This past Saturday, I successfully completed my first triathlon. It was a super sprint, so it was pretty short. The bike was first - 10K (or 6.2 miles). It probably wouldn't have been so bad if part of the bike course didn't include going up a long fairly steep hill. That was killer. But at least right after that there was a downhill part. My quads are still sore from that though. Right after the bike was a 3K run (or 1.8 miles). The hardest part of the run was in the beginning because I had already put so much effort into the bike part that the last thing I wanted to do was keep using my legs, but I pressed on. And every step I took, it got a little better. I made a goal to not stop at all during the run, and I'm happy to say that I completed that goal. After the run, was the 200 yd swim. The hardest part about that was that you can't breathe when you want to, so you end up running out of breath really quickly and easily, so that definitely slowed me down. My overall time was about 50 minutes or so. I'm not exactly sure how long it took because I left pretty much right after I finished and I didn't check with the people, but I'm pretty sure they'll post the times, so hopefully I'll know soon.
In other news, I've started training again (well, not that I really stopped, but I took a break the rest of Saturday and Sunday). I'm planning on doing another triathlon in November, on the 7th. That one is a sprint triathlon, so it's a little bit longer. Ten mile bike, 5K run, and 350 yd swim (which the swim portion is still pretty short). I'm also doing another 5K this Saturday for BYU's Homecoming. I'm pretty excited cause two of my freshman year roommates might be doing it with me.
I also got a letter from Jeremiah last Friday. For those of you that are wondering, he's doing really well. Yesterday, I sent him and his companion (Elder Tatton) a care package :)
Also, I purchased my first pair of skinny jeans. They actually don't look too bad. We'll see how this trend goes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
My 5K's
Today I successfully completed my second 5K. For those of you who don't know, that's 3.1 miles. The first 5K I did was on September 12th. It was to support Abuse Prevent. Instead of numbers, we had quotes. Each person had a different quote relating to abuse, rape, victims, pornography, opposition, acceptance, and love. Mine was "An ideal culture is where every human is valued for their gifts." - Margaret Mead. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I didn't set a very good pace, and I had to stop and walk a few times. My time? 29:34. These past few weeks, I've been training (for a triathlon, but I mean, I still run 3x's a week), and I made a goal to beat my previous time.
Today was the second 5K run. It was a fundraiser called "Warm the Soles 5K". They raise money to purchase shoes for children who come from poor families. Not only did I accomplish my goal of beating my previous time, I also set a pace so that I could run the entire time. My time was 27:54. I guess that was good enough to get me 7th overall and 3rd in my division (Women 16-22). I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with my time ONLY because I wasn't dead after the race. Which means that I could have tried harder. Good thing I have another 5K coming up in two weeks :)
For those of you who don't know me, I have to say, I have never considered myself very athletic. I didn't participate in any sports in High School, but having done these runs and training almost every day makes me wish I had. Accomplishing something like this just makes you feel so good. Not only was I able to run this 5K without stopping and beat my previous goal, I also was able to support a noteworthy cause. I would recommend that everyone run a 5K. It's not a long run. It's very doable. AND it's super easy to train for. Just run 3 times a week, steadily increasing how far and how long you run, and you can do it in a matter of weeks. On top of that, running just feels so good. Especially when you're done. You can say, "Wow, I just ran that!" It's a great feeling.
Right now, I'm training to do a super sprint triathlon next week (200 yd swim, 6.2 mile bike, 1.8 mile run), another 5K on October 24th, and a sprint triathlon in the spring (400 yd swim, 10 mile bike, 5K run (3.1 miles)). I'm working on making myself better overall :)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve
I happened upon this video while on the lds.org website. It's a truly inspired message given by a great apostle - President Henry B. Eyring. I would encourage you to not only listen to it, but do what he encourages us to do. Change someday to today.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Another Sleepless Night
Well, I probably could go to sleep, and I really should, especially if I want to get up at 5:30 to go to spinning class, but I'm young right? I can get up....
Anyways, today and yesterday was the 179th semi-annual General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Can I just say how much I love listening to General Conference? It's such a spiritual and amazing experience. I'm glad that I can appreciate it now because I definitely didn't when I was younger. I remember my mom would set us in front of the television, while she would iron and fold clothes. I didn't really listen to the talks, I just figured out all of the things that the TV people do to indicate a talk was ending. For example, for each speaker, their name flashes three times, and I knew that after the third time, the talk was almost over. I also knew that each talk except the final one lasted for about 15 minutes. I also knew that I could fall asleep whenever the choir sang. But as the years passed, I'm really grateful for my mom doing that. It got me in the habit of listening to conference. I can't imagine not listening to conference actually. Like last year, I had work on the Saturday morning session, and I couldn't get my shift covered, and I just felt so wrong being there. Granted we were able to listen to it on the radio, but it just wasn't the same.
This year's conference was absolutely amazing. For all of you LDS members out there, you may remember the talk given by Elder Holland last conference about the Savior's Atonement. Wasn't it such an incredible talk and testimony of the Atonement? This conference, he gave a powerful witness of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. He is such a powerful speaker, and it's amazing that he has the testimony he has. I wish that I could meet him in person. He is truly an inspiration to me. Another remarkable talk that really hit home for me was Brent H. Neilson. His main topic was missionary work, but I loved how he talked about his prayers being answered. And how the rising generation is the answer to the prayers of those who have lived in the past. There were lots of absolutely superb talks, and if you want to read any, you can find them on www.lds.org.
I also happened to stumble upon another talk not given at this General Conference that I really enjoyed. It's main topic is about homosexuality, but there are so many amazing tidbits of inspiration within in that can apply to everyone. This is one of my favorite quotes from it:
"Elder Maxwell once taught a group of people who lived with really hard daily challenges. He had been watching the Olympic diving competition, where he had learned that the judges grade a dive not just by how graceful it looks to the public, but by how difficult the dive is—which only the judges can understand enough to measure. Elder Maxwell told this group that the Lord will judge their lives by the difficulty of their dive, which He understands in every detail."
I absolutely love this quote because it explicitly states that we will not all deal with the same trials. Not everyone will experience the same degree of difficulty. It makes you wonder why some people deal with more hardships than others. But at the same time, if you think of the story of Job, the Lord had so much trust and faith in him, that he allowed Satan to do his worst. And you know what? Job pulled through faithfully, and he was rewarded in the end for his righteousness. As the well known (LDS) catch phrase goes, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it". Well, it certainly hasn't been easy these past few months, but in the end, I have faith that it will have been worth it.
Anyways, today and yesterday was the 179th semi-annual General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Can I just say how much I love listening to General Conference? It's such a spiritual and amazing experience. I'm glad that I can appreciate it now because I definitely didn't when I was younger. I remember my mom would set us in front of the television, while she would iron and fold clothes. I didn't really listen to the talks, I just figured out all of the things that the TV people do to indicate a talk was ending. For example, for each speaker, their name flashes three times, and I knew that after the third time, the talk was almost over. I also knew that each talk except the final one lasted for about 15 minutes. I also knew that I could fall asleep whenever the choir sang. But as the years passed, I'm really grateful for my mom doing that. It got me in the habit of listening to conference. I can't imagine not listening to conference actually. Like last year, I had work on the Saturday morning session, and I couldn't get my shift covered, and I just felt so wrong being there. Granted we were able to listen to it on the radio, but it just wasn't the same.
This year's conference was absolutely amazing. For all of you LDS members out there, you may remember the talk given by Elder Holland last conference about the Savior's Atonement. Wasn't it such an incredible talk and testimony of the Atonement? This conference, he gave a powerful witness of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. He is such a powerful speaker, and it's amazing that he has the testimony he has. I wish that I could meet him in person. He is truly an inspiration to me. Another remarkable talk that really hit home for me was Brent H. Neilson. His main topic was missionary work, but I loved how he talked about his prayers being answered. And how the rising generation is the answer to the prayers of those who have lived in the past. There were lots of absolutely superb talks, and if you want to read any, you can find them on www.lds.org.
I also happened to stumble upon another talk not given at this General Conference that I really enjoyed. It's main topic is about homosexuality, but there are so many amazing tidbits of inspiration within in that can apply to everyone. This is one of my favorite quotes from it:
"Elder Maxwell once taught a group of people who lived with really hard daily challenges. He had been watching the Olympic diving competition, where he had learned that the judges grade a dive not just by how graceful it looks to the public, but by how difficult the dive is—which only the judges can understand enough to measure. Elder Maxwell told this group that the Lord will judge their lives by the difficulty of their dive, which He understands in every detail."
I absolutely love this quote because it explicitly states that we will not all deal with the same trials. Not everyone will experience the same degree of difficulty. It makes you wonder why some people deal with more hardships than others. But at the same time, if you think of the story of Job, the Lord had so much trust and faith in him, that he allowed Satan to do his worst. And you know what? Job pulled through faithfully, and he was rewarded in the end for his righteousness. As the well known (LDS) catch phrase goes, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it". Well, it certainly hasn't been easy these past few months, but in the end, I have faith that it will have been worth it.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Losing things...
Well, since I'm pretty sure that Jeremiah's parents won't be checking my blog, seeing as they blocked me from viewing either their blog or their son's blog, I'll just write a story about my relationship with him.
The first time I ever met Jeremiah was at EFY, in 2005. We were in the same group. Little did I know that I was going to meet the one person that would make the greatest impression on me...ever. To date at least. Unfortunately, there is so little that I remember, but I do remember that my best friend at the time, Edith, actually liked him. I was "in like" with another kid at the same camp (but in a different group). After EFY ended, I found out he also lived in NY, and was in the neighboring stake. We talked online quite a bit, especially after a winter dance, where we got to meet face to face once again. Due to my own tactlessness, we stopped conversing for a little while. I didn't realize how much this affected him until years later, and even to this day, I regret how I treated him. Nevertheless, we attended the same EFY the following year (although we were not placed in the same group again). I remember this year in particular because my brother was an EFY counselor that year. I remember walking up to where you were supposed to check-in and seeing Jeremiah trudging up to the same place with his family. Instantly, all the feelings of care I had for this kid flooded back into me. I got super nervous to see him, even though it had been me that had ceased our friendship. Fortunately, through his kindness, we were able to rekindle our friendship, though I often regret how poorly I treated him at times. There are so many things I wish I could go back and change, but unfortunately, I can't. Our friendship did grow, and by the end of October we were dating. We dated for over a year. For Christmas, he bought me a purple shirt, and his parents bought me a scarf and hat. I remember him telling me that he had spent a long time trying to find something I would like. Even if he had gotten me something I didn't like (which he didn't because I really did like the shirt he got me), the mere fact that he cared that much to spend time for me meant the world to me. And on top of that, his parents got something for me as well! I couldn't believe how absolutely kind they were. I don't remember a whole lot about that year we dated, but I do remember a few things. I remember going to his house on the occasional Sunday, and feel so welcomed. Jeremiah's house was the epitome of a home. It was always warm and cozy and full of love. I loved just spending time at their home. It was so much fun to just sit and relax or wash the dishes and have Jeremiah and his father playfully talk about which way was the "right way" or whip Jeremiah at Battleship. Jeremiah would insist that Sparky liked him better, and I would call her over, and when she came to me, I would contend that she in fact liked me better. We would listen to music together - usually Jeremiah's because he was so much better at finding good music than I was. We'd watch movies together, probably the best of which was "Everything You Want". It made us both laugh out loud. I remember talking to him on the phone every night. I remember how he didn't like it when I fell asleep on him, but it was just nice to not have to say "goodbye". We went to prom together. Both his and mine. I remember getting a job so that I could pay for my (very expensive) prom dress, and I was so insistent on making sure we didn't look like some gothic couple (my dress was black), that I pretty much made Jeremiah wear a white tux. When I was at his house, changing into my dress, I walked out of his parents room to see him walking toward me in his tux. I remember thinking that he looked so handsome. Especially when he took off his jacket. After prom was the after party. I remember when they were doing the raffle at the end, and teasing Jeremiah - telling him he would get those "purple tornado" license plate things, and then he actually did. I remember going back to your house after that after party, and going into your garage. You were so sweet and waited until I had fallen asleep before you finally fell asleep. The next day, we had church, and Jeremiah was playing at the other church. He was such a good sport and got dressed in his tux again. I got to hear how talented a musician he was every time I went down there on a Sunday when he was playing - this was no exception. The next week was my prom, and he was such an awesome date and boyfriend. He patiently waited through the thousands of pictures, drove us everywhere we needed to go, and was incredibly kind throughout the whole thing. On his birthday, I tried to plan out our whole day so that everything would be perfect. It started out kind of disastrous, what with that really gross cake that I made (well at least it looked good), but we made it better with tye dying and picnic-ing at "our spot". The day ended with the midnight showing of the most recent Harry Potter film. His parents were kind enough to let me sleep over at your house in the trailer outside. I really did appreciate that, it allowed us to spend more time together and I didn't have to drive home really late at night. I remember carving pumpkins later in the year. It was so much fun. Man, I wish I could just remember everything, but at the same time, I suppose it's a good thing I can't...
After we had been dating for a year, I screwed up and broke up with him. I can't say that I regret many things I've done more than that. We didn't talk very much, but we ended up going snowboarding together once. It was then that I realized my mistake, and wanted to get back together. He was amazing enough to do that, but unfortunately, it didn't last very long. A few months later, I had made the same mistake and broken up with him again. (Clearly, I don't learn). We didn't talk very much between then and when we met up again at BYU. Before I even saw him, my stomach knotted. Just knowing that I was going to see him brought up such intense emotion - it was then that I knew I had lost something great, and I would be lucky to get him back. I remember walking back from the Maeser building with him to his dorm and just talking. I really appreciated him just talking to me. A little while after that, when I had moved into the dorms, we were walking up the fire escape stairs, and he spun me around so that I was facing him. He said that he was surprised at how short I was, and that I was barely taller than him despite me being a step above him. Later did I learn that he had originally intended to kiss me, but at the last minute backed out. After that, we kind of picked up where we left off. I was so lucky to have the most perfect guy -- too bad I didn't turn out to be the perfect girl. There are so many memories from the many months we dated that to even attempt to pick out a few would be futile. All I know is that I screwed up once again, and lost the best thing that ever happened to me. Now he has left for his mission. He is serving in the Buenos Aires, Argentina South mission. He left September 23, 2009. I know that he is going to be an amazing missionary, and he is in my prayers every night.
Everyone loses some thing in their lifetime. Whether it's a pair of sunglasses, your car keys, or a best friend, no matter how hard you try, you can't always get what you want. You can't always keep everything from slipping through your fingers. But I'm already so talented at losing things, I suppose this shouldn't come as a surprise. I mean, I did break up with him so many times, I had it coming right? I just wish it had ended a little better? I wish that I had had a better relationship with his parents because I really do respect and admire them. I don't write this down so that anyone will feel bad for me. In fact, that is not what I want at all. I wrote this down, merely to tell a thin slice of a very long and amazing story.
The first time I ever met Jeremiah was at EFY, in 2005. We were in the same group. Little did I know that I was going to meet the one person that would make the greatest impression on me...ever. To date at least. Unfortunately, there is so little that I remember, but I do remember that my best friend at the time, Edith, actually liked him. I was "in like" with another kid at the same camp (but in a different group). After EFY ended, I found out he also lived in NY, and was in the neighboring stake. We talked online quite a bit, especially after a winter dance, where we got to meet face to face once again. Due to my own tactlessness, we stopped conversing for a little while. I didn't realize how much this affected him until years later, and even to this day, I regret how I treated him. Nevertheless, we attended the same EFY the following year (although we were not placed in the same group again). I remember this year in particular because my brother was an EFY counselor that year. I remember walking up to where you were supposed to check-in and seeing Jeremiah trudging up to the same place with his family. Instantly, all the feelings of care I had for this kid flooded back into me. I got super nervous to see him, even though it had been me that had ceased our friendship. Fortunately, through his kindness, we were able to rekindle our friendship, though I often regret how poorly I treated him at times. There are so many things I wish I could go back and change, but unfortunately, I can't. Our friendship did grow, and by the end of October we were dating. We dated for over a year. For Christmas, he bought me a purple shirt, and his parents bought me a scarf and hat. I remember him telling me that he had spent a long time trying to find something I would like. Even if he had gotten me something I didn't like (which he didn't because I really did like the shirt he got me), the mere fact that he cared that much to spend time for me meant the world to me. And on top of that, his parents got something for me as well! I couldn't believe how absolutely kind they were. I don't remember a whole lot about that year we dated, but I do remember a few things. I remember going to his house on the occasional Sunday, and feel so welcomed. Jeremiah's house was the epitome of a home. It was always warm and cozy and full of love. I loved just spending time at their home. It was so much fun to just sit and relax or wash the dishes and have Jeremiah and his father playfully talk about which way was the "right way" or whip Jeremiah at Battleship. Jeremiah would insist that Sparky liked him better, and I would call her over, and when she came to me, I would contend that she in fact liked me better. We would listen to music together - usually Jeremiah's because he was so much better at finding good music than I was. We'd watch movies together, probably the best of which was "Everything You Want". It made us both laugh out loud. I remember talking to him on the phone every night. I remember how he didn't like it when I fell asleep on him, but it was just nice to not have to say "goodbye". We went to prom together. Both his and mine. I remember getting a job so that I could pay for my (very expensive) prom dress, and I was so insistent on making sure we didn't look like some gothic couple (my dress was black), that I pretty much made Jeremiah wear a white tux. When I was at his house, changing into my dress, I walked out of his parents room to see him walking toward me in his tux. I remember thinking that he looked so handsome. Especially when he took off his jacket. After prom was the after party. I remember when they were doing the raffle at the end, and teasing Jeremiah - telling him he would get those "purple tornado" license plate things, and then he actually did. I remember going back to your house after that after party, and going into your garage. You were so sweet and waited until I had fallen asleep before you finally fell asleep. The next day, we had church, and Jeremiah was playing at the other church. He was such a good sport and got dressed in his tux again. I got to hear how talented a musician he was every time I went down there on a Sunday when he was playing - this was no exception. The next week was my prom, and he was such an awesome date and boyfriend. He patiently waited through the thousands of pictures, drove us everywhere we needed to go, and was incredibly kind throughout the whole thing. On his birthday, I tried to plan out our whole day so that everything would be perfect. It started out kind of disastrous, what with that really gross cake that I made (well at least it looked good), but we made it better with tye dying and picnic-ing at "our spot". The day ended with the midnight showing of the most recent Harry Potter film. His parents were kind enough to let me sleep over at your house in the trailer outside. I really did appreciate that, it allowed us to spend more time together and I didn't have to drive home really late at night. I remember carving pumpkins later in the year. It was so much fun. Man, I wish I could just remember everything, but at the same time, I suppose it's a good thing I can't...
After we had been dating for a year, I screwed up and broke up with him. I can't say that I regret many things I've done more than that. We didn't talk very much, but we ended up going snowboarding together once. It was then that I realized my mistake, and wanted to get back together. He was amazing enough to do that, but unfortunately, it didn't last very long. A few months later, I had made the same mistake and broken up with him again. (Clearly, I don't learn). We didn't talk very much between then and when we met up again at BYU. Before I even saw him, my stomach knotted. Just knowing that I was going to see him brought up such intense emotion - it was then that I knew I had lost something great, and I would be lucky to get him back. I remember walking back from the Maeser building with him to his dorm and just talking. I really appreciated him just talking to me. A little while after that, when I had moved into the dorms, we were walking up the fire escape stairs, and he spun me around so that I was facing him. He said that he was surprised at how short I was, and that I was barely taller than him despite me being a step above him. Later did I learn that he had originally intended to kiss me, but at the last minute backed out. After that, we kind of picked up where we left off. I was so lucky to have the most perfect guy -- too bad I didn't turn out to be the perfect girl. There are so many memories from the many months we dated that to even attempt to pick out a few would be futile. All I know is that I screwed up once again, and lost the best thing that ever happened to me. Now he has left for his mission. He is serving in the Buenos Aires, Argentina South mission. He left September 23, 2009. I know that he is going to be an amazing missionary, and he is in my prayers every night.
Everyone loses some thing in their lifetime. Whether it's a pair of sunglasses, your car keys, or a best friend, no matter how hard you try, you can't always get what you want. You can't always keep everything from slipping through your fingers. But I'm already so talented at losing things, I suppose this shouldn't come as a surprise. I mean, I did break up with him so many times, I had it coming right? I just wish it had ended a little better? I wish that I had had a better relationship with his parents because I really do respect and admire them. I don't write this down so that anyone will feel bad for me. In fact, that is not what I want at all. I wrote this down, merely to tell a thin slice of a very long and amazing story.
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