uncut sunday

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We just celebrated Thanksgiving.
I was all sorts of inspired
Before Thanksgiving I had seen REI's #optoutside campaign and thought that it was pretty awesome.
But then when Black Friday actually came I realized that it was too cold outside to do anything.
Also, my family spends time together by going Black Friday shopping.
After we eat we get out all of the ads and plan our attack and coordinate where everyone is going and decide what we will buy.
And I sort of love it.
While I love the thought of being cool enough to go adventuring outside instead of buying things I don't need, why would I give up time with my family to do something that I can do any other time?
(I suppose shopping can be done any other time but with these deals??? And battling crowds with your family? That just cannot be done any other time.)
So instead of feeling 21st century guilt for buying a bunch of crap the day after Thanksgiving,
I shall embrace the consumerism because of what it ACTUALLY means.
"Coming together in a common cause."

thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to this stupid bird that kept flying into the window over and over again.

how to hike squaw peak

Decide you want to hike Squaw Peak.
The short way.
Pack some fruit, cheese, and granola bars for sustenance.
(Even though you only anticipate being gone for an hour.)
Drive up the canyon (There's two of them so you have to pick. But pick correctly).
Read vague directions on how to get there.
Make a few U-Turns.
Spot a man and his children hiking through a field.
Park and follow them to wherever they're going.
(They must be going the same place you are.)
Climb in agony, huffing and puffing, over rocks and boulders.
Get to the top and declare yourselves triumphant (!!!!)
Wander around a bit and realize that this looks a little different than the pictures.
Turn around and....
Notice Squaw Peak looming behind you, mocking you.
Turn around and go home, a failure.
In short:
How to hike Squaw Peak:
ACTUALLY HIKE IT
(Don't try to go the short way. There isn't one.)

 

uncut sunday

I don’t always feel the presence of the Spirit.

When I go to the temple I don’t necessarily feel warmer inside and I don’t always feel that I got answers to my questions.

When I sit in church I feel antsy more than I feel calm.

I don’t really feel my bosom burning when I read the scriptures.

And sometimes it really worries me.

Are other people feeling all of these things that I'm not??

What's wrong with me?

But living a life full of faith is a choice.

I may not feel the Spirit as much as I would like.

Or really very often.

But I have faith (enough) that I keep doing those things even though I don’t feel the Spirit.

I do them because I know that I’m supposed to.

(And I don’t do them perfectly or enough, that’s for sure)

But maybe that’s my obstacle for this life.

Believing without ever fully knowing or feeling the truth.

Choosing to have the faith to act without the immediate reward of the Spirit’s presence.

Does anybody else feel this or am I just crazy?

how to survive a workout class

My new thing is taking workout classes at the rec center.

It forces me to workout for more than five minutes.

(Does anybody else stop after the warmup of a workout DVD?)

Anyways, I'm now a seasoned "gym rat".

So to help the world out in striving to be healthy, I come to you with

#HowToLoseAPoundInTenDays.
(Anyone get the movie I'm eluding to?)

Tip #1:

Try new classes so that you find out what you like and what definitely isn't for you. (But go early so that you can get a spot in the back and figure out what equipment you're supposed to be using. You can't look like a complete newb.)

Tip #2:

If you sit down at a machine and can't figure out how to use it, just sit on it for a bit and pretend to be so worn out that you are just catching your breath and then casually stand up and start stretching as you slowly walk away. Nobody will be the wiser.

Tip #3:
If you're taking a barefoot fitness class, bring your own toeless yoga "shoes" or else you will slip in a puddle of your own sweat.

Tip #4:
Do NOT take a fitness class with a mirror in the front of the class. Because then you can take NO breaks because every single person in the class can see you, even if you strategically chose the back row.

Tip #5:
Don't eat a whole cake before (or after) your workout class. Or ever.

a man's lunch

Marriage has taught me one thing.
Men eat a lot.
I feel so bad because the other night when I was packing Derek's lunch he sheepishly asked me if I could put more food in there.
Poor guy has been trying to get by on the calories of a petit lady.
When we were first married I had high hopes, (as does every new wife),
Of making her man some food!!!
I thought that I would wake up with him earlier than the roosters and make him breakfast.
That maybe lasted a day?
I have now compromised and told him that I will make him lunch instead of breakfast.
(Functioning enough to cook at 6 AM is just....too much.)
SO every night I pack his lil lunchbox and leave it in the fridge for him.
Usually he gets the leftovers from the night before.
(The other day I had cooked some experimental carrots and then put the whole container of them in his lunchbox that night. Just carrots. I guess he ate the whole thing just waiting for some mashed taters to appear or something.)
But sometimes I'm more organized and ambitious.
Because some days I know I am not going to have ANY lunch for him so I do some meal prep.
And now, here is my unofficial meal prep post:

1. Ya gotta have some meat. So take a bunch of turkey or chicken or beef and cook it up real nice. Be creative and add some bell pepper or garlic powder or....siracha!!

2. Vegetables are important. So just cook up some corn or beets or broccoli with some good ol seasonings.

3. A side of sorts is next. Cheesy mashed potatoes (Mashed potatoes packet with cheese and ranch mixed in. No gravy needed.) Or rolls or rice....

4. Possibly a fruit. An apple? Pomegranate seeds? An orange? Whatever tickles your man's fancy the most.

5. Then just take a bit of each food group and throw it in a tupperware. This usually makes me 4 days worth of lunches. And then make the husband clean the dishes.

Easy Peasy Squeeze a Lemon!

uncut sunday

I used to write some real morbid dark stuff.
(Feel free to go back through the years and see for yourself)
And I haven't done that in a while.
not that I want to be morbid dark.
But I just want to write.
So here is my uncut Sunday.

I’ve been going to the gym pretty regularly.

And it makes me feel strong.

I like feeling strong.

I like to feel that everyday I’m getting better at something.

I had a sort of daydream where I saw

I was thinking about all of the bad in the world and the thing that brought me comfort in the moment was my knowledge of good things.

There could be no God, there could be no Heaven.

But even without those things I can still say that I am living a good life.

Even if there was no Heaven and no God, I wouldn’t change the way I’m living.

And I wouldn’t change the way I follow my church obey my church’s teachings.

It made me want to search everyday for things that will fill my life with goodness and get me closer to the life that I hope to live.

Everyday I want to become stronger spiritually so that I can feel as though I am better than I was yesterday.

And by doing that I can’t let the actions of others affect me spiritually.

I cannot let it sadden me to the point where there is no point.

I have to prepare now so that when hard things do happen, I can pull from my strength.

Inspiration for the week:

Bethany Menzel

positivity

There has been a lot of horror in the world and in the news very recently.
It is starting to make me feel really sick inside and hopeless to hear about Paris and the (continuing) debate about the LDS church over and over again.
So for anybody else that wants to see something new and get their mind off the bad, here's some good :)


>We should ALL be this grateful everyday.

>I wish I could be this generous.

>Inmates spending their time in a wise way.

>I dressed as a robber but....I was #morethancute

>I know that I have gotten scared about online transactions because so many bad things have and could happen. Hopefully not with this.

laundry day

I don't actually mind doing laundry.
The only thing I mind is that I have to do it just about twice a week.
Real Talk: I used to wash my sheets mmmmm.....once a year?
But now that I just luvvv white SO much I have to wash my sheets a lot more often.
White towels, white sheets, white underoos....
SO much white!!!
And I've started to feel like everything was getting just a bit dingy.
So I decided to start making my own bleach because I'm sure the Dollar Store bleach filled with chemicals wasn't doing much to whiten and brighten.

And then I of course threw them into the dryer with my DIY wool dryer balls.
They are so much better than dryer sheets and cheaper too.
(Sometimes with bigger loads I have to put two in though).

I thought that the DIY bleach worked really well.
First of all, it smelled Bomb. Not like my whole house had just been bleached from top to bottom.
It wasn't really a stain fighter so not every mascara blotch came out of my pillowcases.
But it definitely did brighten.
I was most concerned about my hand towels and all of the dinginess came out of those.
If I had done a smaller load and let the solution actually sit on the clothes maybe it would have worked better and gotten every dirty spot out.
But alas, for next time.

Here are the links to the DIYs that I used.
Bleach
Dryer Balls

smoothies

There's been a bit of a lockdown on my jaw recently.
It has decided to go on strike and not open up ever again.
This is unfortunate because I'm typically a very hungry person.
Derek knows that he shouldn't get in the way of my donuts and cake.
But sadly the limited movement has made it quite hard to eat a whole cake in one sitting.
So I thought "WWAWGD" (What would a workout goddess do)?
Naturally, I started making smoothies with our "Thanks-for-getting-married-here's-a-gift" Blender.
This is the first smoothie that I've made and it was quite satisfying.
Except I don't think our neighbors find the noise of fresh smoothies very satisfying.
Anywho, if you would like to drive everyone in a five mile radius up a wall make this smoothie.
(Or anything in a blender really...)
I also tried making it with oats because I saw a modified recipe on Pinterest.
But it pretty much made me want to scratch my tongue off so I decided to never put them in again.
But for those weirdies out there, just remember that it is an option.
:)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Plain, Unflavored Yogurt
• 1 cup Fruit (your Choice - Blueberries, Peaches, Pineapple, Etc)
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 dash Honey
•  Ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Place yogurt, fruit, milk, a handful of ice and honey to taste all into a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste it for sweetness and add more honey if needed.

another post on beliefs

A couple of years ago I struggled for a hot minute about my beliefs.
I stopped trying to believe and I started questioning for all of the wrong reasons.
I wasn't questioning to gain more knowledge, I was questioning to try and "trip up God"
I questioned with the intent of finding an answer that satisfied what I really wanted to hear and not the actual truth.
I finally met with the missionaries and through a lot of study and prayer I finally decided for myself.
I guess I would consider that my personal conversion?
I don't know.
I feel like I've had multiple personal conversions.
Anyways, while I'm a good and faithful church going member of the LDS religion I still don't see or do things perfectly.
When the new policy on same-sex marriage from the church came out I immediately had thoughts of doubtfulness.
For a minute I wondered what church I was a part of that would deny somebody the right to be baptized.
I read threads upon threads of the discussion and I have finally come to my conclusion.
This is a church that I love and admire.
So even though this was (is) a hard thing to understand, I will still support my church.
This article here (Seriously it calmed my heart so much. So...read it.)
I (and my church) do not hate or frown upon people who have same sex attractions.
We are not banning them from the church and we aren't denying them the ability to lead a good life.
But our church DOES have certain beliefs, as does any religion/country/organization.
And we firmly stand by those beliefs.
While I (and my church) sill love people that participate in same-sex marriage, it is not something that we teach or accept.
And it's something that a lot of religions don't teach or accept.
(So get off our religion's backs punks!!)
Anyways, the article up yonder should clear up a lot of confusion as to why this policy has come out.
(Even though....it has BEEN in existence, it just now has to be said because of circumstances in the world)
Anywho, the church is still good and gay people are still good and its OK to doubt.

positivity

We see so much negativity in the world.
The news is filled with stories of dirty cops and hate and violence and evil.
It feels massively overwhelming and as if there is no hope for anybody.
And watching the news just leaves a blanket of sorrow over everything.
But I remember something that my 7th grade english teacher told me:
"People in the news want to show stuff that is crazy and rare and attention grabbing.
So if the news is showing all of these bad things in the world then doesn't that mean that
All the bad in the world is crazy and rare and attention grabbing?"
How powerful is that?
We only see and focus on the bad because it is so "unique" and overwhelming to us.
But that is so heartbreaking.
There is just so much good that we don't see because we are bombarded with the bad.
But I would love to focus on the positivity and have my heart melt into a puddle of mush.
So every once in a while I am going to share a post filled with some faith in humanity so that we can turn our eyes to the good.

>>A cop turns a competition into a Dance-Off.

>>

>>

>>REI closing their doors.


>>

halloween

We started off the day by eating pancakes and watching Pokemon with our family.
That's really how every Saturday should be spent though.
For our Halloween festivities we were invited to attend a party hosted by our cousins.
Before we left for said party we got some trick or treaters.
This was our first year being put in the trick or treater situation so we lacked the very important bowl of candy.
So instead, I started passing out random items of food that we had laying around.
Those lucky kids moms got themselves some Ferrero Rochers!!
And one got a whole package of Red Vines.
Those lucky numskulls.
*Here kid. Have a half a ham. We forgot to get candy*
What newbs.
I also tried to get a little festive in how we ate.
I made lil mummy hot dogs (complete with Siracha eyes) and was going to make pumpkin pretzels but with no orange food coloring they were just regular chocolate covered pretzels.
Still good but NOT GOOD ENOUGH.