"Running Off the Flab"-Gen Toki

So I've decided that it's time, time to get my big booty in shape. Since I have transferred home from Linfield, I have gained 15lbs!!!!! Although I don't necessarily look like I've gained that much, I have. I've been reading an old friends' blog, "Running Off the Flab" and have been inspired to get back to being healthy. I have a wedding coming up in 9 months along with the rest of my life.. imagine that! So, with exercise, eating healthy and a TON of discipline, I'm hoping to not only get back to my old weight, but to lose an extra 2-5lbs ON TOP of my 15lbs. My goal is to get down to 128lbs by March-ish (if you do some simple math you can probably figure out about how much I'm weighing now...). I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do this as far as details go, so a little advice would be MUCH appreciated =) I figure if two of my friends that have recently had babies can get down to their old size... there should be nothing stopping me, right? I LOVE ice cream, so I can possibly start to replace that with chocolate slim fasts when I'm having a craving. No more Frenchfries, oh how I crave those late at night! I need to buy some brown rice and eat lots of raw veggies (which luckily I love) and drink a crap ton of H2O. Another downfall, I love carby foods, like homemade bread and noodles. I'm trying to figure out a way to motivate myself to workout at home when I have the twins, because lets face it, motherhood takes a lot of energy out of you, and once it's their bedtime, you definitely feel like it's yours too. And they are up by 7am and sometimes we are up at 530am on Tues/Thurs when I have school early. So, if any of my readers have any good tips, anything at all, please feel free to send them my way! I don't want to do a crash diet or a "specialty" diet, the point of being healthy is making "life" changes, things that I can do for the rest of my life, not just a few month period. So "stay tuned" as they say for more updates on my life, the twins, wedding plans as well as my new adventure to being fit, again.

Cooky for Coooookies!!

So I had the twins for the weekend and we decided to make some Halloween cookies =) They also colored some Halloween pictures my mom had bought them. We also went to church, as usual, and the kids got their parts in the Sunday school annual program, they were so excited! They always ask me when they can speak in the microphone like the other kids and now they get to! They are getting very excited about Halloween. They're just bummed it's still three weeks away lol. Jackie will be a witch and Johnny is going to be a SWAT guy. His costume comes with makeshift handcuffs and if you let your mind wander just a tad, you can probably guess that one of them has already gotten stuck in them, and yes, Jackie has =) so those got put away quickly lol. They also played at Rowdy's parent's house this weekend in their matching Gator shirts. They loved all the new toys and things to do.We watched football and did some wedding stuff. The twins are quickly being introduced into the land of serious sports action. Every time someone scores or makes a great tackle Lacey, Rowdy and my future father-in-law, Tony all scream and yell, and every time the kids jump haha, its cute, they just look at everyone like they're nuts and go back to playing, someday they will not even care or just join in. 

As trying as it can be, I love my nanny job. I love that I can take them to my house and my in-laws and that they are in-love with Rowdy. Jackie just thinks he's so cute, she's infatuated with him and Johnny loves his guy time with him, "No girls allowed Jackie!". I feel like the twins and their mom Kaye are another part of my family, and I was always hoping for that when I took this "job". It's also great prep for myself and Rowdy, when he comes over, for when we have kids. I'll be a pro at raising kids by then.... not lol I don't think that's ever attainable. But either way, i'm learning so much from these two little (well not so little now, they outgrow an outfit every time they put one on, I swear!) five year olds. I love reaping the rewards of little things. When they crack jokes or do something and don't even realize how funny they are. When they ask me loaded religious questions or questions about lava or "laba" as they call it or butterflies "flutterbys" lol so cute. I dunno, even when school isn't going how I wish it would (not enjoying the PSU transfer), i'm grateful that I have two jobs, one of which I get to come home to my two little twins and color with them or when I'm laying down on the bed they crawl in with me and watch TV as Jackie twirls my hair in her fingers, oh life precious little moments and I love them. I'm grateful for my family and my amazing friends, my fiance and the church. I have a new perspective on life as since mine has changed so drastically in the last year and I am trying to be more grateful for the endless blessings that I am given each and every day.

                                          Mixing the orange dough

                                          Precooked

                                          Final product!

 Decorations

There Once was a girl... and a boy

         So for those of you that do not know about how Rowdy and I came to be, let me fill you in. For starters, Rowdy and I have known each other and grown up together since I was 6 years old. Had some of the same friends growing up and hung out sometimes in high school. Flash forward a few years to November 2009, I came home for Thanksgiving weekend. Rowdy had been home from his mission for a couple months now and I had not seen him. He asked if I wanted to go get lunch sometime, so we did at our favorite restaurant, Red Robin. We talked and then parted ways and never thought about anything further, little did I know there was a greater plan that we were both VERY unaware of for the future. December rolled around and I was home again from school for Christmas and we started to hangout as friends. The big joke was that my mom was paying him to hangout with me lol. We went Christmas shopping together and hung out watching movies. We started to become inseparable. 


          I was in a relationship with Brendan, a guy some of you may know. Things were not going well, it was a constant struggle to make things go smoothly for a matter of minutes. I started to have feelings for Rowdy and it seemed to be reciprocated on his end as well. I decided to take a leap of faith and pray about it. Yes, pray. I was not an active member in the church that I grew up in at the time, so praying about something like this seemed a little foreign to me at the time. I decided to ask God if I should leave Brendan and start to date Rowdy. As I began my prayer, instead of asking my original question, I asked "Am I supposed to marry Rowdy?" My Body froze as I realize what had just come out of my mouth and it was no more than a few milliseconds later that I had gotten this OVERWHELMING feeling; my heart became very warm and I started to cry, uncontrollably, I knew I was going to be with this boy that I had grown up with almost my entire life. 


           I got out of bed and ran into my parents room, mind you it was about 3am. My mom woke up and asked why I was crying and I flat out told her, "I'm supposed to marry Rowdy". She was a little surprised, but happy and then asked why I was crying, if it was because I was happy or upset. It was because I was happy but also very scared because I NEVER thought this would ever happen to me. I went back to bed that night but could not fall asleep. Rowdy and I still hung out when things started to change, we started to act different, like a couple but without the physical attachment, and it all happened over night. He went to my family Christmas party and it all went very smoothly, but my very drunk uncle asked me, "Taylor, this your guy here?" It was a little awkward for me to answer but the night went well. 


           The next day I did what I felt was right and broke up with Brendan. Rowdy came over for support and was very patient through all my tears, even though I knew what I was doing what the right thing, I still felt bad for hurting someone I had been with for so long and had invested so much of my time and emotions into. It was from then on that Rowdy and I were never apart it seemed. He would come over early in the morning until about 2am and we would just hangout and talk and if we weren't together we would text all night, sometimes until 5am!


          Then a day or so before new years my brother Levi, his girl friend at the time, Heather and I all drove up to Seattle to see my brother, his wife and my nephew Micah. Rowdy was anxious all day for me to come home as he was constantly texting, asking when I would be home. My mom called and said we should head home early because a snow storm was coming in. Well, we didn't leave soon enough because the three hour drive to Seattle took over 8 hours to get home. While we were all sitting, stuck in snow traffic, just inching along, Rowdy and I were texting back and forth when he told me he thought he was falling in love with me. That stopped me in my tracks, how on earth could this be happening to me I thought. He told me he didn't want anyone else but me and he would wait as long as it took. I knew there was no going back now.


          New years Eve rolled around and that's when it became "official", we were together. I went back to Linfield for a month and a half, when just after Valentine's I decided that I needed to be home in order to make the changes I really wanted to make in my life. So, two weeks into the new semester I packed up all my stuff and said goodbye to the only college life I knew and most of my friends that I loved and still love so dearly. As hard as it was and as much as I may miss it at times, I know it was the right thing for me to do. I never would be where I am now and who I am now had I not made the change and decision to do so.


         Rowdy and I knew within a matter of weeks that we were supposed to be together on a more "permanent" basis. Two days after we started dating there was already a rumor that we were engaged, haha wow. I also later found out that back in September, my dad went up to Rowdy, jokingly, and told him "you can date my daughter, heck you can marry her", little did anyone know that would become Rowdy's and my fate. Rowdy and I have been through our ups and downs, heartaches and pains together, but we have survived all but death it seems thus far. Now, we are embarking on an entirely new life together, a life that will be filled with much happiness but many trials along the way. We have family and friends that love and support us, a church and a God to help guide us as well.

        I thank God everyday for giving me another chance at a better life, a life that may not always be perfect and happy, but always filled with hope, love and faith. I also thank God for sending me the Love of my life, my family and future in-laws and friends that love and support my decisions. I'm grateful to be a member of a church that supports me and loves me and all of God's children. I realize now as I look back on my life, how blessed I am and I cannot wait to begin this new life with my fiance, Rowdy Coakley.

"She said 'yes' he said 'Wow', she said 'when' he said 'how about July 9th!"

         It's official, we are engaged!!!! Rowdy proposed September 30th in the most romantic way possible. Rowdy decided to trick me a little and take me "ring shopping" (we didn't get anything, apparently he bought the ring a while ago in South Carolina). Afterwards we drove home and there was a scrapbook wrapped in a bow on the couch. It was pictures and notes from some close friends and family, it was all so sweet it made me cry! Rowdy's page was the last and it was adorable. He said in it that he was going to propose someday, he was just waiting for the right time. Little did I know that time was only ten minutes away. He got up after I read through it all and went to "grab something for his mom". Moments later I got a text saying to go out onto the deck.

         I walked outside to see Rowdy waiting for me on a pathway of twinkle lights, candles, rose petals and chocolate kisses. It formed into a heart and there was a chair at the top with a night stand next to it with 21 red roses in it. "Only Fools Rush In" was playing in the background. Rowdy walked me over to the chair and sat me down and then he proceeded to get down on one knee. I was SHAKING!!! Rowdy told me how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of eternity with me. He pulled out a ring from under the chair (which I had no idea had happened, i was so in the moment I thought he pulled it out of thin air lol) and lifted my left hand and asked, "Taylor, will you marry me?" and put the ring on my finger!!!! 

       Of course I said yes and got up to kiss him. He then pulled a rose from the vase and asked "Taylor, will you accept this rose" haha too cute! Then we danced to the rest of the song, "You look Wonderful Tonight" and then called and text everyone we knew to share the news! Not long after my mom comes running out all excited and crying (happy tears of course). It was all so surreal. I was shaking like a leaf haha Tasha and Lacey were able to take pics and film the entire thing, which I'm elated about because I can re-watch that moment for the rest of my life, as can my children.


        I feel blessed to have found the man I want to spend forever with and wants to spend it with me. He loves me for all my strengths and weaknesses and imperfections. He forgives me for my faults and walks with me through my trials. He has the desire to protect me and take care of me, to be the father of my children. He loves my family and I love his. We have similar goals and the same faith in God. I never thought that I would ever be this happy with someone I never even saw coming. A year ago, I would have never thought this would be me, and I don't think anyone else would either. It is so true when they say "It happens when you least expect it". Rowdy blindsided me completely, but it's the best surprise in my life yet.