Mmmmm....

Totally just realized I hadn't posted this week and I definitely want to keep up with this! This post is all about CUPCAKES!!!

So last week whilest I was running on the treadmill at the gym (ugh) I was watching the Food Network. I know what you're thinking, that's TORTURE! Usually I watch a game on ESPN because that is something I can watch without having to listen to it. That way, I'm entertained and keeping my mind off the actual running and I can listen to my own music. Well, there weren't any games on and I got into watching an Ultimate Cake Challenge. I freely admit I LOVE watching cake challenges! Anyway, the challenge ended and I was still runnin'. The next show to come on was Throw Down with Bobby Flay. He had searched the country for the best mini cupcakes which he found at BigManBakes in L.A. I was totally hooked! I had to keep running until I saw how the challenge ended which was probably good. Anyway, I decided I wanted to try my hand at baking cupcakes! I created s'mores cupcakes for my nephew's baptism last week and the family seemed to like them.

So here's what's going down. I still have 85 sugar free days left. However, when this challenge is over, I would like to indulge in a little cupcake action. To ensure I don't go overboard by trying a bunch of different flavors of cupcakes, I'm going to be baking one new flavor each week for my family and friends. When the time comes, I will make the favorite, share most of them, and enjoy ONE for myself.

Last week: S'mores cupcakes
This week: Red Velvet

At work, we came up with some flavors that sound absolutely delicious like Lemon Vanilla, Raspberry Truffle, Chocolate Peanut Butter, etc. If ANYONE has any cupcake flavor suggestions, LET ME KNOW! I'd love to try to make them!

Why I'm Crazy

Ok, I might be going overboard with posting so much lately, but something was brought to my attention Wednesday night...

I have been acting so CRAZY lately! I've been crying almost every day about things that shouldn't really matter (like the fact that I didn't get anything for the dumbest holiday of the year) and I snap at the most insignificant comments and actions. It's been totally insane. Wednesday night, Mike came and taught Body Jam with me because Nikki had a birthday dinner. We had a blast and talked a little bit after. He started explaining to me about hormone levels, chemical imbalances, etc. that happen when you put your body on a strict diet... DING! DING! DING!

I've been going nuts and now I finally have an answer about WHY I've been so crazy! Now I just have to figure out how to deal with it. Any suggestions are welcome!

Only Wednesday...

This week has been super rough. Besides the fact that Monday was the only holiday I actually loathe and I spent it pretty much alone with very little contact from anyone else, it's been a tough time for my family, too.

Saturday I was making heart cookies with my mom. This has been a tradition for years, but this year was especially difficult considering the challenge I gave myself. Anyway, while we were baking and decorating away, my mom got a phone call from someone at the funeral my grandpa had gone to. He had backed up against an unlatched door thinking it was a wall and fell down 8 or 10 stairs. My mom left me to keep frosting cookies and was headed up with my brother to go get my grandpa, but my uncle called and said that he was already in the area. He and his wife took grandpa back to his house, but my parents thought it would be a good idea if they went to the doctor. The x-rays weren't clear enough because he had arthritis in his neck, so they took him in an ambulance to the hospital. There they found out that he had a clean break through his neck.

I went and visited him Sunday after Sacrament Meeting and he seemed to be doing pretty well. He was in some pain and was really hungry because they hadn't yet brought the food he'd ordered 45 minutes before I got there. It finally came, so I left and let him eat. I have to admit, it was really hard to see my cute grandpa like that. Just before my other grandpa died, I visited him in the hospital and only lasted about five minutes before I lost it and had to leave the room.

Because the fracture was unstable and unable to heal on its own, grandpa had surgery this morning. I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm very anxious. I know he's in good health and we have no reason to be nervous, but it's still a little scary.

This is makes me further realize how awesome the plan of happiness is. No matter how this turns out, we will all be taken care of, and I find a great deal of comfort in this. Not to say I haven't been bawling my eyes out the last few days (for more reasons than just this) but I know my Heavenly Father cares for me and my family.

Inspirational

Wednesday night was a tough night for me. I was asked to sub a cycling class right before Body Jam. I was very hesitant, but I figured since a had a team teacher for Jam I would be ok, so I took it. Right before cycling, the other girl called and told me she was sick and wouldn't be able to help me for the second class. I was physically exhausted already, and hearing that I had to teach two classes back to back on my own almost put me in tears.

I made it through RPM pretty well, grabbed a low-cal FRS drink, a banana, and started Jam. Wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I had a couple people who were brand new that had talked to me before class and were both excited, so I kept the energy up as much as I could. Other people in the class helped out a lot, too!

Anyway, after the class, one of the girls that was brand new asked me to show her one of the moves she hadn't gotten the hang of. We ended up talking for about half an hour about her "weight loss journey," where she started, what her goals are, how she's doing it. She has an amazing story, and she's done it all on her own. She figured out her nutrition, what works for her. She's found workouts online that she can do in the gym. She just recently started going to group fitness classes which is where I met her the first time, and the second when she came to Jam. She mentioned how much fun she had in class and it totally made my night. Just talking with her has pushed me and helped continue my own progress. She's promised she'll be back every week, and I hope she is! Seeing and talking with her is going to help me immensely with my own goal! I can't wait until we have both reached what we are hoping for!

Office F-U-N

That's right, sometimes I CAN have fun in the office! People at work (for the most part) have been very supportive of my "sugar fast". They all know and understand what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. They even humor me when I ask them to eat cinnamon lips in front of me so I can live vicariously through them... torture, I know, but it makes me feel a little better.

The other day, one of the other girls at work brought in some festive (for yucky Valentine's Day) paper and a paper cutter so we could make a chain for the number of days I have left to go without sugar. The chain will last until the day of the Ogden Marathon. On this day, I have decided that I will have three things waiting at the finish line: a bag of cinnamon bears, a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs, and my Valentine's cookie from my mom. I can hardly WAIT until that day... which is still 102 days away!

Anyway, for our paper chain ritual, every morning we loudly play a "sugar" or "reducing chain links" song, cut off a link of the chain, and have a party for the 4 or 5 minutes. It's actually hilarious. The first song we chose for the month of February was requested by one of the guys in our office... "Take It Off" by Ke$ha. Other songs for future months include:

"Sugar" by Flo Rida
"Sugar" by The JaneDear Girls
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard
"The Final Countdown" by Europe (for the last few weeks, woot woot!)

We started this morning (even though Shea isn't here to sing his song) and jammed out while I cut the first link. Even though the chain is SUPER long, it was kind of fun! Still, I'm looking forward to the day that chain as just a few links left!

P.S. 102 days with just a few songs... suggestions are welcome!

Fun End!

This week has been a little crazy, trying to keep up with the changes at work. This post will be fairly short because of lack of time. Not having a specific manager, I've been getting tasks from three different people which has kept me busy and made the week go by fast, but a little stressful at the same time.

Tuesday this week I was able to teach Jam up in O-town again which is always a blast. Nikki was going to help me in Layton again this week, but she tried out for "So You Think You Can Dance" that morning and didn't make it back in time because.... she got a call back! Hence the reason today is going to be fun! I'm only working a partial day because I get to go down and watch her dance for the judges and hopefully make it to Vegas!

Not a ton of details, but I'll let everyone know how this thing turns out! Watching people dance all day... my kind of start to the weekend!