Our Christmas Card to You :)

Merry CHRISTmas! 

I'm so excited to celebrate! 

If you did not receive a physical copy but would like one next year, message me and I'll put you in our address book :) 

I like to add a personal update but didn't really have time this year, you know... school. Hopefully in future years I 

won't be referring you to the blog. haha. 

Andrew's 42 in 2018

42 LBS. IN JUST OVER 3 MONTHS AND & 11 DAYS (102 days)! If you had asked me in January, I never thought I would be here by December and never thought I WOULD or COULD actually lose this much weight.

---------------------------------

All through high school I was a constant 150 lbs. Then combine my freshman year of college with my two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to Anaheim, California where I came to love Vietnamese food and I returned home in June 2010 at 185 lbs. However, within 6 months (December 2010), I dropped 25 lbs. and was back around 160 lbs. I have slowly gone up since then. I hung around 170 lbs. for a couple years then found myself at 180 lbs. I hit 190 lbs. and bought myself a gym pass to increase my exercise from basketball once or twice a week to much more frequently.

Then in February 2015, Audrey and I met and started dating. I maintained my exercise pretty well and actually was successful in dropping 10 lbs. and was back to 180 lbs. I maintained for a while, especially while she was at school - we dated apart for 8 months while she was in school at Utah State University in Logan and I was in Provo working at Qivana. I was at the gym everyday. It was during this time that I last remember wearing my black suit (pictured above) at the Qivana company Christmas party in December 2015 and again in January 2016. By this point, I wore it because I liked it, but the pants started to get tight on my legs and the jacket became too small to button up, so I would wear it without buttoning.

Then we got engaged in January 2016 and my workouts fell to the side. I still played basketball each week, but I let the gym pass expire and I stopped going. That 10 lbs. quickly came back by our wedding that summer. Audrey and I both got new VASA gym passes in November 2016. Shortly after, on December 29, I logged 205 lbs. This time however, I was not seeing the same success I had seen before.

My weight just fluctuated around 205 lbs. and even increased! I was drinking Qivana protein shakes each day for breakfast. I had seen many other people experience weight loss with these meal replacement shakes, but they did not seem to be working for me. At the beginning of March 2017, Qivana merged with Zija International and my life became too busy for the gym and now I was working in Lehi instead of Provo. That made it a lot more difficult to get to the gym every day with traffic and the time it took to get home.

By summer 2018, I saw my weight peak at a point higher than I had ever been before. I knew I had gained weight because I could not wear many of my clothes anymore. I was wearing bigger pants and couldn't even zip up or button my old jeans anymore - some of them I couldn't even get up my legs (like my black suit pants I wore when I met Audrey). My stomach was becoming more visible and my face we very full. It was embarrassing. I plateaued and peaked soon after a started a new job at Synergy WorldWide.

(Here is my photo from the first day of work at Synergy at the end of February 2018)

August 2017 -- 211 lbs.
September 2017 -- 212 lbs.
May 5, 2018 -- 213.4 lbs.

Then the pain came. I think it started in March 2018. About once a month, I would wake up in the middle of the night with intense, radiating, internal pain stabbing through the right side of my abdomen. After a few hours the pain would subside with Ibuprofen and heat. Sometimes, the pain lingered throughout the day for a bit. One day I was late to work because of it. Another time, I was uncomfortable all day and another time, it happened after work but went away and I played basketball that night. At first, I assumed it was muscle spasms. Though I started to wonder what was wrong with me.

It happened in July 2018 and here's how I enjoyed my birthday....

Finally, the pain occurred THREE times in ONE week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday/Saturday (longest yet). That was enough, I decided to go in for a physical on July 31st.

The blood work came back showing that I had elevated:

• Liver enzymes: AST & ALT - these are supposed to be between 0 - 45. Mine were at 250 and 900+
• Biliruben
• Total Cholesterol
• Triglycerides

Now that we knew something was definitely wrong, they sent me to undergo an ultrasound on August 7th. Then a couple days later, I received a phone call while at work with the diagnosis that I had several small gallstones in the neck of my gallbladder. I had been experiencing gallbladder attacks and was referred to visit a General Surgeon on August 16th. The surgeon did not comfort me - surgery was really my only option. Avoiding surgery was to tempt fate. They offered to get me in the next day, but I was not ready for that. I postponed two weeks to make the decision and come to peace about it.

We were praying for a sign that surgery was the right thing for me to do. Audrey and I went to the temple. I had surgery scheduled for Friday, August 31st and throughout that week, I noticed a distinct difference in the way I felt. There was a constant discomfort in my abdomen the entire week and I just did not feel very good. That was the best sign and confirmation I could have aside from having another severe pain attack.

I did have surgery early in the morning on August 31st. I walked out of the surgical center and went to the grocery store with Audrey. I was up and around that day since it had been a laparoscopic surgery with only four tiny incisions. I went to a wedding reception that night. It felt like I had done the most intense ab workout ever.

Within two and a half weeks, I was playing basketball again and I had lost 15 lbs.! I did a follow-up blood test on September 12th and my liver enzyme levels had nearly returned to normal. Then October 5th, I did another blood test and my cholesterol had dropped more than 75 points and was back in the normal healthy range. The surgery fixed everything!

August 31st - 213 lbs.

September 15th - 195 lbs.

October 7th - 188 lbs.

October 28th - 183 lbs.

November 25th - 177 lbs.

December 11th - 171 lbs.

I have found success by drinking a lot of water at the beginning of meals, by eating smaller portions, and by being active. No special program. While I have been eating whatever I want, I am being more conscious of what and how much I am consuming. I have tried to avoid eating foods that are high in fats and calories. I still eat these foods if I feel they are worth it, but I just eat less of them. When eating out, I share with Audrey or eat half or less of what I used to, and save the rest for another meal later. For example, I would always eat a full Cafe Rio salad and still be hungry. Now I'm filled by the time I eat half of it. I have made an effort to eat more vegetables and fruits while avoiding snack foods. I am saving money while being healthier.

As for activity, I work a 9-5 desk job, but try to walk one mile during lunch. I play a couple hours of full-court basketball at least once a week and on the other days have done a mixture of walking, running, and cycling at the gym. Overall, I'm moving more. I have a goal to reach 10,000 steps every day, but often find that I exceed 15,000 steps in a day. It really does matter what we put into our bodies and how much we move. I'm excited to keep going! 

I'm happy to share more about what I've done if anyone is curious or wants some ideas to try!

TAKEAWAYS:
-I love food! I have learned that I can still eat whatever I want, I just eat less of it and save the rest to eat later.
-Drink tons of water! I have only touched soda twice since the end of August and had a very small amount each time. I've only had 2 small Gatorades in that time as well. I've had juice a handful of times - orange, apple, grape - but I limit myself to a small cup or 1 glass.
-Exercise can be just moving - it doesn't have to be training for a marathon - I have played basketball once per week, walk, jog, and stationary bike. That's it. I haven't done any weight training.

In the Christmas Mood

I've always been a big believer in no Christmas until after Thanksgiving. 

But this year I'm ditching that belief and have hopped on the Christmas train early.

Every year I'm so swamped with school that it's hard to enjoy Christmas and then when school is 

 finally out, Christmas is only one week away. 

So I'm changing things this year so I can get my fill of all things Christmas for as long as possible! 

This weekend we definitely started the celebration and I'm not regretting my decision one bit.

Andrew and I somewhat, kinda have a small obsession with the Bath and Body Works wallflowers.

They are always plugged in so when we come home, it's a little bit of heaven. 

And in our new apartment we can't have candles so we really, really love the wallflowers. 

They are the best.

Promise.

And I love how Andrew loves them just as much as me. 

They were having a sale which happens only once a year where all wallflowers were only $2.50!!! 

We stocked up for the year. And we're quiet content 

(and thank you gift cards. one being from an ex boyfriend's family, haha). 

Currently loving the Cinnamon Caramel Swirl.

Every time I walk into the room I squeal like a little girl on Christmas morning.

It's that good. 

Also we have Costco to thank for these. We are so ready for Christmas with all the smells and treats. 

We're trying to apply the serving size to we can keep them for a longer amount of time.

So far so good, but we'll see how long that lasts... I might cave.

And can I talk about one of my new favorite things? 

Andrew and I stopped by Hobby Lobby 

to just look around. 

I don't know if it's even possible to do at that store. 

Anyways, by completely embracing the Christmas season we looked down the isles and I found this;

my heart stopped.

One of the most beautiful statements that I haven't thought twice about. 

Cannot wait to hang this when we decorate for Christmas! 

But first we need to decorate and hang up everything that is our all year home decor.

Haven't got to that yet. haha. 

We've been watching Christmas movies to welcome in the season.

Boyfriend for Christmas... haha probably one of the cheesiest movies.

We were laughing through the entire thing! But get this.

Andrew had it on DVD before we were even married! Oh and parts of the movie were definitely filmed in Utah. 

It's hard to miss when the Salt Lake Temple is in the middle of the shot.

Oh Hallmark. You are something else. 

And something to remind us all to be more careful and grateful.

While Andrew and I were out driving we were stopped at a red light and we heard this loud noise

 and a trash bag flying high through the air.

Which was confusing because it was not windy outside.

But our brains then registered what we really saw. 

What we thought was a trash bag was not that at all, but a person.

It was so scary realizing what we saw and what had just happened. 

He was on a motorcycle trying to get through the light before it turned. 

Another car was making a left turn and didn't see the motorcycle. 

The guy on the bike flipped high in the air. Literally. It just isn't a sight you want to see. 

I'm writing this to remind me when I look back on my blog and anyone who reads, that life is precious.

Andrew went to see what he could do to help. The guy obviously had a concision and by the looks

of it,  a compound fracture on one of his legs but seemed ok. Overall, so lucky! He could have been so much worse. 

I mean, that guy flipped and landed hard on the pavement. 

His life changed so fast in less than 30 seconds. 

A reminder to be careful and aware of surroundings. 

To take life at a slower pace. 

Figuratively and literally. 

Thinking and praying for both of the individuals- the one turning left and the one on motorcycle.

Life is special. Life can change so quickly. 

So grateful that Andrew and I  are safe at home together and our families are alive and well. 

We are blessed. 

Our "Super" Halloween

I have noticed recently that this little blog of mine is full of A LOT of puns. 

Maybe I think they're funny. Or witty. Or eye catching. I don't know, but I don't think it's going to stop. haha. sorry.

And look, I blogged sooner than I thought I would! #Accomplishment! 

Halloween was a fun experience. Our theme this year in the classroom is superheros so we decided to all dress up as an Avenger. Fitting right? 

Before our little class party the real Spiderman came in (a.k.a. Andrew).

Special ed is kind of a hard thing for Andrew to understand. He's come a long ways though (so proud). 

So when he asked me if he could dress up as Spiderman and come in to say hi to my kids my heart melted. He would have never have offered that 2 years ago! He even brought candy to give to them. 

He came in the class and the kids loved it! There was cheering going on. One of the kids walks up and says, 

"I'm your biggest fan!" 

Our Halloween festivities involved eating lots of candy (at least I did) and watching a movie

where we both fell asleep. We woke up at 10:30 and went to bed #sotired. 

I'm was just ecstatic that my night class was cancelled! 🙌 That was the best thing that could have ever have happened to me. 

Estes Park + Arches Day 2

Guys, I have reached that point in the semester where I'm done. 

When I'm working around 24 hours a week (or more) plus full time school, I'm exhausted.

So, that leads to me procrastinating homework, which leads to me blogging. 

Oops. 

And blogging about Colorado makes we wish we were back on vacation. 

Good thing Thanksgiving break is around the corner or I might die (i don't even know if i'm exaggerating or not here, 

for reals my brain is almost dead). 

But anyways.... 

Our last full and final day in Colorado we were able to go up to Estes Park. 

Colorado is it's own little nature land and I loved it! Estes Park just added even more charm to it all.

Later I found out that my dad came here all the time when he was a kid with his family. 

Being the history person that I am, especially when it comes to family (you may have noticed that from yesterday's post) 

I wish I had known that before. Being where my dad and grandparents were 50 years ago and having those made up images in my head... 

Guess we'll just have to go back ;) 

^We were so close! I'm amazed every time I get close to wildlife^

 They had the cutest Christmas shops all over Estes Park. 

I freaked out when I saw all the different styles of nativities. I love them so much! 

At that point I could have skipped over Halloween and gone straight to Christmas.

^Estes Park also had so many different taffy stores that had the funnest flavors too^

Some of the best taffy I've ever had. 

After Estes Park we went back to the Hayes' apartment and just relaxed, talked, and laughed a whole bunch. 

For instance, have you seen this video? We had it on repeat! 

Colorado is unquestionably beautiful. I loved touring the area and seeing all the unique things around.

One day we'll go back and take it all in again. 

We absolutely loved our time in Colorado. Go there! It's amazing. The end.

Ooohhh, and I'm going to squeeze in our 2nd day at Arches in here real quick.
Because who knows when I'll have time to blog again (#life #homework).

The following day Andrew and I said our goodbyes which are always the worst and left back to Utah.
Once again, the drive amazed me. I am someone who gets in the car and if the car ride is longer than 45 minutes, I'm out.
But driving through Colorado I was awake the entire time! I was that amazed!

We decided to go back to Arches because our pass was valid for 7 days. Totally worth it.
We hiked to Landscape Arch and beyond.

^Utah has its beauty too.  I mean come on! 😍^

^Double O Arch^

We went to go and see the Dark Angel which was beyond the Double O but Arches fooled us
because the entire time we thought it was an arch. Lies!
A storm was coming in and we were looking for a arch and we could not find it.
We reached the end of the trail and right in front of us is this tall rock. Somewhat disappointing.
But now we've seen it. Done and check.

Thanks school for giving us a fall break. We needed you. 

The Mile High City

One of my absolute favorite things about our trip to Colorado was going to the Denver temple. 

All growing up I heard the stories about events that happened at this temple.

Clifton family history time: 

(1) My parents got engaged here. Part of a threat. haha. My mom and dad had been friends for YEARS

(i'm talking around 12 years here) and my dad had asked my mom several times to marry him but she always said no. 

She liked dating and he was just her friend. 

Well he surprised my mom at the temple one day and said if she didn't say yes this time he was leaving 

and would be gone forever. Well, she thought about it and 2 hours later in the temple she said yes. 

(2) Two months later they were married in this temple. 

So I really wanted to come and see the place where their forever began.

It was special. 

And I am so grateful for my parents and all the sacrifices they went through to make sure 

that getting married in the temple happened. 

I loved every minute. 

^28 years ago^

I love them so much! 

We went out to eat after our trip to the temple and funny story (and totally me): 

We brought clothes to change into that were a bit more casual. I went to change and I packed everything but a
shirt. Well, guess that I meant I was staying in my dress for the rest of the day. So glad I packed a pair of flats.
Or that would have been killer! haha. 

The Hayes took us to the cutest ice cream shop that I've ever seen in my entire life.
And it was all decorated for fall as a pumpkin patch with hay and pumpkins.
I almost died.
Not only was it cute but it was delicious and they had some of the funnest flavors.

Such as french toast, pb&j, ginger snap, horchata, salted oreo, lemon lavender. 

We tried quite a few before settling on which ones we wanted. 

 ^We all got smalls which come with 2 scoops. pb&j and space junkie were my favorite.^ 

We toured Denver and it was funny. It was a Saturday night and hardly anyone was out. The city was almost dead.
I said they were all camping. Colorado is an outdoor kind of people place.
We had a lot of fun being in the city and saw a lot of people were high, and not just in the elevation,
if you know what i mean.... 

Denver was such a fun place to be. It was a city inside an outdoor town. 

Wish I was back there because there homework doesn't exist! ha! that would be great. 

Only a month and a half left of the semester and then I can breathe a bit! 

We Googled it!

Driving from Grand Junction to Boulder was one of the prettiest drives I have ever been on.

Many people told us the drive would be pretty, and I believed them, but oh my goodness, it was beyond beautiful, 

especially with all the fall colors going on. 

We arrived at the Google Headquarters and met up with our friend Kenny. 

Earlier this year he and his wife moved out to Colorado to work for Google. We've missed them so we decided visit 

them and to see Google in all its glory. 

Google has everything! When we got there they were serving lunch to all employees and guests for free and it was good food. 

It's an everyday kind of thing. 

They had salmon, clam soup, pasta, salad, and the chocolate chip cookies were something else. 

After lunch we took the grand tour of Google. Kenny was an excellent guide and we got to see a lot of fun stuff.

I mean, look at all these places where employees can take their work! You just don't need to sit at your desk, you can go to 

a different location and do your thing. 

^There was a guy working in the trailer, really so many different places to take your work^

^Small room to have to yourself for work or a video conference- Lord of the Rings style.^

^Designed after the Colorado flag^

Kenny described Google as a mom who is a multi billionaire who takes care of you.

Breakfast, lunch, snacks. It's right there when you want it. 

They had these micro kitchens everywhere where employees (and us) could grab something to eat.

^A mini game room if you need a break or during lunch^

Not pictured- a gym and a massage room.

Also they had all these mini games like table shuffle board and chess. It was amazing. 

After Hallie got off work she came and joined us. It felt so good to be with the Hayes again. 

Two years ago when Andrew and I were only 1 month into our married lives we went to church and went to the 

meeting for new move ins. The Hayes' were there as well for their first time too and we hit it off with 

them and have been really good friends ever since. 

^Just look that view^

We walked down Pearl street, a cute little downtown area with so much life to it.

It was closed to street traffic, cutest shops, and there were street performers. 

Our first day in Colorado and we already fell in love with it. 

(10.20.2018)