A Tale of Three Workouts

1) Last Saturday I went to the gym and ran four miles.  It took me 40 minutes but I did it and I felt good about myself.  When Monday rolled around I guess I was still on a runners high so I decided to do another four miles...and loved every minute.  Tuesday I was planning on doing just two miles but I passed the two mile mark and the three and did another four.  Well, now I'm feeling pretty good about myself.  I've done 12 miles in four days (although I didn't run on Sunday).  I start doing some math in my head and figure out that if I do four miles every day this week I can do 24 miles in a week!  That's almost a marathon.  What a blog post that would be!  Well my workout goals never go according to plan.  Of course, I hurt my foot somehow and can't run today.  But I did do 16 miles in four running days which is still more than I've ever done.  I just wish my body would cooperate with me and let me run as long and as far as I want...

2) On Tuesday and Thursday I usually go to the gym with Jamie in the morning.  After we do some type of cardio exercise we do weight machines and then sometimes an ab workout.  Well last Tuesday we got our weights, walked to the mats and then started observing those around us.  Have you ever seen the girls that go to the gym and never seem to really do anything?  They grab a weight and do one thing and then change their mind and do something else and then give up and walk around for a bit before picking the weight up again.  Or they get on a machine for a few minutes...but never long enough to actually break a sweat.  It's like they go so they can say they go to the gym.  Their loss I guess.  After discussing this among other things, for about 10 minutes, we decided we would skip abs for the day and just head home.  So we picked our weights up and walked them back to the rack...without ever doing anything with them.  I laughed at the hypocrisy of the entire situation. 

3) Yesterday I saw a girl at the gym wearing rain boots.  Not only was she wearing rain boots, she had tall argyle socks on under them.  Not only was she wearing rain boots with argyle socks, she had black lacy tights under her argyle socks.  And of course, it wouldn't be honor code appropriate unless she had on the gray shirt and blue gym shorts.  Seriously.  Someone wanted to stand out at the gym.  

Failure

I just want to write.  There's no funny story.  No awkward moment.  No delicious culinary masterpiece.  Just mumbo-jumbo mulling around in the gray and white matter in my head.  And I'm really tired so I don't even think anything makes sense at the moment.  Not the most opportune time to blog...maybe I should just stop while I'm ahead.

Isn't life funny?  In one of my classrooms last spring there was a quote that said "What would you do if you knew you would not fail?"  I've thought about that a lot.  What would I do if I knew I wouldn't fail?  What would anyone do?  But then would everyone succeed in everything?  That kind of defeats the purpose of success.  Like if everyone is successful then no one is.  Because if everyone that applied to Harvard got in, it wouldn't be a prestigious school.  If everyone that wanted to be a doctor became one, we would have a world of very good doctors but no one to check out our groceries or make our peanut butter cup blizzards because why would anyone work fast food if they knew they wouldn't fail at something better.

(Now I know that most fast food workers are not in there for life, I'm just trying to make a point and I already said I was tired so bare with me.)

What would happen in a singles ward at BYUI?  Yeah.  Laugh.  I know you're laughing just thinking about it.  But I can see the good and the bad.  No one would have to suffer that awful, awkward date that was doomed to fail from the beginning because it couldn't fail.  But at the same time, you wouldn't even go on dates until you came in contact with the person that you would eventually marry because breaking up is kind of a sign of failure.  And it's kind of lame to not get asked out...trust me.  Plus, some people don't get married until after graduation so they wouldn't have much of a social life during their college years which would be a bummer.  On the positive side, you wouldn't have to worry about asking someone out if you knew they would say yes, or reaching out and grabbing their hand if you knew they wouldn't think you were a freak.  You could flirt it up and not be afraid of looking like an idiot.  Oh the endless possibilities.

So maybe it would be good for some people to have the attitude of non-failure.  But if everyone did, I think we might have a problem.  Although, there's a difference in thinking you won't fail and actually not failing.

I'm definitely not a risk taker.  I like things as they are and as I know they will be.  I'm sure there are numerous things I haven't done because I've been afraid of failure.  I don't think I've ever met someone that likes the feeling of failure.  But you know what?  I'm so grateful for all of the failures out there!  They do what I'm scared to do.  They put themselves, their ideas, their emotions, and/ or their livelihoods on the line and risk it all.  Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes they crash and burn.  Failure makes a good story after the fact.  Especially for those on the outside who weren't affected.

Since we don't know that we won't fail we are forced to take risks whether we want to or not.  Some are bigger than others.  Again, I tend to stay away from the big ones.  I'm deathly afraid of looking like an idiot.  I like to have the appearance of knowing what's going on and what I'm doing, but it makes life a little boring sometimes.  I've probably missed numerous opportunities for friends, relationships, and talents because of that fear.  If you don't put yourself on the line, you really can't succeed.  So if you don't have any big failures can you really have any big successes? 

Thinking about it now, are the lack of complete (and sometimes utterly embarrassing) failures in my life a bad thing?  

Saving Rummikub

Board games are pretty universal.  You can play Chutes and Ladders, Checkers or Hi-Ho Cherry-O in New York, North Carolina or Nevada and it's the same game.  Heck, you can even play it with people who speak different languages because talking isn't necessary.  You don't need to know the people you play with which makes them perfect for parties (okay, I think I'm done with the alliterations for now).  

Enter Rummikub.

If my family had to pick a game that represented us I believe it would be Rummikub.  It's the one game I believe everyone knows how to play and will play if asked.  It's the go-to game on Sunday afternoons and could quite possibly be called a Sunday afternoon tradition.  I can't imagine life pre-Rummikub.  It's probably like parents trying to remember pre-child life...impossible!

Sadly, Rummikub is not a universal board game.  But it is a great example of the demise of American intelligence.  Sometime between the time my family purchased the game in a black box and the time that many others purchased it in a newer blue box, the makers of the game decided to change the rules.  Apparently no one told them you can't just change the rules to board games because they're universal.  

By "changing the rules" I mean they completely took out some very important rules that made the game a game of strategy!  Instead of a thought-provoking game it's just another think-every-once-in-a-while-but-not-enough-to-cause-you-to-actually-use-brain-juice game.  I detest the new rules.  And besides my family, I don't think any other person I've met plays with the old rules.  I feel like it's up to the Ohio Tuckers (since even my own grandmother and great-grandmother play with the new blue box rules) to save the original Rummikub!

So if anyone plays with the watered-down blue box rules and would like to learn a more advanced version, feel free to contact me.  I won't charge you for lessons and I may even let you win once or twice. 

   

Excel Sheets are Wonderful

It's that time of the semester again.  Registration.  Why do they insist on making it so stressful??  Actually this semester was waaaayyyyyy less stressful than normal.  They used to have it set up so that you could start registering at midnight...lucky for me, that meant 2:00am in Ohio.  Then once I finally have the chance to register in Idaho they change the time to 6:00am. 

I'm kind of a weirdo when it comes to planning classes...the excel sheet is a glimpse of what goes through my head as I'm trying to get things organized.  You have to be prepared because anything can happen; classes can fill, the computer can freeze, the crappy apartment connection can go out, the pages won't load etc.  Surprisingly, I got all the classes I wanted at the times I wanted!  One class I got my second choice for a professor but oh well. 

I'm hoping I don't have to change too much because of work.  I don't have my schedule yet so cross your fingers I can just work when I don't have class.  Half of my classes are only offered at one time so it's impossible to change them anyways.  The boxed in schedule is what my final ended up looking like.

Notice, Wednesday and Friday I only have one class!  Tuesday/ Thursday is going to be the death of me but I've heard that's what college is for.  I'm taking Culinary Fundamentals, Intro to Food Service Sanitation, Meal Management, Family Foundations, Light and Sound, and Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases.  Hopefully nothing too stressful and I think I'll be able to have some fun too!  I get kind of focused during the semester so I'm sad I won't have as much fun as I did this semester only having one class.  I'm going to try hard not to be as big of a party pooper as I was in the fall...."try" being the key word.

I'm excited for next semester!!!  Five of the six roommates are staying so it'll be a party.  The weather will get nice sooner or later so we can have picnics outside, go on walks, and leave our door and windows open with the music blaring.

Life is good :)   

C-O-N-D-I-T-I-O-N-E-R spells Shampoo

I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  

A little over a week ago I was taking a shower and realized that I was running out of shampoo.  A few days later I finally got around to going to Walmart to pick some up.  Since shampoo is something I'll always use I figured it would be good to just buy the big bottle and save money in the long run.  I still had some left in my old bottle so I stuck the new bottle in the closet until I needed it.  

Two days ago I finally ran completely out of the old stuff.  I waltzed right on over to the closet to get my brand spankin' new bottle and to my surprise....I had bought a HUGE new bottle of conditioner.  Lovely.  I have plenty of conditioner left.  I needed shampoo.

Yesterday.  I'm at Broulims with Alexis and remember that I still need shampoo.  Now, Broulims is a grocery store so it's not cheap to be buying toiletries there but I needed to wash my hair!  I went to the shampoo isle and of course the kind I get is the most expensive one.  So I decided to try something else on sale.  I picked out Aussie (it smells good).  At first I grabbed "extra volume shampoo" but put it back to get the "extra moist" kind.  Again, I went for the big bottle.

This morning I got home from the gym sweaty, stinky and ready to shower (nice alliteration, huh?).  I grabbed my new shampoo, twisted the pump up and started walking towards the bathroom when I read the bottle.  Yup.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette.  I'm a brunette who picked up yet ANOTHER bottle of CONDITIONER.  So now I have two very large bottles of conditioner plus the bottle that I'm still using because that's not what I ran out of!  How does this even happen?!?!?!    Can I literally just not read?  Do I refuse to use the skills I learned in kindergarten?  Do I secretly not like washing my hair?  You think this story is totally made up?  Sadly, it's pure unadulterated truth.  I wish I made this stuff up.

Little bottle I'm in the process of using PLUS the two new ones I will be using for the next year...

Alice > Anne ....maybe

About Anne (of the Green Gables variety), Mark Twain said "[she is] the most delightful child of fiction since the immortal Alice."  Well ladies and gentlemen, we are about to see if it's true.  My 14 year old sister, Meredith, just landed the lead role of "Anne" in the community theater's production of Anne of Green Gables.  Four years ago, I was privileged to play "Alice" in Alice in Wonderland at the same theater.  It was a daunting task as I had multiple pages of monologue, 2 poems, a short song and over 300 lines to memorize.  I'm not saying that my character is better than hers, but maybe I am.  I actually can't say anything because I've never read the "Anne" series and have no idea what it's actually about.  I'll be home on break during the run of the show so I guess I'll pass my judgment then.  

It's Alice with Alice! -- Magic Kingdom, Winter 2008

(Insert famous Cheshire Cat line here)

"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards"

"I haven't the slightest idea!"

Please pass the Afrin

Ugggggggggggg.  Being sick is no fun.  Especially when all it is is a sore throat and stuffy nose.  The rest of my body is in tip-top shape and I'm ready for the day!  Too bad I can't stop sniffling...

I missed a fun dinner out with our fhe brothers.

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday.

I haven't been out of the apartment in more than 24 hours.

I'm still in my pjs at 11:00.

I thought I could make it through the night without Nyquil...woke up thrice to blow my nose and had to go in the hall so I wouldn't wake Alexis up.

I actually watched a movie all the way through (not a bad thing I guess).

Okie Dokie, I'm done complaining now.  At least I don't have real classes to go to.

President to President

On Saturday I had the opportunity to listen to and be trained by Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for four hours.  The first meeting was from 10:00 to 12:00 and was open to women from 45 stakes around the area (Let's pause for a second and think about this.  45 stakes were invited.  The farthest anyone had to travel was 90 minutes.  We're definitely not in the midwest anymore....).

The meeting was conducted as a question and answer session so it was interesting to hear her responses to questions she had no time to prepare for.  I don't think I learned any new, huge, spiritual thing, but I did come away knowing I need to work on being patient with people.  She handled some of the questions so gracefully when they weren't exactly the types of questions she probably wanted to be answering.  And if a person asked a question that was fairly personal, she was able to reword it so that she could answer for an entire group of people.

The second meeting was a much smaller group (still a few hundred).  Those invited were limited to ward and stake RS presidencies, bishops, and stake presidents.  It too was question and answer.  She talked mostly about the new handbook and questions we had regarding it.  It was really open for discussion and I even made a comment!  I mean, how many times are you in a Q and A with a member of the general board and have the opportunity to answer a question!?  At the risk of sounding completely crazy, I went for it.

It's a strange feeling to realize how much of an influence this woman has on the entire world.  Here at BYUI, I am the Relief Society President for about 40 girls ages 18-25ish.  Sister Beck is the president for MILLIONS of women from numerous cultures, lifestyles, and age brackets.  It would be a responsibility far greater than I can imagine.  And yet, she can take the time to visit the women of southeast Idaho and stand for hours to teach, and then another 30 minutes afterward meeting and hugging young presidents like myself.  

Alexis's mom was actually in charge of the whole event so after the second meeting we got to meet Sister Beck and get a hug and a picture!  I just pretended like I was part of the Peterson family for a few hours.  No big deal.

The Peterson girls plus one...and proof that cardigans look good no matter your age!