There Will Come a Day When I Can No Longer Run...

...yesterday was NOT that day!

Some days I use this quote as motivation for me to get out and run.

Yesterday was the 10 mile Mission Run! This was the 3rd that I have participated in.
Unfortunately, I had to repeat this saying many times to myself. It was a hard run. I blame it on lack of water stations (not sure what the deal was). It was one of those days that I had to give myself a lot of motivational talks.  In the end I didn't really didn't do too bad (only 3 minutes longer than last year) but while I was out there I seriously felt like the last person in the race.  I guess it's ok to have those days right?  And guess what? I'll probably do it again next year.  It's a fun race, pretty scenery, inexpensive and local!

Here's part of the Hollister 1st Ward group that ran.  Erin (in the pink) and Dave (on the right) and I are the only ones that ran the 10 mile race. The other ones in the picture (and several others) ran the 5k. It was a beautiful, warm day. Who knew you could get a sunburn in January.

This was the last 200 meters of the race.  I guess it wasn't too awful if I could still smile.  But the real reason I was smiling is all the group that was waiting for me and cheering.  That seriously boosts ones spirits! I could see Annette from the end of the street waving.  Caroline was the official photographer and Brad is my number 1 fan! I'm so glad for his support!

Erin and Me! We were going for highly visable!

Brad ran his first race (the 5k).  He got a personal best for pace on the mile. 8:20! AWESOME! Way to finish strong!!

Afton is Kelsi

Does that title confuse you as much as it does me? When I first heard Brady say it I couldn't even wrap my brain around what he was possibly trying to say! Of course I was hearing it totally out of context, but even now it always takes me a minute to compute.

This year's High School Spring Musicale practice is in full swing.

And with that little introduction, you might have guessed that the play this year is, High School Musical.

Afton got the part of Kelsi, the piano player  So this is where the statement, Afton is Kelsi, came from. You can imagine why it's a little weird for me.  Afton would have preferred to play Sharpay or Ms. Darbis - but is settling in well with the part of Kelsi .  This is a unique part where the character actually gets to play the piano on stage.  I think Afton is a little bit worried about that. But I have no worries about her. She is very talented and, of course, true to herself, which I think will make a very memorable character.

Just to add to the whole weirdness... the day they started practice Afton got her long blonde hair chopped off and colored brown.  I guess she figured if she was going big, she might as well really make a statement.  She hasn't regretted it at all, not for a minute, but there are many people (old and young alike) who are a bit traumatized over it.

She looks so cute though, don't you think? I think it suits her. But it just adds a bit more of the bizarre to the above statement, Afton is Kelsi.  Afton even took Kelsi with her as a model, so the beautician could see the color she wanted.

She has very slippery, shiny hair and was warned that the color will probably fade quickly. But that's ok.  It'll last through the play.  Thus carrying on the statement... Afton is Kelsi.

Because I'm a Freak

Here I sit, living my life on purpose.

When my friend Annette texted me a few minutes ago and asked what I was doing, I had to confess that I was chewing my new Strawberry Bubblegum (she was with me when I bought it) and trying to take pictures of myself blowing a bubble (what am I, 14?) I'm glad I'm following my mantra for the year (see previous post).

Annette told me she told her husband about my gum.  I commented that, for sure, he thinks I'm a freak.  She said, "Of course not." But we'll see how he reacts next time he sees me (I'm sure he'll be thinking, "What is she, 14?" -- awkward)

She then said, "I feel a blog post coming on." My comment was, "What, and let everyone else know I'm a freak?"
Then I figured, what the heck -- you've all probably had this fact confirmed to you anyway. I'm already wasting time, I might as well make it official.

Anyhoo! Ever since the Matt Nathanson song "Faster"came out, where he mentions strawberry bubblegum, I have been having a craving for some. None of my regular stores (Target, Safeway, Walmart etc.) carried strawberry bubblegum (I know, weird), believe me I've been looking.  They have Strawberry flavored Trident and they have regular bubble gum, but nothing would satisfy me but REAL strawberry bubblegum. So, the other day when I was across the street from 7-11 I thought, "For sure they have it." I wasn't disappointed. And here is my bubble to prove it. I've still got those bubble blowing skills (and a bunch of laundry that needs to be folded).

2012 Mantra and The "Other" Man

Some people choose a word to live by for the year. This is especially popular in the scrapbooking and blogging communities. Words like "give", "joy", "together".  I, on the other hand, like to choose a saying or quote as my inspiration for the year. A couple of past quotes that I've used have been, "She Created a Life She Loves" and "Do It! Do It Right! Do It Right Now!"

I got a little jump start on the one I am choosing for 2012. When I saw it on Pinterest a couple of months ago I immediately printed it out, framed it and set it next to my sink. My mantra for this year is

"Live Your Life on Purpose".

This is super applicable to me right now (as it should be) in so many areas.  I am at a stage in my life where I often feel, un-useful, sorta like I have no purpose. I know this is a VERY false thought, but because most of the people in my life can get where they need to get, do what they need to do and live like they need to live, without me, I sometimes wonder what I could and should be doing. I have more "free" time than I've had in a long time. I need to organize this time and choose what to put in it. There are so many things I want to do, should be doing and could be doing.  (I've been making lists for years of all the stuff I couldn't get done because of one thing or another.)

I have the time now to have my house cleaner than it ever has been, I have the time now to scrapbook and craft a little more, I have the time now to give service, I have the time now to study more, I have the time now to cook better meals, I have the time to workout more intensely. But often I find my self floundering a little bit.  What do I do and when (and HOW for heaven's sake -- it's true, if you don't use it you lose it).  Sometimes procrastination takes over, sometimes it's boredom, sometimes it's lack of focus and often I think I can fit more in than I actually can. But in the end I know there a people out there who are busier than me, that get more done -- and I'm not talking just "stuff", I'm talking meaningful endeavors.

So, I commit to myself (and to you) that this year of 2012 I'm going to live my life on purpose.  I am going to live my life, I am not going to let my life live me. I want to make a difference to my family, to my church calling, to my friends, to God. I think I've worked out a good little system, albeit low-tech (Brad would probably have an app for me).  I bought a calendar/planner that is in a "daily list" format. I hang it on my fridge and I make my lists on each day with a little box next to each item.  As I do them I check them off (I like that it is a calendar and all spiral bound together).  And the stuff that doesn't get done, gets put on another day (the goal: to not have stuff that doesn't get done). With the shadows of my last two year's mottos still echoing around in my head, I try to put meaningful items on my list (along with the mundane) and I try to do them, not just look at them or think about them.

If you'd like to print a copy of this motto for yourself go here.

All that being said I'd like to introduce you to the "other" man in my life.  His name is Tony Horton.

Some of you may have been introduced to him before. Many of you may not like him.  Many of you may associate him with pain and suffering. While this is true, I think he may have offered a lot of you visions of something you want. Tony is the mastermind behind P90-X. He makes interval training possible in your own home.  It's a huge commitment, but I'm glad for it.  My MAIN man, Brad, is doing the program with me.  We are on day 2... wish us luck.

House vs. Holmes

(For Kelsi)

True to my nature, when there are big events to be covered in the blogging area, I often go a whole different route. Instead of blogging about all of our holiday activities and traditions at this juncture, I'm going to write about something infinitely more important and relevant.  I am taking a page out of Kelsi's notebook and I'm going to write about Sherlock Holmes.  In case you didn't know Kelsi is a prolific and very amazing writer.  If you would like to sample some of her Sherlock Holmes writings go here or here. Now, I am nowhere near as in-depth or as knowledgable in any area I'm interested in, who unlike Kelsi, is, especially in the Sherlock Holmes category... but none the less I AM interested and like to draw my own parallels and conclusions even with my limited knowledge.

Gregory House                                                                                                            Sherlock Holmes

The other day as Kelsi was educating me in all things "Sherlock" (the British TV series), which, by the way is very good, whether you're a Sherlock Holmes fan or not.  You should go look them up on Netflix (so far there are only 4 episodes). They are very well done. Anyway, as Kelsi was educating me, as she often does, and as we were watching the latest episode, a line was spoken by Inspector Lestrade advising someone who didn't know Sherlock Holmes but was in charge of a criminal investigation that was going to require his help,  Lestrade says, "...give him 5 minutes on your crime scene, listen to everything he has to say, and as far as possible, try not to punch him."

This line got me thinking about where else I've heard lines similar to this.  One place I knew for sure was on the TV show House.  Holy Cow! I never realized...the parallels are astounding. For sure, the creators of House modeled the show after the Sherlock Holmes stories/characters...

Here are just some of the similarities I thought of:

House: Genius in the world of curing incurable/unknown diseases (and by enlarge, deductive reasoning)
Holmes: Genius in deductive reasoning

House: Turns most people off with his flippant attitude
Holmes: Turns most people off with his superior attitude

House: Musical (plays the piano, among other instruments) Plays when he is thinking.
Holmes: Musical (plays the violin) Plays when he is thinking.

House: Has an indifference to his patients.
Holmes: Has an indifference to people involved in the cases he is solving

House: Often clashes with his boss, Lisa Cuddy, over regulations. He often makes her look ridiculous. She is constantly on the verge of firing him and/or strangling him, but continues to asks him back and rely on his expertise.
Holmes: Often clashes with Inspector Lestrade over regulations. He often makes him look ridiculous. He is constantly on the verge of never using his skills again and/or strangling him, but continues to ask him back and rely on his expertise.

House: Perpetual Messy Bachelor
Holmes: Perpetual Messy Bachelor

House: Addicted to Vicodin
Holmes: Uses Cocaine recreationally

House: People often want to punch him in the face, but out of desperation, end up needing/relying on his skills.
Holmes: People often want to punch him in the face, but out of desperation, end up needing/relying on his skills.

House: Arrogant
Holmes: Arrogant

House: Has few friends but those he does have are completely loyal to him.
Holmes: Has few friends but those he does have are completely loyal to him.

House: Has a best friend/colleague who seems to hang around out of sheer morbid curiosity and a desire to lead a more exciting life than he might otherwise have.  He also tends to "take care of" House. His name is (James) WILSON
Holmes: Has a best friend/colleague who seems to hang around out of sheer morbid curiosity and a desire to lead a more exciting life than he might otherwise have. He also tends to "take care of" Holmes. His name is (John) WATSON.

House: Walks with a limp.
Holmes: Watson walks with a limp.

House: Named after a place of residence.
Holmes: Named after a place of residence.

End Note: So i just contacted my good friend Wikipedia just to confirm a few facts about "House" (like what was Cuddy's first name) and right there in plain sight was a subsection called "References to Sherlock Holmes." So I guess in the end, you can just go look up the official similarities on Wikipedia, but it was funner coming up with them on my own.

Also now that I've got this out of my system maybe I can get back to writing about regular family things and thrilling you all with our awesomeness!!