(i will hopefully post pics in the next few days of our fun weekend, but i needed to make a journal entry, so feel free to ignore this boring post;)
I am consistently amazed at how different my children are in comparison to each other. I KNOW they have the same parents. They were raised with the same toys, books, and silly rhymes. Yet Katherine and Jake are polar opposites in so many ways. They are yin yang. I love watching them learn and grow as they each excel in their own way.
___
Yesterday I let the kids each call to have a friend come over to play/hang out. I am thankful for the amazing, kind, intelligent friends my children have found since moving. Jake and his friend played video games, went to the temple and then out to ice cream. Katie and her friend watched the big boys a bit, then they made cookies--not just so they could eat them, but they also came up with the idea to take some to a few neighbors. Justin and his friend played, shared and were kind to others. If I made a list of attributes I want my kids' friends to have, these kids all fit that list. Preteen and teenage years are ahead and friendships will change often, I understand and remember. Yet my heart sighs a little in relief and thanksgiving knowing these are the children my kids choose to associate with at this point.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
13.1 miles? Really?
At the beginning of last year I worked hard to lose weight. I lost 37lbs, leaving the obese category and feeling quite healthy. Not skinny by any means, but I've never wanted to be skinny. ewww. Curves are great. Hours and hours of aerobics and walking in January and February. Then, life changed in March. My Grandpa died, so we had some extra stress and a long road trip to San Diego. The next week I went with Dave to Idaho to interview for his new job. Then two weeks after that I had my comprehensive test for my Master's degree. Life happened and I let my exercise slack off.
While in Idaho, I saw that they were having a half marathon on June 5th. This seemed like a great way to motivate myself to get back to exercising and I decided I wanted to train so I could walk the 13.1 miles. I had 2 1/2 months--plenty of time, right? Right! That is, if you DO train. For some reason, I found it difficult to train when I was studying for my test. Then Dave moved to start his new job and I got to be an alone mom for 6 weeks. Plus the selling of the old house and buying the new home and packing and moving. And unpacking. It is easy to see why I didn't make the time. So since I didn't train, I shouldn't have done the race. But, I did.
I decided I was just going to walk. No big deal.
I have an exceptional competitive (bordering on stupid) side to me. When all the other people in the walking group were going SO fast, I started my pace too fast. I would have been fine had I wisely stayed with the back of the pack. I'm not wise. I kept up with the middle of the pack and my knees were crying by mile 9. I would walk a bit until my right knee hurt too much then I would do a slow jog until my left knee hurt too much. I hobbled across the finish line and I wasn't last. There were about 2% of the people behind me.
It was foolish, but I did it. I was very sore for a few days, but I did it. Did you know that all along a half marathon or marathon they have people there to cheer for you? It was the greatest thing ever. You feel like you can't go farther then a stranger yells words of encouragement and you know you CAN go farther. It helps your body keep going. I was so glad I had my sunglasses on because I shed more than a tear or two on that course. Who would've thought that 13.1 miles would be such an emotional experience for me? While it was foolish to do a half marathon without training I am exceptionally glad I did it.
Then I let my knees rest a few weeks. My sister and I got it into our brains that we should try for another half marathon. This time we would train and we would do it with 27,000 of our new best friends down at Walt Disney World. We even roped some suckers, I mean friends, into doing it with us. I realized that the most difficult part of a half marathon isn't the race itself, it's all the miles and miles and miles and miles of training. It took a lot of time to prepare but it made the race quite different. No excessive pain or soreness. No wondering if I could do it. It was actually kinda fun, in an insane kinda way.
Why I want to remember:
Reason #1--If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. If ye are not prepared, be afraid. Be very afraid. Events in life are much easier and enjoyable if you are properly prepared but preparation isn't always easy.
Reason #2--I wish I could truly express how much having the strangers cheer for me helped. I would not have finished without them. How much could my cheering help others in life? My husband, my children, my friends, strangers even? I believe cheering others on, offering kind words whenever possible, can make a huge difference. It may not matter to those who are prepared for the event they are enduring, but for those enduring an event beyond preparation it can make a world of difference.
While in Idaho, I saw that they were having a half marathon on June 5th. This seemed like a great way to motivate myself to get back to exercising and I decided I wanted to train so I could walk the 13.1 miles. I had 2 1/2 months--plenty of time, right? Right! That is, if you DO train. For some reason, I found it difficult to train when I was studying for my test. Then Dave moved to start his new job and I got to be an alone mom for 6 weeks. Plus the selling of the old house and buying the new home and packing and moving. And unpacking. It is easy to see why I didn't make the time. So since I didn't train, I shouldn't have done the race. But, I did.
I decided I was just going to walk. No big deal.
I have an exceptional competitive (bordering on stupid) side to me. When all the other people in the walking group were going SO fast, I started my pace too fast. I would have been fine had I wisely stayed with the back of the pack. I'm not wise. I kept up with the middle of the pack and my knees were crying by mile 9. I would walk a bit until my right knee hurt too much then I would do a slow jog until my left knee hurt too much. I hobbled across the finish line and I wasn't last. There were about 2% of the people behind me.
It was foolish, but I did it. I was very sore for a few days, but I did it. Did you know that all along a half marathon or marathon they have people there to cheer for you? It was the greatest thing ever. You feel like you can't go farther then a stranger yells words of encouragement and you know you CAN go farther. It helps your body keep going. I was so glad I had my sunglasses on because I shed more than a tear or two on that course. Who would've thought that 13.1 miles would be such an emotional experience for me? While it was foolish to do a half marathon without training I am exceptionally glad I did it.
Then I let my knees rest a few weeks. My sister and I got it into our brains that we should try for another half marathon. This time we would train and we would do it with 27,000 of our new best friends down at Walt Disney World. We even roped some suckers, I mean friends, into doing it with us. I realized that the most difficult part of a half marathon isn't the race itself, it's all the miles and miles and miles and miles of training. It took a lot of time to prepare but it made the race quite different. No excessive pain or soreness. No wondering if I could do it. It was actually kinda fun, in an insane kinda way.
Why I want to remember:
Reason #1--If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. If ye are not prepared, be afraid. Be very afraid. Events in life are much easier and enjoyable if you are properly prepared but preparation isn't always easy.
Reason #2--I wish I could truly express how much having the strangers cheer for me helped. I would not have finished without them. How much could my cheering help others in life? My husband, my children, my friends, strangers even? I believe cheering others on, offering kind words whenever possible, can make a huge difference. It may not matter to those who are prepared for the event they are enduring, but for those enduring an event beyond preparation it can make a world of difference.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sunday Afternoon Church
(For those that don't know, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We don't just choose what congregation we want to attend, rather we are divided geographically into "wards". This allows us to fellowship with our neighbors and severely lessons inter-congregational competition among other advantages.)
Currently, four wards (congregations) share our church building. At the beginning of the new year the wards rotate as to which will start services at 9, 9:30, 1 or 1:30. We went from beginning at 9:30am to 12:30pm. After complaining a bit in December about the impending change of doom, I am here to eat those words. I was SO sure I would hate the new time and schedule--I was SO wrong.
See, the wards that start on the hour have Sunday school-type classes first from 9-10:40 or 1-2:40. Then these wards go to our main service, Sacrament meeting, from 10:50-12 or 2:50-4. The wards that start on the half-hour have Sacrament meeting first from 9:30-10:40 or 1:30-2:40 then they go to Sunday school-type classes from 10:50-12:30 or 2:50-4:30. Yes, we go to church for 3 hours almost every Sunday. Sorry if that was confusing but it pertains to the post.
I loved the 9:30 time slot last year and so I was sure the afternoon church thing was going to be annoying. We have done it before, but it has been many years and our family has changed significantly. We don't shop or go to movies on Sunday afternoons, but we do love to play games, take naps and partake in afternoon naps. I knew church at 1pm would end those things. Plus, I currently serve in our nursery--teaching and playing with children 18months old to 3 years old. Church at 1 makes nursery at NAP TIME. This is another reason I was not looking forward to 1pm church.
Let me share some of the benefits of our new time.
Reason #1: I now get the nursery children for the first part of church. Heeheehee...that means their parents get them when they are a little more tired and cranky for the last hour of church. Selfishly, this makes me giggle inside. Can't explain or justify it, that's just the way it is for me.
Reason #2: We are using Sunday mornings to the best of our advantage. Rather than sleeping in for a few extra hours we still get out of bed before 8am. We are enjoying a relaxing breakfast as a family. Dave and I have a quick meeting together to discuss needs, goals, and concerns. LOVE it! Then we have a family meeting to discuss calendaring, menus, needs, goals, and concerns. So nice :) Then we have calm, family time with Uno or some other card game. Soft, gospel-type music plays in background as we have lunch and get ready for church. It is a purposeful, peaceful time for our family.
As a result of our well used time on Sunday morning, everything is running better around here. Chores are getting done at a much higher rate. Savings accounts have been opened and children are adding to them regularly. I'm MUCH more relaxed when I get to church because I wasn't part of a crazy morning rush to get everyone ready.
I hope this post reminds me to be more open to changes in the future and to find the positive. But...now I am wondering about two years from now. In January 2012 we will go the 1:30 slot but in 2013 we will be back in the morning. How am I going to keep my Sundays so peaceful?
Currently, four wards (congregations) share our church building. At the beginning of the new year the wards rotate as to which will start services at 9, 9:30, 1 or 1:30. We went from beginning at 9:30am to 12:30pm. After complaining a bit in December about the impending change of doom, I am here to eat those words. I was SO sure I would hate the new time and schedule--I was SO wrong.
See, the wards that start on the hour have Sunday school-type classes first from 9-10:40 or 1-2:40. Then these wards go to our main service, Sacrament meeting, from 10:50-12 or 2:50-4. The wards that start on the half-hour have Sacrament meeting first from 9:30-10:40 or 1:30-2:40 then they go to Sunday school-type classes from 10:50-12:30 or 2:50-4:30. Yes, we go to church for 3 hours almost every Sunday. Sorry if that was confusing but it pertains to the post.
I loved the 9:30 time slot last year and so I was sure the afternoon church thing was going to be annoying. We have done it before, but it has been many years and our family has changed significantly. We don't shop or go to movies on Sunday afternoons, but we do love to play games, take naps and partake in afternoon naps. I knew church at 1pm would end those things. Plus, I currently serve in our nursery--teaching and playing with children 18months old to 3 years old. Church at 1 makes nursery at NAP TIME. This is another reason I was not looking forward to 1pm church.
Let me share some of the benefits of our new time.
Reason #1: I now get the nursery children for the first part of church. Heeheehee...that means their parents get them when they are a little more tired and cranky for the last hour of church. Selfishly, this makes me giggle inside. Can't explain or justify it, that's just the way it is for me.
Reason #2: We are using Sunday mornings to the best of our advantage. Rather than sleeping in for a few extra hours we still get out of bed before 8am. We are enjoying a relaxing breakfast as a family. Dave and I have a quick meeting together to discuss needs, goals, and concerns. LOVE it! Then we have a family meeting to discuss calendaring, menus, needs, goals, and concerns. So nice :) Then we have calm, family time with Uno or some other card game. Soft, gospel-type music plays in background as we have lunch and get ready for church. It is a purposeful, peaceful time for our family.
As a result of our well used time on Sunday morning, everything is running better around here. Chores are getting done at a much higher rate. Savings accounts have been opened and children are adding to them regularly. I'm MUCH more relaxed when I get to church because I wasn't part of a crazy morning rush to get everyone ready.
I hope this post reminds me to be more open to changes in the future and to find the positive. But...now I am wondering about two years from now. In January 2012 we will go the 1:30 slot but in 2013 we will be back in the morning. How am I going to keep my Sundays so peaceful?
Monday, February 07, 2011
Hypocrite!!
I am the world's largest hypocrite and I am apparently OK with it. Here are a few examples of my hypocrisy I don't mind sharing with you:
- I tell my kids to do their homework but I always waited until the last minute to do mine. From middle school through my master's, I almost always waited until the deadline was looming.
- I want my kids to be friendly with others but I still haven't gone to meet the neighbor that moved in over a month ago.
- I hope my kids will read their scriptures and say personal prayers yet mine is lacking and I am often just glad we got our family scriptures and prayers done. My kids are much better at personal scripture study than am I.
- My children are expected to save 50% of their income but I sure like to fritter ours away at Costco buying large quantities of beautiful fruits and vegetables that will go bad before we could possibly eat them all. We shall not discuss the large quantities of junk food that DO manage to get consumed before going bad.
- The biggest reason I am a hypocrite today: I REALLY wish my friends, new and old, would update their blogs but I never do because I don't feel I have anything important to say.
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