grateful for ... essential oils

Yeah, I know. Essential oils are just voodoo magic stuff. They really don't work, right? Wrong! I love essential oils. I am fighting all my illnesses of late naturally and at a fraction of the cost. I love that treating a UTI only costs me about $5. I love that I can treat it at home and don't have to call or go to the doc. I love that I have control over what goes in my body. I love essential oils!

grateful for ... lectures

As part of my "foundation of fitness" goals this month, I have been tracking what I eat in myfitnesspal, an app on my phone. I've tried several apps for tracking food and really like this one. What I love even more is that the pedometer app I use to track my steps, distance, etc automatically updates myfitnesspal with every step and calorie from the day. Less for me to do. Woot!

I know I need to eat better and fuel my body better if I am going to run this half marathon in May. Part of getting better is knowing where you are. Apparently, I'm not in a great place. On a regular basis, I get this notification (lecture if you will) after tracking my caloric intake and outtake for the day.

Based on your total calories consumes for today, YOU ARE EATING TOO FEW CALORIES. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your daily calorie consumption. 

Well, there you have it. Lectures from electronic means to tell me that I'm not eating healthy enough. My new goal for November is to NOT see this message again for the rest of this month. I'm rocking it today. Now, I'm off to walk a full 5K. Yup, I'm healthy. :)

grateful for ... excuses

Normally, I would say excuses are a bad thing. I am a master at using excuses to get me out of doing things I hate, buying things I don't really need, and generally doing stuff I shouldn't be doing. :)

Today though, one of the girls that went to Belize with me this summer went to the Logan Temple for her first time. She asked if I would like to go with her. Of course! This is one time an excuse was a great thing. It get me back to the temple after too long an absence.

I'm so proud of Nicole and her decision to go on a mission. I was ecstatic to get the invitation to go to the temple with her. I am really hoping that I will be able to go to her talk that is not a farewell. She is going places and doing great things. Yay for Nicole!

Another girl who went to Belize is going on a mission as well. Two others have signed up to go on an expedition next year. I'm waiting for these boys to grow up so I can see great things from them! Love these kids. There will also be a special place in my heart for each one of them.

grateful for ... leverage

Let me just start by saying I love, LOVE, cuban sandwiches. All those rich flavors smashed together in a sandwich that is grilled and served warm is just pure bliss. I think it is the pickles. I crave things with that vinegar taste. You know...pickles, potato salad (homemade like my mother makes it), fry sauce (the kind from A&W that has chunks of pickles in it), A-1 steak sauce...that kind of vinegary thing. In fact, vinegar is what I craved most during both of my pregnancies. We ate so much steak those months. Ah, sweet vinegar, how you brighten my life.

Which is why I really love cuban sandwiches, who wouldn't? One day, this craving just got to be too much and, being the careful consuming I am trying to make myself be, I decided to make one (or two or three) instead of going out to eat and buying just one. If I did this correctly, I could spread my bliss out over several days and maybe, just maybe, kick this cuban craving to the curb for a couple more months. I went to the store, purchased all the ingredients, and went home with thoughts of melted deliciousness for lunch. It was a good dream.

And then this happened...



And this....



And then I put the jar of pickles on the cupboard and walked away, for my own sanity. For three days, THREE DAYS, I would try again and again and again to open this stubborn jar of pickles. I looked like this.... But maybe with a few tears.



Then suddenly, the windows of heaven opened up, the sun streamed through the windows, choirs singing the Hallelujah chorus filled the air, the jar of pickles finally opened.



Ahhhh! success. Sweet, sweet success. I may have made three cuban sandwiches on the spot, one for each day that jar of pickles was keeping me from my goal.

Marlene 1, Pickle jar 0.

grateful for ... insoles, almost

When I planned to start a "foundation for fitness" this month, I knew I would need new shoes eventually. However, I'm just not ready to plunk down the $150 that new running shoes will cost. Is it really worth the cost? Absolutely, but just not yet. I'm not running yet, just walking (at least 30 miles according to my goals). So, I really don't need those expensive shoes yet. I'm thinking they will be part of my January budget. I do need something though. The shoes I have now are almost completely broken down. I need something that will get me through the next two months, something that will allow me to increase my fitness level and not kill my feet.

So, I bought some insoles. I had planned to get the more expensive, fit to your feet insoles sold after you do a foot analysis (you've seen those machines at WalMart), but they were out of my size/fit/whatever. So, I settled for a much cheaper style. I'm not in love with them. I still get fatigue from a tiny 3-mile walk but they are definitely better than nothing! So, I'm limping along (ha ha) until I either break down and get those expensive shoes or I get different insoles. Either way, I'm walking regularly, tracking my food, and already losing some weight. More importantly, I have more energy and am feeling stronger. I can do 30 miles, no sweat!! Bring it November. :)

grateful for ... social media

Because of work and family commitments, I have not gone to my ward in a month and have not heard any of the announcements on upcoming activities. Through social media, I found out that today was Stake Conference, at 10:00am (not 11:30am), and was at our ward building (I would have normally gone to the Stake Center). It wasn't until I got there that I found out it was a regional Stake Conference. If I would have gone at 11:30 (regular start time for church), I would have missed an amazing meeting. Thank you facebook! :) 

grateful for ... friends who can talk

I am a very quiet person. I don't need or want to be the center of attention. I get overstimulated quite easily, which kicks off my anxiety. I prefer small groups to big ones. I prefer classical music to anything else. I prefer to sit in a corner and people watch. I prefer solitude.

That being said, today I trekked to Blackfoot, ID for an SCA event, Artemisia Kingdom Collegium. Collegium is just what it sounds like, college. It is a full day of classes on all things medieval from cooking to fighting to embroidery to card games to book binding to you name it, we have a class on it. It is an all-day affair and one of my favorite events. I love to learn!

First, I went to documentation classes (2 of them!). Yup, I want to start entering Arts and Sciences Competitions and I wanted to learn how to do the documentation. Then, I attended a class on strategies for winning archery tournaments. Wow! No wonder I'm not great! I also talked to the teacher about coming to my little shire and teaching some technique classes. Then, I spent the afternoon learning some embroidery. I knew all the basic stitches but it was good to learn a different style. The highlight of my day (well there were several) was learning how to sew gems on fabric! It was amazing. I really want to do something with gems everywhere. :) This picture is of the one I started. I didn't want to use all the teachers supplies so just went far enough to know that I was doing it correctly. Isn't it amazing?

What does all this have to do with friends who talk a lot? Well, I can't drive after 8pm. I can but it is not safe, for anyone. I just fall asleep too easily and have had some pretty close calls. I just don't start a long trip if it will go much past 8pm. However, I knew Collegium would go until about 7pm, which meant not getting home until about 9:30pm. Ummmmm, that's a problem. So, I asked a friend to ride with me. He's a great talker and kept me awake. Totally made my day! I was able to go to Collegium and stay awake.

It was a good day.

grateful for ... sunshine

It's true. I bathe in sunlight every chance I get. After a few days of rain, the sun was brilliant today! I went for my first "foundation for fitness" walk today and just basked. I wish I could have walked longer but, being my first walk, it just wasn't going to happen. After I came home, Georgie and I sat out in the courtyard for a few minutes and now I'm sitting in the office with the blinds wide open enjoying even more sunshine. I know that there are many, many sunshineless days ahead of me and that makes me even more grateful for today.