Your Journey Home

I am sorry I haven't posted at all this week, to the one maybe two people who actually read this  blog :) I just got home from running a long 15 miles.  It always feels good once you're done! Today I wanted to talk about something that has literally become my favorite drink, and my  drink of choice at home at restaurants or anywhere else...... WATER!!!! Something I have started doing over the past couple of months is first thing when I wake up in the morning, I run downstairs and drink a nice big glass of water. I have noticed a difference in how I feel throughout the day, and how I am starting to look. I have a water bottle with me all day that i am constantly sipping on.  My drink of choice used to be Dr Pepper and since I have stopped drinking it i have lost about 10 pounds.... I have heard that drinking ice cold water early in the morning gets your metabolism going and plus burns more calories because it's cold and your body is trying to warm it to bod...

I have come to the realization many years ago that I love sweets , sugar and junk food .... don't we all??  If I'm hungry, all the healthy food thoughts go out the window and I snarf down a whole bag of Doritos.  Seriously though I've done that before . I decided a while ago that pre-portioning out healthy food and putting them in little containers and then into the fridge might work.  And let me tell you it has !  If I'm hungry and I open the fridge I don't just grab anything, i see the little containers and munch on something that is actually healthy for me. Some of the things i put into containers are: cut up cucumbers , carrots , half of a grapefruit , apples , orange slices , cottage cheese , and the possibilites are really endless... If you are or have had troubles like me with the grab and eat anything problem no matter what it is then give this a try, it just might work for ya!

No this is not a healthy recipe for banana bread, so don't be fooled! It's super good though and SUPER easy. What you'll need: 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed 1/3 C melted butter 1 C sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda pinch of salt 1 1/2 C flour No need for a mixer.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.  Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix it in.  Add the flour last, mix.  Pour mixture into buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on rack.  Remove from pan and slice to serve. The finished product Me eating two pieces with butter! But don't worry.... I gave the rest of it to the scouts with a huge block of butter.  They are going on a camp out and I just won the best wife award from Justin :)

Ever since my sweet dad passed away, the week of Valentines day has been a hard one for my family, especially my mom.... The reason why is.... Feb 14th: Valentines Day Feb 15th: My mom & dads anniversary Feb 16th: My moms birthday So it's safe to say that my dad basically spoiled my mom for three days straight. I want to keep the traditions alive so much for my mom but it's so hard sometimes when i have a life of my own that I am trying to keep up on.  I am always so concerned about her and wondering how she is doing.  It's hard not having my dad around, because I know he always took care of her. My dad always sent her a dozen roses for Valentines , so I had a dozen roses sent to her home on Valentines day. For their Anniversary I called her and talked to her a little bit, plus I had a picture of my dad from when he was younger that I got printed out and put in a frame for her wall. For her birthday I took her to get a massage, get her nails done and to dinner. ...

I have just enjoyed a fun filled weekend with family , friends and a much needed spiritual uplift .  I just love those weekends.  Plus i got my hair done....which included a little malfunction that'll get fixed this week... thanks Tori ;)  i definitely have the best family and friends and the gospel is so true and amazing.  I know i am blessed! Me with cousins Sydney & Sage Me with my hubs, Justin my LOVER! Me & my running buddy, Leslee who i LOVE! Um.. don't mind the sweat we just ran 13.1 miles... GO US! Great weekend!

This week I haven't eaten as good as I would have liked to. I am always sad when I know I can do better but I just couldn't help eating the cake, muddy buddies & cookies. I mean who could pass those things up?  Not me, obviously . You know what's awesome though?  You can always do better. This next week I am determined to eat clean and healthy.  I'll keep you updated on how I do. Isn't it funny how much we crave the yummy sweets and when we eat them, we LOVE them and they taste amazing but a few hours or days later you feel terrible.  But the less desirable things like fruits, veggies and water make you feel amazing after a few days?? I think of this as a lot of how life is.... we all have temptations, desires, and sometimes we fall into sin or temptation.  It may look and be fun at the time, but what about a few hours, days, weeks or months later.  Are we feeling good about ourselves??  I don't think so.  I know I don't. What if we...

 I asked my amazing friend Leslee to write something for my blog, like a guest post... but it's more than that.  Leslee is amazing and has experienced so much in her life!  She is such an example to so many people and such a great friend.  Thank you Leslee for doing this!! This is Leslee and her cute family.   I'm super Excited to be able to Guest Post on Courts Blog. This Blog is such an Inspired and Happy Place to read and learn. Courtney has had some great experiences in her life and has lots of good knowledge and Love to share!! I'm Grateful to call her Friend. Thanks Court for letting me have a few words on this Awesome Blog. *** Habit is an amazing thing, although it comes in both GOOD and BAD ....it can be the Rock foundation we need if we use it in the right way. Habits aren't Easy to form.....especially the ones that are good for us. For me....it takes all my might mind and strength to force CHANGE upon my self. Waking up at a certain t...

To share a little bit of a back ground on how I have gotten to the point of where I am today with my voice and writing music I wanted to talk a little bit about Mr. Awesome. He has been my voice teacher off and on now for almost 8 years! He has taught people like.....  David Archuleta . And..... Shedaisy who also happen to be related to me. And 5 people who made it onto American Idol this season. He is just THAT good. His name is  Dean Kaelin and he is dang good at what he does. He has not only trained my voice and helped me get through my bridge and sing high without using my head voice, but he has also given me confidence . 

Have you ever dreamed and aspired to do something for so long that once it starts happening it just feels normal?  I know I have. I have been writing Religious LDS songs now for almost a year and a half. My ultimate goal is to get at least 1 song on an E.F.Y C.D. (Especially for Youth) I now have almost 10 songs completed and am now in the process of getting the songs 100% clean, pure and sounding great. I have been speaking with the producer of most of the E.F.Y CD'S and he has MY CD!  He got in touch with me and I met up with him last week and we are going to start working together. This blog will not only be about how we can get back to our Heavenly Father by being healthy & happy.  But it will also be the journey of a girl that has dreamed as long as she can remember to be a singer/songwriter for the LDS church. So follow along the Journey, this will be my journal of the life of an aspiring LDS vocalist!

This week has been a great, but crazy one! I turned 25 on the 3rd.... I am feeling old, and that's why I need to do these Health Kick Saturdays to keep me healthy and young! :) After running a killer 12 miles I decided to make a shake. It really tasted so good! What you'll need: 1/4 C Water 1 banana handful of blueberries (i used frozen) Scoop of Be Buff chocolate protein (or whatever you have) Handful of Spinach Ice cubes Mix it all together & enjoy!  I know i did!

On a major budget. The hubster thinks it's ridiculous spending money on "seasonal decor." um..... which is like my favorite thing to buy! :) So we compromise!  I filled up two huge bins on Christmas decor this year. So I had to hold back a little for Valentines . Want to see my extent of Valentines decor..... cheesy??  Probably. But cute, and fun nonetheless??  Definitely. What do you decorate with for Valentines day?

So, I'm in a public speaking class this semester in school...  Fun huh??!  Actually, I am enjoying it.  I like getting out of my comfort zone and learning something new.  I feel like I am growing as a person, because I know speaking will help me in a lot of aspects.  Like speaking in church or teaching positions etc..... which still gets me nervous. Well last week I gave a speech on a Life Lesson I have learned.  It had to have three main points. So I chose to speak on "You can do anything you set your mind to!"  More specifically "How to live a successful life" by using the motto above.   Three things I have learned that make my days, weeks, months and even years more successful and make me a more well rounded individual are: 1.  Learn a new skill .   Develop a talent, or try something that maybe has interested you but you have never tried.  The reasoning is because it will not only make you feel better about yourself, but ...