Are You Ready?

I can't believe it....summer is only 2 months away. Usually, it catches me by surprise, but this year I am trying to face it head on. We all have our problem spots when it comes to our bodies and I've made a couple of goals for myself this year. First, work out 6 days a week with my P90X program. Second, for that one hour I am exercising, push myself harder than ever because once that hour is over, it is over. And lastly, stop eating when I'm no longer hungry.

You may think this is kind of a weird post for me to be writing publicly, but it's really for my own good. It's almost 10pm and I still haven't worked out yet today. I've been putting it off all day and need some extra motivation if I'm ever going to get off my lazy bum.

As of January, I have been working out to my P90X DVD's almost every day. I'm sure you've all seen the corny infomercials on TV and well; they got me. I am here to say that these are the hardest 12 workouts I have ever done in my entire life. If you are looking for a workout program, I highly recommend you get P90X. I haven't reached my personal goals yet, but that is due to the fact that I have horrible eating habits. I've just got to stop buying these Double Stuf Oreo's.

Anyway, I've been doing this program for 4 months now and the exercises never get any easier. The big thing that P90X pushes is "muscle confusion" and it really does work. The 15 minute ab video is still extremely hard for me. So, if you are stuck in an exercise rut and are looking for something new and that will kick your butt every single day....buy P90X.

Well, I guess I can’t stall anymore. Here goes another workout. Ugh!

Hiking in Moab

The Olafsson's....Erik, me, and of course Khloe....took a quick trip down to Moab last weekend. Before we got to our hotel, we stopped at Fisher Towers and it was snowing. We couldn't see much of anything through the fog and it was freezing cold. I thought our whole trip was going to be ruined.

Our first night was spent at the Red Cliff Lodge (stay here if you ever visit Moab) and the next morning we woke up to more snow. Yuck! As the day went on, the snow melted and we were able to hike through Arches National Park but my pictures weren't turning out that great because the sky was so gray and gloomy. Bummer! It had been a long time since Erik and I had each been to Arches so it was really cool to see all of the sites again. It's amazing how these sites have been created through the years. They are absolutely beautiful.

The next morning, our last day in Moab, it was beautiful! The sun was shining and we were excited to take Khloe hiking at Dead Horse Pointe. She had SO much fun running around the slick rock and sniffing everything in site. I surprised myself at how nervous I got when she would get close to the edge. The thought of her leash breaking and her falling down the cliff scared me to death!

We hiked around for a while and then decided to go bach to Arches so we could hike up to the Delicate Arch which we missed the day before. Khloe stayed in her doggy backpack this time and people thought she was so dang cute!!!

Overall, our weekend was great. The weather warmed up, Khloe enjoyed her very first vacation/road trip and it was really nice to spend time together as a family. Vacations are the best!

Why I Love My Dog So Much

"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you seem rare, and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" (Quote from Marley & Me)

Erik and I watched Marley & Me on Monday and if you haven't seen it yet, you must go rent it immediately. At times I laughed and at times I cried. Towards the end, tears streamed down my face like they never have during a movie. It made me so grateful to have Khloe by my side as I stumble through this life. She is my best friend and my confidant. I can always count on her to be there for me when I need her. No "human" friend could ever take her place and when I think about her life ending in the near future, my heart breaks into a million pieces. Like in the movie, Khloe doesn't care about having a big house or if I'm smart or pretty. The only thing she wants from me is my love and nothing else in the world matters.

In need of a true friend? Buy a dog!

(Khloe and I at Dead Horse Point in Moab last weekend.)

The Truth About Motherhood

Did you watch Oprah yesterday? The entire episode was based on the "Secret Lives of Mothers". Women were brutally honest about a side of motherhood that hardly anybody ever talks about.

Vicki, a mom of two, had a "pee incident" during a seven-hour drive with her kids. "I looked in the back, and the kids were sleeping, which was literally a miracle from God, but the problem was I had to pee," she says. "So I'm thinking, 'If I stop at a rest area, they're totally going to wake up, and I do not want them to wake up.' So I reached into the diaper bag, pulled out a diaper and I peed into it." How funny is that?

Yesterday's episode also touched on the feelings of inadequacy, fear of judgement by other mom's and being overwhelmed. I know all of you mother's out there probably feel this way everyday and I am right there with you (even though I'm not a mother). I know you're tired and feel like you should be doing so much more....we all do. But I promise you, you are a great mother. I admire you all.

In tribute to yesterday's Oprah show, please tell me....be honest....what is motherhood really like? What crazy thing happened to you today? Spill the beans.

Update: FRAME THIS! Blog

Here's a sneak peek of Linda's fabulous engagement photos taken last weekend. To see more photos of this session, check out the new blog post at

http://www.framethisphotography.wordpress.com/

See you there.

Shake'n It

Throughout the past 17 months of having Khloe, Erik and I have learned the new meaning of dedication and persistence. We haven't been the most committed "trick" teachers in the world, but I think we have done fairly well. Khloe knows how to sit, lay down, stand up, go to her bed, roll over and as of today....shake! This has been the hardest trick to teach Khloe and she finally did it on her own this afternoon. We got so excited; it really brightened our day!

Khloe is such a little cutie and has even turned Erik, a previous "dog-hater", into a devout animal lover. We stayed up until 1am last night watching Lions of Crocodile River on the Animal Planet. It's amazing how a parent's outlook on life changes once "children" come into the picture. I know....she is a dog, but to us, she's our precious baby girl. Anyway, I just had to post some pictures of my little Khloe doing her brand new trick. Now...what trick should we teach her next?

Family Visit

Last week my sister and her family visited from Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they were only making a pit stop because they were on their way home after being in Montana. During the few hours we got to see them, we went to the Draper temple open house and then back home for lunch. We also squeezed in a mini-shoot of my nephew, Blake, for his 6-month pictures. They turned out so cute! I love getting to spend time with my family even if it is only for a few hours. Hopefully we'll see them (as well as the rest of my family) very soon!

Erik's Birthday

Last Wednesday, March 11th, was Erik's birthday. It was kind of a low-key event this year, but we did eat dinner with his friends at Iggy's. Where else would Erik want to go for dinner on a night the Jazz are playing? :) For his present, I gave him two DVD's. The first gift was the official broadcast of the 2009 Sugar Bowl and the second was a highlight video from the Ute's 2004 football season. He didn't show me too much excitement, but I know he loved them because he watched both later that night. I think he's seen the Sugar Bowl about five times now from beginning to end.

A while ago, my Mom asked me to try and make cake pops since she didn't have all of the ingredients available in Bermuda and Erik's birthday was the perfect occassion. After I had started, I realized I didn't have a key piece of equipment; styrofoam. Where the heck was I going to dry these things without messing up my wet chocolate? I searched around my kitchen for something I could use and finally realized the wooden balls I have out for decoration would work perfectly. They turned out really cute and were delicious, although they take FOREVER to make!


All in all, it was another great birthday for Erik. I don't know if he'll think he's as lucky next year though....it's the big three zero.

Check This Out!

I am excited to announce the arrival of the FRAME THIS! Photography - BLOG. You can access the site by going here. Images from my latest photo shoots will be uploaded onto the website frequently. Feel free to comment on the posts and contact me if you'd like to schedule a portrait session. Enjoy!

Blog Site Address: http://www.framethisphotography.wordpress.com/

Sunshine and Sneezing

What does a beautiful 60 degree sunny day in March bring me? Sneezing, itchy/watery eyes and a runny nose. Ugh! Allergies ruin everything.

(This picture is not me, although we do kind of look alike.)

By the way, how is it that in the middle of the night, pollen seeps into my house and makes me miserable? Sneeky little things. And why is it that all allergy medicine knocks me out within the hour? I can't decide what's better....dealing with allergies all day or falling asleep for 3 hours and wasting my afternoon.

Road Trip

Last week, a 17 year old kid backed into our car at Gold's Gym so we were given a rental car until Tuesday. They gave us a Ford Escape and I have to say, it was so much fun to drive. Not too big and not too small. We decided to take advantage of having the bigger vehicle (plus we didn't have to put any more miles on our car....it already has 150k) so Erik, his friend Jon, and I went down to Vegas for the weekend. The boys golfed for the first time this year and I got to hang out with my sister and her family. It's always fun to get away for a few days and we really needed it after last week's computer disaster. I'm still waiting on my sister to email me the pictures we took from her camera, but I had to post these two that were taken on mine. I had so much fun taking pictures of my adorable little nieces. Avery (the younger one) didn't want anything to do with the camera at first, but somehow snapped out if it. Ashlyn (curly hair) thought it would be funny to try not to smile. We managed to get a few cute ones. If it was any other family, I would have been really stressed and annoyed about it all, but since they were relatives, I could use more "force" than usual. :) Anyway.....stay tuned for more pictures of our fun weekend in Vegas.

Not So Fast!

For a while now, Erik has been using a laptop computer (on loan from his boss) to do all of his school and investment work. He thought this morning that we would have to return the computer so he asked me to put all of the files onto flash drives because he wanted them moved over onto our desktop computer. I quickly did this and went on with my day.

We got home from working at the laundromats at about 6pm tonight and Erik told me he no longer needed the files on the flash drives because his ex-boss is letting us keep the computer. I put one of the flash drives into the computer and pushed "delete". I put the second flash drive into the computer and pushed "delete" again. A split second later, I realized that I did not "copy" the files onto the flash drives, I "moved" them onto the flash drive. My heart stopped and for that second, it felt like the world came to an end. Everyone of the files that were originally on the laptop were now gone! What had I done?

Usually, my ability to do things very quickly works in my favor, but every now and then it stabs me in the back. After many calls to computer savvy friends and former co-workers we had recovered most of the files but all of the file names were jibberish. For hours we thought Erik was going to have to go through every file and rename it. Thankfully, I did one last search on the Internet for some better software and it worked. The files are back (with their names) so now he only has to put them into folders.

I am proud to say that Erik remained very calm throughout this disaster. Meanwhile, I cried (just like I always do) and told him repeatedly how sorry I was. From now on, I am going to do things a little slower so I don't make any more stupid mistakes; and for all of you out there that are speed demons as well, slow down!

P.S. If you ever delete a file off of a flash drive and you need it back, take a deep breath and download Recuva. You can thank me later.

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FRAME THIS! Photography

Surprising Feeling

I sat in Relief Society today and felt a sigh of well....relief. I had just finished playing A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief as the "music appreciation" number and I was glad it was over. I've been playing piano for 20 years and I still get extremely nervous but that's beside the point.

On the row in front of me, a clipboard was being passed down the line. On it, was an almost full list of sisters willing to have the missionaries over for dinner throughout the next three months. I have to say, I think there has only been one time since Erik and I have been married that I signed my name on that line. Typically, I pretend to read what it is for and then casually pass it along. This time was different. I sat behind watching as the number of open spaces got smaller and smaller until there was only one left. The list was passed to the woman next to me and I watched as she wrote her name on the last open line.

With my parents serving a mission in Bermuda, I feel a certain closeness to the ward missionaries even though I sadly can't even recall their names. I surprised myself when as the last line was filled in, I felt dissapointed. A somber feeling came over me as I realized my eagerness to serve would now be benefited by no one. When I got home from church, I immediately called the contact person listed on the sign up sheet and told him that if there were ever any time that the missionaries needed a dinner, to give me a call and I would happily provide one. Oddly enough, I am anxiously awaiting the time I receive a call from him.

I am so grateful that as my parents serve the wonderful people in Bermuda, I also get to reap the benefits of their hardwork and dedication to the Lord. Little by little their faith, testimonies, and willingness to serve rubs off on me and I am eternally grateful. Through their example, I have gained a greater desire to serve and emerse myself in the gospel.

I know many more opportunities will come my way and I hope I continue to have the burning desire to serve. Thankfully, I know two missionaries that will save a night on their calendar for me, but unfortunately I have to wait another nine months. To my benefit, my parents will probably have many open lines on their list of needed dinner appointments and I guess that makes me the lucky one because I will be able to serve them any time I wish.

What Can You Do In Mid-Air?

Last weekend, Erik and I (as well as some friends) attended the Visa Freestyle International World Cup Arial Skiing event at Deer Valley. It was a lot of fun to do something other than watch TV, workout and play Wii on a Friday night...and it was free! For some reason, I didn't think about the weather before we left (very odd for me) and ended up being FREEZING for a couple of hours; but after seeing the atheletes twirl around four times in the air after going off of a HUGE ski jump, it was well worth it. Some people are so talented! My arial talent is limited to about a foot of air and zero spins.

I wonder what they are thinking about while in these positions?