Day 1 of the Sugar Detox complete

I have made it a full 24 hours without sugar, carbs, and basically anything I hold dear.  I feel pretty pathetic because I am already starving!!!  I haven't smiled in the last few hours and am pretty sure this is the worst thing ever!
On the other side I really need this, and seeing how hard it is for me right off the bat is just proving how badly I needed to do it.  I cannot believe how many foods have sugar in them and how often I ate them.  It is a little bit scary.
I am currently wondering if life is worth it without sugar...
Im also loathing other people just because of what they eat...thats not good...
I really want a piece of chocolate and it doesn't help that I am extremely aware of where every piece of chocolate is in this house.  I wish I could get rid of it all but I am not the only one living here and I don't think its fair to force this on others.  I would be super ticked off if someone did that to me.
Anyway to sum it up, Im starving, grumpy, and want a piece of chocolate!

Hoping this gets better soon.

Janae

2013 Has Come to an End and The Nelsons Press On!

Blogging has taken a back seat the last few months.  We have kind of been in a limbo state as Jason has taken a new job in Utah County and are working on selling our home in Logan.  Its usually harder for me to blog when things are crazier in life rather than when it's smooth sailing.  But because this blog is our family history it's important to write about whats going on, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
This post will take form through an interview with Jason...

So Jason what is your new job and are you loving it as much as hoped?

Jason: I work at Qualtrics selling one of our products called 360.  It is a software based technology that allows for companies to streamline their internal processes.  and Yes I am loving it.

What is the best part of living in your in laws basement?

Jason:....(long pause).  Just the opportunity to have Liam spend a lot more with his grandparents than normal.

What is the worst part?

Jason: There is a lack of privacy.  Hard to have any quiet time in the house.

What is the status of our Logan home?

Jason:  It is currently under contract and in the process of being sold.  We are crossing our fingers that everything works out and we will be moved out in January.

Where are you hoping to end up after the home sells?

Jason:  Somewhere out of the basement.  We have a few areas we like but not exactly sure where we want to start looking.  We are very excited to start the process!

How awesome is your wife on a scale of 1-10?

Jason: You can't scale Janae on her level of awesomeness.

Is that a cop out?

Jason: No!  its a better answer than 11.

How do you like living in Utah Valley compared to Cache Valley?

Jason:  They are both beautiful areas and I have appreciated the new scenery.  It's definitely lacking Aggie fans which has been an interesting adjustment.  We have definitely enjoyed having more activities and places to go with Liam especially in the cold months.

How was Christmas?

Jason: Christmas for me was the best one I  have ever had so far.  It was especially humbling to watch Liam and see how excited he got on Christmas morning!  There were other aspects of service and keeping the true meaning of Christmas close to our hearts that made it very special.

Well Jason has been drug off by Liam so I guess our interview has come to an end.

We are so incredibly grateful for all our blessings and love and support from family.  Although our move from Logan was hard we know it was the right decision.  Cache Valley will always fill a large part of our hearts since that is where we wen't to school, met each other, bought a home, and brought our beautiful baby boy into the world.  They are such irreplaceable memories that will always tie us to Logan.  We sincerely miss our friends there and know we will always be close to them.  Aggies for Life!

What Do LDS Women Get?

General Relief Society Meeting

This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending the General Relief Society Meeting in Salt Lake.  What a blessing it was to go into that beautiful conference center and here the words from our General Relief Society Presidency and beloved Prophet.  I could feel the love of my Heavenly Father pour through them as they spoke to us about covenants, families, and the blessings of Relief Society.
One part that particularly stuck out to me was in President Monsons message about a sister prompted to take some homemade bread to another sister in need.  She tried to ignore the prompting and even rationalize that it would be inconvenient but eventually gave in.  It turned out to be an enormous blessing and act of love that the sister receiving the bread couldn't of been more grateful for.  I thought to myself how many times have I rationalized myself out of a prompting?  Sadly far to often I do not follow through for various reasons and have later felt the sting of a missed opportunity.  That failure to me is a win for Satan and it breaks my heart.  I have promised myself to be more diligent when receiving a spiritual prompting recognizing it may not seem rational to me, but Heavenly Father is very aware of why that prompting is necessary and that I need to act!

I encourage you to watch this wonderful broadcast and feel of the love your savior and Heavenly Father has for you!

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/general-relief-society-meeting/2013/09?cid=HPTH091213087&lang=eng

Back 2 School Carnival

Our cute neighborhood has a back to school carnival!  Everyone brought ten small prizes and then had ten little carnival games.  Each child could then have a prize at each game.  They also gave everyone tickets they could use for the games or treats.  It was such a fun idea and all the neighborhood kids loved it!

 Liams taking in all the excitement! Not sure what to do first!

 He totally had a blast and was on a small sugar high by the time we left!  Thanks to the cute neighbors and all their hard work! So much fun!

Canoe Family Pics

Family Pics taken by Stephanie Hyde. http://www.stephaniehydephotography.com/

Location: First Damn Logan

Putnam Family Reunion, Pine Valley Utah 2013

A few weeks ago we traveled to Pine Valley for the Putnam family reunion and Grandpa Howard Putnams 90th birthday.  It was such a fun time, and so wonderful to catch up with family.  Not to mention Pine Valley is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  One of my favorite parts of marrying Jason is being able to be a part of this family.  They are some of the most loving wonderful people I have ever met.  Unfortunately because there are so many I still don't have everyone's names down but I'm working on it!  

Our small family Unit

 Our medium family unit..(were missing a few brothers and sisters.)

The Large Putnam family of course still missing some but wish they could have made it!

 This is Grandma and Grandpa Putnams dog Tizzy that they promised to me in their will!  lol I seriously was in love with this dog!

 We had a great devotional on overcoming trials and this picture is of everyone blowing bubbles representing letting them go.  It was really neat activity.  

Can't wait for the next reunion in two years!

One of the Perks of being a Mormon!

Chances are if your are a Mormon you have been given or received a plate of goodies!  Its kind of our signature thing.  It is also one of my favorite parts of living in a dense Mormon populated suburb.  Just yesterday I was craving cookies but we were out of eggs.  Not too much later a sweet family showed up at our door with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  My heart jumped for joy!  

Now this could be the end of my story and it would still be a great example of kind neighbors but that's just a small part.  This was not any ordinary family.  This was a family who has endured some of life toughest trials in the past few months.  I have watched them go through such hardship and trial.  Through it all they have been incredible examples to me and others.  Not only have I greatly admired them but now they were standing at my door, bringing my family cookies.  

I can't describe how touched I was and also how humbled.  I had to take a good look at myself and ask "what am I doing to serve others?"  and "what's my excuse to being idle when others are serving me?"

I am so grateful for this family and the influence they have had on me in such a short time of knowing them.  They are people that have truly impacted me for the rest of my life just by their example.  So if your reading this take a challenge and make a plate of cookies or something to take to someone else, you never know what it could mean to them.  

And who wouldn't want that deliciousness???

Meet the Puppies

Deacon

Deacon is the Mr. Happy go Lucky.  His tail is always wagging and he is always excited to see you and run after you.  I love his markings and he is just so dang cute.  He is all about the kisses too!  He also loves to hide out in the kennel or under the deck.  He is pretty relaxed and content to hang out by himself until you give him some attention and then he is right at your side.  

BEAR

Bear is the Bruiser.  He is rough and tough and loves to play.  We have a magnetic screen door that usually takes dogs at least a day to get used to, and the first time Bear saw it he took two steps back and then charged!  He literally flew through it!  I was shocked but he is such a fast learner and loves to explore.  My favorite thing about Bear is that his eyes are actually blue/grey and very pretty.

Lila

Lila is the princess.  She is so sweet and trusting.  She is completely content letting you just hold and cuddle her.  She is also the smallest but she doesn't let that stop her.  She loves to play with the boys and wrestle.  I love the very bottom picture of her because she totally looks likes she is posing for a magazine! ha Strike a pose!