Busy Busy and More Busy!!

Wow! Where did the summer go?? It's gone by way too fast! August especially! With selling Paparazzi, The Nielsen family reunion, Colorado, going to Lagoon, and working tons at Jetblue, I guess that can make time fly by! It's sad in a way, but then exciting for what is coming our way! On the 6th of September, Haiden starts preschool which he is super excited about! He's been counting down the days to go learn and play with friends! His teacher I think will be lots of fun, plus his cousin Ethan will be going with him too, so that'll be awesome for the both of them!

For me, I am just starting my training on doing a half marathon in October. I'm really nervous since I hate running, but I'm doing it no matter what! We shall see how it plays out with training and such! You can check it out on my Training Blog with my progress if you'd like :) Another fun thing that I am stoked about is PERFORMING again!!!! Nicole from OnStage, where I danced at in High School, asked me if I wanted to join an all womens cast for this Christmas and next Summer. Of course I said yes, since I have been wanting to get back into that!!! I am SO dang excited! I hope I do as well as I did back then!

Paparazzi has been going very well for Trisha and I!! We just started doing home shows and love it!! If any of you are interested in doing a party, let me know! Everything is so cute and only $5.50 with tax! This fall/ winter is going to be busy busy with shows!!

And of course the biggest, most fun thing that us Belshes are looking forward to at the end of the year is DISNEYLAND this Christmas!! I can't believe it's almost here! We'll be staying a week with Douglas' family and I can't even explain just how excited I am in going!! It's been YEARS since I've been and to get to take my kids and see their faces will be unforgettable!!

So like I said, it's sad for summer to be at an end, but this fall and winter will be even more busy and exciting for us to look forward to!!

A weekend where I love most!!

This past weekend, we went and visited Douglas' parents in Colorado. Bill has an annual BBQ he puts together for family, and since we hadn't been there in over a year, we wanted to go! They live in Red Mesa on about 55 acres of land. Living in the city my whole life, it was definitely something getting used to at first, but now I am completely in love with the country! It is just so peaceful and simple out there. 

Bill and Susan have a cute little home as well as the barn which they recently added a cool loft and bathroom in it. We were lucky enough to stay in there! It reminded me a lot of the mountain hideaway room we stayed in at Anniversary Inn. So fun! The kids got to sleep on the top of the loft where you had to climb a ladder to get there. They thought it was the coolest thing ever! 

Uncle Lon and Aunt Josie came as well as Bill's brother Charles, his wife Joni, and Grandson Vaughn. We had a great time together! The guys helped Bill with the roof on the barn, we rode horses, played on the tire swing, had amazing food, watched movies, and played games. For the BBQ, Bill cooked different meats in the pit he has in the ground and it is SO dang good! We had pulled pork sandwiches and beef. The best stuff ever! 

I always tell Douglas that if I had a choice to move there, I'd be there in a heartbeat! I just LOVE it there!! It just makes you forget all the hustle and bustle of the craziness that goes on! 

 Thank You Bill and Susan for having us!! It was such a fun weekend! Hope to visit again soon! 

Happy Birthday Mekenzie!!

This last Monday July 25th, my sweet Mekenzie turned 3!! We had a fun day swimming at Lagoon and then watched fireworks at my cousin Megan's house. Mekenzie got her first set of barbie dolls, a rapunzel dress, crown, and a purse of hair stuff! She is definitely a girly girl!! She also requested for pink cupcakes to eat! She is one who knows what she wants!

Words cannot express on how blessed I am to have Mekenzie for a daughter! She is such a sweetheart with such a spunky personality!! I love her dearly and am saddened with how fast she is growing up, but at the same time, love the different stages she's gone through so far! She is my beautiful princess!! Happy Birthday Mekenzie!!! Your dad and I love you so much!!!!

Paparazzi

Last night, my sister in law Kellie hosted a Paparazzi party. It's a company that sells jewelry and hair accessories. I didn't think going would have me leave with such an excitement for my future! Some of you know that I started selling the Us Borne books. I've been trying to earn extra money besides of what I do at Jetblue. I like working for jetblue, but needed something different to get extra cash for Disneyland this Christmas and other things we want to do. I just cant handle working more than I have to on the phones! Anyways, Us Borne wasn't what I was hoping for in getting that extra income and to be honest, a little frustrating. I haven't been enjoying it like I should be. With that, these last few days, I have been really frustrated on trying to figure out what to do. I was thinking of maybe serving at a restaurant or something else, just to get out of the house. Then, with the party last night, walking into the room with tons and tons of amazing jewelry, 5 dollars each, I instantly got to thinking of what it would be for me to sell it. This jewelry is awesome and I would LOVE to sell the product!! I got to talking with the consultant about starting up, and with what you get out of it, it is so worth the parties and such!! Much more than Us Borne. Plus, everyone loves jewelry, especially at a great price!! So, I became a consultant!!! I have never felt so good about something! I know i wont know what to expect with booking parties and such till I actually start doing it, but from the consultant who just started 3 months ago, she has paid off her 5,000 loan she got to start her business and on average makes 2,000 a month. She did start big, but if I can even earn 500 extra each month, Douglas and I wouldn't have to stress so much about the extra things!! I am so excited on starting!!! If any of you would be interested in taking a look at the jewelry or even doing a party, let me know! It seriously is awesome!!!!! I pray that this will lead me in the right direction of helping my family!

  The Jewelry I got last night!!

A Fun Weekend!!

This last weekend was tons of fun! On Saturday, Douglas and I went and saw the new Transformers movie, then went to my Uncle Golden's house for our annual 4th of July BBQ. The water was perfect this year and the food was great! My cousin Tyler had his in laws over. His Bro in Law just got back from his mission to Brazil and cooked us different meats the way they do it there. It was really good!! After swimming, we watched the Riverton fireworks. I just LOVE fireworks!! Sunday, we didn't do a whole lot since I had to work, but on Monday, I took the kids to the West Jordan parade and carnival. They had fun watching the floats and getting candy. Mekenzie also loved all the "princesses" that were in the parade. Since Douglas had to work that morning, once he was finished, we met up with him and my cousin Megan and her family, and saw Cars 2. The kids did pretty good as long as they had their popcorn and drink :) It was a cute movie. Just very different than the first one. After the movie we ate at chik-fil-a (our favorite) then went home. I went for a run, then went to the store and got some sparklers for the kids to play with. Haiden at first was scared of them, but once he got used to them, kept wanting more and more to play with!

  I know the kids are still at an age where they don't quite understand the meaning behind all of the parades, fireworks, ect, but for me, The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Not just because of all of the parties and such, but because of the reminder it brings on how blessed a country we are to have our individual freedoms and rights. I am grateful for those who made it that way for us and for fighting for our freedom. While singing in church on Sunday and singing the Star Spangled Banner, I was overcome with the spirit and couldn't help, but tear up a bit! It's just a special time for me to look at my life and thank my Father in Heaven for all the things we have for living in this country and spending time with my family and friends!

Friendship

Recently, I have had a lot of thought on friendship and what it means to me as a person.
There are many so called "friends" in my life that I involve myself with here and there, but it's crazy how few is considered a TRUE friend of mine. It's made me realize the importance of friendship, who matters most to me in my life, and the things I want to do myself as a person to be the friend others would want. Here is a little poem I found that pretty much explains my thoughts on what a friend should be.


Friends

A friend is someone we turn to
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure
for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives
with beauty, joy, and grace.
And makes the whole world we live in
a better and happier place.

- Jean Kyler McManus -

TOUGH MUDDER!!!

Last Saturday, June 25th, Douglas and I did the Tough Mudder in Colorado!!  My Brother in law Tylor wanted to do it for his birthday, so we thought it'd be fun to join him, as well as his brother Robert, dad, and 2 other friends, and Oh My Gosh it was so awesome!!! Probably one of the hardest things I have ever done, but such an amazing accomplishment!! So here is what happened that day. We got to Beaver Creek at about 7am to sign in and get ready for our start at 9 am. The night before, I was so pumped and wide awake, so I only got about 2 hours of sleep, but was feeling great! The race was a 10 mile course up and down the mountains and consisted of about 25 obstacles. Many people go as teams and work together throughout the whole race to finish. It isn't a timed race, so just to finish it is what's important! The start of the race was on top of a hill where we had to run down the mountain, that was our first obstacle, The Braveheart Charge. I was a little careful of not going too fast since it was the beginning and knowing my knees aren't the greatest, I wanted to to be careful not to hurt myself right off! After that, we climbed up the first mountain. I was feeling good and pushed myself all the way to the top. The next obstacle were 2 berlin walls, which are 12 foot walls we had to climb over. It was definitely nice having people help on that one! The next obstacle was Boa Contstrictor. We had to climb down a tunnel into nice cold water and back up another tunnel. The water was a little cold, but nothing to what was coming our way! We jogged off and on for over a mile before we got to the next one. Some were struggling, so we made sure to stay back with everyone as a group. The next obstacle was Kiss Of Mud where we had to crawl under barbed wire about 12 inches off the ground. This is when we started getting nice and muddy!! It wasn't bad crawling under, but the ground was so dang hard that I could start feeling my knees hurting after that! Going uphill even more, we got to what is called Swamp Stomp. This is where the fun began! It was a lovely swamp we had to cross through. The water was nice and cold, but I can handle cold water ok, so it didn't do much of an affect on me. There was a huge freakin' rock in the center of the swamp where most people hit their shins on! Luckily I noticed it before hitting my leg on it! Douglas got it pretty bad on his shin though! Left a nice mark! Right after that though, we turned the corner and had to get into the water again, but all the way this time going under 3 different barrels. Going under the first one was COLD as heck!! It totally took your breath away!! Getting to the next barrel and the next really got me to have to brace myself and go under! 30 degree water really takes a toll on ya!! Getting out and continuing on made everything better for me though to where I warmed back up no problem. This was the hardest obstacle for Douglas though since he has like no fat on him! After the lovely water, we had to carry a piece of wood up and back down the mountain. Once we got done with that, we ran downhill about a mile to what was called Chernobyl Jacuzzi. There were 3 different colored tanks of cold ice water where we had to jump in again and go under to the other side. Douglas was not happy about that since he was just getting back to normal after the other water one! Luckily I could handle the water. What did it for me was the next mountain we had to climb which was the steepest of them all!! My butt, legs, and knees were starting to burn!!! In the middle of it was our next obstacle Devil's Beard where we had to climb under a cargo net. It was easy to get caught in it and you had to really work together to get through it. I was so happy to be done with that hill! It seriously sucked!! Oh ya, before the mountain was Turd's Nest. It was a huge net where we had to climb over the river. That one wasn't too bad. I rolled down to the center and then climbed up. Getting to and past the next obstacle was the longest incline in the race. In between was Sweaty Yeti. There were 2 big snow mountains they made for us. The first one, they had another net we had to climb under. That was quite fun (sarcasm there)... then we slid on our butts to the next one and so on! The next obstacle, still up hill, was running through the mud and over hay while people were spraying us with the fire hoses and tripping us with wire. At that point, I was getting very tired in my knees and legs! It was nice seeing my mother in law and Uncle Lon cheering us on though! Spectators could pretty much follow you and take pictures, but they had to take a lovely hike as well to get to certain obstacles! After that was yet another mountain that seemed to keep going forever. This is the only point I felt I was dragging behind. All I could think was put one foot in front of the other, put one foot in front of the other! I was hurting big time!! At least I never was the very last of the group thank goodness!! Next was Mud Mile, followed by Log Jammin, and to these huge barrels of hay we had to climb over. Then onto Spider's Web which was a big cargo net we had to climb up and over. It was pretty high too! Bill and I stayed together going FINALLY downhill to the next obstacle. Walking, my knees were killing me to where I could hardly walk. The only thing to keep them from hurting was to jog and keep myself moving. After running a while, we got to 3 more berlin walls we had to climb over. I was getting so tired, but pushed my way over them, thanks to Bill!! The next obsatcle was the mystery one which was a zig zagged tunnel thing we had to crawl through. At first I was kind of nervous seeing it, but there was actually more room than I thought to get through it easily. My knees were so hammered at that point though that I had to use all of my upper body stregnth to get through it! After that, Douglas, Tylor, and Robert caught up with us. (The one friend left us and went on ahead, and the other friend had to a see a medic, but ended up finishing.) Robert's leg kept cramping up really bad so they were trying to get him to continue without it hurting. At that point we were almost finished!! We came down the mountain doing The Super G Slalom which was a zig zag down the mountain, Mudslide, and Greased Lightning which were tons of fun sliding downhill on our stomachs. I guess I wasn't going fast enough though cause a guy rammed right into me!! Ooops!! Following that was the Funky Monkey. It was about a 30 monkey bar obstacle that inclined up, went across, and then back down. At that point, I wasn't feeling very confident about crossing it, but under if you fell in, it was icy cold water so I was determined not too, and Holy Heck, I did it!!! I was so proud of myself with how fatigued I was! Douglas was at the other end cheering me on, so that pushed me to keep going!! The second to last obstacle was Everest. It was part of a half pipe we had to run up and climb over. Douglas and Tylor went first so they could help us get to the top. I love that I had them to help me!! Bill had to try a few times due to not enough momentum, but by the 4th time, he got up!! Last, but not least, was the famous Electric Shock Therapy! This was the obstacle where you had to run through wires that has 10,000 volts of electricity! From the beginning I was nervous going through, but decided I just had to run through it and not think about it! Apparantly though some of the wires weren't working, but I did feel the shock twice! The second one must have shot right to my right calf cause once I made it through, I instantly cramped up and couldn't walk! Luckily, Bill was right behind me, tried helping me get it back to normal, but after realizing it wasn't doing any better, He carried me on his back through the finish line! What a great Father In Law!! Everyone was cheering us on!! Of course Out of all places in the race, it had to happen then, but it was a great way to finish I guess :) Overall, it was the most fun, challenging thing I have ever done! During the race I was thinking I never want to do another one, but after it was all over with, I am ready for more!! Tough Mudder is coming to SLC I believe next summer!!! I am so stoked to doing another one and get more of my family and friends to do it with me!! Such an experience you will never forget!!! Who is with me??

Ready to Rock It!!!

Our "Band"

And we're off!!

Enjoying the snow...

And the fire hoses!

Turd's Nest

Still going strong!!

Everest

Electric Shock Therapy!!

Across the Finish Line!!!

Proud Grandkids!!

Tylor and Blaine

Our Cheerleaders!!

We did it!!

Some of our lovely battlewounds!!

Thank You Tylor for including us in this awesome adventure with ya!! Great way to celebrate your Birthday!!!!