Leaping Leaners and Lowtops

I know you are totally confused by that title. Sam and I went to a fundraiser tonight called Leaping Leaners and Lowtops at Energy Solutions Arena--it was for Larry H. Miller Charities.

Sam told me about the thing a few days ago and casually mentioned that it was dressy but you had to wear sneakers. To be honest, I was not thrilled with the idea--polygamist anyone? But all it took was walking to the arena from our car and I was a believer.

The whole event turned out to be really fun. (It wouldn't really matter where we were going--an evening away from the kids and DINNER...I'm in!)

The Jazz players were wandering around and giving autographs and signing stuff. I told Sam I only wanted a picture with Mehmet Okur:


He is a hottie and I told Sam if given the chance, I might leave him for Mehmet. Sam didn't look too concerned. Here is a photo of Mehmet's wife:


It was a buffet dinner and usually at buffets, I start to get antsy. I worry that I'm not going to get my fair share. I always feel like I have to rush to get my food. I noticed pretty quickly though, this was a classy event. No need to rush--the food wasn't going anywhere. Why am I so tacky?

The dinner was delish--this was my second appetizer plate (Notice the huge shrimp!)


Here is my entree (There were three different kinds of meat on that plate!)


The dessert table was totally impressive...chocolate fountain, gelato, key lime tarts, eclairs, cookies, etc. I ate way too much.


There was a silent auction and Sam and I bid on some George Strait/Reba tickets and won. We didn't realize the show is this weekend but I guess we'll be heading out again. Ashley will be jealous because the tickets included dinner at CPK!

When we got back to our car, we were dying at how close this car parked in front of us. Sheesh.


A special thank-you to my mom who babysit three (Yes THREE) different times today. She is out of this world. Thanks also to Cam and Katie for watching the rugs tonight. We owe you!

Hapari Swimsuit Winner!!

We have a winner! Random.org pulled up number 59 which goes to Heidi White. She said "This is my second entry for liking them on FB." In her first comment, she said she had blogged about Hapari and put a link on FB. Nice going Heidi! I will email you with your prize!

Maxi Dress--Maxi Frumpy or Maxi Hip?

Are you all so tired of looking at me in work out clothes? Now you get to look at me in dresses.

I told you about my sister's holy grail search for high waisted jeans (she found the perfect pair of Not Your Daughter's at Nordstrom in California. I think the waistband actually sits above her bellybutton but she is thrilled with the coverage--sorry for the cheap shot Ashley!)

While she was looking for her mom jeans, I was on my own search for the perfect pair of white jeans for summer. I wanted a skinny fit that I could roll up the bottoms and the jean material had to be light weight but not see-through.

White jeans are already so unforgiving and I am sooo picky. After weeks of shopping, I found the perfect pair of Citizens at Nordstrom (the Ava fit). I ended up buying them on Piperlime with a friends and family 30% off pass. I don't know why I told you that other than to brag about the deal.

Here is the outfit I bought with the prize purse from Club Phat:


The tank and shrug are from Macy's.

Let's be honest, the Club Phat money didn't quite cover this outfit or the maxi dress I'm about to show you but I knew that Sam would want to reward me for my hard work (right babe--I'm sure he's nodding his head as he reads this.)

Here is the Maxi dress I bought on a whim because it goes with the same shrug:



I knew it looked a little frumpy in the store but the allure of not shaving and sitting like a man at church was too great. What do you think? Does it need to go back? I'm usually a short dress girl and apparently I love shrugs. All of my church stuff looks like this:




Sam wasn't thrilled with the maxi dress--at least his only comment was "...if that's what the kids are wearing..." Be honest, is the maxi dress totally unflattering. (Nic, I expect you to chime in since you are the authority on all things fashion!)

Indulge Me

I've been dreading doing this post because I know no one really wants to hear someone else's weight loss story. Sam, you can leave now. He is soooo tired of hearing me talk about Club Phat. I hope this post isn't going to sound preachy--Luckily for you, I've had two weeks since Club Phat ended to fall back into my bad eating habits so I really can't say too much.

I wish I could tell you the six weeks went by quickly and that it was easy and the weight just fell off. But that's not true. I worked like a dog and there was nothing easy about it. I didn't miss a single day of working out in six weeks (except Sundays.) I tried to go to the gym every day at 9:00 am but sometimes I had to go when it was completely inconvenient (like at 2:00 in the afternoon or 11:00 at night.) I went when I was sick and I went when I didn't feel like it. I tried new classes and pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

I didn't drink soda. I ate my #%#%(@@$ veggies! And worst of all, I only had a handful of treats in that entire time. Sometimes I was hungry when I went to bed. Sometimes not having treats made me really grumpy. Long story short, it was hard. To lose weight, you have to get sweaty and uncomfortable. The process is unglamorous but I did it.

The very hardest moment of the entire six weeks was standing at Mrs. Field's cookies with my kids and not getting a cookie and a diet coke. I swear those cookies are laced with heroin--they are so addicting.


I lost 13 pounds and I'm wearing my normal clothes again. I am happier than I've been in a long time.

Some tips: I believe in rewarding yourself along the way. I bought new work-out shoes and work-out tops. I am a big believer in shelling out the dough to get cute workout clothes. If you don't feel cute at the gym, you won't go. I also believe the right gear makes all the difference. I started Spinning at my gym and bought myself some cycling shoes and padded shorts. My bum was much happier with the new shorts!



Since I couldn't eat treats, sometimes I would buy myself a really great lunch--like a salad at Rumbi's. That helped me not feel deprived. I also stocked up on Sobe beverages (low calorie drinks)--having one at night made me feel like I was having a treat.

I also think weight-training is the most important thing you can do to change your body. I had to do barbell classes because there is no way I would push myself on my own with the weights.



I ended up coming in second place in the contest and I won $125.00. I was thrilled I got a little spending cash to get a new outfit--I will show you what I bought in my next post. The winner only lost 8 pounds which made me feel extra good. I knew I worked hard and I'm proud of myself.

Now, I promise to never talk about Club Phat again.

Hapari Swimsuit Give-Away!

It's finally here--the day you've all been waiting for--the Hapari swimsuit give-away!

About a month ago, I was lamenting to Ashley that a great swimsuit is so hard to find. I have high standards for swimsuits. After gestating and nursing four babies, the most important thing to me is support for the "girls." Under wire in a swimsuit is the gold standard. But until now, it was extremely hard to find. Ashley introduced me to an online swimsuit retailer called Hapari. They have an entire line of tankinis with under wire (their S.O.S. line.) Look how cute these are:

They also have a retail location in American Fork, Utah. I called my mom a couple weeks ago and she and I ran down there one day. She was just going with me for moral support and to be my Stacy London (to tell me the cold hard truth about whether or not the swimsuits looked good.)

The store is absolutely adorable (the dressing rooms look like cabanas) and my mom ended up buying a swimsuit as well. She got this darling zebra print one:



Yeah--she is almost 60 and she rocks that suit. (She doesn't need under wire!)

I bought this one with the tummy tuck bottoms (I have no shame in admitting that!):



The best part is, they have these darling skirts to wear over the swimsuits as well and everything is mix and match with the tops and the bottoms.

If you are not well-endowed, they have other cute choices. I would have bought this one if I didn't need under wire:



And guess what else? Their suits actually have pockets to slide in silicone inserts (that they sell) if you want to enhance what you already have (this concept is completely foreign to me but it may interest some of you.)



So let's get down to business...The give-away is for a $96.00 gift card to their site.

To enter, just share one of the links below. You can post it on your Facebook wall, tweet it, or blog it. Then come back here and comment on this post with the URL where the link to Hapari can be found. Once this is done, you have entered the give-away!

http://www.hapari.com/

http://www.hapari.com/womens-swimwear/

http://www.hapari.com/plus-size-swimwear/
http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/

You can leave an additional comment if you "like" Hapari on Facebook. The contest will end on March 29th. I will pick a winner using random.org. Please leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win. Good luck!

It's My Day--It's My Time a.k.a. the Birthday Extravaganza

I had to channel my inner Michelle for a minute. I've never said "It's my day" on my birthday but I do believe in planning my own birthday celebration and spoiling myself and I'm never disappointed! I've probably never said "It's my day" because I believe the birthday festivities should last an entire week!

This year, my birthday fell on a Friday and I told Sam, I didn't want gifts. I just wanted him to do some kind of blog post for me and I wanted to have Saturday off. Ashley was coming into town for the day and we made plans. Here is how I celebrated my 34th birthWEEK!

Monday night was the Bachelor party. This kicked off the binge-fest that was also lasted the whole week (post on Club-Phat still coming...)

Tuesday night, I went to dinner with my neighborhood friends. I love these girls. Three of us have birthdays in March and we hit Rumbi's for some good post-Bachelor discussion:


Thursday, my friend Heidi came over for lunch and somehow, I didn't get a picture. We had Hagermans and she made me the world's cutest wreath. I've been coveting her's for over a year. I am soooo happy with it.


Friday was the actual b-day and I got a massage in the afternoon. Javier did not disappoint. I always go to Sanctuary and I think it might have been my favorite massage ever.


Friday evening, Sam and I went to Market Street for dinner. I didn't order the Lobster this time. The funniest thing happened though. After dinner, I went to use the women's restroom. As I walked in, I notice that the W and the O was burned out on the Women's sign so it just said "men's" if you weren't really looking at it. When I was in the stall, I looked down and noticed the feet in the stall next to me. They were huge and wearing gnarly man shoes. Then I noticed they were facing the toilet and the person was peeing. It hit me IT WAS A MAN!

I walked out of my stall to wash my hands. The guy was peeing with the door open!! I waited for him to turn around and see me. He looked surprised. I said "Dude, you are in the women's restroom." He looked totally embarrassed and got the heck out of there (didn't wash his hands.) As I was walking back to my table, I passed his booth and gave him a little finger point. He was embarrassed. Funny stuff.


Saturday, I woke up and went on a run. I listened to the Beatles. Did you all know The Beatles are now on i tunes? It brought back major memories of high school. Back then, I always listened to the Beatles greatest hits in my car on the way to school.


I met Ashley and my mom for lunch at Food for Thought. I have decided it is my all-time favorite place to eat...yummy soups, salads, sandwiches, mint brownies, lemon bars and big diet cokes...all in a little house in Draper. I'm telling you--it is the BEST! We were the only ones in the restaurant.


Ashley's darling Bennett came too:


Then my mom took Bennett home and Ashley and went for pedicures--I was the one in the nasty foam flip flops:


Then it was off to Nordstrom Rack where we both bought cardigans and jewelry and tried on tons of dresses that were all too short.

Then we went to Old Navy and Ashley spent the next 20 minutes telling me how much she hates Old Navy clothing while I shopped. Notice the matching handbags:


Then we went to South Town Mall, Tai Pan, Fashion Place Mall--Macy's, Gap, White House Black Market and Nordstrom. Someone better ban me from WHBM. I don't need any more black and white church clothes. I love that store---don't ever let me go in again. At Nordstrom, Ashley began her holy grail search for high waisted jeans. She is tired of showing crack every time she bends over.

Ashley don't hate me for this but after trying on the high-waisted Joe's and Citizen's she moved to the old lady dept. She blew through the Davin Kahns and went to the ultimate mom jeans--Not Your Daughter's Jeans!!!! She doesn't even have a daughter. She loved them. But decided they were too formal so she is still hunting for the perfect high waisted jeans...any ideas out there?


We were starving at that point so we headed to Mrs. Fields for huge diet cokes and a brownie for me and then we headed to Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta for dinner with my parents and sister in law Katie.

Sunday, I busted out the Easter clothes because they are long sleeved this year and Easter is really late in April. I want my kids to get there wear out of them. It did my heart good to go to church in coordinating clothes.


Sam left on a plane for Dallas and we headed up to my parents house for a special dinner.


Buster and Bennett finally got to spend some quality time together:


I got to eat my mom's delicious chocolate cake and open presents from my parents and kids. I look at this picture with my kids around me and I realize I don't need to wish for anything! I am one lucky girl--how cheesy is that!


It was a great birthday! If anyone is still reading this...come back in a day or two. I am doing my first-ever give-away. I recently bought the world's BEST swimsuit. So I approached the company and they agreed to let me do a give-away for my blog readers. I'm not kidding these swimsuits will change your life (think underwire!!)--See you soon!

Sam's Birthday Tribute to Me

So today is Brooke’s birthday…Happy Birthday! Apparently, it has become a tradition of sorts for Brooke to ask me to write something for the blog. Who can forget the memorable post of two years ago where I listed 32 things about her? If you have forgotten or have never read it, click here. It is good stuff.

This year Brooke asked me to do a similar post but this time with 34 things about her. As I thought about it and reviewed the earlier list, I realized that I could never top the original. It was like the first “Karate Kid” or “Predator”…the sequels should never have been made. Instead of tarnishing the sacred legacy of 32, I thought of tweaking the idea slightly and making the list about 10 memorable “Brooke Moments.”



In preparing this, I have realized that I could come up with a completely different list tomorrow because there are so many memories to choose from…but I guess I have to save something for next year. Without further ado, enjoy:

10. Driving Cross-Country. While driving to Washington, D.C. for the Summer and then home from Maine, Brooke managed to sleep for virtually the entire time in the car. The highlight came just after visiting Harkness State Park in Connecticut. Brooke informed me she needed a restroom “in a bad way.” We stumbled upon a laundromat; she ran inside. She immediately ran back outside and said the one-toilet bathroom didn’t have a lock, and I was needed to stand guard. I complied. A few minutes later, the door flew open, and she quietly but frantically told me, “We need to get out of here.” We jumped into our Honda Civic and peeled out of there like we robbed the place.

9. Luke’s Birth. Brooke managed to go into labor the one night of the entire pregnancy that I was out of town. She called me at 4:30 a.m. while I was asleep at Bear Lake to tell me that her water broke and that I needed to get to LDS Hospital a.s.a.p. I drove back and made it to the hospital with time to spare, but I will never forget seeing Luke for the first time, and how much fun it was to be a dad. I learned how tough pregnancy/delivery was for moms and was impressed by Brooke’s toughness (which she repeated three more times). We stupidly had Luke sleep in the room with us the first night and got no sleep.



8. Concerts. My best memory of law school was flying down to Phoenix with Brooke to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. We continued the tradition by attending concerts of Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, and Taylor Swift. But the funniest concert experience occurred when we had to leave the B-52s concert prematurely because Brooke could not take any more of the large woman next to her (a) taking up half her seat b) blowing cigarette smoke in her face and c) pulling out crotch wedgies every two minutes.

7. Sun Valley = Armageddon. Before we got married, I joined Brooke’s family at the Utah State Bar Retreat at Sun Valley, Idaho. One night, the family went and saw “Armageddon,” that asteroid movie with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Not a bad movie. As we were leaving the theater, everyone noticed that Ashley (Brooke’s little sister) was crying as if we just watched “Terms of Endearment.” Rex (Brooke’s older brother) later teased Ashley about it while we were standing in line at Baskins & Robbins…and out of nowhere Brooke came in “from the top” rope and landed two or three hard punches on Rex before anyone knew what happened.



6. First Kiss. It was either our second or third date, and we ended up at the Madsen’s to watch “White Squall.” I don’t remember much from the movie other than the fact that we were on the floor in front of the television. When it ended, we fortuitously found ourselves alone and made out like I just got out of prison. Fortunately, we made it to the temple. Bishop B., Bishop S., and Bishop P., if you are reading this, thanks for working with us…

5. Wedding Crashing. While we were dating and newlyweds, we often found ourselves at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for wedding receptions. When the reception we attended didn’t have good food, we starting roaming the building in search of a good spread. Brooke was much more adventurous than I was. I remember walking into a reception as it was winding down and being stuck with the bride or groom’s parents, trying to explain why we were there. Good times.

4. Sammie’s Birth. Since I wasn’t in town when Brooke went into labor with Luke, this was my first experience in driving her to the hospital. It was early, and neither of us had slept much. I drove from our house in Draper to LDS Hospital and inexplicably did not drop Brooke off at the hospital entrance. I pulled into the parking garage and found a great spot by the stairs on the second level. We then walked across the street, and Sammie was born about 90 minutes later. Brooke didn’t complain at the time (she claims because she couldn't talk), but I have been persecuted for my “poor” decision-making.

3. Cut the Cake. At the conclusion of our wedding reception, an over-achieving, under-medicated employee of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building did not understand her role in the cake cutting ceremony. As Brooke and I stepped in to cut the cake, this woman jumped in front of us, cut the cake before we could get to it and handed us a piece. We ignored her, cut the cake and fed it to each other. Brooke (and her mom) had given me strict instructions not to make a mess or smear it on her face, etc.

2. Bike Trail in Bellevue. After I took the bar exam, Brooke and I travelled up to Sun Valley, Idaho for a short trip. We rode our bikes south on the paved trail, intending to stop in Hailey for lunch. We accidentally passed Hailey and ended up in Bellevue (3 miles further) at the end of the trail. I rode up the gas station to figure out where we were. By the time I got back to Brooke, I found her in tears, crying from the fatigue and disappointment. Despite her tough exterior, Brooke can breakdown when tired or injured or both.

1. Kauai. We traveled to Kauai a few years ago to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. It was an action-packed, entertaining trip. A terrible time share presentation. Good food. Great scenery. Exhilarating rope swing. Tragedy on the Napali coast. A collision in the McDonald’s drive thru. From start to finish, an exciting journey…much like my time with Brooke.

The Bachelor Party and Finale

Last night I had my first Bachelor party. And you thought bachelor parties were just for young crazy guys on the brink of getting married...not so. A bunch of thirty-something women can rock a Bachelor party too.

A few friends left before we could take the picture.

It was really fun last night and I loved watching the show with 13 women who love it as much as I do. I wish I had ended on the proposal and not with the awkwardness that ensued on ATFR. But I'll get to that later.

I loved seeing Brad's tears when he saw his family again. His mother was really sweet and southern and the brothers seemed nice. I kind of felt bad for the ugly brother. Can you imagine having to grow up in the shadow of those hot twins? But he did alright. Prima is a cute girl.



I thought Chantel did a great job winning over the family. She is totally likeable and personally, I would rather go to sushi and wine with her than Emily (that is if I liked sushi or actually drank wine, which I don't.) She is outgoing and fun and I really really felt bad for her last night. When Emily had her "meet the family" date, I just thought, Chantel is toast. How do you compete with Emily's story? You don't. Of course, the family fell in love with Emily and it was downhill from there for Chantel.

I could feel the awkwardness on Chantel's last date. The poor girl wore yet another ill-fitting outfit. She is a really pretty girl but she did not look good in her clothes. You've got to hand it to her though--she worked those ta-tas. When she came out in the wet suit, everyone at my party yelled "zip it up!" Maybe she couldn't zip it up. The "girls" looked like they were about to pop in that suit. They swam with the shark, blah blah blah, and then it was back to the room for the gift. At this point, Brad just started to look guilty. That's when we all knew it was over for Chantel. His mind was made up.



Emily's date didn't go much better. She forgot to wear pants on the helicopter ride. At one point, we rewinded the DVR because my friends were sure they saw Emily's bum cheek when the helicopter blew her shirt up. Seriously--I don't care who you are--who wears that on a date? (Especially a windy date!)



Brad was really sweet with her back in the room and told her again how he is ready to be a dad and step into that role completely. Then she totally blew it and kept asking him if he was really ready. Newsflash Emily: NO ONE IS READY TO BE A PARENT! Just like no one is "ready" to go to basic training for the military or start chemo. You just do it. You can't explain to Brad how it's gonna be. He has to find out for himself.

I have to say, the producers are sly dogs. In the previews, they made us think Brad was walking out on the date with Emily when he really just left the room to get a glass of water. Also, they spliced a piece of what he said to his brothers about leaving alone and made us think he actually might not pick anyone. Sneaky. I can see why contestants on the show are miffed about how they are edited.

I loved how they have both girls sitting around all day writing in their journals, waiting for the final rose ceremony. You could already tell that Chantel knew she was going home. She was extra weepy. I felt so bad for her.

When Neil Lane showed up to give Brad the ring, we all thought it was the therapist coming back. I was like "No Way Fleis flew him to South Africa." Thank goodness it was Neil bringing the bling. Gorgeous ring. Good choice Brad. I heard the ring was worth $100,000. Emily, you are an idiot if you don't close the deal just for the ring.



Chantel looked beautiful at the final rose ceremony. The black dress was her best outfit yet.



As Brad was breaking up with her, I just thought "I hate this show. Why do we do this to ourselves?" I was with her when she said "I just want to escape." And then the horrible, sobbing, drawn out ride in the limo. Poor girl. I wish she was the next bachelorette.



Did you hear the news? Ashley H. is the next bachelorette. We all saw it coming. What a blow.



Emily looked beautiful at the final rose ceremony too. I loved the proposal. Brad nailed it. She was gracious and we all cheered. My mom cried. It was good tv.

I wish it had ended there. I'm still confused about what happened with Brad and Emily. Like most relationships, it is probably complicated. Sounds like Brad needs to start seeing his therapist for anger management rather than commitment issues. Emily needs to get some self-confidence and shake her insecurities. It does seem like Brad is still totally in love with Emily. I really hope they can make it work but I'm not holding my breath.



I laughed when they trotted out Trysta and Ryan again. Those two are like Bachelor royalty. I still love Roberto and Ali. Jason and Molly totally suck. How is that for classy?

I do think Emily's hair looked a million times better at the ATFR (less playboy playmate!) Chris Harrison's hair was different too--more poofy? more blond? I'm not sure. I think Chantel had a good question when she asked Brad when he knew she wasn't the one. There is no way Brad was going to answer that because if he was honest, he would probably say it was much earlier than Chantel would want to know. She can't get mad though. That is the way the show works. You've got to have two girls at the end.

So what is the consensus? Do you think Brad and Emily will last? Are you going to watch Ashley as the bachelorette on May 26th? Do you wish you had come to my mom's house and had her mint brownies?