tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17295106288262383022024-03-13T10:59:30.977-06:00Jeff and Vicki HoggardVickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-77161962862693541602013-01-01T15:14:00.002-07:002013-01-01T15:14:57.363-07:00Last Post on This BlogHappy New Year 2013! I think I have decided to end this blog. I haven't kept up very well with it and probably not very many people read it anyway. The next 2 years will be spent with me working fulltime and working on cleaning and organizing our whole house and Jeff working part-time and going to school fulltime. He'll be done with school December 2014 (so less than 2 more years!). Maybe when we start having kids (whether it be our own or through adoption), I'll start a new blog. I still enjoy looking at other blogs every now and then, though! I hope everyone's new year treats everyone well!<br />
<br />Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-73954645691093269372012-09-19T19:31:00.003-06:002012-09-19T19:35:15.963-06:00Stepping DownI think not many people update their blogs anymore (including me). It's probably good to update it at least every few months anyway. :) The latest about me is that I have decided to step down from being a Project Manager. After 6 months, it just wasn't getting any easier and I don't think I have the personality or mindset for it. I'm grateful for the things I was able to learn and for the opportunity to grow in the position (yes, stress helps me to grow and helps me realize I can do anything... almost). The past 1 1/2 weeks, I've been helping my replacement off and on and also helping with team samples to be caught up. Starting Monday (maybe before), I will be a Team Leader again (much less stress than a Project Manager!). Having that stress just wasn't worth the money. I am hoping Jeff and I will still be able to save money with him doing full time school and part time work. We'll sure try! It's only for 2 more years (starting in January) and then he'll graduate! I'm so happy we have a definite countdown now instead of wondering how much longer it will be. :)Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-8159152599935861422012-05-10T22:41:00.003-06:002012-05-10T22:44:23.392-06:00I Hate Naps!I really hate naps. Especially long ones. I was tired after work, so I went to lay down, thinking I'd just rest my body and eyes for a bit, then next thing I knew, Jeff came home from work, but I went right back to sleep and woke up a while later, giving myself maybe almost 2 hours of sleep. Now it's late and past my bed time and I'm not tired. That's why I hate naps. At least tomorrow is Friday.<br />
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I've been in my Project Manager position for 2 months now. It is stressful at times, but very rewarding, not only with higher pay than my previous position of team leader, but also the experience I'm getting. I produced a sales sample for a library a couple weeks ago and found out yesterday that the library will be signing soon, so that was exciting to find out. :) Still a LOT to learn about this position, though!<br />
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Hopefully I'll be able to fall asleep soon ....Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-76124920727571587482012-03-22T19:12:00.010-06:002012-03-22T20:06:08.873-06:002 weeks as Project ManagerIt's been two weeks since I started my new position as a project manager at my work. It's been a little overwhelming as I don't know what I'm doing most of the time, but other project managers and the product manager over the project managers have been a big help. It will be a while till I'm comfortable with everything, but I'm learning more and more every day.<br /><br />I was ecstatic to get this position. I've been with the company over 9 years. Six of those years was as a data technician in which I received an award as one of the top data technicians every one of those years. Almost 3 years I've been a team leader. That position definitely helped me to grow. I know this project manager position will help me grow even more. I'm a fan of Chalene Johnson (who does those Turbo Jam videos I like to exercise to sometimes) on Facebook and this past Monday she posted a sound clip of a "Motivational Monday" short message she gave. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/chalenejohnson/motivational-monday-3-19-12">Click here</a>, then press the play button. Her message is exactly what I needed to hear. So I am trying my best at learning all I can in this new position!<br /><br />This position also came at a good time because come next January, Jeff is planning on doing fulltime school and part-time work, so the raise that came with this new position is greatly needed! I am hoping and praying that the sales department will get more work in for the department I'm part of. Right now, there are 2 project managers in the retrospective conversion department (I'm one of them) and 2 project managers in the cataloging department. If they don't get more work later this summer, my position will no longer be needed until they do get more work that one project manager can't handle... then if they need a 2nd project manager again, I will definitely apply again. I was assured in my interview that I would go back to being team leader if my position wasn't needed. But for now, the raise is definitely welcome and I am trying my very best at learning all I can!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-54251222594389941372011-12-31T10:03:00.003-07:002011-12-31T10:20:27.015-07:002011 - the past half a yearHere is a very watered-down version of the past 6-7 months ....<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">May</span><br />Sold my 1995 Toyota Camry to Jeff's sister, Katie, and bought a 2005 Toyota Camry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">June</span><br />Drove all of my siblings, plus Melissa's husband John, to a family reunion in Idaho. It was good to see those who were there.<br /><br />Ran my first 5k ever with my sister Rebecca. Ran with her and finished in 41:33.<br /><br />Jeff's car was having problems so we bought another vehicle... a 2001 Lexus SUV. Good thing we had savings to put some money down on these 2 vehicles so monthly payments wouldn't be as much.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">July</span><br />Ran my 2nd 5k with Rebecca and for the 2nd time, I wanted to see how fast I could finish a 5k. I finished in 38:22 (Rebecca finished in 40:20).<br /><br />Camping trip in the Uintahs, which a lot of Jeff's extended family does every year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">August</span><br />My birthday! I had a really fun birthday, complete with dinner at Ruby River, followed by a Josh Groban concert that I LOVED!<br /><br />The end of the month was a new semester, which was very difficult at times!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">September-December</span><br />Almost nothing but school and work<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">November</span><br />Jeff's sister, Katie, got married! (on 11-11-11) :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">December</span><br />After hard work, Jeff and I finally finished the semester with A's in each of our 2 classes. :)<br /><br />Had a fun Christmas! Jeff and I opened presents to each other, he cooked me a nice breakfast, we went over to his parents' house for a while, then went to their church meeting at 1:00, which was a little over an hour, then we went to Jeff's grandpa's for a little bit, then we spent the rest of the evening/night with my family.<br /><br /><br />I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but there's a summary of the past 6 months! It's been a hard year, but we've also been blessed so many ways! I'm looking forward to 2012! My sister Rebecca and I were chosen to go on a scanning business trip to Massachusetts and we'll go in February, I think. I also have a eating better/getting more sleep/exercising New Year's resolution for 2012. This will be THE year I will finally lose the weight I want (I'm a little sick of losing weight, then gaining some back... I want to lose it and keep it off!). I am also going to be more prepared for any 5k's I do this year.<br /><br />Hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-62517886325202290292011-09-02T22:32:00.003-06:002011-09-02T22:33:35.251-06:00... Or notOkay, maybe I won't update my blog. I've sort of lost interest in blogging... not sure why. Now that another semester of school has started, I'm even busier.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-87982513957445835172011-07-08T14:15:00.001-06:002011-07-08T14:16:29.105-06:00SO Behind!So I am a bit behind on my blog. I've been really busy or tired or just plain lazy to update it, but I will soon... I promise!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-1790520048202187912011-05-11T20:41:00.000-06:002011-05-13T14:38:58.752-06:00Adoption BlogI made a new blog about our adoption journey, so if you would like to follow it, click <a href="http://jeffandvickiadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/">here</a>.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-77345223539020549342011-05-05T19:59:00.002-06:002011-05-05T20:09:20.650-06:00AdoptionLast week while Jeff and I were both at our jobs, Jeff and I were talking online and the subject of adoption was brought up. I have some infertility problems where we're not sure if we'll be able to have our own or not (though if we could have 1 or 2 of our own, that would be good, but we'll see). So we are starting the adoption process and we have an appointment set up tomorrow to attend a 1-hour orientation at LDS Family Services. If we need to get our names on some waiting list, it's probably best to start now in case the wait is a long time. If it is a long time, we'll still both be going to school to get the classes we need out of the way. It'll be exciting when we can finally become parents! I have a couple cousins who have adopted and one of Jeff's cousins (and her husband) are starting their process of adoption. It'll be so neat to experience what my cousins are experiencing with their adopted kids. I'll keep updating on this blog about that whenever anything changes... but we're just starting the process, so it may be a while before anything new happens. So like I always say, "We'll see what happens ..."Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-76660471167265925592011-04-30T20:17:00.005-06:002011-04-30T21:44:52.480-06:00Uncle DavidLast Sunday, on Easter Sunday, my dear Uncle David passed away, surrounded by his wife, Louise, and all of their nine children. It has been a hard week for me, the hardest being yesterday, which was the day of the funeral. My heart was heavy. Last November, Jeff's grandma died and it was harder than I thought it would be, especially since I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted the night before. I cried a little at that funeral. I did get more sleep the night before yesterday, but yesterday was still no different. We got to the church where the viewing and the funeral were being held. I was able to see and briefly visit with many, many cousins, a lot who I haven't seen in a while. I loved briefly visiting the two of the nine children closest to me in age, Julie and Linda. Julie and I shared a couple hugs and an emotional conversation. I was surprised how emotionally strong Linda was (I know I couldn't be that strong). We had a good short conversation and hugs as well. I will never forget those moments. The funeral service was so special and so spiritual. All nine of the children spoke and shared wonderful stories and memories of their dad. They also sang "Come, Come Ye Saints" (with their spouses). At the end, they played a 1976 recording of Uncle David singing a song he wrote called "Through the Eyes of a Child". After the service, we went to the grave site where he was going to be buried... on a hill close to the mountains in north Provo. It was a beautiful place. There, we sang a few more hymns and children's songs. I haven't been in Primary since I was a Primary teacher for 2 years before my mission, so I forgot some of the words to a couple primary songs. I either hummed or listened, and I felt the spirit so strong. My uncle has been a great influence to me and many others, and his death and funeral has made me want to be a better person.<br /><br />I do have one memory I would like to share about Uncle David. About 8 1/2 years ago, I was looking for a car to buy since the car my parents gave me when I moved to Utah had problems that would be more expensive to fix than the car was worth. I found these two Toyota Camrys that this older guy was selling. He also had a couple Hondas he was selling... he repossessed these cars from banks and was selling them. I was interested in the two Camrys. They were both 1995... one was beige/tan and had 92,000 miles and the other was black and had over 130,000 miles. The black one was around my price range and the beige/tan one was a little over my price range. Since my parents were still in Missouri, my dad suggested I call Uncle David to take a look at the two cars and test drive them. I called Uncle David to set a time to meet at the house where the cars were (which was on Canyon Rd. in Provo, not too far from where Uncle David was buried). Uncle David test drove both cars. We both could tell the black one was more used and the beige/tan one was taken very well care of and was in nicer condition. Even though the beige/tan one was a little over my price range, he suggested I get that one. With the help of my parents loaning me the money (which I was able to pay back very quickly), I was able to get the beige/tan car that is 16 years old now and that I still have. Uncle David had many, many great talents and his knowledge of cars was one of them and I will never forget the help he gave me with that.<br /><br />Below is a picture of my Uncle David that was used on the cover of the funeral program. Below that is his obituary. I love and miss him a lot!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_9yHMPnUOQ/TbzEXgfMV1I/AAAAAAAABFc/CQY5C-AuA5o/s1600/program-cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_9yHMPnUOQ/TbzEXgfMV1I/AAAAAAAABFc/CQY5C-AuA5o/s400/program-cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601567944678856530" /></a><br />David Lee Higginson<br /><br />1943 ~ 2011<br /><br />Our Father in Heaven chose Easter Sunday to call our dear husband, father, and grandfather home. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family from the effects of cancer.<br /><br />David was born October 3, 1943 in Nampa, Idaho to John Detton and Merle Harris Higginson.<br /><br />He was a valiant member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served a mission to New Zealand from 1962-64. He had a deep faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ and shared his love for Christ with his family and countless others.<br /><br />While attending BYU, he met and married his sweetheart, Louise Lewis. They were sealed for time and all eternity on June 2, 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple.<br /><br />Music was the essence of his life. He was an amazing choir and orchestra teacher in Utah and Idaho, a musician, songwriter, and arranger. His children's treasured memory is singing around the piano on Sunday evenings. He was the creator of The Professional Chord System and touched the lives of so many people as he traveled around the country to share his gift.<br /><br />He is survived by his wife, Louise and 9 children, David (Heidi), Michael (Marci), Amy (Brenden) Clements, Rebekah (Jim) Edwards, Brian (Lisa), Julie, Linda (Danny) Strauss, Robert, and Jared.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-23889504710685224592011-04-08T11:07:00.002-06:002011-04-08T11:45:48.808-06:00We're Still Alive!We haven't dropped off the face of the earth... yet. This has been one crazy semester, but thankfully it's almost over (just a couple more weeks, I think)! Jeff and I are in the same math class (MATH 1050, or College Algebra). Some of it has been a struggle, but so far we're both doing really well in that class considering how hard it is. We just have one more chapter test left, then the final, so I hope we continue to do well. We have a really good teacher, which helps a lot.<br /><br />I have loved doing taxes this year and last year. Because we're both going to school, we get a pretty nice Federal refund back. And the "Making Work Pay" $800 we got back this year is really helping us get our savings back up (school is expensive!).<br /><br />We're taking the summer off school to recuperate before going back in the fall. And to save more money. We also need time to clean and organize our place since we really haven't done much since we moved to where we live now almost 5 years ago, so we'll be busy doing that during the summer. Hopefully we can have our bedroom, computer room, and exercise/extra room back since all 3 right now are sort of "junk rooms" with boxes and other junk.<br /><br />Speaking of exercise, I just started a "Couch to 5k" thing this week. It's an app I got on my iPhone. It's for 9 weeks, 3 times a week. It's not too bad this week, but I was looking ahead a few weeks... it's gonna be tough, but hopefully I can do it. It'll help me for my first ever 5k in June (in 9 weeks from tomorrow!).<br /><br />Anyway, we are still alive (barely)! :)Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-19759249974010340882011-03-04T14:37:00.002-07:002011-03-04T14:41:14.110-07:00Photography GiveawaySomeone in my condo complex is giving away a couple free photo sessions (up to $150 value).<br /><br />To enter, go to the <a href="http://leetaylorphotography.blogspot.com/">Lee Taylor Photography</a> website. I would love to win since Jeff and I haven't had any professional pictures taken since the cruise we went on over 2 years ago (and we don't really take our own pictures of us, so we'll just be nonexistent for the times we don't have pictures taken of us). :)Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-48099486480128934642011-01-02T22:29:00.002-07:002011-01-02T22:41:02.746-07:00Out With the Old, In With the NewWell my resolutions/goals for 2010 didn't go as planned. Most of them fizzled out after about 2 or 3 months. I tried keeping up with my weight loss goal and was doing really well, with the help of the exercise program my work has every summer of getting in as many miles as you can by doing a few different things. But then the last few months of 2010, I gained some pounds back. But... I am still 10 or 11 pounds less than I was a year ago at this time, so I can't feel too bad, I guess. This year, I want to work even harder on that and will start back in on my treadmill exercising (at LEAST 3 times a week) tomorrow. I might even try a 5k run this year with my sister. And I want to eat healthier. To do that, I am cutting out all desserts, sweet stuff, candy, etc. So yes, even dark chocolate, which I love! I also want to get more sleep, but I'm making that goal realistic by making sure I get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 5 nights a week (tonight won't be one of those nights 'cause I hate Mondays, so I stay up too late, not wanting the next day to come sooner).<br /><br />For my one spiritual goal I want to do better in is going to the temple once a month. We haven't gone very much lately (shame on us!), but this year will be better.<br /><br />I don't want to make too many resolutions/goals this year, so I will keep it at that and see if I can do better this year with these ones I listed.<br /><br />I hope everyone has a wonderful year this year!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-88123668809539197342010-11-30T21:54:00.002-07:002010-11-30T22:03:34.106-07:00NovemberBetter get me in a blog post for November before the day is over in a couple hours. This month flew by. I don't even know where it went. I don't even know what happened during part of it... just school and work is mostly what I do these days. I had a cold the first part of the month and a cough for most of the month. The cough is pretty much mostly gone now, thank goodness! I am so ready for this semester to be done! Just 2 more weeks from now and I will be ALL done! I will make a new post after it's done about how I did, but right now it's pretty crazy... and I'm only taking 2 classes! Jeff's grandma passed away a couple weeks ago and her funeral was a week ago from yesterday. It was sad but it was a really good funeral service. Jeff and I had a 4-day weekend for Thanksgiving. We had my family over to our place on Thanksgiving Day and it was the first time ever that Jeff and I cooked a turkey and it turned out pretty good! The break from school and work was a much needed break, but it went by so fast that I wish I had more of a break already. In a few weeks, though, we'll have two 3-day weekends in a row with Christmas and New Year's. I can't wait! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-53107406499398020912010-10-27T19:54:00.002-06:002010-10-27T20:04:55.084-06:00Tired Week!I've been tired this week! I haven't been getting very much sleep so far this week. I work full-time, I take a couple classes, among other things I'm busy with. And I might be coming down with a cold. :( Being sick is no fun! Despite being really tired, I think I might have aced another math test. :) I really, really like this teacher, even though she goes kind of fast in the "lectures" she does (most of my notes look like chicken scratch) and she assigns a ton of homework, which takes me a long time to do sometimes. But her tests are SO much easier than the homework and she hands out a review before each test and goes over the review right before the test on test day, so the information is fresh in my memory. She's teaching the next highest math class next semester and Jeff still needs that class, so we decided we'd take that one together. It'll be the ONLY class we'll be able to take together because our majors are so different (he's in Elementary Education and I'm in Accounting).<br /><br />Anyway, I am writing this post from my very own laptop! A couple weeks ago, Jeff's sister was shopping for a laptop since the one she had was 5 years old. Jeff and I went with her when she went to buy one from Best Buy. She got a Dell laptop with a pink cover. The past little while, I've thought about getting a laptop of my very own to use mainly in future classes I take. And I think the color of the cover sold me... PINK! We went back to Best Buy a couple days after Jeff's sister bought the last one they had in the store, so we had them order one in and we picked it up a week later (last Saturday). I now have my very own laptop that is a girl laptop. :D It'll be fun having my very own laptop.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-28857857541482692512010-10-09T22:01:00.002-06:002010-10-09T22:19:48.219-06:00No Less, No MoreThe past month or so, I really haven't been trying to lose weight, like I did earlier this year and this past summer. I just eat almost whatever I want now. I've weighed myself maybe twice this past month and haven't gained a pound. That makes me happy that I don't have to lose pounds I've already lost. Jeff has told me before something that's called a "set point" weight... a weight which your body maintains. I lost about 25 pounds a couple years ago for the cruise we went on with Jeff's family. After the cruise, I ate very horribly and gained it all back, plus 5 more pounds. I hated being the weight I was when I gained it all back. So the beginning of this year, I weighed myself and made a New Year's resolution to lose that weight again. It's been a slow process (because I still like food!), but I've been about to lose about 20 pounds so far this year. 10 more pounds and I will be at the weight I was on the cruise. I'd love to lose that before the end of the year, but we'll see if that happens or not (maybe 5 pounds will be good enough). Then next year, I'll make a new New Year's resolution to lose a little more. I would like to be around 130 pounds, so I still have a little ways to go still. :) Anyway, I'm wondering how I am maintaining my current weight. I haven't exercised regularly for over a month and I just eat whatever. I'm wondering if it was all the exercise I did over the summer... over 100 miles of running/walking on the treadmill between May 31 and the end of August. I wish I had time to run/walk more these days, but I'm so busy with work and school and I still need my sleep!<br /><br />I'm hoping this post will motivate me to lose at least 5 more pounds before the year is over. We'll see .... :)Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-37261688820574613862010-09-29T21:08:00.005-06:002010-09-29T21:21:40.617-06:00Only Post for SeptemberI should probably get in a quick post before the month is over (so I can have at least one post per month). Life has been crazy! Good, but crazy! School started the end of August. I'm taking a math class (Intermediate Algebra) and a computer class (learning about computers and different programs on computers and stuff). I've taken 3 tests in math so far, making 100, 98, and 100. We get to drop 2 out of 8 tests for the semester, so I'm doing very well so far! In my computer class, they said if we're in the school of business (which I am with my accounting major), we need at least 80% on every test. I was so nervous getting ready for the first test which we took this past Monday. But I studied as much as I could (I probably could have done a little better, though) and I made a 91.8%. I was so relieved and so happy that I did that well on it!<br /><br />I became team leader again at my work almost a month ago. I've been enjoying it (on the most part) so far and still enjoy the flexible hours with my job so I can go to school.<br /><br />It's been 11 years ago today since I entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) to train in becoming a good missionary for my church. If I had the time, I'd find and scan a photo taken of me in the Carson Valley area in Nevada (an area a little south of Carson City, which is a little south of Reno) during winter with snow on the ground. That one was probably my best picture of me from my mission. Maybe I'll find it sometime and scan it to put on here. But it's crazy that it's been 11 years! I'm getting old!!!<br /><br />Well, one more long day of work with an evening class, then a shorter work day on Friday, then the weekend! I look forward to each and every weekend and especially looking forward to this weekend with General Conference!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-58333291844941064162010-08-28T13:20:00.002-06:002010-08-28T13:24:43.305-06:00I'm a slacker!I haven't used the treadmill since my birthday 2 weeks and 1 day ago. I guess I needed a break. And I won't be doing a 5k in a couple months, either. I know, I know... I'm a SLACKER!!! School just started this past week and I'm taking a couple classes, along with my full-time job. But... I did a Turbo Jam workout this morning. I haven't used Turbo Jam since I started using the treadmill in early June. Maybe I can run a 5k with my sister next 4th of July (which is the Freedom Run, I think). We'll see what happens.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-65479444760720055412010-08-03T19:56:00.002-06:002010-08-03T20:04:56.214-06:0010 miles in 2 daysWow, my legs are tired and sore! After being gone camping a week, then taking most of the next week off from the treadmill, I have a little bit of catching up to do if I'm going to hit 200 miles for my work thingy by Labor Day. Can I do it? We'll see. But here are my times for today and yesterday's 5K and 5 mile times on the treadmill.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5K (3.1 miles)</span><br /><br />Yesterday - 48:07<br />Today - 44:36<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5 miles</span><br /><br />Yesterday - 77:59<br />Today - 77:22<br /><br />A little bit of an improvement for the 5 miles, but I was happy with the 5K time. I don't think I want to try to improve that tomorrow (I may just go 3 or 4 miles tomorrow). Today was really hard and I got tired a lot. Better not push myself too much.<br /><br />I'm thinking (just thinking) about running a 5K with my sister Rebecca later this month. I'm not sure I want to do that one since it's still summer and I hate the heat. There's one on October 30 that I will probably definitely go for with Rebecca. Better keep it up on the treadmill, even after Labor Day! :-)Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-22647595576838925482010-08-01T18:35:00.005-06:002010-08-01T18:45:52.503-06:00New LookI need to change the look of my blog every once in a while... also gives me an excuse to post a blog entry since I don't as often as I used to. I can't believe how my blog posts are becoming fewer and far between. In 2008, I made 88 posts, last year I made 36, and this is the 20th post this year so far. Maybe it's 'cause our lives are kinda boring since all we do is work and go to school and play on our computers or play outdoors in our spare time. Anyway, I kinda like this new look for my blog, so I'll probably keep it for a while.<br /><br />I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by so far! It's already August 1st! I kinda like the summer to fly by, though, because I'm not a big fan of the heat. My favorite seasons are spring and fall and I wish they lasted longer here in Utah. Oh well.<br /><br />There's 12 more days till my birthday. This year, it's on Friday the 13th. It's cool to have a birthday on Friday the 13th every 6 years because of the day being superstitious to some people. I don't think it's superstitious, though... nothing bad ever happens to me, although I hope I didn't just jinx myself. :-) I haven't decided yet if I'll work four 10-hour days that week or just work as much as I feel like and use less than a day of vacation hours. But I think I will take that day off... 'cause who wants to work on their birthday?Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-78354226747049050392010-07-28T21:31:00.004-06:002010-07-28T21:42:39.883-06:00CampingI am not a very big fan of camping... at least for several days. But all last week, we were up in the mountains with Jeff's family and a lot of his extended family. We were up there for exactly one week, but I was ready to come home after 5 days. I just hate feeling dirty, but I'm grateful for Jeff's parents letting me use their little shower in their 5th wheel camper. I also hate the bugs, especially those big pine beetles that are very harmless except for the heart attacks they give me. One day, there was one on my shoe and I let out a girly scream. The good things about going camping was that I had a whole week off work (and only used 32 vacation hours because we had Friday off for Pioneer Day, which was technically on Saturday), we were up in the mountains away from the rat race of where we live and work, and I got to catch up a little bit on my sleep, which was way nice. I think I got about 9-10 hours of sleep most nights.<br /><br />One of Jeff's cousins bought a motorhome for really cheap and we've been talking about maybe looking for one. It would be super nice for when we went camping. But would we use it any other time? We'll have to decide.<br /><br />It was hard going back to work on Monday. But we're now back in the grind. Maybe I'll take work off on my birthday in a couple weeks, which is on Friday the 13th this year. I'll have to decide if I want to work a shorter day or just take the whole day off.<br /><br />I also got back on the treadmill today after a couple weeks of not using it. I need to keep at it. I might sign up for one or two 5k's coming up next month and in October and run them with my sister Rebecca, but I haven't decided for sure yet.Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-24686713915494800212010-07-10T02:32:00.003-06:002010-07-10T02:42:48.688-06:00No More Leg PainIt's about 2:30 a.m. and I'm not too tired. I fell asleep in the early afternoon and didn't wake up till evening and had about a 6-hour nap, I think one of the longest naps I've had in a long time. I was just THAT tired! Anyway, as of my last post, I am now into running/walking on the treadmill, probably even more than before. I took a break from the treadmill for about a week to rest my legs and since then, they really haven't hurt at all. I'm guessing they were hurting because I hadn't used those muscles and then I sort of pushed myself too hard and they got hurt. I'm sometimes doing more than I was before and they don't hurt now. :-) Soon after I woke up from my nap, I ran/walked 4 miles and I jogged half of it (in intervals, of course). I love the feeling of stretching my hamstrings and calf muscles before and after exercising on the treadmill. It feels SO good!<br /><br />In one week, we'll be going camping for about a week up in the mountains. I'm not the biggest fan of camping (maybe 'cause I hate feeling dirty), but this year I'm looking forward to it more than usual, maybe because I really need a break from work and I need to catch up on my sleep. Just one more week of work left before we get out of this "Happy Valley" rat race!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-9352636130193752822010-06-22T17:52:00.003-06:002010-06-22T18:23:13.250-06:00Leg PainAt my work for the past few years they have what's called Backstage 100 (like the Wasatch 100 here in Utah) where we add up miles if we run or walk, ride a bike, swim, or lose weight. Running/walking we count 1 mile for each mile, biking we count 1 mile for every 3 miles, swimming we count 3 miles for every 1 mile, and losing weight we count 5 miles for every pound lost. In the past, it started on the 4th of July and lasted until Labor Day, but this year it started earlier on Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day. I was doing really good on the walking/running part (on our treadmill) for the first couple weeks, but then about 1 1/2 weeks ago, I guess I pushed myself a little too hard and my inner legs a couple inches below my knee cap started hurting. I figured I just got sore from running too much, so the few days after, I just did some speed walking. But my legs continued to hurt, so I decided to take a break and just lose some pounds to count miles. I've lost about 5 pounds so far this month, but I'm slacking a little bit now (I'm just glad I haven't gained those 5 pounds back). My legs still hurt and have been taking Advil every once in a while and I bought some Icy Hot yesterday which helps ease the pain a little bit. Basically, my left leg hurts the worst and it hurts when I lift it or lower it while it's bent (like going up and down the stairs). It doesn't really hurt when I lift my leg when it's straight. I THINK my legs might be starting to feel better (I hope!), but I just need to give it time. I want to start running (even speed walking!) again, but don't want to until I don't hurt anymore. Then I'll start out really slow and work my way up. I was even starting to like running!<br /><br />I am done with Farmers Market (selling my jewelry). I went this past Saturday with my dad and brother and only sold $9. I just don't make enough there to make it worth spending over half my Saturday away from home. I am going to try the Pleasant Grove Promenade starting in July on Thursday evenings with Jeff's mom and sister (his sister was saying the least she made there last year was $40... I'd take $40!). Then there's some craft thing at Thanksgiving Point that my dad and brother might do in August and September that I might do with them. I'll be going to those ones just to try to get rid of my stuff because I think I'm done making jewelry. There's just too many people who make jewelry and I can't compete with them all. It was fun while it lasted, though. I might even be able to make something for myself that I would actually wear.<br /><br />In other news, my sister Rebecca and I applied for a couple temporary scanning technician positions that would be in London, from mid-July till about Labor Day. We thought it would be really fun to go there, and since Rebecca works in the scanning department and has been on a couple on-site trips before (in the states), we thought we might have a really good chance to go. We had our interviews last Thursday and I was incredibly nervous (like I always am in job interviews). There were almost a dozen applicants and a couple other people were chosen to go. I wanted to go, but another part of me didn't want to leave Jeff for over a month. So I would have been fine with the outcome either way. So I get to stay in Utah, and near the end of next month is Jeff's family (and some extended family) camping trip. Even though camping isn't on top of my list of things to do, it'll still be nice to get away from this mad house rat race we live in to go up into the mountains for a week. I can't wait!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-34605693329030658542010-06-07T19:47:00.004-06:002010-06-07T20:02:07.532-06:00Discouraging ....So I've been to the Farmers Market in Provo with my dad and brother twice so far (the past 2 Saturdays). I've been able to sell a little bit ($19 the first Saturday and $15 this past Saturday), but the discouraging part is that all I sell are pendants (with leather or ribbon cord necklaces I bought to go with them)... no necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. So I've been a little bit discouraged and feel like quitting making jewelry. At least I don't have very much material (not like my mother-in-law, who has tons and tons of stuff!) so that I don't feel like I'm too far in the hole. But my mother-in-law wanted to see if jewelry watch bands would sell because she sells those pretty well, so she gave me a little bit of stuff to make a few. If they do sell, I'll probably just sell watch bands and pendants (and other stuff only if people wanted it). If the watch bands don't sell, I think I will definitely quit because I don't want to sell just pendants. From the couple times going to the Farmers Market, there are just so many people that make jewelry that I can't compete with them all. I wouldn't have been able to sell my stuff there if it wasn't for my dad who makes and chip-carves jewelry and earring boxes. :-) Another reason I wouldn't mind quitting is I want my Saturdays back! Anyway, enough venting ....Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729510628826238302.post-54352721937690340602010-05-27T16:23:00.012-06:002010-05-27T17:45:27.592-06:00Stars on Ice - May 26 in Salt Lake City, UTJeff and I went to the Smucker's Stars on Ice last night. I got the tickets a couple months ago and decided to click on best available for seating and get the most expensive tickets. We were on the floor in the front row! I was excited about that! Okay, let's get this picture out of the way, but here I am before it started ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xoILiM0I/AAAAAAAABDY/kGPD4dMT7IE/s1600/100_1009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xoILiM0I/AAAAAAAABDY/kGPD4dMT7IE/s400/100_1009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476079868622025538" /></a><br /><br />See the folded up chairs along the right side of the picture? We were in these seats, like 5 feet away from the ice!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xos9lgtI/AAAAAAAABDg/tOajjofJMMY/s1600/100_1006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xos9lgtI/AAAAAAAABDg/tOajjofJMMY/s400/100_1006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476079878495634130" /></a><br /><br />A couple more pictures of the ice before the show started ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_70tdp_s5I/AAAAAAAABDo/bpwePItwFes/s1600/100_1014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_70tdp_s5I/AAAAAAAABDo/bpwePItwFes/s400/100_1014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476083258821161874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_70t_kV5tI/AAAAAAAABDw/9qlEM93SrH0/s1600/100_1019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_70t_kV5tI/AAAAAAAABDw/9qlEM93SrH0/s400/100_1019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476083267924256466" /></a><br /><br />I tried taking pictures (with no flash, of course) of some of the skaters. I tried taking a picture of one of the pairs skaters and another of another skater, but they both ended up really blurry, so I decided, "Ah forget it, I just want to enjoy the show rather than trying to get good pictures."<br /><br />Jeff and I also went to a Stars on Ice in Salt Lake I'm guessing about 4 years ago. One of my favorites there was Michelle Kwan, but she's not in Stars on Ice anymore. We got tickets this year because we wanted to see our favorite skater, Evan Lysacek, who won Olympic gold earlier this year. Yesterday morning I checked online and he wasn't going to be at the Salt Lake City stop. Jeff and I were very disappointed, but I tried to keep my chin up and kept saying that we'll still have fun because there were other good skaters that were going to be there. And we did have fun! Even Jeff, who's not as big into figure skating as I am, had a lot of fun and thought it was really cool and awesome that we were so close! :-) We bought a couple autographed photos they were selling (along with a program and a T-shirt). So instead of pictures I could have taken, I have these, and I scanned them and they're posted below. The first one is of the whole cast. I was able to see them all except Evan Lysacek in person, although he was in Stars on Ice 4 years ago, but we didn't know him as well. Several of these skaters were in the Olympics as early as 1992. Some of them have won Olympics medals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xn8fkwQI/AAAAAAAABDQ/ZmVSv9YnsKE/s1600/5-27-2010+4%3B03%3B51+PM.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xn8fkwQI/AAAAAAAABDQ/ZmVSv9YnsKE/s400/5-27-2010+4%3B03%3B51+PM.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476079865484853506" /></a><br /><br />Then I wanted one of Evan, so here it is .... :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xnIkiGSI/AAAAAAAABDI/VA_l1NaPa0M/s1600/5-27-2010+4%3B06%3B59+PM.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7xnIkiGSI/AAAAAAAABDI/VA_l1NaPa0M/s400/5-27-2010+4%3B06%3B59+PM.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476079851547007266" /></a><br /><br />The reason Evan wasn't at the Salt Lake City stop is because he was among the top 3 finalists in the show Dancing with the Stars that he got invited to before the Olympics, I believe. I've never seen Dancing with the Stars before, so when I heard Evan was going to be on it, I wanted to watch it, and it definitely was exciting to watch, especially the last few weeks! Over the last couple months, he was in California for Dancing with the Stars Sundays-Tuesdays and then toured with Stars on Ice Wednesdays-Saturdays. So I was sure he was going to be in Salt Lake, but the top 3 finalists had to be in New York Wednesday morning (after the winner was announced Tuesday night) for interviews on Good Morning America and Regis & Kelly. I guess if he wasn't one of the 3 finalists, he would have been in Salt Lake, but I'm happy he made it as far as he did. I was rooting for him and I voted for him and he ended up 2nd. Jeff and I really like him because of the attitude and class he has. After the winners were announced, Evan said, "They deserved it, they worked so hard and inspired all the other couples in the competition." The Russian skater who came in 2nd behind Evan at the Olympics should learn from him. :-) So if Evan is in Stars on Ice next year, we're definitely going again, hopefully front row seats again!<br /><br />Here are a few pictures I got online of Evan and of Evan and his professional dance partner Anna Trebunskaya ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_773SRDjuI/AAAAAAAABEQ/EpFMaRWQ-j4/s1600/Evan+Lysacek.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_773SRDjuI/AAAAAAAABEQ/EpFMaRWQ-j4/s400/Evan+Lysacek.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476091124143853282" /></a><br /><br />A couple cute pictures of Evan & Anna ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7722w5oKI/AAAAAAAABEI/BVXWoLZ8wqM/s1600/Evan+%26+Anna.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 394px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_7722w5oKI/AAAAAAAABEI/BVXWoLZ8wqM/s400/Evan+%26+Anna.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476091116761227426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_772hWM27I/AAAAAAAABEA/TqlbvF0RuwU/s1600/Evan+%26+Anna2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 308px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_772hWM27I/AAAAAAAABEA/TqlbvF0RuwU/s400/Evan+%26+Anna2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476091111012096946" /></a><br /><br />A picture of them dancing one of their dances ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_772E8UekI/AAAAAAAABD4/HAzJi7OEKLs/s1600/Evan+%26+Anna+dancing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-0etmXdBpAs/S_772E8UekI/AAAAAAAABD4/HAzJi7OEKLs/s400/Evan+%26+Anna+dancing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476091103387351618" /></a><br /><br />I have 3 favorite dances of theirs that were posted on YouTube. I will even rate them .... :-) Enjoy!<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-M5T-1a4A4&playnext_from=TL&videos=xwbpn8CLYl8">Viennese Waltz</a> - the 'redemption' dance during the last week<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMoQtNtfU6o">Argentine Tango</a> - the first perfect score of the season :-)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.</span> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwaFOMFK1Vo&playnext_from=TL&videos=q2z_xVLPWnQ">Paso Doble</a>Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02724294832182267967noreply@blogger.com1