Big Christmas recap

I was hoping to have another workout in before the new year, but no such luck. so much to write about. for now here are a whole bunch of pictures from my week in Albuquerque for Christmas.

all my desserts from Sarah's pink holiday party

4 glasses of wine with 8 girls = fun!

Christmas eve dinner
nikki and i

Christmas day dinner
cute little kitty

mom and i

yummy dessert, tiramisu

day after Christmas shopping
Nikki and I have fun inside banana republic

my attempt at a little get together:
nathan, me, dave, jen, and candance

all of us "ladies" had a lovely brunch at the st. james tea room. super fun, and quality time with all of my aunts and cousins.

aunt michelle, aunt kathy, kari, nikki, aunt patty, me, and mom

mom and i

nikki, me, and kari

all of that and i somehow forgot to add the pictures from our 5th annual girl cousin's dinner at the melting pot. i have a feeling i'll be doing a post again from my time at home.

obviously very busy, and lots of fun. this Christmas was nice because we had a lot more family time than what we normally do, and i truly loved every minute of it. lots of good food, and many memories!

cardio kickboxing 60min

pink holiday party take 1

lets talks about fun! i arrived in albuquerque thursday night just in time (although i was fashionably late...sorry Sarah!) to make it my friend Sarah's holiday pink christmas party. over the past few years sarah and i have grown into close friends through staying in touch and our blogs. she has truly become a great, true friend. this party was lots of fun surrounded by her dear friends, great desserts, and lots of everything pink! ...sarah's favorite color of course! i have more to share about this party, that i'll do in another post. for now enjoy sarah's beautiful documentation of this super fabulous night!

sarah and i

sarah, emily, sara, erlinda, cece, sara, me, and yadeeh

lots of dessert...pink of course...

pretty decorations...pink of course...

so pretty...so pink!

and sarah's dog pearl

lots of treasured memories were created on this night, and i think we all walked away with our lives changed...even if just a little bit. sarah is the pure description of beauty and what beautiful is! she was a gracious host, with every little detail thought out and planned. thank you sarah!, all if it was very much so appreciated and noticed!!!

step 60min

first ever

so for the first time ever i wrote a Christmas letter. as they say 'tis the season.
************************************************************************

2010

The year I change my life.

Dear Loved Ones,

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and happiness. I'm writing you to share part of my life that has been the year twentyten. Usually these letters are written with news of change, and that is what I have to share with you.

I started out the year celebrating my 30th birthday in January in Savannah, GA with my 3 best girlfriends, Tina, Kari, and Michelle. We had a blast! It was a location none of us had ever been! We experienced great food and drinks, and memories that will last me a lifetime.

I truly enjoy doing things I have never done and going places I have never been. Starting my year visiting something off of the beaten path, carved out what would be the rest of my year. Saying that I have pushed myself outside of the "box" is a true understatement. I have done so much that I never thought I would do or ever dreamed of doing and that alone has made the experience of this year one that I will never ever forget.

I am proud to say I am a brand new person. Over the past 2 years I have lost 90 pounds, and am currently 20-25 pounds away from what is my goal weight, which I plan to lose in 2011. My journey hasn't been an easy one, but with a consistent workout schedule (I've been working out 5 days a week for the last 2+ years) and six months of a strict diet through Slimgenics I am the thinnest I ever remember being. The hardest part of this journey is getting my mental self to see my physical self. Because when I look at me, I still see a person that I was in the summer of 2008, a person 90 pounds heavier.

This change has been a great one in so many ways. I have a true circle of friends all of which I met at the gym. I got my Zumba certification in July and look forward to pursuing teaching classes at my gym. I have a life that I am proud to lead. In addition to my workouts (each one is different) I have also had fun participating in 5K's. In October I participated in Denver and Albuquerque's Race for the Cure 5K's raising money and awareness for breast cancer. In September I did my first ever competitive race called the U-DO, which stands for Up Down Over. This was a 4.4 mile race through the hills of Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, CO. This race was a huge challenge for me and a friend stayed with me the whole time pushing me to complete this race in 56 minutes!

I share my life, journey, highs and lows, and many stories on my blog: www.bluesoulam.blogspot.com. I write this letter to you to show what I believe is a true success story and in the hopes that I can be an inspiration.

I am looking forward to what 2011 will bring and continuing what is my new healthy and active life! I wish you all a very Blessed and Joyous Christmas and a Merry 2011!

Warm Wishes and Cheers,
April

*****************************************************************
Merry Christmas to all my fellow bloggers and followers!!!

elliptical 35min
treadmill 15min

VIP Christmas Party

saturday was a busy day. but it was the main event that was so much fun! we had a VIP Crew Gym Christmas Party! hosted by April held at Justine's house. it was a blast. it's so amazing to have this group as friends. the evening was filled with lots of great food...we did a potluck, and i brought white chicken chili, fabulous company, a fun white elephant gift exchange, and lots of memories.
santa was even there for the kiddos! i didn't get a picture of him, but the party was definitely complete with his presence.

lots of cute kids

in addition to celebrating the upcoming Christmas holiday, we had two VIP birthday's to celebrate! Daniel and Kortny!

yummy birthday cake!

happy birthday to:
Daniel and Kortny!

Jerry and Bobby

VIP girls:
Deanna, Justine, Christina, April, Kortny, me
Annabelle, Denise

we were all wearing the same color
Annabelle, Kortny, and I

the evening was so much fun. i love this circle of friends. i know i say it a lot, but it is so true. with all of them in my life, i feel so happy, and content. knowing that they are there.

step 60min

thursday and friday

so the problem with the slowing down of the workouts is that it is effecting my blog. because i'm obviously not posting as much, since the "rule" is to only blog when i workout. hopefully i'll get all caught up, eventually. and since i am behind, here are two nights in one post!

thursday december 16th.
last thursday my boss took all of us (her direct reports) out to the corner office for some drinks and appetizers. we left work early, and had a joyous time. i love my boss, and our group! they are such an amazing group to work with/for.

karen, me, julie, jerri, cathy, and anitra

julie, cathy, jerri, and i
what get together isn't complete without:
cotton candy!?

friday december 17th was ladies night at the ave's game. my friend annabelle works at the pepsi center, and got us these fabulous tickets! i love live sports, and i love that i've been able to go to so many events this year! this game was super entertaining. the avalanche won big: 6 - 5 in overtime!!!

annabelle, me, and denise

(april was there in spirit...she had mommy duty with a sick kiddo)

lots more to update about the weekend i had. the fact that i'm not working out as much, but still keeping so busy seriously makes me love my life! i once worked out and blogged as a filler, because i didn't have anything else better to do. almost like it was second choice to this life that i knew i wanted but didn't know how to get. now it is more a choice, something i want to do. because i now do have the life that i was seeking. it feels great knowing that i can have this life that i want and continue with the habits that i got along the way, like working out. if anything i feel like working out is a social thing for me now. going to the gym, seeing my friends. it is such a great feeling.

barbell strength 60min

i did it!...again!

well well well.

not only have i achieved my overachiever goal of 247 workouts this year, i have actually over overachieved it, since i am currently at 248 workouts so far this year!!!

isn't that crazy!? i think it is. coming to the realization that i have this lifestyle of working out 5 times a week almost seems fake. like it isn't me. i think maybe because it'll eventually end? that one day i'll just stop going. and this habit will just go out the window. so i better enjoy it while i can. but that makes no sense. not really. i know that this is a habit that i'll keep, always. and i know that stopping isn't an option. but. i am slowing down. and i'm slowing down on purpose. because i've been thinking a lot about next year, and how in the world i'm going to keep my workout numbers going up. i mean eventually i'm going to run out of days. and days of rest are necessary.

for the next two weeks i will continue to slow down. i do plan to workout while i'm home for Christmas. but i'm not going to go crazy. knowing that i have achieved my goal, i feel like i have to leave room for improvement for next year. but i feel pretty damn good about reaching my goal!

ripped & shredded 60min

being healthy

Last Tuesday night was a huge shock to me. I had a moment of complete numbness. I literally gasped, put my hand over my mouth and just cried. I had looked forward to spending another Christmas with my Uncle Billy, and coming to the realization that he wasn’t going to be there, isn’t easy to come to terms with. In fact, I’m still not there.

Once I got off the phone with my mom and was sitting by myself I said out loud:

“I am saving my life.”

At that exact moment I truly saw the bigger picture. Realizing that I have literally put back years onto my life. That I am choosing to live. To be alive. I’ve known for many many years that my family doesn’t have the healthiest of genes. That I’m most likely to get heart disease or diabetes when I am older. And that isn’t even touching on the obesity. The fat. Being overweight. It’s just what I was born with. I know that this healthy lifestyle I have created for myself has if anything made my insides healthier. And for me, that’s really the only thing that matters. My heart, my lungs, my muscles have room to breathe. Yes, I look better, and yes that does make me feel better about myself. But now I’ll be around that much longer to enjoy this life. This life that we are all given, and have the power to do whatever it is that we want with it. Every day we are given that power, that choice. Does that make every single day a struggle? Absolutely. Does that make it worth it, absolutely!!!

My friend Sarah has this quote that I love, read it and let it sink in a little bit.

“If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?”

Such a true statement. The honest answer of course being, six feet under. I feel good and proud knowing that I am taking care of my “house” that I’m making my body a healthy place for my organs, so that I can be around as long as possible.

I know it isn’t easy. But I challenge you. To make a positive choice for yourself every day. To take care of you. Get your heart rate up, eat something colorful. Simple choices that are so important.

total conditioning 60min

a little bit of everything

my weekend was a long one. let me tell you about it.

it started friday night, going out and celebrating D's birthday! we met downtown had a casual dinner, followed by The Blue Man Group. these guys are seriously entertaining! so much fun. i wish we had better seats, but i think D enjoyed it just as much as i did.

a blue man

saturday morning i flew to albuquerque for two funerals. to mourn and celebrate my close family friend mary, and my uncle billy. the services were back to back, so my family and i were at the funeral home for about 4 hours. talk about emotionally draining. it is something i don't recommend to anyone. it was great to see family of course, but such a sad situation all around.

this is a collage my cousin kari made

i love this picture of my grandpa egan and uncle billy

a lot of family members got up and spoke about my uncle billy. myself included. sharing stories, reminiscing, feeling blessed that he is up with his parents and brother to watch over all of us.

afterwards we all headed over to my aunt patty's for some food. no egan get together is complete until food is involved. with lots of food, i got some good quality time in with family.

kari, me, and cheryl

the evening concluded at my cousin kari's house. we played with her 2 new kitty's!, and chatted the night away, ended by the viewing of "eclipse" ...which i unfortunately fell asleep during.

aidan and i, holding vanessa

sunday was spent with friends. i had breakfast with my friend shaun, followed by lunch with my friend michelle. then some errands and time with mom. ended by dinner with sarah!

sarah and i

monday we drove up to santa fe to welcome uncle billy to his final resting place. i've always loved santa fe and have so many memories there and visiting my grandpa egan. the military service was short and sweet, and tears overflowing.

Rest In Peace Uncle Billy

then we went to my grandparents grave site. seeing the grave site i get so sad that i never met my grandma egan, but i know that i have her with me.
the whole weekend was filled with so much emotion. i've come to the realization that the grieving process is completely different when the loved one who passed away is in another state. you feel so removed from anything because you aren't physically there. i slept horribly both thursday and friday night because i knew i had so much emotional baggage i needed to get rid of, plus the anticipation of knowing i was going to be able to let myself go when i saw my family.

zumba 60min

a year of quotes

i'm picky about a lot of things. my yearly calendar is one of them. it has to be just right. i mean, it is going up in my room for a whole year. that's a long time, so i better love it. this years calendar is "mindful living ~ the words of thich nhat hanh". here are the quotes from the year. enjoy.

january ~ i am determined to cultivate only thoughts that increase trust and love.

february ~ we have more possibilities each moment than we realize.

march ~ when the rain of compassion falls, even the desert becomes a vast fertile plain.

april ~ the way we speak and listen can offer others joy, happiness, self-confidence, hope, trust and enlightenment.

may ~ when we appreciate and honor the beauty of life, we will make every effort to dwell deeply in the present moment.

june ~ in true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

july ~ let us live deeply each moment in freedom so time does not slip away meaninglessly.

august ~ forgiveness is the fruit of awareness.

september ~ if you want a tree to grow it won't help to water the leaves. you have to water the roots.

october ~ peace is in ever step. it turns the endless path to joy.

november ~ learn the art of cultivating joy.

december ~ our body and our mind have the capacity to heal themselves if we allow them to rest.

STRIKE! 60min

this crazy thing called life

lately i've been thinking a lot about the good things in life. being happy, everything going exactly as it should. how life just seems to work itself out. the holidays are near, and everyone is joyful and thankful. i've been thinking about how excited i am to give gifts! the joy of giving!

mom, aunt deanna, aunt michelle, aunt patty, uncle billy
aunt kathleen

then i got a phone call.

my uncle billy passed away tonight. this was not what i was expecting to hear. my uncle has been in and out of the hospital since september, and prior to that had a really ruff couple of years moving to albuquerque from seattle, back to seattle then back to albuquerque.

my uncle billy was the cool one. like the super cool one. the one you wanted to sit and chat with, and just listen to his stories. he would talk and talk and talk! on one of my trips to seattle uncle billy took me out just the two of us. i was probably 13 or 14. we went up the seattle space needle and had dinner at the top where it spins around. after the fancy dinner we walked around and he bought me this pretty crystal of a horse on a carousel. it is a very fond memory and makes me smile when i think of it.

i last saw my uncle billy when i was home in october. i visited him in the hospital. i sat on his bed and we chatted.

honestly, i think he just gave up. which is extremely sad, but at the same time that is what is best. he's with his parents and his brother, my uncle fred.

on top of this a close family friend is currently in hospice care. my "aunt" mary has also been in and out of the hospital since september. in fact i saw her in the same hospital i saw my uncle billy at in october. mary grew up with my mom and all my other aunts and uncles in santa fe.

**12/8/10** update, Mary passed away this morning.

many prayers will be said tonight.

barbell stregnth 60min

holiday weekend

i had a super busy weekend. for the first time since march i gave myself permission to take a day off from both work and the gym. GASP!!!...i know i can't really believe it either, no workout for me on saturday. but a little relaxation break/mental break from the gym felt good, and you know what?, it's ok. i do what is best for me. and in all honesty knowing that i'm going to achieve my goal for the year kinda makes me want to slow down for this month...because i feel like i have to leave something for next year. is that weird?

anyways. after not going to the gym saturday morning, i had a relaxing breakfast followed by 3 holiday parties. oh yes, count them again. one.two.three. parties. back to back to back.

the first was a gingerbread making party! i'm pretty sure that this was my first time ever making a gingerbread house...and my my it was messy and not all that easy. and i'm not as artistic as i hoped i would be! but still a fabulous time was had by all since i was surrounded by lots and lots of sugary candy and good good friends! thanks to SVZ for hosting!

the start

the goodies

my plain gingerbread house

after the gingerbread making festivities i headed down to denver for a jewelry party to see a couple of old coworkers that i haven't seen in a couple of years.

then it was off to a surprise holiday party! this was in honor of my very good friend Sarah. Sarah is kickass at pretty much everything that she does. she's a great friend (seriously the best ever), she has awesome taste in music, she wears glitter eye shadow, she's an amazing dancer, has the coolest workout shoes ever, she kicks my ass twice a week in STRIKE! as the best group fitness instructor out there, ...oh and, she looks like P!NK! all of those things combined you can't help but love her, hang out with her, and want to show your appreciation. so what is what we did.
my friend april had this idea a few months ago to try and get a collection of money together to get Sarah some gift cards as a holiday "thank you" "you rock" type of gift. needless to say this idea got HUGE, and way beyond all of our expectations. april collected an insane amount of money, and saturday night we all came together to surprise sarah and present her with her gifts!

in she walks...SURPRISE!

oh yes Sarah this is all for YOU

kortny, annaebelle, me, and christina

jason, sarah, annabelle, christina, me, aaron, april
denise, bobby, korty, and tina

sarah and i - love her!

this night was amazing. everything went perfectly! we all celebrated at the happy sumo. had great drinks and super yummy sushi! i am so grateful to have such a solid group of friends. it has seriously been so long since i have felt so strengthened by the friends around me. i think mainly because these friends are physically here. of course i love my friends that are far but having friends physically here for me makes such a huge difference. with these friends in my life i feel as though my life now is finally coming together exactly how it should.

50/50 60min

parade of lights

friday night i went to the parade of lights downtown. i met my friend april and her family and annabelle and her family. it was a lot of fun. the weather was perfect up until the very end. we saw a little bit of everything.

...big character balloons...

....marching bands....

....lots of floats with lights....

....more lights....

....more marching bands...

....and more lights....

....rudolph!...

....ended by none other than Santa!

STRIKE! 60min