Monday, December 31, 2012

281 days later... the end to 2012!

 i have some news :) i ate CHICKEN.


 after being a vegetarian {with the exception of fish. so in others words, a pescatarian} since March of this year, i decided i was sick of always feeling hungry and having to fix it by feeding myself peanut butter, eggs, beans, eggs, protein shakes, or more beans and peanut butter.

December 26, 2012 i came to a close of being vegetarian and broke the 281 day "fast" with a Cafe Rio chicken tostada. it tasted delicious and i sure did miss it!


there are many reasons i became vegetarian actually, and although i don't want to get into them, i will say that i don't regret becoming one at all. it actally helped me watch more of what i eat and my body felt very clean for those 8 months. i know this may be sad to hear, {and trust me, I'll be judged for it.} but even though i broke it, i will only be eating white meat, not red. i used to be allergic to most red meat, {which is one of the many reasons i became vegetarian} so red meat doesn't appeal to me anyways.

it was really hard to constantly watch the amount of protein i was taking in, and always feeling like my stomach wasn't satisfied. you would think not having meat wouldn't make that much of a difference, because there are many other ways to get protein. but honestly, it really does make a difference. and although i enjoyed trying new things and recipes to get my protein, i found myself eating the same things everyday and decided i didn't want anymore peanut butter, eggs, and beans 3 times a day :)

i am actually thrilled i ate chicken again, it was the only meat i really missed! i have already had some of my favorite dishes since Wednesday when i broke it, and it honestly is good to be back :) i definitely don't notice hunger near as often anymore!

3 cheers for keena!
what a great way to end my 2012. 

more on kicking off the new year soon! i'm off to throw in one last workout at the gym, then to work at Macaroni Grill. doesn't that sound like fun? good thing i only work until 8! happy new years eve!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

christmas at the Horton home


 Santa definitely visited our house on Christmas! we were blessed with quite a bit of presents to open and we had a wonderful morning opening them! everyone in the family is so happy with what they received from Santa and my parents and we had such a good day together!

traditions are always the same in this house. we open exchange presents + white elephants Christmas Eve, then all the kids sleep in the playroom together! we wake up Christmas morning, and walk out all together to see what Santa left us! after we see everything, and look in our stockings, we take a break and have some breakfast! after eating we open the presents my parents got for us!

after opening most of the presents from my parents, we took a break to give them their present from the kids. we all pitched in some money this year to get them a new "room." an all new comforter, pillows, sheets, and curtains! 

 it took us about 25 minutes to set it all up, but once we did, they sure were happy and super surprised!

such a good Christmas :) i hope yours was amazing as well!
happy happy thursday!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

merry christmas!

  love, the happy Horton kids!

it has been the GREATEST Christmas in the Horton home! 
we have loved every minute and i can't wait to share more all about it

have a very merry *white* Christmas everyone! 
i'll share all about ours later :)

Friday, December 21, 2012

over the past week

 its been quite the week! i really haven't had any spare time {not even gym time... which is killing me} because of my work schedule! and although i am making money, i wish i could just slow it down a little and enjoy the holidays.

and now that it is the 21 and i have a few hours until i go to work, i'm going to start my Christmas shopping! {4 days before Christmas.... and believe me, i have quite the hefty list of gifts i have to buy!} + blog! and show my many pictures!

here are some things i have done over the past week

i attended Chris Reyes' mission farewell with some of my best friends!

missed school {i have a bad habit of that lately} to go to Marcus, Kylie, and Quincey's Christmas concert at the elementary school! they were so cute. totally off-tune with the music playing and barely singing the right words :)

enjoyed the snow with my friends + family! snowball fights baby

and even though there is hardly any on the ground here, we were grateful for even a little bit.

went to Kaylee's LAST dance concert, the Nutcracker, with Meg + Tyler + Branson! Kaylee is quitting dance after Christmas to get ready for college + get a job. she is such an amazing dancer though! those 3 hours of dance lessons every single day really paid off Kays!

made + ate SO many treats with my family! this is why i love the holidays. constantly a million treats everywhere around my house. and although it's pretty dangerous, i just told myself that those New Years resolutions are coming right up... and THAT is when we'll stop eating ONLY treats for all 3 meals

cozying {is that a word?} up every day in sweaters and fur. i am basically in some sort of fur {scarf, vest, coat, etc} every single day... but it keeps me cozy!

and i even went to temple square for the 2nd time! date night with Chris + Hannah + Alec seeing the lights in Salt Lake! it was freezing, but i loved every minute

 Hanni and i in our matching red beanies, peacoats, and combat boots!

life is busy, life is wonderful, life is fun. 
getting excited for Christmas, let's hope i can get my shopping done!

happy *end of the world!* do something crazy today... for tonight at midnight it will all be over!
just kidding. i don't believe those crazy mayan people. but if the world were to end tonight i hope to see you all in heaven, so don't sin too much today :)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

tis the season!

the chains are up! now all i need are some lights. 
maybe those will get up by Christmas?:) we'll see about that! 

i am getting super excited for Christmas and i am absolutely LOVING this holiday season! even loving the snow.... and hoping for more, actually! tis the season for spending time with family + friends, giving/serving, shopping for gifts, seeing the lights, drinking hot cocoa, watching Christmas movies, decorating, sitting by the tree, enjoying the cold, and most importantly, thinking of Christ and his birth.

 tomorrow i start my brand new job at Macaroni Grill, wish me luck!

life is good :) happy holidays!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

3 things i felt like sharing

*here is another shot from our christmas family pictures! love this little lady*

1)  i got a 2nd job! you're looking at the new hostess of Macaroni Grill. {down in Riverwoods} y'all better visit me. i'll be the cute girl that greets + seats ya!
2)  i have become obsessed with Friday Night Lights and it now takes up ALL my free time. yes that is why i hardly blog now...
3)  i miss my cousin. what's new

that's all, happy tuesday!

14 days until CHRISTMAS!!!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

christmas family pictures!


happy December, and a warm welcome to the wonderful Christmas holiday!
 

XO
love, the Horton's :)