I heart my job

Can I just say how much I love what I do?! Because I do! Including my normal teaching responsibilities plus the subbing hours I picked up, I taught 11 (yes ELEVEN) fitness classes Mon-Thur (FOUR days). (this is both at BYU and at 24 Hr Fitness) Whew! I was sore this weekend because of this but wow, it is amazing how much my body really can do! I think too often we underestimate what our bodies (and minds for that matter) can do for us. DO you ever do this? Do you think you can't complete one more rep of a bicep curl? Or you can't study for one more exam? Or you can't change one more diaper? Or you can't clean one more dish or do one more load of laundry? Or you can't eat one more bite of spinach? (WHAT the?! I love spinach....just saying)

YOU. right now :)

I think we (me included!) could be more positive in the way we view tasks and completing difficult challenges. On Monday I looked at my schedule and thought, "wow, how am I going to do this all?!" But guess what, my body let me and I did it. Hopefully I motivated a few people along the way- not to mention allowed for the stress relief and endorphin boost during the workout I was teaching- and motivated myself. I (and YOU) really can do MUCH more than we are currently doing. Try to be more positive today. Tell yourself you're stronger than you think and you'll be amazed at what you can do :)

What are some of YOUR mantras that you tell yourself when you're struggling through a workout, dishes, cleaning, homework, etc?? I wanna HEAR em'!

On another note- My husband is working a shift tonight so I will be all alone... boo. SO good having him home this week, though! (positive affirmation there, see!)  K, have yourself a wonderful Friday!

p.s. Read a HI-larious post HERE written by my dear sis, Caroline. It'll make you laugh silly!

Sore and Alone

Doesn't the title of this post sound like a sad and hardcore workout song title??! I felt very inspired to write that because those two words describe me RIGHT now. Let me explain.

I am now a 24 Hr Fitness Instructor (insert exciting screams, yells, and whoops! here...), and with that comes some new responsibility...such as certain new trainings and updates to schedules. Explanation: 24 Hr Fitness has teamed with Les Mills to launch BodyPump at their gyms in the next little bit. (Ever heard of BodyPump? It is a hardcore endurance and strength training class. It is SUPER fun! See HERE for more info on the class) For our region, it launches mid-late November. Enter ME: Brand new instructor, overly excited, stoked to teach.

Enter BodyPump 3-DAY Training in UT.  That equals a combination of intense, HARDcore lifting, soreness that I've never experienced, sweat and heart rate levels I've never had before, fun friends made, tiredness and exhaustion to the max, stress and fun in the same minute, and some major major gains in terms of my teaching ability, fitness, strength, confidence, and athleticism. It was a 3-DAYS (yes 3 FULL days of lifting....I thought I wasn't going to be able to get up after our last set of push-ups today....oh wait, I didn't! HAHA. I laid there for a full 2 minutes before getting up for the wrap-up/review)

I am unbelievably sore yet super motivated to get this class going after the launch in November. I have all kinds of routines (lifting routines) to learn, but because the music is SO dang fun and motivating, I think I am going to be able to do this! As one of the songs says, "we need more hardcore"!! (Listen to the super great song here, I promise you'll push one minute harder on your workout while listening to it!)

As I am sure you get the picture, I am SORE, TIRED, and ALONE! Yes, my husband went hunting with friends for the weekend- Friday morning to Monday night. (Granted the only time I've been home all weekend has been from 9 pm to 10 am to sleep and get ready for the next day's training...but still!!) This is THE longest time we've been away from each other since being married, and the ONLY 3 nights we've ever slept away from each other during our marriage- it is NO fun! Miss that man of mine! Oh and GUESS what happened a YEAR ago today? ...... I was hit by a kid on my and Jared's FIRST bike ride together. I got a nasty black eye:

Look at the BLACK eye- nasty! Just one year ago!

Luckily for us that black eye helped show me how caring and kind Jared was (instead of this intense red-head mountain-biker) because he got a chance to take care of me. And did so SO well! He even watched Legally Blonde with me that night.....AWWWW :) Love my Jared!

I guess I could have gotten another black eye this weekend with all those weights we were throwing around....Seriously, Supersets of HARDcore weight AFTER sprinting and doing a milliongazillion Burbees?!! really?! (our trainer even told us after she had never given so much weight to trainees... lucky us, right?!) I did realize through this all, however, that I absolutely LOVE BodyPump, that members are going to LOVE BodyPump, that people WILL see changes by taking the class, and that you are really STRONGER than you think you are. I proved that this weekend, OH yah! :) Questions? Just post a comment! I'm off to get some well-deserved sleep (in my lonely bed, lame...)- G-Night!

people watching/meeting

We loved the responses from your ideas of fun during Conference time--some sound yummy, sweet, and very relaxing! Those words described our weekend perfectly. We started the weekend off with a football game, some spaghetti squash dinner (yum!), and gym time. Saturday and Sunday we watched amazing talks, were uplifted and inspired, and had a lot of fun with family. What were some of your favorite talks?? Oh, we ate crepes after Priesthood, had french toast for Sunday breakfast, and lasagna (veggie for me!) for Sunday dinner (the first two are traditions at the Perkins' house). Not to mention great times, laughter, and hilarious little kids!

yummy spaghetti squash!

dinner on Friday night

Monday night found us in the car (see photos above of silliness during the drive), on our way to a wedding reception at Sundance Resort. Guess who we met and saw??? We both love people watching, by the way--you learn so much about other people and their funny quirks. I bet me and my husband are hilarious to watch. But I digress..... we saw/met: Donny Osmond (his son was the groom), BRIAN REGAN (the hilarious comedian), and the woman who played Emma in the Joseph Smith movie (her sister was the bride). WOW. We were starstruck and of course made our way over to Brian (Regan) and the father of the groom (Donny Osmond). They were both super nice and really friendly. And, Brian Regan's voice was....well, Brian Regan! It was really him! Kinda crazy but fun for us because we like his good, clean humor.

See here for a hilarious bit by the man we just met : Brian Regan clip

The rest of the reception was fun, in case you cared. As an update, we are loving the Fall weather (finally!), are excited about life, and loving being married.  Starting next week I will be teaching fitness classes at 24 Hour Fitness! :) (insert way excited voice here!!) We're grateful for new experiences, yah?? Are you ever nervous about something new but so excited for it all at the same time?!! Oh and more gratefulness:  I am grateful that Jared asked me out for our first date ONE year ago today! And glad I had the rule to always say yes to a first date :) love this man o' mine!

one of our favorite weekends

Yes, that is right, General Conference is HERE tomorrow! We're so excited to watch and hear what the Lord wants us to hear. I love how in Utah you can watch it on TV, listen to it on the Radio (how cool is that?!), and even stream it on the Internet. We are so lucky!

We'll be at his parent's house for most of Saturday and all of Sunday listening to the wise guys (and women!), spending time with fam, and enjoying the relaxing weekend. We'll get to kick the weekend off with a good ole' BYU football game tonight-Go Cougs!

Oh and to sweeten your weekend up, watch this clip (it had me laughing and crying within the 2 minutes of the video! love it):

Continue in Patience

Have a GREAT weekend- can't wait to hear what you liked about Conference. What are some of your Conference traditions? I love waking up late on Sunday and wearing my PJs as I watch. We usually have a yummy breakfast near the time of the 1st session starting. WHAT about you??

can I just say...

How much I love sleeping???!!! Does any one else out there love their bed and sleeping in it? Who am I kidding, OF course you do! Sleeping is the body's way to completely relax, restore nutrients, calm down, de-stress, and allow for total and complete rejuvenation.

our wonderful bed where I spend a LOT of time :)

With a bed like that, who wouldn't want to spend 8-10 hours in it?! Yes, I normally get 8.5 hours of sleep a night. What can I say, I am a busy bee and quite active all day so I NEED my rest. Like I would die without getting adequate rest. Actually, ask my husband, sisters, mom, you do NOT want to deal with me when I've only had 5-6 hours of sleep. I am a walking meanie.

SO what are the benefits of getting 7-9 hours of sleep you ask. Well, today's your lucky day, I am going to fill you in on those points:
1. Sleep is the body's way to recuperate and rejuvenate.
2. Sleep is the best time to up the body's immune system's ability to fight. Ever notice how when you lack sleep you get sick easier??
3. Enough sleep helps you handle your emotions better. During PMS time every woman should get at LEAST 8 hours of sleep a night. For the sake of your marriage. haha.
4. Sleep is SO relaxing. Actually it is THE best way to completely relax.
5. Good sleep is restorative.
6. Sleeping enough is linked with lower risk of obesity and overweight.
7. Getting good sleep helps the next day go SO much better. You have more energy!

I love sleep what else can I say?! Hit the sack a lil' earlier tonight, and I promise you'll feel better in the morning! If you don't like to sleep (really, who doesn't?!) go get yourself some good sheets, a comfy pillow, and turn on a fan. You'll be snoozin' like a baby in no time.
Peace.

week recap

What a week! It was quite the busy type- but luckily we enjoyed it, right? :) (we're not complaining, just commenting) It consisted of dinner with my little bro (more on that in a sec), fireside, work, gym, our special FHE (more on that, too), meetings, s'mores with friends, reading, walks, library, meetings, a dance party, and some sleep scattered within. (Who am I kidding? Sleep was the starring role of the week, as usual, for me! I am a sleeping guru. Love it. NEED it. My husband? Not so much. But he'll crawl in bed with me, just to appease me. ha)

Dinner with my little bro was HI-larious. He is such a great guy and it is fun to hear his tales of the freshman dorms and eatery. WOW. There is drama, no sleep, and lots and lots of socializing going on there. He struggled to tell us stories during dinner because........it was freakin' SPICY! I made black bean burritos with a few peppers from our garden. This garden is on loan to us by our neighbors b/c they can't eat it all, so I had NO idea what KIND of peppers....I knew they were going to be maybe a bit spicy, but I was wrong. VERY. they were insanely spicy. My little bro (k, he's like 6.3  feet tall 190 lbs- so big bro technically) was in tears. YES, tears. I felt SO bad. He doesn't necessarily enjoy spicy foods.....so I stuffed him with bread, yogurt, and tomatoes to calm him down as he ate. He said it was still really tasty (in my defense, it was, I promise!), but I could tell his mouth was still on fire..... oh well, gotta love the homegrown peppers with no-name. ANY clue you all as to what they might be called?! Might never use those bad boys again....

after we survived the dinner

I had another epic fail in the kitchen this week, but you can just call me and ask me about it. It was hilarious.... (yep, gotta call me :) )

my husband in our special apple tree

us with our tree above us (I thought we were making funny faces....oh well!)

And last update: Monday's special FHE was amazing. We had a great time reminiscing about those moments a year ago, picking apples, and trying to recreate the whole meeting-under-an-apple-tree experience. We're hilarious, I know. Love my man, though. We made applesauce from those tart apples and it turned out pretty good (hey, it caught me my husband last year, might as well try it- you single ladies out there!) :)

have a great weekend!

once upon a time one year ago today....

...lived two people who had NO idea how their lives would change that day....

cue the music, choirs, and apple tree scene

Unsuspecting Annette picks apples from her tree with her roommate.

They decide they can no longer reach the highest apples on the tiptop parts of the tree

so Annette takes to shaking (yes SHAKING) the apple tree to get those apples down

while she and her roomie giggle and shake and pick those apples up

a certain man who happened to be next door

hears a lot of noise and laughter and decides to investigate..........

what does he find???

TWO girls: ONE on a step ladder in heels and a skirt, SHAKING an apple tree

TWO running around protecting her head as she gathers the fallen apples

He shook his head and just watched, quite amused, at the scene played before him

While shaking, girl number one (ANNETTE) looks up to see this man on the porch

He promptly comes and helps gather and pick the highest apples for the girls

He engages the girls in conversation

Girl number ONE had no interest. NONE. She suspected her roomie had interest in this man....

And that, my friends, is where the story all began, that fateful day,

September 20, 2009

ONE year ago today.

And so, Jared and Annette will celebrate the fairytale tonight

picture taken Valentine's day 09'

---you guessed it---

AT the place where it all began!

this was taken 3 weeks after the incident. right beside the fateful TREE!

You can find us at the tree tonight, giggling, picking apples, kissing (ewwww), and fondly gazing into each other's eyes :)

But we'd rather you leave us alone to our trip down memory lane... wink wink