I would like to share a little story with you. Saturday morning I woke up refreshed but cold. We keep our window open at night and there was a lovely autumn draft blowing on me. I watched my roommate move about the room, thinking to myself I needed to get up and get ready, but it was so comfortable in my bed and it was so cold in the room. Eventually I got up and dressed, cold, but enjoying the crisp autumn-smelling breeze. I walked to my old roommates' apartment to watch General Conference with my friends Becca and Carolina. It was quiet outside, the birds were chirping, the leaves were turning brown. I already knew that it was going to be a good day.
The three of us sat on Carolina's bed, each readying ourselves to take notes on the Conference Session. The internet was being slow and so we were actually behind in the session. Suddenly a roommate of theirs came bursting into the room exclaiming "did you just hear that?!" We had no idea what she was talking about. President Monson was talking, but as of yet it just seemed to be the normal welcome he gave us. Something big was coming. We knew it and we tensed for the news.
Temples, President Monson was talking about temples. Was the news about temples? He announced two temples being built in Peru and Arizona. Okay, great. Was that supposed to be the big news?
Missionary work, he's talking about missionary work. Numbers have gone up. Is that the big news? Their roommate assured us that the big news had yet to come.
President Monson started talking about boys in other countries serving missions at age 18. And even though my whole body was tense, waiting for the news, I still didn't see it coming.
The age for boys to leave on missions was officially changed to 18. The three of us were in amazement. This was spectacular! What amazing news!
But the best was still to come.
President Monson started talking about women.
My stomach started doing somersaults. Could it be....?
Yes. The age for women to go on a mission was lowered from 21 to 19.
"OH MY GOSH!!!" the three of us started screaming.
In case you didn't know, I am 19.
We had to pause Conference SEVERAL times after that so we could scream some more. There were a little bit of tears and a great deal of stunned silence when we turned Conference back on. It was so overwhelming. Suddenly, all of our life plans were in shambles. I had my next two years completely planned out. I figured when I turned 21 I would decide whether I wanted to go on a mission or not. And now suddenly, I could go now. I wanted to go now.
I am going now.
We had such a hard time paying attention to Conference after that. Sunday, however, Lexi and I drove to Salt Lake, listening to Conference on the radio as we did. Boy did we feel the spirit. I actually cried while in the car. Just that morning I was having some pretty selfish and superficial thoughts, and President Eyering and Elder Holland just wiped those thoughts of mine away. I know what I'm supposed to do. We then watched the Sunday Afternoon session in the Conference Center. This was my first time going to Conference and it was so powerful and beautiful.
I'm sure plenty of girls had a similar experience to mine. And I know that every girl is going to make her own decision and that whatever she chooses will be for her own reasons and that the Lord's plan is different for every girl.
But here is what I have decided. I am going to get my papers in this semester so that I can be available to leave for a mission next semester at the earliest. And then it will be up to the Lord whether I go next semester or I get the call for 6 months later. That will be his decision when he needs me most.
What is absolutely amazing, is the past 2 weeks or so, Lexi and I have been complaining about the age for women missionaries. "Why can't we go now?" we complained. I don't know where I will be when I am 21, but I know where I am now. If we were allowed to leave at age 19, I would, I had told the Lord. I had other intimate discussions with the Lord that are private and so I won't share, but it made it so that when the Prophet made this announcement, I realized that I had already made an agreement with Him. I had made him a promise without even realizing it, and now I was expected to live up to it.
I'm going on a mission guys!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Zero Time
I haven't written in a while because I have simply been way too busy, too stressed, and pretty much just in over my head with work and school. I have not been this busy and stressed since last fall, infamous last fall when I took 17 1/2 credits and only barely survived to tell the tale. Somehow, I haven't seemed to have learned my lesson yet. I really did try to take less credits this time, but my schedule just would not cooperate, and now with 16 1/2 credits and an on-call job, I feel like I am drowning. In the past week I have taken the majority of my midterms and yesterday was my last big midterm. I only have dance tests and my Doctrine and Covenants midterm left. But yesterday...let's just say I walked away numb. I never get grades like that. Even last fall when I was so stressed and busy and I had several mental break-downs, I didn't get any grades like that.
And I'm really not loving where I live right now. I don't know anyone yet. We don't have FHE groups, we don't have Home Teachers, we don't have Visiting Teachers. FHE is always with the ward and it is at the same time I have class on Mondays. I am getting really frustrated with the fact that I don't know anyone. And I'm really frustrated with the fact that I haven't gone running in over a week and I'm supposed to be training for a half-marathon. And I haven't played the piano in weeks! That really really bugs me. I miss it so dang bad, but I haven't had time to play. I am only writing right now in this blog because I found some time before my next class starts.
I refuse to give up though. Everything happens for a reason, and trials are there to make us stronger and help us learn. I will get through this. So far, I have learned that I need to start studying for my botany test weeks in advance and not try to rely on the book to explain concepts to me. One thing I have a real big problem with, is prioritizing which things on my "important list" are most important and need to be done first. You see, when it comes to school work, I consider everything to be most important, even if it is a five point assignment. I try to get every assignment done and on time and perfect, but it simply isn't possible all of the time. I really need to learn to say, "okay this test is much more important than this homework assignment, so I am going to study for my test instead of doing my homework." Instead, I usually try to do everything and stress myself out and freak out when I can't get everything done. When will I learn?
Probably the most stressful part of my schedule is not knowing when I work ahead of time. I am the kind of person who must plan out the entire week well in advance in order to get everything done because there is so much, and not knowing when I work, or knowing when I work but not knowing how long that shift will take, really throws me for a loop because then I can't plan how much homework I will be able to get done that day (which usually tends to be very little). And I HATE it when teachers say "oh by the way you need to do this assignment for homework and it's due tomorrow." NO NO NO! You have to tell me about homework a week in advance. You cannot spring something on me and tell me it is due tomorrow. I have not scheduled to do this assignment today, and therefore have ZERO time to do it.
One good thing in my life is that I have some amazing friends. My roommate Lexi is awesome and is always doing stuff for me and cheering me up. Yesterday she did my laundry! I was so shocked and grateful when I came home, I was close to tears. Saturday I got to spend some time with my roommate from spring term as we made pumpkin roll together. We laughed and I said stupid things, and it was so much fun. Lexi and I still see our roommates from last year occasionally too and that is always fun and exciting and just gives me a feeling of home when I am with them. Yesterday I also got to see my very good friend Erica, and that was so refreshing to talk to her. I love it when you can talk to someone you haven't seen in months and nothing has changed and you can just keep talking on and on about everything. You can really tell who are your true friends from such encounters. I just wish I could make friends at King Henry now. I suppose I'm so busy I wouldn't have time for them anyway, but still it would be nice to feel like I knew just one other person in the ward. I don't feel like I belong at all.
Well I hope this doesn't put me further behind in homework today, but I am planning to go to the temple this afternoon. Hopefully that will calm my frantic mind.
Well that's been me for the past oh three or four weeks. I just keep trudging along and keep praying that things will get easier soon. I am very excited for General Conference this weekend and I am very thankful to be here at BYU and to be learning the things I am learning.
And I'm really not loving where I live right now. I don't know anyone yet. We don't have FHE groups, we don't have Home Teachers, we don't have Visiting Teachers. FHE is always with the ward and it is at the same time I have class on Mondays. I am getting really frustrated with the fact that I don't know anyone. And I'm really frustrated with the fact that I haven't gone running in over a week and I'm supposed to be training for a half-marathon. And I haven't played the piano in weeks! That really really bugs me. I miss it so dang bad, but I haven't had time to play. I am only writing right now in this blog because I found some time before my next class starts.
I refuse to give up though. Everything happens for a reason, and trials are there to make us stronger and help us learn. I will get through this. So far, I have learned that I need to start studying for my botany test weeks in advance and not try to rely on the book to explain concepts to me. One thing I have a real big problem with, is prioritizing which things on my "important list" are most important and need to be done first. You see, when it comes to school work, I consider everything to be most important, even if it is a five point assignment. I try to get every assignment done and on time and perfect, but it simply isn't possible all of the time. I really need to learn to say, "okay this test is much more important than this homework assignment, so I am going to study for my test instead of doing my homework." Instead, I usually try to do everything and stress myself out and freak out when I can't get everything done. When will I learn?
Probably the most stressful part of my schedule is not knowing when I work ahead of time. I am the kind of person who must plan out the entire week well in advance in order to get everything done because there is so much, and not knowing when I work, or knowing when I work but not knowing how long that shift will take, really throws me for a loop because then I can't plan how much homework I will be able to get done that day (which usually tends to be very little). And I HATE it when teachers say "oh by the way you need to do this assignment for homework and it's due tomorrow." NO NO NO! You have to tell me about homework a week in advance. You cannot spring something on me and tell me it is due tomorrow. I have not scheduled to do this assignment today, and therefore have ZERO time to do it.
One good thing in my life is that I have some amazing friends. My roommate Lexi is awesome and is always doing stuff for me and cheering me up. Yesterday she did my laundry! I was so shocked and grateful when I came home, I was close to tears. Saturday I got to spend some time with my roommate from spring term as we made pumpkin roll together. We laughed and I said stupid things, and it was so much fun. Lexi and I still see our roommates from last year occasionally too and that is always fun and exciting and just gives me a feeling of home when I am with them. Yesterday I also got to see my very good friend Erica, and that was so refreshing to talk to her. I love it when you can talk to someone you haven't seen in months and nothing has changed and you can just keep talking on and on about everything. You can really tell who are your true friends from such encounters. I just wish I could make friends at King Henry now. I suppose I'm so busy I wouldn't have time for them anyway, but still it would be nice to feel like I knew just one other person in the ward. I don't feel like I belong at all.
Well I hope this doesn't put me further behind in homework today, but I am planning to go to the temple this afternoon. Hopefully that will calm my frantic mind.
Well that's been me for the past oh three or four weeks. I just keep trudging along and keep praying that things will get easier soon. I am very excited for General Conference this weekend and I am very thankful to be here at BYU and to be learning the things I am learning.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Wonderful Land of Provo
Well two full weeks of school have gone by. I moved into my new apartment at King Henry. Our room is so tiny! It was kind of a shock when Lexi and I walked in with our things and realized that we actually had to fit all of our stuff in there. But we made everything fit and we have decorated our walls with pictures and the apartment is really nice. We have a living room and a larger kitchen and it's just a lot more cosier here, more like home. My roommates are all really nice. My classes all seem interesting. In fact, I am loving my classes. Except my Spanish class is kind of a dull one. I've realized that I do a lot better when my Spanish class is not my last class of the day. I am constantly watching the clock, waiting to get out. But I am also taking Social Dance 3 and Latin Ballroom Dance 1. Those are so much fun! I absolutely love ballroom dancing. I am going to the Social Dance club again and this Tuesday I had a blast! It's so much more fun now that I am in the upper level class and I actually know how to do the dances.
I also have a job now with BYU Catering. So far it's really fun. My favorite part is the food. We eat so good at Catering. It is really going to help out with my groceries and the fact that I really don't want to buy any. So far I have worked two football games. They are so much fun! I work in the President's Loge, which is pretty much the best place to be at a football game. Reason #1: it is the only place in the entire stadium with air-conditioning. Reason #2: Our events coordinator, Lynn, is so nice. Reason #3: we get to eat fantastic food. Reason #4: I am serving the top people at BYU, like the President, the Deans, and any General Authorities. I love my job so far.
Friday night was party night for Lexi and me. We went to three different parties. That's right. Three. We went to a Las Vegas Reunion where I ate a ton of pizza. We went to the Fall Back into School Party at the Wilk where we met up with our old roommates and some ward members and danced the night away. It was incredibly fun. However, it was also sad in a way because our boys weren't there. We had fun, but there was definitely something missing we felt. When that was over, Lexi and I went over to the King Henry Poolside Party. We actually didn't stay very long. We staid like maybe 5 minutes. But still we counted that as our 3rd party of the night. We left not long after we got there, because we decided we wanted to go get ice cream instead. Tehe
Yesterday I worked pretty much all day because of the football game. My feet were exhausted when I came home. I did my homework, and then I walked to the Y and hiked it. Except for the fact that I got lost coming home from it, which scared me since it was also dark by that time, it was a really great experience for me. I felt a lot closer to the Lord and felt that I had a better vision of what I should do with my life. I officially decided on that mountain that I am going to switch to the family life major and then do the masters program for Social Work. While on that mountain, I knew that that was what I was supposed to do. So tomorrow, don't know how, but I am going to figure out how to switch my major.
One thing I have been learning during this past two weeks and that I am working on, is that I need to be positive no matter what happens to me. Everything has a reason. Every bad experience is a learning experience. All of my hard times have made me stronger. I am who I am because of both the good experiences and the bad ones. Thus, I need to remember to stay positive no matter what comes at me. Because something might happen in the future, something really tragic or trying, and I do not want to be depressed no matter what. I am thus working on being positive now, learning to see the bright side of things no matter what happens (like last weekend when I flew for the first time). Everything that could go wrong pretty much did. But I look at that now as a learning experience. I know now what to do in all of those incidents. I look at this what could have been a frustrating experience as a learning experience, because someday an even more frustrating experience might come my way, and I want to learn now to stay positive.
And so I challenge all of you to learn to be positive now. Do not wait to learn to be positive. Practice now. Smile, since an uplifting song, and write a list of things you are thankful for. I am so thankful for every experience in my life, and I am so thankful to be here at BYU and to finally realize what I am supposed to do with my life.
I also have a job now with BYU Catering. So far it's really fun. My favorite part is the food. We eat so good at Catering. It is really going to help out with my groceries and the fact that I really don't want to buy any. So far I have worked two football games. They are so much fun! I work in the President's Loge, which is pretty much the best place to be at a football game. Reason #1: it is the only place in the entire stadium with air-conditioning. Reason #2: Our events coordinator, Lynn, is so nice. Reason #3: we get to eat fantastic food. Reason #4: I am serving the top people at BYU, like the President, the Deans, and any General Authorities. I love my job so far.
Friday night was party night for Lexi and me. We went to three different parties. That's right. Three. We went to a Las Vegas Reunion where I ate a ton of pizza. We went to the Fall Back into School Party at the Wilk where we met up with our old roommates and some ward members and danced the night away. It was incredibly fun. However, it was also sad in a way because our boys weren't there. We had fun, but there was definitely something missing we felt. When that was over, Lexi and I went over to the King Henry Poolside Party. We actually didn't stay very long. We staid like maybe 5 minutes. But still we counted that as our 3rd party of the night. We left not long after we got there, because we decided we wanted to go get ice cream instead. Tehe
Yesterday I worked pretty much all day because of the football game. My feet were exhausted when I came home. I did my homework, and then I walked to the Y and hiked it. Except for the fact that I got lost coming home from it, which scared me since it was also dark by that time, it was a really great experience for me. I felt a lot closer to the Lord and felt that I had a better vision of what I should do with my life. I officially decided on that mountain that I am going to switch to the family life major and then do the masters program for Social Work. While on that mountain, I knew that that was what I was supposed to do. So tomorrow, don't know how, but I am going to figure out how to switch my major.
One thing I have been learning during this past two weeks and that I am working on, is that I need to be positive no matter what happens to me. Everything has a reason. Every bad experience is a learning experience. All of my hard times have made me stronger. I am who I am because of both the good experiences and the bad ones. Thus, I need to remember to stay positive no matter what comes at me. Because something might happen in the future, something really tragic or trying, and I do not want to be depressed no matter what. I am thus working on being positive now, learning to see the bright side of things no matter what happens (like last weekend when I flew for the first time). Everything that could go wrong pretty much did. But I look at that now as a learning experience. I know now what to do in all of those incidents. I look at this what could have been a frustrating experience as a learning experience, because someday an even more frustrating experience might come my way, and I want to learn now to stay positive.
And so I challenge all of you to learn to be positive now. Do not wait to learn to be positive. Practice now. Smile, since an uplifting song, and write a list of things you are thankful for. I am so thankful for every experience in my life, and I am so thankful to be here at BYU and to finally realize what I am supposed to do with my life.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Drawing an end to the Summer
Well it's my last week (or rather half a week) in Vegas. I leave to go back to Provo on Wednesday. My mom and I staid at my grandma's house in Lompoc, California for two weeks. It was beautiful there. I went running all the time, even in the middle of the day, and didn't have to worry about the heat. I am no longer training for a triathlon, I am training for a half marathon, and I managed to run 7 miles, so about half way to my goal. My family and I then spent a week in San Diego. That was a blast. We visited Old Town the first day. The second day we rented and rode bikes to the Aquarium at Scripp's and my sister and I splashed in the ocean that night. Wednesday we went to Sea World. Thursday we went kayaking and snorkeling, and that evening my family and I went to the San Diego Temple. And then Friday we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was such a fun vacation. We were all very disappointed to come home to hot and ugly Vegas.
And now the summer is already over and I'm about to start school again. I am very excited to go back, but I am also kind of weary of how busy I know I will be. I am taking 16 and a half credits, and I will be starting a job with BYU Catering, I want to keep exercising and training for the half marathon, and I would still like to have a social life.
Coming home has been good for me. I really did learn more about myself just by coming home. I'm starting to realize the effect I have on people, and how I can influence people to do good. So many people need me in their lives I'm realizing. I realize that there were people in my life that fell away, that made wrong choices, and I never said anything because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. But now they are gone from my life. I could have said something to them, and I probably wouldn't have really changed them, but I could have set them thinking in the right direction. I don't know if that really makes any sense to any one else, but I guess I've just never really thought about how much I affect people, or how much I could affect people if I opened my mouth more.
I need to be a role model for my siblings, but also for my cousins, and the younger girls in our ward. I know that my coming home for the summer has been a blessing to my mom, that it really helped her. I love my family so much, and I am so glad that I got to spend the summer with them. And now I am going to go spend some time with my mom, since this is my last Sunday at home with her.
And now the summer is already over and I'm about to start school again. I am very excited to go back, but I am also kind of weary of how busy I know I will be. I am taking 16 and a half credits, and I will be starting a job with BYU Catering, I want to keep exercising and training for the half marathon, and I would still like to have a social life.
Coming home has been good for me. I really did learn more about myself just by coming home. I'm starting to realize the effect I have on people, and how I can influence people to do good. So many people need me in their lives I'm realizing. I realize that there were people in my life that fell away, that made wrong choices, and I never said anything because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. But now they are gone from my life. I could have said something to them, and I probably wouldn't have really changed them, but I could have set them thinking in the right direction. I don't know if that really makes any sense to any one else, but I guess I've just never really thought about how much I affect people, or how much I could affect people if I opened my mouth more.
I need to be a role model for my siblings, but also for my cousins, and the younger girls in our ward. I know that my coming home for the summer has been a blessing to my mom, that it really helped her. I love my family so much, and I am so glad that I got to spend the summer with them. And now I am going to go spend some time with my mom, since this is my last Sunday at home with her.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Beautiful California
Guess where I am? Lompoc, California! It is so beautiful here. It's in the seventies. My grandma just had surgery so my mom and I are here to help her. We got here Monday. Yesterday I helped my aunt set up her classroom, and today I ran six miles. 'Twas quite an accomplishment for me. I can no longer do the triathlon I was going to do, so instead I am going to do my first half marathon. It's going to be hard, but now that I am in an environment where I can actually exercise outside, I am going to be training every day for it. I really want to push myself and become good at running. Throughout my life, I participated in lots of activities and sports. I never did any of them for very long, but I think that was good for me. It made me well-rounded. I would get good at something and then decide I was ready to try something new, develop a new skill. Well now I feel I am ready to try something new, and that is a half-marathon. So a good portion of my time here in California is going to be training, utilizing the good weather while I can. I will be in Cali for three weeks. Two weeks in Lompoc, and one week in San Diego.
Last Thursday, my friend Lexi and I drove up to St. George and we spent a day in Zion on Friday. We did three different short hikes, and then on Saturday we drove up to Provo to see some friends. We stayed at our old roommate Alicia's house. It was so nice to see her. We had so much fun. I am sad that we won't be rooming together again in the Fall, but we fully plan to see each other all the time. We also saw another friend Daniel and then went to a missionary farewell for our friend Michael. It was great to see them and just hang out and eat good food. Lexi and I were very sad to say goodbye.
I am excited for the Fall because I now know people at college that I can go visit when I want a break from studying. It will be very different from last year, as I am staying in a real apartment and with all new people, and I will probably be super busy again with 16 1/2 credits and a job, but I am very excited to go to King Henry. I am even ready to start classes again. Not ready for the homework load, but I always enjoyed going to my classes. I like learning.
Well I am going to go outside and enjoy more of this beautiful weather. Ciao!
Last Thursday, my friend Lexi and I drove up to St. George and we spent a day in Zion on Friday. We did three different short hikes, and then on Saturday we drove up to Provo to see some friends. We stayed at our old roommate Alicia's house. It was so nice to see her. We had so much fun. I am sad that we won't be rooming together again in the Fall, but we fully plan to see each other all the time. We also saw another friend Daniel and then went to a missionary farewell for our friend Michael. It was great to see them and just hang out and eat good food. Lexi and I were very sad to say goodbye.
I am excited for the Fall because I now know people at college that I can go visit when I want a break from studying. It will be very different from last year, as I am staying in a real apartment and with all new people, and I will probably be super busy again with 16 1/2 credits and a job, but I am very excited to go to King Henry. I am even ready to start classes again. Not ready for the homework load, but I always enjoyed going to my classes. I like learning.
Well I am going to go outside and enjoy more of this beautiful weather. Ciao!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Summer Days
Days go by pretty slowly in Vegas. It is so dang hot out. I don't know what temperature it is today, but for a couple days it was 115 degrees out. We don't dare venture outside during the day because of the heat. I teach swim lessons in the morning and the rest of the day is spent indoors, cleaning, watching movies, scrapbooking, or reading, until it's dark and I can go on a walk or run. Yesterday my sisters, mom, and I went ice skating. I got a real good work out then. I used to ice skate back in high school, and I was getting pretty advanced, but I haven't skated in years, so it was really nice to push myself to go faster and faster and to practice my jumps and spins. I was never very good at spins, but I used to be really good at jumps so it made me sad when I could only remember how to do two different jumps. My arms are all scratched up, my knees are bruised, and I've got a blister on my toe, but I don't care. It was so much fun to get back on the ice.
I've gotten used to being home. I miss BYU and my friends, but it's definitely nice to not have a busy schedule and lots of homework. Next Thursday, my friend Lexi and I are going up to St. George and spending a couple days in Zion national park and then we are going to go up to Provo to see some friends and a missionary farewell. Then the day after we get back, my mom and I are driving to Lompoc, California to see my grandma. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the car. But my mom and I are thinking about taking a detour to San Diego and maybe Los Angeles on the way. That will be fun.
Well I have been trying to train for my triathlon. Occasionally I will wake up early to go running or bike riding. But unless you want to wake up at 5 am, you really can't do anything outside in this heat.By 8am we are already in the 100s. It's a good thing my triathlon is a short one, because I am not getting very much practice in. I'm debating whether or not to go running tonight. I don't like the idea of running in the dark, especially in Las Vegas, but I can't go during the day. Hmmm...
I got an infection where they took out one of my wisdom teeth. Lucky me. Everything was going great. After two weeks of intense pain, I no longer had chipmunk cheeks, I could eat normally, and the pain had been reduced to a dull ache. Then I woke up one morning and my left side of my jaw looked like I had a golf ball in it and I was in intense pain. The dentist ordered me some more Loratabs, but unfortunately, they upped the prescription, and so when I took a whole one like I usually did (instead of half of one which I was meant to have taken) I got extremely sick. When I finally went into the dentist office, I must have looked either really sick or really loopy. They said I had an infection and gave me antibiotics. On the way home though, the Loratabs were making me feel even more sick. I almost passed out as I came in the house. My brother helped me lie down on the couch and I slept for a long time. My mom gave me my antibiotics and then I slept some more. That night I only took half of a Loratab.
Since I have been taking the antibiotics though, the pain and swelling has gone significantly down, to which I am very grateful. In a way its a shame that that bottle of Loratabs went to waste as after the first day I didn't need them any more, but I am also glad that I no longer have to experience that horrible nauseous feeling nor the pain I had in my jaw.
Well, that's all I have to write about. My days really just haven't been that interesting. But maybe soon I will have more to share.
I've gotten used to being home. I miss BYU and my friends, but it's definitely nice to not have a busy schedule and lots of homework. Next Thursday, my friend Lexi and I are going up to St. George and spending a couple days in Zion national park and then we are going to go up to Provo to see some friends and a missionary farewell. Then the day after we get back, my mom and I are driving to Lompoc, California to see my grandma. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the car. But my mom and I are thinking about taking a detour to San Diego and maybe Los Angeles on the way. That will be fun.
Well I have been trying to train for my triathlon. Occasionally I will wake up early to go running or bike riding. But unless you want to wake up at 5 am, you really can't do anything outside in this heat.By 8am we are already in the 100s. It's a good thing my triathlon is a short one, because I am not getting very much practice in. I'm debating whether or not to go running tonight. I don't like the idea of running in the dark, especially in Las Vegas, but I can't go during the day. Hmmm...
I got an infection where they took out one of my wisdom teeth. Lucky me. Everything was going great. After two weeks of intense pain, I no longer had chipmunk cheeks, I could eat normally, and the pain had been reduced to a dull ache. Then I woke up one morning and my left side of my jaw looked like I had a golf ball in it and I was in intense pain. The dentist ordered me some more Loratabs, but unfortunately, they upped the prescription, and so when I took a whole one like I usually did (instead of half of one which I was meant to have taken) I got extremely sick. When I finally went into the dentist office, I must have looked either really sick or really loopy. They said I had an infection and gave me antibiotics. On the way home though, the Loratabs were making me feel even more sick. I almost passed out as I came in the house. My brother helped me lie down on the couch and I slept for a long time. My mom gave me my antibiotics and then I slept some more. That night I only took half of a Loratab.
Since I have been taking the antibiotics though, the pain and swelling has gone significantly down, to which I am very grateful. In a way its a shame that that bottle of Loratabs went to waste as after the first day I didn't need them any more, but I am also glad that I no longer have to experience that horrible nauseous feeling nor the pain I had in my jaw.
Well, that's all I have to write about. My days really just haven't been that interesting. But maybe soon I will have more to share.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Hurray for the Red White and Blue!
Happy Fourth of July! This was a really great Fourth of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. I have so many great memories of Fourth of July's. There is the memory of lighting sparklers on my nana's trampoline. The summer my mom made a bunch of fourth of July crowns and we went around door to door selling them. The Fourth of July in Lompoc with my extended family, watching the fireworks display and playing at the carnival. And then the many Fourth of July's where I like to ride my bike, no matter how hot it gets. Here in Vegas, July is the hottest month, and so it is usually blistering hot outside. But no matter how hot it is, I realized that it has kind of become a tradition for me to ride my bike of the Fourth of July. I haven't done it every year, but I have several memories of doing it when I was younger. I liked to ride my bike around my neighborhood, just smelling the barbecue and other smells of summer.
Today I realized that I kind of picked up that tradition again. Our stake was having a Fourth of July 5K run/bike ride early this morning. My mom, dad, and me were planning on riding our bikes for the 10K. So we headed out at 6:30 following all the other bikers. Little did we realize that we weren't in the race for the 10K, we were doing the 25 miles. I got ahead of my parents and was by myself, so I didn't have anybody to ask, but I kept thinking, surely we should be turning around soon. And then I passed the turn-off to Mt. Charleston. That's when I realized I had to have gone more than 10 miles and I STILL wasn't to the half-way point yet. And I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning...or drunken any water...and I didn't have any water with me...
I prayed that I would stay hydrated and I would reach the half-way point soon. I stayed in good spirits though. I kept giving myself a pep-talk the entire time and felt really great when I finally reached the half-way point. Thank goodness some other kids had stopped there too and so they gave me some Gatorade and water. Took a breather, and then I was on my way back. I met up with my dad and then he led me through a short-cut so I ended up only riding a little less than 23 1/2 miles instead of the full 25. It was the best work out ever! I really felt great afterwords. Sore, but so energized.
And then we went on a hike. Haha I sure got in my exercise today. We hiked big falls, but we didn't make it to the top because a boulder had fallen in the path. But it looked like the river and waterfall were dried up anyways, or at least only trickling, so it didn't matter and we had already had a pretty good hike, so we headed down. It was perfect timing too, because it started sprinkling on us, and just as we reached the bottom and got in our car was when it really started to rain. It's a shame it's raining here and not in Utah or Colorado where they really need it. The rain water will just sit on top of the ground and then evaporate and do us no good here.
Anyways, we got home and it was raining at home too, so I decided to go swimming in the rain. It was such a magical feeling. Then my family barbecued and ate lots of good food and then watched fireworks in the park. My nephew Hyrum was so cute running around flapping his arms in excitement at the fireworks. Later, we did sparklers, and my brother and I ran around in the park grass with the sparklers, spinning and jumping and yelling "Hurray for the Red, White, and Blue! Hurray for the Fourth of July!" just like little kids. I probably looked so silly, but I didn't care what people thought of me. We had fun and it's the Fourth of July so you are supposed to celebrate.
So basically, this was an awesome Fourth of July. Much better than last years which I spent at work as a lifeguard, wondering why in the world anybody would want to go swimming at night in an indoor pool when they could be watching fireworks outside. This year's was spent with family, fireworks, good food, good exercise, swimming in the rain, cool air, and overall just a magical feeling in the air.
And now I'm off to bed because I teach swim lessons in the morning. Happy Independence Day!
Today I realized that I kind of picked up that tradition again. Our stake was having a Fourth of July 5K run/bike ride early this morning. My mom, dad, and me were planning on riding our bikes for the 10K. So we headed out at 6:30 following all the other bikers. Little did we realize that we weren't in the race for the 10K, we were doing the 25 miles. I got ahead of my parents and was by myself, so I didn't have anybody to ask, but I kept thinking, surely we should be turning around soon. And then I passed the turn-off to Mt. Charleston. That's when I realized I had to have gone more than 10 miles and I STILL wasn't to the half-way point yet. And I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning...or drunken any water...and I didn't have any water with me...
I prayed that I would stay hydrated and I would reach the half-way point soon. I stayed in good spirits though. I kept giving myself a pep-talk the entire time and felt really great when I finally reached the half-way point. Thank goodness some other kids had stopped there too and so they gave me some Gatorade and water. Took a breather, and then I was on my way back. I met up with my dad and then he led me through a short-cut so I ended up only riding a little less than 23 1/2 miles instead of the full 25. It was the best work out ever! I really felt great afterwords. Sore, but so energized.
And then we went on a hike. Haha I sure got in my exercise today. We hiked big falls, but we didn't make it to the top because a boulder had fallen in the path. But it looked like the river and waterfall were dried up anyways, or at least only trickling, so it didn't matter and we had already had a pretty good hike, so we headed down. It was perfect timing too, because it started sprinkling on us, and just as we reached the bottom and got in our car was when it really started to rain. It's a shame it's raining here and not in Utah or Colorado where they really need it. The rain water will just sit on top of the ground and then evaporate and do us no good here.
Anyways, we got home and it was raining at home too, so I decided to go swimming in the rain. It was such a magical feeling. Then my family barbecued and ate lots of good food and then watched fireworks in the park. My nephew Hyrum was so cute running around flapping his arms in excitement at the fireworks. Later, we did sparklers, and my brother and I ran around in the park grass with the sparklers, spinning and jumping and yelling "Hurray for the Red, White, and Blue! Hurray for the Fourth of July!" just like little kids. I probably looked so silly, but I didn't care what people thought of me. We had fun and it's the Fourth of July so you are supposed to celebrate.
So basically, this was an awesome Fourth of July. Much better than last years which I spent at work as a lifeguard, wondering why in the world anybody would want to go swimming at night in an indoor pool when they could be watching fireworks outside. This year's was spent with family, fireworks, good food, good exercise, swimming in the rain, cool air, and overall just a magical feeling in the air.
And now I'm off to bed because I teach swim lessons in the morning. Happy Independence Day!
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