What I've Learned Recently...

I have to say that this won't be a comprehensive list, but I do have a few things I'd like to share. Here goes:

1. If your socks get eaten by your shoes, but you don't want to stop to fix them because you are running quite smoothly and nicely and things just seem so right (other than the socks, of course), stop and fix them anyway. Blisters are terrible things when you've still got 4 miles to go!

2. When something is bothering you, say so. If you can't make yourself say so, don't let it bother you. Easier said than done, I assure you, but it is soooo worth the effort!

3. A time may come, perhaps, when you need something. I believe there are two options on this one.  You can (a) figure it out, or (b) ask for help directly.  So, if you cannot bring yourself to ask for help, you have the other option. If you cannot figure it out, really and truly, then by all means, ask. The worst thing that can happen is that the person you ask will say no.  Not the end of the world. Bonus: both options are better than just staring at said person until they guess what it is that you need.

4. Just because a person can run marathons does not necessarily mean one is in shape. Things like pull-ups (even jumping ones), burpees, and deadlifts can bring tears to the eyes!

5. Root beer kombucha is gross.

Well, that is about the size of it.  This may not mean anything to anyone else but me, but I am so okay with that!

P.S. Classic picture: Dave & I on our honeymoon, 13 1/2 years ago! Go us!!!!

I'm Sore!

Oh my! I know that people work out all the time, and people do lots of hard things that make them tired. But I gotta tell you, I did a new kind of workout on Monday and I am STILL sore. The bummer is that the parts that are sore are the ones I use all the time! Yah, it's true: my arms and shoulders are dead. Still.

Writing on the whiteboard at school. Ack. Pulling staples out of the bulletin board. Wince! Putting on sunscreen. Yikes...and all I did were a few push-ups, dips and fake muscle-ups! And now, I am a doddering old lady! That means I am out of shape in more ways than I care to admit! 

Today, we did front squats. Dave called my workout "an old, fat man's workout." So, I guess my new persona is an old, fat man. 'Cause it kicked my bum. Literally!  So, now, besides my arms, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and RIBS being sore, add to that my bum, quads, and hamstrings! I stumbled around today, running into things and moving ever so slowly.  But here's the weird part: I want to go back for more!!  

YAH!

BRING IT ON, GRANDMA!! (that's me, by the way. In just a few months now!!)

Oh, wait! I am an old, fat MAN, remember???? So, 

BRING IT ON, GRANDPA!!

(tee hee!)

ps. that is me, on my wedding day, in 1995. How does one go from that to an old, fat man? I ask you...

I've Returned....

Well, well, well.  After over a year of silence, I have finally decided that I shall once again post! I know you all may have lost faith in me, but this year has been a constant stream of upheavals and transitions. I'm not done with all of that, believe me, but the time has come to stop putting off the inevitable, suck it up, and tell my news.

It is funny, now that I have started in again and people have long since asking me if/when I am going to update my blog, I don't feel like I have much to say.  Yet, when I start thinking of the year that I have had, I realized that I have accumulated all sorts of new random facts and ideas.  Here are a few:

1. 99% of preschoolers pick their noses openly.  While staring straight into your eyes.

2. The picking of said noses does NOT indicate boredom or spite. It simply means that the picker simply wants his/her nose free of obstructions.

3. Throwing up on one's preschool teacher does not lead to embarrassment of the vomiter. It leads to endearment and trust of the vomitee.  This I know from personal experience.

4. Going back to work after 12 years of at-home mommy-ing makes one slightly grouchy and tired.  But we all get used to it! It is kind of like when we send our children to all-day school for the first time, and for a couple of weeks, they need naps again.

5. Children say hilarious things all the time, if you're listening.

6. First grade children can do lots more things that 3-year-olds, and, for the most part, with the same amount of innocence.  Bonus:  they still like picture books and to be read to in silly voices.

7. It is somewhat funny (to me) when your own (usually older) children start making their own life choices, and then HAVE TO LIVE WITH THOSE CHOICES.  My favorite:  "I think our rent is too much! We still have to pay it, right?" 

8. Weddings are fun when you get there, but not as much fun to do the legwork to get ready for one!  (PS: the "perfect" orange colour is ever so elusive!!!)

I realize I am starting to ramble, but there is so much to say now that I have gotten going!  Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming grandma-hood that I am about to embark upon, and the Ironman that I, in a state of temporary insanity, have signed up for (luckily, I have a year to lament/train).  Love to you all!!!!!

Anj

Thoughts on Settling...

Well, well, we are once again dog owners.  I really like the idea of having a dog, especially if only to satisfy the deep yearning of Faith's for said dog.  She really wanted a puppy, but after several questions, we found that what she really wanted was a small dog, not necessarily a puppy.  Most often puppies start out small and cute-like, and then grow up (which I prefer).  But what Faith had in mind was something small that she could, say, carry.  Like a doll.  

However, Daisy has other ideas.  She is an independent little dog that is very friendly, but not as cuddly as Faith had hoped.  Daisy does like to take a lot of walks, which suits Faith just fine. But she is not completely house-trained and she has this annoying habit at barking at anyone who is under four feet tall.  So, if we go to the park, she just goes into this small-people-barking-frenzy, which drives me mad.  

Having a dog makes us feel settled.  Like we live here or something.  Which I will have to come to terms with, sooner rather than later.  I am making progress:  I go to the gym, I have made plans with various members of my family and old friends, I drive the speed limit on the freeway (instead of under the limit!), I have a mailing address, a library card and frequent customer card at the local health food store.  Am I a local now?

When we lived in Hawaii, we were never considered locals.  We wouldn't have even if we lived there for 20 years!  Being a local means you have to have been born there, whether Polynesian or not.  Living there long-term merely bestows the title "transplant" and that is just that.  In Utah, however, no one cares about that kind of thing.  You either live here or you don't.  You can say you came from another place, as in:   "I've just moved here from Hawaii" or "I grew up in California" but the simple fact of the matter is it just doesn't matter.  We may want it to, perhaps to differentiate ourselves from our neighbours or ward members, but it really doesn't. 

Either you live in Utah or you don't.  And if you do, you better like what it has to offer or suffer:  it is our very own decision!  hahahahahaaaaaaa (evil laughter trailing off into the distance...)  

Back on the Mainland Again...

Well, we are now living in Utah.  I know, I know, I have been talking about this forever, and I was accused by several people that we were never really moving.  But we did.  And now we live here.

But where is here?  We are, so far, homeless.  We are camping out at Dave's parents' house, en route to a new (to us) home.  Where will we land?  What does the future hold for us?  Will my children be happy?  What is going to happen, for heaven's sake?!?!

Ever since we have been talking to the children about moving to Utah, we have promised Faith a dog when we got a new house in Utah.  Now, what do you think Faith talks about, day in and day out?  A dog, a puppy,  or any combination thereof.  We have looked at several pet stores, searched every pet adoption website in the area.  Last night, Faith came moping upstairs well after she had been put to bed, crying about how she cannot possibly fall asleep without her puppy!  She truly and honestly meant the puppy that we do not actually have yet!  Yikes!

So, with a house and a new neighbourhood, we will also have a puppy.  Or a dog.  Or whatever.  I am happy to get her that one thing, after all this up and down, back and forth, transitions and camping out.  If that is all it takes, for her, for now, I am all for it.  

Plus, I like dogs!  Life is wuff...

ps. Nothing to do with the post, but this picture is from our hike out to Kaena Point, which is the northern-most point of the island of Oahu.  In the background are monk seals, which come up on the shores of the island to rest.  Faith is always overjoyed to see animals; any kind will do...  

Odds and Ends

Moving day is nearly here and I am livin' it up in Hawaii!  Saturday, we all went to the zoo in honolulu.  The zoo here is great--nice, small, and cheap!   Something I have really enjoyed about Hawaii is the discount locals get here.  Well, I am not actually considered a local, but I do have local ID, so I still get the discount!  This is called the Kama'aina rate.  

But I did not log in to talk about Kama'aina.  I want to talk about the revitalizing aspects of the ocean, of change and of epiphanies that come out of nowhere.  Actually, I don't want to talk about these things, I just wanted to mention that they exist and that I am reaping the benefits of said revitalization.

I just came off the beach after a run and a short meditation and have realized that I am going to need to get back to the ocean whenever possible.  I have always known this about myself, really, but it is living so close to the water and now having to leave it has made me really become aware of my connection to the sea.  I often seek out water, whether it be a lake, a river, a really big bathtub, but it is the ocean that is my home!

So here I sit, in my bare home on my next-to-last day in Hawaii, with sand between my toes, thinking of the adventures that our move back to the mainland will bring.  I sit here with the realization that I will need to come back to the ocean someday soon.  And guess what?  It will be waiting for me, here or at any seashore, faithfully and without expectation or regret.   

Namaste, Aloha and I love you!  

 

Promising Progress...

Denial.  

No, it is not a river, but rather the state I am in right now.  You may be thinking of my last post, in which I was lamenting our imminent move.  But that is not it.  Not the idea of the move itself--it is the move-"ing" of stuff, as in clean, sort, pack, load, camp out for a few weeks, unload, unpack, wonder why I brought this crap, clean again, sort again, settle part that I am in denial about.  Oh, and in between (during the camping phase), we find the actual place in which we unload said stuff.  I am merely hesitating to start that crazy process.  

And, while I have your attention, it must be said that while part of me is sad to leave such a lovely place, I am finally in a position to be OK with the move.  In fact, better than OK:  good.  I know, I know, but this past week has been a huge eye-opener for me.  I spent the week attending a course on the philosophy of yoga.  Let me tell you, it is not what you imagine!  It was absolutely amazing.  While not going nuts on the subject, even though I am tempted, I will say that my faith in my faith has grown exponentially while learning about yoga as the non-sectarian spiritual practice that it truly is.  I learned the proper definitions of words that, through the "dumbing-down" of Eastern spirituality, have become so convoluted that almost everyone I know has got them wrong.  I was one of those people, but no more!  

At the very least, this experience will enhance my yoga teaching when I return to that venue. But even better, it has strengthened my relationship with Jesus Christ and my resolve to follow His example and do His work.  Weird, huh?  Who knew?!  All this time, we thought yoga was just really great exercising and breathing, right?  There is more to it than that!  I knew there was a deeper level to yoga--it would be hard to practice for any length of time and not pick up on that somehow.   But the fact that it is possible (and even necessary) to embrace the spiritual aspects of yoga in my quest to return from whence I came is incredible.   Amazing. Wonderful.  Crazy.  Stupefying.  Exciting!     

So, off I go to the mainland.  Whatever happens, happens.  I am just going with it because it is ridiculous to not.  I mean, why spend all that energy and thought on something I cannot and do not want to change?  I can only change my reaction to the move to a response.  Here it is: Bring it on, universe.  I've got my head on straight.  Finally.   

p.s. thanks, Mom, for the photo!