Hiking in Stewart Falls

So this last Saturday Ben & I decided to go hiking. We both love being outside & being active so it sounded like a great activity. The weather said it was supposed to rain that day so we brought umbrellas & jackets and went on our way. The hike is just under 4 miles round trip. Well, about half a mile into the hike it started raining, then pouring, then hailing, then thunder & lightening. We found a grove of trees and put our jackets on and got our umbrellas out however we both managed to get soaked!! We waited for about 25 minutes hoping the storm would pass and when it didn't we decided to head back. We then ate the picnic we had packed for when we got to the waterfalls in the truck and then drove around the national park for a little while. It then started to clear up and we embarked on the hike again. It was a fun hike and so nice to be outside especially after the rain. The waterfalls were really pretty too. Utah is not normally this green this time of the year so I really reminded me of home which I loved. Here are some pictures after we got soaked and made it to the falls.

Stewart Falls

Sitting on a giant rock enjoying the scenery.

Us at the base of the waterfall.

Us as we begin our 2nd attempt of the hike.

This is Ben staring out into the forest, I think he's trying to look explorerish.

Ben & Stephanie

So my computer crashed a few months ago, so tonight I had some spare time and I was uploading pictures from my camera back onto my computer. I found these random pictures of Ben & I.

We are at the TCU/Utah game. I was completely frozen by this point.

Us at the Jazz Game

Us on the Trax on our way to a Jazz game.

Here we are at Halloween last year. Our pumpkin is in the shape of a football.

Memorial Day Weekend - Tour of Idaho

For memorial day weekend we had a packed 3 days. We went to Ogden & watched Terminator with Ben's uncle, cousin, and grandpa. Yep..I was the only girl. On Saturday we headed to Rexburg to go to Sam's sealing. I've never been to Rexburg. I almost went to BYU-I so it was interesting to see the campus. That school is practically the whole town. I'm glad I eneded up at BYU. Ben took me on a tour of the town which took a whole 8 minutes :) The sealing was great. I'm glad we got to be there. Audi looked beautiful and Sam couldn't stop smiling the entire day. We then went to Idaho Falls where Ben suprised me with a hotel reservation for that night for our 1 yr. anniversary! So we went and walked around all the parks around the snake river and saw the Idaho Falls. Amazingly pretty parks there. We went to the mall, got coldstone, and sat in the hot tub at the hotel with a large man who was putting away the beer. We then spent the rest of the weekend in Ogden with Ben's extended family. It was so much fun to just get away and go on a mini road trip. Here are some pictures of us in front of the Idaho Falls.

A Black Tie Affair

So at the beginning of May Heidi and Janelle hosted a dinner party called A Black Tie Affiar. We were supposed to dress in nice clothes and enjoy an Italian dinner with a group of our friends. We had appetizers and a nice Lasanga dinner with homemade breadsticks. Ben and I hosted the dessert in which we had a cream pie with blueberries and strawberries on top. We then played pictionary and Catch Phrase (my favorite game). It was fun. Here are some pics from the night. I love how Ben rebelled and wore a red tie. It's a black tie party and he wears a red tie. Kinda funny.

Heidi's Birthday

This is a really late post, but I finally got to updating my blog and need to go back and post some pictures that are a little late. For Heidi's 22nd birthday party we went with our group of friends to a resturant in the Riverwoods called Happy Sumo. Really good and fun enviornment, never been there before. It was a really fun night. I hope she had a happy birthday!

Protien

Do we get the necessary amount of protein we need each day? According to the National Health and Nutrtion Examination Survey about 7% of teenage girls and 8% of adult women do not get the necessary amount of protein they need. Protein is important to many physiological functions, from building muscle and bone to keeping cells in good working order. Recent studies suggest that protein makes a meal more satiating, which in turn could help people maintain a healthy weight. Meat is known to be a great source of protein. But is this really the healthiest source of protein? When choosing meat as a main source of protein aim for lean meats like chicken, pork, and fish. Eggs, beans, and nuts are also excellent sources of protein also filled with Omega-3 fatty acids that help with heart health as well.

High Blood Pressure Levels

Blood Pressure is critically important in maintaining a healthy heart but also maintaining healthy blood vessels. If we do not keep our blood pressure down under healthy levels than significant damage can happen to the blood vessels due to such high pressure which leads to wear and tear on the vessels. If the vessels get worn down they lose their elasticity and become hard. Blood clots may also form on the interior of the vessels leading to ateriosclorisis. These blood clots may than halt blood flow which with stop the flow of oxygen and other nutrients to the heart or brain which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Here are the healthy and unhealthy levels so we can better understand what those numbers mean when we go to the doctor's office.

Below 120 & Below 80

Normal - Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

120-139 & 80-89

PreHypertention - Adopt a healthier lifestyle

140-159 & 90-99

Stage 1 Hypertention - Adope a healthier lifestyle, possibly need to take medications to help

lower blood pressure

160 or more & 100 or more

Stage 2 Hypertension - Adopt a healthier lifestyle, definently need to take medications to

lower blood pressure. May need to take multiple medications. Risk is high for heart attack,

heart disease, or stroke if not already sufferning from those diseases.

Farrah Fawcett's Cancer Battle

Farrah Fawcett was recently hospitalized for complications associated with her battle with anal cancer. She received some unconvential cancer treatments in Germany which caused a large blood clot in her leg. The cancer is quickly metasticizing and has spread to her liver. However, the survival rate is 71% for this type of cancer in women so hopefully this is something she can beat.