Wrapping Up Summer

We wrapped up our summer by dragging it out as long as we could. While everyone started busting out the pumpkin spice, we took a trip to the pool, hit up a Rockies game, and have been on walks every day to soak up the beautiful weather! Long live summer!

I had the opportunity to work an event in the Bahamas through a company that a friend of mine started. They needed some event planning experience and I am glad I could help out! I mean, fiiiiiine, I will go to the Bahamas if you make me ;) 

It was crazy (read: expensive) to get my passport in order and then book flights. I was a little hesitant to leave Marlo with Nephi, but his schooling is such that he does most of it online and had to put Marlo in daycare only 2 times for him to go to campus. Also, there was no question in Nephi's mind that I should go. A little of it was networking, a little was to earn some money, and then a lot was just for me to get back in the event planning game considering that I have taken some time off to do other work. I LOVE it and hope I will have future opportunities to keep doing so. It keeps me sharp. 

These 2 did just fine without me! In fact, Marlo had a rough 2 weeks after I got back with all the transitioning but turns out she is teething (still is). So grateful for a supportive hubby like Nephi. There is no one else like him! 

Just a little fitness post...

For the last 3+ months I have been working out in the morning. Because of a change in Nephi's schedule, I can go in the mornings while Marlo is sleeping instead of hoping to make it work in the evenings and it has been LIFE CHANGING! I have gone through phases where I have worked out in the morning and every time I am like - why don't I ALWAYS do this? It helps wake me up, keeps me better disciplined throughout the day, and jump starts my metabolism. I have less guilt and more time and it has made all the difference. 

This morning I had a really good discussion with my trainer. We talked about perception of dieting, weight loss, and fitness. I recently have heard a few people talk about losing weight without any exercise and minimal changes to their eating habits...yeah, here are my thoughts exactly...

I have a love for fitness and I actually enjoy eating healthy foods. But listen, I am not perfect, but I certainly cannot just lose weight by living day-to-day live and not making any changes. 

And although when I hear those people say those things and it can make me feel bad about myself, I have recently decided that I would rather WORK my booty off (literally) than just have it come off with no effort. I love the feeling of a good challenge, the social aspect and community around fitness, and seeing my body change physically even though it may not reflect on the scale exactly.

I am learning to love my body AND allow others to love their bodies. I think it's funny to see the trends change to where being "skinny" (I hate that word by the way - I rather use "thin") is all the rage and then there are trends where being "curvy" (I can't decide how I feel about that word because it's true for many overweight people) is a big deal. YIKES. Just take care of yourself and know that not every body, booty, hips, or ankles are created equal.

My workout this morning ROCKED - bootcamp w/ trainer + elliptical (I have a hip injury so I haven't been able to run.) 

Anyway - I just needed to put this out there for many reasons, but mostly to help remind myself of how grateful I am for my body and to not covet others. Especially after having a baby, I may never get back to my smallest size (my stomach will certainly never be the same) and that's okay. I want to be in a healthy weight range that is achievable so I can feel good about myself (it's okay to want to look good) but also to be a good example to Marlo. 

Marlo & Me

Since the day Marlo was born, it's been rare for anyone to say she looks like me (Mallory). What!? She's MY baby!? Everyone says she looks like Nephi, and I get that, but still. I birthed her. It's a weird feeling and I know I cannot take offense by it but it's hard not to feel a little bummed over it. I had my Mom send me some baby pictures so I could see if we look alike.

As Marlo is getting older I think she is looking more like me, but she will never look completely like me and that is just perfect because I want her to always have Nephi's eyes & eye lashes...hair...personality...and my eyesight...skin tone...and smile. Like we get to choose, right?

Either way, I am so proud to be her Mama!

Weightloss Update

In January, I posted about my weightloss journey and guess what...I am still going! With travelling and all the stress from work, I admit I am farther behind than planned. It's discouraging but then I remember that I am on my own time clock, no one else's. I am competing against myself, no one else. {That is how I survive the daily pressure I put on myself.}

I haven't lost very much "poundage" but I am almost at 40 lbs lost since I started last year. My goal is to hit 60 lbs total lost by August! I have, however, lost inches and made incredible strides in my durability and strength. Thank goodness for a good husband to remind me that it's not just about the numbers...

February 2012 vs. April 2013

July 2012 vs. May 2013

Here's to continued accountability! 

Darkness before the Dawn

As the old proverb goes, "It's always darkest before the dawn."

Darkness:

Convention 2013--the biggest event of the year is now over! Months of prep (my prep started in November) and it's actually over. I am still pinching myself!

The event was down in SLC. We arrived on a Sunday and didn't stop till the next Sunday. My responsibilities included the logistics behind all our breakout sessions (workshops), the Convention Guide Book, and one of our events within the event.

My load was heaviest leading up to the event. My the month leading up to the event was the worst. I never left the office before 8 PM and most nights I was there till 10 PM or later. I can say it was one of the hardest things I have ever done but things on site at the event went SO well and I was so grateful for all the extra time I spent finessing and obsessing over my projects. I learned so much and I will do better next year!

I had 2 radios and all sort of gadgets during the workshops to  put out all the fires. My pants were sagging from the weight! Getting used to an ear piece wasn't easy ever but boy was I grateful for those walkie-talkies! 

Saturday night was a late night. We had the awards banquet where we had to get all fancy and get our hair and make-up done. I had to take this picture in the morning as my "event hang-over" photo. Classic.

And the dawn?...

ARIZONA!

To keep my sanity, I booked a flight home for a few days after the event. I flew out Sunday morning out of SLC and spent a few days with my family in AZ--it was a DREAM! Even though I left Nephi at home, it was a blast and exactly what I needed. There is no better therapy than spending time with my family. They make me so happy! 

We shopped, ate, I got to see my best friend, got a pedicure and a massage--it was perfect. Not everyone was home but I still loved every minute. I loved seeing my parents especially...I miss them more and more every day! They are always begging us to come visit and making sacrifices to see us. They are the best.

The highlight of my week?! This baby girl! 

She makes me SO happy! I miss her like crazy. She is walking and has so much personality. I feel sick thinking of her growing up without us being close to her. I was so grateful that I got to spend so much time with this phone loving, cheese eating, snow cone stealing niece of mine!

I also got my hair done! I love it. It has red in it now and it is the perfect color for me! I even cut it a little shorter...think I will keep it short for the rest of the year. I have had so many compliments since I cut it in January. People don't realize that I have always had short hair until the last few years--this is my normal look! I guess it fits me and it is easier to work with. I try not to make it look too "Utah Mom poofish" <my biggest concession with short hair>.

And I need a new phone case.

Travelling

The past two weekends I have been travelling for work for an event I planned. It was a brand new event that we created from scratch. Oddly enough, my first event that I actually went to, I planned. The months leading up to this event have been insane. Lots of long hours and brainstorming, rejection of ideas, resolving shipping issues, and negotiating.

This event is happening 2 Saturdays in the months of February, August, September, and November. In February we hosted the event in Anaheim and Atlanta last weekend (I went to Atlanta) and this weekend it was in Cherry Hill, NJ and Minneapolis (I went to Minneapolis). We flew in on a Friday, leaving on very early flights, set up and prepped for the event, Saturday we held the event, and then flew out right after arriving back in Idaho Falls late Saturday night.

The first weekend our flights were delayed in Salt Lake so we got a rental car to drive to Idaho Falls--needless to say, getting home at 2:30 was rough. We pulled a 24 hour day! It was insane but I LOVED both trips. The hotel staff in Atlanta were a dream. They were full of "Yes, Ms. Mallory," "Yes, Ma'am", and "Certainly". And in Minneapolis, though the  hotel is a little harder to work with, but we got to make a trip to the Mall of America and ended up with great attendance at the event.

Little sleep, Starbucks, hotel minni bathrooms, hauling boxes and running around the hotel in heals was work every blister. Wonderful events and wonderful company made my first on-site [with this company] event a great one!

If I can do it, YOU can do it!

**This is a long post.**

Over the past 6 months, I have been working hard to lose weight. In 2011 I gained a lot of unexpected weight. It was my last 2 semesters of college with 19 credits each semester, working 20-30 hours, family stress, and I was newly married. We spent a lot of time trying to find ways to cope with our new lifestyle and ended up avoiding the gym, camping out in the library, and "rewarding" ourselves with a little too much frozen yogurt. These are not excuses, this was reality. It was no one's fault but myself but after I graduated, I was determined to change.

Graduation came, my new "big girl job" started and life didn't get easier. 2012 was full of surprises and unfortunately  I gained more in the first few months. I was eating better, working out more, but not seeing results. Crisis after crisis happened and emotionally, I was tired. I needed HELP. I have lost weight on my own several times. Not just like 10lbs, but big numbers like 20-30lbs. Losing weight was not foreign to me.

In fact, as I reflect upon it, I feel like the majority of my life I have been on a diet. In 9th grade my Dad challenged us to not eat sugar for a year and he would pay us $1,000. I did it and within my first 3 months I dropped 30lbs. It wasn't until the summer after my sophomore year that I started gaining it back...then I went on another extreme diet (Jenny Craig) and lost another 30lbs. My softball and volleyball coaches were worried about how "thin" I was and my Mom thought I was showing signs of an eating disorder because she didn't see me eat as much (really I was just hanging out with my friends a lot more).

Anyway, now I am older (25) and terrified of the changes I am seeing happening to me physically and emotionally. I couldn't get the weight off fast enough and I needed help. I tried cutting sugar, cutting carbs, eating 5 small meals, not eating after 8 pm, doing a cleanse, drinking protein shakes--I tried it all. AND NOTHING. Ugh. It was embarrassing  I noticed, and I know people noticed. I was scared because I could just get on a treadmill and bust out 3 miles, but my body was too heavy to recover. I started having back problems even. Yikes.

So, I came to the realization that I couldn't do it on my own. I needed help, so I got help. I joined a program in July that provided all my meals, a meal plan and a health coach. Since then, I have lost 32 pounds. Here is a picture of me in July (left), and then now.

The picture of me in July (left) is a terrible picture. I really don't have a lot of full body shots of me because of course I think I look fat and it also makes me feel really awkward to ask someone to take a picture of me by myself, but that is what I looked like. Nephi can see a difference but honestly I haven't had too many people mention it to me. It's discouraging that certain people don't say anything but I can't depend on them to make me happy. Big shout out to my father-in-law for ALWAYS making me feel great when he would see me. It means a lot, Boyd. Thanks!

I also chopped 13+ inches off my hair! I have been wanting to do it since after we got married but always felt too fat to pull it off. Now I have a little more confidence and I am hoping it will help remind me that I can't put the weight back on! I LOVE my cut. I can make it shorter or longer, it curls great, and it's all ONE color--my natural color. It's been a while since I have had that. Ha!

The program has been a huge blessing and support. I haven't shared it with many people because again, I was embarrassed that I couldn't do it on my own. But, the results are in and I feel great and I can't be embarrassed any more because it is all uphill from here!

I struggled on the program in the beginning BIG time. I loved that it was easy, the food isn't that bad, and I still got to eat 1 normal meal a day. But, you literally cannot cheat and I did. I thought having a bite and lick here or there was fine. It's not fine. This is a lifestyle change, not just a temporary diet. I needed to hit the books, change my habits, and create my future.

Losing 32lbs was hard, but most people do it a lot faster than me. But, the nice thing is, those are solid pounds. Occasionally I will fluctuate, but most of the time when I drop a pound, I don't see it on the scale again and it feels so good! I won't share any more details about the program but if you are interested, reach out to me and I can get you more information. :)

So this is one of my resolutions! I am confronting my fears and sharing this with everyone, and I am going to stay accountable. I've been feeling brave because we have been watching the Biggest Loser and it's totally inspired me to suck it up and let it out.

I still have another 25 to go to get to my goal but I will get there! Keep me accountable!

Our Missions & Our Marriage

After the exciting announcement made at General Conference, Nephi and I began reminiscing about our missions. {We were able to watch all 4 sessions together, which was a huge blessing.}

Nephi was so jealous that he didn't have the opportunity to serve his mission at age 18. He would have loved to graduate high school and go straight to the mission field! Me, on the other hand, I don't think I would have served at 19. I didn't officially decide that I was going to serve a mission until I was 20 and I wanted to go as soon as I could so if I wasn't ready by 19, I don't think I would have gone. Just goes to show the Lord knows best!

My thoughts have been to those girls and boys who are 18 & 19 that I know. Boys, how awesome that you get to go right away! No time waiting around or getting "distracted." And girls, you can go out with your "sweetheart" and get back around the same time, OR, you can go, and come back and still go to school and get adjusted back into life. (Going back to school was the only way I survived coming home from my mission.)

And most importantly, I thought, "BOTH OF YOU GO ON MISSIONS BECAUSE IT MAKES YOUR MARRIAGE SO MUCH BETTER!" Ahem, sorry for the all-caps.

They always tell you that going on a mission will help you in dating, marriage, and relationships in general. I didn't really understand that until now, after being married for a year or so. Nephi and I met after I had been home from my mission for 4 months. I was still kind of weird, planned every minute of my day, and was still crying myself to sleep because I missed my mission SO much. Nephi's goal was to make me "normal"...I think it worked? Ha. He had been home for 2 years so it was fun for him to talk about the mission with me but he had obviously adjusted just fine by then.

While we were dating, we talked about our missions a lot. It was a easy topic to help us get to know each other and avoid awkward moments. We met each others companions and mission "buddies". The hardest parts were fighting over which mission was better and conflicting mission reunions. But we made it through and got married.

Now, I finally understand why our missions have helped our marriage! We talked about it and here are a few reasons of how it helps us in our marriage:

• I (Mallory) recognized TRUE love as a missionary. That helps me everyday to love him. 
• Being around someone 24/7 (which rarely happens with us) is a skill which we developed. That helps us when we have those rare moments where we get annoyed with each other--we remember it could be worse! ;) 
• SERVING!!! I knew how to serve people before my mission, but the TRUE, un-selfish service that you render as a missionary helps you as a spouse. You don't seek anything in return. 
• Compromise...Nephi had a companion who wanted to go to McDonalds every day to play the Monopoly game and Nephi did it. He compromised and compromise daily. 
• Teaching is EVERYTHING. Now, we are teachers in primary and know how to teach with each other, bear testimony with each other, and commit our kids each week to being better. 
• We know how to fast & pray and the importance of prayer. 
• We know how to bear testimony to each other. It's never awkward for us to talk about spiritual things and be open and vulnerable. 
• WORK & SACRIFICE. Each working 30 plus hours with 18 plus credits...we know how to work. 
• Rolling with the punches is how we cope. Change is not rare as a missionary and isn't rare as a newly married couple as well. 
• Scripture power! We know how to read and use the scriptures in our marriage and in our personal struggles. 
• Communication (still working on it) is crucial as a missionary. In fact, you are required to have "companion inventory" once a week with your companion and be candid with each other. This also helped with being able to take criticism and avoid contention (my mission taught me to loath contention--it's uncomfortable). 
• Talking to random strangers is a common occurrence as a missionary. Nephi is the BEST at talking to strangers. He not only knows how to carry a conversation, but how to make them feel good about themselves and comfortable. He's the best. 
• Budgeting was a personal thing on the mission, but we both have always had jobs and still know how to use our money when we are on our own thing. Soooo grateful that he is good with money. My mission taught me how to be good with money and only buy what I need (not that I don't buy things I want). 
• Using our time wisely and planning effectively was the only way to survive a mission--and I would add a marriage! Combining schedules is not easy but if you know how to use your time wisely, you always have time together. 
• Setting goals and making plans is what we do on a daily basis. I can't set a goal without making a plan to go along with it. Ask Nephi, I talk about it in my sleep. Literally. 

And the list goes on! I could talk about this forever, but I won't. Our missions mean EVERYTHING to us. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think about the people we met, loved, and served. We both were blessed to serve with amazing companions, mission presidents, and people. We contribute our success and happiness in our marriage to what we were taught as missionaries. 

So are you on the fence? Or have we convinced you? ;) 

Pictures: Mission, Dating, MARRIAGE!