dance, laugh, conquer... day 18

today was just a great day! nothing really exciting happened (and i didn't even have a good work out or anything) but it was just one of those productive, feel good days, ya know?! institute was awesome, talking about spiritual blindness and how to avoid it... i got some of the big things done at work, but of course have more to do... the girls were so fun and worked so hard at work outs... i got to talk to maegan on her birthday (and she left the sweetest message that just made my day!)... talked to mom whilst wandering the aisles of walmart... got surprise valentines from my kiddies... ha got asked on a date for tomorrow night (we're playing mini golf, so i'm not all that thrilled)... made a new sauce that was delicious... the sun was out and the mountains are still covered in snow (it may be ugly in the valley, but something about those mountains is truly majestic!)... tomorrow is friday and i get to go to sleep somewhat early... life is blessed and i am grateful!

work-out...
so i was definitely not the most motivated today, so i ended up doing some random things and some how was at the gym for over an hour... minor cardio on the treadmill and eliptical, lunges and legs, abs, and throw the sauna somewhere in there... it definitely wasn't the best work out and i don't really know how much i got out of it, but i went and sometimes that's all that matters!

fuel for my tummy...
8:30am- sugar-free chocolate milk
9:30am- clementine and yogurt pretzels
11:00am- strawberry yogurt
1:00pm- turkey and lettuce wraps w/mustard, apples and pb
5:45pm- sugar-free chocolate milk and a hand full of life cereal whilst running out the door
8:15pm- homemade sweet and sour chicken stirfry

new recipe...
so chicken stirfrys are totally my new favorite thing to make because they are so easy and pretty healthy. i just cook the chicken in a skillet, add a frozen vegetable mix (today was asparagus stirfry), and add some sauce. today i made a sweet and sour sauce which actually turned out really yummy!

3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs ketchup
2 tbs corn starch

i just mixed all the ingredients together while the chicken and veggies were heating and then dumped it in. it makes a lot of sauce, and i only used about a pound of chicken and a bag of veggies, so i'll probably add more chicken and veggies next time just cause i'm more of a "light sauce" person. but serve this over some brown rice and it'll be delicious!

dance, laugh, conquer...
this comes from the ellen degeneres show, and yes, i just love it! i rarely get to watch the show, but when i do, i definitely laugh and always want to get up and dance... but "dance, laugh, conquer" is such a good motto, right?!

craziness...
so i'm sitting in my room and jess came home talking on the phone, and from the sounds of screaming and laughing, her friend krysta is pregnant! it just got me thinking about how many of my friends are either pregnant or just had their second child... let me calculate... 15! yeah, i have atleast 15 friends who are pregnant right now or just had their second child! incredible! it's totally one of those moments that i think about when we would talk about it in high school and how insane just being married would be, and now their little families are growing! kinda amazing! haha, maybe when they're on their 4th or 5th kid, i'll be ready to have my first!

quick quote...
this is just something that popped out at me from Elder Bednar's article/talk in this months ensign titled "learning to love learning".

"The overarching purpose of Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness is to provide His spirit children with opportunities to learn."

i know i've heard this time and time again, that we were sent to earth to learn and gain experience, and i believe that with all my heart. i just love how this quote words it though... purpose, happiness, opportunities, learn. haha... i'm sitting here thinking about why these words stick out so much, and it's probably because i use all four of them when i pray and plead for Heavenly Father to bless me with opportunities to find purpose and happiness, and that i'll stop being so prideful and selfish and learn what He wants me to do. hmm... it all makes sense now! i love little tender mercies, yes, even a quote is a tender mercy for me. more proof that Heavenly Father knows each of us and blesses us according to our individual needs. the gospel is AMAZING!

smiles and sweet dreams!

the countdown is on one hand... five days til jake'n'bake returns!