new plans

After staying up till 1:30am last night cleaning and getting ready for my flight home today I received an email at 5:00am this morning informing me my flight has been cancelled. Good thing I have the habit of checking my email before I get out of bed in the morning. Our plane, supposedly, got stuck in bad weather back east. Seriously!!?? Is this really happening cause I'm supposed to be on my way to the airport right now. My plans for the day were: mom picking me up from the airport, hang with Kristi and meet baby Ella for the first time, meet up with Tristan after work, lots of hugs, kisses and snuggling, be with family. Instead, I suddenly have a whole day ahead of me that consists of hanging with myself. Chin up, its going to be a good day.

chia seeds

About a month ago, the wife of the physical therapist at Elevate stopped by to bring us some "treats". She is a hardcore vegan and trains for triathlons so, of course, her "treats" were raw oatmeal cookies and vegan pinole-chia waffles. She talked to us for a minute about this awesome thing called chia seeds. I was intrigued. I researched it, let it simmer and one day while looking at her blog i decided to go for it and I ordered some chia seeds right off Amazon.com. 

What are chia seeds you ask? I did a little research myself:

"Chia seed is actually a member of the mint family. It is grown primarily in Central and South America and was used by the Mayans and Aztecs as an important food source. Chia seeds offer a multitude of health benefits, that are now currently being rediscovered after nearly disappearing from human knowledge.

Why is chia so good for you? Science is just now catching up on all the benefits that chia can offer. It seems like new things are being discovered almost daily. One of the benefits of chia is its high level of Omega-3 fatty acid. This is extremely important in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy heart. By promoting the production of ‘good’ cholesterol, and keeping ‘bad’ cholesterol in line, chia helps keep your arteries open and clean, and prevents hardening of the arteries.

Is chia nutritious? Chia seed is very nutritious, and is the only vegetative source of complete protein, otherwise found only in animal products. Chia seeds contain 20% to 22% protein, and can add this vital nutrient easily to any diet. Chia also has high levels of calcium and fiber, as well as magnesium, boron, and iron.

How does chia help prevent dehydration? Chia helps to keep the body hydrated because the chia seeds absorb at least 9 times their weight in water, which is then gradually released into the body as it is needed. This is especially important for athletes and anyone doing heavy physical labor.

Will chia help me to lose weight? Because chia stays with you longer, it will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Chia also releases carbohydrates gradually into your system, instead of the big rush that usually accompanies a meal. This gradual release means that your blood sugar levels remain more constant, which also helps to keep you from feeling hungry. " (source)

I'm SOLD! Not to mention there are a million ways to eat and drink them because they have no taste. Love 'em already! Ill keep you updated on my chia adventures.

jer bear

Jeremy has been my BFF while Tris has been out of town. We have had many adventures together. Hiking, running, going to the gym, sleep overs, eating food, long talks, and exploring secret waterfalls was our latest exploit. 

I get a call from Jer Bear as I'm getting off work, "Want to go find a waterfall?" "OK?", I say. As we were driving up Provo canyon we spotted a potential waterfall to explore. We parked and walked around trying find the water runoff. The water from the fall has to be going somewhere. We climbed up rocks, scrambled through bushes and finally found a small trail. A quick 10 min walk and we found the water. A little bit further and we discovered the waterfall we spotted from the road. It was beautiful. 

I love exploring nature.

Jer and I have a new favorite workout. It includes: meet at my house, run to golds gym in Provo (4 miles), lift weights, and run back. We've done this a couple of times and it kicks my booty. Yesterday we lifted for 90 minutes between runs. Jeremy forced me to do burn outs on the bench press, ugh! I could barely lift my arms to my face. Nothing like 8 miles and lifting lots of metal to make me feel like I'm in high school cross country again. Measured my pulse today at work, 46 bpm. Darn proud of that. 

fun at work

I love where I work. It has its moments of stress, crazy busy, and serious, but we also know how to take a beak and play hard, even the doctors. We just have to make sure the managers are not around.

Jess and I decided to wear the paper exam shorts during our lunch break, let our legs air out.

We found stick on mustaches and wore them for about half and hour until we were getting way to many weird looks.

Jess, me, Dr. McLane

 Me and Jess

 We found a silly candy named, Zotz. I highly recommend if you are looking for a good time.

 Courtney, she is just silly all the time. That's why we love her.

A bit of modeling.

 How awesome is Dr. McLane's shirt!? I wanted to yank this shirt right off so I could wear it. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. My family still quotes Dr. Seus.

Only 3 more working days till a weeks vacation with Tris! Bring it on!

cookie

Found a yummy-licious cookie recipe. The best part about it? Low fat, guilt free. I was craving oatmeal cookies last week and searched the internet for the perfect recipe. Found it in my own kitchen cupboard in a book I received as a wedding gift and have yet to use. A 2 inch thick cookbook full of just cookie recipes.

Unlike my usual chocolate chip recipe, which calls for 2 sticks of butter, this recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons and some applesauce.

 The dough is very gooey and delicious.

 Ta da! Healthy cookies. Well, sort of.

I took these cookies to work and they were a serious hit. So i made more and are taking them again tomorrow for Dr. Rich's birthday.

marriage fun

On Wednesday, August 10th, yes my anniversary, my brothers best friend got married. My parents flew in for a couple of days for the wedding. It was fun attending a wedding on my wedding anniversary, thinking about my marriage all day and then helping someone else celebrate their marriage. We laughed, danced, decorated their car, ate dessert, blew bubbles at the bride and groom and then had a bubble fight after they left.

We also had fun trying to capture a decent family picture. 

 Success. I love my family.

single saturday

My last Saturday alone. Yahoo! It was a tiring day.  I ran 16 miles this morning, it was painful. I have my good and bad days of running and I was not on my game today. I ran up and down the Provo canyon. The 8 miles up i was fighting a surprisingly strong head wind and by the time I turned around my left hip and right knee started complaining. I made it back to my car in good time and laid on the sidewalk for 10 minutes before even thinking about getting back in my car.

After my run I quickly got ready for the day and was off to the Dermus and Venice Jensen family reunion, all the descendants of my great-grandparents (my Mom's grandparents).

They really are the coolest people and their stories and legacy are awesome. My great-grandpa, Dermus, was a government trapper, farmer/rancher, coal miner, president of the Emery Cattle Association, Emery Town Mayor, Emery Ward Bishopric, state brand inspector, and the best storyteller ever. My great-grandma, Venice, was a lifetime resident of Emery. As a cattle ranchers wife she was a hard worker. She loved to garden, quilt (I still have a blanket she made me), and was very proud of her pioneer heritage.

In May I visited their house in Emery, UT

The party was up Provo Canyon at the beautiful Timpanogos park. Like at all Jensen family reunions we had dutch oven BBQ chicken, dutch oven potatoes, corn on the cob, and I was in charge of making the dutch oven peach cobbler. DELISH! I had no shame going back for more and more food.

Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. Aren't they adorable?

 The siblings. I didn't stop giving Kenna grief about her stupid shirt so she posed for me.

 The children of Dermus and Venice. Kenna, LaWayne, Russell, and Brent. They are the real deal, never seen without their cowboy hats and boots.

Story time: My home teachers stopped by last Sunday evening with a plate of cookies to introduce themselves. It is a husband and wife as companions that were just assigned to Tristan and I. After a minute or so of talking the wife says, "Your husband is in Iraq, right?" I pause, "Oh heavens, no! San Diego for goodness sake, its completely different!" She says, "Oh when they assigned us to you they told us Tristan was in Iraq for a while and that is why I was assigned as companions with my husband." Silly ward members, Tris is safe and sound in country, and I am not a military wife, thank the stars. 

four years

Today is our four year wedding anniversary!! And it has been an awesome four years. It amazes me how much better each year progressively becomes. It is so convenient being married to your BFF, it makes life so much fun. This anniversary has been an usual one as we currently reside in separate states. We talked on the phone (so romantic, let me tell you) and we each had good days. Belated plans for celebration? In nine days, NINE DAYS!!, I am flying home for a week and we are going to spend the weekend up in Laguna Beach (where we honeymooned). I am so excited for my trip home, our romantic getaway, and never leaving Tristan's side again. 

It is fun to look back at old pictures and remember fun moments together.  

Pictures go from oldest to newest. 

dating. october 2006.

 engaged. july 2007.

wedding. august 2007.

honeymoon. august 2007.

 halloween. october 2008.

 birthday. september 2009.

 byu football. september 2010.

 christmas. december 2010.

 visiting tristan. july 2011

 Tris, thank you for ALL you do for me. I can't wait to grow old with you. To another wonderful year. I love you Tristan.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!!!

Tristan has some big, big news for everyone. 

On Friday, Tristan officially received an offer from KPMG for FULL-TIME employment in their SAN DIEGO office. YAHOO!!!

I am SO SO proud of him for all his constant hard work. He really can do anything he sets his mind to. Congratulations Tris Perdue, I love you tons and tons. 

Unless another amazing, amazing offer comes our way, looks like we will be moving to San Diego in one year. That puts a smile on my face.

visit number 2

I took advantage of my July 24th four day weekend and headed south to meet up with this cute guy I know. I convinced the Hoynacki's (friends from Carlsbad) to let me hitchhike down with them. We left Thursday afternoon and arrived in Carlsbad just before midnight. The ride down there looked a little like this...

 then this...

Friday and Saturday were exactly the same, a perfect agenda.

I tagged along for Tristan's morning surf sesh. It was fun to see what his normal routine is. 

 After surfing I ran along the coast. I snapped this picture after my run on Friday morning. It was perfect weather the entire time I was there. Clear, sunny skies, mid 70's.

Then lunch. Then beach. 

Then hang time with Jake the dog. 

Then dinner. We hit up Phil's BBQ. The best BBQ around.

 We made absolutely delicious homemade pizza. Yum.

 Brady and his cool new road bike he got on Saturday. Watch for him biking the town in his new spandex shorts. 

 Even though I had to ride with these two in the back seat for 20 hours, it was totally worth it.

 It's been 2 weeks since my weekend getaway with only 2 weeks left before I fly home again. Let the countdown begin!