Falling Leaves

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Pinterest?  There is such a cute craft I pinned for fall.

"A Falling Leaf Is Summer's Wave Goodbye"  Summer has waved...now it seems like Fall is waving! Fall is by far my favorite season and it always has been.  Growing up in central Florida made this a little difficult, but ever since that Fall trip to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina in elementary school I have been hooked.  The LEAVES people.  I am a major leaf person.  Trees.  Just love them.  We walk down the street and I am mentally planting trees in my imaginary yard based on shade or the magnificent yellow color the leaves turn. 
  Here in our new place we've seen early Spring (moved in March 1st) through now mid-fall.  There is an LDS nursery song that goes

"I looked out the window and what did I see?  Popcorn popping on the apricot tree"

We have an apricot tree outside our living room window.  We watched it pop with white blossoms this spring.  Excitement was an understatement. 

"Babe!  Do you see the blossoms?!  Do you see the apricot tree??"

Later in the summer...

"Babe!  Look!  Look at the little apricots!  Aren't they cute?!"

Two weeks ago staring out the kitchen window...

"Babe!  Look at that yellow!  Can you believe the color?!"

Everyone meet Florida girl who never got Fall...

Everyone meet Washington boy who thinks this doesn't compare to Washington's beauty.

He's not impressed :)  Happy Fall everyone!  Unfortunately all our beautiful fall colors are blowing across the street.  Some trees are already bare and will stay so until next April.  Bare trees make me sad :(  That's okay, just wait until it snows.

Future...

"Babe!  Look!  It's snowing!!!!!!"

I am not impressed with the slush and ice for 4 months but the new, fresh, falling snow can't be beat :)

Love you all!!  Now photo dump...

Crappy phone pics...

A little Fall flavor

Most of the leaves gone :( But yay Halloween bats!!

Back on track

  So we hiked the Y last week.  The whole. freaking. thing.  Now I know that doesn't seem that impressive to some people (I have a friend who hiked it EVERYDAY for like 3 months), but we (read I) am so out of shape and I'm not that athletic anyways, that it took 3 hours total.  3 hours.  But we did it!  Oh and did I mention that Josh and I took the kids with us?  And at one point he was actually carrying both of them and they were both passed out?  Yeah, he's pretty amazing.

   For those not familiar with it this trail is a series of 12 switchbacks and a steep climb.  It's a 1.75 mile hike and you gain about 1100 feet on the climb.  The hike up was hard but doable (lots of breaks of course and I nursed Jack twice on the side of the trail), but then the sun came out from behind the clouds as we neared the top of the trail.  Brutal.  Even in October.  You can actually feel the rays cooking you alive.  We are several thousand feet above sea-level so that makes the rays even stronger. Unfortunately I have always been very sensitive to the heat.  I don't sweat properly.  I don't know why, even at a healthy weight I just don't sweat like a person should and therefore my body can not cool itself efficiently.  I get red people.  Like people think I am going to die red.  (I've been asked on more than one workout if I was okay)  Embarrassing yes, life-threatening?  Not unless I can't find some shade, water, and a wet towel.  You want to know how to ghetto cool yourself?  Wet and a towel and act like you are a prize-winning boxer mopping your face after a fight...

Y Mountain in the background

   The next day I went to my second consecutive Weight Watchers meeting.  Tomorrow is my third.  I lost 2.2 lbs my first week on program.  I'll take it.  I am still nursing Jack (10 months as of yesterday!) so that inhibits my weight loss a bit.  I am one of those people that don't lose weight easily while nursing, but I have shown that I can.  I am ready this time.  I have thought that in the past, but now I am truly motivated.  Not by any external means, just for the joy of being healthy and having the energy to live my life.  Josh, as always, is amazing and taking strides to not tempt me and eating healthier with me.  I love him.  He's pretty great.

   I am going to post a picture of me at the top of the trail, the white behind me is the Y on the mountain that stands for BYU.  We live like 5 minutes from the trail head.  It's not a pretty picture, but as Josh said I'll want to see where I started from.  We went again on Monday and went to the third switchback, a much shorter climb and easier on the kids.  We have plans to do a few switchbacks every week just for the exercise and because it's FUN and BEAUTIFUL up there. The next time we climb to the top we will leave the kids at home until we get better times, which we will as we get more fit and lose the weight!    Huzzah!

 

I know...  Very unattractive but this is the before pic!