Goin' for Gold! (Or silver).

A couple of weekends ago, I tweeted (excuse me) about playing in the Utah Summer Games (Volleyball Rec League).

Before I go on, or go off, about what a great time it was, let me start off by confessing the following:

• I am still intense (even Cassandra got a little frightened by 'assertiveness'...and if you know my sister, that's really sayin' something.)
• As far as sheer talent is concerned, we should've taken the gold (we also should've been playing in the "OPEN" division. But that's beside the point.)
• I wish I looked better in 'biker shorts'
• I 'ROOFED' their Middle Blocker in the Final Game. I did not try to contain my excitment about it.

A few pictures:

Holden flashes my Medal, showcasing that all that glitters in the Summer Games is not Gold. (The team we lost to in the championship -- our ONLY loss, I might add -- we beat handily in pool play 2 sets to nothing the day before... heavy sigh. I am kind of a crappy loser.)

A couple of shots of me and my sisters... literally (Cassandra, the oldest #21 and Celeste 'the middle child' and my junior #8). We're just missing Cicely.

This second one I had to photo-shot crop because the angle made it more apparent than ever that I am the chubbiest of my sisters. Cassandra has the body of a 14 year old, and Celeste has legs from here to South Beach. But I've got a lot of personality....

THE TEAM! THE LINE UP! THE BIO's (From L to R)

• Erin Webb Grayson - Played Highschool ball with Cicely, and then played at BYU and Utah State (Middle). It would be a lie if I didn't mention how fun it is to set this woman.
• Me (Seetter at UVU and then Indiana Wesleyan University)
• Natalie Nielsen. My Middle from Skyline (State Champs!) One helluva a nurse and owns a Great Harvest Bread Co
• Cassandra (My volleyball mentor growing up; played right side and Lebaro).. we have her to thank for putting our team together
• Celeste (Played at Embry-Riddle, Outside Hitter)...my little sis, as I've mentioned. Danny said next to Erin, her 'hits hurt the most to dig.' Though he might've used the word 'bump.'
• Stacey Nielsen G. Outside Hitter from our Skyline Team; Natalie's little sister and one of the funniest people you will ever meet in your life
• Stacey "Rubby" Reber J. -- Played Jr high and Highschool ball with Cassandra, Me & the Neilsen Sisters. We also played a year together at UVU and then she transferred to BYU for her last two years of college (Outside hitter)
• Also, not pictured is Melissa Marriott F. (our other middle) who helped up with the Rec League this spring; and Deja... our right side who joined us for day one, but had a wedding on Saturday. I give her our most outstanding all around player. We love you D and are thnking about you!

I should be skinny by now, right?

So it's been almost a week since I started our "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." experiment in lifestyle change at the Mangum-(suite-)Mangum household. Danny has taken to eating animal for lunch, and 'suffering' through peppers stuffed with rice & veggies and salads in the evenings.

Of course, it's been like six days (and I worked out every day this week), so I was obviously thinking I should be 10 lbs thinner AND have a six-pack by now. Ok, maybe not washboard abs, but at least the spare tire should be gone... right?

Except it's not.
And it NEVER works that way, does it?

Things I'm Feeling Good About:

• Working out everyday (bless and curse you Jillian), and getting to two yoga classes this week, is really the best 'fitness' week I've had since Holden was born (yes, that's more than a year.)
  
• That I have done a pretty stellar job trying to eat 'food' all week. I know that sounds counter intuitive, but cooking more meals at home, and not taking short cuts with food-like-products (like a protein shake for example, no preservatives, etc), I can tell a huge difference in how I feel.
  
• And we've definitely been eating Mostly Plants -- just ask Danny.
  
• And with the exception of last night's date night pizza, food portions have been more on target for a healthy lifestyle.

I could've done (or do) better with:

• It seems like I've totally cut back on treats, but my food may look like I haven't given up much. (Monday's cookie, Thursday's lime decadence by Cassandra and last night's gellato.) But when you can tear up 1/2 dozen cupcakes (or more) in a weekend, apparently three treats in six days is something to feel good about.
  
• I definitely need to be drinking more water.

I'm sure some of you may be wondering about my 'protein' intake, but I was a vegetarian for more than 10 years and vegan for part of college... all whilst I was a collegiate athlete (volleyball, thank you for asking).

As such, I'm not too worried about it, because lately I have tons more energy than usual and feel the best I've felt physically since before I was pregnant. Besides protein...like fat and carbs and whatever else is "in" or "taboo" with 'Nutrionism' seems to sneak in here and there when you don't even realize it.

This experiment of ours (ok mine), that I am forcing on my family because I am the one that shops and cooks, is about more than just losing weight though. It's also about the impact that we have on the world because of our food choices.

We're not perfect all of the time, but we're trying... most of the time. And who knows, maybe we'll end up with smokin' bods because of it!!!

Food Diary
Potatoes with onion, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and avocado. Ginormous salad with cucumbers, red bell pepppers, carrots, avocado, spinach and goat cheese with raspberry vinaigrette. Bites of mango and blueberries whilst I was chopping up ingredients for Superbowl blueberry mango salsa. Six organic tortilla chips (organic-schmanic...they're still junk food, eh?) (Hormone free) chicken fajitas for dinner with golden onions, yellow and orange bell peppers, guacamole with pico, colby jack cheese and sour cream. Grapefruit.

I am looking forward to enjoying treats tomorrow for Superbowl Sunday. Finally my dang sugar cookie (and then some)!

GREAT NEWS!!!! And graduation pictures!

Things we are celebrating at the suite-mangum/mangum house (not necessarily in order of importance):

• Danny's swanky new job with Zions! Some of you have heard us talk about this opportunity... and just a couple of months ago we were thinking it wasn't going to happen as the timing was just not seeming to be there. He had got a great offer from First Utah Bank, but Zions was where he wanted to be, and yesterday he got the call... the offer... and accepted!  He starts on June 9th.  I'm so proud of him!!!!

• King bed, yo! Danny's family (mom & dad and aunt & uncle) bought this swanky pad in upstate-Utah (Eden in Ogden Valley) and asked if we'd be willing to trade out our Queen bed for the joint and replace it with their King bed... um, HELLO!?!?!  Twist my arm?  Ok, yeah... don;t even need to think about it.  So Monday we're going to hit the memorial day white sales and pick up some 800 thread-count linens!!! Hollah!!!  

• Yoga a go-go. Well, I finally got my paperwork completed and have officially applied for Flow Yoga's Teacher Training program.  It starts July 7 and is a month-long 200-plus hour "intensive" that if completed successfully means I would be a certified yoga instructor. I haven't been accepted yet, but we're anticipating a positive response. I'll need to be away from my official job at SkyWest during this time... so there's a lot of pieces that need to fall into place, but I'm super excited about this new opportunity. 

• We got the house! That's right!!!!  The pad that we've been living in (basement-status since we relocated to the East bench early this year) is going to be ours!  They took our offer, and paperwork will be processed this week.  I can hardly believe it.  Of course, I must make note that this whole deal wouldn't be possible without help from our families. We're so blessed...There are so many memories in this home for me. It was my grandparents.... in fact, we even lived here when I was a wee little tot for just over a year when my grandparents were serving a mission in Montana. I lived across the street, and down the street around the corner...I love this piece of property... and am so thrilled we are back to the neighborhood of my childhood!

• "I is now a GRAD-U-IT!"  OK, not so much me (well, I think Danny and I figured out I had actually graduated with my bachelors two years before he graduated from High school... man, am I a cougar or what?!?!?!)  Anyway, he is now officially a graduate from the U of U -- with a bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in business.  I am so proud of him.  I think I was more excited for him to graduate that I was for myself!  (Actually, I wasn't really excited to graduate. I was only 21 and would've stayed studying for years in the safe-walls of institutionalized learning as long as they would've let me... but the $$$$ was not there.)  So, please enjoy these pics from Danny's big day earlier this month. 

Below: Danny's Dad, the grad and Princess Di 

(oh, wait... that's my mother-in-love Stevie.  Doesn't she have 

a striking resemblance to "the people's princess"?

Below: Three generations of Mangum men.  Danny's grandpa Garth used to teach (head of the dept of Economics at the time, actually)  at the U.  While we were there, all of these professors and the dean of the Social Sciences came up to talk to him and shake his hand. 

It's pretty cool to be part of a family 

that's so amazing and well respected.

Below: The Suites and Us. Do I look tan?  

I got a spray-on tan earlier that day that my husband thinks 

smells like teriyaki sauce -- nice!

Below:Danny just chillin' ... wishing his wife would stop

 yelling at him to "Smile!!!"

Below: the greatest picture of Garth Mangum possibly ever taken.  To the left, his wife and Danny's grandma -- Marion (she's hilarious... and also has the same name as my college town in Indiana, so we've got a connection.)  To your right... barbara.  

I could not adequately explain the dynamics of this woman in one post-- she's hilarious and I love her: we'll leave it at that. (Oh, and Barbara is Princess Di's mom)

Below: Um, if you don't know who this is... 

why do you read this post?

Below: Barbara and the grad... Every year Danny and Barbara 

go shopping for his B-day and do a lunch date.  

I LOVE that I am married to a man who has 

lunch dates with his g-ma.  It warms my heart. 

 

***Danny says he likes this post because he is the star.  I like it too... and for the very same reasons***

Also, did you know that neither of us like hot fudge on our brownies and ice cream?  If that doesn't prove we're soul-mates, I don't know what would.  Also, neither of us have showered today... but all that proves is that we're dirty hippies... well, maybe just dirty. ;)

Have a great night!  We're counting our many blessings this evening, and it feels great!  We could go on forever... but I've heard complaints form my sister that my posts are already too long... so I'm shutting it down now. ;)

Namaste.

ssm

Tuesdays with Sabrena

Random thoughts for today’s entry. . . .

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If you don’t like the movie The Royal Tennenbaums, you are either:
a) Really spiritual and therefore cannot connect with the humor
-or-
b) Just need to watch it a few more times to see it for its true genius

post script. If you answered “a,” you’re obviously not very humble, and therefore not as spiritually sound as you think. That said, YOU SHOULD REPENT . . . but first watch Royal Tennenbaums because it’s rated-R, and you’ll have to repent for watching it eventually anyway. Might as well get all those sins wiped away at once.

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I noticed last night at the Gold’s Gym pool that all the people who lap swim are pretty much a bunch of fatties. All of the skinny bikini bods hang out in the adjacent Jacuzzi where they can show off their bangin’ figures – they do not spend time water-waddling. Unfortunately, I do not hang out in the Jacuzzi – ever. When it comes to water and the gym, I am always in the pool -- exercising with the other fatties. I don’t know exactly what I ought to glean from this observation . . . but I’m pretty sure it’s the same conclusion I come to after getting on the scale or shopping for a swim suit some place wretched with fluorescent lighting like the former Copper Rivet.

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Have you ever noticed that people who say “titles don’t matter” are usually people with titles that DO matter? Like, when was the last time you heard a $10-an-hour employee say, “Man, titles don’t mean a thing to me. I just want the right person in the right job. It’s all about finding the right fit.” (this comment is much funnier if you say it with an accdent like Cheech and Chong) Exactly my point. . .

post script. Although Brandi Honey may be the exception to this rule . . . she really doesn’t think titles matter – to her everyone is equal. My theory on this one stems from the Enneagram . . . . if no-one has a title, than no-one is officially in charge. And if no one is officially in charge, the playing field is leveled and there are opportunities aplenty.

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I can’t hear the phrase “internal relations” with out cracking a smile.

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Ordering a cran-apple juice from the flight attendant on a turbulent flight from Saint George to Salt Lake when you’re wearing a white shirt is like unto the war in Iraq. . . a selfish leadership decision with no exit strategy that you’re going to regret even if it looks like there might be an end in sight. (I’m just saying, maybe Dub-ya should’ve ordered water.)

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Songs with Odd Titles
• I wanna be your Joey Ramone. (Now defunct indie riot grrrrl outfit “Sleater-Kinney”
• I wanna be your Yoko Ono. (I think this was that Canadian band Bear Naked Ladies)

Which leads me to my last point . . . when I’ve said the phrase “Bear Naked Ladies” in the past, images of pin-up dolls have never crossed my mind. . .. but a bear in the wilderness attacking a Mounty (Mountie?sp?) has.

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And with that I leave you to ponder and respond. . . . Have I mentioned I friggin love “comments?”


Until next when ever,

Sabrena Mangum (nee Suite)