I just want you to know, if you ever need anything, don't be shy, OK? There are NO rules in the house. I'm not like a *regular* mom, I'm a *cool* mom.

A few years ago someone asked me how I got myself motivated to exercise. I think they wanted some secret thing I did that got me to the gym or outside to run. The only thing I could tell them is that I just did it. Lame answer but there really is no secret. There are days/weeks when I'd rather have someone kick me in the head than run or go to spin class. Some weeks I work out 1 day, some 7 but I've learned that if I let myself sit for too long, I start to feel "gross" both mentally and physically. This last month was one where I wasn't doing too well. Starting back to work really drained my energy. I would come home from school and fall asleep for a couple of hours and still be tired enough to go to bed at 9. I decided to try waking up early and running instead of waiting after work to exercise. This was going pretty well until I remembered I hate getting up in the morning. I took a break for a couple of weeks but started up again this week. Tuesday morning I woke up and stumbled downstairs to the treadmill half asleep. I started to run but kept yawning these huge yawns. During one such extended yawn, I guess I closed my eyes. I stumbled and one foot went off the treadmill while the other stayed on. I started flailing around trying not to fall off and eventually got both feet back on. Lesson learned, running on a treadmill before you wake up fully is dangerous. Only the cat Lucy witnessed this and she only laughed a little so my pride wasn't damaged much.
I don't think she is one to talk (note the tongue). She is well on her way to winning the award for most things sat on (the newspaper).


I don't want to sound weird but I kind of have a sixth sense, if you will, about bigger purchases. I just kind of know when they are good decisions. Like some sort of big purchase super hero. We've talked a bit about trading in our van for something a bit less "soccer mom" but decided to hold off for a couple more years. Today I cleaned out the van and it got me thinking again about trading it in. I went to ksl.com and looked up Volvo and Acura. There was one Acura listed and after looking at the add, I kind of knew this would be our car. I called Ryan, who was out running errands, and told him I thought we should go look at this car. It was surprisingly easy to convince him. Maybe he trusts my judgement or maybe he secretly wanted to have something cooler than the van or maybe it was because I said the empty van was a reminder of what I couldn't do as a woman.(HAHA that's a joke) It was relatively pleasant and easy buying our "new" car. We got a 2007 Acura RDX. It's as loaded as it can get with the Tech package and turbo. The girls favorite thing is the camera that shows what is behind you when you back up, oh and they like the moonroof. They keep asking me if they can ride around with their heads sticking out of it like they're in a Puff Daddy video or something. It's going to take both mine and Ryan's big brains to figure out how everything works. Apparently everything can be activated by voice command. I look forward to the time when I can say, "Car, drive me home" and sit back to take a nap.

The best thing about this car is that I fit in it. The seats in the van were too tall and my feet barely touched the ground. They would become numb from dangling. That's how freakishly short I am. The first time I sat in this car, I adjusted the seat and it was bliss.

The girls weren't sad to see "Old Blue" go. They think this car is cool.

It has a steering wheel!

Gadgetry!

Perfect size for our abnormally small Utah family.

This is where I put the groceries.

"Laid back, with my mind on my money and my money on my mind"