frary peak

Last Saturday a big group of us went on a hike to the top of Frary Peak on Antelope Island. The sign at the trail head said the hike was 6 miles round trip but my brother's GPS said it was about 8.5 miles. I've decided to believe that :) It was definitely challenging at times because it was pretty steep but it was so worth the view. You never get to see the Salt Lake Valley like that. This picture is of the view to the west from the top. It doesn't do it justice. It was pretty spectacular.

So after the hike I was down another pound which makes that 13 total but now I'm back up again...dang! I'm fairly sunburned and have a bad blister on my foot which stopped me from doing my regular workout tonight. I did a few crunches and push-ups and was up and down the stairs a lot today so I'm hoping that counts for something :)

3 days, 4 birthdays and 1 anniversary

First, the weekend was so much fun! I went to Park City and stayed at a pretty hotel, went to the Red Banjo and had some fantastic pizza, saw Thriller and went shopping the next morning. It was a fast little "vacation" but it was just what I needed.

This week is jam packed full of celebrations (as you can probably tell from my title). Yesterday, it was my dear friend Karinne's birthday! She is such a great, fun person and I hate that I never see her. Today is my cousin Casey's birthday. I see him even less because he lives in Minnesota. But tomorrow is my brother's birthday and my cousin Annie's birthday (who I never see as well. I think I need to make more of an effort). Tomorrow is also my Mom and Dad's anniversary. They have been married for 31 years and I hope to be as happy as they still are someday. They have set such a great example for me!

On a less sappy note, I didn't stick to my "eating well" plan this weekend in Park City. I definitely felt the effects afterwards. It's amazing how much your body won't want the junk food after you stop eating it for a while. I'm trying to do better today but my mom picked up some cinnamon pull apart bread from Kneaders and that it just impossible to resist! I did lose 2 pounds last week but I gained one back...I'm pretty sure its just water. I hardly drank any and I've heard the more water you drink the less your body retains. So lets hope that's it :) I have lost a size in jeans and tops which is happy! It's working!

new recipe

So last week I hit that plateau so I'm a little frustrated. Then I get really frustrated when I gained 2 pounds overnight. I know it was probably just water and I've lost it already but still it set me back. I kicked up my cardio a little and I've bought myself some heavier weights for my strength training so hopefully that helps me get past this fitness lull. I hit that plateau at the same time I noticed my workouts were getting pretty easy so we'll see what happens.

On a yummier note, I found this recipe for Roasted Parmesan Potatoes on Food Gawker. My mom wanted to make roasted potatoes for dinner so I convinced her we should try this recipe.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)

3-4 medium red potatoes, cut into small wedges
3 TBS olive oil
1/3 C parmesan cheese (fresh is great, but expensive, so I use “shaker parm”)
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
sea salt to taste

Just mix the seasonings and cheese together in one bowl, cover the potatoes in oil in another bowl and then combine the potatoes and the cheese mixture. Put them on a really well sprayed baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes stirring once. They did come out pretty salty so I will use garlic powder instead of garlic salt next time. I feel that the cheese has enough salt so you really don't need to add anymore. I'm not a huge fan of roasted potatoes, or potatoes in general, but these are so delicious. How could they not be? They are covered in cheese!

jam-packed

Man I had a busy weekend! I'm very tired and have to do my laundry on today but it was so worth it.

On Friday I went on a hike up Adam's Canyon with my friend Brianna. We started out planning on going to the lower falls which is a very short hike but got a little lost and ended up going to the upper falls which is a couple miles up the canyon. We got lost a little again on our way up but ended up getting there and it was so worth it. Check it out!

I tried to get some "artistic" looking pictures but there is only so much I can do with the camera on my phone :) Last time I hiked up there earlier this year we couldn't get across the river to get to the falls so we had to just turn around and go back. It was so disappointing so I'm glad I got to see it this time.

Then on Saturday I went down to Orem with my family and Whitney. We went and saw The Drowsy Chaperone at Hale Center Theater. Whit and I have seen it a total of 4 times, my parents have now seen it twice and it was the first time for my brother and his wife. I just really love that musical. I see it whenever I get the chance! The theater down there was pretty interesting. Definitely not anything like the Hale theater in West Valley but the performers were awesome. After that we went to dinner and then came home and caught up on our dvr-ed shows.

Sunday started out with church and then we went boating on Pineview. One of my absolute favorite things to do. Its just so relaxing. We were out for a couple of hours but sadly had to get off the lake and come home to run errands we had put off all weekend. I'm so excited to go again this coming weekend though. We are hopefully planning on getting out both on Saturday and Sunday. We are trying to take advantage of the warm weather while it is still here :)

That's my weekend re-cap. So much fun but I'm definitely exhausted. Can't wait til next weekend to get here! And I've gotten a little confused but I think I'm down another 2 pounds...I can't remember but I am down 10 pounds altogether. I think I've hit a plateau so I'm gonna have to start working a little harder but I'm up for the challenge. Thanks for all of your support--its really keeping me going. Love you guys!

it smells like fall

I am loving the colder weather. I love the fact that I can put lots of blankets on my bed now and not burn up while I'm sleeping. I love that I can start wearing all my cardigans again; I miss them in the summer. I love that the leaves are changing and the air is crisp. I just love that the season is changing. I love summer but its time for fall. Fall means pretty colors, pumpkins, corn mazes and hay rides, boots, layers, blankets, and Thanksgiving. (Halloween too, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday).

I am so excited for fall clothing that I just ordered me a pair of shiny new boots! I can't wait for them to arrive!

P.S. I'm down 2 more pounds! I'm gonna need to go shopping for new fall clothes soon.