Summer Round-up Part One

(Obviously I don't let guilt over not blogging more often trouble me- however I have a ton of photos so I'm going to break it up some and do a couple of posts. )

Here are some of the highlights from the beginning of summer! 

Summer is meant for Sun and surf! 

Emil M. did indeed graduate. Emil and I flew out and Emil's Mom and sister, Maria, came as well. 

We took the tour of some of the sites at Temple Square. This was on the top of the Conference Center in the garden. 

Can I just tell you how gratifying it was to have your oldest child graduate from College? 

Heaven!

Sisterly Love!
She is the ONLY person Emil allows to love all over him!

Kirstin came down from Idaho for the weekend too! She wanted to give the gown a try on to see how it will feel in 3 years.

He has been home working at the Cotton Gin over the summer. It's been nice to have him home again. 

After graduation I ran the 10K I had been training for with my running partner Jaime. We did great and finished strong!

I got some new cookie cutters and had a fun time with them they came in handy when I made gift bags for all the families that came to the Yoder Reunion at Avon, NC in June.

My parents rented out 5 cottages and we had a week of fun in the sun!

It was wonderful seeing all my nieces and nephews with their young families and getting to spend some time with some of them!

Michael, Timmy & Sara Brown

Me and Dustin Plastow being piratey

My brothers set up a movie night and we watched some classic Godzilla movies. 

No reunion would be complete with out the Girls Chocolate Extravaganza! It did not disappoint

Sheila explaining the virtues of chocolate covered almonds. 

 We did do some touring with the family including a trip to the top of the Hatteras lighthouse which I had never actually been up!

 It was a great view. 

And a trip to the Ocracoke Lighthouse which I just love!

 My favorite part was Emil and I spending almost every day down at the beach soaking up rays, enjoying the waves and catching up with whoever chose to come down for the day. It was so relaxing and just what we needed.

Jake Yoder

Isabelle Yoder

Emil, Mattie, Mark

Carolina

David Yoder

Mom

James & Dad

Craig, Sumi, Eric, Donna, Kathryn, Emil, Emil M., Lisa,  Michelle

It was awesome to get to know one of my cousins and his family. 

Eric & Donna Steinhauer

We also got to see my Aunt Sumi and her husband Craig, whom I met last year at the Yoder reunion in PA that I went to with my parents. What a sweet couple they are! It was so fun hanging with them! I wonder if Craig has become a world class surfer yet? Emil taught him the week we were at Avon.

We have been so blessed to have such wonderful families! I loved spending the week with them and wish we all lived a bit closer. There just wasn't enough time to spend with them all but what a blessing it was all the same!

April Showers

I can't believe that in just over a week and half Emil and I will be flying to UT to see Emil Michael graduate!!! How is it possible that I have a child old enough to be a college grad?

 We are so proud of him and all the hard work he put in to getting his degree on time! He will graduate with a Bachelors Degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Someday he hopes to be a author but for now he is looking for a job as an editor so if you have any leads send them our way.
He is returning home to work for the summer at the Cotton Gin and pursue finding a job in his field. It is a very exciting time!

 

Kirstin has just finished up her second track at BYU- Idaho and has been loving it there but posts pictures of her at the beach frequently:)

I keep track of her on FaceBook and Instagram where she posts goofy pics of herself that make me laugh!

She has changed her major from Mechanical Engineering to Graphic Design and seems much happier now. She starts her 3rd track in a week and will go until July 22 then be a bridesmaid for her friend Camille in Ut and come home to be a bridesmaid to her friend Catherine! We can't wait to see her!

Luckily we will get the chance to visit with her and meet her boyfriend Shaye in person when we go to Emil Michael's graduation. (I hope by now he has some idea of what he's gotten himself into!)

Noah has started Drivers Ed!!! Where did the time go? He has grown so much this year. Both physically(3 inches when I measured him on his birthday!) and in his maturity level. He has enjoyed all of his teachers in High School even if not all the classes and has found a good group of guys to hang out with. He's hosted a couple of game days here at our house and it has been wonderful to see him in that element. 

Earlier this year we had to put our cat Jess to sleep. She was 18 years old and was very slow to move. From the way she got around we felt she was in pain and decided with the vet that would be the best course of action. Then just a week later on a beautiful sunny day,  our bunny, Pepper went on a unsupervised walkabout from which she has not returned. Pepper was 8. So we are down to just Blaze the dog and Miso the Chameleon. Given our record with pets we will probably have these two for another 10 years at the very least.

Emil has been getting in lots of winter surfing in water temps that no sane person would willingly, much less happily, endure but that's a surfer for you.. Just a clue he's not the one with the icicles on his beard.

Here he is leading singing time for our branch kids at church. He loves that calling and will happily substitute for it whenever he can.
He is going to have some minor surgery on his knee in May. He's been having lots of pain with it and hopes to have a good outcome from that. He will be driving back from UT with Emil M. after graduation so they can bring back Emil's car home. 

I got a chance to make some silk dyed Easter Eggs this year. They turned out so cool! I love creating them and saving them for the next year. The insides were blown out so it's safe!

So with my business Easter was crazy! The sales were through the roof!

 I made over 550 decorated cookies not to mention cakes, cake pops, and chocolate dipped Easter Eggs.

I got some new cookies cutters and found some really cute designs. These little guys were probably my favorites for kids. ( The hair and legs! Love!)

But I liked the simplicity of the flowers for adults. I think they would do well for Mother's Day too.

I felt like a Umpa Lumpa from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. It was good though and I was able to make enough of a profit to pay off Kirstin's last housing bill for this next track in one payment! Loved that!

This is my 3rd year in business and things have suddenly seemed to pick up quite a bit. I got a call from a local farmers market that wants to sell my items over the summer. It will make summer a very busy time for me but I think it will be good and give me the chance to save up some money. I'm looking at getting a new mixer but I'm not quite ready to commit to the price tag yet. I've been busier since I started my on-line store. Check it out here! It has really helped to have a platform for people to be able to use their debit or credit card with and it helps me not have to worry about asking people to bring cash or if a check will clear. I love the clean format and have just been thrilled with it all around! Some parts of my business I really like!

I'm on week 3 of training for my 10K. I'm only minimally sore so I'm taking that as a good sign. This week is 4 miles which is the most I've run at one time so it'll all be unchartered territory from here on out. I'm a bit worried about training when we go to UT since I think I'll have a difficult time in with the altitude and mountains but I know Emil will be there to motivate me so I'll get something done every day, even if it is just on a treadmill in the hotel. 

Better get to bed! Hope your spring has sprung!

Quarterly Report

So it's been a long time since I blogged. What's new? I'm going to be selfish today and just blog about the journey I've been on with my health for the past year. I promise to follow up with another post about the family soon!

On Tuesday I ran my first race! A St. Patty's Day 5K at the Portsmouth Coast Guard base. I've been running 3 miles a day through the winter so that part wasn't hard. It was the 80 degree temps that was a challenge. I was so hot! But my partner, Jaime and I finished in good time.

This morning as I was getting dressed to work out I realized it had been about a year since I decided to get serious about eating healthy, losing some weight and getting in shape. I looked back at a journal app that I use called Collect and discovered it has been exactly a year and 2 days. This is what I looked like then and

what I journaled that day. 

"I'm tired of having the muffin top, flabby arms and my jeans being too tight on my thighs. I've decided to eat healthier and exercise regularly. I'm taking pictures today to compare with in 1 month.

 I don't want to be a stick but I do know I can be healthier than I am now. My goal is to lose 20 pounds and gain muscle. "

I started by using a app called My Fitness Pal to track my food. I had always felt like I ate healthy but didn't pay attention to the labels. I began to actually look at what I was consuming. Using that app has been the biggest advantage in getting to where I wanted to be. It helped me be aware and educated about what I was putting into my body and to change what I ate from what tasted good to what was good for me.

By May a little had changed but it was very gradual.

The summer I continued to eat well and work out. I workout partner (Jaime) and I begin to run but I don't remember exactly when we started. I know we were walking in the spring for a good  couple of months before we tried running. Having a partner that is consistent has been my 2nd greatest gift. I don't like to work out so having someone to do it with and talk to helps the time pass so much quicker. Jaime has been a such a trooper. Every time I ask her to up the ante on our routine she is always up for the challenge. I could have not made it this far without her. 

Emil and I even began to run together some this winter and we've enjoyed it- which has been a really nice thing to learn. He's much faster than I am. (I've decided men are just genetically engineered to be better runners.) However that helps me to pick up the pace and strive for a better time. He'll even walk with me if I ask to slow down. 

I hit my weight goal before Christmas then kinda went off the rails. However, today I can say I've achieved all my goals. 

No more muffin top. No more tight thighs. No more flabby arms.

 I did it and it's been such a good lesson to me that I can do hard things. Hard work does pay off and taking care of myself and being healthy is worth the effort. 

I've signed up to run a 10K at the end of May! I've enjoyed having physically demanding goals for myself which is weird since I've never been a athletic person but it's nice to discover something new about yourself.  I encourage you all to give it a try! Try something new and scary! You can do it too!

Christmas Aire

It's Christmas time and my college kids got in this past weekend! It's so nice to have everyone under the same roof! We finally got to see the Handbell Choir at the Visitors Center at the DC temple this Friday. It was sooooo good!

This was the tough look picture.

I wish I could play handbells! and the cello. I love that instrument! The sound is so rich!

And of course the temple lights! We had to pick Kirstin up after the trip to the temple so she's not in these pictures but she got to see the temple lights at the Salt Lake Temple so she still got her fill.
Her plane got in too late for our DC schedule.

We brought Catherine with us to pick up Kirstin in DC. Those silly girls talked all night and went from crying to laughing so many times I lost count. I haven't even gotten any pictures of Kirstin home because she's been so busy visiting everyone!

Noah tested a couple of weekends ago for Tae Kwon Do and advanced in rank. He's still enjoying it and we love that it keeps him active! Grandma and Grandpop Moster were there to cheer him on.

He's been loving having his siblings home. He cannot stop wrestling with Emil M. I think he may be feeling more confident since his growth spurt. He's also officially taller than Kirstin now! He's pretty proud of that. He's got his sights on passing Emil M. in height but we will have to wait and see how that turns out.

Kirstin made it through her first semester at college. She is having a great time and has decided that our cold NC temps of 30 degrees don't even faze her now! She will be changing apartments and is excited to be closer to campus especially since she doesn't have a car! She's decided to change her major to Graphic Design, I think. Something along those lines. She has a boyfriend, Shaye, and is pretty smitten. From what we hear- he's super cute and takes great care of her.

Looks like Emil Michael will graduate in the spring with a English degree!!! He's hoping to get a internship this last semester that will lead him into a job after graduation.  We are praying that it will all work out for him. I think he's ready for a break from education for a while. He is definitely planning on relaxing the entire Christmas break, visiting a few friends and eating lots of homemade bread and goodies.

The first thing on my list was to give him a free haircut. It may not look like much but this boy was way overdue! This is what came off. (He's camera shy so I'll see what pics I can get over break and share those with you.)

Emil has been busy surfing every chance he can and finding a new food source for his chameleon. Currently he is raising hornworms. They are those huge green worms that can eat a tomato plant clean of leaves in one day. Apparently they are excellent for chameleons. They give me nightmares. He and Blaze have been running too. She loves that!

Some of the sunrises are amazing!

I am still running 3 miles a day 5 times a week. I'm proud I've maintained it with the change in the season however much of that is due to my awesome running partner and friend, Jaime. She's so positive and faithful that if it weren't for her I would have gone into my normal winter hiatus by now.  However if it's below 34 or raining we don't run. I guess it's good we live in a mild climate. 5:30 comes so early when its cold and dark outside! So many mornings I hit the alarm hoping its raining or too cold! We've only missed a couple days because of weather.

Scottish Shortbread

Ginger Krinkles dipped in white chocolate

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Business has been slow at the cafe but it's actually been nice with the season because I've had time to try new Christmas recipes- I have been playing with cinnamon caramels and shortbread. The turtles will always be my favorite. I could eat a million and probably have!

I also got to make several of these fabric stacking boxes that I just fell in love with. They're cute, easy and use up fabric scraps. Pretty much a dream come true for one who loves to sew!

 At the begining of the week Emil and I were able to attend a sealing of a older friend of ours at the temple. It was so sweet and beautiful.

We were talking in our Relief Society class today and I came to the realization that this life is

all about love.

God's love for us is why he sent his son. 

His Son's love for us is what caused him to give his life for us. 

Our love for our fellowman is part of how we can be more like him and will help us return to him. 

If we can just love one another more, our hearts can soften to the flaws we all have and are working on. 

Christmas to me, is finding the charity to do that. To try to begin to love my fellowman more perfectly as the Savior did. 

Merry Christmas! 

With much love- 

Kathryn