My Favorite Movie

Not much has happened since I last blogged, so it is back to blogging about my favorites.

I think my favorite movie that I could never grow tired of watching is Princess Bride. It is super cheesy, but I have liked it ever since I first saw it in middle school.

Some of my other favorites, in no particular order:

1. Princess Diaries
   
2. Legally Blonde
   
3. Any Disney animated movie, except Pocahontas (I never was a big fan of that movie)
   
4. 13 going on 30
   
5. Musicals from the 50s and 60s
   
6. If I'm in the right mood, comedies from the 80s (such as Better off Dead)
   
7. Grease
   
8. Hairspray
   
9. National Treasure
   
10. Night in the Museum
    

I'm not a big movie person, but those are the ones that I can think of right now.

Basement Finishing

Kevin's dad has had some spare time on his hands lately, so he approached us a month or so ago about finishing our basement. We've decided to mostly concentrate on building a storage room, so we have room for all of our junk, but they also built a walk-in closet for our future bedroom. Kevin and his dad are making good progress, and the basement is already framed, wired for outlets/lights, insulated, and mostly sheetrocked. As they are making such good progress, I haven't had the ambition to take pictures, but I will once it is done.

Resolutions

Yes, I know that New Years Day was a while ago, but my New Year's Resolution was not to blog more. If I blog weekly or bimonthly, that is enough for me.

Anyways, almost every year I make resolutions, and I always have goals I am working towards. This year is no exception. Most of my goals are personal to me, so I am not sharing them here, but I am keeping a log of my progress, and I try to make notes on each goal every day.

The two resolutions I am sharing involve my resolve to become healthier. While I was home on Christmas Eve, my grandma randomly in a conversation called me fat. While she meant it as a term of endearment, something about the era she grew up in (she's almost 96), it still hurt. My grandma has almost never criticized me before, and I really care for her, so I think that made it worse. Plus, it is a sore spot. Since the end of my first senior year (Yes, I'm one of those people who took 5 years to graduate college.), I started gaining weight. I think the weight gain correlated with decreased hiking/running to campus in the morning because I was late. I was able to maintain my weight until I married Kevin. I'm still trying to decide how the two are related since I eat exactly the same now as I did before. I am still at a healthy weight and BMI, but I am now closer to the overweight category, whereas I used to be near the underweight category, and I know that it is not muscle.

Right around the time that this conversation with my grandma occurred, I joined a diet and exercise tracking website that is free. I did this so I could see exactly what I eat. I usually do well staying under the calorie limit (especially when I work out and "earn" extra calories), but the thing that surprised me the most was how much sugar was in everything. Controlling my sugar intake has been the hardest, especially around Christmas (too much candy for presents) and due to the fact they do not differentiate between natural sugars in fruit and vegetables versus candy. The saddest part was realizing that fruit snacks were mostly just sugar. I think the closest I have been to my sugar limit is 15-20 grams over. I exceed my daily sugar intake with a normal breakfast of cereal (I've also decided Lucky Charms are not the best idea), milk, and a banana. However, I have lost about a pound so far, and I don't plan to lose a huge amount in a short period of time, so it is all good. I am mostly doing this to be aware of what I am eating, maintain my healthy weight (because it is healthy still), and avoid obesity related diseases later in life.

I am also making a greater effort to be more conscientious about going to the gym and doing workouts at home. I think the worst part of it all is knowing that I do know what I should do, but not doing it. I love how I feel when I go to the gym. I love feeling that I've accomplished something, and I feel good that I am working towards a goal. Last week I did well, hopefully I can continue to do well. I know that there will be days that I lack the motivation, so I don't expect a perfect attendance record. I just want to do something to make myself feel better.

Dinner and a Movie

To celebrate the sale of the Dodge, as well as show our appreciation to Kevin's dad (and mom) for helping us finish our basement, we took Kevin's parents to Rodizio Grill last Friday. It was absolutely scrumptious. I love that place. The meat is always so perfect, the pineapple is to die for; basically it is paradise for the taste buds. I even practiced self-control this time. Instead of stuffing myself to the point of misery, I ate just enough to be satisfactorily full. I think it adds to the experience when you don't engorge yourself. Considering that I probably ate over a thousand calories (to my best estimation), I actually lost a point. I think I've found a new diet plan. At least it would help with my sugar problem.

After dinner, Kevin and I used our free movie tickets we received for purchasing the truck to watch the latest Harry Potter movie. I enjoyed it perhaps more than I have the others, but I found the fact that I was running the book's storyline through my head the entire time slightly annoying. I guess that is a sign that I should probably not read a book five or six times (perhaps more, I've lost count). The saddest part of the night was that I did not have room for popcorn. Despite the fact that it makes me sick every time and I swear it off for the rest of my life, I still love it and I miss it when I don't get to eat some.

In all, it was fun to go on a "date night." Due to our conflicting schedules, we do not get to see each other very often at home, let alone go somewhere. Hopefully someday Kevin will work a normal workday (There is no hope for me. I chose the wrong profession.), so that we can go and do stuff more often. I think it is important for building our relationship and to maintain our sanity.

Bye Bye Dodge

In the spirit of buying and selling cars, Kevin also sold his Dodge Dakota last Friday.

Kevin bought the Dodge when the engine on the Evo blew up last winter (around February or March) for $750. It was a 1993 and red, although a few rust spots were making an appearance. It had a camper shell on it and over 200,000 miles. Despite the high mileage, it was pretty dependable. The biggest problem with it was that the 4 wheel drive did not work at all. I even drove it a few times when Kevin had to have my car to work on it or go on a trip.

We were able to get $500 out of it, which was good considering that the transmission was acting funny. However, we were able to double our investment of it (and then some) because a girl ran into Kevin on State Street right before our wedding, and her insurance paid Kevin over a $1000 in damages (which weren't fixing). I'm not quite as sad to see the Dodge go as I was the Evo, but it was still a pretty good little truck. The biggest problem with it being gone is that I forget where we live because I am so used to seeing it parked on the curb. I'm sure that time will fix that problem too.

Hello Toyota

Kevin's dream truck is a Toyota Tacoma, and as he was getting closer and closer to putting the Evo back together, the more seriously we thought about buying a new truck. We decided that it would be more economical to buy a new truck because it would last longer, be under warranty longer, and since it is a Toyota, get better fuel economy.

Kevin finished the Evo on a day while I was working, and halfway through my shift, I got a text that he was at the car dealership buying the truck. While I kind of wanted to be involved in the purchasing process, I am kind of glad I wasn't. He was stuck at the dealership for 4-5 hours because of the negotiations on a fair price for the Evo.

After the dust cleared, we were the proud owners of a 4 door 2010 silver Toyota Tacoma. It is nice. The interior is roomy. It even has a sub-woofer. Since it is a smaller truck, it is a bit easier to drive than my dad's ¾ ton pickup truck. Plus, I love the 4 wheel drive. I almost got stuck in the snow on Wednesday when taking girls home from Young Womens, so it will be nice to avoid that. Plus, the fact that it has 4 doors makes it much easier to get people in and out than my 2 door Grand Am. In all it is a better vehicle for our current needs.

Bye Bye Evo

The Evo is officially gone. Kevin traded it in on December 27. I have mixed feelings about it being gone.

In a way I am glad that is gone because it was beginning to be a money hole because it kept getting holes in its engine. In the two years I have known Kevin, he has rebuilt it twice. It all adds up. It also goes way too fast, and I was always convinced that the paramedics were going to have to scrap us off of the highway. Fortunately Kevin is a good driver.

But I am sad that it is gone because it holds so many memories. You could say that it is the reason Kevin and I met and eventually got married. I thought his car was hot, so I decided that I would get a ride from him, which sparked an interest for each other in both of us. It also took us to Washington, although it also ate up a quarter to half of the trip because everything was rattled loose when it was tuned on the dyno. We took many other drives in it that are memorable. Most of our "hanging-outs" revolved around it as well in the beginning part of 2009 when Kevin was putting it back together after the first engine blew up.

Another reason I am sad about selling it has nothing to do with memories. I just liked how nice it looked. We always got admiring looks when we drove in it. Not really something that you get when you drive a Grand Am.

However, selling it was the best option right now. Kevin wanted a truck so he could go driving in the mountains. Plus, it had a good-sized monthly payment that ate away at our finances. Someday, maybe, we will have another red sports car. Until then, we will just enjoy our truck.

Roommate Dinner

Two of my roommates were in town the week after Christmas, so we decided that a roommate get-together was in order.

We met at the Olive Garden in American Fork, and we enjoyed the yummy food and catching up on each others' lives.

It always makes me sad to think how many friends I made in college with whom the only contact I have with them is Facebook and their blogs. All of my roommates and close friends played such a pivotal role in shaping who I am today through our late night talks, drives to the grocery store, and other interactions. I think that is the worst thing about growing up; losing contact with close friends. Hopefully we can have more of these get-togethers in the future.

A picture was taken, but the person whose camera it was on has been on vacation for the past month, so she has not had time to distribute it. Hopefully when she reads this blog post, she will have the time to remember that she needs to send the picture to all of us. J

Christmas 2010

This year for Christmas, we were able to spend Christmas Eve Day with my family and Christmas Day with Kevin's family. The patients at the Women's Center also got to spend six hours of Christmas Day with me. Oh, the joys of being a nurse.

We drove up to Kamas on the 23^rd, then had breakfast and lunch with family, as well as present opening. We then headed back home on the evening of the 24^th, so I could prepare for work the next morning.

After I got off work on Christmas day, we had lunch at Kevin's parents' house. It included yummy sandwiches on the best croissants. While it isn't my family's usual feast, it is very yummy. The only downfall was that I drank a tiny amount of chocolate milk, and either it or something made me sick. I didn't really feel 100% until the following Tuesday. I guess that is why you shouldn't have dairy products when you are lactose intolerant.

Later that night when we returned home, Kevin and I opened our presents to each other.

In all Christmas was good. I even enjoyed my time at work. Prior to Christmas, everyone asked if I was excited to spend my first Christmas with Kevin. To me my first Christmas with him was our first Christmas together two years ago. I guess because we dated so long we kind of lost the newness that most newlyweds experience, but I have enjoyed missing the whole adjustment period.