end-of-april resolutions.

i've been on a bit of an ambitious kick recently.

i gave myself my day to be sad and mopey about zachary being gone and

now it is time to get some things done with all of this time on my hands.

i have tried to set a few goals for myself to make the days go by quicker.

so far, they have done the trick extremely well.

i feel really lame admitting this, but we have been in our house for over

2 weeks and i still haven't put everything away from the move.

our house is a disaster.

and of course, the dishwasher just had to break right in the middle of it

all, so that definitely doesn't help my cause.

so my first goal is to get this room:

and this room:

in proper living condition. {don't judge}
right now i feel like i live in a pig sty!
not only do i want to clean them, but i also want to paint/decorate them too.
i'm thinking of a black, gray, and yellow color scheme for our bedroom.
any ideas on how to do it?

goal number 2: read my scriptures everyday.

zachary and i would read scriptures every night right before bed.

he was always been the one that would remember to do it and has taught me

so much in our relationship about gospel things.

he definitely can bring the Spirit into our home faster than

you can say "the church is true".

well, now that he's not here, it's time to put on my big girls pants and

take it upon myself to keep the Spirit in our home while he is away.

i love the scriptures and i love the comfort that i can receive from them.

goal numero tres: visit my brother and sister-in-law.

for a few months now, i've known that they were moving to texas.

they sold pest control in houston last year and that was their plan this year as well.

i've been planning on making the 7 hour trip to see them and have been

quite excited about it actually.

then i found out last week that instead of pest control, he will be selling

security systems and not only will they be moving to texas, but they will

be moving to austin, tx which is only 3 and 1/2 hours from me!!

i was ecstatic when i found out!

i definitely miss my family a lot while being out here, so having them close for

at least the summer will be a huge blessing!

goal #4: become a water safety instructor {aka swimming lessons teacher}

i have been a lifeguard before, so when i got an e-mail last month saying

that the red cross is going to be offering certification classes this summer,

i jumped right on it!

apparently del rio didn't offer swimming lessons to kids last summer because

they didn't have any qualified instructors in the area.

hopefully, this means that i will be one of few so i can get a lot of hours in and be

able to earn some extra cash for me and my honey. {while of course soaking up some extra rays!}

goal #5: lose 5 lbs.
i have been trying really hard to be sure to workout everyday.
the last three days have been awesome!
i get out of bed feeling pumped and ready to go.
as soon as i hit the gym, i feel a burst of energy and can get a
really good workout in.
i know myself though, and i know that this doesn't last long usually.
do you have any tricks to keep yourself motivated?

along with this, everything i have read has told me that it's not
just the working out alone that will shed the pounds.
it is also making sure that you burn more calories than you consume.
well,  i want to introduce you to "my fitness pal":

zachary and i have been using this for about a month and we love it!
i've lost 4 or 5 pounds using it already!
it takes into account your gender, your current weight, how much
you want to lose per week, your activity level, etc. and it tells
you how many net calories you should be consuming per day.

it has over 700,00 foods in its database.
i haven't ever had a problem finding a food that i've eaten.
and it gives you all of the nutrition facts for it as well.

it also keeps an organized running total of how many calories you

have consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks.



it's hard at first to remember to keep up on it, but it becomes a lot

easier after a while because it remembers the foods that you have already

eaten, so entering in the information takes two seconds.

the nice thing for those of you with smart phones, is it is a free app,

so it can be with you wherever you go!

those of you that don't have a smart phone can just log onto to

myfitnesspal.com and it works basically the same.

some people think that counting calories is for weirdos and people that

are obsessed with their bodies.

don't worry, i used to think like that too.

but now i've realized that it's not just about wanting to lose weight, it's

about just plain being healthy!

and last, but not least...goal #6: plant our flower garden.

or better yet, plant a yard.

our yard, was basically dead when we moved in.

i wish i had some before and after pics for you.

after having the sprinklers on it everyday now, we have made

some serious progress, but it still needs a lot of work.

my only problem is, i know nothing about gardening or lawn care.

i want to spread some extra grass seed, get the flowers planted, and

maybe do some extra landscaping around our trees to add personality.

i wanted to plant a vegetable garden, but i think it's too hot for that now.

i have no idea what i am doing, so hopefully everything lives!

my plan is to finish all of these things before the big man comes home.

i may have bitten off more than i can chew, but at least it keeps me busy.

i'll keep you posted on what i accomplish!

-the wife