Meet our Fuzzy Little Boy....

Hi! My name is.....

GLEN COCO!!!!!

At 0 lbs. 14 oz., 5 inches tall and cuddly as a puppy ever was... He's perfect! We got him one week ago and he was just over 4 weeks, which is pretty early. We're lucky.

I'm borrowing this likes/dislikes thing from Katie, who does this for her baby... is that wrong? He's sort of OUR baby. We send pictures of him back and forth and just gush about how cute he is all the time. So yeah. We're THOSE kind of parents. 

Likes

• Pooping on the sidewalk, not the grass
• Jumping on mom's face (hence the scratches, if anyone's seen me in person lately)
• Chewing on dad's Sperry's 
• Hanging his feet out the side of his kennel

Favorite food - Danica's hair

Favorite napping place - deep within the cushions of our couch

Dislikes

• Being left alone when he knows Mom & Dad are in the other room
• Loud noises like doors slamming, diesel trucks and loud music
• Chewing on a chew toy when there are fun things like shoes and Dad's ears to chew on instead

Come visit him! You'll be as smitten as we are. :)

Sometimes, Always, Never - Summer Shoe-la-la

The majority of your summer should be spent barefoot... but if you can't be barefoot...

Sometimes

Flats seem stuffy to me. If you must, wear them in a bright color.

Sneakers or Toms are great for the summer hikes, or when you are traipsing through fields to find the perfect stargazing spot.

Always

Gladiators are clearly the superior option for summer. Classier than your basic flip-flop but still light and easy.

Anything open-toed. Paint your toes something bright and let them shine.

Never

I have said this before and I'm going to say it again and I refuse to apologize.

IF IT IS TOO HOT TO WEAR PANTS IT IS TOO HOT TO WEAR BOOTS.

Why? Why do you do this? How sweaty are your feet? Were you anticipating a stampede that would require your expert cowgirl knowledge? 

Oh you're just a slut? Ok. Great. Don't snag your nasty belly button ring on your torn apart Daisy Dukes.

Workout Wednesday: Yoga

I always thought Yoga was for Hindus, Californians and skinny girls who hated sports. Two of my good friends in high school, Danielle and Michelle, were super into yoga and were just so graceful and flexible as a result. So when I signed up for my Gold's Gym pass my freshman year, I thought maybe I'd mix up my weightlifting with some yoga. Unfortunately it took a whole year for me to actually try it out. And I've been hooked ever since. Especially when I can do Star Wars yoga.

Yoga is in essence a spiritual practice that links the mind and body in harmony. It releases tension, increases flexibility, realigns joints and strengthens core muscles. You really can vary your yoga practice to target whatever physical needs you are trying to meet.

Your basic yoga tends to be more strength, core, and flexibility building. I leave sweaty and I'm almost always a little sore (in a good way!) the next day.

More intense or intermediate yoga practice includes more balance poses and emphasis on vinyasa, or flow, which becomes a very mentally rigorous challenge. This yoga emphasis is especially great when I can't stop thinking or worrying about something, because it forces you to let it go and focus on not falling on your face. I've never tried bikram or any other intense forms, but I've heard great things. I'm still a noob, anyways.

Relaxation yoga is awesome. Most yoga classes end with some relaxation poses and nap meditation time. You release tension in your neck and shoulders that you didn't even know you were holding. You're breathing deep and free, your body feels like tingly jello and you don't walk - you glide.

A good yoga practice includes a little of all three. Every instructor is going to design their class differently, and it's just about finding what works for you.

Options for practicing yoga:

• On Netflix, I like 10 Minute Solution Yoga and Crunch: Candlelight Yoga.
• YouTube Yoga is pretty cool, actually. Check this tumblr for a list of YouTube videos that target anything you want. Perfect if you are stuck at home/too lazy to go anywhere. 
• The Everygirl just did an awesome feature for beginners, so check it!
• On your own! Once you have learned the basics, you can do it yourself! I sometimes do yoga on vacation or when I'm feeling really tight and inflexible, without a video or instructions. 
• I personally believe classes are the best, because they are different every time, they modify poses for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and you work harder when there are other people around you trying. 

What to Wear:

Tight/form-fitting clothes. You don't need to pour yourself into the thinnest spandex you can buy, just lose the baggy basketball shorts. When you lift your legs in the air or turn upside down you don't want to be tugging your shorts away from your bum and your high school choir t-shirt from suffocating your face.

Victoria's Secret yoga pants are my favorite. I like the capri, but I also have the ankle boot cut and the yoga booty short too. Leggings are also a great option.

A sports bra with a tank or slim v-neck or a racerback sports tank are my favorite top options. Athleta has some seriously cute stuff. Almost makes you WANT to work out. Almost...

Pull your hair into a top knot or Katniss-style side braid and use a headband to keep the hair out of your face when you are upside down and changing positions.

Other Tips:

If you love yoga, buy your own mat. There are always yoga mats in the back of the aerobics room, but having your own is way cleaner/better. I got one on Amazon with a bag for pretty cheap and I use it all the time.

Get to class early, find a spot near a mirror so you can check your form during poses, and stretch a bit before class starts.

Do yoga on an empty (but not rumbling stomach).

No one cares if you fall over or can't hold a stretch the whole time. Seriously. No one cares.

Tune in next week for a Workout Wednesday Guest Post by my good friend Tayler about why she runs like a crazy person!

Workout Wednesday: Rock Climbing with Katie Ashby

Hey there! I'm Katie from These Are The Days - my husband, Devin and I are here to talk to you today about one of our favorite things to do: Rock Climbing!

It may come as a surprise to some people that rock climbing is actually extremely beneficial for your health, on multiple levels - that is, if it's done correctly!

Boring stuff first: the absolute most important thing to remember is that rock climbing is a dangerous sport, so it is essential that you get proper training and practice safety as you climb! If you're local to Utah, we highly recommend climbing at Momentum Indoor Climbing Gym (in Sandy) seeing as how Devin works there and all! The staff is amazing, helpful, and new climbers are always welcome and encouraged! Momentum is an awesome place to learn how to climb if you don't already know someone with the experience to teach you.

Like I said before, rock climbing is a great way to get in shape, stay in shape, and what's more, it's an awesome social activity. For starters? Climbing is heart-healthy. And by that I mean, it helps improve your cardiovascular system by stressing your heart (in a good way!) - it gets the blood pumping, and makes your heart stronger!

Rock climbing can also contribute to healthy weight loss! I think I read somewhere once that 1 pound = 3500 calories (just double-checked. I read right.), which means to lose 1 pound a week, you need to eliminate 500 calories each day. And guess what? Climbing at a "moderate intensity" for about 1 hour, burns 400! That means you spend some time at the gym, skip your daily can of soda, and you're there!

The most obvious benefit of rock climbing, I think, is toning and muscle building. Rock climbing is a progressive sport, so the better you get, the stronger you get, and the harder stuff you can climb! Climbing at those harder levels, and even as you're working your way up, requires a lot of strength, and a lot of that strength comes from your fingers, but it also counts where your arms, legs, and core are concerned! Climbing targets all of those main muscle groups in one total body work out! (plus, if you're asking me, it's a lot more fun than running on a treadmill!)

More awesome things about rock climbing: what some people don't know about climbing is that it is actually a very technical sport. You aren't just pushing off rocks to get to the top of a wall, there is a sequence to follow - so rock climbing requires a lot of mental (and physical) focus. Now, this is important.  It's easy to "plateau" in rock climbing if you let the mental part of it get the best of you! But as long as you have the right mental control, it's an awesome way to involve your mind while you exercise, and it helps increase your hand-eye coordination. Rock climbing is a sport where you can constantly challenge yourself and improve.

Oh, don't worry, we're not even done. Rock climbing is one of the best ways to increase your endurance! Walls in a climbing gym are typically anywhere from 30-60 feet tall - which doesn't seem like much, but when you're spending every inch of those feet pushing yourself mentally, and physically, it can seem much longer! Building up endurance is probably one of the most immediate benefits you'll notice if you start climbing regularly, which doesn't just benefit your improvement in climbing, it can help you last longer in other exercises (that is, if you even care for them anymore, now that you've found your new love for climbing!)

Okay, okay I'm almost done. Mostly because I know I've already convinced you to give it a try. But there's even more good that can come from tying into a rope and climbing up a wall. Climbing increases your FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE and COORDINATION! Just think about it! Am I right? I am.

And lastly, rock climbing is awesome because it is a sport that you can do rain or shine, inside or outside. And there are even different kinds of climbing:

1. You can boulder, which is done on much shorter walls, without a harness.

2. You can top-rope, which is the normal kind that most people begin with - the kind you probably think of when you think of rock climbing.

3. And when you become more experienced, you can lead climb!

Climbing is a sport that anyone can do, at any age! If you have any questions, click here and ask us!

**Isn't she great? If you are interested in guest posting on YOUR area of fitness expertise shoot me a email!**

"That's LAME." - Ed Budge, My Father

The other day, I was sitting at my brother's baseball game and my dad goes-

"Dan, those shoes are cool." - Ed

"Thanks, Dad!" - Danica

".... Sometimes, Always, Never..." - Ed

I LOLed. And then pondered on the fact that my dad regularly reads my blog, even the girly S-A-N fashion posts, and supports me.

To the man who taught me to love the Chicago Cubs from Day 1

To the man who loves Disneyland more than anything

To the man who spent countless hours with me at the softball fields

To the man who put our family first

To the man who helped me get to the temple (and to the new dad I got in the temple! I have a Chad now too!)

I have always and will always be a daddy's girl. I love you dad! Thanks for being the best. Not LAME.

Puppy Time!

It's finally happening! After all of these years! I'm going to have a little shih-tzu of my own. Don't worry. No one could ever replace my Blade. I'll love him forever and ever. He was my first, as they say. Still, I've wanted one that's all mine. Well, and The Beard's.

I've been looking more seriously in the past week or so and called on a few KSL ads, but nothing really came up. I just had the feeling that it would just HAPPEN. Like a stork dropping one off on my doorstep.

On Friday, The Beard and I were pulling into the mall when we saw a lady on the corner with a "Puppy for Sale!" sign and a cute little puppy guy running around with her kids. We whipped around to talk to her, and as we were stuck at the light we watched some JERK in an Isuzu pull up and buy the puppy. The lady pries the puppy out of her emotionally compromised 5 year old's arms, and hands him through the window of the Isuzu, and SHIZ HIT THE FAN.

The little girl became completely hysterical. We're talking gnashing and wailing, sackcloth and ashes, drama. She's punching her mom, screaming and thrashing while her mom tries to calm her down. It was traumatizing and hilarious.

Later we had a few hours to kill before meeting up with the Porter's for date night. We pulled into PetSmart because I was getting puppy hungry, but it just made me sad to not have my own. We took a random back road to Target because, well, it's Target. As we're driving down this random back road, we see a sign that says "4 Small Dogs 4 Sale." We pulled over. Obvs.

The house looked less than perfect suburbian material. Still, we navigated the debris in the front yard to the door. When we asked about the sign, the wife looked surprised.

"Wow! Yeah we have some puppies. They're only 4 weeks and we usually don't put the sign out until they are ready, but my husband said 'Hey, let's put the sign out early!' so it's funny that you came by."

Prayer WORKS you guys. 

They had 5 little shih-tzus, 4 that we got to play with. I melted completely at the sight of baby shih-tzus (see crazy blonde in the photo below), but the big surprise was The Beard. He instantly went for "Tank," the chubby little black puppy (the puppy Ryan is holding on the left, two below). I really liked the brown little girl puppy but he crushed on Tank hard and fast. And you can't say no to true love, people. He is the cutest little (fat) puppy and we did want a boy. Perfect match.

We're total goners for this little guy. Now, we can't go get him until he's eating on his own, in about 2 weeks (fingers crossed for less!). Did we go straight to Target and buy puppy stuff including but not limited to a dish, bed, leash and collar?

We're not CRAZY. (We are.)

Workout Wednesday - But I'd Rather Be Lazy...

A while ago I posted about an upcoming fitness series on Black with a Chance of Cheetah. Well here it comes. I know you've been anxiously waiting.

Why a fitness series? Why now? It's June and we're all feeling weird about our swimsuit physique. It's beautiful outside and it gives you more reasons to go enjoy it. I'm done with school and super bored all the time. I don't know, pick one. (By the way, I hate YOLO.)

Let me take you on a little journey through my fitness development:

Stage One: Super fit during year-round sports. Fitness was a by-product of athletics. 

Stage Two: Freshman laziness. I replaced exercising 3 hours a day with 3 hours a day of studying on my butt and eating crap. I got a Gold's Gym pass and started working out regularly, but I didn't lose any weight and didn't really improve my fitness, somehow. 

Stage Three: Busy life. I stopped working out altogether and spent all my time with The Beard, running from place to place and planning my future (graduation, teaching, marriage). I was really happy and subconsciously starting eating less and much better. 

Stage Four: Weak. I noticed how winded and pathetic I was running the bases with my slowpitch team. Moving things around in my new house made me feel like a wussy lightweight. I've been strong my whole life, until now. I started teaching and found myself mentally and physically exhausted. This whole not-working out thing isn't working out. 

Stage Five: Balance. That's when I found my PERSONAL fitness balance. I'm not a gym rat or a couch potato. I don't work out every day, but I'm not afraid to jump into a random game of flag football vs the students. 

Fitness isn't about losing weight anymore, though I wouldn't mind losing a few (amiright?). It's about feeling good. It's about confidence. It's about making myself better. 

And I do. I feel better. I feel good. I'm confident. I have more energy. I sleep better. I naturally make better eating decisions. I don't work out everyday. And I'm not a gym rat anymore. But I'm active and I feel good. That's what it's about. 

Personally I don't think fitness should be about your inspiration board full of half-naked Nike models. I don't think it should be about spending 20 hours a week at the gym. I don't think it should be about doing situps and starving yourself to fit into a size whatever. 

Fitness should be whatever works for you. Whatever makes you feel good. Whatever gives you confidence. Whatever makes you feel alive!

That's what this series is about. I will post about fitness topics that I know and love (weight-training, yoga, Just Dance!), and I have several guest posters lined up to blog about their fitness routines. Join us next week for my adorable and tough Miss Ashby's post about rock climbing!

If there's anything you want to see on the fitness blog series or if you have a hilarious gym story to share, let me know by email at dholdy {at} gmail {dot} com

Sometimes, Always, Never - Summer Face

I'm a firm believer in changing your makeup with the seasons. My skin tans very easily, and I'm also super anemic. That means I can look Latin in the summertime and Helena Bonham-Carter in the wintertime. I have 3 foundations that I rotate through and varying shades of eyeshadows for the seasons. Summertime is my biggest adjustment to my daily routine, and it's a lovely adjustment because it means LESS.

SOMETIMES

Makeup trends like bold lipstick or a smoky eye are awesome. But be careful, and adjust. It's far too sticky to rock this during the day, so stick to fun concerts and night events for your statement makeup.

Instead of a gray or black smoky eye, try green or blue. Think mermaid.

Instead of a bright red or wine lip, try a hot pink, or my personal favorite - a sunny coral.

ALWAYS

Sunscreen. Your mom was right. It's good for you. I still don't wear it on my body like I should, but I've been establishing a good habit of layering a sunscreen with moisturizer under my makeup, or using Mary Kay's tinted moisturizer with sunscreen on its own. Try Aveeno Daily Moisturizer, especially if you've got dry skin like me. It's easy to make your own tinted moisturizer by mixing it with your favorite foundation on the back of your hand and then brushing it on. You'll feel like a bona fide makeup artist.

Creme Blush. This will play up your tan just right, without caking like a powder. I like Maybelline Dream Mousse blush in Rose Petal.

Lip Balm. Duh. Get yourself a nice stick of Burt's Bees.

Exfoliate. St. Ives Apricot Scrub is a miracle product. It removes dead, dry skin and just makes you glow.

NEVER

Liquid eyeliner needs to hibernate until sweating and swimming aren't daily possibilities.

Thick foundation or powders. Switch to a light tinted moisturizer that won't cake or look weirdly matte. Your skin will thank you.

Any foundation, powder or cream that does not match your current skin tone. I think this is Paris Hilton. It's hard to be sure with all the bronzer and the fact that it isn't 2004.