Day 7:

    Tonight is officially our last night here! I can't wait to move back home but surprisingly, we have had a lot of fun babysitting these two boys! We've played tons of board games, watched a bunch of (kid-friendly) movies, and it's just been fun to sit around the dinner table and talk. We decided to end our reign as head- of-house with a bang. We took the the boys and the fam to a local chinese restaurant (where everyone thought the 13 year old and 8 year old were OUR KIDS... weird.) Then we took them bowling. It was a busy day, so we decided that our "new sidewalk" tonight would be outside the bowling alley. I imagine when this gig is over, we will have much more availability to walk. So 7 steps was our "enriching walk" tonight. But it was a new sidewalk so it totally counts! Besides, I beat my highest score with 92 and Barry did awesome with 126. Nothing makes you feel better about life than doing well at bowling. (92 is my "doing-well".) So a short walk but a super-fun night. Consider our marriage: enriched.

    Just wondering, has anyone else done anything to improve their marriage? Let me know!!! Give the rest of us some fun ideas!

Day 7:

I need to show more appreciation for my husband! When I have a rough day, I always think about how hard it would be to be a single mother. Today, my husband offered to take both kiddos to the store so I could clean... in peace. It was wonderful! To you single mothers, I admire your strength. To my husband, I appreciate you so much! Thank you!

Today we decided to take our walk in the cool of the morning. But by the time we got home, got the stroller out and packed, got shoes on, etc... it was already mid-morning. In other words: It. Was. Hot. Today was the longest walks we've taken thus far, and by the time we got home, I was ready to just take a nap! But a friend is coming to visit on Friday, and since we are watching the boys, I only have their school hours to clean my own house! So once again, I Thank you husband for being a knight in shining armor today! It's soooo much easier to clean without a two-year-old who thinks it's hilarious to stand in front of the vacuum, or an infant who cries the minute you step out of sight! And thank you for not judging me for eating an entire king-sized candy bar tonight! And for holding our whiney, tired child so I could write this blog!

And thank you for the 2700 steps you took with me today.

Day 6:

I've mentioned before that I taught a "Dating your husband" class for the Relief Society sisters in my ward. I based the entire class after a marriage book I read, and one of the points that hit me the most was this:

 "Love thy neighbor as thyself"... The most important part of this commandment is that we can't love others if we don't love ourselves. This is a particularly sensitive subject to me, as I have not been happy with the way I have looked since having kids. My grandma has told me (on several different occassions) that I would make a beautiful plus-sized model. For her, this is a compliment. For me, well, I joined weight watchers.

Today (five months after starting the program) I had to take Grayson to an appointment. They weighed him and pointed out that his BMI was a little low, but that just meant that he was going to be "tall and thin like mommy"! That's what she said! No more plus-sized model here!

I'm not telling this story to dig for compliments, but because I feel soooo much better about myself now! I'm happier, more energetic, more confident, etc. And because I like myself, it has improved our marriage so much! So, if there is anything that you don't love about yourself- be it physical, spiritual, etc. There's a chance that it will inhibit you from loving your neighbor! So what are you going to do about it?

That's what we talked about tonight on our brief excursion. Once again, we sneaked into the darkness after the boys were in bed, and walked briskly down the street and back. I love these brief moments I get to share with my husband... I LOVE MY NEIGHBOR!!! :)
(350 steps)

Day 5

Friday night, my husband went on a campout for church... we didn't plan out the day very well. He left for the campout right after a full day of work which is why we missed a sidewalk. My mom and I had a girl's night and here is part of our conversation:


On Fox news, my Mom saw a special about a company which sets up affairs. And if you are wondering what I mean... I mean AFFAIR. They are allowing commercials for this company on public television! Saying if you don't want a divorce, but want to "have some fun", they will set you up with someone!


Isn't that terrifying! What is happening to this world?!? I'm so grateful that we don't have cable, it is sinking lower and lower all the time, but this news has made me realize just how important it is to work on our marriages- CONSTANTLY. I'm so grateful that my husband and I are doing this challenge- even if we don't make a difference for anyone else besides ourselves, I'm so glad!


Now Saturday, we moved into a friend's house. For the next six days, we will be babysitting two boys (one is eight and one is twelve). So you can't blame us for missing the sidewalk on Saturday! (Please don't blame us!) But tonight, after we got all the boys in bed, Barry told me to grab my shoes. We stepped outside and speed-walked to the street sign (very close by and the house never left our sight!), took a picture, and speed-walked back to the house. The whole time, we mimicked those ridiculous speed-walkers and laughed the entire time! It was wonderful.


"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other. Husbands and wives- will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations." ~Proclamation to the World~


431 Steps.

Day 4:

Remember yesterday, how I basked in the beauty of nature?

     Well today, we decided to take the sidewalk through the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park to get to the disc golf course. It was absolutely a beautiful day, and I have never really walked through this park, so I was actually excited for our walk!

    As we pulled into the parking space, I noticed a group of homeless men, resting around the pavillion eating lunch. It made me a bit nervous. Luckily, the sidewalk went in the opposite direction. As we were walking, I noticed something odd in the bushes, so we got closer to investigate. Right there in the park was a Dead Body! Not really, but that's what I was imagining because I watch way too many crime scene shows! Nestled behind the bushes was a ragged old twin mattress that someone had dragged through the park to sleep on! Under the bushes was a collection of more empty alcoholic beverages than I have ever seen! Who ever slept on this mattress, had himself quite a party! Farther down the path under a bench, I actually saw a glass bottle in a paper bag! I've only seen alcohol in paper bags in the movies! I feel like a big-city girl!         

   So yesterday I experienced the beauty of nature, and today I got a park full of alcohol. What a wonderful experience to share with the family!

At least it made for interesting conversation...

and was only 836 steps to get out of that place!

Day 2:

Talk about a rocky start.


    We decided to take our stroll this evening, after dinner. As we were eating, Grayson crawled under the table and was followed by a strange, gurgling, explosive noise. Grayson didn't react to our questioning, so we continued with dinner.


We shouldn't have continued with dinner.


   When I came back from putting food away, Barry pointed to the floor by our couch. Grayson had the biggest, nuclear erruption, we've ever seen. There was a huge soupy pile of (weak stomachs, please stop reading) you-know-what, glistening on the floor. (THANK GOODNESS for laminate flooring!!!) Grayson had spontaneously combusted under our dining table, tried to clean it up with a bib, dragged it across the floor, and ended up in the living room by our couch, where he could drain his pants.


It was bad.


    We didn't even attempt to clean him up, I just hurled him in the bath tub while Daddy cleaned up the mess. You can imagine just how "excited" we were to go for a walk after that episode. I will say, there is just something theraputic about being outside, in the beauty of nature.

So here's my message for the night:

Crap happens, so don't forget to see the beauty in the world.

(2100 steps.)

Irvin Street.

    A few months ago, our overly-perky Weight Watchers advisors manipulated us all into signing a goal to exercise every day for an allotted amount of time. Weight Watchers everywhere could enter to win a huge "walking tour" to a "famous American City" if they completed the challenge! I was pumped, so I signed my name right on the giant poster and spent the rest of the meeting dreaming about winning a vacation.

    Several weeks have gone by since I signed my name, and I haven't exercised once. The thought of exercising hasn't even crossed my mind, and I am one of the few in class who hasn't placed a big gold star sticker next to my name, to mark progress. (At least I'm being honest!)

   So I am proud to say, that today, I actually started a goal! I didn't sign any posters, and I don't have any perky advisors to root for me, but I did it!

    And it was rough.

    This morning, I pointed out to Barry that he needed to get ready for work, and miserably he told me that he had been up all night puking. (And I slept through it all, what I good wife I am!) He called work, and planned on spending the day, wallowing in bed. And I don't know what the heck was going on with Grayson, but I pretty much fantasized about taking my dear little munchkin... and throwing him out the window. And really, I say that with all the motherly love in my heart! For some reason (waking up on the wrong side of the bed?) he was soooooooo whiney!

   I dared tackle the grocery store husbandless so he could sleep, and Grayson threw the biggest fit I've ever seen. I said "no" to something he wanted so in the middle of the aisle, right in front of the check-out stands (so everyone in the store could watch...) He threw himself on the ground, and there was a lot of screaming, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. By the end of the day, all I wanted was to toss that little (adorable) punk in bed, exhale, and relax.

   But... we set a goal to walk a new sidewalk every day this summer. I told my husband that I would walk alone tonight since he was sick, but he went to the bedroom and walked out with basketball shorts and tennis shoes. And so, my flu-ridden husband, my obnoxious-ridden two-year-old, my baby, and I set off on our crazy adventure!

    1591 steps.

    That's what it took to walk up and down our street. We figured we'd knock our street out of the way first, so we couldn't use it as a last-minute back-up plan somewhere down the line! So there it is folks, day 1 complete.

     Feelin' good.