enjoy exercising

On Thursday I spent a few hours reading various blogs. One of my favorite blogs to read is written by my good friend, Molly Miner. She has been an inspiration to me ever since rooming with her in Idaho a few years ago. Also, she and her husband are so fun and they have the cutest little girl so it's easy to see why I can spend multiple minutes adoring over her blog.

Anyway! As I was skimming through her blog, I came across a post she wrote titled Do It Now. If you have a chance, you should read it! She starts off by saying if we even have the slightest inkling to exercise to do it right away. Because it's so easy to talk ourselves out of exercising. But she also mentions that we won't regret if we do. The thing that stood out to me was when she wrote, "how long does 30 minutes of exercise take? 30 min. ;)" And that really hit me! Lately I haven't been too excited to run because I feel like I have to run further and faster than I did last time. But after reading her post, I realized that how far and fast doesn't matter. What's important is that I just do it.

Then she challenged her readers to make it a goal to exercise 5 times a week for a month. After I read that, I was motivated. I had no excuse. In my head I said, "Darn you Molly, now I have to run. :)" I ran for 30 minutes on Thursday and I didn't worry about where I was going or how slow I was. It allowed me to enjoy exercising! Anyway. I'm officially starting my goal this Monday. So wish me luck. :)

This idea of not worrying how far and fast also applies to daily scripture study. It doesn't matter how far you read or when you finish. What matters is that you read until you feel inspired and then apply it to your life. Remember to enjoy the journey and not focus on the finish line-even with the little things we do every day.

home

             Today I feel

                              .... weird...

And I can't explain it. Have you ever spent hours in contact with numerous familiar faces, but not one of them seems to echo the warm expressions you’re trying to convey toward them? And everything that comes out of your mouth contrasts with what you gathered in your mind? And you go home to someone who really cares about you and even though they are providing just what you need, it doesn't help. You try and tell yourself that you’re being irrational; it doesn't matter what other people think. And yet you can’t shake the thought that maybe you don’t belong anywhere.

I see the same faces at work, school, and at church. And everyone is friendly. And some people are extra nice. But sometimes I still feel alone. It’s like I’m trying to be best friends with everyone I come in contact with that day. But in reality, all I need are the people I call family.  I came across a quote I really like:

“Everybody has a home team: It’s the people you call when you get a flat tire or when something terrible happens. It’s the people who, near or far, know everything that’s wrong with you and love you anyways. These are the ones who tell you their secrets, who get themselves a glass of water without asking when they’re at your house. These are the people who cry when you cry. These are your people, your middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what people.”-Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way

It doesn't matter if all my co-workers love me, or my classmates, or the people in my ward. What matters is that I’m the luckiest girl because I have the best home team. Just to name a few members:

My husband

My parents

My best friend Rachelle

My parents-in-law

My brothers

My grandma Mary

My aunties Laura and Karoline

My brother-in-law Nephi

My cousin Amber

And especially my Heavenly Father. No matter how near or far I've placed Him in my life, He still loves me. He knows all my secrets, my stumbles, and my irrational fears. He cries when I cry and He is definitely my middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what kind of person.

Today I feel:

much better

humble

and amazed.

And I can explain it. :)

it's the little things

it's the little things in life that truly make me happy.
it's the small moments spent with my husband that make me realize how much i love him.
it's the personal accomplishments along the path of life that make me feel good inside.
it's the relationship i have with my family and with God that let me know i'm never alone.

for example, today my husband and i google chatted for the first time ever. some couples meet online and it's kind of weird/different when they speak to each other in person for the first time. ammon and i have only been communicating verbally for quite some time {we share a phone} that it was kind of weird/different chatting it up via google today. and it was fun! our conversation went from being amazed at technology to inserting smiley faces into everything we typed. and i was smiling the whole time because my husband is also my best friend.

today i rode my bike all the way to UVU and then all the way back home again.
according to google maps, it's about 5 miles away and takes 30 minutes on bike to get there.
well, to me it felt more like 10 miles, and it took me almost an hour...
buy hey! this was a personal accomplishment and i'm glad i did it.

last week my mom took me and ammon to lunch. then she let us borrow her car for the day so we could buy a new vacuum and a lot of other much needed items. my mom cares about me so much. the way she smiles when i talk, the hugs she gives me, and the time she sets aside to spend with me all show me her love. i love her more than words can express!

lately, i've been praying to feel things more. i want to feel the spirit more. i want to feel love for other people more, i want to feel closer to God. i want to feel changes in myself as i try and improve. God is listening. He loves me. I know it. I can feel it. :)

hypothetical conversations

Sometimes Ammon and I like to have these crazy hypothetical conversations  (mainly because he starts them). They go a little something like this:

Ammon: what if humans laid eggs?

Me: uh...(It takes me a few seconds to process Ammon's hypothetical questions)

Ammon: people would want the nicest incubators for their babies. they'd probably still have babies at the hospital. they'd have high tech incubators.

Me: true... (I'm still trying to process the idea of humans laying eggs)

Ammon: actually, people would just buy incubators and lay them at home.

Me: so how many eggs would we lay? would we be having 12 kids at once?

Ammon: maybe. and then people would probably start stealing eggs! 

Me: yeah, that's probably why we don't lay eggs.

And that was how the conversation ended. Ammon's really good at coming up with hypothetical questions. When I try, here's how it goes: {notice it's a lot shorter}

Me: what if jobs were categorized by city?

Ammon: you mean put all the surgeons in one city?

Me: yeah. and all the teachers in another city.

Ammon: that wouldn't work. "oh no, my house is on fire. 2 hours later, the firefighters arrive. my house is already gone."

Me: yeah...

I figure after being married to Ammon for a few more years I'll be much better at this hypothetical thing. Until then, what if all the colleges were randomly demolished by terrorists?

transformation

I know everyone else has already said this, but I'm going to say it anyway:

 I LOVE FALL! 

The weather here in Provo has been absolutely amazing. The sun is out, yet the air is crisp: two things I love. Suddenly, I want to be outside. I want go running. I want to get out of the apartment. I want to hold hands with my hubby wherever I go. These feelings pale in comparison to how I felt during the summer. 

Guys, I really started to think I was turning into a boring person. I didn't want to go running. I didn't want to even step foot outside. I didn't want to hold hands or have anything close to me for that matter. This past week I have felt like a new person! I am more goofy, more engaging in conversation, more affectionate toward my husband, and just more happy in general. Why? Because of the weather! Who knew? They say people get depressed if they don't see the sun for a while. I say, that if they see too much of it (and they're stuck in Provo), then it has the same effect.

I want to live where it's fall all year long. 

So... you'd think with this new love I have for fall, that my house would show it. Sadly this is all I have in my house: 

I found this at the dollar store!

I'm hoping to make a fall wreath sometime soon. Send me links if you know any!

Okay. Some other things I've been up to:

I finally purchased a curtain rod for the valance I bought. It seemed easy enough to assemble. But it was actually pretty tricky and I'm proud of myself for finishing it. Here's how it turned out:

Tuh-duh!

The other day Ammon and I joined our good friend Chad and his friend Janessa for some Frisbee golf in Pleasant Grove.  It was the coolest course!

And then we went to the Purple Turtle

muffins and mormon pass-along cards

Hey guys!
Not too much going on over here. 

Ammon and I just got back from another date to D.I.

I found me some "new" clothes that I'm really excited about. 

Ammon brought home a dinosaur book, a comic book, and season 3 of Seinfeld. :)

We are having breakfast for dinner.

Blueberry muffins just came out of the oven. 

The house smells absolutely delicious.

I just checked the mail.

We received our October Ensign.

Is anybody else super excited about the new Mormon pass-along cards?!

"We are thrilled to introduce these new, versatile pass-along cards to help you share the gospel. A scan of the QR codes will give your friends instant access to specific topics on Mormon.org. You can use the space at the top to write personal messages or share your Mormon.org profile address. We encourage you to be as creative as you wish in using these new cards."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Problem: I can't think of anything! So if you're reading this, maybe you could share some of your ideas on using these new cards. I was thinking I could maybe leave them in some of the Newspapers at UVU. I'm just too nervous to hand them to someone. And I don't know anyone closely who isn't LDS. Hmmm... I do ride the bus a lot... 

Nope. Too scared. 

This is the sad truth: I've never shared the gospel with someone who isn't a Mormon. I've never had to answer any tough questions or explain to someone why I am the way I am. 

Reasons for this may include that I grew up in Utah, that I'm way too nervous I'll say something wrong, or let's face it: I just don't socialize with non-members too often.

But I want to!

It is my dream that I will one day share the gospel with someone of another faith, or someone who doesn't believe in God at all. And maybe that's why I'm so excited about these new pass-along cards. I will put them in my wallet and hope for the best! And maybe if I pray and have courage, God will do the rest? :)

Me with my muffin and pass-along card. Please excuse my tired expression and poor-lighting. 

i once put a sock in my hair

Okay. So remember how I'm a little behind when it comes to technology? Well, I'm also a little behind when it comes to hair-dos. 

For example. Ever seen this perfectly beautiful bun?

Of course you have. It's only been around for forever! Well. For the past year or so, instead of listening to my teachers lecture about matrices and synthetic division, I stared at the girls sitting all around me and thought, "how the heck did she do that?" 

Then I'd go home and after a bottle of hair spray and a million bobby pins I gave up. 

Well kids, I have finally figured it out. Those girls had socks in their hair. Yup, you heard me. A sock! And guess what? I once put a sock in my hair too. 

Before I started. {And before I realized the flash was off.}

Me and my rolled up sock
{Correction: Me and Ammon's rolled up sock.}

And tuh duh! See that bun? There's a sock inside of it!