new year ... new adventures ... new me

To get caught up.... December was a whirlwind of emotions and decisions and pure craziness. After six weeks of unemployment, I found myself employed again! What a blessing to find a job so quickly. The new company is based in Virginia and since I want to do project management/process improvement kind of stuffs, I need to work in the office. In Virginia. I am very excited about this job because I will basically have a new job every 18 months (or so). My professional life will look like this...be assigned a process, work it, improve it, hire and train people to take over, move on. How perfect is that?

And yet, this is me....



Looking at what looks like a long road. This year of 2014 is going to include a few adventures.

Adventure #1: Start my new job with three straight weeks in VA. This time will let me get to know the office, visit some apartment complexes, meet my soon-to-be SCA group, and go to church in a ward (probably not THE ward) a couple of times.

Adventure #2: Use the limited time I have in Logan to pack up the house and get it ready to rent by the end of April.

Adventure #3: Get Kaitlyn on a mission.

Adventure #4: Fingers crossed I will spend Christmas in Germany.

I can't plan other adventures right now but I know they are coming!

This is going to be an amazing year. I can't wait to share it with you.

grateful for ... good friends and colleagues

I know it is not November but I still have so much to be grateful for. Four weeks ago tomorrow, I was let go from my job of over nine years with no warning. Just walked in to work, received my papers and left about an hour later. It was an interesting Friday to say the least. I took the weekend to process it all and hit the emails on Monday. I was talking to two different companies within 24 hours about job opportunities. That just doesn't happen! I have such great friend and colleagues who look out for me.

My future is unknown but I know I am being guided toward something amazing. Life is good.

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. :)