The Holidays

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! Ours was wonderful and crazy like it is every year. It's always great to spend the holidays with family and friends. We got some awesome presents like a new camera from my in-laws, and a collection of yummy recipes that my sister Sarah gave me (thanks so much! I already tried out the chicken alfredo soup, and Peter and I both thought it was delicious)! I also got a new pair of snow boots. Now my feet won't freeze in the snow when I trudge to school. Boots have kind of been the theme for us in 2009. For Peter's birthday in April he finally got his Whites fire boots, and for my birthday, I got a nice pair of Vasque hiking boots. Now my feet can stay warm and comfortable in the snow or when climbing a mountain!

Peter took this picture of me trying on my new boots.

I think it effectively captures my true essence.

During the Christmas break I decided to become a true Howard and learn how to ski. So along with Peter, my brother-in-law Adam, our friend Kelly, and her brother John, we headed up to Alta Ski Resort bright and early on the 28th. It was an absolutely beautiful day up in the mountains. The sun was out and shining and the air was crisp and clean. I was excited to master the slopes...but it didn't really go very well. I'm kind of gangly and uncoordinated. Adam and Peter both tried their hardest to teach me, but I have to admit that skiing is not something that comes naturally to me. I fell. A lot. And each time I fell I couldn't get back up without assistance or taking my skis off. It was very frustrating and bruising to my ego, but it's good to find humbling things. They keep our pride in check. I spent half of the day trying to master the bunny hill, but after lunch I was pretty pooped. I also felt bad about holding Peter back. He rarely gets the opportunity to ski and I knew he was itching to get some runs in, so I dismissed him from being my teacher and told him to have fun. I didn't dare try skiing on my own so I hung around the lodge for the second half of the day.

Beautiful sunny day at Alta

Kelly and me learning to ski

Peter showing off his skiing skills for me

John was a lot of fun, and I was impressed with Adam's skills

The whole gang ready to pack it in after a fun but long day

After everyone was exhausted from skiing, we refueled ourselves with some tasty Mexican food at the Red Iguana. It's a fabulous restaurant in Salt Lake City that's won numerous awards and has even been featured on the Food Network show, "Diners Drive-ins, and Dives." It's kind of in a rough spot of town (our car was once vandalized while we were there) and the wait is pretty long, but it's worth it. If you've never been, you should go.

I may not have done well at skiing, but it was great to spend time with my family and friends. Although Kelly lives in Wyoming, I have been able to see her several times since we left the U-W-C National Forest after the summer. She's a great friend and I'm glad Peter and I had the opportunity to meet her this year. I hope we can have many more epic hiking adventures with her in the future.

As for skiing...I'm definitely going to have to keep working at that.

(Thanks again Mom and Dad for the camera. We'll try and post many pictures for you.)

Mistaken Identity

My mother-in-law always says that hair is a curse in their family, and if you know Peter you know what I'm talking about. For the first three years of our marriage, he was usually clean shaven and wore his hair very short. About the same time he had his "quarter-life crisis" he started growing it out and stopped shaving regularly. In fact, aside from the occasional trim, Peter has not shaved in about three years. His hair has received much the same treatment...except he has actually shaved his head. When both of my sisters were losing their hair to chemotherapy, he shaved his head in support. The second time around his hair was 14-16 inches long and he was able to donate it to Locks-of-Love.

Isn't he a handsome fellow?

When members of my family aren't afflicted with cancer, Peter's hair is normally long and he resembles a Geico caveman bobblehead. See this post if you missed that story. To his credit, he has very nice hair. Many women have admitted their envy over his thick curly locks. However, he normally comes under a lot of scrutiny. People who shake up and question social norms usually do. So I thought I'd share an interesting experience we had today at church. Now, church is one of those places where Peter is usually teased for his long hair style. Today on the other hand was a little different. Peter and I were attending the blessing of my niece this morning and after we had gone back to my parents' house for brunch my father told us of an amusing comment someone had made regarding Peter. The fellow who related the tale to my father had brought his grandson to church with him that day and as Peter got up and joined the other men in our family for the baby blessing, the little boy whispered to his grandpa, "I know I'm in the right place, Grandpa, because look! Jesus is here!"

So not only does my husband resemble a bobblehead, but apparently he looks a lot like Jesus, too, and for once, his hair has had a positive impression on someone. Although it was a case of mistaken identity, I hope that little boy's belief that he was in the right place sticks with him for the rest of his life because of the day he saw "Jesus" at church.

"Put Out the Light"

I had to do a final project instead of a final exam for my Shakespeare class this semester, so I decided to illustrate a scene from one of my favorite plays, "Othello." In the second scene of the final act Othello enters the bedroom where his wife lies sleeping, intent on killing her because he believes she had an affair with his lieutenant (of course it was all just a dastardly plot by Iago who believed that Othello had slept with his wife). I was haunted by a line that he says while watching Desdemona sleep. He compares her life to the candle he is holding and says, "Put out the light, and then put out the light." Not only does the candle represent how easily Desdemona's life can be snuffed out, but to me it also represents how when Othello does kill her and then finds out that he was duped and that his wife was innocent, he has destroyed the only light he had in his life. It's a heart wrenching scene if you've ever read/seen "Othello."

For my illustration, this is what I came up with.

It's not a perfect picture, but I think it turned out okay. It was done using Prismacolor colored pencils on black art paper. If you think that Othello looks a little like Peter, well, that's because I used him as my reference. Othello is a Moor and is typically portrayed as a black man, but as I was working on this picture he started looking more Arabic/Middle Eastern, so I rolled with it. Either way works.

This class was by far my favorite class this semester, if not ever. My professor was awesome, and she amplified my appreciation for Shakespeare exponentially. It's the only class I am sad is over.

By the way, I got an A in the class. :)

Fitness Update

Well, Peter and I have kind of fallen off the wagon. The end of the semester hit and we have been swamped with school work. I haven't been to the gym in weeks and I hate myself for it, but I really need to get good grades this semester. Peter is super stressed with the 20 credits he's been taking, but it'll all be over in a few weeks. Next semester Peter is only taking 13 credits (including a kayaking class we're taking together) so it will be like a vacation for him. I think if we actually got to the gym we would feel less stressed, but just thinking about going and not working on my projects or studying stresses me out even more. I've really just got to figure out a way to make exercise a priority. I do really well until my life gets hectic or stressful and then it becomes a low priority. In less than a week school will be out for the winter break and I'll be able to get to the gym again. Next semester I am also taking a class called Dynamic Fitness and I will basically be forced to go to the gym and workout three days a week. I'm really excited about it!

Aside from the fact that Peter and I have been bad and haven't been going to the gym, I have been successful in giving up caffeine. I haven't had a caffeinated beverage in over two months! It's been tough at times, especially when I'm tired from a late night of studying or working on projects, and every now and then I crave a Coke or Dr. Pepper, but I've been successful in resisting these cravings. It wasn't nearly as hard to give up caffeine as I thought it would be.

Although I am sure I will successfully pick up my fitness regimen after this semester, I am concerned about the future. I need to learn how to make it a priority no matter what. Life will always get in the way if I let it. I was watching "The Biggest Loser" last night and I realized that it was ridiculous that people who were in worse shape than me could run a full marathon. It made me ashamed that I could not do something like that myself. I get wheezy after just one mile. I really want to get to the point where I could run a full marathon myself. That is my new goal. It may take me several years to achieve, but I want to run a full marathon before my 30th birthday. That gives me four years to train. I could totally do it.

R.I.P. Lilly

I recently found out that the family dog was put to sleep. It was a bit of a surprise to me because everyone forgot to tell me about it, and I didn't find out until about a week later, but I don't really blame my family. They've been super busy and so have I. Communication just kind of fell through the cracks. Any ways, I thought I would post about our beloved dog, Lilly.


Lilly was not a perfect dog. In fact, she had quite a few negative traits. She was territorial, cranky, and lazy, but she loved her family and she protected them ferociously from everything from shadows and leaves in the backyard, to the occasional deer, raccoon or squirrel. She was also great to sit in your lap while you were reading or watching a movie. In a lot of ways, she was kind of like a cat.

Lilly was also a fantastic mother. She was a purebred Maltese and so we decided to breed her a few times. She had some adorable puff-ball puppies that were a joy to play with, but they soon left to other homes which was always hard. Lilly was protective of her little babies and took good care of them. Shortly after giving birth to her last litter several years ago, she developed an infection and had to be spayed. Immediately after she woke up from the anesthesia she climbed into the box with her puppies and continued to nurse them despite the pain she must have been in. That is true dedication.

Lilly was also a great companion and friend to my mother. All of the five children have moved in and out over the last decade which is always hard on parents when they realize they are quickly becoming empty-nesters, but Lilly was a constant companion for my mother. She would excitedly greet her when she came home and impatiently wait for her by the front door until she came home. She was indeed loyal.

Recently Lilly started developing cataracts and was going blind in addition to going deaf. She was also becoming incontinent and her intolerance to children was only growing worse with age, which was a great concern now that there are a couple of small grandchildren. Her quality of life was deteriorating and we were worried that she might bite one of the babies, so the decision was made to put her to sleep. She was indeed a flawed dog, but aren't we all flawed people? She had her negative traits but she also had traits that we loved. Despite Lilly's bad habits, I will miss her because she loved me and was always happy to see me whenever I came home. It was hard to come home for Thanksgiving this week and not have her excited bark greet me as I walked in the door. There was also no living vacuum to clean up any accidentally dropped bit of turkey. Indeed, it was very sad to realize she was gone, but I believe she has gone to a better place where she can run around and protect people from the big, bad invisible boogie men that only she could see to her heart's content.

R.I.P., Lilly. I will miss you.

Sugaring

Disclaimer: Today I am going to be blogging about something rather personal that maybe not all people will find appealing, and by all means don't read this post if you think it may make you feel uncomfortable. I will be talking about body hair removal.

I am constantly in search of new hair removal methods. I hate shaving because I have smooth, hair-free results for only one day, and it's very irritating on my skin so I can't shave every single day. I've tried nearly everything short of laser hair removal which I may invest in some day if the technology improves. It works best on people with dark hair because the laser is attracted to darker pigmentation. Being blonde, I'm kind of out of luck.

I've been waxing for some time now and have been only mildly impressed with the results. It takes a lot of work, and it really hurts. The results do last longer, which I like, but I always have an issue with ingrown hairs afterwards. It's probably because I do it on my own and I have not been formally trained on how to wax properly. I may have better luck with a professional, but I'm a poor college student. I don't have that kind of money to blow on waxing every month. Ingrown hairs are typically caused when you break the hair above or below the skin surface instead of completely removing it by the root. If you remove hair by the root, it grows back with a blunt edge rather than a jagged one that can get caught and start growing back into your skin. Ouchie. Shaving causes ingrown hairs, too, because it leaves the hair with a sharp edge. Have you ever looked at a blade of grass after the lawn has been mowed? Your hair looks like that.

One day while browsing the internet for better waxing techniques or prevention/treatment of ingrown hairs I stumbled upon something rather interesting. Apparently there is a procedure called sugaring that is less painful and just as effective as waxing. The best part is you can make the stuff at home using ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen. The other major benefits to this method are that it doesn't require cloth strips, you use it cold, it's water soluble, and you remove the product with the grain of the hair, not against. The latter technique makes it more likely that you will remove the entire hair at the root and not just break it off like typical waxing. Therefore...fewer ingrown hairs if any.

I decided that it was worth a shot and made up the concoction in my kitchen. The process is a lot like making caramel and it goes better if you actually have a candy thermometer. I accidentally ruined the first batch, but the second turned out alright. I allowed it to cool off for several hours and then gave it a whirl. I admit I was extremely shocked. I was skeptical that it would actually work, especially since I was removing it in the direction that hair grows instead of against it like typical waxing. I applied it and then ripped it off as directed. It still hurt a little but it was much less painful than waxing because it grabbed onto the hair but not my skin. Best of all, the hair was gone! I examined the used product and saw tons of little hairs sticking out and they all had the root intact! Quite frankly, it blew my mind how effective it was. I have only been able to test it so far on course hair from my underarms and bikini area, but I will soon be testing it on my legs where my hair is finer. The downside to this and all types of waxing is that your hair has to be at least 1/4 inch in length or it won't work well. I've got to give my leg hair some time to grow but I'm excited by the prospects.

If you are interested in doing your own sugaring here is how you make it: take 2 cups of regular granulated sugar and mix it with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Heat it to boiling and then reduce heat to around 240 degrees or so. This is where a candy thermometer comes in handy because you want to cook it for about 25 minutes at a "firm ball" stage. When it's finished it should be a dark amber color. Let it cool for about 15 minutes in the pot and then poor it into a Tupperware container. Put it in the fridge to cool down completely. Once it's cool you can take out a chunk (put your back into it, it's not easy to get out) and then roll or squish it into a ball. You may want to use latex gloves because the moisture from your skin can make it sticky. After you form a ball flatten it against the area you wish to remove hair. Apply against the grain. Then lift up an edge of it enough that you can get a grip on it and then quickly remove in the direction of hair growth. You can reuse the same ball of product until it becomes too sticky to work with. Just roll it back up and reapply. After you're done you can just remove any excess product still stuck to your skin with a damp washcloth.

Hopefully some of you may find this as handy as I did. I'm still just amazed that this actually works, and I'll be playing around with it for a while. If I find any better tips I'll post them.

I'm On a Boat! No, wait...I'm On an Airplane!

This weekend was a momentous occasion for me. I finally got to fly in an airplane! I'm 26-years old and I've never been on a plane before until now! Peter and I were intending to drive out to Sacramento California this weekend for the blessing of his sister's baby on Sunday, but a very generous family member bought us plane tickets so we wouldn't have to drive. I admit, I was nervous to fly for the first time and I had butterflies in my stomach all throughout takeoff. Peter made fun of how hard I gripped his leg (I don't think it was really that hard, but one of his greatest joys in life is to tease me). The flight took about as long as it takes to drive to my parents' house in Bountiful from where I live in Logan, which is a lot better than the 10+ hours we were originally planning on. It still amazes me that we can safely launch people into the air several thousand feet above the ground at speeds around 700 mph. I was lucky enough to have a window seat, and I got to look out over the world and see cars and buildings on the ground growing smaller and smaller below me. After watching the campy safety video and hearing them repeat over and over again to turn off all electronic devices, I was reminded of a Penny Arcade comic from a few years ago...
I wonder why they really want all electronic devices to be turned off? Do they interfere with the controls or something?

We landed in the Sacramento airport without any incident because everyone must have had their Game Boys off. We didn't check any luggage so we were able to proceed directly to the rental car terminal and then for the hotel we were staying at. One really annoying thing about Sacramento is that there are a lot of one-way streets. We were not aware of this, and as we were looking for our hotel and a place to park, we made a wrong turn and started driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Peter made a quick U-turn as soon as he realized his error, but it was too late and the flashing blue and red lights of a squad car blazed up behind us. We promptly pulled over and waited for the officer to approach our vehicle. He was a pleasant fellow and didn't give us a hard time, especially since we were from out of town. He made sure Peter didn't have any warrants out for his arrest and then gave us directions to a place we could park our car. I found it amusing that Peter managed to get pulled over by the police within the first hour we were in California.

Although our time in Sacramento was short, we had a great time. It's not very often that all of Peter's siblings get together, and it was wonderful to meet our new niece for the first time. She's a real cutie!

And to all of my family who live out by Sacramento that I didn't get to see this weekend, I'm very sorry! I wish I could have seen you, but we really didn't have any time! We're going to try and come out there next spring, and hopefully see you then.

Workout Update:

It's time to report on my fitness goals! I've done really well these last few weeks to avoid soda. I've only slipped up once. I didn't work out every day I had it scheduled, but that was due to poor time management on my part. I need to be better about that because if I don't get up and go the gym then Peter won't. It's not just my health on the line, it's also Peters.

I will definitely try and be better about it this week.