Better yourself

When I was younger I use to always wonder why tanning beds were such a big deal. I loved laying out in the sun, spending the day by the pool. I was always tan and remember people telling me that I was going to get skin cancer. I remember responding to people saying "At least I am going to die enjoying being outside and seeing what Heavenly Father and the Lord made for us to enjoy". I always promised that I would never be one of those women who went to the tanning bed religiously and had that fake bake look. And then I graduated from high school, started college and got a "real" job. I still found time to lay out between class and work, on the weekends, etc. After meeting my husband and working more, my skin saw less and less sun.
Before our wedding, I started using a tanning bed so I would look completely pail for our wedding. Well, I got addicted. Yes, I love being outside and would much rather spend my time that way, but I dont have any time. Since our wedding (three years ago), I have gone to a tanning bed twice. My skin has not seen the sun nor a "bulb" since then. Its been over two years. Yes, I have gone out and about, been at the lake but I cover up a lot more than I used to, when I didnt look the way I do now. With work, school, cooking, cleaning, a husband and two dogs, I dont have time to go lay by the pool for hours, and its WAY too HOT in Florida to just lay outside in the yard without having a hose nearby or being winter time. Our apartment complex has a tanning bed and I thought I would start taking advantage of it since its there. My complexion gets better and I overall feel better about myself when I look tanner.

In addition to tanning, we have started the Biggest Loser competition again. This time, I am more motivated and plan on doing a lot better than last time. On Monday, my brother Greg was talking about wanting to lose weight and get tone. Logan has recently started to do the "E" word (aka - exercise). BTW - he doesn't do the "E" word, and never really has. So they made a bet who could lose the most in the month of September. Then my mom decided to get in on the bet, then I wanted in on the action, next was my sister in law, and then my dad. So off we all go. We all weighed ourselves on one scale so it would be even and the same throughout the whole competition. When I checked my weight, I was already 10lbs lower than what I thought I was, or what I remember being the last time I weighed myself. Since then, I have lost an addition pound (remember, its only been three days). I had it in my mind weeks ago and have been trying to eat better, eat less, and exercise more. This family "competition" just makes me want to get at it more! I'll keep posting and updating my weight loss success story!

As an additional side note, it has been four days without a Soda, and most importantly, without Caffeine!

Krafty Kelsey

I have decided I need to try to be more crafty recently. I have so many friends and family members who are pregnant that I decided I would start making Hooter Hiders (aka nursing aprons) for them. Here are a few pictures of a couple I have made. I really enjoy making them so if anyone reading this wants one or knows of someone who might be in need, I am current taking orders! ;-)

While out shopping about a month ago I came across an awesome saying, one of the vinyl rub-on wall sayings, that I absolutely had to have. Because we live in an apartment I didnt want to just paint it on the wall (which I normally would do cause I see my mom do it all the time), and this way it can be removed and even saved for our next place when we move again. My first thought about where to put the saying was to put it above our headboard....oh wait, we dont have a headboard! So, my creative mind started thinking. I went to the store, got 4 yards of fabric, three sheets of foam core board and went to town. The outcome of my creative attempt is below. Headboard, cute saying, and curtains (BONUS which I didnt have before either). Total cost for everything - approximately $28!

Back to school or not back to school...

So, for some of you who know already, Logan has decided he no longer wants to go back to school (if you want to know why, ask him). So after much deliberation (and some crying) I decided I need something different in my life and I have decided I am going to go back to school. I am not happy with my current job and the plan of us starting a family asap doesnt seem to be panning out like I would like it to. So on to different things. Now the deliberating is going to be what do I want to go into. Since Logan kind of dipped out on my dad and helping to take over the family business, I figured I would ask him what I could do to help since Logan was now out of the picture. So it looks as if I will be going into some type of business admin and possibly law after that or accounting. I am not really looking forward to either but in the long run it will be better and easier for our possible future family.

After being out of school for so long, I attempted to get readmitted to Santa Fe (now a 4 yr college and not a community college). I figured I would have to go to the school and talk to a counselor (which wouldnt work out well with trying to get time off of work) but just for the heck of it, I decided I would just log on to the website and see. With a click of my finger, I was re-admitted. It was that simple! I thought I remember seeing a note stating that I have to wait an alotted time before I could start taking classes, so I shut the laptop. Later that day, I had the feeling to go online and just see what classes I need to take, what classes I took in the past will transfer over to the new major, etc. Everywhere I looked, the website said register for classes, so I went through and picked a few classes, just to see. It let me register! We aren't ready for me to go back to school full time and quit work quite yet, so I registered for a couple classes to attend after work. I feel so blessed that things are working out. Things haven't seemed to be working out and I have felt more downs than up in the past few months. To have everything turn around in a matter of a few days feels amazing and I feel truly blessed that some of my prayers have been answered.

I am really doing this....I am taking a stand, changing my life and going back to school!

4th of July

For 4th of July the Anderson family got together and had a nice relaxing weekend at the lake. Greg, my brother, found a great campground on a lake with cabins and a huge mess hall.













We spent a few days having fun in the water. Swimming, boating, wave running, etc.
























We had two days of beautiful sunsets ending with fireworks, and smores by the fire. It was a nice relaxing weekend spent with family.

Baby shower, Bridal Shower and Wedding

Now that things have slowed down, I have the opportunity to fill everyone in on all the things I have been up to the past few months.



In January, I got the opportunity to throw a dear friend Rachel, a baby shower. Of course, I went ALL OUT! I baked the cake myself, had pretty good gifts for the guests, and made my first diaper cake as a gift to Rachel and baby Allie. Everyone loved the cake, which was my very first non-birthday cake I made (I have recently been inspired by too many Food Network cooking shows, and over priced cakes at the grocery store, to make cakes.... See below for wedding cake pictures!!!).

Thank you Kristi and Sis Meldrum for bringing food, it tasted awesome!

I heard many comments of what a good job I did and how the baby shower was "the best baby shower I have ever been too". Its always nice to hear things like that, especially after stressing over something so big as throwing someone the only baby shower they will ever have (in most circumstances). And Rachel loved getting all the diapers and taking apart each layer to see the presents within the layers. Now my future projects, diaper cakes for a future nephew, an unknown neice/nephew, and many pregnant friends!!!!


In May, I was able to throw a Bridal Shower for my best friend Sara. Unfortunately, I dont have any pictures of the shin-dig but it was a success. And from there I went to helping with the finishing touches on wedding details.

Sara and Jason were married on April 1st (she said no one would ever believe she got married so why not do it on April Fool's Day!) in very small ceremony at the Clerk of Court office (he is in the Navy and they knew they had to get married in order to allow her to any rights to any information if anything might happen to him while on duty... That and they are madly in love!!!). Because no family was able to be there, her mother and his mother decided they needed to have a ring ceremony for family and friends, although both the bride and groom (mostly the bride) didn't want to do so, they agreed knowing that there would be no way to get out of it. So Sara turned to me to assist with wedding details. After months of planning, everything was set and went smoothly, or as smoothly as is expected at any wedding!

Here are a few pictures of the wedding cake. Logan and I decided that our gift to the Bride and Groom would be the cake (whether purchased or baked myself). After getting prices from the local Publix, I decided the cake above & below (done by me, not Publix.... Can you tell?) was not worth $405, not including delivery. So I decided to take on the challenge and bake it myself.

I think the worse part of the whole experience was the travel. Driving from Gainesville to Jacksonville was aweful. Not to mention we were running late and Logan was going 110 most of the way, I KNEW something was going to go wrong. Due to the heat of Florida and the trunk of the car, some of the icing melted off the top layer of the cake and the bottom layer got some damage as well. But everything was fixable and turned out awesome!

For any of you who need it, I have experience with throwing showers and planning weddings, and can make a cake for any occassion!!!! Just give me a call!

Sara (Bride from above) just found out she is expecting, so I guess I have my next event scheduled. The calendar is booking up fast!!! ;-)

New car and bike commute!

After having lots of car troubles we finally decided it was time to invest in a new vehicle. After much research, planning, saving, etc., we purchased our first very own NEW vehicle. We puchased a 2009 Ford Focus pictured here (not actual vehicle...Gainesville scenery is not that cool). And we absolutely love it!!!! Yes, we now have a monthly car payment but we also have a reliable vehicle.

Bike commute...

I had the pleasure of driving our new car to work for a couple of months and then got that priviledge taken away. Because Logan works for the local Cable company he has been able to drive his van to and from work. Now that Logan is back in school and still working, he doesn't have time to take the bus to and from school and still get to work in a timely fashion. So, he was taking me to work in the morning and I was having to bum a ride home from co-workers. I hate bumming off of people, so I decided to purchase a bike!
I was actually excited about my 6 mile commute, and then the rains came before I could even start. Gainesville didn't see the Sun for 5 days! I was finally able to start my commute yesterday. Yesterday morning seemed like a piece of cake. I actually had a co-worker who was riding with me. We were so pumped up and ready to go. I didn't think it but I am in a lot better shape than she is. I had to stop 6 times in order to not leave her behind. Each time I turned around, she was stopped 1/4 mile behind me. By the time we got to work, she had quit and arranged a ride home for both her and I. I refused the ride home, rode my bike, and actually beat her to my house (which was where her car was parked). It might have killed me to go so fast, but I was very proud with myself. After the bike ride to work this morning, I realized I need a new seat, or at least a cushion! Other than the literal "pain in the butt", I am glad I have the opportunity to get fit, not be inconvenient to anyone, and most importantly, save $$$ on gas!

I am trying to get better with this blog thing. Unfortunately, our life is currently monotonous right now and I dont really have to much to talk about, but I will update everyone on what I can.
I guess I should start with a little more about us and what we've been doing....

Logan and I were married here in Gainesville in 2006. Later that year, Logan started taking discussions for the church and was baptized that November. In December 2007 we were blessed with being sealed for time and all eternity in the Orlano Temple. I am so grateful to have been surrounded by family and friends during one of the most important time of our lives.

We are still working on having children. Turns out I have more medical problems than we originally thought. We have yet to give up hope but have not eliminated the options of In Vitro Fertilization or adoption. I know I shouldn't but I often find myself asking, "Why me?" I want nothing more than to be a mother right now and I am hoping that we will have the blessed opportunity to bring children into this world. Until that time, it's work and school to keep us busy.

For Logan's birthday we had the missionary who helped baptize him, Drew, and his cousin visit from Idaho and took a few days off to play. We spent a day relaxing at Busch Gardens and a day driving all over central Florida with a final stop in Daytona Beach. I know we live in Florida but it can get cold here and only two boys from Idaho think its a good idea to go swim in the ocean when it is about 40 degrees!

We had a good few days of laughs, relaxing, and most important spending time with each other away from the woes of work, school, politics, and from everything else this year.

This past summer, Logan's brother Lincoln got married in Seattle. Since we were going up there, we took the opportunity to have a nice long vacation. We flew into Seattle two weeks before the wedding and headed east. We spend a couple days with Shane, my eldest brother, and his family then headed east again. Stopping in Montana we spent a few days with my grandparents and gave Logan a chance to get to

know them better since the only time he met them was briefly amidst all the commotion of a wedding. Continuing on our journey, we stopped and camped in Yellowstone and saw the natural beauty that was created for us to enjoy and marvel. After enjoying the sites and seeing more buffalo than we can count, we packed up our camping gear and headed back on the road again. We stopped in Rexburg, ID, met up with Drew (missionary from mentioned story above) and went to the Rexburg temple. After a quick session and grabbing some lunch we started to make our way back to Seattle.

Once back in Seattle we got to spend time with Logan's family, and enjoy a beautiful wedding. During our stay in Yellowstone, we took over 2,000 photos and by the time the wedding rolled around, we were all pictured out and forgot the camera at the hotel....we didnt even take a single photo!

Below is the only photo we have from our Seattle experience, taken by the photographer at Lincoln and Corina's wedding.