The Resolution Evolution

The other day I wheeled into the Sports Academy parking lot and have never in my life seen the lot overflowing with cars … specifically at 6am! I entered, geared up and made my way over to the machines … not one treadmill, elliptical, or bike was available. Every hamster wheel was occupied with sweaty, determined folk with an ambitious new year resolution to be fitter, thinner, sexier. I mentioned it to a woman next to me and she flatly replied, “Yeah, happens every year – by March the place is back to normal”.

Two questions seem to hang in the air at the first of each year.

1.      1.  What drives us to set goals that statistically we’re so unlikely to stick to?

2.      2.  What force(s) inhibit us from reaching these far-fetched goals? 

Although my memory is about as useful as a spork, I’m quite sure I’ve set several personal goals for myself come January 1^st every stinkin’ year throughout my adulthood. And since my math is about as good as my memory, let’s say that I’ve been setting goals for the past ten years. Only one year did I ever successfully hit my goals. One. Year. I’m sure you’re aware of the goal I speak of – my weight loss goal of 100 lbs. It was a smashing success, but that’s not my point today. What confounds and frustrates me (and likely you as well) is that only 10% of my goals in the past decade were attained! WTF! (it means Why The Face – watch Modern Family ;))

So – back to question 1 – how do we keep thinking that this time it’ll be different? Are we setting the wrong goals? Are we expecting too much from ourselves? Do we already know that we’ll mostly likely fail but choose the “reach for the stars” mentality because that’s what we’ve been taught?  Did I just discuss a question with a slew of additional questions? Clearly you won’t find many answers here … just some food for thought … mmm food. 

And question 2 – why do we stop? Why do we fail? What helped me succeed on that tenth time after losing miserably nine times prior? What’s the difference? 

I suppose the most important question I want to pose to myself (and you diligent folk still reading this brain dump) is this: How can I make that 10% more like 50% … or is it ludicrous to even think 100%?

This is what I think it boils down to … at least this is my conclusion for the moment:

1.       Set a minimum of 4 milestones for every goal. You know the saying – how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And believe me, I was an elephant!

2.       Tell as many people as you possibly can about your goal. ESPECIALLY if it’s slightly embarrassing --- like “I’m super fat and I want to lose it all this year”… that was embarrassing to me.

3.       When you fall off the horse, (and by damn man, you absolutely will!) ask yourself if you are on the right horse – because occasionally you’ll realize that there’s a better horse right behind you that’ll take you the next 4 miles and help you get over a mountain you now realize your other crap horse could never get you over. And don’t forget to over-use lame horse analogies as often as needed.

4.       Don’t follow the rules of some lame-o “self-help guru” --- or even some dude blogging about his amazing ability to lose some weight, then gain some back, then diet some more. We’re all playing this by ear and everyone is so fundamentally unique, every individual needs their own rules and guidelines. I know my weaknesses and strengths and my goal-reaching bible is penned primarily by me, with a dash of a various hand-picked authors/idealists. 

So – there you have it. A quick idea of what seems to work for me. Now throw this in a blender, pull out the useless chunks that won’t break down and add the main ingredient: your unique secret sauce. That totally got cheesy at the end…

So – Holly mentioned that we needed to write a blog post this week and this is what you got. You were probably looking for adorable pics of Sonoma on the verge of crawling (she pulled herself up for the first time this week!), Ruby as a priceless snow bunny or Olivia assisting as sous-chef in the kitchen. Well, maybe next week.

2010 - A Fantastic Year

Here are photos and videos from some of the fun we had in December ... mouse over and click play for the videos.



At the close of 2010, we feel good. It has been a wonderful year full of change and busy-ness. Right now, we are just ending the holiday break. We had a lot of fun with family in town. There were many a family gatherings, games, snow-storms, and over-eating opportunities. We managed to go sledding and - for the first time ever with the kids - ice skating (the girls really loved both, and were champs at skating). We also celebrated the pregnancies of Amber and Mandy with a girl's night. Jen told us about the Navajo tradition of a "Blessing Way", which I will incorporate into all future baby showers. Amid all of this, we were remodeling our home. We ripped out a bedroom on the main floor to open up the main room. It's a construction zone, but luckily we spent the majority of the holiday at my mom's house.

We are now waiting to hear about whether or not we will be moving to Asia in the late summer or early fall. Until then, Olivia will go back to BRCS in kindergarten, singing in Cache Children's Choir, dancing at the Bullen's Center, and who knows what else. Ruby will go back to Union Preschool and dancing with her sister. Sonoma will inevitably learn to crawl, walk, and talk amid other things, forcing me to re-baby-proof the house. I will go back to teaching at USU. Adam will continue to keep his nose glued to the computer at Advent Creative. The new year promises uncertainty, adventure, and fun. I am genuinely excited. Despite challenges that come with a recession/struggling economy, poor housing market, three small children, intermittent poor health, bills, sub-zero winter weather, and whatever comes, life is amazing. I am so happy. I feel like the luckiest person alive. I am learning and experiencing so much all the time. I feel it a privilege to participate in this round of existence. So, 2011, welcome.

Bangkok | Days 1,2

Thought I'd post a few videos and photos while I'm here in Asia. I went running this morning at Lumphini Park, the "Central Park" of Bangkok, and there were all kinds of interesting things going on. I came across a 6 ft long monitor lizard and some old ladies wielding some serious swords ... I kept my distance from both. I'll try and keep on taking pictures/video as often as I can. And I'll skip pics of our work and meetings ... boooring!

The 87 year-old in yellow was giving me the evil eye ... I'm just happy to be alive.

Although Bangkok is becoming more and more modern and hip ... some places are still ... not quite there.

Random photo I saw on a cubicle ... now THOSE are cheeks!

7 floors of nothing but electronics ... a geek's paradise.

And who would've guessed it would be full of monks buying electronics?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
The photos this week are a lot of fun. The last two are actually video's of Ruby and Olivia singing (something they do ALL the time!), so don't forget to click on them.
Earlier this week we went to the art museum at USU and had a great time talking about all of the different pieces of art, and different kinds of art, etc. When we got home, the girls were inspired to go and paint on the canvas that they started last year. They had such a good time painting to music, mixing colors, and being creative.
Sonoma learned how to sit up! So, she's been very entertained just sitting on the ground with a few toys in front of her. She also got to take a bath with the older girls and LOVED it.
We decided to decorate for Christmas early this year so that Adam could be a part of it all. He is leaving the day after Thanksgiving for a couple of weeks. He and Wade will go to Asia for Advent Creative. We miss Adam already!
We are so grateful for all of our family and friends! We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people (near and far) in our lives.

A few photos of the week

Sonoma and her cousin Beckham.

Example of a meal our kids eat (whole foods; they love it all) ... since people ask us quite often.

 Homemade chocolate ice cream (honey sweetened)

That thing was bigger than my head!

Making a batch of homemade gnocchi ... molto buono!

The girls got a hold of a marker ... Holly told them to brush their teeth and this was the result.

The first snow of fall 2010.

Halloween 2010

This week was a lot of fun. It started with an early Halloween party at the USU Field House for the kids. Then the girls also got to head to “Nana’s” (Grandma Linda) house for some holiday fun like decorating a candy haunted house, painting pumpkins, and eating pumpkin cookies. Later in the week carved pumpkins at our house. And after carving a traditional Jack-o-lantern for Ru, Adam broke out the power drill and made a polka-dot-pumpkin for Viv. It was a big hit.

On Friday, we went to Advent Creative’s 4^th annual Halloween party. The costume contest was intense, as usual. I’m always impressed that people go all out. Adam and I went as H.I. McDunnah, Edwina, and Nathan Jr. from Raising Arizona. Bailee, our babysitter, asked if people would recognize who we were. I thought that it would be terribly obvious, but when we got to the party, less than half of the people there had ever seen the movie. Boo. I guess we are getting old and Raising Arizona is a generational show that has past its prime. Too bad. Oh well, I still thought our costumes were funny.

We spent the holiday cleaning out the garage and house and trying to keep the kids at bay as they waited patiently for the moment of trick-or-treating. Olivia chose to be a "Vampire Princess" for Halloween and did her face make-up all by herself (she was so proud). Ruby wanted to be a "Princess Unicorn". The blended costumes were adorable, and the girls felt so cool. Sonoma and I weren’t feeling well, so we stayed back while Adam took the girls around to the Morse’s, Kidd’s, and a few houses in our neighborhood. We finished the evening at my mother’s house where she had prepared a Halloween feast. It was a great day.

I splurged this week after being completely sold on a product. It will be my birthday and Christmas present and a few other things as well, but I was sold. It is a Blendtec. You can check out some of their viral marketing youtube videos by searching “Will it blend” (they blend things like marbles, an iphone, etc.). It is insane. So far, we have LOVED using it. It makes hot soups, icecream, peanutbutter, juice, smoothies, grinds wheat, etc. The clean up is incredibly simple as well. I am a big fan. It really helps if you are serious about eating a lot of produce, raw food, and “real” food...which we are. This morning (while I stayed in bed sick) Adam made 6 loaves of banana bread, and an amazing “Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto” (See photo above and recipe below). It was delicious!

Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto

1 cup hot water

1 small can tomato paste

6-8 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 green pepper (whole)

¼ cup chives

2 large carrots (cut into chunks)

¼ cup pepper jack cheese

6-8 cups cooked rice

3 cups black beans (warm)

In a powerful blender, combine everything but the rice and beans. Blend until smooth. Pour over rice and beans in a pot and heat (unless you have a Blendtec, in which case, it will already be hot!). Garnish with chives and grated cheese. Can be served with tortilla chips. (The blended ingredients will be mostly raw). Enjoy!

Fall Has Fallen

I went on a run up Logan Canyon yesterday. I usually listen to music to keep my pace as I run, but as I found myself deeper and deeper into the brilliantly painted fall hues of crimson and yellow, I started feeling like I was breaking some sacred law by having my ears plugged as I ran through the forests. So I turned off the tunes and unplugged when I got to my turn-around point. The half-hour run down the trails through the canyon became an amazing and spectacular gallery of God's work...I was completely inspired and mesmerized. What an amazing place we live in.

The past few weeks have been fairly eventful. Here's a quick update.

A few weeks ago Holly and I put on our teenage faces and took off to a James concert in SLC. It did take us back to younger days before our gray hair and wrinkly skin ... James performed fantastically.

I spent the last month working longer hours than ever in my life. We even managed a 23 hour shift one day in order to get all the work done for a particular client who was having a huge convention and needed 150+ designs (print pieces, web pages, promo stuff, etc) to be pumped out beforehand. It was out of control, but we managed to get everything done and the convention was a smashing success. Phew!

Because everyone around us knew that Holly was living life as a single mother during that period, my oh-so generous brother, Sam, invited Holly to go down to Salt Lake to the Grand America for a weekend of luxurious pampering and exquisite food, together with a few of my sisters and Sam's wife, Kristen. Kristen calls these events "TLC", which stands for Total Luxurious Care, and boy did Holly soak it up and love every second of it! She and I are totally indebted to them for that (since I was a neglectful husband working late every night).

A few weeks ago we also got to run with our little family in another race for Holly's friend who has cancer. It was in Kaysville. The girls ran a 1 mile fun run while I did a 10k. Olivia actually made it the whole mile by herself! Later on we went down to a Real Salt Lake game with Holly's sister and husband (Kristen; Marshall), Holly's brother who was visiting from NC (Jackson), Holly's sister-in-law (Jen), Holly's sister's boyfriend (Rick) and all our little munchkins. It was a great game ... and even the very most nosebleed seats are perfect at that stadium. Fun indeed.

Two days ago Holly presented at a conference (ITESOL) in Ogden with her sister Kristen about a human rights curriculum that they developed for their ESL stuff at USU. And yesterday Olivia was in the USU Homecoming parade on the Cache Children's Choir float. She was quite the adorable little tot in her red stocking hat and red shirt, rolling down the street hitting sticks together and singin' her lungs out. Ruby, in the meantime, stocked up on gobs and gobs of candy being tossed along the side of the street. Dreams do come true now and then.

We also cleared out our garden yesterday in preparation for winter. We unearthed quite the wagonful (see photo) of veggies. Gardens are one of the most fulfilling activities one can do with a small family and a little plot of land. They teach so many important life lessons and provide healthy, local produce right in our own backyard (literally!). It's so valuable for kids to discover and understand where food comes from, how it grows and then watch as it becomes their supper. Viva la local food!

Recipe of the Week (errr, month...heh): Sweet Potato Fries (we LOVE these)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Set your oven to 450 degrees, cut your sweet potato(s) into wedges, like fries from a fast food joint, sprinkle with salt, oil and any spices you'd like, then bake until browned - usually appx 20 minutes.