Thursday, October 30, 2008

Who Knows?

I don't remember doing this one, Amelia. But who knows?

10 years ago I . . .
1. was 12 years old
2. was a 6th grader at Eisenhower Middle School
3. played violin in the orchestra
4. thought house parties were "so cool!"
5. was a major flirt (go figure...)

5 things on my "to do list" today . . .
1. Study for midterm
2. Ace midterm! (wishful thinking)
3. Watch The Office
4. Work out
5. Work on Halloween costume

5 snacks I like . . .
1. String cheese
2. Cantaloupe!!
3. Carrots
4. Honey Mustard Pretzels from Target
5. Goldfish

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire . . .
1. Save ; )
2. Buy a house in San An
3. Travel! (Europe is first on that list)
4. Buy myself a personal trainer...Jillian?
5. Give 10% to my church

5 places I have lived . . .
1. Chicago, IL
2. Union City, CA
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Provo, UT x2
5. Cleveland, OH
(6. Mission, KS)

5 jobs that I have had . . .
1. Drive-thru at McDonald's
2. Games at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
3. Project Assistant at Big-D Construction
4. Preschool Teacher
5. Waitress at Applebee's

8 favorite TV shows I love to watch (but without cable, it's hard...)
1. The Office
2. Kath & Kim
3. Lipstick Jungle
4. The Hills
5. Project Runway
6. The Simpsons
7. Family Guy
8. America's Funniest Home Videos

8 things I did yesterday...
1. Worked
2. Made spaghetti for dinner
3. Took a nap
4. Went to school and forgot an assignment
5. Went to the gym
6. Drove around town looking for "Hocus Pocus". Apparently it's popular around Halloween...
7. Showered
8. Went to bed.

8 favorite places to eat . . .
1. The Pie in SLC
2. Macaroni Grill
3. Momma's kitchen
4. Hickory Kist in P-Town
5. Mamacita's in SA
6. Cafe Rio in UT
7. Cerroni's in SA
8. Alamo Cafe in SA

8 things I am looking forward to . . .
1. Being a mommy (Notice how I didn't say pregnancy...)
2. Jed graduating
3. Christmas in TEXAS with Emily!
4. Being thinner and healthier
5. Owning our own house
6. Having time to be creative with our house/decorating
7. Seeing Nana again
8. Getting away from "the bubble"

8 things on my wish list . . .
1. Our own house
2. No more debt
3. A personal trainer
4. Healthy children
5. Size 8 jeans, that zip up
6. Living in the same city as ALL of my good friends
7. Getting my intelligence back. Being out of school takes a toll on you!
8. A Wii

8 people I tag . . .
1. Amanda M
2. Amanda N
3. Laurel L
4. Emily M
5. Megan B
6. Katy H
7. Corinne F
8. Sarah G

Exactly the Same

I weigh exactly the same as last week, to the tenth. I'm actually really surprised I didn't gain anything because I was really bad this weekend, and on Monday. :\
But yay! Now I know that if I actually stick with what I'm supposed to, I can lose it fairly well!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sunflower Market

Last night Jed and I went to the Sunflower Market. If you live in the Provo area and you ever eat any kind of produce, run over to the Sunflower Market! The produce is SUPER cheap (at least we thought so...) and it's not all picked over and gross. We stocked up! Now we can incorporate healthy, yummy fruits and vegetables into our diet quickly and easily. We also got agave nectar (which tastes like *light, fluffy* honey syrup). I'm so excited to try it on things! Pancakes tonight?? :D

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Overheard

We're doing construction here at the office and we have some *interesting* guys coming through here. I overheard this conversation:
"So what's with this girl you're datin?"
-"She's everything I could ask for. She ain't got any kids and she has a job."


Way to aim high, buddy!

More Halloween Fun!

This weekend was super fun! On Saturday morning, I went garage sale hopping with Amanda. So much fun! I hadn't done that since high school with my mom. I got a recipe book holder/splatter guard and a star cake pan (I already had a bigger one, so now I can make a two-tiered cake!). There weren't very many garage sales; I think it was because the game was going on.

Jed, his brother Nathan, and I drove up to Salt Lake to meet up with Chris and Hanna and go to the Monster Bash at the Gallivan Center. It was definitely geared towards kids, but I had a good time, and it was free. We got to see a reptile/snake show with a ginormous sea turtle and a 14-foot python, among others. They also dropped a couple pumpkins from the ladder of a fire truck. That was pretty cool. They were supposed to have a magic show, but the loser bailed the day before. I was disappointed.

We went to a church dinner/social that night and met some nice people. I still don't feel like we're "in" with the congregation. I think it will come though, and I bet we'll be sad when we eventually have to move.

After the dinner, we went over to Justin & Amanda's house for pumpkin carving. A bunch of our friends were there and it was a lot of fun to see everybody. I chose not to carve a pumpkin, but I did draw the design for ours and Jed carved it. He did a wonderful job, even though the drawing was super girlie and not at all scary/Halloweenish. Meanwhile, I ate Amanda's amazing cookies with pumpkin custard (don't worry - Amanda makes good-for-you things). ;)
The night wrapped up with Justin using his stun gun on someone, and then on himself, and watching The Sixth Sense. Classic.

Sunday night, we had a small group of people Jed works with, and their significant others, over for dinner. It was so much fun! I made crock pot stroganoff and it was heavenly!! Everyone commented on how good it was - YAY! :D Emily brought yummy salad and biscuits and Megan brought really good pumpkin bars that she said could've been better. I thought they were delic as is! (Hence the reason the plate she left us was gone in a day...) Oops! :/

We had plans to go a friend's house Halloween night and dress up and watch movies, eat food, whatever. I wasn't too excited about Halloween until I decided on the PERFECT costumes for Jed and I, and we bought all the stuff for them (this past Friday). Well then yesterday, one of the guys from the party "group" decides to go off and plan a concert/party at his house that night. Now the original get together has been cancelled and everyone is going to this show. Jed and I do not want to celebrate Halloween by seeing a cruddy band we've never heard of, surrounded by people we don't know (or care to). Now we're looking at having people over to watch Hocus Pocus(!!!) and eat food. No costumes. No changing plans last minute.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Boom Baby!

2000 hits. Sha. Zam.

I'll post tomorrow about our weekend.

Night.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Thankful Thursday - Friday Edition

We got a new layout!!! I'm so thankful to my friend Amanda for walking me through the process and helping me out. Now I can change it more often and not lose all my applications and stuff. Thank you Amanda!!

"What's some new good news in your life, Ali?"
-"Well, I'm glad you asked. I got a NINETY SEVEN on one of my finals this week!!! Yup. 97!"

Also, Jed and I went to a chemistry magic show on campus last night. I was a little too "teachy" (lots of definitions and chemical technical talk about elements and such), but the experiments/magic acts were pretty sweet.

I pretty much came up with the BEST Halloween costume for this year, but it will only be funny for people who live in Provo, or have knowledge about this thing. Sorry, Mom. But I'll fill you in after the fact. Can't ruin the surprise. ;) (For all of those in "Jed's From-Home Circle": Get EXCITED!!)

Peace Out!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Original Gold's Scale

247.8
Jed says I'm gaining muscle. I don't want muscle. I want skinny. :(

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Flunkerton

Yesterday was great! I came home from work to find Jed working on the computer, using our new digital drawing pad you use in place of a mouse!! I have no idea what the technical name for it is, but it's pretty sweet. I had no idea he was getting it, so that was a fun surprise. (This is not the exact model, but you get the idea...) On Saturday, Jed and I decided we needed some foliage in our house, so we went to Home Depot (not a fan - I prefer Lowe's) and each got a plant, a pot, and potting soil. We didn't have any paint, so we got some on Monday night. Last night, after dinner, we decorated our pots (photos will come...always a day late and a dollar short) and potted the plants. So much fun!

Kim was kind enough to come over and show Jed (and me) how to give me the B-12/B-6 shot. It didn't hurt nearly as bad this week. I don't think either of us were confident in Jed's ability to do it before. But Kim, being the great nurse/college graduate that she is, showed us how to properly do it and Jed is confident that he can do it from now on. I'll let you know how it goes next week.

Jed mentioned to me during the day, while I was at work, that he had planned a surprise date for me last night. I had no idea what to expect. We ended up going to campus and playing racquetball!! He had reserved a court for us. Exercise and a date. Who could ask for more? :)
We started playing the 'real' version of racquetball, and I was not feeling it. So we started playing my way (we named it Flunkerton), which basically consists of free-hitting, off any surface, taking turns hitting it, but it can't bounce on the ground more than three times. If it bounces more than three times before you hit it, the other person gets the point. It was super fun! I wish we had taken pictures...

PICTURES!

This was the aftermath of the Streetlight Manifesto concert.


Notice the plumpness. This will be used as my "before picture". I could vomit knowing this is what people see when they look at me. But I'm not dwelling on it. This will not be "me" for very much longer. On a side note, have you ever noticed how typically "before pictures" are taken of people eating, or by food? Is that a sign?? Gag.

The rest of these are from Kim's Grad Party.







Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I Could Kill Them

The girls at my dermatologist's office. They called again and left another message. So I called back. "We sent one of your moles out for a second opinion and it came back negative." Thank you very much for getting me all nervous and then telling me something that I didn't need to know. Dumb girls.



And...someone named Anonymous just bursted my bubble.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Another Update From A Scatter-Brained Crazy Lady

I have been so scatter-brained and here and there and everywhere that I haven't kept you updated. My deepest apologies. I know your weekday doesn't start until you know of the latest happenings in the lives of the Goodells. ;)

Tuesday (Weight Doctor): I went to a doctor's appointment, someone my friend Kim referred me to. This doctor, Dr. D, specializes in weight. I got a body analysis (weight, lean body mass, fat body mass, amount of water retention, etc.) that we will use to track my progress every month, I got a B-6/B-12 shot in the arm (those are hurty!), and a diet analysis. Now I'm eating lots throughout the day, every two hours to be exact (NO mayo or butter, and minimal carbs). I also am supposed to walk 30 minutes a day. None of this is rocket science, or measuring proportions, or counting calories, or overworking myself with exercise. It's simple. Hopefully it will work - of course I'll keep you posted.
---- On a side note, the reason I haven't posted a weigh-in recently is because I was on my mom's scale, then we were at the other Gold's, and now we have our own scale that I've been using this week. I'm going to the original Gold's, with my original scale, on Wednesday. I'll find out what I weigh on that one and then go home and compare it to my new scale, and we'll be up and running again. ----

Wednesday (Gym): After class and dinner, Jed and I went to the 9th East Gold's with Amanda and worked out (Yay!). Watched a little of the tube when we got home, and then went to bed.

Thursday (Concert): After class, Jed and I went to Madeline's Steakhouse for dinner. It was oh-so-yummy! I got a salad with citrus vinaigrette dressing (I wish I could find some at the store, but they don't sell it. I'm going to try some recipes from allrecipes.com and see if I can't get a good one. If not, Brianna's Blush Wine is always a good choice.) and grilled chicken with BBQ sauce and diced tomatoes and onions on top. SO delicious! AND I only cheated my diet with the one roll I ate, but it was swimming in garlic butter... :(The main reason we went to Madeline's was because it was on the way to Jed's favorite band (Streetlight Manifesto)'s concert in SLC, at this crappy, hole-in-the-wall venue called The Avalon Theater. It's an old theater (hence the name) that they turned into a venue. But there are black stadium benches in it and people were tripping all over them. Dumb. Anyways, we got there in time to see the last opening band, Fear Nuttin Band. Jed and I both really liked their style (even though we couldn't make out half of the lyrics because of their strong Jamacian accents) and were even going to buy a CD, but we didn't have any cash. :( Then Streetlight came on and the crowd went wild. We were in the mosh pit with a hundred smelly, sweaty, grungy dudes with long nappy hair, pushing us, jumping up and down, and whipping their long, sweaty hair around. Reminded me of high school all over again and going to loud concerts. Memories. :)Friday (Graduation Party): Our dear friend Kim just graduated from nursing school and we went to her house to celebrate. Her family was in town (such a treat to hang out with them and to see her mom again) and we had a great night. The guys grilled outside while us girls chatted it up inside. The food was yummy and then after most people left, we watched the Office (Jed and I missed it because of the concert, so they let us watch it since they TiVo'd it. Then we played Rock Band into the night. The party was a blast, and we're so proud of Kim. Way to go!! PS- We have LOTS of pictures from this night. They'll make an appearance soon.
Saturday (No Stress): Meals and I got together (I swear it had been a whole month since I had seen her) for breakfast - Kneader's all-you-can-eat french toast. Death by french toast. Actually we did really well, only 2-3 pieces each. But those were definitely the best 2.5 pieces of french toast I've ever had. It was SO good to be with Meals and catch up on everything and have a girls date. :) I love that girl. I'm going to be super sad when they move. Might even spiral into a depression and lie in bed for weeks on end. It could happen, let's not kid ourselves.
I went home and Jed had cleaned the house in the two hours I was gone. It was so refreshing, and such a weight off my shoulders. I have the best hubby. The rest of the day was, as usual, a "no stress Saturday" - we went shopping and bummed around the house. That night we went on a walk by the temple. Exercise and a view. Wonderful.

Sunday (Dinner Guest): After church, where I was introduced in RS for like the fourth time (I've been sick/out of town a bit since we moved here), Jed and I made dinner together (I'm so grateful that Jed helps out). Mexican lasagne and salad, with my famous cookies for dessert. Jed went and picked up his brother, Nathan, who lives pretty close, and he joined us for dinner. It was really yummy if I do say so myself. Then we watched Simpsons and Family Guy and just hung out the rest of the night.

Mexican Lasagne:
1lb. ground beef
lasagne noodles
taco seasoning
1/8c. water
1c. medium salsa
1c. olives
1 sm. can green chiles (opt - will make it a bit hotter)
2c. cheddar cheese
1c. jalapenos (opt - even hotter)

Brown meat and cook noodles while you cut up olives. Drain meat and add taco seasoning and water. Add salsa, olives, and chiles.
Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with meat mixture (it can't be too thick or you'll run out of meat mixture), then a layer of noodles, then cheese. Repeat and then end with a layer of noodles, and cheese on top. Sprinkle jalapenos on top and bake at 400* for 40 minutes. Top layer of noodles may be a bit crispy.
**You can substitute flour tortilla strips for noodles - bake 20 minutes** (I haven't tried this way)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Ohio Trip - Late


























The Skinny on my Skin

I left my phone home all day yesterday and when I got home last night there was a missed call from my dermatologist (see this post), who by the way told me that they would only call if there was something to be worried about (ie skin cancer). Yeah, it's 7:00 at night, the office is closed, and I am FREAKING OUT. Actually I was trying not to think about it. But if I had, I would have been freaking out. I started thinking about it as I was lying in bed and some tears were shed. (No rhyming intended)

This morning I called the doctor's office and was on hold for an eternity. My clothes are out of style and no longer fit (because I've gotten so skinny) by the time the nurse gets on the phone! So it turns out those moles I had taken off were borderline cancer, and it's a good thing I had them taken off. Now I have to check for discoloration of the removal sites and go in every six months for the next two years to get checked. Phew! Sigh of relief! So there's the skinny on my skin.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Global Warming?

Step outside and tell me that freezing in the middle of October constitutes global warming. I think not.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Some of My Skin is GONE

About three years ago, when I lived with Emily for the summer, I went to the dermatologist because I had a huge mole on the small of my back and I wanted to get it checked out. *Not to mention the fact that I had been tanning a lot in my years AND that my mom's father had melanoma...* So I went in and had that beast of a mole removed. Turns out it was benign. Thank goodness!

Well I'm sad to admit that I've been tanning since then. I know, I will stop now that I'm married and don't have to impress single boys anymore. ;) So I decided that I should probably get that area where the mole had been checked out again because it was looking kind of funny.

I went to the doctor today and he said the mole was growing back. He checked some other moles and decided to cut off the beast that was starting to come back, and another new mole. Two moles - gone. It didn't hurt, but I got light-headed and had to lay down for a while. Phew... I'll know the results in a few days. I'm crossing my fingers.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Free Purse

Who wouldn't want something free? Especially a free purse!
Go to www.handbagplanet.com and register for the drawing!! :)

Monday Memoirs

(I wrote this one Monday, and was waiting to upload pictures from Angela's HC, but we have no way of uploading them here in Ohio.)

We went with my friend Chad and his date, Meg?, to the Hale Center Theater's version of AIDA on Thursday night. I had seen it in San Antonio, and also on Broadway - I love this musical. Their version was a little different than I had seen, a little more "hip"? "groovy"? Anyways, I thought it was pretty well-done and I think all four of us enjoyed it very much.

On Friday night, Jed and I went to see a hypnotist! It was SO much fun!! Neither of us had ever been to a hypnotist show, and we were both a little bit nervous that he might make us come up on stage and make fools of ourselves. Nope, he asked for volunteers and we got to be spectators. :) The show was hilarious! *Too bad you guys couldn't make it, Meals. You would have liked it a lot.*

Saurday morning, bright and early, Jed took me to the airport to fly out to Ohio. I'm going to be here until Sunday. A whole week away from my husband, and we've only been married for two months!! :( It's harder on Jed because he's stuck home alone and still going to school and work, whereas I'm with family and friends, no work, and I get to take time off and do whatever I want. Poor guy. I'm having a great time though. Sorry, hunny.

Saturday night I went over to the Senders' house to help my little sister, Angela, and Haley Sender get ready for homecoming. Then we went over to the Barnes' to take pictures and for their big group of girls to have dinner before the dance. The girls all looked gorgeous and I heard they had a great time. While they were at the dance and Jeff was at the Priesthood session of our Church's General Conference, Joan Sender and I took her son, Zach, out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was good to catch up with her.

Sunday was spent watching General Conference at the Senders' home. We were there all day, and then they had a birthday party for their son, Nathan, who turned 18. During the party Joan and I stayed inside and watched House. I had never really gotten in to it. I still don't think I'll be rushing home to watch it any time soon, but it was entertaining.

Today I got up, took Jeff to school (Angela gets a ride with Nathan Sender after Seminary), came home, and DIDN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP! I totally could have, but I refrained. (Go me!) I worked out and watched some TV, got some homework done. Pretty chill and relaxing - which of course I love! Pepper, our dog, has been keeping me company. I can't wait for the kids to come home so we can play!!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Three More

According to my mom's scale (and I know her scale might not be exactly the same as the one at Gold's Gym) I'm down another 3 pounds, for a total of FOUR POUNDS!!

I'm on my way. Thanks for all of your love and support. :)

Friday, October 3, 2008

Thankful Thursday - Friday Edition

This weekend was so much fun. Sorry I'm so late posting about it, and sorry there are lots of pictures, but who doesn't like to see pictures?This week I am thankful that Jed & I were able to snag a GREAT deal, thanks to THIS BLOG. We went to the Cornbelly's Corn Maze (for a whopping dollar!!) with the Keays and Justin McDaniel. Justin's wife, Amanda, couldn't go because she had to work a booth at this fun (not so fun for her) market(?) in Pleasant Grove called The Holy Cow Boutique.






Can you see Justin punching the monster's hangy ball??


This was an action shot




This was the trampoline blob. It's hard to describe. It's like a trampoline bubble that comes out of the ground.


Now this little gem [see below, not the trailer above] is something I picked up at the Holy Cow Boutique. We went to visit Amanda since she was stuck working and couldn't go to the corn maze with us, and there were *tons* of cute booths and fun crafts. It reminded me so much of Texas.
It's kind of dark and hard to read (sorry) but it says "Where families become forever" and it's got a picture of three of the steeples of the Salt Lake temple, where Jed and I were married. It's hanging in our living room if you want to see it in real life. ;)