Thanksgiving in Moab part 1 - Delicate Arch and Double Arch

My family spent Thanksgiving in Moab this year. It's been a long time since we last had the whole family together on vacation and it was great to spend some time hiking, eating, playing games, watching movies, laughing, and making memories. That's what family time is all about. Or, at least, it's always what we hope will happen, right. It was pretty ideal!

My dad found a three-bedroom condo just outside Arches National Park, and we all crammed in together. Wednesday night, we arrived a carpool at a time. Aaron and I were the last to arrive and managed to snag a few games of Scattergories. Aaron even brought a pumpkin pie from Costco so we could celebrate a low-key Pie Night. Lucky I thought to bring whipped cream.

When it was time for bed, guess who slept on the common room floor?

We single adults are flexible and fun-loving!

The morning of Thanksgiving, we were all up bright and early and took our time eating breakfast and putting on layers for our day of hiking.  It was time to introduce our kids to one of Utah's most famous landmarks: Delicate Arch!

Turns out it was a perfect day for hiking. High 50s and sunny. We took our jackets off during the walk up but needed them when we reached the windy top.

I'm really happy about how well I did. I have never enjoyed hiking, mostly because I've never been in great physical shape. I learned that all of my fitbit walking and yoga has done more good than I realized -- I flew up that mountain, and there are some steep places! I was slow and steady and had little problem keeping up with my hiking buddy, Breezy. We were the first to the top :) Maybe I don't hate hiking anymore.

Do you see me under the arch? It's huge!

Dave spent a few minutes sketching the formation

The walk down didn't take nearly as much time as the walk up. This is fortunate, because we were cold!

Next, we headed to Double Arch. It was a much easier hike -- less than a mile from the road, and no incline unless you wanted to hike inside the arch in the back. Of course I did.

The back is a fairly sheer face. No leaning back for us.

Well, okay. Dave found a place to lean back.

G-unit was happy to run around and toss the football to anyone who would toss it back

When we'd had our fill of the outdoors, we went home to wash up and change for Thanksgiving dinner.

To be continued...

Transformation Tuesday: The difference in 20 lbs.

Guess who has lost 20 pounds in the last year?*

Me! It's me!! I did! I'm now in the best shape I've been in during my thirties! I can wear clothing I haven't worn in years!

July 3, 2014

August 15, 2015

I've completed the Personal Trainer Food diet four times in just over the last year. I haven't been consistent, so I've gained a little between each cycle. Happily, during the next cycle I have always lost more than I gained. I think it helps that I've discovered that I like yoga and pilates, and I exercise as much as I can. I've also learned (during a ridiculous amount of lunches and dinners out this last cycle) that a lot of salads at restaurants are delicious... though I've made notes of some places I want to return to for their sandwiches, pizza, and pasta ;)

It always surprises me that losing weight doesn't mean I'm automatically toned -- that's the next hoped-for goal. Now to not undo all my hard work, but also find a balance in diet so that I'm not totally afraid of food. I want to eat cake on my birthday. I want one more cone of Nielsen's frozen custard before the summer is over. I want to participate in the pancake breakfast my director is planning for a Saturday rehearsal in a few weeks. I may not have as much time to exercise as I'd like in the coming weeks, but I can eat responsibly most of the time in the meantime.

Now to buy new jeans again.

There are worse problems :)

August 28, 2015

*I feel awkward talking about diet, weight, and weight loss. I am aware that I am not fat and was not even when I was 20 pounds heavier. I was considered technically "obese" several years ago, but even then I know I've never been large. There are quite a few friends who I feel like a heal talking about my weight loss journey around. If, in talking about my own efforts, you feel that I am judging you, I apologize. That has never, EVER been my intent. I just know my family history and that my genetics tend to the heavy side the more I age. I'm still in the dating game, and I still want to be considered for certain roles in theater, so I'm doing what I can while I have the free time and money. Plus, I've never been one for diet and exercise, so I'm curious to find out how good of shape I can get myself into.

Sizzling July

July was busy, busy, busy! I opened and closed 1776, celebrated two holidays, attended quite a few plays, and still had time to spare for friends and family.

In case you have ever wondered what it looks like when I brush my hair.
This is what I imagine J.K. Rowling means when she talks about Hermione's "bushy, brown hair."

Independence Day

The celebration of America coincides with my grandmother's birthday, and we had extended family over to my parents' house for a party. I think my favorite part was having a lot of little kids and a few teenagers running around. Our family is growing and it's wonderful. I love hanging out with these people.

Gram says she doesn't feel "a day over 93." ;)
I hope, if I live that long, that I'm as sassy and spry as she!

My family knows how to cook and eat

For years to come, my 1776 show shirt will likely be my go-to for 4th of July festivities

My dad is adorable

Cookies by Mom.
I have yet to find a better sugar cookie.

Mom's eyes are closed, as usual. I'm starting to think that she does it on purpose to keep from posting photos of her.

Propelling a bottle in the air with water and air pressure -- entertaining for hours!

Cousins make the best friends

Credit for this photo goes to my niece Zonks.
She delights in photography and has a pretty good eye!

Show-going

I found some time to support a lot of my friends in their shows this summer. It's a daunting feat, especially since 1) my own show ate up so much time, and 2) a lot of the runs overlapped.

The Little Mermaid - Hale Centre Theatre

Ursala and the eels were my favorite. The roller-skating was just so cool!
Shout-out to Jeremy on the left who remembers me even though it's been 5 years!

Ames was brilliant as Chef Louis. He was definitely a show highlight!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Taylorsville

Every time I go to see Joseph I think, "Ugh, Joseph again?" But this production surprised and delighted me. I loved the modern costumes and characters, Larissa's choreography and that of her assistants was awesome and well-executed (particularly the Pharoah's "Uptown Funk"-inspired number), and there were a lot of just plain fun moments. I missed most of "Go, Go, Go Joseph" because I could not take my eyes off the Baker eating her cupcake in despair (she was sentenced to death, after all). I'm a little sad that I went closing night, because it meant I couldn't tell the wide world they needed to go.

Jamie and the cupcake - hilarious!

Beauty and the Beast in Herriman

I've never really cared to play a role in this play, but after this production, I really want to! It was visually gorgeous -- Herriman spared no expense -- and I loved a lot of the characters, particularly Gaston, the Silly Girls, and the enchanted objects in the castle. The Beast was hindered by his bulky costume, but his acting was darling and sincere nevertheless. I'm glad that I could support Theresa in her biggest role yet -- Silly Girl #1. She keeps growing in confidence and skill, and she's so fun to watch!

Dad's birthday

My dad is adorable. He and I went out to eat earlier in the month to celebrate one-on-one, and it was great to see him in his element as patriarch of the family. I get much of my work ethic and sense of humor from him. I'm grateful his is my dad and I'm excited to see what adventures he creates for himself and the rest of us this year.

Changes at work

We're implementing a new method of tracking and releasing our software this year. This month, my development team started the new program. It means we have a LOT more meetings (and the meetings we had already have been significantly shortened). While getting used to all the team time, I doodled just a little. Change is hard, but I think it will be worth it. I'm already seeing pluses with the way we work together - hooray!

Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams

Captain America and River Song

Ant-Man

I enjoyed this movie so much that I saw it twice! It had a different vibe from the other Marvel movies, and was silly, and funny, and fun. The first time I saw it, I went on a Tuesday and got a recliner seat for only $5. I decided my mom needed to see it, so Aaron and I took her a week later, and they liked it, too (though, having missed the last couple of films, Mom didn't know who Falcon was).

Can you see my feel propped up at the bottom of this photo? Obviously I didn't want to use a flash :P

A few days later, a couple told me they hadn't caught up on the Marvel movies, so I sketched them out, in order, from memory. Because I am that nerdy and awesome.

Random merriment

While at Ant-Man, my mom mentioned that she'd seen something about the Share a Coke campaign, but had never actually seen names. She'd only seen things like "Superstar", "Mom", and the like. The next day I found some displays at my local grocery store and a lot of our family member's names were there. I enjoyed putting together this Brady Bunch-inspired collage, and putting myself as Alice :D

My Instagram caption:
"Pretty excited to #shareacoke with my parents and siblings. Too bad they spelled Dad's, Lindsey's, Aaron's, and Jordyn's names wrong :P Sorry, guys!"
(FYI, Dad is "Reginald", and Aaron is "Edward.")

While viewing the photos taken during 1776, I found the one on the bottom right. I proceeded to post this picture with the following caption:

"I see this face in photos and always wonder, "When the heck do I do THAT?!" I've finally figured it out: This is my "I'm singing and acting and my character is having a great time" face. Consequently, I'll only be playing sad people or non-singing roles from now on." #whytheface #scrunchednose

Looking at my plethora of books and bookshelves, I pulled a bunch that I'd like to read ASAP (you know, 'cause I have so much free time). It's an impressive stack, especially when you take in to account that most of them are part of series and I only included a few books, and that I have at least 15 more on my Kindle.

I was stuck for a while on how to choose, and then the decision was made for me when Harry Potter's birthday came up on the 31st. I'd wanted to read the actual novels instead of listening to them on tape as I do every year, but after the first I devolved onto the tapes so I could start Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, too.

And now it's August. Looks like I'll get a little bit of a breather schedule-wise, so I hope I make the most of it and spend boatloads of time with the people I like best. I have the most terrific family and friends in the world. I'd also like to spend some time outside, and see some more plays, and go to the Shakespeare Festival. And if another show opportunity comes up for me, I won't slap it away. Just want to enjoy summer as much as I can before autumn comes and my allergies ruin everything!