was kind of in a darker place in my life where I was feeling like I had it REALLY bad. I kind of feel like I was hangin on by a thread and so when I went to TOFW I literally came home and BAWLED. In a bad way. Not in an uplifted way, but in a way that made me feel like my life was never getting better. I mean, I got over it...but it wasn't the most uplifting experience for me at the time. 

I thought I'd give it another try this year because Patty invited me and well I will tell you- I AM SO GLAD I WENT! This year was FAR AND AWAY so much better than last year and I left feeling so so uplifted. So uplifted I went to work on Monday and told my co-workers all about it! I have to write some of my feelings because I don't want to forget this particular one.

The last speaker was amazing to say the least. She had cancer as a baby and had to have radiation. Apparently the radiation she had as a baby then caused her cancer again in her adult years, causing her to have five surgeries in five months in order to simply survive. Through her treatment she lost her eyesight, and had an entire eye removed. She had to have a bunch of tissue and things removed from her face and it left her blind, quite different looking, and depressed. Well...she didn't let it keep her down. First off, she found humor in it and was able to joke about her blindness and her fake eye.

Secondly, she was able to heal through the atonement. She talked about it in a way I hadn't quite connected with until now. She said that for the longest time she was so dark, so sad, so depressed because she was always thinking about who she was, and how she could be who she was before the cancer again. But there came a time when she realized she would never be that woman again. It was time to offer her old, broken heart to the Lord, and by doing so he then gave her a new heart to move on with. She said that THAT is the power of the atonement, to give Christ our broken hearts so that he can give us new ones that we can move on with. She said that she will never be the woman she once was, but she can be a new woman and have a wonderful life still if she lets herself move on, and accept this new heart. 

I love that. It relates so well for me because I feel like I have been stuck a lot the past few years in, "When will I get my old life back", when will I feel like me again, when will it be normal again. The truth is, my old life "before Lyme", is just that. My old life. I wont see it again. And that is okay. I can move on, build a new life that is still good, even better possibly, WITH Lyme. My life will never be the same, and I accept that. Every person has limits, every person has heart aches, it's what we do with them that matters. I am sick of wondering when I will get my life back, or when I will be able to "start" my life, or when things will be normal. None of those things are realities and it doesn't even have to be depressing. Think of the life ahead of me! So much good things in store. Another speaker there said, "Never say WHY ME? Always say WHAT NOW?" I have definitely asked myself Why ME?!?! So many times. No more. We ALL have storms. Even if I got cured of Lyme forever, I'd still get another storm. I feel like the trial has nothing to do with me, but I have everything to do with the "What now" part. What will I do now? Trials are always a crossroads. What direction will I let this trial take me in my life? Sometimes we can pick the wrong direction and get lost for a while...but I know if we look to the right source for direction (scriptures, prayer), we can always find our way back to the right path. 

TOFW was awesome. So many good speakers. Good music. Loved it. I've been thinking about it all week since I went. I figured I'd better share :)

25 in 25

Happy Birthday to ME! I love birthdays. I think mostly because I LOVE presents and I LOVE cheesecake. And I get both today! And I love saying to Clay, "But it's my birrrrthday...." with a pouty face and then he HAS to do whatever I'm asking :)

Anwho, today will be a great day. But what this post is about is my 25th year as Danielle. I have seen on a few blogs people will make lists of things they want to do before their next birthday. The list has the same amount of things as the years you turned. So, for me, I am making a list of 25 things I am going to do before I turn 26! YIKES! 26....that sounds old...haha! No worries, I'm still 25 for a whole year :) So without further ado, here is my list of 25 things I am going to do while I'm 25:

1. Ride my bike around the river
2. Do yoga everyday for a month
3. Go on a zipline
4. Float Mack's inn river
5. Go with Clay on the motorcycle to Mesa Falls
6. Grow a garden
7. Read a Jane Austen book
8. Make a blog book for each year that I've been blogging
9. Travel somewhere I've never been before
10. Have a friend over for brunch on one of my days off
11. Go to temple once a week for a month
12. Reupholster another chair
13. Paint another painting
14. Make a new quilt
15. Have a get together for Halloween time
16. Have a get together for Christmas time
17. Write a song
18. Have no sugar/treats from my birthday to Clay's
19. Plant flowers in our front yard and keep them alive
20. Go for a walk everyday for a month
21. Go rock climbing
22. Redecorate above the piano
23. Redecorate hallway
24. Give my neighbors and friends a Christmas gift
25. Write a book about my Lyme experience

Whoa nelly! So a lot of these are actually FEARS! Gardening, inviting people over, write a song, rock climbing, write a BOOK- these are actually all pretty big fears/anxieties of mine. A lot are just fun things too. But, I am determined! I think most of these will just be so fun, some will be growing experiences, some really hard- but I am determined to have the best year of my life so far. And I'm excited! I do really well with lists. The ones that I have set for like, "do X for a month" I'll just do one of those at a time. I'll probably talk more in detail about some of these later, but these are all things I've wanted to try for some time...so it will be great. And this is very much in line with my new determination to start DOING. Yay! I'm so excited. Happy Birthday to me and have a good day!

These are the exciting things in my life

 You have NO idea how happy Clay is that he can ride his bike. On another note, you have NO idea how bummed out he gets when there is a chance of rain or snow (yep, still getting snowfalls here and there). It's still much too cold for me to ride on the back of that thing...but give us a few weeks and I'm sure it'll be fine. I really am glad he got it cause he seriously is just SO happy every time he rides it.

 It's official. I HATE PITTING DATES. Oh my heck! Sam's Club will randomly sell these bags of pitted dates and I always stock up but I guess I didn't get back intime to restock my supply because the bags were GONE and all they had were these ones with the pits in them! Talk about a pain and a HALF! I mean, it's fine. Whatever. But really, I prefer my pits to be pitted for me, thank you very much.

I suppose it's worth it. My finished product- date balls (really homemade lara bars, or as Clay likes to call them, little turd balls...eyeyeyeye....). Have I talked about these before? I have no idea. The only ingredients are dates, almonds, and cocoa. They have saved me with my "no sweets" deal. Gives me enough to not give in to real treats :)

 

I have been slowly slowly slowly organizing my sewing room and the most recent organization is mini-bolts made out of cardboard. YAY! I actually went through my fabric and am giving away like...2 garbage sacks full of fabric I figure I will never use again. That's something to brag about, seriously. It's hard to get rid of fabric when you have a little devil Danielle in the back of your head saying, "But you might need that down the road for some project you haven't even thought of yet and then regret it!" NO MORE! I only kept fabrics that I could see actual projects in and I am only going to buy fabrics if it's for a project. This is great progress for me. Hopefully someday that room will be fully organized. I am convinced it will be by the end of April. That's my goal anyway. 

In other news, I went shopping with Patty and Makayla for my birthday and I am SO excited because I am getting some CA-UTE clothes!

I can't believe it's only Wednesday. Feels like tomorrow should be Friday. Deary me. Well, like I said, these are the most exciting things of my life right now. I am having a hard time doing too much stuff outside of work right now because my brain gets pretty dead tired by this time of tax season. Only a bit to go and I couldn't be happier. 

Till next time!

Time to be a kid again

I had a thought today about how we raise our kids. Obviously I don't have kids I'm raising yet, but I've observed MANY people with these kinds of practices I'm about to talk about, and plan on raising my kids like this as well...so here we go.

Seems like most people encourage their kids to not watch TOO much tv, and they would like them to do things like...read, art, games, outdoor activities, using their imagination, chores. 

It kinda hit me today...if I was a child being raised and my mom saw how I spend my days, she'd say, "Nope! You've already watched enough tv today...time to do something else!"

Somewhere between being a teenager, going to college, and starting a job I lost those principles of DOING rather than sitting and staring. I do much more tv-watching than doing in my life. 

I know. I work full time, I have Lyme, blah blah blah. But another thought came to me. One reason I've heard from siblings and friends that they don't let their kids watch too much tv is because it makes their kids cranky and whiny and sometimes crazy. haha. If all they do is sit and stare, and not exercise their minds in the previously mentioned ways, then they aren't as happy. 

HELLO?!?!?!

I mean, I pretty much knew this for myself, that I am not as happy when all I do is watch TV...but looking at it from this perspective just means more to me. I have come to realize...I think I need to try and live my life more like a child. And try and discipline myself like I would a child. I don't want to stunt my kid's growth, right? So why am I limiting myself? And stunting my growth? By spending SO much time on television? Cause the fact is, we are all capable of growth. No matter WHAT our age or station in life. And the age old concept still stands that if you aren't moving forwards, you are moving backwards. When it comes to life, you can't really stand still. 

So- here's my new found resolution. Be a child! But I suppose with that I also need to be a parent. To myself. That'll be a toughy! 

But really, I've said this before- I am always happiest when I am creating, reading, writing, DOING. I really am. 

On another note- in ten days I will be 25 years old :) I'm pretty pumped up about it. 

Also I have not had sugar in a week and I know what you're thinking. Uhhh Danielle? Haven't you been perfect at this forever? Nope! I fell off the wagon. Went on a sugar binge. Awful. Back on again and not cheating on sugar until my birthday. Then not cheating till Clay's birthday, in August. 

Less than a month left of tax season! Ceeelllebrate good times COME ON! 

Incase you are wondering how the oils are going...we have been doing them for about a week and a half...so far so good. Nothing extreme happening, but I didn't expect anything like that. We will see how we feel after a month. Clay MAY have herxed...hard to say, but he had super bad symptoms for a few days and now he feels great. So he probably did. I also had super bad headache the first few days on them and then now I don't. So who knows? 

Clay started a new job! He's still doing stuff on the side if you need anything. But he is now in a managing position at a local web firm here in town and he is really liking it so far! So that's great. 

Not much else is happenin over here. Till next time!

A sad, sad story

Tragic.

I have decided...I can no longer attend the BEST Zumba class known to man. My foot finally got better, I finally gained the motivation, and finally went to Zumba tonight with one of my friends. Well, right ontime...20 minutes in my ears itch BAD. I don't touch them in fear it will make it worse. About a minute later I feel a bump rising on the inside of my lip. About another minute later the back of my throat is swelling. I run to my purse and take two benedryl (a girl like me takes a pack of benadryl, and an epi-pen everywhere I go)...I feel my throat getting worse so I decide to head to the bathroom. Look in the mirror and I see a large bump on one side of the back of my throat, and on one side of my lip. Head back out and tell my friend and I felt so bad but she is so nice so we left early. Got home and Clay said, "YOU ARE NEVER GOING THERE AGAIN".

It's true. I have to admit it at some point. That place is not good for my body! Isn't that sad? The one place that got me on my feet, moving, and feeling emotionally and physically strong...is TEARING ME DOWN through dumb allergies! It's just too stressful. I can't do it anymore. This has happened SO much. I am guessing it's some sort of cleaning supply or something. OR perfume. Who knows. All I know is it's way too unpredictable and has been happening way too often. I suppose I'll just have to find another fun thing or class to do :(

Life is good besides that. Nothing much to report. Only one month left of tax season! Hoorah! I'm so excited to have Fridays off and sunny weather! The good weather and time off will be spent gardening (yep!), walking the dog, going on motorcycle rides, and hopefully some traveling to visit my family. Can't wait!

February Goals by Numbers

Well, it's been a month already! Yikes! Here we go.

Incase you missed it, I am doing goals by numbers for my resolutions this year. Here are my February results:

Play 1000 songs on the piano
I played 45 songs on the piano this month.

Read 12 new books
I read 1 book. It's called "Every Day" by David Levithan. Meh...I don't recommend it. Too much agenda for the idea that gender is not really real. Only physical. I strongly don't believe that. So it kinda bugged.

Make 52 new recipes
I made 3 new recipes. Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats, Veggie Rigatoni, and Taco Bake. They were all fantastic! All three came from Megan's cookbook.

Have 12 memorable dates with Clay
Okay- I am going to count 1 memorable date. Clay and I played scrabble TWICE in a day. It was intense. And Clay won BOTH TIMES. UGHHHHHHHHHHH! But you know what? It was still way fun and I love how competitive we are with each other. We have declared each other our sworn nemesis when it comes to games. I just have to say this too- Clay has never beat me in Scrabble before. And all of a sudden he wins TWICE?! We will have to play again this weekend.
 
 Read Genesis through 2 Kings of the Old testament
Yikes. I am only on Genesis 18. That's embarrasing. Time to kick it in gear Danielle!

RUNNING TOTALS
105 songs on piano
1 new book
12 new recipes
1 memorable date with Clay
Genesis 1-17 read

Not to shabby. I'm determined to do even better this month!!!

Ch ch ch chaaanges

Weeell...Clay and I are making a BIG CHANGE.

We are no longer going to our Lyme Doctor. 

She has been awesome and gotten us SO FAR, but things have been happening lately that made us decide that we are ready to move on from her. This was a hard decision and came with a lot of thought and prayer and I can confidently tell you that I feel really good about it.

We are trying something new for our treatment and we are pretty excited! We are trying essential oils. I know a lot of people think that's wacky, but you know? We've been on antibiotics for over 2 years and our bodies can tell. Especially Clay's. We've heard of success with treating Lyme with essential oils so we figured, why not? We'll try it for a couple months and see how we feel and if we decide they aren't doin it for us, we'll move on to another option. 

I have prayed so much that I would feel confident and know if this is the right move for us, and the past two days I have felt so EXCITED about it. So, I'm taking that as my answer!

Also, I got a free vial of Wild Orange essential oil, which supposedly helps your mood and I kid you not...the past two days that I've rubbed it on (just the inside of my wrists), I swear I've been happier! I've just been in such a better optimistic mood. Maybe a coincidence, I dunno! But I'll take it!

I've been trying to eat a lot healthier this week cause seriously- the past two weeks Clay and I ate out so much and ate so much crap. My sister Megan made a cookbook that is vegetarian and all the meals are gluten/sugar free. I LOVE IT! I've made 3 recipes from it and so far I loved ALL of them! I'm so pumped.

I ordered a yoga dvd that Greg (my sissies husband) recommended and I guess it's like not so intense, and meant to relieve stress and be relaxing. I am SO excited for that! 

We painted our walls. The green walls. We painted them grey, the same grey on our other walls! We love it. Except we thought we wanted to do a stencil on one wall and once we started it, weren't so fond of it...so we need to paint over that. 

That's pretty much it for now! Probably later today I'll post my results for February for my goals by numbers. Don't get too excited cause I'm pretty positive I did barely a thing this month. Have no fear, MARCH is the best month of the year! Birthday month! I will do great. 

PS- Anyone watching Idol this year? What the freak is so amazing about Zonette? Or however you spell her name. She is cray cray and they are always talking about "marketability" and she is NOT. No one would buy her music. And I'm sorry...but I just think it's a bit silly that they act like she is just this survivor or whatever. She moved to the US when she was TWO YEARS OLD. They all look really well adapted to US life and she's American. I doubt she's ever been back to her "home country". It's all just ridonculous. 

Also, I posted another today that is below this one. I started it Sunday and just finished it.