girls trip: CEDAR POINT

Roller coasters and thrill rides: I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM and get all sorts of giddy while on them. I've been wanting to go to Cedar Point ever since I first heard about it a few years ago. Who would go all the way to Ohio just for an amusement park??? Oh, me.......and some of my cool sister in laws and a few other awesome ladies too. People looked at me like I was from a different planet when I told them I was going to Ohio on a girls trip and there would be no shopping or laying by the pool. In my head I just laughed (in my evil laugh voice of course) and knew they would never fully comprehend what they were missing. I was a bit nervous about being let down because I had built it up in my head so much. Well, it was EVERYTHING I wanted it to be and even exceeded my expectations (except in the churro department.....i had the grossest churro, blah. Very disappointed with that.) Here are some pics of some of my favorite rides....

This bad boy is the main reason why I wanted to come. 120 mph in 4 seconds and over 400 ft high. NO WORDS!!! absolutely incredible!




This was an awesome roller coaster......over 300 feet high, and the first drop is at a 80 degree angle...super fast (close to 100 mps)....super smooth and so much fun!!




There are so rides where we were laughing so hard no sound was coming out, and tears and mascara were rolling down our faces.... it's hard to pick a favorite.......here are some more I loved....








I also feel super lucky that these rides didn't affect me in a negative way at all.....no sickness, headaches, or anything else. Guess I'm made for this stuff. =) I also found out that new jersey has a ride just like the dragster but a bit taller and faster.......think I'm gonna have to hit NJ pretty soon.

3 ingredient brownies!

Found this recipe one day while I was craving brownies. Technically these brownies have 4 ingredients but I left out the chopped hazelnuts when I made mine, so it really was 3 for me. Are these the best brownies ever?? no. But they are REALLY good, SUPER fast, and easy to make. Plus, this recipe doesn't make too many....which is good for people like me who can easily eat the whole pan of brownies. All you need is nutella, flour, and an egg. Go try them out, then tell me what you think. happy eating!

time out!

The other day I was playing with the girls when I needed to go to the bathroom. I left for a minute and while I was gone I could tell something was going on in the room where I had left the girls. I came back to see this...


Ava informed me that Hazel wasn't letting Ruby have a toy, so she put her in time out (aka trapped her with the pillows). I kinda giggled about it and a minute later I hear ava talking VERY seriously, "are you calmed down now hazie?" Oh the things they pick up from you.

a hot july love affair

It was early july and we found ourselves at Tyler's moms and dads house eating dinner and hanging out. When Tyler's brother Mark walked in, I naturally started asking him about the trip to oregon that he and his family had been planning on going on. They were actually leaving in a few short hours. I told them it sounded fun, and that I'm sure they'd have a great time. Couldn't wait to hear all about it when they got back. Well, all of a sudden Mark just threw it out there that we should go with them. At first I thought he was kidding around, but the more he said it the more I realized he was serious. Right away my mind was going through the million reasons why we couldn't/shouldn't go. But finally I told Mark to go work on Tyler and see what he says. So after a bit, Tyler comes to talk to me and after a few short minutes we decide to do it! Why not?!?! It was a moment in time to throw out the normalcy and mundaneness of our every day lives and go on a lovely adventure with our fam. We went home, packed, and a few short hours later made the drive to the oregon coast. Let's just say some of the best things in life are not planned. Here are some of the highlights.

mini van = mom jeans

This is what comes to mind when I think mini van:




Somehow I feel like if I gave into driving a mini van it would be like me stepping into a pair of mom jeans:





When I first found out I was having twins, everyone kept asking me when I was going to get a mini van. I said NEVER! In my head I knew I didn't need a mini van, nor would I EVER find myself driving one. My current car is JUST fine. (I drive a nissan acura). It IS fine, for my family. But the last couple of weeks I've noticed that it's kind of a bummer when cousins or friends are over and I can't drive anywhere because we are maxed out at capacity. So, I've been looking into mid size SUV's ( I really love the look of the new toyota highlanders) but have come to realize that there are some things that just don't sense for us, such as limited trunk space, etc. Tyler LOVES mini vans, and has been trying to convince me for a long time that we should get one. My brother and his family just bought a new honda odyssey and it peaked my interest when they were telling me about all the features. It's actually a REALLY cool car......and it's shape is definitely sportier than the typical van. By far it has been the only van that I could MAYBE say yes to. But why is it so hard!??! Why do I feel like I'm handing away some of my youth and knowing that I won't ever be able to get it back. Why am I in total denial that we may have to become a mini van family for a while. Do I just bite the bullet and take one for the team for a few years?? Or just stick to a highlander and deal with little storage area?? I'm not a fan of big SUV's so that's totally out of the question. I'd love some input from both van and non-van lovers.

ACIREMA

Some of you may know the website PINTEREST. It's a great site to find lots of great ideas and to have a place to organize ideas, things you love, recipes, DIY projects, etc. Some people will post pictures of fit people onto their motivation boards in hopes that in turn they will wanna get out and get fit. People are allowed to make comments on these pictures that you post. I have found myself reading some of these comments and have a new found pet peeve. Now, I need to preface this by saying that I know there are all sorts of distorted and twisted beliefs on food, health, and body image. But, I've read some comments that make me think that America is backwards in certain aspects. On a photo of a fit and not overly skinny person there was a comment that she was way too skinny and unhealthy and she needs to go eat a cookie. I had to look at the picture again. This person was NOT overly skinny. She looked like someone who enjoyed to eat as well as work out. I've seen too skinny and it grosses me out. This was just an average person who seems to be working out. I couldn't believe it! When did trying to eat healthy and exercise turn out to be so bad?? Like there is something wrong with you in the head. And how can you make a judgment on if someone is healthy or not by a picture......people come in all different shapes and sizes. Maybe that came very natural for her, or maybe she busted her butt to look like that, but you just don't know. Have you ever noticed how some people give you such a hard time if you are trying to make healthy food choices?? Why is that?!?! Does it run through their head that maybe you're not trying to lose weight or get skinny (because that's all being healthy is about, right?) but that you're trying to be good to your body so that your body will in turn be good to you. I guess thinking about it now it's not really anything to get worked up over haha.....just strange.....and again, backwards.

the dirty dash...

This was a first time for me AND all the lovely ladies who ran it out with me on my team.

5k run....somehow it ended up being mostly uphill.....hhmmm.
lots of mud
lots of crazies
silliness
obstacles
mud wrestling
goofing around
laughing and more laughing
giant slip and slide
did I say MUD? it was in every crevice of my body. Well, maybe not EVERY crevice but pretty dang close.
burger, fries, and shake for a very deserving team after the race.
SUCH A GOOD TIME!













I'm signed up for the 10k in september.

bye bye paper towels

Lately, I have been trying to be less wasteful in different aspects of my life. I noticed that I have been going through paper towels like crazy. I told myself I didn't have to use them and could quit any time I wanted to haha, but really when they are in my house I use them, and use them a lot! So, inspired by a sister-in-law and others, I have decided to live paper towel free! ( i know some of you may be thinking, wow lisa way to keep up with the rest of the world, but better late than never, right?) It's now been a couple of weeks since I made this decision. I think the number one thing that was holding me back was my rag phobia. I've always hated using rags. They get nasty, and stinky, and germy, and then your hand innocently grazes a gross, wet one by accident and it gives you the shivers in a not so good kind of way. I knew I had to find a product that could somehow replace paper towels AND rags. I found just this thing.




They are called PROFORCE REUSABLE FOODSERVICE TOWELS. I got them at SamsClubs for less than $15. It comes in a 25 pack, but they are pretty large, so I actually cut them each and half and have 50 of them now. They work WONDERFULLY!! They are super absorbant. Because of these nifty little guys, I really feel like I can actually make this a lifestyle change. These towels are washable, and although I've only washed a load once, they seem to have held up great. I'll keep you updated on their durability. Anyway, if you are looking for a replacement for paper towels, I HIGHLY recommend these!

How does this happen?!?

About a week ago, Tyler and I were relaxing on the couch when he asked me if it was the 15h. I thought to myself, yes...the babies will be 6 months old in two days, woo hoo! He then kind of shouted..."It's our anniversary today!" WHAT?!?! We both started laughing. We had both forgotten about it!!! I remember thinking about it back in april, but I guess it just slipped my mind??!! This is so weird because I consider myself a romantic at heart and I remember things like this and usually try to make plans, even if it's something small. I'm glad we both laughed. I'm glad we BOTH forgot about it. It could have been bad if it was only one of us that had forgotten. More than ever I am realizing I found my perfect match in Tyler. Simply put, we just go together. We balance each other out. I love the good and the tough times because he's part of them with me. I love our dorkiness.....it brings us so much laughter and fun. I love our history together. I have it REALLY good. I think about it all the time. I AM ONE LUCKY LADY. Even though our marriage may not be quite like a romance novel, I will take it day in and day out, forever and ever.

thoughts on turning 30

It's coming up pretty soon....the big 30. It's made me think about what I want out of this upcoming decade. Some thoughts I've had lately:

- really?? 30? hm.....still feel 21ish.

-who says I can't be just as fit or even more so in my 30's than I was in my 20's?

- This is the time to create tons of memories with the family....get crazy, creative, and fun!

-I have a brand new decade to do whatever I please. This might be hard to do, but I wanna top my 20's.

-Seems like this would be an easy time to get a little too comfortable with life, maybe too complacent. I don't want to do that.

- I'm EXCITED for a new chapter in life!

- I'm feeling really comfortable in my own skin and who I wanna become.

- I have taken a lot of things during my 20's.....time to give back.

- Time to get moving on all the new things I wanna learn/try/accomplish.

-I don't wanna look back 5, 10, or 15 years from now and regret how I spent this time of my life.


I'm not sure why this birthday is so different from the other ones, but I really do feel like it's somewhat of a new birth and a new lease on life. Dive in.... full out.... balls to the wall....whatever you call it, here I go!

soundtrack for a rainy day

As the rain and hail were tapping on my window today I decided to put some tunes on while I finished up some work on the computer. It was a sorta mellow mood, but boy some good songs played. Some of these songs are my favorite goose bump giving, hair raising, songs. As these songs play, I instantly see tyler and myself in movie-like scenes. With every new song, new roles are assumed. Some heartbreaking, some with beautiful endings. Does anyone else do this? Is this a sign of loosing my mind? I enjoy it nonetheless. I guess it's a weird way of daydreaming. What can I say, I'm a romantic at heart.

The List:

The Promise - Tracy Chapman
Call me on your way back home - Ryan Adams
You could be happy - Snow Patrol
Gravity - Sarah Bareilles
Hold you in my arms - Ray LaMontagne
Slow Dancing in a burning room - John Mayer
this womans work - Greg Laswell
Belief (stripped) - Gavin Degraw


What am I missing?? what would you add to this list?

Festival of Colors

After years of wanting to, but never being able to make it (it always fell on a saturday that I was performing with odyssey during our spring season) I FINALLY got to go!! This is held every year in Spanish Fork at the Krishna Temple. It was definitely a fun, unique, and different experience. Here are some pics of the colorful event.