I Am So Blessed

Earlier this year I blogged about some drawbacks to getting older. In September, I started thinking about how blessed I am to be getting older and how much I have to be grateful for. I had it in my mind to create this post early and schedule it for publishing on my birthday. - Yep, the day is finally here, I'm 30. - So, on 29 September, I started this post. I'm planning to add and edit throughout the next 41 days so it's all ready for publishing by the 42nd day. Here goes!

In no particular order (and not a comprehensive list)...

I'm blessed because -

- I have a family who loves me
- I have grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, in-laws and 21 (soon to be 22!) nieces and nephews whom I love
- I have the gospel in my life
- I have the blessing of being able to repent
- I have been able to work at the temple once a week for a year and a half, and I work with some pretty great people
- I have had really good health for pretty much all of my life
- I have really good friends in my life
- I have had the blessing of being able to get two degrees
- I have two dogs who love me
- My natural hair color looks good on me (:
(that's what my mom tells me)
- I have a body that allows me to push it to do hard things and doesn't hold it against me
(for too long anyway...)
- 1 marathon, 4 half marathons, and multiple 5ks and 10ks, as well as 1 half-marathon relay
 - I have working senses that allow me to see, hear, taste, smell and touch beautiful things
- I had an internship that turned into a real job (with benefits!)
- I've learned to be happy in whatever situation I'm in
(it's a process, and sure I have harder times than others, but overall... I think I'm doing pretty well)
- I have never struggled with addiction to harmful substances
- I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on
(thanks Mom and Dad!)
- I don't know what it's like to really go hungry
- I have a car that gets me where I need to go
(even with it's recent repairs)
- I have a Savior who lived and died for me because He loves me that much
- I have had one dating relationship in which I learned a lot about myself
(hey, it's more than zero...)
- I learned to drive a motorcycle and got my motorcycle license
(again, thanks Mom and Dad)
- I am a certified SCUBA diver
(ditto to above)
- I have the ability to learn and grow from my experiences and mistakes
- I have the ability to feel joy and pain
- I know how to laugh
- I live in a place where I am surrounded by beautiful things
- I am happy

Happy Thursday (weekend eve!) Everyone!
I hope your day - and your life - is filled with reminders of wonderful and beautiful things around you.

God lives.
Jesus Christ lives.
And I am so blessed because of it.

Today I...

... went for a two-mile walk
... made a dent in cleaning up my bedroom
(filled a large garbage bag - more to come!)
(and that's when I found that quote I posted earlier)
... washed all my sheets, blankets, and pillow cases
(I'm looking forward to bed tonight!)
... went to lunch with a friend
... cleaned out the aquarium
... cleaned out a fishbowl
(I decided that the two other bowls can wait - their occupants died and were disposed of long ago)
... washed both dogs
(and got 'help' from my nephew - who soaked us both in the process ~ I let him take charge of the hose)
... went for a 'little walk' with my nephew and the dogs
(where the four of us all dried off)
... made whole wheat pancakes for my nephew's dinner
(so good that I had to have some too)
... did a little cleaning up in the yard with my dad
(very little)
... talked to a friend whose slogan should be 'for all your welding and haircut needs contact...' because she does both
(how cool is that?)
... went to bed early
(well, not yet, but I'm planning on it)

and all because I submitted (another) draft to my committee on Thursday

~and good night~

Beautiful Day!

It's a gorgeous day today.

Clear skies.

Low-70s temperature.

Gorgeous.

I sat outside for a while while working on some things.

And loved it.

Current highlights in the backyard -

hanging azaleas
(the picture doesn't do justice)

and always one of my favorites -

the blossoming crabapple tree
(again, not a great picture)

If there was a way for me to share the lovely scent wafting along the breeze then I totally would.
Until technology makes that possible, I'll just have to enjoy it for you.

So Many to Choose From!

I picked up my packet for the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon tomorrow (less than 9 hours to go!) and just now looked through all the handouts of upcoming races. Here are a few more I'm interested in...

• 5 May - Cinco de Mayo 5k Fiesta run/walk - I'm Mexican, I feel I have a duty to do this
  
• 21 May - Live Your Dream Charity 5k
  
• 30 May - Run of Remembrance - you pay for a shirt if you want to, it's free if you don't. they accept donations that all go to afflicted war heroes. I'm definitely doing this one. Read 'Unbroken,' and you'll want to do it to.
  
• 11 June - Utah Valley Half Marathon
  
• 25 June - Lehi Round Up 5k/10k
  
• 30 July - Timpanogos Half Marathon
  
• 10 September - Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon
  
• 8 October - Love Your Body 6k/10k - did this one last year with a friend, women only!
  
• 15 October - Chick-fil-A SoJo Half Marathon

Some of these conflict with others on my previous list, so I'll just have to make a decision about which one to do. I'll tell you this though, as cool as I think the State Capitol Half would be, I'm definitely running the Run of Remembrance instead.

Some races found here. I'll have to look through the website more to find others.

Things I Hope To Do This Summer

• 30 April - Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon
• 7 May - Komen 5k Race for the Cure - a friend asked me to do this one with her
  
• 14 May - Volunteer @ Girls on the Run 5k Fun Run
  
• 21 May - Armed Forces Day Challenge Course - I need a partner for this one, interested?
  
• 30 May - State Capitol Half Marathon
  
• 4 June - National Trails Day Dog Run - if I can talk someone into doing this with me, I may bring both the pups
  
• 2 July - Dirty Girl Run @ Wheeler Farm - mud runs are the best!
  
• 4 July - Freedom Run 5k or 10k (maybe because I'll be mud-running it 2 days before I'll stick to the 5k)
• 16 July - Bryce Canyon Half Marathon
• 29-31 July - Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA - the garlic capital of the world

I'll most likely be adding (and possibly subtracting) from the list as the summer progresses. Stay tuned for updates (but only if you're interested). (:

Most races found here.

Not Seen on Above List:

• Finish my thesis. I walked in last week's graduation, now I just need to wrap everything up and I'll be done!
• Find a job.
• Hike. A lot.

A Good Month

On 1 October I went on a date with a guy in my ward. I enjoyed it and it seemed that he did too, but I had never been on a second date before, and didn't really plan on being asked out by him again.

That weekend (2-3 October) I emotionally ate all weekend - leading to the only weight watchers weigh-in I had where my weight went up.

On 4 October, he called - and asked me out again for the upcoming weekend. I was thrilled.

On 10 October he called me after church and we went to feed the ducks. While feeding the ducks he asked me out for the upcoming Wednesday and Saturday. That Wednesday he held my hand (a first for me). On Friday I invited him to a fireside my parents were giving on that Sunday. That Sunday, after the fireside, he kissed me (another first).

I saw him at least three times a week for the two weeks following. On 26 October, while driving home from having dinner with him and some married friends of mine, he said there were some things we needed to talk about...

On 30 October we talked about them.

He didn't think we should date anymore.

I took it pretty hard, and the next day (Sunday) felt like an emotional wreck. Sunday night I wrote in my journal until almost 2 am. I felt a lot better after writing. I included an entire paragraph with almost all the sentences beginning with 'I'm mad because...' It was very healing.

I saw him tonight at a fireside and didn't get emotional. But I did want to talk to him.

I didn't.

He was a big part of my life for all of October. Sometimes things come up that I immediately think of sharing with him. And then remember that we don't have that kind of relationship anymore.

It kind of stinks.

Tonight when I got in my car and plugged in my ipod, the song 'Unanswered Prayers' by Garth Brooks came on. I hadn't really been praying about things with this guy. It seemed too early to want things to go a certain way. However, I do think I prayed a few times that things would keep going well. I was really enjoying being in a dating relationship - and he's a really good guy. But hearing this song reminded me that there's a reason behind things that we may never figure out. Or not figure out for a very long time. As painful as it was, I'm thinking that somehow, it was for the better. And maybe someday I'll know why.

this was the only version of the song that I could find.

The reason I can still look at October and call it a good month is because I feel like I can appreciate the experience for what it was.

- for the first time ever, a guy was actually interested in me at the same time I was interested in him (unfortunately my interest outlasted his)
- I held a guy's hand multiple times (and it was thrilling every time it happened)
- he's a good guy. sadly, things ended, but he's a good guy. it was a good first-time-relationship experience. he wasn't a jerk, or a creeper, but a really nice guy.
- coming out of it, I find myself wanting to be more social because I want to experience that again. I haven't felt a need / desire to be social for a really long time, so this is definitely a good thing.

It's November!

(the first fallen leaf I saw this year - back in September I believe)

And it looks like it'll be a good month!

What I've Been Doing

Four weeks ago (today!), I went to my first weight watchers meeting. It was great. My sister-in-law Jen went with me. She had been talking to me about it for about a week or so prior, answering various questions I had about the program. We've had conversations about it a few times in the past few years but I had never been as interested as I was about a month ago.

So, I took the plunge. I went in, signed up, and got going. It's been four weeks, and it's been 11.4 lbs (as of weigh-in this morning).

I have loved it so far. I love knowing how much I should be eating, and what I really love is knowing how my exercising transfers into food. It's great knowing exactly what I've 'earned' from doing the elliptical for 45 minutes. Whether or not I use all of those earned points, I like having them there as extra. Just in case.

It makes sense that weight watchers is the most successful weight loss program out there, because they teach you how to use real food to your advantage. It's not like the other extreme diets I've tried where I severely limit my options, lose weight, and then go back to eating normal food and don't know how to handle it in a healthy way. I'm definitely pro-ww! (:

It's also been wonderful to have the support of my sister-in-law - who's been through this before - and my sister - who's going through it with me. I feel healthier, and I love the changes that I'm able to make. I've also been more active in these last four weeks than I have for a long time. Seeing the number drop on the scale is also really motivating, but I'm trying to gear up for the time I hit a plateau so I don't get frustrated.

All in all, it's been a great experience.

Now, not sure how long I want to keep this picture posted... but here's a 'before' picture, taken four days before I started the program (excuse the helmet, we had just reached the top of the mountain on our bikes):

and at the risk of being redundant, here's the picture I posted yesterday (about 10 lbs. lighter!):

Obviously, the clothes and the fixed hair will help the look, but I like to think there's a visible difference already...

Perhaps I'll take a picture again in another 10 lbs. in the second outfit so I can have a better comparison... (:

Perhaps Another Reason I Want To Go To Italy

I'll admit - I cried a little bit while watching this.
Sometimes I just need a good hug.

I Smell Spring

For the first time this year I smelled freshly mowed grass.
I love the smell of freshly mowed grass.

a fat little sparrow outside my window a few weeks ago

Right now I'm hearing the birds chirp outside my window.
I wish I could have them as background noise all the time.
I don't think I'd ever get sick of their pleasing little chirps.