I love Thee

A while back I wrote the following on our Be Healthy, Be Happy blog. I thought I'd share it with the rest of you because I love it oh so much.

Dear Lululemon,

I want to thank you ever so much for providing me with as much comfort, confidence, and drive as you have.

I love everything about you. I adore the way that your pants hug my bum, and make it look higher and tighter than it is. I love that your Groove pant can be worn inside out for versatility. I love that all your bottoms have extra crotchal cut out fabric so they don't go creeping in the most private of places. I love that when I wear your speed short for a race I never have to pick a wedgie. I am so grateful for your flat seams, because of them I never have chaffing issues. I love that you have a place built in to all of your clothes for my ipod, key, and chap stick. I love how sexy my husband looks when he wears you to bed or while doing house chores. His pants hug his bum, and his shirt his biceps just right. I don't know what I would do with out you. I love that your jackets keep me warm and cozy during the winter months, and yet they are light enough to wear on my spring runs. I am thrilled that you give me enough support up top that I don't have to wear a sports bra when I have you on. You also hide RT which is really nice. It's pretty cool that I still feel semi-cute when I have you on and am sweaty and gross at the gym. I also think it's fantastic that you don't shrink, bleed in the wash, or stretch out. You are pretty much perfect.

Thank you for making me want to push harder, run faster, and breathe deeper. When I want to reward myself you are the first thing I think of. I am truly addicted and can no longer wear anything other than you. I look forward to this love affair continuing throughout my life. When I wear you, I am making myself healthier and happier.

I love you,
Courtney

To fall in love too visit Lululemon to find a store near you or to shop online. I promise, you won't regret it.

Spiker Family Pictures

Back at the end of November we had our annual Spiker family pictures taken. This will be the last set where all of us will be in them for several years, because both of my little brothers will be going on missions for the next 4 years (which makes me have a heart attack). They were taken in Santa Monica by the fabulous Judy Hailey.

Something I can not live without

I love anything that will help me stay organized, on top of my life, and my to-do list. I am one of those people who can't get anything done unless I write it down. That goes for goals, remembering every errand I need to run, and when I'm supposed to be at work. I make lists for everything, really everything. I make packing lists before I go on a trip, grocery lists, potential future baby name lists, house project lists, I have a list of things to do for everything in my life.

A few years ago I was introduced to the best day (or for me, life) planner in the world. I have gone through just about every type of planner and calender that you can imagine. Over the years every planner was missing something, or lots of things for me (even my iPhone wasn't cutting it), until I came across the Truly Mom planner. It is simply fantastic. It has a place for everything! It is about the size of the average novel and easily fits in any one of my purses. I can't go anywhere without it and I have to have it with me if I want to accomplish anything. I love it so. They come in a very durable leather (it is also available in satin for a cheaper price) that will last for years. Years? you might ask. Yes, you will use this planner for years because at the end of every 12 months you can buy new refills and use it over and over again. Seriously, it is the best.

Included is a full year calendar with month, week and day tabs so you can stay on top of your hectic life (and color coded stickers to mark special dates). For each day there are a number of note pads provided for you(sticky and regular), so you can jot down every thought, appointment, and to-do list, which allows you to be as organized as possible.

Also included is a phone/address book and a gift purchase planner.

On your daily jot list you can take advantage of the space at the bottom that allows you to focus on each child and their schedule, pick up times, and appointments. Also included is a space for meal planning, calls to make, and something just for you. It has it all.

I'm telling you, this planner is complete. I highly recommend it if you are needing a little help staying organized. The satin ones are only $60, the leather are $150. I prefer the leather. I have had mine for 3 years, use it everyday and it still looks brand new. I still have several years of use out of this single planner. They also offer tiny planners with all the same features for only $36. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

The rest of our little gettaway

The rest of our vacation was spent cruising around the Caribbean. We spent our days on Culebra, St. Thomas, St. John, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten. It was pretty awesome, and when I look at these pictures I become jealous of myself. We are back to the freezing cold and nasty inversion Utah always offers this time of year. We still have it pretty good, I guess.

In order to get to Culebra from Puerto Rico, we had to hop on one of these tiny little planes. It was frightening, especially for flight-anxiety prone me. We made it there safely and rather smoothly as well. Cuebra is gorgeous.

Can you tell I was nervous?

The first stop on our cruise was in St. Thomas. We fairied over to St. John and spent most of the day there. We went to Trunk Bay, which is supposedly the most beautiful beach on Earth. I might have to agree with that. It was quite spectacular.

Our day in Dominica was spent in the rain forest. The entire Island is basically rain forest. It is the most lush place either of us has visited, and even beats out Kauai.

Almost every night I ordered some type of fruit soup for dinner. They always started out with two tiny pieces of fruit in a bowl and then the server poured the puree over the fruit. The first time I got one, our entire table was cracking up because we thought the teeny tiny piece of fruit was the whole thing. It was hilarious, but one of those 'you had to be there' moments.

Barbados was beautiful, but more of a party island than the others. We spent the day on the beach, napping and reading.

On St. Kitts, which looks a lot like the Hawaiian islands, we again spent the day on the beach with books. We were each able to finish two books on this trip which was awesome. We both enjoy reading but lately have found little time to actually do it. We were here the whole day:

St. Lucia was one of my favorite places we visited. It was beautiful and had amazing beaches. I loved the water, the Peton mountain that ran right up to it, and the natural landscape. We will definitely be going back to spend more time on this island.

Josh said St. Maarten was awesome and that we will definitely be going back some day. I was sick that morning so I didn't get off the ship. Josh rented a scooter and scooted his way around the entire island, stopping at beautiful beaches along the way. One of the coolest things to see on this island is the planes coming literally feet above your head, while you are on the beach.

One of the things I will remember most from our time spent on the ship were our wonderful servers. They were both so sweet and humble. They kept us happy, entertained, and well fed. We told Bernardo that we really liked the tiramisu one night, and even though it wasn't on the menu the rest of the week, he made sure we had it every night after that. He was the best.

Us with our tablemates and our servers, Iwayan and Bernardo.

Overall, the cruise was great. We relaxed and played. We ate and napped. We loved being together with no distractions for two weeks. It was perfect.

Ringing in the New Year

Josh and I spent the past two weeks on vacation, island hopping in the Caribbean. This was my anniversary gift from him, and it was truly amazing. We started our trip off by spending four days in Puerto Rico. We stayed in Old San Juan, which is so beautiful I dream about it. We celebrated 2010 by exploring the town, enjoying a lovely Indian dinner whilst being entertained by live belly dancing, and rang in the new year at a huge celebration in a town square. It was quite perfect.

The rest of our time in Old San Juan was split between the beach and exploring the town. We were able to relax in the sun, learn about the history of the city, and enjoy the beauty it has to offer. We loved everything from the old stone streets that run through the city, to the gorgeous doors on every house (seriously, I am obsessed with doors now and one day will have amazing doors at my house), to the night life. They had some type of outdoor activity going on every night; fairs, parties, boardwalk events, live entertainment local food, etc. There were parks and squares everywhere, beautiful statues at every corner, and mature landscaping lining every street. I was in Heaven.

If you ever get the chance to visit Old San Juan, please do. It is an amazing town filled with beauty, culture and history. I loved every second of it.

Christmas

My word, I haven't blogged about what we've been up to in a very, very long time. December was filled with madness! Enjoyable madness, but madness nonetheless. I worked a ton, Josh worked a ton, he finished finals, my family came up twice, we celebrated birthdays, had Christmas parties, babysat, didn't start Christmas shopping until three days before Christmas, and my parents bought a cabin in Sundance. Pretty much all of our free time was spent at the cabin, preparing it for my family's arrival. We had electricians and plumbers out, installed new tv's, stocked it with goods of all sorts, did a deep clean, installed window treatments, put up Christmas lights (and ran them all the way down the longest driveway in the world. It looked AMAZING.). We only ran into one major glitch along the way. Our pipes froze! They still aren't thawed but the fifth and final plumber set us up with a temporary solution that gave us running water through Christmas.

Wowza! Christmas came and went very quickly for us this year. It was insanely busy, but extremely fun. We were able to enjoy time with both of our families, eat delicious food, make memories, and celebrate the birth of our Savior. It was perfect.

The day my family arrived in town we celebrated Luke's birthday. Luke is a martial arts guru and loves anything and everything that has to do with it. We decided to gift him with a fabric poster of Bruce Lee (whom he LOVES) and a ninja star. I have never given a more thrilling gift, and have never seen someone so enthused about a gift in my life. That ninja star was a hit. He never put it down unless he was throwing it at something.

We went to a tree lot the first night as well to pick out something lovely to trim. We came home with the most perfect, lopsided, quirky tree. I loved it.

They didn't have a bathroom, so the peepee dance it was.

Lindsay the retarded one armed elf.

Our perfect little Dr. Seuss tree.

My parents gingerbread house looking cabin.

The next morning Patrick went outside in his boxers to shovel snow. This is what happened from there:

Yes, it's true, my husband is a bully. Actually, we all thoroughly enjoyed watching this in action. It was quite hilarious and I probably would have done the same thing if I was big enough.

My dad loves knives. He has quite the collection. He gives the boys a new one every year as stocking stuffers (they are all obsessed as well). We all decided to pitch in and give him an extra fancy one for his birthday. I guess it is the same knife that our troops use on terrorists. Scary. Needless to say, he was happy and all the other boys in my family were jealous.

The boys enjoyed night time sledding down the hill outside of our house, and down our super, super long driveway.

Mari and I watched from the porch freezing our bums off.

That night, my parents gave us all Ugg house shoes to keep at the cabin. Oh how I love Uggs.

They also gave each of us a custom puzzle, for long days spent at the cabin, or to keep us entertained when we get snowed in.

We got to work immediately.

On Christmas Eve we spent the day doing some last minute shopping, watched The Elf, had a delicious dinner, and played Fact or Crap. It was the perfect family night.

Santa came and brought some fantastic goods with him. We ended up with everything from toothbrushes and mini salt and pepper shakers, to designer purses and new cameras. It was fantastic.

We each made my parents an ornament for their first cabin tree. Luke, of course, put Bruce Lee on his.

Me and Linds in our matching Snuggies.

On my families last night in town, we went out on a snowshoeing adventure at night. It was beautiful, and calm. Despite the 3 degree weather, we all stayed quite warm. I can't wait to do it again.

We had lunch with the Carver's, which is always fun and entertaining.

Christmas night was spent at Josh's parents house. We exchanged gifts, played with babies, and enjoyed wonderful food.

It was a perfect Christmas.

Please Help!

If you live in Utah, you have probably heard the tragic story of John Jones. He was a husband, father, and medical student. His life ended November 25, after an accident while caving. He was only 26 years old and left behind a baby girl and his pregnant wife. These types of stories scare me and break my heart. John was younger than Josh and Emily is my age. I can not imagine going through the trial she has been faced with.

This is John and his sweet wife, Emily.

My SIL Mari contacted me about an online charity auction that was being held for Emily Jones and her baby girl. Hundreds of people donated items for auction. One hundred percent of the money raised during the auction went to the Jones family, to help Emily with her new life as a single mom. I was lucky enough to be able to donate some hats from Pearl and Pauper. I was so excited to hear that all of my hats sold, and one of them for $100!

I have been contacted by some people through the auction, asking where they can find my hats. I no longer have a website, but I added some of my top sellers to my Etsy shop, where they can be purchased. The auction has ended but I feel like more can be done to help this family. I will donate half of the money that I get from hat sales from now until the end of the year to Emily and her baby girl. If you would like to order a hat, please do so through Etsy, or contact me by email at courtneyspiker@msn.com. If you order the hats by December 20, I will make sure they are shipped to you by Christmas so you may use them as gifts. If you aren't interested in a hat, but still want to help the Jones family out, please visit the John Jones Memorial site.

It's that time of year...

We are sending out our first family Christmas card. We don't have most of our friends addresses, but we would love to send you a card. So, if you'd like a Christmas card please leave your address in our comment box (I have my comment moderator on and won't make any of them public) or email your address to me at courtneyspiker@msn.com.