"It's Christmas Time in the City..."

I'm not a huge fan of winter. It's too cold, and I like to be outside. But if there is one redeeming quality about Utah in the winter, it is the lights at Temple Square. It is so, so, so beautiful! I was down there last week and took these pictures. I think they turned out sort of amazing.

Reflection of temple in the reflection pond with the floating glowy ball things.
Nativity scene on the reflection pond.

This is my friend, Brett, who took me to see the lights.

View of Temple Square from the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Assembly Hall

Classic temple through the tree shot

I fell in love with these cute lanterns along a sidewalk near the Relief Society Building.

Like I said...winter in Utah might just be worth it to see a view like this...

I love Christmas time!

Bucket List #68 - Hike to Delicate Arch = Complete

Last weekend, Heather, Haley, and I went down to southern Utah to run in the Winter Sun 10K race. We decided to make a weekend of it and see some other sites while we were down there. On Thursday night, we drove down to Monticello and stayed in a hotel. Then we did an endowment session at the Monticello Temple the next morning. I love small temples! The workers are so excited that you're there! It was windy and freezing!

After the temple, we grabbed some lunch, changed, and headed to Canyonlands National Park. All of the following pictures are from Canyonlands and they can be summed up by saying, "Fun with rocks."

Jumping in the air pictures!!

After Canyonlands, we headed up to Moab, picked up our race packets, checked into our hotel, and headed to dinner. This where I tell the story of the only bad thing that happened on the trip. I decided to be bad and get a hamburger and french fries at dinner. When I say "bad", I mean full out BAD...bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado, green chiles, and jalapenos. It sounded way too good to pass up, so I cut it in half and only ate half of it. That makes it ok, right? :) It was heavenly delicious. Then we backed dinner up with some ice cream.

My body went on immediate strike. I had the worst heartburn a person could imagine. Haley went next door to the pharmacy and bought me some Tums. I downed like six of them. Nothing. Then I felt like I was going to barf, so I went to the bathroom. Nothing. So I thought I'd take a hot bath. That always makes you feel better when you're sick, right? Wrong. When I got out of the bath, my delicious dinner was inside me no more. Haley left again to buy me some Sprite. I felt a little better, but still not quite right. Then of course, I had to barf again when Haley was in the shower and the toilet was unavailable. This equals me barfing in the sink. I went to bed thinking there is no possible way that I can run a race in the morning. Miracles happen though because I woke up feeling as good as new. After telling Kara this story, she is 100% that I had a gall bladder attack. Let's just pray it was my body rebelling against all the greasy fatty food and not that I have gall stones!

The next morning we were off to the race. The race went awesome! I had zero plans of trying to jog the whole thing, but I felt so dang good the whole time that I just kept on running (said like Forrest Gump). I finished in 1hr and 4min. So dang impressed with myself! Heather finished with her personal best time, and Haley finished even with a chest cold. Don't know how she did that! Here we are after the race.

After some lunch and a change of clothes, we were off to Arches National Park to hike to Delicate Arch. This is where my bucket list #68 comes in. Check that one off the list. It is sort of amazing! Why does this exist? I don't know, but I sure loved hiking to it!

What do you do at Delicate Arch you ask? Do a handstand against it...duh!

Blue sky, blue tongue (thank you blue raspberry Jolly Rancher), and blue eyes. Fun, fun, fun!

Little me under the arch.

We made a quick stop at Balanced Rock on the way out.

And took some more jumping in the air pictures. So funny!

Thanks for the great trip Haley and Heather! Couldn't have asked for better company and a more awesome time!

New Me

I did something this weekend that I would never in a million trillion years thought possible. I jogged 6.2 miles. A year ago, I am 100% positive that I could not have run 0.6 miles without dying. What a difference a year makes! So this post is going to be a bit spiritual, but pictures of my race and other southern Utah adventures will be posted soon. At church yesterday, there was general theme of relying on the Lord and accepting help from others in our testimony meeting. I felt like I could probably share my testimony, but I procrastinated too long. So I will bear my testimony here. I am the most independent and stubborn person ever. I like being self-reliant and taking care of myself. I think I know what is best for me, and I do quite well at taking care of myself in most aspects in my life. Call it a blessing or a curse, but almost everything comes really easily to me. Whether it’s academic, athletic, crafty, work-related, etc., I catch on to things quickly and do well. One thing that I had never been good at was taking care of my body. I never was a person who hit fast food drive-thrus every day and ate four cheeseburgers at once, but I also never cared much about what I put into my body. Well, I cared, but I never cared enough to have some self-control. I also never exercised.
On Jan. 1, 2010, I decided to take a stab at changing that. I say “take a stab” because I was committed, but also very hesitant. I didn’t want to tell anyone about my new plan just in case I failed at it. However, something had finally clicked inside my head that my body is a gift from my Heavenly Father, and I wasn’t treating it with the respect and care that it deserved. It also finally clicked that Jesus Christ performed the Atonement not only to redeem us from sin (which it does perfectly), but He also felt every weakness, disappointment, discouragement, temptation, and sorrow that we have ever and will ever feel so that He could succor us (see Alma 7) and help us make weaknesses into strengths. The Atonement is truly infinite. That means that He knows what it feels like to be fat and unable to do everything you want to do. He knows what it feels like when your friends are going to go on a hike but you know you would never make it so you make up some excuse and stay home. He knows what it feels like when the activity for Family Home Evening is something physical and you are too embarrassed to go because you will be a sweaty, panting mess. He knows what it feels like to be surrounded by delicious and very unhealthy food and conflicted with whether to eat some or not (P.S. this is every activity in a singles ward and every gathering with friends/family). He knows what it feels like to be treated like you don’t even exist because you are overweight. He knows what it feels like to not be able to much physically without wanting to die. Because He knows all these things, then there was no one better to help me through all these trials. I laid everything at His feet. There was no way, and I mean NO way, that I could ever accomplish this on my own. I was weak. I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know what was going to work for me. I had never tried to lose weight before. I had no idea what to expect.
Looking back now, I can honestly say that it hasn’t been anywhere near as hard as I thought it would be. I know that this is because I’ve had my Savior as my strength, and I have made him a part of every aspect of my journey. It sounds stupid to say that Jesus Christ helped me lose weight and get healthy, but it is true. I can’t think of a single time that my alarm clock went off at 5:26am that I felt tempted to sleep in. It has just never happened. I have been given strength, self-discipline, and courage beyond anything I could imagine. From January 1 until about the end of September, I somehow found time to exercise two hours every day Monday-Thursday and one hour on Fridays and Saturdays. I very rarely missed a workout. I don’t know how that happened, but somehow the days were longer and I could get more done. Since September, I have never missed a morning workout, and I get my night workouts in as often as I can. What can I say? My social life has picked up in the last few months and I’m a busy girl! I can honestly say that I love working out. I love feeling my heart rate up. I love working out so hard that I’m sore the next day. I love getting head-to-toe dripping sweaty. Love it all!
The food thing has been a little more difficult. Eating on my own is no big deal. I have found several things that I love and that work for me. The social part of eating has been more challenging, but I have figured out ways to make it work. If I know there is going to be food at some activity, I’ll eat beforehand or I will bring my own version of what’s being served that fits into my diet. If we are going out to eat, I have no shame in ordering exactly what I want even it means a lengthy conversation with the waiter. Let’s just say, I have eaten a lot of salads and I think I’m single-handedly keeping Subway in business. Every day is a challenge, but I like the challenge. Every day I think, how awesome can I be with my health today? And if I fall a little short, that makes the next day and even bigger challenge.
On the surface, losing weight and getting healthy seems like an individual effort. After all, I’m the one making all the decisions of how much to work out and what to eat. In large part, that is true, but I could have never done this on my own. I had the support of everyone in my family. I had people who have inspired me like my dad, and my friends, Emily and Marchelle, in their own journeys to be healthy. I had the support of so many of my dear friends (Heather, Michelle, Amber, Brett, Tricia, etc.). It makes such a difference to have people who support your decisions (even if they seem crazy) and encourage you every step of the way. So I’ve learned that I can’t do everything on my own. I need help and support from people around me, and more importantly, I need the help of my Savior, Jesus Christ. There are some things that I simply can’t do on my own. If I allow Him to be a part of changing myself, then I will be successful and I will become the person that He knows I can become. And some days I might just be able to something I never in a million trillion years thought I could do, like jog 6.2 miles!

Bucket List #22 - Run in a race = Complete

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran in my first race. It was a 5k in Draper called the Utah Human Race, and yes, it was 6 degrees outside. All the proceeds went to the Utah Food Bank and LDS Humanitarian Services. So this is Olivia, Brett, and I before the race.

And Brett, Olivia, and Tricia. This was Tricia's 6th race of 2010. She's so awesome! I have the awesomest friends!
And Olivia, Me, and Tricia

Me after the race. I ran the whole way! It cost extra to be timed, so I don't really know how long I took. Tricia thinks I probably came in around 33ish minutes. Not too bad!

Yes, those are icicles on my eyelashes. It actually wasn't too cold while I was running, but I almost became an igloo afterward when we were standing around all sweaty.

The whole gang with the blow-up turkey. Tricia's family also participated. Happy Thanksgiving! And thanks friends for letting me join you on this frigid Thanksgiving morning! I think we've started a tradition!

And hurray for the first item on my bucket list being complete! I'm running in a 10k this Saturday. At the end of this 5k, I thought, I must be crazy to run twice this much next weekend. Let's just say, there's going to be some walking happening during the 10k!

Bucket List

I don't know about you, but ideas of things that I want to do in my lifetime always pop into my head. I finally decided I would sit down and jot a bunch of them down so that they were in writing, and so that I could commit to actually accomplishing them. It ended up being 100 things. So here is my bucket list (it may expand with time, but this is a good start):
1. Visit all 50 states (at this point "visiting" means my feet or the tires of my car being in the state boundaries, though I would love to actually sight see in every state eventually)
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona - √
Arkansas
California - √
Colorado - √
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia - √
Hawaii
Idaho - √
Illinois - √
Indiana - √
Iowa - √
Kansas - √
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland - √
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota - √
Mississippi
Missouri - √
Montana - √
Nebraska - √
Nevada - √
New Hampshire
New Jersey - √
New Mexico - √
New York - √
North Carolina
North Dakota - √
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon - √
Pennsylvania - √
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas - √
Utah - √
Vermont
Virginia - √
Washington - √
West Virginia
Wisconsin - √
Wyoming - √

2. Visit Italy
3. Learn to play the guitar again
4. Go to a round of a major PGA golf tournament
5. Go to a night tennis match at the US Open
6. Visit Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont in the fall
7. Go to Disney World
8. Go skydiving
9. Visit Jerusalem
10. Touch the Great Wall of China
11. Visit Angkor Wat
12. Go bungee jumping
13. Kiss a black guy
14. Go to a Laker game at the Staples Center
15. See Mount Rushmore
16. Hike Half Dome
17. Get married in the temple
18. Get Lasik surgery
19. Own a home
20. See Celine Dion in concert
21. Hear Josh Groban sing “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”
22. Run in a race – 11/25/2010
23. Kiss in the rain
24. Be covered head-to-toe in mud
25. Go skinny dipping (for real)
26. Go to an NFL game
27. Go camping at Barton Flats again
28. Do a session at every temple I possibly can
29. Be a photographer
30. Do the temple ordinances for at least one of my ancestors
31. Write a personal history
32. Stomp in a vat of grapes to make grape juice
33. Kiss on the top of a mountain
34. Build something from scratch with my own two hands (like a piece of furniture)
35. Take each of my nieces and nephews on a vacation just me and them (if I never accomplish #17; if I do accomplish #17, take each of my kids too, of course!)
36. Play on a volleyball team again
37. Re-watch all of LOST
38. Wear a jersey with my last name on the back
39. Create a work of art
40. Take a cooking class
41. Take a dance class
42. Perform a dance for an audience
43. Be a scripture scholar
44. Memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World
45. Memorize The Living Christ
46. Read Jesus, The Christ
47. Go to the baptism of someone I have helped convert
48. Ride in a hot air balloon
49. Go on a cruise
50. Slalom water ski again
51. See a tornado
52. Watch the sunrise from the top of Mt. Timpanogos
53. Be a temple worker
54. Drive across the country (preferably in an RV)
55. Win a game of PR with zero points
56. Punch someone in the face
57. Shoot a bow and arrow
58. Get a professional massage
59. Golf 18 holes
60. Go to events at the Olympics
61. Make a wedding cake
62. Be in the right place at the right time
63. Scuba dive
64. Be on the Amazing Race with my dad
65. Hike the Grand Canyon
66. Serve a mission with my husband (again hinging on that ol' #17)
67. Go deep sea fishing
68. Hike to Delicate Arch
69. Go repelling
70. Visit Prague
71. See Stonehenge
72. Visit Machu Picchu
73. Go to a taping of the Today Show
74. Bowl over 200
75. Catch a foul ball at a baseball game
76. Win something in a raffle
77. Eat a maple donut with bacon crumbles on top
78. Eat something disgusting
79. Surf
80. Ask a boy on a first date
81. Go curling
82. Be on Cash Cab
83. Go snowshoeing under a full moon
84. Help build or renovate a house or part of a house
85. Go to Banff National Park
86. Shoot a hand gun – Jack Bauer style
87. Take a picture of lightning
88. Mow a lawn
89. Kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve
90. Do service in a third world country
91. Fly first class
92. Go to a rodeo
93. Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
94. Learn to make delicious Thai yellow curry
95. Do a back walk over again
96. Ride the Heber Creeper
97. Fly in a helicopter
98. Get Steve Young’s autograph
99. Meet the prophet
100. See Lord of the Rings sites in New Zealand