Salt Lake City-and-Friends

Going up for Duncan's graduation was a huge blessing in that we were able to see some friends that we really care about and that we haven't seen for a long time.

We had breakfast with Ben Stair. We met Ben in Cullowhee when Nick was going through school. We had a Sunday tradition going where Ben would come over and we would watch Firefly or Echo (Dollhouse). Those were the good ole days when I was transforming into a nerd :P Our camera took a lot of picture in a row and Nick was the only one to figure it out.

Next we went to the aquarium with Jessica Humphrey and her four kiddos, three of which we hadn't met before. It was so great to meet them and get to know their personalities. It was overwhelming for me because I hadn't seen Jessica in such a long time, and yet it felt like time hadn't passed at all. The only thing that was missing was Peeper and his smile and loud laughter. These memories are for you man. We miss you!

After the aquarium we went to lunch and met with my friend Steven Wiggill (Mr. Wiggills) and his wife. Lisa didn't make it into any of the pictures because of work. She came later and left early :( Sorry Lisa!

It was so great catching up with all of these guys! We know we missed some other friends and family, so please don't be upset! We love you too.

Salt Lake City-Duncan's Graduation

Graduation is a great excuse to see family, definitely better than a funeral that's for sure. Family came from Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and different areas of Utah. Because Duncan only had tickets for a few of us we had an after party. Duncan graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's in Medical Laboratory Science. His graduation ceremony was long and full of interesting speakers.

 Devan, Lon, Maddie, Jennifer, Uncle Paul and Grandma Bunny

 Nick, Lauren (Me), Aunt Anna, and Uncle Fred

After graduation finding your graduate is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Once we got our awesome and talented Duncan we took off to the reserved room for the after party. Devan, Duncan's wife, worked really hard to get everything ready for the party. She made these awesome degree themed cookies!

We ate pulled pork sliders and a bunch of other yummies.

We took a ton of family photo's because who knows when we will see each other next.

Mug shot!

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Our new family tradition is to eat popcorn for dinner on Sunday.

We tried out this recipe and took pictures so I could share it because it turned out DELICIOUS!

We had tons left over and it has kept well in a ziploc bag.

First, Pop your popcorn in your air popper. We did half a cup of kernels and it was the perfect amount.

Second, gather your ingredients.

* 10 cups air-popped popcorn
*1 cup packed light brown sugar
*1/4 cup light corn syrup
*1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
*1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
*1.2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Third, Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Put your popcorn onto two baking sheets.

Put the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and salt into the sauce pan.
 (DON'T ADD THE BAKING SODA YET)

Fourth, On medium-high heat, stir your ingredients constantly and bring it to a boil for about 5 minutes. The color of the sauce will change from dark to light.

Fifth, Remove from heat and QUICKLY stir in the baking soda. Then pour the caramel over the popcorn and gently fold until all the kernels are coated.

Sixth, Put it in the oven and bake for 1 hour stirring every 20 minutes.

Finally, Allow it to cool on the pan and break the larger chunks apart if you wish. IF you have leftovers put in a ziploc bag and it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

My Weight Loss Journey

Since I could remember I have always been heavy, fat, big boned, thick, whatever you want to call it... I was "it."

I was a busy child/teenager. I played softball for 9 years joined the track team in the seventh grade and in high school I did color guard. I would like to think these activities helped some, I don't know.

I joined the Weight Watchers program a total of three 3 times during my late teens and twenties and each time I lost weight. However when I stopped going I gained it all back plus some. I didn't have the money to keep it up but I loved the group support it offered me. 

My breaking point was moving to a foreign country where fatness is looked at like a disease. Strangers would touch my belly, squeeze my arms, and look at me with crazy eyes. These things really didn't bother me much because I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, but I wanted to change. I wanted to live a healthy lifestyle. 

I started a Taekwondo group class that was for the teachers at the school I taught at. My first class was on my first full day in Korea and I loved it. Finally an exercise I liked doing... Kicking, punching and more kicking. Not to mention that it has a reward system. You work hard and you get to move to the next color belt. I started a new healthy habit, four days a week for one hour was my workout routine. Slowly but surely my body started to change. I had more energy, more stretchiness, and less fat.

My eating habits also changed, partly because American food was so expensive, and partly because Korean food is so healthy for you. At the supermarket meat (Beef) was expensive but the fresh fruits and vegetables were not. Our cooking in the home became a lot cleaner and we used a lot less fats. We ate a lot of rice, Mando (potsticker), chicken, and lots of fruits and veggies. Another thing that changed was our portion sizes. We didn't realize how big they were in the USA. 

The other teachers that I worked with were huge into fitness and losing weight. We did a lot of group weight loss competitions and worked out together in our Taekwondo group and at school. I was by far the heaviest person and I never won any of the competitions because my weight did not fall off that fast. They introduced me to MyFitnessPal and I was hooked. Instead of points I was counting calories and the phone app can scan barcodes. It was a life saver! When I started logging my food is when I really started losing weight.

In the two years living abroad I lost 70 pounds!

When we got home I was determined to keep going because I have goals and I wanted to prove to everyone that it wasn't because of the Korean food, or my awesome easy schedule. It was because I made time, I had motivation, and I had determination.

I got home late November 2014 and now six months later I have lost 15+ more pounds!

THAT'S A TOTAL OF 80+ of these....

The weight loss tips that worked for me.

#1 Find a group, a friend, some kind of support system

#2 Determination and motivation, you gotta have it if you want to lose the weight and then keep it off

#3 Find an exercise that you love 

#4 Make exercise and living healthy your goal 7 days a week not just 5

#5 Make and set goals, Focus on small goals until you reach your main goal

#6 Take care of your skin. 

#7 be careful and aware of self shaming

#8 Every bite/sip counts in the calorie world so count them

#9 Look up what your target heart rate is supposed to be, MONITOR IT when working out

#10 Find great shoes
#11 Ignore people that tell you, "oh it's your birthday," "It's a holiday"....... and so on. They have no idea how hard you've worked and how much of a set back eating horrible can cause.
#12 treat yourself from time to time.. I'm addicted to sweets! I don't deprive myself of them but I eat them sparingly
#13 Stop being lazy and walk as much as you can
#14 take the stairs (as much as I hate them)

I have not hit my ultimate weight loss goal yet so there is still work to be done. The current weight loss program I'm following is here. I'm at the gym everyday or I walk/Jog outdoors because the weather has been so nice lately.

What would you look like if you lost the extra weight you are carrying around.. Click here and find out.

Also this website is good because it's real people. http://www.mybodygallery.com/

Working out STINKS!

So my life lately has been rough because losing weight is no easy task. I have three places that I visit almost everyday. Of course my actual home is at the top of the list but a close second is my new job and then the gym. I work out everyday.... I know the names of the people at the front desk and have conversations with the old men who wear short shorts, basically underwear, with the weight belt around their waist and nothing of a shirt.

If you workout at the gym regularly you get used to the smells. If you are lucky the person next to you is wearing deodorant or better they cover their stink with perfume. If you are unlucky you hop on your favorite machine, start peddling along and then have no choice but to get off because of the stink coming off the dude next to you. This experience happened to Nick and this stink was unbeatable. Nick left to walk on the treadmill and when the man got up from the bike Nick tried to go back but the smell was still there.

People who are working out at the gym are usually trying to eat healthy right? This means lots of fruits, vegetable, protein, and I guess they eat a lot of beans?!?!?! I say beans because the more you eat them the more you fart... FARTS THAT STINK!!! These people are the worse to work out next to. One minute I'm cruising along on my elliptical watching my favorite show and then the next minute I'm choking on gas. I'm the person who makes that crazy face and starts waving at the air. I have even covered my nose with my shirt so I could smell my own sweat instead of the deadly toxins in the air.

When I first started my job, there was a stomach virus going around. I didn't realize my stomach was upset until I was working out on my elliptical. When I felt the rumble I knew this was going to be a fart of ages. Looking around I noticed some previous offenders and decided that rather than excusing myself from my machine I would take out my revenge. Holding it in until it could no longer be stopped, I eased out the noxious gas. Being careful not to make a sound so that I didn't reveal it's origin. I stifled a wry smile as I glanced over to my companions and notice their belabored breathing and the movement of cloth toward noses.. I knew my revenge had been exacted.