Saturday Morning = Bike Ride with Dad

This is what gets me out of bed early on Saturdays. It is so worth it!

My Bucket List

A few weeks ago I saw the movie, “The Bucket List”. I really enjoyed it! The movie is about two men who are dying of cancer, so they make a “Bucket List” (Things to do before they kick the bucket) and have the time of their lives doing the things they had always dreamed of doing.

When I was about 14 I made one of these lists. I lost it somewhere along the line, but I do remember a few of the things on it. The ones that I remember are things that I have accomplished over the past few years, likely because they were on my list for so long (the whole theory that writing down your dreams turns them into goals). So after seeing the movie I decided it was time to get to work on my bucket list again. I also decided that I needed to put it in a place where I won’t lose it (hence, the blog ) So here is my bucket list. I am sure that it will grow as I remember things, but it’s a start! (The first 7 are the ones that I remember from my old list that I was able to do already)

1. Go horseback riding on the beach *

2. Get a Passport *

3. Travel outside of the country *

4. Walk on the Great Wall of China *

5. Ride an elephant *

6. Learn a new language *

7. Be in two places at once *

8. Fall in love, get married & have children

9. Swim with Dolphins

10. Compete in a Triathlon

11. Pay for the person behind me at a drive through

12. Go skydiving

13. Make a quilt

14. Hike the Grand Canyon

15. Kayak down the Snake River

16. See a Broadway musical

17. Visit ancient ruins

18. Graduate from College

19. Ride a bicycle built for two

20. See a Penguin (preferably not in a zoo)

21. Help someone whose car has died on the side of the road

22. Ride a motorcycle

23. Take a dance class

24. Catch a fish

25. Hang-glide

26. Write a book (even if it is a children’s book)

27. Fly a kite on the beach

28. Learn how to make really good bread

29. Visit Europe

30. Ride a zip line

31. Take a class from a elite culinary arts school

32. Watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain

33. Run a half marathon

34. Go to a community college bookstore at the beginning of the semester and pay for the books of a student who can't afford them

35. Have a garden (and have the plants actually grow)

36. Visit St. Croix

37. Take a yoga class

38. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

39. Eat a lobster

40. Learn to play chess

* Accomplished

You should all make a bucket list too! It’s fun to dream!

One Year Older. . . (and lots of pictures!)

Yesterday I officially became older. I turned 23! It was a great day! In the morning we had Stake Conference, and in the evening everyone came over for dinner and desert.

The cakes was awesome! It was an ice cream cake, made with Cake Batter ice cream and Red Velvet cake. YUM! The only problem was cutting it. As you can see, the knife got stuck in it. It took both Mom and Steve to get it cut.

I got lots of fun presents and felt very spoiled! For my 21^st birthday I was given a camera to take with my on my mission. I loved that camera and used it all the time. About a year into my mission it got stolen, so I have been using my parents camera ever since. For my birthday this year they gave me the same type of camera that I had (though it has been improved over the past two years) and this one is PINK! I love it! Now I can take even more pictures!

My cute nieces (with help from their parents) gave me this cute sign that says "Aunt Kate's cookies - As homemade as homemade can get". It's so fun! Now I need to work on my cookie skills so I can live up to the honor! Thanks girls!

I think Madison had just as much fun with my presents as I did!

It was such a great day! Thank you everyone! I am excited to be 23! I have been told several times that it is an excellent age. I am sure that this next year will be a great one!

My First 5K

Today I ran my first 5K race with my friend, Marie. It was so much fun! I really wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I have been training for it for a few weeks, and based on my times from this past week my goal was to finish in less than 33 minutes, and hopefully run the whole thing without walking breaks.

My dad and I rode our bikes out to the city park where the race began, I got my number, and off we went! It was such a cool feeling! The last time I ran in a race was in 5^th grade when they made us run a mile. This was so much more fun! The course wasn’t a difficult one, and there was only one hill, but somehow I managed to run the whole thing. It was a perfect day for running. Lots of sun, a nice breeze, truly perfect!

When I came around the last corner and started sprinting to the finish line I was shocked to see the time at less than 30 minutes still. I thought ‘That can't be right, I don't run that fast!’. Yet sure enough, my time ended up being 29:40! I was so excited! I know that to many this is not very fast, but for me it is great!

The coolest part for me to see was all of the families that were there. There was both a 5K race, as well as a mile race. Lots of families with small children were there, with everyone in the family racing. The parents and older children were doing the 5K and the younger children (even 4 year olds) ran the 1 mile. It was so cute!

Now my goal is to run four more 5K’s before the end of the year. Hopefully I can improve my time a little by the time the last race in November gets here!

early to rise?

Hmmm . . . for as well as the first week went, the second week was not so good! I wasn’t working mornings, and I REALLY struggled to get up when my alarm clock went off! It’s funny because my body is waking up earlier (around 5:30), it’s just the GETTING up that kills me. Saturday morning I went on an early bike ride with my dad which was great, because it reminded me why I want to be an early bird. We were riding around town and I saw all sorts of people, already out and about for the morning. It’s such a great time of day; I want to be able to enjoy it. Now I just have to figure out how to wake up, get up, and not dread the moment.

I am a huge pillow person. I sleep best when I have 5 pillows. They all have their very specific place. When I came home from Brazil I threw away the pillow I took with me (it was super dirty) and I accidentally put another of my pillows through the wash a few weeks ago. So I have been sleeping with only three pillows. Yesterday I finally went in and bought myself two new pillows, and I slept GREAT last night! Happy me :)

The Fabulous Four

My friend, Bethany, got home from serving a mission in California this week. It has been so much fun seeing her again! In high school I was blessed with three really good friends (from left- Kim, Bethany, Charisse & me). After graduation we all went in different directions, but have tried to get together whenever possible. Kim and I both left on missions within the same month, and then Bethany four months later, so it has been a long, long time since we have all been together! Bethany spoke in church today (and did an excellent job, might I add) so we all got to sit and talk and reminisce (We even all showed up in white shirts. funny funny!) It was so much fun!

Welcome Home Beth!

Early to Bed . . .

I have successfully completed week # 1 of my early bird experiment (waking up at 5:50 every morning for a month to reset my internal clock). It actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I worked mornings last week, so that helped since I would have to get up anyways, even if not so early. I love that I am able to get a lot more done! I studied and ran each day before going to work. I was surprised because running actually energizes me for the day. And my mile time has improved! I still run a really slow mile, but I am running it faster than I was a week ago! I no longer dread my morning run.

Weekends are definitely the hardest, but I managed it (sort of). Saturday I had a huge list of things to clean and to do, and I finished it all by 12:30, which was awesome! I am much more productive when I wake up early. Sunday was difficult because I couldn’t figure out what to do for 5 hours before church. So I made waffles. YUM! (see recipe below)

I still wake up tired, but not any more tired than before, so I think that is good! And I don’t think I am any more tired during the day than I was before. I am going to bed earlier. I was never a night owl, but now I go to bed by 10:30 most nights.

So overall, I think the experiment is going well. I feel good. One week down, three weeks to go.

Today instead of running I rode my bike in to work. I have not ridden a bike in over 2 years. I don’t work that far away, I would guess it’s about five miles, but the last mile is completely uphill. I did really well until I got to that last mile, and then I was huffing and puffing just trying to get to the top. I’m sure I looked pretty ridiculous. However I am looking forward to the ride home since it will be downhill now :)

Whole Grain Waffles

As part of my effort to get healthier in the month of June, I made a goal to try out one really healthy recipe per week. This week was whole grain waffles. I have wanted to make my own ever since I saw some Ego Whole Wheat Waffles in the store one day. I found the recipe on my favorite recipe site with LOTS of really good reviews. I tweaked the recipe a bit, and they turned out AWESOME! Everyone loved them, and I think I prefer them to normal waffles. They have lots of flavor and an excellent texture (plus they are full of lots of really good stuff for you). I even ended up mixing up a second batch so that we could freeze them to eat during the week. Here is the recipe that I used:

Whole Grain Waffles

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil (if you don’t want to use oil, use more pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or just whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cinnamon (to taste)
  
• Nutmeg (to taste)
  

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.

2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

Enjoy!

I'm an Auntie! (again)

Ivy Isabelle
June 3rd, 2008
7 lbs. 2 oz.
20 Inches Long

Yesterday my second beautiful niece joined our family! She was born at 4:05 PM, but I had to wait until 7:00 to meet her! She is perfect and beautiful, has LOTS of hair and looks just like her parents! I was in Brazil when my first niece was born, so this is a new experience for me. I also haven’t held a newborn in a long, long time. She is so tiny! I’m so glad she is finally here!

Welcome to the family Ivy!

What a wonderful Tuesday!

This month our YSA ward is in charge of the meetings at an assisted living center near our chapel. Sundays we do a sacrament meeting and Tuesdays we hold a Relief Society meeting. Today I got to go and participate in Relief Society, it was wonderful! There were only about 10 people there, and there were actually as many men as there were women, which I thought was cute (all residents are invited to attend).

The meeting was really short, but really spiritual. There was an elderly gentleman who played the organ/piano for us. We had a opening hymn and prayer, then a special musical number. I gave a 10 minute lesson on self-esteem, and then we closed. The spirit was so strong. They sang with their hearts and all came over to thank us at the end. It was a wonderful experience.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the lesson:

“Your life has purpose and meaning. You are not here just to fill space, or to be a background character in someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us.”

-Anonymous

Rise & Shine!

I have always envied morning people. You know those people who can get up at the crack of dawn and get tons of things done before the rest of the world even wakes up. I have always wanted to be a morning person. Don't get me wrong, I am not a night owl at all, I just struggle to get up. No matter how much sleep I get, I still wake up tired. It hasn’t always been like this, I was better before I served a mission, but I think I may have abused my internal clock since then. Now it is time to reset it!

I have been studying ways to become an early bird, and this is the routine that I have decided to follow:

• Set your alarm clock for the same time every day, including weekends. (In my case this is 5:50)
• Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, and wake up to loud music.
• Before you turn off your alarm clock get up, stretch, and make your bed. This will discourage getting back in.
• Go to bed when you are tired. Your body will tell you when it’s time for bed.

They say that if you stick with it, after a month your body will be adjusted to the new routine. I decided to make the month of June my experimental month. Along with waking up early I am also trying to exercise more frequently and eat healthier.

Today was my first day following the new plan, and it went well. The alarm clock on the other side of the room is key for me. I woke up, read scriptures, spent half an hour on the treadmill and got to work at 8:00. For me, that is pretty good! So one day down, 29 more to go. I will keep you updated on the progress and let you know if it is working!