look what i found...

in my post list! I remember I couldn't get the photo to upload so I thought I'd come back to it later.
like I said...not doing so great with the birthday posts! this one is from December.

Happy Birthday Dee Dee!

She's the cute one in orange.
We became family when I was 10, and she has been wonderful ever since!
Known for her yummy meals she likes to call "goolosh" {not sure how to spell}, I have a lot to learn!
We were in California during Dee Dee's birthday, so we weren't able to see her, but we're so excited to spend Christmas with her and the fam! She makes the Christmas season so special, bringing the true meaning into our activities.
If you ever need a lesson on good housekeeping, creative cooking, mothering lots of children, home decorating, or positive thinking...Dee Dee is your go-to.
Thanks for being there for me for all these years, teaching me so much and keeping life fun!
Happy Birthday!

Role Model

That's what I'd call my sister, Stacie. Not only is she someone I admire, but she's gorgeous!
{like a model...get it?}
Stacie just had a birthday on the 19th. She's 24!
She and her hubby Devin are living in Virginia with their two little boys,
where Devin is attending dental school.
Two more years? Is that right?
I miss them so much, it's been over a year since we've been together. WAY too long!
I'm so grateful for the memories I have from growing up with Stacie.
Over the years of living together we developed this great bond and were able to talk about everything.
Stacie is kind to everyone, she cares about what is happening in your life and is always willing to listen.
She is strong, hard working, out going, a good friend, and one heck of a mom!
Stacie I hope your birthday was wonderful! I miss you

Going to a dance in high school. She was the only one that could fit in that dress, I loved it!

In lake powell, we love Devin!

Beautiful bride

The fam.

Told ya...model!

17 again

I'm not doing so awesome with these birthday posts, just need to get more in the habit I guess.
My not so little brother Paul turned 17 on the 11th.
Looking through pictures, all I seem to find are images of "Little Paul." Blonde hair, big blue eyes, innocence... it's still all there, but there's NO way he could go by "Little Paul" ever again!
Paul is such a fun brother.
Whenever we go home he wants to hang out and spend as much time with us as he can.
He always tells us he misses us and that we need to come visit more...
Even if we're down there multiple times a month.
Paul got in a really bad moto accident this past Fall, was confined to a wheel chair for months, needed to be home-schooled, and couldn't do much more than play video games {every boys dream, right?} well, he was determined to get back to school and into the swing of things. And he did it! He didn't let his accident hold him back. Good work!
Paul I'm so happy to have you as a brother and love watching you grow into a man. I can't believe you are 17. I feel like that's when my life started. What an unforgettable age. Make it special!
I can't wait to see what the future holds for you! Happy birthday! 

 Jumping the cliffs in Heaven on Earth. aka Lake Powell.

 Don't mind me.

 Helping me move up to school. Oh they were so little :)

 In the hospital after the accident. Still smiling!

Girls...if you have any little sista's in high school, he's single! 

(or so he says...haha)

Temptations...

...are all around me.
hot pizza, soda, movie popcorn, CEREAL...they're all calling my name.
Seriously, it's only day five and this has felt like the longest week of my LIFE!
haha okay, I'm being dramatic. But really, this cleansing stuff is tough.
Props to those who do this all the time. 
The results so far: pretty much the same as last post.
No headaches which is awesome.
Less fatigued.
Weight loss. I feel more comfortable in my skinny jeans :)
and a whole bunch of hunger ;)
I'm pretty sure the only reason we're SO hungry is because we sometimes go eight hours without food because of work, and we can't snack. I wish there were more snacking options than herbal tea...
and water.
I mean today we ate smoothies at 9, and just barely had our main meal {which took forever to make} at 4:30 instead of 1 or 2. We'll get it figured out though.
It'll be interesting to introduce all the foods we haven't been eating to see how our bodies react to each item.
If you're going to do this cleanse, drink a ton of water! I'm bad at that, and I'm pretty dehydrated. Especially when I'm at work. My lips are perma-dry which is gross.
Sorry customers.
Any previous cleansers out there who have some tips for a rookie to resist all the goodies all around?
I'd just hate to cave in before day twenty one.
But I'm a Christiansen. Which means I have one MAJOR sweet tooth.

Be Clean

So remember my goal of completing P90X? Well...I've already quit.
More like paused.
Jon and I are doing a 21 day cleanse. Have you ever cleansed before? Wowzers.
It's a strict "diet" in a way, where we are taking out all of our normal things we eat and going quite healthy.
The meals are actually quite delicious, they're just really short lived. 
Today is day two. and I'm craving just about everything imaginable.
{a bit dramatic}
I'm really excited for the end results! I haven't had a headache at all in the past two days, which I normally have them daily. I've cut out caffeine, and really every drink but water, so I'm quite shocked to find out that my headaches weren't necessarily caused by the caffeine.

Here's what a typical day looks like:
Breakfast- mango and pineapple smoothie
Snack- water {for real?}
Lunch- grilled chicken and veggies {there are lots of dishes to choose from, we liked this one a lot}
Snack- water {i need a cooooke!}
Dinner- peach and pineapple smoothie

According to the book this cleanse came from, we're supposed to get massages a few times a week, take special supplements, get your colon flushed out weekly {ouch!}, and more.
Sounds like a cleanse for wealthy people... so we're just going with the food options. which is great!
So far I haven't had headaches {like I said before}, I have more energy {I'm usually ready for a nap by 2}, my hair looks fuller {probably just a good hair day...}, and I'm learning to like {really cold} water.
Lots of people are joining the cleanse bandwagon, so if you're interested check out the book called...
Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself.
By Alejandro Junger

19 days to go. Let's do this. For reals this time. Then I'll get back to P90X ;)
I'll be back to update on our progress and results. 
ps. Thanks Gordon's for letting us join you on this adventure!

let's do this

I'm on day 2 of P90X. 88 days to go.
Jon and I started this workout last year and somehow stopped after about 30 days,
so my goal is to go the full ninety days!
I'm not a huge fan of working out in the living room...something about carpet burns and the tight space,
but it'll do.
We'll see how it goes! 
What are your goals for this year?