Nauvoo

Scott's parents came to visit and since Nauvoo is (relatively) close we took a couple of days and headed north to visit. This was my first time to Nauvoo and I spent the majority of the time in the hotel bed because I had strep, though I didn't know it at the time, and I was miserably sick. 

All these pictures were taken by Scott because I was in bed. I have to say he stepped up his "photography game". 

On our way home we drove to Carthage Jail. 

This is the room that Joseph Smith was martyred in:

 I was feeling so awful, but it was still a very spiritual experience to be there. 

If you're thinking, what in the heck is Nauvoo? What is Carthage Jail? Why would people go to visit?

Go HERE. And HERE. 

The girls desperately wanted these bonnets from Nauvoo and have been wearing them ever since. 

(literally, Gracie wore hers to school!)

Health is a journey, not a state of being.

I've now been off of the evil drug methotrexate for seven weeks.

I think I forgot to tell the blogworld that I quit taking it. 

I had to skip a week of taking it for some dental work and it felt SO good to have my life back. Sure, there was no joint pain but there was fatigue. Oh the fatigue. Believe me, I get serious fatigue with my RA, but nothing compared to this drug. 

I was convinced that the side effects of methotrexate were NOT worth it. As I've been off of it long enough I am feeling the RA slithering back into my life.  Will I feel the same way about methotrexate if my RA flairs up? Probably not. I'm a rollercoaster like that. 

I'm exercising regularly which helps a ton. Remember when I told you I was going to run a half marathon? Yeah - that's not gonna happen. But I didn't give up all the way. I'm running the 10K which will be a first for me. I realized baby steps are probably best. I am VERY slow. That is frustrating to me, but I still have three months and I hope to be able to run those six + miles in around an hour. Yikes - that is going to take some work. 

I try to work out 6 days a week. Usually I hit 5.  Besides running I've been doing some weight training classes. My absolute favorite class is called TRX:

It kicks my booty. Big time.

Also, Paleo. 

Remember that word? I do...sometimes. 

No, really I still try and do good most of the time. It's not hard for me to pass up bread and cereal any more. 

What's hard for me to pass up is having some cake on birthdays (believe me, there have been a LOT in my life lately). And hello Easter candy:

 My neighbor friend tries to be sweet and bring me what she knows is my favorite. 

DANG THESE EGGS TO H, E, double hockey sticks! 

I will not be free from sugar this week, or even this month. It is most certainly a journey. And I need to toughen up a bit. I've been much too soft the last few weeks. 

Sugar is to Mormons what alcohol is to...uh...everyone else. It's a social thing. I invite people over for dinner and they bring dessert. How RUDE to not have some, right!? I can see the thoughts behind the eyes of all the ladies at a "girls night out", "Oh, she thinks she's so much better than me because she's not eating dessert."

This is mostly all in my head, I'm sure. But I know I have those thoughts. 

A journey people. A journey. 

Thirty-two

Happy Birthday Love. 

A few favorites of my hunny:

 (on the Alaskan Highway in Yukon Territory, Canada)

(Homer, Alaska)

(Crow's Pass hike) 

(Hike past Byers lake at 1 am)

Dining table reveal!

Here it is! 

I love it! 

(now if I could just do something about that floor...oh, wait! We move in 4 months, so who cares!)

One more look at the before:

(I love how the bad lighting in this photo makes it look worse)

 I've been wanting to add a few plants to the space and it was so easy to just pick up a few pretties from Lowes while I was already there to buy the paint! 

I've gone all crazy up in here.

I often daydream about a new dining table.

Mainly THIS dining table. 

Since that's not going to happen any time soon (if we were to spend any large amount of money on anything a new mattress would have to come first - yes, we sleep on a 10 year old double size mattress).

I can't give our mattress a makeover.

*frowny face*

But I can give our dining table a makeover. 

(the very idea that I feel like doing this big of a project is proof to me
that my new paleo lifestyle is working)

 *fist pumps*woot! woot!*

Here is the sad thing before my husband and I moved her to the garage:

Major scars:

Here she is all stripped and ready for a good sanding:

(sounds like someone in a spa would say...am I right?)