My Faith

     Faith is a funny thing.  It requires trust and obedience.  Two things I've never been very good at.  ;)  However, in order to have Faith, these things are key.  It's difficult to put all of our trust in something greater than ourselves and do our part to see our hopes come to fruition.  When we do, though, beautiful things happen.  It also requires, at times, patience.  Yet another thing I often fail in practicing.  If you can't tell, I've had to continually work on My Faith.

 

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From Pinterest.

     Having Faith has taught me that I'm not always able to do things on my own, and I'm not required to.  It's taught me that even though I want something bad enough, no matter how righteous or good it is, that doesn't be mean I'll receive it promptly.  It might take time.

Again from Pinterest.  I told you I love that site.  :)

      Through Faith I've learned there are sometimes better things waiting for me than I could have imagined.  My husband for example.  Had I married the first guy, or even the second, I ever fell for, I know I wouldn't be nearly as happy and living the life that I know I truly should be.  I'm glad I kept Faith that someday I would find my real Prince Charming.  (Goodness this month is turning into a worship service for Ty.  I suppose he deserves it. ;) )  It took a lot of Faith for me that we would be able to have a child naturally.  It took three years, but it happened.  I really think that it was that release of control and finally letting my Faith take the reins that it happened.  I showed my Heavenly Father I was ready to trust Him fully, that I would do what He wanted me to do, no matter how long.  I'm so happy I did.  Throughout this pregnancy (and I'm sure until its end), I've had to continue with Faith that everything will be all right and that Baby Girl and I will both be safe and healthy. 

I'm thankful for My Faith because of the truths it testifies to me and because it continually guides me in the right direction.

What Have We Been Up To?

            So, I bet you’re all wondering what has kept me busy the last month and a half.  Well, nothing much.  We went to Moses Lake for the Justesen Reunion, I caught a cold, we went to Othello for the Robbins Reunion, and then Ty caught a cold.  So, yup not much going on.

 

            Oh yeah, one more thing, I’m PREGNANT!!!  I’m currently 12 weeks along.  Um, can you say crazy?  But yes it’s true.  Mostly, this whole time my thoughts have swayed between either, “Holy crap, HOLY crap, HOLY CRAP!!!” and “I can’t believe this is really happening.”  It’s been overwhelming and just all around nuts.  I’ve been so anxious to tell everyone I thought I would burst.  

            Okay, story time.  I was reading my scriptures (the Book of Mormon to be exact) and read in Ether chapter 12 about how the Lord doesn't give us miracles until after we show faith.  

Vs. 16 & 18:

"Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith even those who were before Christ and also those who were after."

"And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; where fore they first believed in the Son of God."

              Maybe it’s because I have been hoping to get pregnant for such a long time, but this really stood out at that time to me.  It made me think, “How much faith have I been showing to my Heavenly Father?”  Then I kept reading on, and read in verse 27:

“for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”   

    
           Once again, I felt impressed that these words were for me right at this time since I certainly felt weak in this area.  From that point, I decided to do my part, but leaving the rest up to the Lord completely.  I think I tried doing this before, but realistically I have a really hard time letting go of control and expecting miracles.  Somehow the words I read gave me the help I needed to feel ready to let go. 

                I didn’t want to expect immediate results.  Three years of hoping and wishing, only then to turn around and receive negative news taught me not to.  One Monday morning (my weigh in day) I woke up and decided that I should wait at least a week to test since I was only late by a day.  However, my subconscious had already made other plans and without thinking about it I pulled out a test (because I’m that neurotic about getting pregnant that I had pregnancy tests on hand).  I thought, “Well, I guess I am taking a test today.”  I laid the test off to the side and got ready to weigh myself.  It was mostly in passing, but I glanced over at the test just before getting on the scale and already there were TWO lines!!  “Um, that was fast!!”  What the what?  Instantly, I could have cared less what my weight was.  Regardless, after reveling for a bit, I did weigh in and it showed that I hadn’t lost anything (I weighed in later and I did in fact lose 1.5 pounds), but it didn’t matter.  There was something else to be celebrating.  Though, I now realized I would probably have to wait even longer before buying new clothes since I would probably be fitting back into my old ones pretty soon....well the pants anyway.

                It was pretty early that morning when I woke up and Ty was still sleeping.  I waited, somehow mustering the patience and will power to not pounce on him and wake him up immediately.  An hour and half later, he was awake.  I gently laid next to him.  He asked me how I was doing and I made a face and did the sign for “so-so”.  “Why’s that?” he asked me.  “Well, I weighed myself this morning and I didn’t lose anything,” I answered.  He said he was sorry and I said, “That’s okay.  I’m going to be gaining quite bit soon anyway.”  “How do you know that?” he teased, with a knowing tone.  I told him a little birdie told me.  I then explained what happened earlier and we were both excited, albeit sleepy.

                In the beginning, I was really just tired and exhausted.  However, even though my workouts suffered I still managed to lose the rest of the weight and made my goal.  For those of you who will chastise me for continue doing so, I will tell you that I was safe about it and since I was in the very early stage it was all right.  At any rate, I ended up losing 5 lbs. and gained 1.5 of it back from splurging a little too much too quickly afterward so it wasn't like crazy dieting.   I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize this little life.  Since making my goal, I’ve been able to maintain that weight through being sick and having barely enough energy.  About week seven, I started getting really nauseous and let’s just say I’m glad the bathroom is so close to our bedroom.  Hopefully, that will end soon.  I will be seeing a Midwife, who is also a Naturopath, and my goal is to have a natural water birth at home.  I definitely plan on documenting my visits and what I’ll be going through so those of you who are interested and/or don’t know much about it will be able to see what it’s all about. 

                Being able to tell all of our immediate family and a couple of my good girl friends, has been overwhelmingly joyous considering we’ve been hoping to do our part to expand each side for such a long time.  Sadly, only a few days after we told my parents, they left for Germany for 5 weeks and I’ve been really missing my mommy, particularly during the times when I feel really sick.  However, they’ll be home in a week and a half and I’m hoping I’ll have a nice little pooch for them to see.  

                There have been so many times that this has seemed all so surreal.  Do you remember that time I wrote that post about how I couldn’t wait for my turn?  You may or may not know this, but I suffered a miscarriage about two years ago and wrote about what I went through in a post on a blog I started to vent about such things.  How different I will be ending the year compared to how I started it.  Even though I’ve been sick and tired and tired of being sick, I’m so happy and feel so blessed.  My Heavenly Father really knows me and when I need things. 

                  Both of our families will be blessed with a plethora of babies this next year.  Four on Ty’s side (two of which are twins) and two on my side, including our little Robbins Egg, within four months.  So you can rest assured the Justesens and Robbins are doing our part to contribute to the recent baby boom.  On a little more serious note, I’m so glad that my baby will have cousins so close them in age.  It’s been one of the things that has always bothered me about not having kids earlier.  However, no need to worry about that with this one.

                I’m not sure I’ll be posting all that much more regularly now that the news has hit the presses, but I’ll do my best to have more of a life to document.  ;)  Once the little egg has hatched, I’m sure I’ll be giving you an overload of how cute and adorable they are and how I have THE best baby in all the lands.  Don’t lie, you are all looking forward to it.  With any luck, all my children will have the disposition of their father and really will be good babies.  If they are anything like me……well, we are in trouble and I’ll die of stress.

                Now I'll leave you with my first belly shot.  Just so we are clear, if you see a pooch, that is not pregnant belly.  It's normal Jenny belly.  These was taken when I was barely 6 weeks along.  Hopefully, I'll develop one soon, but for now, I pretty much look the same as I haven't gained or lost anything since then (thanks to the nausea).  Enjoy!

 

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - Emily Freeman

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   Emily Freeman has become a sort of guaranteed feature at Time Out for Women in Washington.  She's spoken here the last three times.  My post on here talk from last year can be found here.

    Again, I'm afraid, my notes are a little short for Emily.  It was the end of the conference and we had had a long night the night prior.  So, once again, I hope what I have will suffice.

    "What does it mean to have the name of Christ written on our hearts?"  "We must become all together committed to the Lord."  I have a lot of work to do before I can fully say I'm "all together committed to the Lord."  Not for lack of desire, but my own human flaws keep me from becoming all His.  I could sit here and say, "I wish I was," or, "If only I could be", but that doesn't get me anywhere.  It takes sacrifice.  We must work hard to join our wants with His and then we can realize that they really are one in the same. 

    "When people look at you, what would they say your sermon is?  And what would they know about the Lord because of you?"  Whoa.  That was heavy.  Sometimes I forget that I'm an example and the responsibility that comes with that.  People look to me to see what the LDS church is like.  Am I showing them what it truly is that we are taught?  Am I taking that time to share with them what I believe?  Definitely not as often as I could be. 

    "Our testimony of the Lord is one we would never walk away from."  I tried once.....it never really worked.  :)  I love my Heavenly Father and I know that He loves me.  No matter what path in life I take, He is watching out for me, has been watching out for me.  Looking back, I can't count the ways I was spared me from harm or made it possible for me to be in the place I am now. 

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - Merrilee Boyack

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   Merrilee was a new-to-us presenter this year and I must say I just love her.  She was funny and clever.  She's another one of those people that I just want to be friends with.

    The title of Merrilee's talk was "Blaze Your Own Trail."  She shared the statement BECOME U! and assigned a term for each letter.  With each term there was also a story from a woman in her life or in history that blazed their own trail and personified their specific topic.  Unfortunately, I was silly enough to not note the women and their stories so all I have are simple notes of each letter.  If I ever see Merrilee again I'll ask her for them and relay them back to you.

B:  Be Bold

Each of us are great leaders.  Satan will tell us that we are not.  "Tell Satan to pound sand."  :)

E:  Eternally Minded

Focus on the things of eternity.

C:  Creative -

We were meant to create and we are each creative in our own way.

 O:  Outward focus -

We have nurturing hearts.  We are "Keepers of the Heart".  We are the ones who make a difference.

M:  Meek -

We are humble women and we have our ears turned to the Lord to hear His will.  Love the Lord & love others.

E:  Enlightened -

We are women of spirit, who look for light and guidance.

U:  Unique -

This one is pretty self explanatory.

    By doing all these things we become someone better.  Become someone our Heavenly Father would be proud of.  We can blaze our own trail and become amazing women (and men :) ).

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - S. Michael Wilcox

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    Last year, due to his wife's urgent illness situation, Michael was unable to speak to us.  However, because each presentation in recorded, we were able to see his previous talk that he had given in Pittsburgh.  You can see my post on his talk here.  Since that time, Michael's wife left this world and our hearts have all gone out to him during this time.

    He began his talk sharing an old Hindu legend.  I wish I could remember it all, but the basic story goes something like a man was out in the jungle and then was being chased by a tiger.  He found refuge in a tree, while the tiger was thrashing at him below and above him were mice gnawing at him.  Sounds like life a little bit right?  The old saying "Stuck between a rock and a hard place" came to my mind.

"In our cumbersome lives with gnawing mice and thrashing tigers it is needful that sometimes we learn."

    Continuing on he also recounted the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10: 38-42).  I was glad because this is a story that has been on my mind lately.  Which one do I represent? 

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 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

    Michael pointed out that Martha said that her sister "left me to serve alone" and he took that to mean that Mary had been helping Martha, but stopped at some point to listen to Christ.  He thought that it would be more appropriate if Mary had a bowl in her hands while she was listening to represent that.  Then, he reflected on how Jesus answered and spoke to Martha.  He would have spoken gently to her, understanding the burden she felt and the worry she carried with her to make sure all these people would be fed.  Then saying that, "Mary hath chosen that good part".  The good part, not the better part.  Mary actively involved in a good work, but Martha simply chose the good part for her.  Maybe it's what she needed to hear right then in her life.  The Lord would not take that from her.  He couldn't and certainly wouldn't.  There will be times where it's more important to learn and grow than to focus on getting things done.

    We never stop learning.  Righteousness leads to Knowledge.  The more righteous steps we take the more knowledge we obtain.

Righteousness-------------------------->Knowledge

Greater Righteousness----------->Greater Knowledge


    Lastly, he shared an analogy of a compass.  The kind they use for naval guiding (like the one for drawing and has two feet.  We plant one foot in the center of the of gospel, the other is the searching foot.  People will place it anywhere because they think nothing is there.  Draw a circle and it encompasses all the truth and good of other religions.  "Never compare your best to their worst."

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - DeAnne Flynne

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    DeAnne was a great speaker who had some great stories.  Once again, you'll have to forgive me if my notes don't make a whole lot of sense because I don't remember a lot of the stories.  She spoke a lot about how we can try to do these grand, large things and hope that they are the things people remember the most.  She countered that with the idea that it's the small things that make the greatest impact.  Remember the old widow who cast in 2 mites into the treasury?  (See Mark 12: 42-44)  

"And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing."

    There were many rich men who had brought a large chunk of change, but this woman, who cast in only 2 mites, had put in more than anyone else who cast into the treasury.

43  "....this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44 "For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

    Here she was with nothing left, except 2 little mites, and she gave that up.  "The Lord will provide if we give our all."  I wonder what happened to the woman.  Did she find solace in her sacrifice?   Did she continue giving service to the Lord, as well as all those around her, giving all that she could through her actions and deeds?  Did she suffer the rest of her earthly days only to receive a greater reward in the next life?  I'm confident that a woman of her faith must have done all these things and was greatly blessed because of it.

    Mother's Mites:  Small acts by Mother's that are treasured.

    It's fitting that this post should be on Mother's Day.  I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful examples of what a mother is and should be from so many accomplished women.  My own mother has never given up on me becoming the person I am, even when there were times I could have proven her wrong.  She's loved me, buoyed me up, strengthened me through her own sacrifices.  I'm still in awe of the woman who married a man and moved so far away from her family and home country to live in the middle of Nowheresville, Washington, the land flowing with dirt and tumbleweeds (okay we at least have a algae infested lake), not knowing the language very well.  My momma "overlooked" that, though I believe she still misses the luscious color of green from the overwhelming amount of trees she was so used to.  Though many will tell me they love her accent, all I hear is a women speaking English, with the occasional German conversation with family or friends.  She is one of the kindest, friendliest, compassionate women you'll ever give yourself the pleasure of knowing.  Her 2 mites are given every day when she wakes up and takes care that one more person is feeling their greatest.  LOVE YOU MOM!

    (Okay, back to my notes)  How can we make a difference in others' lives?

1. Be More Aware:

     Paying attention costs nothing, but the dividends are priceless.
     Try to notice something different about them.  Listen, pay attention to the spirit.

     2.   Eliminate plates.  Declutter your life.

     Make yourself at home every single day.  Like remodeling yourself.
     It's much trickier to be your best self at home around those you are most familiar.

    She shared the scripture Titus 2:5.  Here Paul is telling the men and women of Titus what they should do to live righteously.  To the women in this verse he says, "To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."  Now I know there are going to be in an upheaval saying, "I can go to work if I want," and so on and so forth.  This isn't saying that you can't.  However, as the matriarchs of our home, we, whether we like it or not, set the tone for our homes.  It's because of this we have such a great duty to our families.  

"By small and simple acts we can accomplish great things."

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - Dean Hughes

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    I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was to hear this guy speak.  He is the author of some of my favorite book series.  "Children of the Promise" and "Hearts of the Children".  Such amazing stories and I highly recommend them.  Ironically, I don't remember too many stories from his talk, but I gathered a good many quotes from him.  

- "Be better than you are right now."

Members of the LDS faith are probably always concerned with our eternal progression.  We are always striving for perfection.  When we fail to achieve perfection, we also fail to recognize our triumphs.  We are a work in progress.  Let's face it, get EVERY THING just the way it's supposed to be is going to be rough.  I think we need to strive for just a little better than we are.  Each little improvement is another notch.

- "Everybody cuts somebody off sometime." "This is one of those times."

Have you ever been driving along, trying to be courteous to the other drivers (or at least avoiding them all together so as to not get in trouble), and some yahoo cuts you off, or takes the parking spot you clearly had rights to?  Dean pointed out that this is bound to happen.  He has to remind himself, "Dean, this is just one of those times."  Confession:  I had to do it a few times as we were driving out of Seattle.  This sort of goes back to what John Bytheway spoke about with his mother choosing to become bitter or better.  Life will sometimes through you a bunch of lemons.  "This is just one of those times."

- "You're not in a contest....The Lord doesn't run out of love."

- "When we start comparing there is a sense of  ungratefulness."

- "That twinge of envy can destroy us emotionally and spiritually."

I love these.  It's a human dysfunction to be dissatisfied with what we already have.  Always wanting what we don't have.  There's always something bigger, better, more.  We could always be more.  Do you ever think to yourself:  "I'll never be able to be as good as she/he is," or the other side of the coin, "Why did they give that person that calling?  That doesn't make any sense.  I should have it."  Guess what?  The Lord has a plan for all of us and no matter what we think of ourselves or anyone else, he has a never ending amount of love and support for us all.  

- "You're not in that big of a hurry."

 Ummmmm, WHAT?!  ;)  I know, I know.  Like we haven't heard that before.  It's always a good reminder though.  I frequently get so caught up in what I'm doing at the time that I forget I'm not on a time limit.  Even if I am though, the world will not come to an end if I'm not finished right when I planned to be.

- "It's only with the spirit that we can really be changed!"

While trying to become whatever it is that we are striving to achieve, it's important to remember that it cannot be done alone.  If we truly are striving to be better than we are now, we NEED to have the spirit with us.  It's our Heavenly Father's gift to us.  It's like our telegraph with Him.  When we know the code to decipher His messages we can use His help and become stronger and better than we were.

- "When we are meek we are like Christ, and there is nothing better in this world to achieve."

I agree 100% with that statement.  If there is anything in this world that we are trying to become it is like Christ.  It is Him who saved us and gave the ultimate of sacrifices for us.  I don't know about you, but I would have a hard time right now saying I would do that for EVERY person who has ever lived.  Something I clearly need to work on.  Without judgement, He gave to all those who would let Him.  I looked "meek" up in the dictionary (I know, typical LDS talk thing to do) and there are three definitions of the word.  The only one that didn't fit was "deficient in spirit and courage".  Our Savior was the embodiment of spirit and courage.  In my opinion, one would need to have spirit and courage to fit the other definitions of meekness, especially during the times that our Savior lived and really the times we live in today.  There is so much hatred around us and the best way to combat it is with the meekness of Christ.

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - Mariama Kallon

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    If you have been reading my blog for at least a year, then you might remember Miss Kallon.  She was a presenter last year at Time Out for Women and was the inspiration for the theme of Hope.  My post about her talk can be found here.

    This is one amazing women.  I love her laughter and the joy she finds in little things.  She shared bits of the story she told last year of her experience growing up in Sierra Leone.  She had always had a strong desire and urge to learn specifically English.  She left home to learn and go to school at age 7.  She would do neighbors chores to be able get a plate of food.  Because of the war and the terror they experienced they were take turns sleeping and keeping watch for the soldiers to come.  They learned to wear 3 or 4 layers of clothes because running through the bush it gets ripped off.  It was great to see her find the humor of running and getting one layer torn off and then running some more and then there goes another layer.  She said that she learned to carry things in her bosom.  This is a habit that apparently has stayed with her she admitted.  : )  Through all of this she now believes that Heavenly Father did all this to prepare her to become who she is today.  Clearly, she has overcome much.

    Her story doesn't stop when she joined the church or even when she left on her mission.  A story that was shared in a video by her former Mission President.  One day, as he was walking, Mariama was running towards the South Gate of the SLC Temple (where she served her mission).  He asked where she was going.  She told him that she was going to meet a black person at the South Gate.  He said, "Good for you," and went on his way.  Later, he found her talking to a black man and giving him information about the church.  After he had gone, the Mission President asked who had made the appointment for her.  She replied, "No one," and proceeded to tell him how this all came about.  

    There weren't a lot of people like her there and she really wanted to teach and help someone like herself.  So that morning she knelt and prayed and asked Heavenly Father to send a black person who was from Africa to come for her to teach.  When she finished her prayer, she got up and ran to the South Gate.  She waited about five minutes and a black man from Ghana (I think?) came and you know the rest.  "If we do what He asks us to do He will give us the promised blessings."

    One of the trials she faced while on her mission was not receiving mail, especially in comparison to the others who were there.  She had lost all her family and there wasn't anyone for her to write or get letters from.  While others would receive their packages, she would wish she would have one of her own.  The other sisters felt sorry for and wrote home to their mothers to make a package for her.  Soon enough she was receiving more packages than anyone else.  "Mine angles will be round about you to lift you up."

    Two thoughts last thoughts that I wanted to share:

- Listen to the promptings of the spirit so that you might serve others.

- Don't take the small things for granted.  Mariama gave a small list of things she is grateful for among them were shoes, carpet, and a bed.  Her list gave me some good ideas for my thankful posts for November.

Time Out For Women - Seattle, WA 2011 - John Bytheway

   Another Time Out for Women has come and gone.  This time was better for me, but there were some points where I wasn't sure how what the speaker was saying fit into the theme of "Choose to Become".  At the end of the day that didn't matter so much because I was uplifted and enjoyed my time there.  We made it in time for Friday night and so I was able to take notes.  Hopefully, I'll be able to decipher them enough to create posts that will in some way make sense and do justice to the speakers.  :)

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    First up is John Bytheway.  A classic among LDS culture and I was so excited that this was my second time to hear him speak in person (the first time was at BYU-Idaho 7 1/2 years ago!).  I was also full of giddiness when he did his Don Knotts "Barney from Mayberry" impression.  Luckily, I caught it on video on my phone, but I won't be posting it because I found out the next day that that is a no-no.  Whoops!

    He shared the story of his parents and how they got married.  His mother's sister, Gerry, was quite sick and on the day they received their endowments, after leaving the temple, she collapsed and fell into a coma.  She would come in and out of a coma during the week and all she would talk about was the reception.  John's parents were married on Friday and had a gathering of sorts that evening.  Saturday, Gerry passed away and instead of attending a wedding reception, his parents attended a funeral.  I love the sentiment he shared that she could have chosen to become bitter or better from the experience and she chose to become better.

    Among the many quotes he shared I think I liked this one the best from President Boyd K. Packer from "That All May Be Edified", 39.

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"No good thought is ever lost. No turn of the mind, however brief or transitory or illusive, if it is good, is ever wasted. No thought of sympathy, nor of forgiveness, no reflection on generosity or of courage or of purity, no meditation on humility or gratitude or reverence, is ever lost. The frequency with which they are experienced is the measure of you. The more constant they become, the more you are worth, or, in scriptural terms, the more you are worthy. Every clean thought becomes you. Every clean thought becomes you."

    How many times have you heard you are what you eat? While I'm trying to loose weight, I've thought it a lot.  Our thoughts are where our actions begin.  I love that he took the positive perspective of our thoughts.  Sometimes, I think (haha get it?) I easily forget my more positive thoughts and punish myself for all my negative ones.  I want to start focusing on my positive thoughts because it's those that I want to determine the woman I become.

Can I Get an Update?

    I can't believe it's been two months since I posted about my weight loss plan.  Don't think I've been spending that time idly either.  In fact, this whole weight loss journey has kind of taken over my life.  Once everything was decided upon and I mentally prepared myself for what I was signing myself up for, "the plan" was set in motion and hasn't taken a breather since.  Here's a run down of all the things on my plan:

- Counting calories again using TheDailyPlate.com every day.
Done and Done.  Haven't missed a single day.  I'm so proud of myself.  I've definitely had days where I'd love to NOT know how many calories I've put in my belly, but plugged 'em in anyway.  Go Me!

-Post everything I eat on my food blog with the calories.
Again, haven't missed a day.  There were a couple of times I forgot to take a picture of something and/or recycled a picture I already had.  However, everything is still posted with calories for all the world to see here, on my food blog.  It seems more appropriate to call it my weight loss blog now since it's more than just about what I eat.

-Begin w/ doing the 30-day diet again and then continue with a scheduled meal plan.
This was a hard one to finish, but I done did it.  And didn't cheat once.  :)  Though, I was certainly happy to be done with it, I've decided I'm going to do it a couple more times this year.  It's just good to get a fresh start.  Until then, I'm taking pleasure in other things while trying not to overindulge.

-Visual of progress close to bed with encouraging statements. surrounding it.
This has turned out to be my favorite thing.  I LOVE looking over at my bedside wall and seeing the continued progress I've made.  My goals don't seem so far away when I look at how well I've done so far.
Here's what it looked like when I first started:

Here's what it looks like now:

Here's what my progress looks like on My Daily Plate (Starting on Jan. 1st to today):

-Have a reward system.
This has really been motivating.  I've earned 3 rewards so far and at the rate I'm going, the fourth is just a few weeks away.  I'll have to do another post later about the rewards I've earned for myself so far.

-Follow the C25K program.
It's been so good for me to do this, mostly because I HATE running.  However, I'm still stuck on Week 3 and haven't been able to get further.  I realized, after talking with a friend whose been doing it, that I started at the goal running level instead of where I probably should have started and built up from there.  The problem is I know I can run at that level and I don't want to stop, but it makes it difficult to get past where I'm at.  Running for 3 minutes is rough if you're not used to it.  So, I'm going to keep at it until I feel I'm doing well enough to move on.  As far as I'm concerned as long as I'm doing something, then it's fine to go at my own pace.

-Calisthenics and weight lifting with Ty.
Well, I got a little bit of a late start doing this, but I've finally gotten into it and I'm doing it three days a week.  However, I don't have my buddy with me.  :)  It just worked out better for me to do it during the day instead of waiting until night to do it with him.  I don't think he's crying over it either.  ;)

     As of today, I've lost 17 pounds since starting all that time ago (it doesn't seem like it's been two months).  Can you believe that?  Each Monday morning as I weigh myself, I'm excited to find out what all my hard work has earned me.  As shown on the above chart, I'm at 153 and anxious to get back into the 140's.  I haven't been there since the first 8 months of our marriage.  My Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with motivation and mental strength to keep going, even when I'm not excited to work out.  I constantly feel grateful for his help and try to make sure I tell him that as often as I can. 

    If you want to see what I've REALLY been eating and doing for workouts go to my Weight Loss blog here:  whatyouputinyourbelly.blogpot.com.  I'd love to get more comments because who doesn't need more encouragement?  Tips, recipes, and any other suggestions are fully welcome.

How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions?

Gospel Lessons That Uplift

I'm thankful for Gospel Lessons That Uplift.

I love when I go to church and there is a lesson being given that's exactly what I need.  The Lord knows how to bless us in ways that we don't even realize.  How many times in our life do we go through trying and difficult times and then when we aren't expecting it, we hear the perspective of others and something clicks in our head?  Or we read the scriptures or a talk and the words of the prophets give us the hope to continue.

General Conference is one of those times that I pretty much always feel enveloped by the love of my Father in heaven.  Everything I ever need to hear is right there.  How they ever manage to receive the inspiration just for me I'll never know.  ; )

The best is when I'm preparing a lesson to teach others, or I'm writing a talk, and the message seems like it's really for me.  Most often it's about patience.  I don't think I'll ever stop learning that.

I'm thankful for these Gospel Lessons because of how they build me up when I am down.

I'm thankful for these Gospel Lessons because they always seem to come right when I need them.

I'm thankful for these Gospel Lessons because I know they directly from my Heavenly Father.

Do you have a favorite moment like this?

Do You Know What Month It Is?

October.  Yes, you're all very smart.  It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  GO PINK!

But how many of you know that it's also Domestic Violence Awareness Month?

I'll admit I hadn't realized it until an e-friend of mine wrote a little bit about her experience.  It made me realize (1) how lucky I am to have never experienced this and (2) how my heart truly goes out to those who have.  I don't want to downgrade the importance of Breast Cancer research or demote those who are suffering because of this disease (or the suffering of the family and friends close to them).  However, how many opportunities do we get to help RIGHT NOW?  There's a site that I go to that I get coupon updates and such from.  Last week, they made a post about doing something for those who have experienced domestic violence.  Basically, a group of women in the Tri-cities, who were looking for a way to give back, contacted the Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties.  On October 16th from 10AM - 1PM at the Albertson's in Richland (on Lee Blvd.) they will be collecting a number of items to fill buckets with.  

It's important to recognize that when these women leave their homes, they leave with little to nothing and need EVERYTHING.  Here's the list given in the email from the post.

"Things they are looking for donations for:

Bathroom cleaners
Windex
Ajax
Comet
Soft Scrub
Dishwashing soap
Bath soap
Toilet bowl cleaner
Rubber gloves
Sponges
Paper towels
Toilet paper.

Additional needs include:  furniture polish, carpet cleaning supplies, laundry soap, bleach, fabric softener, and personal care products for women and children.  Each bucket contains at least 10 products and they have already purchased 50 buckets to fill. So let’s all come and donate so we can fill all 50 of these buckets!"

I'm not going to try and guilt trip any of you into helping with this because that's not what I'm about and frankly, I shouldn't have to.  However, I would like to ask anyone who can help to please do so.  There are a few of you in the Tri-cities who are close by and it won't take much to come here and offer even just a little bit.  I know there's a good amount of you in Moses Lake, Othello, and other towns within driving distance.  Maybe make a trip up here for the day, drop off your items, and then go off and enjoy some time at the mall or going out to eat at a restaurant you don't typically enjoy in your area.

Maybe it's the combination of my friend's recent sharing of her experience and the post from the coupon blog, but I feel very strongly about this cause and helping where I can.  I hope many of you will read this post and the other and feel there is something you can give.

Time Out for Women - Spokane, WA 2010

I hope you enjoyed the stories and lessons from each of the speakers.  As well as including my own little blurbs.  I've really enjoyed writing it all down.  Not every story was shared because I only included the ones I could remember (as I remember them) and that meant the most to me.

Which one was your favorite?

Has anyone else gone to a Time Out for Women event?

What was your experience?

If you have gone to an event, make sure you "Share Your Experience" by going to the Time Out for Women website and clicking on the event you went to and take the survey or leave a review.

Time Out for Women - Spokane, WA 2010 - Emily Freeman

Source

Emily told a story of one Christmas (it may have even been this last one, I can't remember) where her husband was called to work and had to go to China.  To add to the disappointment, he would leave the 26th and be gone for all the rest of Christmas break.  They had made plans, but all those plans wouldn't work if he wasn't there.  So, Emily decided that she would go with the rest of her family to her parents cabin in the mountains and go skiing.

She bought ski passes for them for three days, which she found not to be the best idea, because after two days she was wiped out.  Muscles she had not used in a very long time were sore and tired.  So, after it all, she wanted to get comfy and put on her new pj's.  She described them as cute and sort of matching and loved them as they were brand new and a gift from Christmas.  When she came into the kitchen she saw her mom was making White Chicken Chili.  Now, I've never had White Chicken Chili, but she said that she knew her kids would never eat it and decided that she would go into town and get chicken nuggets and fries for her kids.  Before leaving, she asked her sisters-in-law if they thought it would be okay for her to go into town wearing her pj's.  They told her that she would be fine.  (*Haha.  I personally found this hilarious because I, from time to time, will be found lazy enough to go to the Safeway, a block away, in my comfortable attire [aka: my pj's] with no shame.)

So, she goes to the store and they have a Redbox and there is NO line in front of it, and apparently this pretty much never happens.  She thinks, "Oh this is great!"  She had a few movies she needed to return anyway.  While she does this she is on the phone with a lady who is trying to make an order and is having trouble with it and she is trying to walk her through it.  Once she returns her movies, she looks behind her and there is a line and she thinks, "Oh good.  I'm at the beginning of the line and I can get another movie and I'll be the BEST MOM EVER."  So, she proceeds to go through the process of a movie.  I've never used Redbox before, but she said that the thing is really slow and she's on the phone and entering in the information.  Then, a lady comes up to her and says, "Are you on the phone while using the Redbox?"  Emily winks and waves at her thinking the woman is sort of teasing her.  Finally, when she gets done she goes on to the store, when the lady, again, comes up to her and says, "You can't use your cellphone when using Redbox.  You are Rude!  And you're wearing your pajamas!"

This started and internal conflict within her and she started saying to herself, "I'm so rude for being on my cellphone while using the Redbox."  Then, kept on progressing, "I shouldn't have used the Redbox."  By the time she got out to the car she was saying to herself, "I'm a horrible mother for not teaching my kids to like White Chicken Chili and then I wouldn't have had to come out here."

She got back to the cabin and told her sisters-in-law, "The pajamas were a bad idea."  Emily then started to put the food on the oven trays and the ladies finally asked her what happened.  She told them the story and they just thought it was hilarious.  One sister-in-law said, "You should have told her, 'I know I'm wearing pajamas.  I dressed myself.'"  Haha. I like her already.

Emily said, "Isn't it interesting how you can go from being on top of the world and feeling great about yourself and one person can turn it all around and make you feel horrible?"

First of all, wearing pajamas to the grocery store is really not that big of a deal.  Maybe that's just me, but honestly, who even cares? 
Secondly, this lady must have been having a really bad day to call someone else rude, while being quite rude herself.

Emily then talk to about perspective.  How two people can be having the same experience, but can have completely different perspectives.  She gave the example of Nephi and Laman and Lemuel. 
This is what Nephi said of their journeying:
1 Nephi 17:1-2  "And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth.  And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did  bear children in the wilderness.

And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us..."

This is what Laman and Lemuel had to say:
1 Nephi 17:20-21  "And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.

Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy."
 
I think it's hilarious that they say "might".  THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW FOR SURE?!  Really guys?  The city was going to be destroyed and you "might" have been happy?  I highly doubt it.  Anyway, getting back on point.  It's all in our perspective.  Nephi CHOSE to look at the blessing the Lord had given them.  While his brothers only focused on how hard everything was.  Nephi acknowledged that they had it rough, but even so the Lord was watching over them.  I think Laman and Lemuel were thinking the way we do sometimes.  If we are following the Lord's word and His plan, He will make everything smooth sailing.  It's only fair right?  We forget that we actually have put in some of our own work.

My advice:
Life's rough.  Say a prayer.

Time Out for Women - Spokane, WA 2010 - Wendy Ulrich

Source

Wendy Ulrich:  She is a psychologist and in her introduction she said that she would be talking about 7 things that will give us hope.

1)  Stop worrying about your weaknesses.

2)  Don't try to get motivated to exercise.

3)  Stop trying to find friends.
4)  Don't try to feel happy.

5)  Celebrate failure.

6) Don't practice resisting temptation.

7)  Don't endure to the end.

When she finished off her list I thought, "This is a lady I could get along with."  Haha.  She even joked that now we were all thinking, "This is the church for me."

I should have known she would have put a twist on it.  She's a psychologist for goodness sakes.

1)  Stop Worrying About Your Weaknesses.

Wendy told us of how she was called on a mission when she was 21 and how she struggled.  She said that they were the worst 18 months of her life.  (A commonly known statement for missionaries is that it's the best years of your life.  There is even a LDS movie called "The Best Two Years".)  She felt as though her own weaknesses made it difficult for her to do the work and felt she barely made it through.  Years later, her husband was called to be the President of the Canada Montreal Mission.  She thought, "This is my chance.  This is my chance to do things right and be better."  That apparently lasted for about 10 minutes, until she realized that she still had some of the same weaknesses that she did the last time.

Then, in a "moment of absolute clarity", she felt a voice say to her, "I did not call you on a mission for your weaknesses.  I called you for your strengths.  Serve with your strengths."

"Wow!", I thought.  All this time, I've been so focused on how I can't do things because of my weaknesses and it's totally the opposite.  I shouldn't focus on the things that are my weak areas, but the strong points.  My talents.  After all, isn't that what the Lord told us to do?  Develop our talents.  Brilliant!

2)  Don't Try To Get Motivated To Exercise.

Get in motion and the motivation will follow.

She told us about an article she read in a Runners magazine on this man and how he sort of tricked himself into running every day.
He would start by putting on his workout clothes. Not because he was going running. Because they were comfortable.  Then, he would go to the door.  Not because he was going running.  Because he wanted to see what it was like outside.  Then, he would start walking down the street.  Not because he was going running.  Because he wanted to see if his neighbor was out, or something like that.  Once he was out there it was like, "Oh alright."

Once you start moving, the motivation will follow.

3)  Stop Trying To Find Friends.

I don't know about any of you, but I felt really encouraged by this.  In normal settings, I'm extroverted and I love to be around people.  However, no one really warns you that when you get married there's no more Single's Ward-like activities to help you meet people.  At least not if you don't live in a university town where there are married student wards and other things like that.  As for myself, when I'm in "unfamiliar territory", I become really introverted and reserved.  Of course, I want to make friends, but quite frankly that's scary.  Especially, when we moved here.  I'm still getting used to our ward and trying to remember people's names.  It's not like Moses Lake, where even if I didn't know them, they knew my dad/mom/brothers so then there was some kind of a connection.  I don't really have that here.  Needless to say, I'm struggling to find friends.  Especially friends that I have things in common with.

Wendy's advice:
Stop trying to find friends.
Start trying to learn how to be a friendlier person.

-Have 1 meaningful conversation daily.

While this is good advice, I'm also a lonely little housewife with no kids, who doesn't go anywhere.  Maybe that's my problem.  My visiting teaching could definitely use a boost.
Either way, what I've decided is to shoot for one meaningful conversation on Sundays.  It will be a good motivator for me to meet and get to know more people in my ward and hopefully form some friendships.  If anyone from my ward reads this, spread the word!  I'm comin' at cha'.  Haha.

4)  Don't Try To Feel Happy.

-Try to Feel Grateful
Wendy had us to an "exercise" where we closed our eyes and thought of a difficulty or stressful issue in our lives right now.  We had to think of how it made us feel.  Get that emotion.  Then, we had to think of the feeling of being grateful.  How that made us feel.  Once we had that for a bit.  She had us open our eyes and said, from the time we started out stressed, it took us ONE minute to be happy by being grateful.  AMAZING!

Wendy suggested that we write down three good things that have happened today and why did that happened.  Once you realize why they happened, you become grateful for those things.  In turn, becoming happy.  Anyone remember the "Thankful" posts I did in November?  I was so happy all the time doing those.  I thought it was because I was writing every day.  Now, I realize it's because I recognized the things my Heavenly Father gave me.

5)  Celebrate Failure.

If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly.
That's when we learn how to do it better.

-What is a difficulty you faced?
-How did you feel?
-What did you learn?
-How did you overcome that problem?

6)  Don't Practice Resisting Temptation.

Yes!  Finally an excuse to eat chocolate!
Or so I thought...

-Distract yourself.
If you are placing a temptation in front of yourself (or placing yourself in front of a temptation...like going to the candy section of the grocery store...don't lie you've all done it), and "trying" to practice resisting, it's not going to work.  We are weak people!  It's not a good idea.  Get away from the temptation.  Run and don't look back.
Feed your real hunger and get away from the temptation.
With things like scripture study or learning a new skill or habit.

7)  Don't Endure To The End.

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."  President Gordon B. Hinckley

There are so many things to live for and live to do.  This reminds me of Mariama's story.  During the war, she and her family had to endure to the end.  Just waiting for the next day.  What's our excuse?  Are our circumstances so incredible and challenging that we all we can do is endure?  Enjoy life.  Enjoy the trees, the weather (yes, even if it's windy....I'm a work in progress), our families, bubble baths.  This life isn't all about work all the time.  It's also about enjoying the world our Heavenly Father gave us.

Wendy suggested:
Savor delight in 10 tiny changes.

Maybe we could make little changes to our daily routine and switch things up a bit.  You know make things interesting.