tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64002288909564555792024-03-07T11:06:24.997-08:00Sherri's Daily DealingsA working mom's musings on life, nutrition, beauty, and home making. Nothing too important.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-813868952610566432021-02-04T15:13:00.000-08:002021-02-04T15:13:25.346-08:00New home blog coming soonI have received a lot of questions via email about how the home is holding up for the past 2.5 years. I plan to do a detailed update on our home, as well as the recent projects and upgrades. So, if you've been dying for an update... I am FINALLY going to do one!
Here's one preview for a recently started project:
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhOgd7U7EUl0eAIvLGdRsVhxUn7OXrIGNHesNpP3V906VjkLL_VtXQaWhm-kYKgYjbnD-gQ81L03UOegbzpwkXW_NjUZ56jCdkIg8XdM_Uj3l6y3sf2acGQSzf4ZcGf-_Lv1Nn2A9vb8/s4032/20210116_125450.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhOgd7U7EUl0eAIvLGdRsVhxUn7OXrIGNHesNpP3V906VjkLL_VtXQaWhm-kYKgYjbnD-gQ81L03UOegbzpwkXW_NjUZ56jCdkIg8XdM_Uj3l6y3sf2acGQSzf4ZcGf-_Lv1Nn2A9vb8/s400/20210116_125450.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xV4i-2MxZIs1ggVtnmDBgs78zsTIV5dhVYoSe3UDmPh822Gcz7Znd4a4oS5SL0s-x1hNnGSj64TztAtCLQttNi4y8jPYD74nHpyTYp-pVCLVDS7kTDSMc9A-sHLXRd9XKmToeLZJOiY/s4032/20210116_215613.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xV4i-2MxZIs1ggVtnmDBgs78zsTIV5dhVYoSe3UDmPh822Gcz7Znd4a4oS5SL0s-x1hNnGSj64TztAtCLQttNi4y8jPYD74nHpyTYp-pVCLVDS7kTDSMc9A-sHLXRd9XKmToeLZJOiY/s400/20210116_215613.jpg"/></a></div>Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-38664779530621013572020-09-30T12:17:00.003-07:002020-10-06T16:10:14.507-07:00A Very COVID Summer<p> As we all have experienced this year, COVID has changed a lot of our plans and normal behaviors. Graham and I already worked out at home prior to the pandemic, but we pretty much stopped leaving the home except for work and random grocery store trips. We have had Zoom dates with friends, we cancelled our travel plans, our kids stopped pretty much all activities outside of the home, Graham did a couple of home improvement projects, and we formed a quaranteam with another family to limit our outside social interactions (the family of my <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/2019/05/dear-sherri.html" target="_blank">college friend</a>). To be super cheesy, I even came up with a "quaranteam" name for our two families (HallBents or BroadHalls if you really want to know). One of the biggest changes for us is more time with our immediate family and being forced to stay in Washington. We have spent more time sightseeing around WA than we ever have before.</p><p>So, here is a brief summary in pictures of our COVID spring and summer here in Washington..</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRfuJnMZcWflaNx2fqJAhylP9q1BJZuSEIdlifffmcd_V6q4bxkQfRKhOX_m7VPAGPA2eB69P1GLHHYRj4hSYOkNKvOCoob-5GDxbmKjKmZD3MMsqVTwG9RWcsckQ0GK73_N_PAlQnME/s4608/20200318_191113.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRfuJnMZcWflaNx2fqJAhylP9q1BJZuSEIdlifffmcd_V6q4bxkQfRKhOX_m7VPAGPA2eB69P1GLHHYRj4hSYOkNKvOCoob-5GDxbmKjKmZD3MMsqVTwG9RWcsckQ0GK73_N_PAlQnME/s320/20200318_191113.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A perfect sunset behind the Olympic mountains<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVd0SAVBy05seYNoDb8c8a6egSqyTBv-WfufOwUKJY2qSxpiw2Uc-ZoOCrmfhCDHORbl0Vdy3GfKDOof6gqoMQl-6gsvqCBgBAhUyhOqG8rxk_4yNNCDCdDDJeLGd6rDK_pn1kUN2mv3c/s4032/20200321_110815.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVd0SAVBy05seYNoDb8c8a6egSqyTBv-WfufOwUKJY2qSxpiw2Uc-ZoOCrmfhCDHORbl0Vdy3GfKDOof6gqoMQl-6gsvqCBgBAhUyhOqG8rxk_4yNNCDCdDDJeLGd6rDK_pn1kUN2mv3c/s320/20200321_110815.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first visit to Staircase in Olympic National Park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAcoLRlTYBKxE7Rsjz67Utji9UXWuNF7zD4BTgFIYC0sQ-cpyjXQZKAwkeKPzrx9LESaYhL5RplcywNe2bAKW00xNiYBEQy9BzIQiyVNI3BzLfb2q3IiA9P8ozG23WavxPJ2-KKsdtsc/s4032/20200321_130715.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAcoLRlTYBKxE7Rsjz67Utji9UXWuNF7zD4BTgFIYC0sQ-cpyjXQZKAwkeKPzrx9LESaYhL5RplcywNe2bAKW00xNiYBEQy9BzIQiyVNI3BzLfb2q3IiA9P8ozG23WavxPJ2-KKsdtsc/s320/20200321_130715.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last part of the Staircase hike<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPSdi8jaMIOmARtASl2aAiDuxDrU04G6Fmf9ek55SwnMxSCmqwyQpGci8m_GUFpZaD4boAj7i_y2KBOIKtbWgJtM-zzKAoH3szmCjzO3IYchumfIeQyahCFg27i2BPYWzTcM8rvoYFDI/s4032/20200404_132216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPSdi8jaMIOmARtASl2aAiDuxDrU04G6Fmf9ek55SwnMxSCmqwyQpGci8m_GUFpZaD4boAj7i_y2KBOIKtbWgJtM-zzKAoH3szmCjzO3IYchumfIeQyahCFg27i2BPYWzTcM8rvoYFDI/s320/20200404_132216.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We visited our little private beach on Puget Sound several times</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcSbQbG8nFVaQzIeRexsRwJog0hPldakTIAO_JvSp_N3iqvXfjqxAxmcH00Je6MGfG817qTQfMMFbcCK6qgWQDUw_RZEPLHKDs02bv7JpYBG1BFc0j9DP6HB7spiYZOJ4WM2B7vywkWc/s2264/20200412_100742.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2264" data-original-width="2154" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcSbQbG8nFVaQzIeRexsRwJog0hPldakTIAO_JvSp_N3iqvXfjqxAxmcH00Je6MGfG817qTQfMMFbcCK6qgWQDUw_RZEPLHKDs02bv7JpYBG1BFc0j9DP6HB7spiYZOJ4WM2B7vywkWc/s320/20200412_100742.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't do much on Easter other than take family pictures<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUGHiRk_Lf-kTneXaW3kfbA6PsteyGROFnfGfJ6NtfPDbsFIuw17jLq3yT0gkQo3Hs006fB9Yi57Yjt0VkfIL0W1VMHizCb5_J9svJ8yPtFlnCFM8TDHgUSmUcXh6y-kAkjZH366ZFEA/s3648/20200413_115207.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUGHiRk_Lf-kTneXaW3kfbA6PsteyGROFnfGfJ6NtfPDbsFIuw17jLq3yT0gkQo3Hs006fB9Yi57Yjt0VkfIL0W1VMHizCb5_J9svJ8yPtFlnCFM8TDHgUSmUcXh6y-kAkjZH366ZFEA/s320/20200413_115207.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring break!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanRer1aTaeHWu704j7XNhAgydWLjrXS5EsRDL9HiXI_yr5FHGIWBLDdqaklFkBghMDdeMPoKhLNna-u_DJb5JCFySuTBflKBOy-VsHBXtJuyi3lQXsB-n3pC-KRH7ch_KN9VP_dvOpb4/s4032/20200523_143038.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanRer1aTaeHWu704j7XNhAgydWLjrXS5EsRDL9HiXI_yr5FHGIWBLDdqaklFkBghMDdeMPoKhLNna-u_DJb5JCFySuTBflKBOy-VsHBXtJuyi3lQXsB-n3pC-KRH7ch_KN9VP_dvOpb4/s320/20200523_143038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another walk to our beach<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh753oCY0F2Qcv5UIkItc1K1CRnn7G5LO5WcdtEYsNEE5HaHokYXBNHG9ma84yZT1rnXJTq2GacIDCbyg1x8ZScNGIMpmVaz36skrf0ncwNWAdp1lbkxzfaIxMibd3Cox1ou-Eq_EPL_D8/s4608/20200606_104125.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh753oCY0F2Qcv5UIkItc1K1CRnn7G5LO5WcdtEYsNEE5HaHokYXBNHG9ma84yZT1rnXJTq2GacIDCbyg1x8ZScNGIMpmVaz36skrf0ncwNWAdp1lbkxzfaIxMibd3Cox1ou-Eq_EPL_D8/s320/20200606_104125.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When our state finally started to open up, we took a quick weekend trip to the San Juan Islands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFaCNhBsd0TdA9sLLE43-VNGjLBlIFXyXGPIUUBFN5GkPTBgWYMxgNCB_ap44rUwg0BKVk94OeOdnTDKimqAYKBUYVBxfpepAJlO8saWAi_vEVQXCF-ey0gs50kY4sNyFtJzJ43JfhRM/s4032/20200606_113034.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFaCNhBsd0TdA9sLLE43-VNGjLBlIFXyXGPIUUBFN5GkPTBgWYMxgNCB_ap44rUwg0BKVk94OeOdnTDKimqAYKBUYVBxfpepAJlO8saWAi_vEVQXCF-ey0gs50kY4sNyFtJzJ43JfhRM/s320/20200606_113034.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our first trip to the islands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIJwHT33Wy3nTBip_GWJqwNkXqt099-ckxfSi_CR5FJGCKwfcbY-cfa7jw5Ci9f8i-NFRDo_R3bpFmpxtylzqnNGwYc4EhViXnulX3vtk1T4MTjjKg_VONbPdaFuMuQULy6iop7scEzw/s8867/20200606_113248.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1804" data-original-width="8867" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIJwHT33Wy3nTBip_GWJqwNkXqt099-ckxfSi_CR5FJGCKwfcbY-cfa7jw5Ci9f8i-NFRDo_R3bpFmpxtylzqnNGwYc4EhViXnulX3vtk1T4MTjjKg_VONbPdaFuMuQULy6iop7scEzw/s320/20200606_113248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first day was spent on Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXZli65WBqvdOrOxbl18druaYXJfIMlPAhjB1YP78ieS4n39_JRlQtSNI6qE8bqgnQDEDj4a3VSbV5iwffp-8wDYTrw-4xOIyfsGrapyz_AUyy0COHeL57Q7NxHynQFvk1q00LAMAQyw/s4608/20200606_134217.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXZli65WBqvdOrOxbl18druaYXJfIMlPAhjB1YP78ieS4n39_JRlQtSNI6qE8bqgnQDEDj4a3VSbV5iwffp-8wDYTrw-4xOIyfsGrapyz_AUyy0COHeL57Q7NxHynQFvk1q00LAMAQyw/s320/20200606_134217.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We crossed the terrifyingly high Deception Pass bridge. The view was worth it.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxyHA43VOfty8O1_DsifqVVpV83QKqgkc7ub1IvlALolUG9cuWx7Evhe5FVlhShwwIyEgYcE767zeDItQoLO9FfDtEoV5nU1Hem9orZrQKrV4vFTeY2YPCf3-3cSSTpUlpxRiAvRYi88/s4032/20200607_135050.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxyHA43VOfty8O1_DsifqVVpV83QKqgkc7ub1IvlALolUG9cuWx7Evhe5FVlhShwwIyEgYcE767zeDItQoLO9FfDtEoV5nU1Hem9orZrQKrV4vFTeY2YPCf3-3cSSTpUlpxRiAvRYi88/s320/20200607_135050.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham & the kids built a driftwood fort at Fort Casey beach on Whidbey<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7Qd5_AFfPjWPKqX1vneIoKs6sRCvRbw_GsRlfBGPRQ8d5rf1ww2LI0BEo5J0FZc6g3uHYltBdMjottc-g1OO8SGcG9zwhS74kiB1gWaDcs8wGsNLsiTjpIhp5XhUP04__QLyPdjnGfk/s4032/20200704_201729.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7Qd5_AFfPjWPKqX1vneIoKs6sRCvRbw_GsRlfBGPRQ8d5rf1ww2LI0BEo5J0FZc6g3uHYltBdMjottc-g1OO8SGcG9zwhS74kiB1gWaDcs8wGsNLsiTjpIhp5XhUP04__QLyPdjnGfk/s320/20200704_201729.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found a new path to our private beach on the 4th of July</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWBixFtV8zKmrQupG6INcIJ0vifAAkCj2Paxn9aEONgEyxASVpuOri0t3mCOk5g01B6K9glnazwLwOfBMn7wEo5atD9g2n2RH3kJhpzY404lLhfDFr9OKMJ6Wm_Ncjzd2irqv-O9YMGM/s4032/20200808_140657.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWBixFtV8zKmrQupG6INcIJ0vifAAkCj2Paxn9aEONgEyxASVpuOri0t3mCOk5g01B6K9glnazwLwOfBMn7wEo5atD9g2n2RH3kJhpzY404lLhfDFr9OKMJ6Wm_Ncjzd2irqv-O9YMGM/s320/20200808_140657.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has a photogenic spot<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukuY-MIfURrfn7g2iFRlr1Db3eO2-h_w4jQ0KVbo5XGdXX4cN9tx6eg-sihlJ5f8_qYG7muZPk_i8rnsoW08PhnQPGPZ4G6QgrZqjPrk2jsDkHwux85sGU0VLnJzMRMbX8LOKbcC6tBc/s4032/20200704_211742.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukuY-MIfURrfn7g2iFRlr1Db3eO2-h_w4jQ0KVbo5XGdXX4cN9tx6eg-sihlJ5f8_qYG7muZPk_i8rnsoW08PhnQPGPZ4G6QgrZqjPrk2jsDkHwux85sGU0VLnJzMRMbX8LOKbcC6tBc/s320/20200704_211742.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham was the fireworks master on the 4th<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf2xvdRe8LrhPRAbc0K_eEXFzbXflP5NZMeu1QNKQ0ozDPQnVo6ldK9R9PYRp5Q7CEHCstseGg3ynB1l37VQfh3TkcuLNbbAmCqOE_CBQVROQ_pTJ7WY27uIGgNJ_DCL-vPaGnF3uhZY/s4032/20200711_134452.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf2xvdRe8LrhPRAbc0K_eEXFzbXflP5NZMeu1QNKQ0ozDPQnVo6ldK9R9PYRp5Q7CEHCstseGg3ynB1l37VQfh3TkcuLNbbAmCqOE_CBQVROQ_pTJ7WY27uIGgNJ_DCL-vPaGnF3uhZY/s320/20200711_134452.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We finally took a trip to Mount Rainier national park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7Al1RB_xRChKRGsthLaxlmEZ0yy_pOZV9UTlqIUXCplq3nzBLwDAm7d4xhp03STOxP-dGoAOjtK6MA1KtYPg8tMQyeQBcYEn6Xy6WSc3Qs9QAK4UiDpSBR6O-QTM9InX7KWuIUeL3YE/s4032/20200711_151725.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7Al1RB_xRChKRGsthLaxlmEZ0yy_pOZV9UTlqIUXCplq3nzBLwDAm7d4xhp03STOxP-dGoAOjtK6MA1KtYPg8tMQyeQBcYEn6Xy6WSc3Qs9QAK4UiDpSBR6O-QTM9InX7KWuIUeL3YE/s320/20200711_151725.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hiked the Silver Falls trail<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYqkNziSlXbr9iz024qOSE-fMJEg8zJEG-3Cqkn1BeZet78FemUu_c2vUVALliIMs7teXSdVSJScOvBa-BwHLSXT83_P31xh4Hh9osX8qFJLL-HEK5nfA_O1ihmI313QjYgyFfK7PZbc/s4032/20200718_141441.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYqkNziSlXbr9iz024qOSE-fMJEg8zJEG-3Cqkn1BeZet78FemUu_c2vUVALliIMs7teXSdVSJScOvBa-BwHLSXT83_P31xh4Hh9osX8qFJLL-HEK5nfA_O1ihmI313QjYgyFfK7PZbc/s320/20200718_141441.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a great beach day at Point no Point beach.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpI_Db40HbWoOGSYPVWXZPPmz9dqX3k_Q9U0VJRL4dSCLTfQoEKYztNToKrFDjQJ0zht08MQqR8iS9IXblnuDAV0teAMA6VWFndPtwhjRIfUEGRb1tEyEsWTpqRgpwLM_Jf1tsPeMluI/s4032/20200729_203253.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpI_Db40HbWoOGSYPVWXZPPmz9dqX3k_Q9U0VJRL4dSCLTfQoEKYztNToKrFDjQJ0zht08MQqR8iS9IXblnuDAV0teAMA6VWFndPtwhjRIfUEGRb1tEyEsWTpqRgpwLM_Jf1tsPeMluI/s320/20200729_203253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a summer trip to California and Nevada. The kids and I took old time photos in Virginia City, NV.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrGqH3af5J9nhxFEC5PKeo-sNA1DC9ECaAmKVL40jSriszWYWOWjLhPOlOVY6hyphenhyphenzb-KshDAKyJ5g3nxVckMlrMCfT5prWG3varxC4uB97l45QLiG3957FgyEdNALxoUlE1LFY2nxLVQY/s4032/20200730_151926.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrGqH3af5J9nhxFEC5PKeo-sNA1DC9ECaAmKVL40jSriszWYWOWjLhPOlOVY6hyphenhyphenzb-KshDAKyJ5g3nxVckMlrMCfT5prWG3varxC4uB97l45QLiG3957FgyEdNALxoUlE1LFY2nxLVQY/s320/20200730_151926.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope Beach at Lake Tahoe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlr23dlSJs345W3NAtdeKVsKKXK8FE1Ndd47Ndz9GPg4URUl1lkvOZ1F-zYwHuWkFAv4eG7vTIHTgVbUvDbHMaiiQ3EfSaQHt5Z4c9rXgCFVWQHmsvceJUHvc-icwuQqlOM-oKZQtvlI/s4032/20200731_103559.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlr23dlSJs345W3NAtdeKVsKKXK8FE1Ndd47Ndz9GPg4URUl1lkvOZ1F-zYwHuWkFAv4eG7vTIHTgVbUvDbHMaiiQ3EfSaQHt5Z4c9rXgCFVWQHmsvceJUHvc-icwuQqlOM-oKZQtvlI/s320/20200731_103559.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First family bike ride in Lake Tahoe.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3Xi2zmxpwDA_ZFxz3G9J0PY4BCPdSVlCz1nFbZto-44ZiXj-7boV_yepAzRPBeMIWwacBjzk7gssExbb79yGdIGjzPRz4mD5-jNhIZwqTK-fSUBJGdFHviUiuMFbLFW25jyVUWbdN1E/s2433/received_710997502782276.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3Xi2zmxpwDA_ZFxz3G9J0PY4BCPdSVlCz1nFbZto-44ZiXj-7boV_yepAzRPBeMIWwacBjzk7gssExbb79yGdIGjzPRz4mD5-jNhIZwqTK-fSUBJGdFHviUiuMFbLFW25jyVUWbdN1E/s320/received_710997502782276.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Met up with old college friends from BYU<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOMyP7bUjnlpLrxVsUeAv8uDo0kE3ibRk_jB5fuomzChqkMv82V8_i-q_TvXgQrgJbpwo2SaEMldKFz_Ej3FZ8t0_RW-GLIX7g4m5e7Hwn9uItqZfiesOQixOO6XXR0ELR7nkHBgW2yk/s320/20200815_202339.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So fun to have all our kids play together.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfKftPienzR2umQpNWhjTkJmMkdwuPbYxpqWMbyVu6DqUqCUrN2cFtEvBfkWbhw2gf9i6byVaXDhJLnxJbs852Bg6H3N1m3XOk2YR3mpmoNHuupQt1BFAh-BCeoSur9mxontB0WO8TGs/s4032/20200904_141053.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfKftPienzR2umQpNWhjTkJmMkdwuPbYxpqWMbyVu6DqUqCUrN2cFtEvBfkWbhw2gf9i6byVaXDhJLnxJbs852Bg6H3N1m3XOk2YR3mpmoNHuupQt1BFAh-BCeoSur9mxontB0WO8TGs/s320/20200904_141053.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took a long weekend trip with friends to the Olympic Peninsula. This is Sol Duc Falls.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3pvEuRZ9GKYeb29JaM7S6OO0hf6Nc051cKFuyW-wpJ2BFl6t3z6xfpEUGnRu_6nZzCpwKGAt-X5XmS_KShStFPmb_uJZIRUuFBua6DUitrrEkiXmSDWxOcNd4WXn7RQcwUBsZa2Qx3Q/s4032/20200905_131853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3pvEuRZ9GKYeb29JaM7S6OO0hf6Nc051cKFuyW-wpJ2BFl6t3z6xfpEUGnRu_6nZzCpwKGAt-X5XmS_KShStFPmb_uJZIRUuFBua6DUitrrEkiXmSDWxOcNd4WXn7RQcwUBsZa2Qx3Q/s320/20200905_131853.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Point outside of Port Angeles<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgFM6e5EvWie7DL6DPryWVO20tfqF9omBnSsmFB8ZB-5uOz_bmw_pkLzFIGfeTX3-lHWOYyjENYQz69dmopibtsoByTl9UWN2gUw7oxbVsJHJC_0ZOgwdYjO8Nelspq_gyxPOFSOTZMY/s7356/20200906_164244.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="7356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgFM6e5EvWie7DL6DPryWVO20tfqF9omBnSsmFB8ZB-5uOz_bmw_pkLzFIGfeTX3-lHWOYyjENYQz69dmopibtsoByTl9UWN2gUw7oxbVsJHJC_0ZOgwdYjO8Nelspq_gyxPOFSOTZMY/s320/20200906_164244.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Ozette<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXA3p6EQsoWi4NXvEy5FTfpW4nXgU1Vu7_e-Z7qm5d6Rhh742J_maUPcjv0XLpvq2dj7auR-_AAnVuCUMpjNCZHs75EmJltc6fjVQiq4NnEOw92Er9KeSsQbZeFh2VuxdoECbHHP3-aY/s4032/20200907_124821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXA3p6EQsoWi4NXvEy5FTfpW4nXgU1Vu7_e-Z7qm5d6Rhh742J_maUPcjv0XLpvq2dj7auR-_AAnVuCUMpjNCZHs75EmJltc6fjVQiq4NnEOw92Er9KeSsQbZeFh2VuxdoECbHHP3-aY/s320/20200907_124821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole group on the Dungeness Spit near Sequim, WA<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyways, we had a great summer with our own family, some extended family, and our quaranteam friends. In a way, I am glad to have finally visited most of the places on our summer bucket list.</div>Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-27520696059729694172020-06-26T07:17:00.001-07:002020-06-26T12:29:56.318-07:00Exercise Flashback<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, so unless I meet my goal weight (another 6-7 miserable pounds), this will be my last weight loss post on my blog. I recently took some progress pictures from taking Bar Method classes for six months, and I got to wondering if I actually look different from when I first lost weight 7-8 years ago. I took some pictures and compared the two, and here they are below..<br />
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**<b>Warning</b>**: if sports bra or "mom bod" pictures offend you, look away. Consider yourself warned..<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOB0j_AWmoBbcIHc4PdMpOlbcHi5nmnB_zW_n0wJVZ1-c2vMqroNF3IVnbn_DMq-P4JSGDuZsc7VvqVxYZazszfyrOWM9AjNpIR_3NuGy8Jju6TqryrOAi3fo_Nfi4MJWoeVzK0VGbkSQ/s1600/IMG_20200624_085756_384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOB0j_AWmoBbcIHc4PdMpOlbcHi5nmnB_zW_n0wJVZ1-c2vMqroNF3IVnbn_DMq-P4JSGDuZsc7VvqVxYZazszfyrOWM9AjNpIR_3NuGy8Jju6TqryrOAi3fo_Nfi4MJWoeVzK0VGbkSQ/s320/IMG_20200624_085756_384.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 months of Bar Method workouts in 2020</td></tr>
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Before weight loss in 2011/2012:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGzfxA3C9bfa_6pkdB91Fl_67lB0LlLWcanUg_u45Vr3YiTUq0nmS6cnmCEjXcIqCANe5KYNcIAGU8OOTWuFe4Xq6Ai1MiE5_NbMAi5wGHdfsmGKFjZroQhN_7fYPBCn8ijrABYpreEM/s1600/DSC_0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGzfxA3C9bfa_6pkdB91Fl_67lB0LlLWcanUg_u45Vr3YiTUq0nmS6cnmCEjXcIqCANe5KYNcIAGU8OOTWuFe4Xq6Ai1MiE5_NbMAi5wGHdfsmGKFjZroQhN_7fYPBCn8ijrABYpreEM/s320/DSC_0159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are family photos that I never posted because I looked too fat.</td></tr>
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After weight loss in 2012:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBZNf7wWSW9W7Xtg6-KToczIKfTY2XEe2wVapM_SmMChtgolnrjeQHDxffpeAaJuU1lHVwpgdTgPY-2P8hnGxi22cIZLUJMIeBUbiERILotifTTPk5b-A2vDXCFzyigIEIt553EKmKN0/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBZNf7wWSW9W7Xtg6-KToczIKfTY2XEe2wVapM_SmMChtgolnrjeQHDxffpeAaJuU1lHVwpgdTgPY-2P8hnGxi22cIZLUJMIeBUbiERILotifTTPk5b-A2vDXCFzyigIEIt553EKmKN0/s320/IMG_1401.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Before weight loss in 2017:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgLlMYlgbTXokMI9AWsDUsl-aJbHiMaebxUB3HVxN19SfPo4fF84zbSrTuxv0GR8NzHomJskAsmdizR69649B9pZZ7NXLsDEvJ2zA9G5tnHHqO60rvCdUzLCEUqbaU308WL4COSLnWnw/s1600/IMG_4064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgLlMYlgbTXokMI9AWsDUsl-aJbHiMaebxUB3HVxN19SfPo4fF84zbSrTuxv0GR8NzHomJskAsmdizR69649B9pZZ7NXLsDEvJ2zA9G5tnHHqO60rvCdUzLCEUqbaU308WL4COSLnWnw/s320/IMG_4064.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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After weight loss in March 2020:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm3TaMzngex1JgjDCdawE1AjIgd49av3n9w9AKlQYpncurYQVhQ_vehSQgRkLZ1zrDrO4sqd2dkfbdUwhP2z_-RoWE5_7P4RbLljsdnMgTxmpa6dzlYjMm03OmeXU56RXx3I6P6i9lXc/s1600/IMG_20200228_175713_324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="847" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm3TaMzngex1JgjDCdawE1AjIgd49av3n9w9AKlQYpncurYQVhQ_vehSQgRkLZ1zrDrO4sqd2dkfbdUwhP2z_-RoWE5_7P4RbLljsdnMgTxmpa6dzlYjMm03OmeXU56RXx3I6P6i9lXc/s320/IMG_20200228_175713_324.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
<br />
Ok, so here is where the comparisons count...<br />
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BTW, I know my body will never be perfect. Don't judge me too harshly. My kids have definitely left their mark on me, but I wouldn't trade anything for being a mom.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FNRngiTu8I8DMFJcVAL_ICe3juwPovDREiIwI6Wn-MvKKzD5WlEaCSk37grV0OgCxA3KYXO4tSLfsu-WO2FG9Pvr2kfAJg_SuoYcu0Fgs9ZxTeEza763Ad_kn7hIMCXRZ2L8ZemWH9s/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FNRngiTu8I8DMFJcVAL_ICe3juwPovDREiIwI6Wn-MvKKzD5WlEaCSk37grV0OgCxA3KYXO4tSLfsu-WO2FG9Pvr2kfAJg_SuoYcu0Fgs9ZxTeEza763Ad_kn7hIMCXRZ2L8ZemWH9s/s400/IMG_1374.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at my lowest weight in December 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki1nns6bfdK6edYKvcMSpR64tpJHlzKn9_CDjVlqk8vavKftRgXU22NYi3jdrkdAMicHrei7hWFuXKJywXNZEOPrjqnZOq-GoTCHDzO4Vubq3IEUQLZduur3QUJvtCTjGceeo9aombjc/s1600/IMG_2601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki1nns6bfdK6edYKvcMSpR64tpJHlzKn9_CDjVlqk8vavKftRgXU22NYi3jdrkdAMicHrei7hWFuXKJywXNZEOPrjqnZOq-GoTCHDzO4Vubq3IEUQLZduur3QUJvtCTjGceeo9aombjc/s400/IMG_2601.JPG" width="266" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTvT7wJkbAnRpp6OozOfb89cwOaxOlbx7ew0cRsvK13Ly6kuXwtKAYvOn3w_Wz9hxQVj2gnBqlhofndshvet0hidhDC4JsmKdSMIMP8Z3-4hmLabbEkm3woT1AxmjCxazYqoMpFY82uo/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTvT7wJkbAnRpp6OozOfb89cwOaxOlbx7ew0cRsvK13Ly6kuXwtKAYvOn3w_Wz9hxQVj2gnBqlhofndshvet0hidhDC4JsmKdSMIMP8Z3-4hmLabbEkm3woT1AxmjCxazYqoMpFY82uo/s320/IMG_2604.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progress pictures in 2014 after I started lifting weights</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzXWurKh1zaJgsZYwWj8u1io7AP7neTAaj3kX6wcZNXv40wxMgwBKdLPIulwaHYA2HfaZYrNmL6TiGoi6vXVjieiOLlXNiNKGEz-FMKwMCI7n-3kkT4qXG3Pke9IJGqDOYcDIqjU3sgQ/s1600/20200625_064107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzXWurKh1zaJgsZYwWj8u1io7AP7neTAaj3kX6wcZNXv40wxMgwBKdLPIulwaHYA2HfaZYrNmL6TiGoi6vXVjieiOLlXNiNKGEz-FMKwMCI7n-3kkT4qXG3Pke9IJGqDOYcDIqjU3sgQ/s400/20200625_064107.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMFR3O5SBe2_Wb3kfZl5OPcvBZ9Y7alRdZHznlfhFJY5GG5OzzitIMw1JiqtyBPD0W5ZqA6q833WDdIOHMFQtC8cEWXQxZnEmVfAwCIb5BI7O_4NjSjunVA5TDi8bDs0WalHtwZvLvNA/s1600/20200625_064045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMFR3O5SBe2_Wb3kfZl5OPcvBZ9Y7alRdZHznlfhFJY5GG5OzzitIMw1JiqtyBPD0W5ZqA6q833WDdIOHMFQtC8cEWXQxZnEmVfAwCIb5BI7O_4NjSjunVA5TDi8bDs0WalHtwZvLvNA/s400/20200625_064045.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at my lowest weight in 2020 (same weight as 2014)<br />
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</tbody></table>
These last two sets of pictures are six years apart, and I weigh approximately the same in each photo set. However, I look slimmer in 2020 than in 2014, and this is likely related to the kind of workout I am doing. Again, I hate to be repetitive, but this is a good demonstration of how good Bar Method is for slimming and toning your body! I believe nutrition has a big factor as well, but these pictures are a pretty good testimonial to how good the exercises are.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zL_mZxdlnqFEw_2RE8tAtr2weZbmRehTtGe6ZEnyQXTDzK4a4tdYxaA9A637Svic-SJ-_3PN8u4MA4hDDxL5E0t4-8nZ8o0vujRr6JMjaSCgJO7RyKZo6LsgOuXPDiYVo80PluMXtvU/s1600/IMG_20200625_210017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zL_mZxdlnqFEw_2RE8tAtr2weZbmRehTtGe6ZEnyQXTDzK4a4tdYxaA9A637Svic-SJ-_3PN8u4MA4hDDxL5E0t4-8nZ8o0vujRr6JMjaSCgJO7RyKZo6LsgOuXPDiYVo80PluMXtvU/s320/IMG_20200625_210017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you are struggling with exercise motivation, find a workout that you don't hate, and keep doing it. I promise, you will never regret exercising. Even after exercising consistently for 8.5 years, I still have to talk myself into working out in the morning. You can do it! Be consistent and don't expect results right away. You may never have a perfect body (I know I don't), but the benefits of exercise go way beyond just your appearance.<br />
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Anyways, thanks for reading. Maybe I'll do another blog NOT about exercise next time, but it feels like that's all I do (#thankscorona).Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-40688401161502240612020-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:002020-04-05T20:05:15.795-07:00Bar Method Online ReviewI feel like I need to comment on the COVID-19 thing, but I am seriously tired of talking about it. It has consumed our lives and attention. Luckily, we both still have jobs, we are getting paid, we have food in our house, etc.. but man.. obviously this sucks. I have been dealing with the stress by exercising more, playing piano, and spending way too much time on social media.<br />
<br />
I am now three months into my Bar Method exercise routine, and I am seriously loving my results. My weight loss has somewhat stalled in the past few weeks as I've been not as strict on limiting my calories. However, here are my pictures and stats below:<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Day 1 vs Day 91</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx2iEsqONaF1cT5sehqaiYVTuFMMlGJchVmRt_koz8wc2_eVnO3thvsc7Dh0Y7BZcdi7o1XFIjMltzpU-CvH53cVPbkV-y__kN1tgxLHGkMwB3UHCt6H26lZYhfRxb9Ixdbma-kkYUoA/s1600/IMG_20200404_081605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx2iEsqONaF1cT5sehqaiYVTuFMMlGJchVmRt_koz8wc2_eVnO3thvsc7Dh0Y7BZcdi7o1XFIjMltzpU-CvH53cVPbkV-y__kN1tgxLHGkMwB3UHCt6H26lZYhfRxb9Ixdbma-kkYUoA/s320/IMG_20200404_081605.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugm01nIzoLx9lEuSheV6upqg-D_Jg5QSqMllRHCWU14-fyuSWpLaAZEABlEpZOZDsk7Rtk_spLePDoxNXiCxrpZsopc4Bu9oTPdpN0M4LdOmsiUjZyiZpNi9bM-4D-MBM34TyBsxnUhA/s1600/IMG_20200404_081745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugm01nIzoLx9lEuSheV6upqg-D_Jg5QSqMllRHCWU14-fyuSWpLaAZEABlEpZOZDsk7Rtk_spLePDoxNXiCxrpZsopc4Bu9oTPdpN0M4LdOmsiUjZyiZpNi9bM-4D-MBM34TyBsxnUhA/s320/IMG_20200404_081745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSL5Cd9ARWCJiahkFXbh6ZxJDOheet2wO6hO3xEcxgMPraVMHCN48A-LP-CBe0ihp9ek21Ue4tHhkezT2wzzvw9ETOuOERLftLsEu_MK29fW8Z6lzO0k99_HpNLGztj1O1ZspanJUObxQ/s1600/IMG_20200404_081852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSL5Cd9ARWCJiahkFXbh6ZxJDOheet2wO6hO3xEcxgMPraVMHCN48A-LP-CBe0ihp9ek21Ue4tHhkezT2wzzvw9ETOuOERLftLsEu_MK29fW8Z6lzO0k99_HpNLGztj1O1ZspanJUObxQ/s320/IMG_20200404_081852.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b>3 Month Stats</b>:</h4>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Weight: 5.6 pounds lost</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Inches: 10.4 inches lost</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Body fat: 1.6% lost<br />
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Here is also a comparison between 1 month of Bar Method and 3 months of Bar Method:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOTc9CssheFt4kG-9qoKwlkf5a3ydgAaG-Y7B5zJwgV_1rVaP2Z6Ux9nCrTx2WmsGvKRE7M98MsrVlUv7BIeeYlXVwUx9kDU-cTYTshJnH83zkdt6X-Pu0olCsRYKOSzLLwf6Jdqu_hM/s1600/IMG_20200405_195402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOTc9CssheFt4kG-9qoKwlkf5a3ydgAaG-Y7B5zJwgV_1rVaP2Z6Ux9nCrTx2WmsGvKRE7M98MsrVlUv7BIeeYlXVwUx9kDU-cTYTshJnH83zkdt6X-Pu0olCsRYKOSzLLwf6Jdqu_hM/s320/IMG_20200405_195402.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw2JRudTeDk6ijDumC-elFx0VAxW8vaJi9dlSlTJrWqa6ps74j6DTsGJQHNyyNGLOZrYZ7Aw6h3Dk03l4HCZa95o8K-Dxx9yzCcSGout5_kR8I-VGU8F6PbfUuHXKJ1Cn7nCY-bopA8M/s1600/IMG_20200405_195511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw2JRudTeDk6ijDumC-elFx0VAxW8vaJi9dlSlTJrWqa6ps74j6DTsGJQHNyyNGLOZrYZ7Aw6h3Dk03l4HCZa95o8K-Dxx9yzCcSGout5_kR8I-VGU8F6PbfUuHXKJ1Cn7nCY-bopA8M/s320/IMG_20200405_195511.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The other day, someone actually complimented me on how narrow my legs looked, and I was so happy that some of the changes I've had are actually noticeable. My biggest advice for someone who wants to see actual changes in their body with this workout style, you need to do a few things:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Do a barre class at least 3-5 times per week</li>
<li>Be consistent--don't keep changing the types of workout you do. Commit to at least 1 month (but really, after looking at these results--at least 3 months).</li>
<li>Try the advanced classes for an even greater challenge.</li>
<li>If you're looking to lose weight, you definitely need to be careful with how you eat. Most of my weight loss is related to limiting calories.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
If you are looking into a new, low-impact workout with significant results in your upper and lower body, definitely check out <a href="https://barmethod.com/the-workout/" target="_blank">Bar Method</a>. They have studios all over the country (but none less than an hour away from me), and they have a great online video library (only $20/month).</div>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-46606436825450774222020-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:002020-02-18T12:07:47.932-08:00Bar Method One Month ChallengeAll right everybody, here's how it went over one month.. I started the morning of January 6th and finished on February 8th. I did a 45-60 minute workout every morning at 5:15 AM six days a week. I tracked every single workout with my FitBit Blaze HR that monitors my heart rate. I also tracked my nutrition with the MyFitnessPal app. Here are my stats (mind you--this is only one month):<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">Avg calorie burn for barre workout</span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US"><span dir="ltr"></span>3.85 cal/min</span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">Overall weight lost</span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US"><span dir="ltr"></span>4.2 lbs</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">Change in body fat</span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">-1.2%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">Total inches lost</span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="en-US">6.37 in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive-iIaLG9hK0ECsHZWtPR6ngtwHda31mk3o7SHHkb5iCws4xS4-kx0-3ngnX1xS8T0hyphenhyphen_GRptuRHL7Dgv3mlraMhH0hrBduCEa7ckmsKNQ75FEuBLHpn99UzUA-YYoxMgmzTEM7kxSq0/s1600/IMG_20200218_100053%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive-iIaLG9hK0ECsHZWtPR6ngtwHda31mk3o7SHHkb5iCws4xS4-kx0-3ngnX1xS8T0hyphenhyphen_GRptuRHL7Dgv3mlraMhH0hrBduCEa7ckmsKNQ75FEuBLHpn99UzUA-YYoxMgmzTEM7kxSq0/s320/IMG_20200218_100053%257E2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sadie joined me for my progress photos</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Here are the before and after pictures for my 1-month challenge. (Disclaimer: this is after 4 weeks. My 5 week photos didn't turn out very well. <i>Note to self:</i> wearing the same clothes helps show the progress better).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB26ClphJc1uFjalBnn52u34-vNfzJ7wVKfosxk3W6zIJbPih4Y8l-NMjnlPUKop_EJn0jNqzRKT7c1yrw90YBB4-E-aUEexa6Foh91VGW4PxByOPmEfyLCNk7M9Iw5zh0ss7v-6yADzY/s1600/IMG_20200201_211834_773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB26ClphJc1uFjalBnn52u34-vNfzJ7wVKfosxk3W6zIJbPih4Y8l-NMjnlPUKop_EJn0jNqzRKT7c1yrw90YBB4-E-aUEexa6Foh91VGW4PxByOPmEfyLCNk7M9Iw5zh0ss7v-6yADzY/s320/IMG_20200201_211834_773.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wO-UX64VWEzHaIrJFkYtswAKL_oSiiRcqjjjENlsiUgq0K3ZpYLHwR8_glCIARi23N-NdsK5J5lzi8c_jOgcJ1zI4xnArSlGRA028lV-DRJqfJXegWMWFCyY7tU_ldgS4cRtQrcUawg/s1600/IMG_20200201_211834_775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wO-UX64VWEzHaIrJFkYtswAKL_oSiiRcqjjjENlsiUgq0K3ZpYLHwR8_glCIARi23N-NdsK5J5lzi8c_jOgcJ1zI4xnArSlGRA028lV-DRJqfJXegWMWFCyY7tU_ldgS4cRtQrcUawg/s320/IMG_20200201_211834_775.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not a HUGE difference, but there is definitely progress</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here are the overall before and after pictures from April 2019 to February 2020. There is about a 20 pound difference, believe it or not. It definitely shows in the face. I really can't believe how Shrek-like my face looked like, but hey, it was 5 AM.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlncsKtRkwqbU3FQWze8QbNdrZhvL493KejXScqoCuCGiQomMU8L703dppTEOWihbAHBgmGDpgMbJgrmBln8iCcF2XlWRV_FYzHDNwq0y3XgBJpKl7pbtM26uMIYOS313yZilmwtFZok/s1600/IMG_20200218_084651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlncsKtRkwqbU3FQWze8QbNdrZhvL493KejXScqoCuCGiQomMU8L703dppTEOWihbAHBgmGDpgMbJgrmBln8iCcF2XlWRV_FYzHDNwq0y3XgBJpKl7pbtM26uMIYOS313yZilmwtFZok/s320/IMG_20200218_084651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSw433t2B3IvReuoszOU9mtrixiSVQYZAB1iX0XF9h89Upf-_XaSr_4k2QD6zD3HTS-JyasFZHwhANQAtD93WlsNwxXHX1AexQMq3vNv-ybQUQ1Zhl8HeodXkNevBF5xuW5NdiGCgqM0/s1600/IMG_20200218_084810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSw433t2B3IvReuoszOU9mtrixiSVQYZAB1iX0XF9h89Upf-_XaSr_4k2QD6zD3HTS-JyasFZHwhANQAtD93WlsNwxXHX1AexQMq3vNv-ybQUQ1Zhl8HeodXkNevBF5xuW5NdiGCgqM0/s320/IMG_20200218_084810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56RKtjdBb7kW62oZjdVhow661OoCGVdlOhVNFh-WCrMVVrf4Y9v5pLon3MK7lSmRJyKNUHUbcPkGduADklUmpl_Ck7Zmsaq0MKfafUJPiIKbNyDWCIa8vu31qagsg3iq9iQeIFv5uf-A/s1600/Screenshot_20200218-095457_MyFitnessPal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56RKtjdBb7kW62oZjdVhow661OoCGVdlOhVNFh-WCrMVVrf4Y9v5pLon3MK7lSmRJyKNUHUbcPkGduADklUmpl_Ck7Zmsaq0MKfafUJPiIKbNyDWCIa8vu31qagsg3iq9iQeIFv5uf-A/s400/Screenshot_20200218-095457_MyFitnessPal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My weight loss progress over 9-10 months</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Big difference right?<br />
<br />
What I have learned from this self-imposed challenge:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I can still get a good workout from a non-cardio activity. (However, this did mean focusing on getting more activity throughout the whole day to keep burning calories.)</li>
<li>With lighter weights, my arms have shrunk significantly. In fact, my right arm alone <u>decreased in size by OVER <b>one inch</b> in one month</u>! I had to measure my arms more than once to verify. I would way rather have smaller arms than bigger biceps. Light weights are emphasized in the Bar Method with a focus on shoulders, back, and triceps. I was previously using heavier weights in different workouts that made my arms bigger. I have always struggled being top heavy (an inverted triangle body type), and have been <b><i>super</i></b> self-conscious about the size of my arms. I was under the impression that heavier weights would help improve muscle tone, but I just feel like they bulked up my already bulky upper body. </li>
<li>Even though I only used light weights for upper body exercises, my shoulders and triceps feel more toned than when I was using heavier weights before. For the first time in my life, I actually have definition in my upper right arm. I think it must be related to getting deep in the muscles with small, concentrated movements.</li>
<li><br /></li>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx0VQFdm_lb13qU9j89kye1iYuKUohLtCFaJY5uk6mQAhfNvdzsmfATfg4K4zPcU3mQmWaq0-RcsdGj4GbynXxGOiST6lARtZ4P7x9DbGL_IA_p7m4rLDq3c9LIHlgyeSUkOVbScRLVU/s1600/20200204_134819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx0VQFdm_lb13qU9j89kye1iYuKUohLtCFaJY5uk6mQAhfNvdzsmfATfg4K4zPcU3mQmWaq0-RcsdGj4GbynXxGOiST6lARtZ4P7x9DbGL_IA_p7m4rLDq3c9LIHlgyeSUkOVbScRLVU/s320/20200204_134819.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you like cheesy workout progress photos? Do you like the old school "duck face"? How about combining the two? Killin' it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr0nfMGDu-7ym91FIBWts3okLmJMLgD4xa2ebDNgAv1YQsZI2__jgCu-0aghrLnIsuGofvK_NRBmikCgxdBLxIPST3MrsSQ3EhuVuOMklXZyzUioTwp6lSluy_ebG6PiHtShmrdTt78M/s1600/20200204_134742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr0nfMGDu-7ym91FIBWts3okLmJMLgD4xa2ebDNgAv1YQsZI2__jgCu-0aghrLnIsuGofvK_NRBmikCgxdBLxIPST3MrsSQ3EhuVuOMklXZyzUioTwp6lSluy_ebG6PiHtShmrdTt78M/s320/20200204_134742.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, my right arm was feeling a little camera shy, and didn't really want to show any muscle definition. Also, it's not very photogenic to begin with. In fact, I don't know why I'm including this photo, but oh well. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<ul style="text-align: start;">
<li>Barre workouts require a lot of mental fortitude. When you are deep in a muscle and you are shaking like crazy, it's hard to convince yourself mentally to keep going.</li>
<li>Doing lower intensity exercise helps me get out of bed easier. When I did cardio early in the morning, I lay in bed for 20-30 minutes every morning before exercising because I wasn't mentally prepared.</li>
<li>The <a href="https://barmethod.com/bar-online/" target="_blank">Bar Method online</a> videos are great! I have really loved them so far. There have been ones so difficult that I am sore right away (usually I don't feel sore until the next day). They vary in difficulty, intensity, and styles of instructors. </li>
<li>Barre exercises give your glutes and hamstrings super powers. They make me feel like I'm power walking with springs in my legs and booty, and I look like I'm walking with purpose to get to my destination.</li>
<li>I was afraid that my legs would get bigger because of the lower body focus, but both of my thighs shrunk by one inch.</li>
<li>Having a wall barre is way better than using a chair as a barre. The stability allows me to work even harder when doing leg and glute exercises.</li>
<li>One bad thing: I got tennis elbow doing the Bar Method. I've gotten it before from a different exercise, and I'm not quite sure what exactly triggers it. Apparently push-ups can aggravate it, so I'm wondering if the 40-70 push-ups in a 60-minute workout are what triggered it for me.</li>
<li>I love barre exercises. They are intense without feeling like you're punishing your body. I really really hate running, and I also don't like weight lifting. This type of exercise just fits me much better.</li>
</ul>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyways, I am so impressed with my progress that I just may commit to the Bar Method long-term. I will probably add in cardio two times per week once my challenge is over. Mind you, the results did happen with calorie restriction most days of the week (between 1500-2000 calories per day). If you're trying to lose weight, you may not have the same results if you're eating too many calories.</div>
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Here's to more time at the barre in 2020 (yes, I know that's a cheesy joke that's probably been done a million times before).<br />
<br />
Also, thanks to everyone for the support to my <a href="https://shewishewi.blogspot.com/2020/02/what-does-your-love-story-sound-like.html" target="_blank">last post</a> about my personal life. 💕</div>
<br />Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-12920892944857752762020-02-08T14:26:00.004-08:002020-02-18T08:35:22.793-08:00What does your love story sound like?<u>Warning</u>: I'm not a professional writer, and I've had an emotional 24 hours. Bear with me here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibig9eZa0GNBwZ5JGrGqj5OzX22bkXst6ad3V35Fhy65k2W-nwDk26woMBnxkevand_rewLASpNe7gKCIlKpz7iT-utUnNDYBgA01PJNtgFqI8d2YgJXYLDZ_6c7VtuW4WTTa3zJoBMeo/s1600/20200208_103048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibig9eZa0GNBwZ5JGrGqj5OzX22bkXst6ad3V35Fhy65k2W-nwDk26woMBnxkevand_rewLASpNe7gKCIlKpz7iT-utUnNDYBgA01PJNtgFqI8d2YgJXYLDZ_6c7VtuW4WTTa3zJoBMeo/s320/20200208_103048.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
If you were to tell your love story, would there be a specific tone or theme?</h2>
<h4>
Would it be cynical, romantic, comedic, or something else entirely?</h4>
<br />
Starting out, I would have said our specific theme would be comedic. Graham and I are goofy and silly together. I also would have considered our love story to be romantic. We were and have been at multiple times in our lives completely wrapped up in each other. In our house, if you walk around the corner, you may still find us kissing or hugging each other just because we want to express our love. (We don't do this if we have guests--no need to fear. That would be awkward.)<br />
<br />
After 12 years, our love story tone has been altered to add the all-important theme of forgiveness.<br />
<br />
Some of you may have easy-to-tell love stories that are pretty smooth, ordinary, loving, but amazing all the same.<br />
<br />
But if you know us well, our love story has been anything but smooth. All I wanted in life was to find someone to love and to take care of. I was realistic in my hopes and plans for marriage, knowing that things wouldn't be all roses and never-ending fun. However, I had no idea what I was in for.<br />
<br />
You see, Graham has anxiety and depression, as well as some childhood stuff he's been dealing with. He goes through yearly cycles of being fine, making one small mistake, then things snowball from there. In these compromised thought and behavior patterns, he makes poor and illogical decisions that affect those around him.<br />
<br />
What is it like to be married to someone with a mental illness? (<i>This is a sensitive topic, I know. But if we don't share, how does it become <b>NOT</b> taboo?</i>)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I have been a support person and a victim to this behavior. </li>
<li>I have participated in multiple therapy sessions.</li>
<li>I have some emotional PTSD. </li>
<li>I get mini panic attacks when one thing slightly out of the ordinary happens.</li>
<li>I get paranoid when things are going well.</li>
<li>I have trust issues.</li>
<li>I have shed a lot of tears.</li>
<li>I think "<i>what tf were you thinking</i>?" way more than I should.</li>
<li>I am exhausted from having to be the stable one and carry that emotional load.</li>
<li>I feel isolated and alone, and I have had moments of deep despair.</li>
<li>I feel like I'm married to someone who's constantly trying to ruin their own life by making stupid decisions.</li>
<li>I am waiting for the other shoe to drop... every day of my life.</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I have cried during workouts and long car drives, said "<i>I didn't sign up for this</i>", prayed myself to sleep, whined "<i>life isn't fair</i>", and screamed into my pillow. I try to be understanding and forgiving, but I also wonder if I will ever reach the point of giving up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When Graham and I got <a href="https://shewishewi.blogspot.com/2013/12/time-to-turn-page.html" target="_blank">back together</a> in 2013, I knew things could happen again. We decided to only have two kids because of the additional stress of the underlying anxiety/depression. I have a hole in my heart where my third child (a boy named Barrett) should be. I work full-time in case things ever go badly. I participate in retail therapy instead of discussing my feelings. I have hoped for the best and prepared for the worst.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is an incredibly heavy post. If you know me well, I try to make things light-hearted most of the time. This isn't one of those times. I am also trying to open up a little and be more vulnerable. Being vulnerable and open about how I feel is something I <b>never</b> do. All of my life, I have joked around with people to prevent myself from really sharing myself with others. Recently though, I have been more cringingly (<i>is that even a word?</i>) open about how I feel, even though it makes me want to stick a fork in my eye. (Like if you're reading this, and I have told you that I like hanging out with you--I don't normally do that. I would much rather tease you or make fun of you than do that.) Anyways, I wish I could really share more, but it's not my story to tell. But, this IS my love story. And our love story still has yet to be finished.</div>
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<div>
Thanks for reading. I was going to do my fitness update, but my life was temporarily hijacked.</div>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-29092949681604401172019-12-31T09:30:00.002-08:002020-02-03T10:37:35.413-08:00January Barre ChallengeI haven't blogged in a while, but yes, I am still alive. I have a final home building blog that I keep putting off posting. I'll post that within the next few weeks.<br />
<br />
Anyways, a few weeks ago, I was thinking about what I should do to change up my workout routine. I have been doing my RIPPED workouts 4 days per week with 2 barre workouts per week. The workouts have kept me engaged and in shape. However, I was thinking of making a change to see if I could make a difference in my body.<br />
<br />
So, in the middle of December I decided that I was going to do 1 full month of online barre workouts. I have tried <a href="https://barre3.com/januarychallenge" target="_blank">Barre 3</a>, <a href="https://ondemand.purebarre.com/" target="_blank">Pure Barre</a>, <a href="https://barmethod.com/bar-online/" target="_blank">Bar Method</a>, <a href="https://ondemand.physique57.com/" target="_blank">Physique 57</a>, <a href="https://suzannebowenfitness.com/videos/" target="_blank">Suzanne Bowen</a>, and <a href="https://www.bodybarre.com/#bodybarre-1" target="_blank">Body Barre</a> (they have videos on YouTube). I was carefully considering each option, thinking about price, style of workout, streaming options, etc. Physique 57 has one of the best online streaming options because it allows to make "mash-ups" of videos to customize your own workouts with shorter videos added on to each other. Suzanne is my favorite instructor for barre. Barre3 has a lot of support for challenges and mindfulness. Body Barre's YouTube videos are free.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC478TjvoUbua7aRC9NOzkCiB5_7eP9Q-dWGVyknZ_1cxGmlTuzl0400QSFK3T7OEVJ7HwkJvXW3fnVBj6MEGkS0GZdIqtt9zGKc_6HYQVsXBAry8ZPzArfE2o0GL5w_5-he15hqmKo4/s1600/20191225_085938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1600" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC478TjvoUbua7aRC9NOzkCiB5_7eP9Q-dWGVyknZ_1cxGmlTuzl0400QSFK3T7OEVJ7HwkJvXW3fnVBj6MEGkS0GZdIqtt9zGKc_6HYQVsXBAry8ZPzArfE2o0GL5w_5-he15hqmKo4/s320/20191225_085938.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Also, after I'd already decided to do my own barre challenge, my mom and husband surprised me with a wall ballet barre in my workout room. It was an awesome Christmas surprise!<br />
<br />
Ultimately I decided to do Bar Method videos. I chose them based on 1 principle: they work and consult with <a href="https://barmethod.com/?s=physical+therapist" target="_blank">Physical Therapists</a> prior to adding certain exercises to routines. Some of the other barre workouts are faster and may have a little more cardio, but I appreciate the fact that Bar Method vets their exercises prior to implementing them in routines. I value safety and evidence-based practice more than just getting a "good workout". I did my first online Bar Method workout yesterday called "fire and ice" that focused on glutes and outer quads. My legs have not burned or shook that much in a long time. I have done Bar Method videos on and off for years, but this one KILLED me. It definitely convinced me that I made the right choice.<br />
<br />
Because barre workouts don't burn as many calories as my normal RIPPED workouts, I plan to make sure to get at least 10,000 steps per day. I will also get back on my reduced calorie diet to get back on track with my weight loss. I have definitely taken a break over the past 2 months with my <a href="https://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/fitness" target="_blank">weight loss</a> journey. I haven't stopped working out, but I have not been careful about nutrition at all. It just shows you that you can't exercise off an "unhealthy diet" (aka too many calories and too many desserts).<br />
<br />
So, these are my guidelines for my own fitness challenge this month:<br />
1) 6 barre workouts per week from Bar Method.<br />
2) Get 10,000 steps per day.<br />
3) Track calories in MyFitnessPal.<br />
4) Take before and after pictures.<br />
5) Do body measurements before and after.<br />
6) Weigh myself weekly (NOT daily).<br />
<br />
I will post about my progress halfway through and when I am done. I love barre workouts, and I look forward to seeing how my body changes!Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-82627463439602882742019-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:002019-10-29T12:17:50.945-07:00Just LifeI know I have a couple of regulars who check here every now and then, but I don't really post that much. So, this one is for you! (And hello to some of you who may have wandered from my home building posts.) Warning: this is a pretty random post.<br />
<br />
--Our lives are pretty stable right now. Carter is playing youth sports, Sadie is going to start her first dance lessons, and I'm still working full-time.<br />
<br />
--Graham has been working hard on a project at work. In fact, he recently got a huge bonus for his hard work. He is applying for a new position that will allow him to work on this project long-term (fingers crossed).<br />
<br />
--Yeah, that huge bonus I mentioned? Spent. We just bought Leaf Guard gutters. That is expenssssive. But, where we live with all the trees and rain--we needed them desperately.<br />
<br />
--I'll do an update on our new house, but I do have one recommendation: don't get Samsung appliances. Our dishwasher was already replaced in less than one year.<br />
<br />
--Social anxiety. Do you have it? I do, and always have. I could literally write a whole blog post about this...<br />
<br />
Using technology makes it better, but I can sit and analyze every comment and text message that I have written for hours. I will also STILL cringe about things that I have said over a decade ago. I not only replay past conversations in my head, but I will constantly prepare myself for future conversations and think of multiple scenarios and possible things to say in every day life. It's mentally exhausting thinking of every thing a person might say and what I would say in response, but hey.. that's what social anxiety is to me.<br />
<br />
--Does this give me mom butt? I bought a new pair of pants and literally stared at my butt in the mirror for about 10 minutes. Normally I can make up my mind pretty quick, but this pair of pants had me stumped. I had to wait until Graham got home to help me decide. Seeing that my age is creeping up closer to 40, I must avoid mom butt as much as possible.<br />
<br />
--Workouts and exercise. I'm on the "don't miss a day" schedule. Even when I was sick, I got my butt up at 5:30 AM and exercised. It's one of the beauties of working out at home. I also did a barre-style workout one day at work. I thought it wouldn't be too noticeable, but I was freaking sweaty by the time I was done. I am feeling good because I can finally fit into my pre-Sadie pants (my pre-Carter pants are too big). I can also feel and see some good muscle changes happening in my legs, booty, and arms from adding more barre workouts in my life.<br />
<br />
Anyways, here's my most recent progress pictures (comparing April to August):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOcFKbRUg4rKHaTJHZEWuOHrabLkPTdz5NV8KMSxu2KS4NbDZdJwQm9cp5ClYUliDhspc9z3RJ4Bv3yCib1NmMydCacGAQteWJv2glkc4MAXO2RLXI_ZgNyf7rYnAwZLhsV9lhj55FuQ/s1600/IMG_20190831_085941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOcFKbRUg4rKHaTJHZEWuOHrabLkPTdz5NV8KMSxu2KS4NbDZdJwQm9cp5ClYUliDhspc9z3RJ4Bv3yCib1NmMydCacGAQteWJv2glkc4MAXO2RLXI_ZgNyf7rYnAwZLhsV9lhj55FuQ/s320/IMG_20190831_085941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ny1RCu2z99uRtrFfPUdXzjmwgCc9bmTDxZ5gcFRLV62S0jGzVPg5NIghss43iJW1HKmndZwvMEorCY4UBWjmg-e_Hpb9NVBJOLANq7yAFrynIZ8bAZbLgbVk6TZq6rgkEArT7d7VKjw/s1600/IMG_20190831_090235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ny1RCu2z99uRtrFfPUdXzjmwgCc9bmTDxZ5gcFRLV62S0jGzVPg5NIghss43iJW1HKmndZwvMEorCY4UBWjmg-e_Hpb9NVBJOLANq7yAFrynIZ8bAZbLgbVk6TZq6rgkEArT7d7VKjw/s320/IMG_20190831_090235.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Look, a little bit of muscle definition!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf8mPSu4PXGviOVuazrP0ekbHC6lwZeYZ6gZMRB92QIknwfk169Nclt5oNel7rIia3dhiDdEeTRP1EgNAwbgGbPVXPUQhskP_vU615gqO3PILXKcj-5XGCkGIBAunHh0ex_HKskZ0v14/s1600/20190918_151030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf8mPSu4PXGviOVuazrP0ekbHC6lwZeYZ6gZMRB92QIknwfk169Nclt5oNel7rIia3dhiDdEeTRP1EgNAwbgGbPVXPUQhskP_vU615gqO3PILXKcj-5XGCkGIBAunHh0ex_HKskZ0v14/s320/20190918_151030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
--Youth sports. Carter is playing soccer again. He is somewhat athletic, but he is not aggressive. He is learning some skills, but you can't teach someone how to be aggressive. I just don't foresee team sports like this in his future. We tried gymnastics, and while he is athletic and could hold a handstand longer than any boy or girl in the class, he could still barely do a cartwheel after 4-5 months. So, we will try taekwondo and maybe even rock climbing at the local Y when soccer is done...<br />
<br />
--Lash extensions. I have had them sporadically in the past, but they cost too much to maintain. I love the convenience of waking up and looking good, but I didn't have the extra money to keep it up. However, this summer, I decided to try them again. I found a good deal on Groupon, and I've been getting them filled every 3 weeks. I love the length and look of them, but with my makeup addiction, I find them to be annoying. My eyeliner and eye shadow both get gunked up in the lashes. So, if you are an eye shadow addict like me, lash extensions may not be for you.<br />
<br />
--Makeup. My purchases have slowed down a lot. I have too many eyeshadows to use them all in a realistic time frame. I keep up on my standard products, such as foundation, powders, etc, and I've invested in a couple more items that I love. If you want an update on my favorite makeup products, let me know.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-25289872218875745912019-08-07T08:38:00.002-07:002019-08-07T08:38:35.120-07:00Weight Loss Update<i>Whoa, we're halfway there.. whoa-oa, living on a prayer</i>..<br />
<br />
I really can't believe I just quoted Bon Jovi. My sister would understand my disgust.<br />
<br />
Anyways, I have reached my halfway-there weight loss goal: 15 out of 30 pounds! I am 5 pounds down past my pre-Carter weight, but I am 5 pounds away from my pre-Sadie weight. However, I am still about 12 pounds to my lowest weight in 2013.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLIzaWBBmolu950ak6jHjnwIlnf2LHdUHDnZwgNfOPIWnHMTt-zGFukvsyY7AjPNdJBcv5onpdjzp5NeE_pGRx0x3Tf31WRiAYoQdHOUgFrHRJqT1oSO3ec9dOszZalkrumfj3lwvd3I/s1600/IMG_20190807_082839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLIzaWBBmolu950ak6jHjnwIlnf2LHdUHDnZwgNfOPIWnHMTt-zGFukvsyY7AjPNdJBcv5onpdjzp5NeE_pGRx0x3Tf31WRiAYoQdHOUgFrHRJqT1oSO3ec9dOszZalkrumfj3lwvd3I/s320/IMG_20190807_082839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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April 4th vs August 7th</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBgzD6tWRFM0ID6RRykzCEUI_anr7AJyJuTUyb8PtIDBCbD2-E7H2aLvGNo11RFmLl5aasT11M5RTkrwaCfOuqRrQC21ZYzFxSHfC0QyzVAg0mZ5ZnrqVwX-vo4rrMSHDT6Swc5JIu1I/s1600/IMG_20190807_082158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBgzD6tWRFM0ID6RRykzCEUI_anr7AJyJuTUyb8PtIDBCbD2-E7H2aLvGNo11RFmLl5aasT11M5RTkrwaCfOuqRrQC21ZYzFxSHfC0QyzVAg0mZ5ZnrqVwX-vo4rrMSHDT6Swc5JIu1I/s320/IMG_20190807_082158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Same</div>
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Today I finally passed the 15 pound mark! I'm now down 15.8 lbs over 4 months!</div>
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Once I get all the way there, I will be at my lowest weight since my freshman year of college.<br />
<br />
I tell ya, it has <u style="font-weight: bold;">sucked</u> trying to lose weight. As a Registered Dietitian, I find it incredibly frustrating doing weight loss counseling with other people, and <b><i>seriously</i></b> I hate doing it with myself. It's a long-term game, slow moving, and takes a lot of mental and physical effort and commitment. There are no fast fixes to weight loss.. and if anyone tries to preach the keto diet to me, seriously go away.<br />
<br />
This is what I'm doing to be successful:<br />
<br />
1) Counting calories with MyFitnessPal. Yep. Weight Loss 101. Tracking your food can help you be more accountable and realistic. Whether or not you're trying to follow a specific way of eating (keto, whole-foods plant-based, Paleo, etc), it all comes down to energy in and energy out. BTW, I'm not citing sources on this one. I'm too lazy to do that, but there are plenty of other people that have done that.<br />
<br />
2) Increasing my non-exercise activity thermogenesis (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12468415" target="_blank">NEAT</a>). Back at OHSU in 2007/2008, I had the pleasure of hearing a lecture by a renowned British researcher, James Levine, MD, PhD. He had a dry British sense of humor I loved, but his ideas about increasing non-exercise activity have always stuck with me. Currently, I walk during my work breaks, I dance with my kids (the Just Dance app is perfect for this), and I do a mini neighborhood walk after dinner every night. I use my Fitbit to track my steps, which is a huge motivating factor to me to keep moving.<br />
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3) Working out 6-7 days a week. Yes, 7 days a week sounds like a bit much, but 1 day is stretching or yoga. What I've started doing is stretching on Sundays as I've found that my muscles are way too tight. I've also started switching up my routine. I was doing 5 days of RIPPED workouts and 1 day of Barre-style workouts, but I wanted more specific muscle toning. Now, I'll be doing 4 days of RIPPED and 2 days of Barre (plus some additional cardio those days to burn more calories). I'll let you know if this change will help with my body composition and muscle toning.<br />
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4) Decreasing portion sizes, not making baked goods as much, and trying to increase protein at breakfast. I'm experimenting if increasing the size of my breakfast meal will help me eat less at lunch or dinner. We shall see, but it worked yesterday!<br />
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Anyways, losing weight is hard. I wish it could be easier, but I believe that making small, simple changes can be sustainable over the long-term. I know I'll never be thin, I'll always have "<i>man shoulders" </i>from my dad and a soft stomach from becoming a mom, and my arms will never be small. This isn't negative self-talk, just my acceptance of my limitations. Going through pregnancy changed my body drastically and irreparably, but hey, at least my boobs like tripled in size! (Is that even appropriate to share here? Oh well.) One day, I just hope to be comfortable in my own skin. Oh, and I guess improving my health is a bonus as well.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-27227131363541843082019-07-25T13:43:00.002-07:002019-07-25T13:43:41.154-07:00Old-fashioned Family UpdateHello, my loyal readers (all <i>three</i> of you)!<br />
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I realized that I hardly ever do family and/or vacation stories or updates, so here you go.. Warning: this is a picture-heavy post,<br />
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Our big summer vacation this year: <b>Utah and Idaho</b>. Yeah, I know.. sounds lame. But, it's our longest road trip yet, and we decided to make the most out of it.<br />
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Carter's last official day of school was Friday, June 21st (it got pushed out from the Seattle Snowpocalypse days in February), but we had our nephew's wedding in Utah on the 21st.. so we literally drove alllll night through Washington, Idaho, and Utah to make it to the wedding. It didn't take nearly as long as we thought--we left at 4 PM on Thursday, and made it to Orem, UT by 6 AM (Mountain time), making it only as 13-hour drive. Apparently, the speed limit in Idaho on I-84 is 80 mph!! It was awesome, but I didn't feel safe going much over that in the dark on an unknown road.<br />
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We had every day packed full of visits with friends and family. I have one brother and Graham has one sister that live in Utah, so we made seeing them a priority. We had the wedding on Friday (btw, the Payson, UT, temple is amazingly beautiful), visits with my family and Graham's sister on Saturday, fun with cousins, 2nd cousins, and old friends on Sunday, visits with old college roommates and Graham's aunt and family on Monday, and we finally did some typical sightseeing in Salt Lake City at Temple Square with one last college friend visit in Utah before driving to Idaho.<br />
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Here are some pictures of our visits and activities. By the way, Carter now calls Utah the "cookie monster state" because of all the cookie places there. I totally agree. WTF Utah? How can you support a cookie place around every corner?<br />
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Not a bad random family photo. My mom usually cuts off our heads in the camera.</div>
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Just to get a scaled idea of how big and beautiful this temple is.</div>
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The happy couple!</div>
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<a href="https://www.swignsweets.com/" target="_blank">Swig cookies</a>--just kind of meh. I wasn't super impressed to be honest. Their soda mixes though--wow--I got the diet soda mix a couple different times, and all were delicious.</div>
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I'm officially a great-aunt now. How weird is that?</div>
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Graham and baby Brecken. Graham loves naps with babies.</div>
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Baby Autumn, who is the baby of Graham's "baby sister" Grace.</div>
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We hiked the Y. For those of us that live at low elevation, this is a tough hike at 4550 feet above sea level! Sadie did NOT want to walk or sit on shoulders, so Graham had a really tough hike.</div>
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We all lived in the same town from 2008-2011 when we were newlyweds and newly parents. Now in 2019, almost all of our old friends have moved out of our town.</div>
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Here's us gals in 2009 for our first "girl's night out". </div>
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The guys. </div>
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3 families worth of kids.</div>
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Kelley, Julane, and me in 2019. We were BYU roommates for two years. We all have two kids: one girl and one boy. How random is that? We haven't been all together since 2006. Kelley and I were friends and roommates in Portland after BYU.</div>
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Me, Julane, Kelley, and Tiffani in 2005. We totally look the same, right? Motherhood hasn't changed us a bit.</div>
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Sadie and Graham's aunt Cindy at the ranch.</div>
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The kids got to meet Graham's uncle's horses.</div>
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Temple Square</div>
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View from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.</div>
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I love the big and ornate doors.</div>
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Shannon and I were friends and dorm mates in 2001-2002 (crazy long ago, right?).</div>
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We drove to Council, Idaho on Tuesday. Graham's grandma lives there. Population: ~800. What? You've never heard of it? Weird. Here it is..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiCswbjkrXAHk0yK684BzdVjHsVr4W07v2sGiibTYgQ7w-eOC5dRxdShLZEGTi6nWP8pAOqRB6EOYEYPB0x8lW9kXYiThdUxPiFXJXsAYPxJYvFkh0JufAFnPEy7fdfGaT3xdsemfpCY/s1600/councilidaho.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="745" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiCswbjkrXAHk0yK684BzdVjHsVr4W07v2sGiibTYgQ7w-eOC5dRxdShLZEGTi6nWP8pAOqRB6EOYEYPB0x8lW9kXYiThdUxPiFXJXsAYPxJYvFkh0JufAFnPEy7fdfGaT3xdsemfpCY/s320/councilidaho.PNG" width="269" /></a></div>
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There's obviously not much to do in Council, but really we just wanted to see Graham's sweet grandma. We hung out with cousins, played croquet (I'm not a fan), played horseshoes (I sucked, but not as bad as croquet), and relaxed.<br />
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On Thursday we made the windy road trip up Highway 95 to Coeur d'Alene (CDA). We were prepared to give the kids dramamine, which did help them sleep and not be as motion sick as last time we drove on Highway 95. The whole purpose of this trip was to end our longest road trip ever up at Silverwood (the biggest amusement park in the PNW). Graham has been dying to go for ages, so we finally decided to do it.<br />
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On Friday, we did some hiking around and swimming in lake CDA. I definitely did not put my head under--that's too cold for me. The lake was beautiful and the 2-mile hike at Tubbs Hill was perfect for our kids. We also saw Post Falls, ID, ate at a Cracker Barrel, and got some huckleberry ice cream.<br />
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Cracker Barrel had some games for us to play before we got our food.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvjMvrP91kzM8-XYpTrXEmykzFQHRj98HxTZFRPNLgTUTLqhCTfwFuQkJ71K21S-xH5g_fnXRb9k3aTYgwF7-3Wd6WTL7pBb7aj5smXVCOuE3NB10O43SmFp8ED1T81sfI9iehtNo9iY/s1600/20190627_163258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvjMvrP91kzM8-XYpTrXEmykzFQHRj98HxTZFRPNLgTUTLqhCTfwFuQkJ71K21S-xH5g_fnXRb9k3aTYgwF7-3Wd6WTL7pBb7aj5smXVCOuE3NB10O43SmFp8ED1T81sfI9iehtNo9iY/s320/20190627_163258.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VbTu1Ucs60zbYA35QgMT0DVHR3noJVKFnGvL2xurjfdiRgPwg2InYprBJhrP257oRXzGuoiyO2aJTJDiFNbzWJ1h0DBmof1H1CCOihE0oGdqvBlnrBpYqebgWIN4SgmH6WhfMCUHfbQ/s1600/20190627_162840%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VbTu1Ucs60zbYA35QgMT0DVHR3noJVKFnGvL2xurjfdiRgPwg2InYprBJhrP257oRXzGuoiyO2aJTJDiFNbzWJ1h0DBmof1H1CCOihE0oGdqvBlnrBpYqebgWIN4SgmH6WhfMCUHfbQ/s320/20190627_162840%25280%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Post Falls</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjEgdbZgH8_1LJIWRJeQxySAylS2AjJGLEIF62MOn0acDQS72NagyVVXvHz-1U92rs6VdgB_t6sr-y9BdjjbIN-jIYSTW3qIaaXfEBVT_3S0N6MB648sJs4ji6Ki5Q-kwbdcqCbV1PJA/s1600/20190627_163526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjEgdbZgH8_1LJIWRJeQxySAylS2AjJGLEIF62MOn0acDQS72NagyVVXvHz-1U92rs6VdgB_t6sr-y9BdjjbIN-jIYSTW3qIaaXfEBVT_3S0N6MB648sJs4ji6Ki5Q-kwbdcqCbV1PJA/s320/20190627_163526.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Other side of the falls.<br />
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Us hiking at the lake in sandals</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-RtOnjeAnzBZU_pmqCupqInwVSPK7-zCIc3VhzVEnm9qBEywyoNsAE-ogBbvlKSry2W6scQ-WVycQtySQyWIfqffQ9qVdhwjmtX3TmJfN_2OhKo-WX3dPDHojFtCROb11Qi9O-YPvfI/s1600/20190628_115310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-RtOnjeAnzBZU_pmqCupqInwVSPK7-zCIc3VhzVEnm9qBEywyoNsAE-ogBbvlKSry2W6scQ-WVycQtySQyWIfqffQ9qVdhwjmtX3TmJfN_2OhKo-WX3dPDHojFtCROb11Qi9O-YPvfI/s320/20190628_115310.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They even had a mini suspension bridge</td></tr>
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Sadie wasn't super interested in the water.</div>
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We spent Saturday at Silverwood. It was expensive, but was perfect for our age of kids. They had a LOT of kiddie rides, so Sadie went on the most rides of all of us. I rode the big roller coasters and had a lot of fun. One was freaking awesome, but I was scared to get motion sickness, so I closed my eyes until I felt the roller coaster slow down.. HAHAHA. That was right before it ricocheted backwards and upside down. Certain swear words came out of my mouth in that moment. We hung out with Graham's cousin and her family, so my kids got to meet more of their 2nd cousins. We didn't really enjoy the water park because we spent most of the time looking for Carter and his 2nd cousin, and I recovered from the roller coasters by laying in a inner tube on the ground. I got really dizzy in the lazy/crazy river. Yes that's right--it's ridiculous, but it only exacerbated my motion sickness from the roller coasters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotDhn-BgjKV_WDYKByymshZU3RFN_CLmizadJ6usGtmlFuEBQiwumyGnmBWLBGmGXmslj1sOfrU6uh8pP10Ov8coHXLnBo0fSYBjukMQdNGq3hhR3a7Vyl6w2vAI6Oj0_oP7OnxM9MY0/s1600/silverwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1224" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotDhn-BgjKV_WDYKByymshZU3RFN_CLmizadJ6usGtmlFuEBQiwumyGnmBWLBGmGXmslj1sOfrU6uh8pP10Ov8coHXLnBo0fSYBjukMQdNGq3hhR3a7Vyl6w2vAI6Oj0_oP7OnxM9MY0/s320/silverwood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The infamous Aftershock roller coaster.</div>
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Before the roller coaster madness</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcBlhEN_rMv6hJFlj1o0t4wORjoElseQCVLmOkC3NyPWnidjQgCalw0Xah2zNGbJrafEF8X_0HfeUGTcE_zIWI2WlxMKKZMCTjR5ZnDvr_WK5vsp9yj2c7bD_jojwJ82FfZUalQw_TRg/s1600/20190629_183802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcBlhEN_rMv6hJFlj1o0t4wORjoElseQCVLmOkC3NyPWnidjQgCalw0Xah2zNGbJrafEF8X_0HfeUGTcE_zIWI2WlxMKKZMCTjR5ZnDvr_WK5vsp9yj2c7bD_jojwJ82FfZUalQw_TRg/s320/20190629_183802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sadie and her second cousin.</div>
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Second cousins and giant scoops of ice cream. Perfect way to end the night.</div>
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The lines weren't long at Silverwood except for two rides: the ferris wheel and bumper boats. Carter had to ride on <b>both</b> of them, of course. It was at least a 30-60 minute wait for both.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sHFj1gNvWJ_LpICJQs8PMsKTm1RvBWxdzRQc-woxAnHSE2Z1MozQfqE4f7jEIs0rZsRz9x795VOetBTdyp8PQvkmZBlXHD2HlqcDpFwxy9SZYZVJPbP3LvpqBYufldS42KTMhXwuofI/s1600/20190628_172043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sHFj1gNvWJ_LpICJQs8PMsKTm1RvBWxdzRQc-woxAnHSE2Z1MozQfqE4f7jEIs0rZsRz9x795VOetBTdyp8PQvkmZBlXHD2HlqcDpFwxy9SZYZVJPbP3LvpqBYufldS42KTMhXwuofI/s320/20190628_172043.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dinner in bed. I was so done with sleeping in the same room as my kids by this time.</div>
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Did I mention that the Iron Man was in CDA the same weekend? Some people asked us if we were there for that. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Graham last worked out in January...</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The drive home was supposed to only be about 5 hours, but we had freaking traffic starting in Cle Elum, WA, before even getting to Snoqualmie Pass. Anyways, we had a great time with friends and family despite driving a million miles. Funny enough, Graham and I are about to drive back to Utah for another family wedding in 2 weeks. We are not bringing the kids this time, though. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q-dWUK5wHxG1NDmxnqhWiFuEMoahhkRtbrZgg1VPoJjgluweuYfPUc4demOcgHfnbcbcE3snMh4cY-4bjgTxAaXC2w7m6kC5UlGDSe8r0HnSshj8_2S2WD9rnSG6XOmPEEVpOHF_uNs/s1600/20190630_095927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q-dWUK5wHxG1NDmxnqhWiFuEMoahhkRtbrZgg1VPoJjgluweuYfPUc4demOcgHfnbcbcE3snMh4cY-4bjgTxAaXC2w7m6kC5UlGDSe8r0HnSshj8_2S2WD9rnSG6XOmPEEVpOHF_uNs/s320/20190630_095927.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drive home, armed with tablets, markers, coloring sheets, and gummy bears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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All in all, it was a great trip, and now we won't fear long road trips as much. Our kids were pretty good. We just accepted that passenger seat is now called the "slave seat" to serve our masters in the back seat. Sadie was the worst task master. Peace out Utah--until next time.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-14788595995635813472019-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:002019-06-14T08:19:15.626-07:00The answer always is... Texas CaviarWhat do I bring to a potluck?<br />
<br />
What can I eat with tortilla chips?<br />
<br />
What can I pack for lunch?<br />
<br />
How can I increase my fiber intake?<br />
<br />
.... Texas Caviar (or otherwise known as Cowboy Caviar)<br />
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I tried this recipe from Cook's Country on a whim a few years ago for an afternoon at a picnic with some friends. I had no idea how it would turn out, and I was a little nervous about bringing basically a pickled bean and pepper salad.<br />
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Oh my goodness, this recipe is GOOD. Us 6 adults easily polished this recipe off in an hour. I bring it to work with my multi-grain chips, I bring it to church activities, and I recommend it <b>all.the.time</b> as a dip and side dish. You can always adjust the spiciness with the jalapeno. Anyways, I highly recommend this bean dip!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeAW6Mzoju1IzfLtGFKA9tOC26jx1W_B76S5o8wOz5_b9Djqwe7ytTi_5kN1aDJYojdriJQ86xTaD6_HhEMyu7BAs4uMZG9YRJ6xPGA5cHL-z45VdY2-QtuclAAWJS57Ss3hwIzv8M-I/s1600/texascaviar.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeAW6Mzoju1IzfLtGFKA9tOC26jx1W_B76S5o8wOz5_b9Djqwe7ytTi_5kN1aDJYojdriJQ86xTaD6_HhEMyu7BAs4uMZG9YRJ6xPGA5cHL-z45VdY2-QtuclAAWJS57Ss3hwIzv8M-I/s1600/texascaviar.PNG" /></a></div>
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Source: cookscountry.com</div>
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<h4>
Texas Caviar</h4>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1/3cup red wine vinegar<br />
3 tablespoons vegetable oil<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
1/2 tsp Salt and 1/4 tsp pepper<br />
2 (15.5-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed<br />
6 scallions, sliced thin<br />
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped<br />
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped<br />
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced<br />
1 celery rib, chopped fine<br />
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
1) Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper together.<br />
2) Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.<br />
3) Let flavors meld for at least an hour before serving (in refrigerator). Serve cold or at room temperature.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-20818641437764149342019-06-01T15:29:00.002-07:002019-08-28T11:35:17.159-07:00Life-Changing RevelationWhen we were getting ready for bed last night, I told Graham that I had a life-changing revelation today. His first response was, "<i>is this serious, or are you joking about makeup or something ridiculous</i>?"<br />
<br />
Ok, so I do joke a lot about important <u>and</u> stupid things... which is kind of what this blog is about.<br />
<br />
Maybe you already know this, but it took me 36 years of my life to realize this.. <u><b>Guys don't like funny girls/women</b></u>.<br />
<br />
Why was this such a shocker for me?? Even as a woman, I personally don't like a lot of female comediennes, but this is different. I like guys with a good sense of humor. I always have. I'm not unique in this trait, but I <b>always</b> assumed that because I found a funny guy attractive, that a guy would <i><u>also</u></i> be attracted to me because I am funny.<br />
<br />
My journal entries throughout high school and college are filled with the mystified thoughts of why guys didn't like me because I was: 1) smart, 2) funny, and 3) cute. I thought these traits should make me irresistible, right? Some of my journal entries from high school and college are written below:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“I
just don’t understand why I am a friend girl to <u>everyone</u>! I thought guys
liked funny girls.. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I thought being myself would help also. However—nothing
seems to work!"</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> "</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I
just thought guys liked funny girls… </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">From my track record, that would be a
loud, resounding </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">NO</b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">.”</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
I came to the conclusion in my 20's after I was married that most teenage boys and college guys absolutely do not give an F about #1 and #2. Some might, but most are concerned about looks.<br />
<br />
And <u>finally</u> in my 30's, I have realized that most boys/guys/men do not want a woman who is funny in her own right.. and this is backed by science. There are many <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/search/site/humor%20attraction" target="_blank">psychological studies</a> that demonstrate that women find humor attractive in a male, but this is not reciprocated by men. Men find a sense of humor attractive, but it falls under the category of "humor appreciation". This means women who laugh at men's jokes are found to be more attractive. Men find some funny women (especially those with a male or aggressive sense of humor) to be a challenge or a threat, whether it's to their ego or whatever.<br />
<br />
<b>#notallmen</b><br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200509/humors-sexual-side" target="_blank">same study</a> states, however, that some men find funny women attractive. These men are usually older, more educated, and have higher self-esteem. Maybe you're a guy and you're reading this, and you're offended by this because you like funny women.. Good for you. More power to you. I like you already.<br />
<br />
Also, I wanted to clarify that the study does specify that while men may enjoy jokes from women, they "<i><b>rarely want to marry them</b></i>". That's a sad generalization.<br />
<br />
As I've gotten older, I've also realized that the kind of humor I employ has an effect on others. I love self-deprecating humor. I make fun of myself a lot, and sometimes I assume others do too... Poor assumption, I know.<br />
<br />
Case in point... I was at a young single adult church activity with some friends and some people I had never met before. A guy I had never met was calling a girl to ask her a question about something. She didn't answer, and the guy said, "<i>oh, she missed my call</i>", to which I teasingly responded, "<i>Oh</i>, <i>she's probably just avoiding your call</i>". He gave me a look of death and asked rudely, "<i>Do I know you</i>?" I should have known that joke wouldn't be funny to him--he was a law student. He was much too serious to laugh at himself.<br />
<br />
Another example... I was at another church activity. It was field day races, and a cute guy was on my team. We were doing potato sack races, and when our team won, I flirtatiously remarked, "<i>Oh, you must be good in the sack</i>." He laughed nervously, and then never talked to me after that night. Turns out that some Mormon guys are uncomfortable with sexual humor. Awk-ward.<br />
<br />
I also learned that sarcasm can be a little funny, but is not really desirable in a long-term relationship. In high school and college, I was probably wayyyy too sarcastic and mean. I had some self-esteem issues that made me insecure (still do actually), and sarcasm was my deflection technique. I dated some sarcastic guys in college, and while they made me laugh, it really wouldn't have worked out. Eventually sarcasm can be mean and degrading from a romantic partner.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, I met Graham. While he admits that he was a bit intimidated by me (I am older, funny, and smart), he has enjoyed my humor since we met. To me, Graham has the perfect mix of all my favorite kind of senses of humor: goofy, self-deprecating, and some sexual. He made me less sarcastic and less mean. Is that what love does to humor? Is your sense of humor dependent on your mood and your relationship?<br />
<br />
Anyways, I still love to joke with men.. just to mess with them a little bit. I love some good clever and witty banter. But the last thing I'm now wondering about me is if this is considered to be flirting...? I'm going to chew on that for a bit.<br />
<br />
I'm willing to say that most of it is based on the situation I'm in. I do joke with my patients at work to make them feel comfortable, but I don't joke flirtatiously (although I'm fairly certain some of my male patients have taken it that way). As far as my interpersonal relationships with men and other friends, I try to be really careful with how I joke because sometimes I take it too far (just ask Graham's family).<br />
<br />
When it comes to my sense of humor.. I'm going to leave this journal entry from 2003 to describe how I feel...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>“If I wasn’t myself, I don’t know how I’d live. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>If I didn’t
find humor in everything, life would seem so bleak.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm too embarrassed to post any photos of me doing totally weird stuff to be funny (I have lots of those), but here's a good example of how me and my roommates tried to be funny and creative in college. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF319ReC4WKHfbiGgP5C4V6zd7jJ3jzKlfHCw6XkCJ2SKBmYuhyphenhyphenQ2-EzbwOp2Gm32_6os5tSyZUjFxtjbtdDO9TyfUDMUyKv3L7b5C0r7jqTQu6EOxn6qmlrCOOUL7Ca1Xx_vlTAe0bY/s1600/2003+snowmanfight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="901" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF319ReC4WKHfbiGgP5C4V6zd7jJ3jzKlfHCw6XkCJ2SKBmYuhyphenhyphenQ2-EzbwOp2Gm32_6os5tSyZUjFxtjbtdDO9TyfUDMUyKv3L7b5C0r7jqTQu6EOxn6qmlrCOOUL7Ca1Xx_vlTAe0bY/s320/2003+snowmanfight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-87206299716080044642019-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:002019-05-12T07:00:00.292-07:00Ode to My Little Sade BabeSadie...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCyW-91gw3UeWIqcQtUm9vJwsbpFE_3dqFlMxMLbYkXkFnUNrnsI8uKKo63F4xViDj7Z22an5Bko6zNIo8vHrk0FTiGaswtLfPY3yP2rHHmnVYzJS4f4bsKTVNSPlldIRBBwQ4SKt_VY/s1600/IMG_6796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="1195" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCyW-91gw3UeWIqcQtUm9vJwsbpFE_3dqFlMxMLbYkXkFnUNrnsI8uKKo63F4xViDj7Z22an5Bko6zNIo8vHrk0FTiGaswtLfPY3yP2rHHmnVYzJS4f4bsKTVNSPlldIRBBwQ4SKt_VY/s320/IMG_6796.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
You are exactly what I wanted in a daughter.<br />
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You are my tiny little capricious sprite that I adore.<br />
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You are semi-sweet, hilarious, mischievous, and a snuggle-bunny.<br />
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"<i>Can you snuggle me for a lil bit</i>?" is your favorite saying right now.<br />
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Your little dimples make it hard for us to say no.<br />
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But your tenacious streak is extremely irritating (once you asked us for dessert for about 30 minutes straight).</div>
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You love to eat all fruits. You can pound down a pint of blueberries in 10 minutes.</div>
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You love to color, sing, and play with dolls and blocks.<br />
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You play pretend and you even get your dad to dance with you (<i>he's only ever danced with me <b>twice</b></i>).</div>
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You tease your brother and will copy anything that he says or does. You wish his room were your room as well.</div>
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You love all things pink with unicorns and princesses.<br />
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You are definitely a girly girl and love to get your nails painted.<br />
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I'm worried about the day that you will be able to reach my makeup counter.</div>
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Your feisty spirit and determined nature will take you far in this life.</div>
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You have been the last and most adorable addition to our family. We love you dearly. </div>
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Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-91444883374039866262019-05-06T11:18:00.006-07:002020-10-09T11:08:45.219-07:00Dear College Sherri..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tEIWg6da9wY7xZQgeZgsc4IbELoCbPUrFU_UuUN_8xe4r_ScLz5l8wOWWfdVG10SXHQYgPGTjiVG-HXEIikWue2XHSFxHt5bHCwmzb7juncECqTad0nYzI8FOKMOSpx0CO4MsFtENt8/s1600/005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tEIWg6da9wY7xZQgeZgsc4IbELoCbPUrFU_UuUN_8xe4r_ScLz5l8wOWWfdVG10SXHQYgPGTjiVG-HXEIikWue2XHSFxHt5bHCwmzb7juncECqTad0nYzI8FOKMOSpx0CO4MsFtENt8/s320/005.jpg" width="320" /></a>So I recently met up with a friend that I had my freshman year of college at BYU. We really haven't seen each other since 2004-2006 (maybe even 2002??) other than Facebook. Both of us now live in the same town after not having seen each other in probably 14+ years.. It is pretty random that we now live in the same town, but that's beside the point..<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">←←My first day at BYU. Check out the sparkly lilac eyeshadow.</span><br />
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Man oh man was I nervous.. and it really got me thinking.. What was I like at 18/19 years old? What kind of impression did I leave? Am I even the same person that I was then?<br />
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Examples of me during my early college years..<br />
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Always trying to shake it like Shakira.</div>
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I want to clarify that this photo is a satire of Utah fashion. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXcQwoj8G_eVyugziDNYeaz4wjtxpSiBnxQ5f4ZbQcP9PEy4J2Wwvf-wzRcTJIeeZ1f_LmJQbDFwLCtcLDRw-yV_LkfDvMbD9q2QoFOvpBk-Ko58mvOnxrY0PEDqjj-EcK0b7INLVtIo/s1600/FB_IMG_1557165033537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="604" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXcQwoj8G_eVyugziDNYeaz4wjtxpSiBnxQ5f4ZbQcP9PEy4J2Wwvf-wzRcTJIeeZ1f_LmJQbDFwLCtcLDRw-yV_LkfDvMbD9q2QoFOvpBk-Ko58mvOnxrY0PEDqjj-EcK0b7INLVtIo/s320/FB_IMG_1557165033537.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not quite sure why we did this with our hands.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB27k_Cspsm6w5qMrIM2EtEdrEqwFdSFd_9meQkTyL4DOenYd9rGIVlaYU40xN5mrfhIVuvFHvpAyJ5HEGCNhFHSAZSfmxelIZ9joajaWlBDZ1BtcZcrWXvSxu5geKSF3r0glp1MzT9k0/s1600/FB_IMG_1557165026881.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB27k_Cspsm6w5qMrIM2EtEdrEqwFdSFd_9meQkTyL4DOenYd9rGIVlaYU40xN5mrfhIVuvFHvpAyJ5HEGCNhFHSAZSfmxelIZ9joajaWlBDZ1BtcZcrWXvSxu5geKSF3r0glp1MzT9k0/s320/FB_IMG_1557165026881.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Please take note of the hair and choker. So 1990's, yet this was 2002..</div>
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You're welcome. The 2000's decade was not good for me fashion-wise (missing is the photo of me in a Juicy Couture velour track suit).<br />
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If I went back in time, would I tell myself anything? Would I do something differently? How have I changed?<br />
<br />
Well, for starters..<br />
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I am essentially the same person half my life later (yes I was 18--18 years ago!).. I am still an introvert, self-conscious, slightly competitive, witty (I've always considered myself to be funny even if you don't), full of social anxiety, even-tempered mood (apparently the formal term is equanimous), kind of lazy, and an overall logical/pragmatic person.<br />
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However, I do care less about what people think of me despite being self-conscious. I am more responsible, less judgmental, more empathetic, less attention-seeking, more spiritual, and less sarcastic.<br />
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I have been through a lot within the past two decades that has helped me mature. Would I go back and change some things? Absolutely--there are some things I have said and done that make me cringe so hard. But, the experiences that were difficult to get through are what made me who I am today. Hey, I straight-up told a guy friend that I had a crush on him, and he told me he didn't. That was the worst thing ever to 19 year-old me. I made myself vulnerable and really put myself out there, and I was devastated when I was rejected. But the experience taught me that 1) "<i>he's just not that into you if he's not asking you out</i>", and 2) it's ok to be vulnerable sometimes. I also learned that I don't like when a guy serenades me with a guitar. That was a really difficult experience to live through, and it was only 5 minutes of my time in college.<br />
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If there is one thing I wish I could tell my late teens, early 20's self is that I will not get married in college. I wasted soooo much time worrying about boys and not about college! My outlook in life during those years would've been much different if I worried about my grades and not my dating life.<br />
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Anyways, what if you met someone from your past that you haven't seen in years? Would you revert back to your old self, or do you feel comfortable enough in your own skin as you are today?<br />
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<b>Spoiler alert</b>: the blast from the past meet-up went well and wasn't awkward.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-12260018758452698242019-05-01T10:32:00.000-07:002019-05-01T10:43:07.668-07:00New Old Exercise RoutineLook.. I did a comparison photo shoot. Like I said, not too much difference in 2019 from 2018. Boo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xR2qMDl0m-ql86fZVNuq8GPS3R5HADhQbgkaxbL_Bnc6UaMqNN6EbC_skVxd77rkr3h9N6c1RV2EM4GN9IkkmNS2YqXo2f9qeBCTTiROoNYZqli4jBsIx8SjTBTfpWpCEJPZWfjCTqU/s1600/IMG_20190404_093411_045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xR2qMDl0m-ql86fZVNuq8GPS3R5HADhQbgkaxbL_Bnc6UaMqNN6EbC_skVxd77rkr3h9N6c1RV2EM4GN9IkkmNS2YqXo2f9qeBCTTiROoNYZqli4jBsIx8SjTBTfpWpCEJPZWfjCTqU/s320/IMG_20190404_093411_045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2017 2018 2019<br />
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But, I got this cool scale from Renpho (only $25 on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/RENPHO-Bluetooth-Body-Fat-Scale/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=renpho&qid=1556732191&s=gateway&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Amazon</a>) that tracks my % body fat, weight loss, etc, and syncs to my FitBit account. It's pretty good and wayyy cheaper than the FitBit scale. The surprising thing when I stepped on the scale was that I don't have a high % of body fat. Visceral fat, on the other hand, (the fat around my organs--yes, that's not good) was a little higher than I'd like. When I got my DEXA scan (the gold standard for measuring fat/muslce/bone mass) in grad school when I was 25 years old, my body fat % was much higher (I was not exercising then, but weighed approximately 10# less). Here's my report..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaderkIJ6BoIfSbU_kYx7sS5hHCL9LUFzCQwS3A4sGi7K8sVl3CKl8zN8fjDrCUFJLBju6858mSvmHMoBn1_34LNFZ_7kzUfNHKfr6OeDVBfpMSZBsK1GfbIox7w46jmw0yMCU8jR4ruI/s1600/20190405_094747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="969" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaderkIJ6BoIfSbU_kYx7sS5hHCL9LUFzCQwS3A4sGi7K8sVl3CKl8zN8fjDrCUFJLBju6858mSvmHMoBn1_34LNFZ_7kzUfNHKfr6OeDVBfpMSZBsK1GfbIox7w46jmw0yMCU8jR4ruI/s400/20190405_094747.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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Body Fat %</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7-g-Y8FwtHyINp8oOuCEi9Ettv08pTq1wrYETMCh_axbIsjISgOYJurDTV4aMWb0XsXIJMMlGnQGLdACgDIraHmqone4HFE4t7cTq3TGveiQ6aTbkEqCMOJrZ6RlTOKk7QqM4bc1U8I/s1600/Screenshot_20190501-103838_RENPHO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1073" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7-g-Y8FwtHyINp8oOuCEi9Ettv08pTq1wrYETMCh_axbIsjISgOYJurDTV4aMWb0XsXIJMMlGnQGLdACgDIraHmqone4HFE4t7cTq3TGveiQ6aTbkEqCMOJrZ6RlTOKk7QqM4bc1U8I/s320/Screenshot_20190501-103838_RENPHO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Subcutaneous fat %</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujedXynOPJMCBRbpTNVlkv5KR9IMGg3LOcriryXtZ4CnKZeVGEe89hyi9ZbiBHL6VugViLRIIJDM63S93NSVxI0fVN1qy7isZJPWmISs0OAuOrVvLnHhw71BWO_b2tcvjq79DFLjc_WU/s1600/Screenshot_20190501-103903_RENPHO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="1079" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujedXynOPJMCBRbpTNVlkv5KR9IMGg3LOcriryXtZ4CnKZeVGEe89hyi9ZbiBHL6VugViLRIIJDM63S93NSVxI0fVN1qy7isZJPWmISs0OAuOrVvLnHhw71BWO_b2tcvjq79DFLjc_WU/s320/Screenshot_20190501-103903_RENPHO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Visceral Fat</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEehrPV8_E9GH0IbPz4I-kFskvN8iurbBh-NAVN3rxkI7B-QFL6C3SEX8tw9o2gVdQqpnz0kkkQ9uv9hvISF80j0iNyNjDAufGoW2p7cD56GWWUctTx8WPXE2xbvD_gvX2Zv4Y4ul-QY/s1600/Screenshot_20190501-103919_RENPHO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="1080" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEehrPV8_E9GH0IbPz4I-kFskvN8iurbBh-NAVN3rxkI7B-QFL6C3SEX8tw9o2gVdQqpnz0kkkQ9uv9hvISF80j0iNyNjDAufGoW2p7cD56GWWUctTx8WPXE2xbvD_gvX2Zv4Y4ul-QY/s320/Screenshot_20190501-103919_RENPHO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It shows you normal ranges of each individual category including bone mass, and it also tracks your changes. Another cool thing is that you can set up multiple users in your Renpho smartphone app. The hilarious thing is if you don't change the user on your app before you weigh someone, it can track changes incorrectly. Carter stepped on the scale and didn't tell me before he did, so I got a "<b><i>CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE LOST 100 POUNDS</i></b>!" notification from my phone. Um yeah, if I weighed 45 lbs I would be dead.</div>
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Like I said before, I recently changed from all cardio to online <a href="https://www.rippedfitfactory.com/" target="_blank">RIPPED</a> workouts. I used to do the workouts at the local YMCA, but now I live ~30+ minutes away from the closest class.<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="639" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRIPPEDFans%2Fposts%2F2658704667534591&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I am going to sing its praises to the world. If you are like me and can't help exercising to a beat, or if you really like to go with a choreographed routine, this is the workout for you. I cannot stand lifting weights because it is sooooo boring and I can't do it to a beat. RIPPED makes lifting weights, push-ups, and cardio so much fun because it goes with the music. The 60-minutes literally fly by (although they have shorter routines as well). I feel my muscles getting stronger, and I'm getting more agile with all of the plyometrics in the routines. I just love this workout so much that I wanted to share it with you all. I wish they would have a free temporary trial for everybody just to see if you would like it, but c'est la vie.<br />
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The online subscription is $10/month, which is pretty good. I hope they add more videos, or that they had some options to pay for digital downloads or DVD's. Anyways, just wanted to share this with you all.Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-22605800216094939262019-03-29T08:56:00.001-07:002019-04-05T09:09:11.411-07:00Fitness in my 30'sLast night I lay in bed thinking deep thoughts...<br />
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<i>How much do I weigh</i>??<br />
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Seriously. I haven't weighed myself in what feels like years. I literally got out of bed at 9:30 PM and walked to the kids' bathroom to weigh myself. The numbers were not what I wanted to see, but they weren't the worst I've seen.<br />
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So, I've re-committed myself to <a href="https://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/exercise" target="_blank">losing those same 20-25 pounds</a> I lost seven years ago in March 2012.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bempvKKR_zmjawAdsBipT6NYkM5jtTISMgC6-jAjfLydUuHMT9DLJHuh0zulseZ1Vrjc5K7T7Ek8DUo6nOlhnUrIH4UuZY-s9hTkaaVLP8Zf_QBFBmlbe_toM0jjv8PAnOxEPxHSBYo/s1600/christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bempvKKR_zmjawAdsBipT6NYkM5jtTISMgC6-jAjfLydUuHMT9DLJHuh0zulseZ1Vrjc5K7T7Ek8DUo6nOlhnUrIH4UuZY-s9hTkaaVLP8Zf_QBFBmlbe_toM0jjv8PAnOxEPxHSBYo/s320/christmas.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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2011 2012</div>
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I have been exercising steadily for the past 2 years, with some minor breaks for depression and life. I wanted to lose weight by exercising and not watching what I eat. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work that way in your 30's. In your 30's, weight just doesn't fall off your body unless you have some serious medical issues.<br />
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Also, you know what doesn't work as well in your 30's? Your body. You can hurt yourself by doing the most simple things. I have injured myself doing <u>stupid</u> things, like my hip kept popping out of joint, I got tennis elbow from working in the yard, and I injured my rotator cuff by trying to get more steps on my Fitbit by doing arm circles instead of steps. Yes, I did try to cheat my FitBit step counter, and I paid for it dearly.<br />
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When I lost weight in 2012, I gradually built up my exercise routine and gradually I lost 25 pounds. I didn't eat super healthy, but I also didn't eat super unhealthy. The weight just came off. It felt easy, other than the TurboFire workouts I was doing.<br />
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I have been doing the same TurboFire workouts (<i>in the morning--I </i><b><u>never</u></b><i> thought I could do that!</i>) since August 20th 2018. That is over 7 months of kicking, punching, jumping, and super sweating at 5:30 AM. I thought if I just did hard-core cardio every day, I would just lose weight without trying. HAH. I actually gained 7 pounds over 7 months. Super cool. I wish I had these amazing before and after pictures from doing TurboFire workouts again, but no such luck..<br />
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Obviously, I was doing something wrong. I knew in my heart I was eating too many desserts and sweets, but I didn't want to change. My sister introduced me to this super easy <a href="https://ourbestbites.com/caramel-corn/" target="_blank">caramel popcorn</a> recipe, and I've made it way too many times. I also made these super delicious <a href="https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/11272-gooey-butter-cake-bars" target="_blank">gooey butter bars</a> during the Seattle Snowpocalypse in February, and I swear I gained 5 pounds over those 5 days. I also bought this amazing <a href="https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/the-perfect-cookie" target="_blank">Cookie cookbook</a>, and I unfortunately have made wayyyy too many recipes from it.<br />
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Graham and I have both committed to eating less treats, me baking less desserts (the dang double oven tempts me to bake more!), and to trying to make fruit-based desserts more (like roasted pears or peaches). He is committing to working out more frequently, and now that I've finished TurboFire for the third time, I'm moving on to online <a href="https://www.rippedfitfactory.com/" target="_blank">RIPPED workouts</a> and my barre videos.<br />
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And, I'm back to weighing myself weekly to keep me accountable. I kept trying to ignore the fact that my pants were slightly tighter than they were... Sigh.<br />
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I'm back to where I started 7 years ago--trying to lose 20 pounds. At least this time I'm not starting from scratch. Luckily I have good support, a set routine, and a dedicated workout room to keep me going.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlK3y526yTBnQI5-7bneNXHhcD0tiO066C0j74y8kz9Q8ZO96g9Qk39BD1fQFaKqfmNa98Mq0lXY7gaA2gZZ4VXB3DWlWfIUlCMV_XiacaC_8h59lF0RZxaMm6zvhq8ozPSXqHl8Jfbw/s1600/20190329_115230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="872" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlK3y526yTBnQI5-7bneNXHhcD0tiO066C0j74y8kz9Q8ZO96g9Qk39BD1fQFaKqfmNa98Mq0lXY7gaA2gZZ4VXB3DWlWfIUlCMV_XiacaC_8h59lF0RZxaMm6zvhq8ozPSXqHl8Jfbw/s320/20190329_115230.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
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I don't have any recent full body pictures within the past 4 months, so this is it. 😂😂</div>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-32996935657241558342019-01-28T16:16:00.001-08:002020-02-27T14:30:12.081-08:00Master Bedroom UpdateWell, this is quite the detour from my normal blog posts.. We have been working on small projects around the house, like parts of the garden, steps up to our yard from the road, and some minor interior projects.. but you SHOULD see our double barn doors from <a href="https://artisanhardware.com/" target="_blank">Artisan Hardware</a>. They are beautiful and function to separate the master bedroom from the exercise room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzUeOWpXOD01GkOFiL4qXn5Jz5soixuyCGeuEiWEVcc63OYCME4xolr9nuG2YJNm7YThPP8HOqRL8liL3ME8Oh4iUQ2GQjrvmnCMwVT1mVKeDw8BB0FPmbRSMsxtzvGAFm5iGcVy2Al8/s1600/20190113_094733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzUeOWpXOD01GkOFiL4qXn5Jz5soixuyCGeuEiWEVcc63OYCME4xolr9nuG2YJNm7YThPP8HOqRL8liL3ME8Oh4iUQ2GQjrvmnCMwVT1mVKeDw8BB0FPmbRSMsxtzvGAFm5iGcVy2Al8/s320/20190113_094733.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9-kn6bbjeuolA2hXm0GYQZ-G68Ao3k2KXYtZCxKOJpcveYYaa9i1QAO6l5kX7I_giNcl2gMRjFfkbXz5TP00s5AlCSI2H0WQRCeqJ-q4_RuLblTxROLNELFgNAR2YIu7ODdVkVHppcQ/s1600/20190113_094727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9-kn6bbjeuolA2hXm0GYQZ-G68Ao3k2KXYtZCxKOJpcveYYaa9i1QAO6l5kX7I_giNcl2gMRjFfkbXz5TP00s5AlCSI2H0WQRCeqJ-q4_RuLblTxROLNELFgNAR2YIu7ODdVkVHppcQ/s320/20190113_094727.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AB2zbay6t_dx2klPw-8bxxYYYTazdg8cv3xWDqy5sDDdxLY_MYf6qkpqqgXwCwlL6aECGew4DdOfEduf4XoFwv64jaKESiHlGOVtwub8c34UnRSkgEJgaVvatoE1jaRDKZy-WG1hnAc/s1600/20190113_094706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AB2zbay6t_dx2klPw-8bxxYYYTazdg8cv3xWDqy5sDDdxLY_MYf6qkpqqgXwCwlL6aECGew4DdOfEduf4XoFwv64jaKESiHlGOVtwub8c34UnRSkgEJgaVvatoE1jaRDKZy-WG1hnAc/s320/20190113_094706.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-31953178863567570562018-10-19T13:58:00.001-07:002018-10-19T14:06:08.141-07:00Things I wish I would have known before building a semi-custom homeSo, I did a lot of reading online before deciding to build a home. I looked at blogs, I read home website and magazines, but now that I'm done building... I don't feel like I was adequately informed, and I was naive enough to think we were ready.<br />
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Newsflash: we were NOT ready to build a home. Here's what I wish we knew (or did)..<br />
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<h4>
Save Money</h4>
1) Save more money. Don't just think you have just enough for the down payment and monthly loan payments. You need more money for unexpected items along the way. If you can, budget in more money in the contingency fund section for your construction loan. Don't ask how much to save--just keep saving until you think you have <i>too much</i> money.<br />
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Price Increases</h4>
2) There will be price increases even if you're using a general contractor or a well-known on-your-lot builder. The price of lumber increased, there are tariffs on some foreign home building products that recently increased, and sometimes your builder may charge you a fee if your home isn't ready to build within a certain time frame (check your contract carefully prior to signing!).<br />
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Nothing is Cheap</h4>
3) Everything is expensive and will add up. We decided to get some crawl space vent covers for our home, which were over $75 each! We paid someone to build our stairs, and while the lumber wasn't too expensive, labor is not cheap. A $3 bag of mulch sounds cheap, but it's NOT when you have to buy over 100 bags.<br />
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Landscaping</h4>
4) Put money in your budget for landscaping. If you're lucky, maybe you don't have to do a thing to your dirt prior to moving in. But, if you're like us, you may have to do SOMETHING and cover all disturbed soils, so we HAD to hydroseed, we HAD to mulch, and we HAD to put bark on our sloped hill.<br />
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Make Compromises</h4>
5) Cut costs where you can if your budget goes over. We had to get rid of our concrete driveway pad and walkways. We now just have gravel, pavers, and rocks, which isn't my ideal in our PNW wet winters. We bought cheaper floor tile for our laundry room and the kids' bathroom. We bought and installed our own utility sink. We went with chrome bathroom and kitchen fixtures because the upgrade cost was ridiculous for brushed nickel. If we want to upgrade faucets later on, we can replace them easily.<br />
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Be Realistic</h4>
6) Be realistic about your abilities for DIY projects. We initially were going to get vinyl flooring in the laundry room, and put in tile ourselves later. Tile installation is not too tough right? But when we carefully considered our plans, that would mean we would have to rip out the flooring, remove our mudroom shelves along with the utility sink, and take out the washer and dryer. Was that realistic for us with 2 kids and 2 full-time jobs? No way. We found some cheap but nice-looking tile at Home Depot and nixed the vinyl.<br />
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DIY</h4>
7) DIY when/if you can. We did our own dining room nook cabinets, tile backsplash, and butcher block countertop. <u>Ask for help</u> if you need it. My husband struggled with installing cabinets by himself and some ended up a tiny bit crooked. A neighbor helped us cut our countertop down to size. My father-in-law helped my husband install the pantry shelves. Watch YouTube videos if you're really unsure of yourself, but like I said.. be realistic about your skills.<br />
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Mistakes</h4>
8) Errors will be made--by you, your builder, the tradesmen, the county, the draftsmen, etc. Everybody is human and you cannot expect perfection. However, the most important thing to know is to catch the mistakes early. Ask questions. Verify the dimensions, the angles, the plans. Don't be afraid to confront someone and demand mistakes to be corrected. It's much easier to get things fixed before it gets too far. Look closely at everything done in your house. We realized <u>after</u> we moved in that our tile guy installed our master bathroom's tile floor with two different grout colors.<br />
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Estimates</h4>
9) Get things in writing, whether it's the work to be performed or the estimated price. Sometimes a contractor will increase the price after the job has been started. This happened to us, and our guy nearly doubled our tile installation cost after the first day in our master bathroom. (He said it was because we were using specialty limestone tile, but really--double the cost??) We also wanted a specialty subway tile design in our kitchen and master bathroom. We thought it would be cheaper to get subway tile and get a cool design rather than buying fancy geometric or mosaic tile... but it wasn't. Because we didn't know we would receive a significant upgrade cost for installation of a subway tile design prior to choosing it, we went over our tile budget.<br />
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Builder</h4>
10) Research your builder. Contact others who have built with them (I've received at least 10 e-mails from people looking to build that have found my blog). Find other people on social media to see their experiences. Meet with them multiple times prior to signing a contract. Ask them questions about their timelines. Ask them about their standard features. Ask them about their subcontractors. See if they will provide resources from satisfied customers. We have neighbors that have built with other similar builders and ALL of them had major issues. My husband has a co-worker that was building a house with a solo General Contractor who could not get subcontractors to work for him because everyone has been so busy. This co-worker's house is still under construction... 2 years later.<br />
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Details</h4>
11) Really get into the details of the build. Find out what is your builder's preferences for insulation, HVAC, plumbing, foundation type, cabinet materials, etc. Ask your builder before you do or buy anything. We knew nothing about a ductless heat pump HVAC system. And yet, I bought an Ecobee thermostat so I could make our home a smart home with heating/cooling and save on energy costs. Little did I know, our house doesn't even have a thermostat. Yes--that's right--no ordinary wall thermostat. The temperature is monitored by the heat pump and a remote, but no--you can't just see the house's temperature on the wall. We expected something totally different than what we got. Research your materials--are you buying something that requires specialty maintenance or installation (like limestone tile)? Make informed decisions.<br />
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Expectations</h4>
12) Lastly, adjust your expectations, then re-adjust them again. Your house will take more time to build than they tell you. Take their timeline and add 2-3 more months. Your house will cost more money than they tell you. Take your budget and add $10-20K. There will be delays, mistakes, and this will be the most incredibly stress-filled time of your life. It's exciting, yes, but OMGoodness the stress was unbearable. My husband and I both agree that if we had to do it all over again, we would totally do it. It is awesome to have this amazing house exactly where want to live. However, we keep saying, if only we had known this or that.. so we both recommend building your own home as long you review this list and change your expectations of how your build will go.<br />
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And to answer all of your question, YES, we would build with Lexar of Tacoma again knowing all that we do now. We just wouldn't expect our semi-custom home to be done in eight months during a building boom in the Seattle/Tacoma, Washington area. To all of you potential home builders out there, good luck and best wishes for your future build!Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-11288653113322108042018-09-04T15:09:00.001-07:002018-09-05T08:58:15.696-07:00After Move-In UpdateWell, it's been a month since our official move-in date, and I have to say.. I freaking love our house. It was worth all of the pain and stress we have been through. So, to all of you building out there.. it <b>will</b> be over, and it <b>will</b> be worth it.<br />
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Things I love most about the new house:<br />
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<li>The location. Yeah, we could've bought a similar size house in a neighborhood for a bit more than we paid for the house... BUT we would be looking into our neighbors' houses every time we looked outside. Now, I see grass, trees, and the Puget Sound out the doors and windows. Plus, we have neighborhood friends with kids of similar ages! My kid can ride his bike down the dirt road to a friend's house. My kids can play outside without worry. We even had a small neighborly bonfire and s'mores last week.</li>
<li>The private master bedroom. It's tucked into the back corner, and I have to keep my door open to hear the kids at night.</li>
<li>The kitchen cabinets. Oh my goodness. There is so much storage that the cabinets look almost bare in some instances. I can put pots and pans in separate cabinets, and Tupperware lids and containers on separate shelves. It's magical.</li>
<li>Space. So much space. We don't have to squish behind another person behind the dining room table anymore. We had 5 additional adults and 3 children over at our house and we still had plenty of room. However, I find I misplace things all the time because now I have too much space.</li>
<li>The closet. Again, I have more space and organization possibilities than I've ever had. I have my shirts and cardigans organized by sleeve length, shoes by heel height, and even exercise clothes have their own drawers. </li>
<li>The heat pump. The summer heat in the Pacific Northwest is only unbearable for a few weeks, but man.. I love having air conditioning at home.</li>
<li>The feeling of being HOME. We have moved 7 times since we have been married (almost 9-10 times if you include when we were dating). We thought we were settled into our first house, but no, I got the crazy idea of building a new house. Despite the craziness, we have been involved with this house from the get-go, and it instantly felt like home. We still have a ton of projects waiting to be done, stuff waiting to be bought, and family/friends to invite over... but we are finally <i>HOME</i>.</li>
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Oh, and the crazy thing is, my husband has to travel for work, so he was only able to enjoy the house for 10 days before being shipped off. However, he is working so much overtime that it's helping us pay off the extra expenses for the new house.</div>
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Next up... and possibly one of the last home building blogs I'll do before I move on back to real life... Things I wish I would've known before building a home.</div>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-62774494498096169592018-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:002018-08-02T15:37:35.375-07:00We are IN!Although it felt like it would never be done, we are <span style="font-size: x-large;">DONE</span> (<i>mostly</i>).<br />
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Our inspection was delayed until July 31st due to some technicalities with the electrician, the appliances, doorbell, kick plate heaters, etc... But, we passed the final county inspection after the inspector spent maybe 10 minutes at the house. Crazy and kind of anti-climactic after 12+ months of stress.<br />
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We also had our home re-appraised to get rid of PMI on our mortgage.. And this is why we built and didn't buy... We have over <b>$100K</b> in equity in our home just starting out. It's crazy! The one thing that sucks about it is that the rates are slightly higher than when we started.. and over 0.5% higher than when we bought our first home in 2015.<br />
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Anyways, there are still some to-do items for Lexar, such as the missing doors, fixing the drywall dings and scratches on the wall, and some transition pieces between the floor and cabinets. There are a few painting touch-ups needed, but we can do that. Oh, and we are missing our 6 USB outlets. Anyways, they aren't urgent things, so we are moving in this weekend.<br />
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We had a major "what do we do??" moment last week during our move when our moving truck that we planned to rent all week couldn't even hold all of our furniture and boxes. So, we made 2 trips with the truck, our friends and church friends packed up some of our stuff in their trucks, and we moved it all into the garage. The major moving mistake of booking a small truck saved us money and time.<br />
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Anyways, I'll post more pictures when we are done.. But we did book a cleaning service that specializes in post-construction cleaning, and they did an amazing job. There was not a speck of dust left, and they cleaned the windows inside and out! Thank you Victory Cleaning Services in Yelm, WA!<br />
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Here are some finished house pictures until I start taking some new ones with my nice camera and in a furnished house..<br />
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All lit up at night. We definitely need some walkway lighting because it's quite dark in the middle front of the house.</div>
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My favorite thing: my painted navy blue door.</div>
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Our accent tile wall on our kitchen island. We still need to adjust those globe pendants down a bit.</div>
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Our rain wall stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. Paint is Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray with silver metallic acrylic paint on top.</div>
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My baby: round wood mirrors with patterned subway tile wall.</div>
<br />Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-43174640709994395912018-07-24T14:33:00.001-07:002018-07-24T14:33:27.640-07:00Cannot Believe It<h4>
Our final inspection is set for Thursday, July 26th.</h4>
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I seriously cannot believe it!<br />
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The painters were delayed from the 4th of July holiday, so our project manager threw everybody at our house that he could (there was someone there every day for a week doing things like finish plumbing, HVAC, etc).. but then the house had to sit for a week because we were waiting for painting.<br />
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In the meantime because everything was moving along, we put in our 30-day notice for our current rental. Then, we got scared that the house wouldn't be done by July 31st, and we asked to stay for another 2 weeks. The landlord/property manager said no (although technically they couldn't evict us because we pay rent).. and so then we FREAKED out. Like we would be homeless until our house was done. Luckily, someone from church offered to have us stay at their house for a week while our house gets done. AND, they have air conditioning. We save on rent for a month, and we move out of our stupid house. So, win-win. We will just move our house into a moving truck for a week, and then move into our new house when it's done. Hopefully all things will go well!<br />
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Anyways, the trim is beautiful, the baseboards are tall, the paint looks great, and our yard is landscaped (it was not optional for us---thousands of dollars later--can't say it looks great). I am so freaking excited that it's happening! I'll update as soon as we hear something.<br />
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Our kitchen desk. I plan to fill this puppy with cookbooks as soon as I can. It's still missing the bottom trim to the cabinets, but I don't know if we'll add it.</div>
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Kids' bathoom sans mirror. I chose the white shades for the light and now I'm regretting my decision. </div>
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Carter's room with paint and light.</div>
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Master bath vanity. Picture it with the mirror below.</div>
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Broyhill round mirror I found at Home Goods like 17 months ago.</div>
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Re-purposed lights we took from our old house. This is the view from the exercise room into the master bedroom. We plan to have barn doors between the two rooms.</div>
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View of the front porch. Turns out we need a railing per the county's regulations with anything four steps or more!</div>
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Kitchen island. I went with smaller West Elm globes, but now I'm kind of wishing we got the medium size. They also need to be adjusted down closer to the counter top.</div>
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View of our finished navy blue front door with white trim, Mindful Gray on walls, and mini-chandelier. I can't wait to get rid of the floor cover.</div>
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Dining room with toddler and chandelier. Man, I really wanted the long rectangular light, but it didn't work with the sloped ceiling. I think the light needs to be lower.</div>
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Blurry back porch photo. Man, we should've upsized the light!</div>
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Mulched hill with homemade rock wall, retaining wall, and gravel around the porch.</div>
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Our hydroseeded back yard after its first haircut.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Update</b></u>: Curious about our progress? Click on this <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/Lexar%20Homes" target="_blank">link</a> to see all of our <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/house%20building" target="_blank">home building</a> updates, or check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/building_our_forever_pnw_home/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account for continuous updates.</span></h4>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-91526777026643238322018-07-10T08:40:00.004-07:002018-07-24T14:20:16.846-07:00House Update #1,000,000Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit with the title.. but that's how it feels.<br />
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And, my the title for my last update was a little misleading as well. A <i><b>race</b></i> is defined as a competition to see who/what is fastest. That is definitely <u>not</u> the case to finishing our house. We have been racing to get all of our loose ends tied up, but not our builder. They have done these things over the past month: flooring, tile backsplashes, and trim. They just installed our heat pump and mini-splits yesterday. Mind you, the trim was done last Monday, and the painting was supposed to be done that week as well. We are still waiting for:<br />
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<li>Painting.</li>
<li>Cabinet finish work (like crown molding)</li>
<li>Electrical--lighting and outlets.</li>
<li>Plumbing--fixtures, toilets, and shower door.</li>
<li>HVAC--water heater, vents, kick plates for vents under cabinets.</li>
<li>Misc--Shelves, mirrors, and "punch list" items.</li>
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We were given a "<i>worst case scenario</i>" completion date of July 31st, but we will be lucky to have our house done by then. We just gave our property management company an official move-out date of July 31st, but I feel like we will have to rescind that date. It's just that getting ONE THING completed a week doesn't cut it when you're trying to get the house done. </div>
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Anyways, we've had to make a couple of concessions to get the house done in a timely manner, but now I'm questioning if we should have done that or not because our house is not being worked on in a timely manner. Example: they installed the subway tile in the wrong design in the master bath, and I didn't hate it, so we took a discount instead of having them re-do the design. Also, the door to the garage opens out instead of in, and now the tile floor doesn't meet the threshold to the door. So, do we ask for them to re-do the door and trim, or do we just fix the tile floor that was installed according to false directions? </div>
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<b>Wrong design </b> <b>Right design </b></div>
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<b>Flooring gap by the garage door</b></div>
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I am just sooooooooo done with this. I am not sleeping well because of the stress and the heat. I wanted to have the heat pump for air conditioning in my new house prior to the summer heat, but that's not happening. I am a very angry person when it's too hot and I can't sleep. </div>
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Hopefully next time you check this I will be a nicer person.</div>
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Cabinets on cabinets on cabinets</div>
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Our project: kitchen island tile backsplash</div>
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Basketweave subway tile backsplash in kitchen</div>
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Kids bathroom. Big vanity, tiny sink.</div>
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Another one of our projects: kitchen desk. Pro tip: don't install wall cabinets yourself unless you're a pro.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Update</b></u>: Curious about our progress? Click on this <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/Lexar%20Homes" target="_blank">link</a> to see all of our <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/house%20building" target="_blank">home building</a> updates, or check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/building_our_forever_pnw_home/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account for continuous updates.</span></h4>
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Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-84651027816791827332018-06-15T12:28:00.001-07:002018-07-10T08:33:31.189-07:00Race to the Finish LineI can't believe I'm saying this.. but we actually have a finish line in sight: <b><span style="font-size: large;">July 16th!</span></b><br />
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If you had told me in June of last year when we started clearing the land that it would be another 13 months until we moved in, I probably would have cried.<br />
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Mind you, that's a pretty tight schedule over the next 4 weeks to complete the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Flooring: laminate & carpet. We paid a separate contractor for our tiled bathrooms and laundry room and he got everything done in a week.</li>
<li>Trim after laminate. All baseboards, windows, etc.</li>
<li>Tile back splashes for kitchen and bathrooms.</li>
<li>Painting.</li>
<li>Cabinet finish work (like crown molding).</li>
<li>Electrical, including lighting and outlets.</li>
<li>Plumbing (it would be so NICE to have a toilet and not a port-a-potty).</li>
<li>HVAC--heat pump and water heater.</li>
</ul>
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But, I am remaining hopeful that we will be in by July 31st. I can't be in our current house in the August heat again.<br />
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We have arranged our upcoming responsibilities:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Final grade and driveway.</li>
<li>Hydroseeding.</li>
<li>Wood porch/stairs.</li>
<li>That's it!! (Other than the projects below, which are mostly cosmetic.)</li>
<li><br /></li>
</ul>
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Graham's projects include the following (poor guy hasn't gotten a break in months!):</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Cabinet hardware (51 in total!).</li>
<li>Finish kitchen desk nook.</li>
<li>Butcher block counter for desk--install and stain.</li>
<li>Address numbers</li>
<li>Paint front and side door (I can help with this)</li>
<li>Finish closet supports.</li>
<li>Finish laundry cabinet panels and counter top.</li>
<li>Lawn edging/trim.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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Here are some progress pictures if you don't follow me on Instagram..<br />
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Anyways, thanks for following along. I might be able to update closer to closing time!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Update</b></u>: Curious about our progress? Click on this <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/Lexar%20Homes" target="_blank">link</a> to see all of our <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/house%20building" target="_blank">home building</a> updates, or check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/building_our_forever_pnw_home/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account for continuous updates.</span></h4>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-1808348346051396872018-05-16T10:10:00.000-07:002018-05-16T10:44:35.001-07:00Ch ch ch ch ch ch ChangesOne thing is for sure about this home building process.. There will be changes!<br />
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<b>Quick Update</b>: drywall is nearly done. Our project manager told us it would be done by May 15th, which was yesterday, but it will definitely be done by the 18th. We don't know what will be next, but we hope it will be paint then cabinets. Our cabinets have arrived, but we can't see inside the boxes yet. It is so exciting to be so close to the end! We had a minor/major freakout during the drywall process as they cut out drywall for the heat pump mini-split facing the wrong direction. Of course, we took it as the worst case scenario, and assumed they'd have to rip the whole ducting out to turn it the right way. Luckily, super easy fix, and all they had to do was patch the drywall and cut the correct side. Most of the mistakes have not been that easy, so we were happy about that.<br />
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Anyways, we have been reviewing our finishing touches, and we decided to make some changes. Choosing flooring, countertops, lights, etc like eight to nine months before you get to see them is a <i>loooong</i> time to sit and think about something different to do. So, these are the changes we decided to do:<br />
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1) <u>The lighting</u>. We figured it would be worth an additional $300-500 to get exactly what we want for chandeliers, pendants, etc. We hate flush mount lights that look like boobs, so it was important for us to get better flush mount lights for our hallways, kids' rooms, etc. We already have a few semi-flush mount lights from our old house, which we plan to use in the playroom (they're a little fancy for the playroom, honestly, but I want to get personalized lighting for the guest room and master bedroom when we have more money). One complicating factor is the sloped ceiling in our great room and kitchen, so everything had to be slope-compatible. The sad thing is I found a chandelier that I loved, but we couldn't hang it parallel to the slope, only perpendicular, which didn't work with our furniture placement. I had my co-worker help me pick a new one. I really like it, but it wasn't my first choice. We were happy to get some discounts on lights from <a href="http://www.costco.com/" target="_blank">Coscto</a>, and then I found <a href="http://www.seattlelighting.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Lighting</a> online, which I loved. I couldn't find a better deal on globe pendants other than from <a href="http://www.westelm.com/" target="_blank">West Elm</a>.<br />
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Flush mount <a href="https://www.costco.com/Altair-LED-14%22-Flushmount-Light-Fixture.product.100354669.html" target="_blank">lights</a> from Costco:<br />
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Foyer <a href="http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/modern-seeded-glass-pendant-light-3-lights-satin-nickel-finish/630994" target="_blank">light</a> from Seattle Lighting:<br />
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Dining room <a href="http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/seeded-glass-chandelier-satin-nickel-5-lt/579273" target="_blank">light</a> from Seattle Lighting:<br />
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Kitchen island globe pendant <a href="https://www.westelm.com/products/sculptural-glass-globe-pendant-small-w2857/?pkey=e%7Cglobe%2Bpendant%7C73%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C3&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH" target="_blank">lights</a> from West Elm:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzivIRzu0NPqpvbi7g68gflzk-awwaiDpLz-VfLPDoJIDB3925fwzspPJgXs5IZkEnoA2nyWRU1jqngvcZpumOxeoLM_xJqZDbOVL83zRXLL99gzGb1lj2On93DR8nkntNcXnPOAL1bwk/s1600/20180515_132124.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="1440" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzivIRzu0NPqpvbi7g68gflzk-awwaiDpLz-VfLPDoJIDB3925fwzspPJgXs5IZkEnoA2nyWRU1jqngvcZpumOxeoLM_xJqZDbOVL83zRXLL99gzGb1lj2On93DR8nkntNcXnPOAL1bwk/s200/20180515_132124.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Kids' bathroom <a href="http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/5-light-bath-bar-satin-nickel-satin-white-glass/648620" target="_blank">light</a> from Seattle Lighting:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjLWx8fYDo8zvq1qpWOGpQO47nzn8W0dEpUaMxINHfZwT7My1q1kqvzhU5YXb9YiNvaKXI92Shjtx0CFpMSc3ljIDfqr-ia1gFiom9nYEkMz30K-Y0myi_8VXwmZV4Z5w1-_Gvv68vQg/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-095951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1431" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjLWx8fYDo8zvq1qpWOGpQO47nzn8W0dEpUaMxINHfZwT7My1q1kqvzhU5YXb9YiNvaKXI92Shjtx0CFpMSc3ljIDfqr-ia1gFiom9nYEkMz30K-Y0myi_8VXwmZV4Z5w1-_Gvv68vQg/s320/Screenshot_20180516-095951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Master bathroom <a href="http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/satin-nickel-bathroom-light/635332?q=635332&newSearch=n" target="_blank">lights</a> from Seattle Lighting:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6KKrJWNu8pm-OD99gDAuSGUmViqvI0Gun5FqQPK_pL4yCQTLVUJZfSjYtb7VL_xb4_YdvYkluHEnLPkHo14qJ-f7bv_sZcVjaGUhCuvXfWbrRir5xdUmVlAaQUtXJEYyhdzuD84reaA/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-095524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1440" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6KKrJWNu8pm-OD99gDAuSGUmViqvI0Gun5FqQPK_pL4yCQTLVUJZfSjYtb7VL_xb4_YdvYkluHEnLPkHo14qJ-f7bv_sZcVjaGUhCuvXfWbrRir5xdUmVlAaQUtXJEYyhdzuD84reaA/s200/Screenshot_20180516-095524.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Outdoor <a href="https://www.costco.com/Altair-LED-Outdoor-Coach-Lantern.product.100375419.html" target="_blank">lanterns</a> from Costco:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehSliQ3S1biQqYU76HIVaE8mhIdx_MbiixoEPq5e02sA0s3vjQVHEmPHuBdCGUdoixO8_wNGQGQRteM_mTSNze7efpsiN0Lv4SuJvhfyasakL_FE0XChqA0wtNNlokSoZfoG17driurI/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-094232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1582" data-original-width="1437" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehSliQ3S1biQqYU76HIVaE8mhIdx_MbiixoEPq5e02sA0s3vjQVHEmPHuBdCGUdoixO8_wNGQGQRteM_mTSNze7efpsiN0Lv4SuJvhfyasakL_FE0XChqA0wtNNlokSoZfoG17driurI/s200/Screenshot_20180516-094232.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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Outdoor flush mount <a href="http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/close-to-ceiling-light-clear-glass-black-finish/P866926?q=P866926&newSearch=n" target="_blank">lights</a> for front and back porches from Seattle Lighting:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVV5yspnogcKe3pwVAL_a3RlEqI_pO4BRRdWc4mnwSjL-FjXX2Jda81Vjl8W8Si14VwW_LmE2uDVZB5jB9EZRXii83DVpI8K7U3SCmYh17tci8DEQFDXjnr-Iwp05N64dMmhKk_RuXI4/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-095155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1121" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVV5yspnogcKe3pwVAL_a3RlEqI_pO4BRRdWc4mnwSjL-FjXX2Jda81Vjl8W8Si14VwW_LmE2uDVZB5jB9EZRXii83DVpI8K7U3SCmYh17tci8DEQFDXjnr-Iwp05N64dMmhKk_RuXI4/s200/Screenshot_20180516-095155.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Playroom fancy lights from Wayfair (no longer available from them):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuYX1jml3yQMuOKJtHTq7ff6ffVFDCMz95F48j3DosFMQn4O1bmqctEpCBmVKMMd3vwdEzL8hLpriDpBypjorc6EXT33Jyk_MxHJzJE1zXiBPVROCuwJByo5_rJWf7ntUPLtwgWmue6g/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-091053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1440" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuYX1jml3yQMuOKJtHTq7ff6ffVFDCMz95F48j3DosFMQn4O1bmqctEpCBmVKMMd3vwdEzL8hLpriDpBypjorc6EXT33Jyk_MxHJzJE1zXiBPVROCuwJByo5_rJWf7ntUPLtwgWmue6g/s200/Screenshot_20180516-091053.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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2) <u>Laundry room floor</u>. We originally were like, well, I don't want to pay for tile right now, so we will stick with the vinyl and just change it ourselves later. Tip: when it comes to flooring, it's probably easier to do it yourself before a flooring is already placed. So, bye bye cheap vinyl.. Here is some dark linen-style tile for the laundry room and the kids' bathroom (might as well, right?).<br />
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Metro Gris tile from Home Depot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeN6J-UO33DXY5XEt7jLncyibdDcpVZxHfr29zO1cyX0nhXjLtTYgkb-v4ksTiAain5ac5IRoAJio0y8i9Hyvo_JajT6w0lQG_QMvVwMCe5zaC7vTXcsgQkh53SZmZp6o1W2WnBaimGc/s1600/20180516_091240.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1600" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeN6J-UO33DXY5XEt7jLncyibdDcpVZxHfr29zO1cyX0nhXjLtTYgkb-v4ksTiAain5ac5IRoAJio0y8i9Hyvo_JajT6w0lQG_QMvVwMCe5zaC7vTXcsgQkh53SZmZp6o1W2WnBaimGc/s200/20180516_091240.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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3) <u>Closet organizers</u>. We decided to go with <a href="http://www.easyclosets.com/closet-design/" target="_blank">Easy Closets</a> (such a deal!) for both the master bedroom and the pantry. You give them the dimensions, they help you with the design. It was really great working with them. The only con--you have to install yourself.. Or you can pay somebody. So, now we have 39 boxes in our current rental waiting to be installed. Also, I wasn't into the cheap wire shelving for the kids' bedrooms, so I went with <a href="https://www.modularclosets.com/products/5-bi-level-hanging-with-shelf-stack-modular-closet-organizer" target="_blank">Modular Closets</a> for an easy and affordable closet design. I am super excited to use both of them!<br />
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Master Closet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lHbIX7s2MbHyxyiWYU8Sw4hkMNc1wYWElbBBJA7iioK8GgT4OAAlB655DrVya7LDXxb3I4NfW9byn1U8cJNS_ZFJzMIOtNYj_i87Ulv_jBbE89zq9UEans3bwVb1gYL5hJQl1w330F4/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-091852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="949" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lHbIX7s2MbHyxyiWYU8Sw4hkMNc1wYWElbBBJA7iioK8GgT4OAAlB655DrVya7LDXxb3I4NfW9byn1U8cJNS_ZFJzMIOtNYj_i87Ulv_jBbE89zq9UEans3bwVb1gYL5hJQl1w330F4/s320/Screenshot_20180516-091852.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
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Pantry (not shown are the connecting corner shelves):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCHiY61E5JjP-nDLevSALNWZeKaQf99FhUt1iR6ygbYBW5uSKkVyyCmiAqMZt-lPRLvf_PYFFFtpoF34ZZP_TjbySHRgQfetH9pWwXR0WmlLEvgFmqWTjcZw0sKVJAYsVgwms3hecJmw/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-092009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="890" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCHiY61E5JjP-nDLevSALNWZeKaQf99FhUt1iR6ygbYBW5uSKkVyyCmiAqMZt-lPRLvf_PYFFFtpoF34ZZP_TjbySHRgQfetH9pWwXR0WmlLEvgFmqWTjcZw0sKVJAYsVgwms3hecJmw/s200/Screenshot_20180516-092009.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
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Kids' Closets:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF8AGiGEGno7MY5hMFRGDUaTHAE33Z2wI2TzrO3a5Ai-ZNFV2yy_jIrkZ_ao8mP0xZgqqSgFlT06tKrZkRaoq22jcWcajYf4HafS3xfcpeubVumkR8_IL86Q4eU9_JaUKyQltA1hNJUs/s1600/20180516_100053.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1269" data-original-width="1440" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF8AGiGEGno7MY5hMFRGDUaTHAE33Z2wI2TzrO3a5Ai-ZNFV2yy_jIrkZ_ao8mP0xZgqqSgFlT06tKrZkRaoq22jcWcajYf4HafS3xfcpeubVumkR8_IL86Q4eU9_JaUKyQltA1hNJUs/s200/20180516_100053.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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4) <u>Kitchen desk unit</u>. When we originally inquired about doing a custom desk niche in the dining room with Lexar, we were told to do it ourselves or they'd probably charge us $10K. So, we looked into buying the same Procraft cabinets for our desk, but in white instead of the espresso for the rest of the kitchen. But, they do not sell to non-contractors. We looked online instead, and I found <a href="https://www.cliqstudios.com/" target="_blank">Cliq Studios</a> online from their Facebook and Instagram ads. They sent me samples, and I found the quality and design to be the same as the ones of the rest of our kitchen. Again, we gave them the dimensions, and they gave us a design. We do have to install the cabinets and shelves ourselves, but we are up to the task. I am so excited to have a place to make shopping lists, use the computer, and store my cookbooks all in one place!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTPYVbYT243cG8a051IOT_vyiVc7J2TjkKk-ut39k7qByXedi_a3H1V5F5gm3c7-HZhDhxLXjpJ91nocCwNfqFrbXH_L8dSm2fI8UeANtrKhbCW89f4QXtJH3aMZGhjR6DSyaYHkoFts/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-092625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1351" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTPYVbYT243cG8a051IOT_vyiVc7J2TjkKk-ut39k7qByXedi_a3H1V5F5gm3c7-HZhDhxLXjpJ91nocCwNfqFrbXH_L8dSm2fI8UeANtrKhbCW89f4QXtJH3aMZGhjR6DSyaYHkoFts/s320/Screenshot_20180516-092625.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCJG-2VLqxxdJXKU_4IM0lUhjk9Qd6Z7XSnb8Ci5kkubR2c8tDTGXMpOTmi70fyMCmQ8oI8Okp4AotXvRjA62fvAlIHdZg6BXnaUJEd1Ln-6jkLBNwKePGwnWz35r3VgWt4DiIb20Ky4/s1600/Screenshot_20180516-092702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="671" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCJG-2VLqxxdJXKU_4IM0lUhjk9Qd6Z7XSnb8Ci5kkubR2c8tDTGXMpOTmi70fyMCmQ8oI8Okp4AotXvRjA62fvAlIHdZg6BXnaUJEd1Ln-6jkLBNwKePGwnWz35r3VgWt4DiIb20Ky4/s320/Screenshot_20180516-092702.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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That is it.. I don't think we will do any more changes until we are done. We do have a lot of work ahead of us, such as finishing the rock wall, painting the master bath blue, painting the master bedroom stencil, installing the pantry and the closets, the tile accent in the kitchen desk back splash and the kitchen island wall, and some minor landscaping stuff. But, we are ready for the challenge. I don't know when the completion date will be. I'm hoping by the end of June, but we are leaving for a week-long vacation on the 30th, so that's not the best time for us. I'm thinking we will probably move the second week of July.. which isn't too bad. It would put us 10-11 months since the foundation was poured. I just want the air conditioning before August!! Anyways, keep checking on my Instagram for more updates. It will all be happening quickly. :)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Update</b></u>: Curious about our progress? Click on this <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/Lexar%20Homes" target="_blank">link</a> to see all of our <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/house%20building" target="_blank">home building</a> updates, or check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/building_our_forever_pnw_home/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account for continuous updates.</span></h4>
Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6400228890956455579.post-71164176502765047302018-04-23T14:28:00.001-07:002018-05-16T10:26:07.381-07:00Cool Things Our New House Will Do (AKA the Smartest Smart Home Ever)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VpUpTP88L3q3VJCIkKs711OeXRjxP9Pmi_3SGClWk9FqpUtRMTNPsJHreGZCoJkCnd3DUGwk2A8xWU9mYevQ4fOMhRknj6WvO5CxRfAN3HJAK64b3Qu8YZWw5jSDDhyphenhyphenyzTTnRhFnZrI/s1600/20180421_081727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VpUpTP88L3q3VJCIkKs711OeXRjxP9Pmi_3SGClWk9FqpUtRMTNPsJHreGZCoJkCnd3DUGwk2A8xWU9mYevQ4fOMhRknj6WvO5CxRfAN3HJAK64b3Qu8YZWw5jSDDhyphenhyphenyzTTnRhFnZrI/s320/20180421_081727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Current state of the home.</i></div>
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To stay positive about our home building experience, Graham and I have been compiling a list of things that our new house will do that will improve our lives:<br />
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<li>It will help us lose 10 pounds automatically. Dubious claim, you say? No way!</li>
<li>Our house will alert us when our kids' nails need to be trimmed, and it will clean up the little tiny nail clippings that are so hard to clean up!</li>
<li>Our new house will not only do our laundry, but will also put the clothes away too!</li>
<li>The house will cook healthy meals on weeknights!</li>
<li>Our house will keep our toddler from getting into everything and destroying our stuff!</li>
<li>Our new house will keep our food from spoiling prematurely.</li>
<li>The new house will make us happy for ever and ever.</li>
<li>The house will save us thousands of dollars!!</li>
<li>Our new house will help us make BFF's.</li>
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Ok, so this is an obvious exaggeration of the benefits to our new house. However, we did notice that we kept saying to each other, well, <i>once we're in the new house</i>.. or, <i>this wouldn't happen in the new house</i>.. Which is kind of a dangerous way of thinking, like life all of a sudden will be amazing and perfect once we live somewhere new. <b><u>Spoiler alert</u></b>: <b>it won't</b>. We will still be the same people with the same lives.</div>
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But let me tell you the things that will actually make our lives better in the new house...</div>
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<li>While the house won't make us lose 10 pounds, we will definitely be less stressed with lower levels of cortisol. Also, the workout room means more concentrated workout times and a specific place. I'm excited for more cardio because our current townhouse might tumble to the ground if I start doing TurboFire HIIT workouts again.</li>
<li>I wish the kids' nails would no longer require trimming in the new house, but our robot vacuum will definitely help clean up the mess!</li>
<li>Laundry = the neverending story. The worst. The one thing our new house will do is allow us to put all of our clothes away in the house! Our old house had small closets, so we had to keep some clothes and shoes in the garage.</li>
<li>I can't even emphasize how much our current kitchen stresses me out. It's unbelievably small. The new kitchen will hold ALLLLL of my stuff and have a pantry. It's going to be so amazing. Plus, the double oven means I'll be baking more fresh bread!</li>
<li>Having a new house that is 100% ours will allow us to put toddler locks on our stuff. We have been in our rental townhouse for a year, and Sadie gets into our stuff DAILY, like my makeup, Graham's shaving cream, and Carter's toothpaste. I'm so excited to put toddler locks on the cabinets!</li>
<li>The MINIature fridge we have right now is one of my current pet peeves. It is so small that when you put one thing on a shelf, another thing falls out of the fridge. Without fail. Plus, the cooling mechanism is so spotty that it half freezes anything in the back or side of the fridge. We are throwing away soooooo much food! I am incredibly excited for a new Samsung fridge with water and an ice maker! I haven't had one since I moved out of my parents' house in 2001.</li>
<li>Ok, we are not guaranteed to have eternal happiness in our house.. But, we will be able to host out-of-town family (and we both have big families!) for family get togethers, and that will make us truly happy.</li>
<li>The new house is currently costing us thousands of dollars, but it will pay off in the end. The energy efficiency is key, as well as the increasing cost of homes in the area (thank you HGTV for featuring a home in our area!). We couldn't afford to buy what we are building, so this will all be worth it when we get our home appraised when it's completed.</li>
<li>Lastly, we have friends and family that have been our friends for a long time, but we will have new neighbors that will be awesome friends now and in the future.</li>
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One thing to remember: we are beyond blessed to have this opportunity to build a family home.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Update</b></u>: Curious about our progress? Click on this <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/Lexar%20Homes" target="_blank">link</a> to see all of our <a href="http://shewishewi.blogspot.com/search/label/house%20building" target="_blank">home building</a> updates, or check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/building_our_forever_pnw_home/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account for continuous updates.</span></h4>
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Shewi128http://www.blogger.com/profile/11123239852531337328noreply@blogger.com0