Friday, August 27, 2010

What A Glorious Feeling

Despite not being able to sleep/breathe/function properly the past few weeks, life has been SO good. I've definitely been happy. I don't believe people should base their happiness or ability to be happy on their circumstances or others. It's all perception and how you react to your situations. Good or bad. Being sad is fine. You're entitled to have a bad day. Sure. But I truly believe, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, that it is entirely possible to be happy when the world is crashing down around you. Yes, it requires a strong sense of reality, and a gospel center does wonders. But it can be done!

Thus it is with me. I've tried really hard to push forward and continue through the agony of lacking health. It's not that bad, really. Fortunately my doctor was finally able to diagnose me and give me the right meds, which helped a great deal. Still, a month later and there it sits. Days are so much better. I can usually breathe during the day now unless I laugh really hard (which happens frequently) or exert myself a little too much. A great improvement over last week and the weeks prior. Still not fixed though.

Case in point: Last Saturday our home teacher took Ashley and I out rappelling and horseback riding. We had this planned for a couple weeks, and again, despite my health, I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. It's not every day you get to do this kind of thing. Logically, when one plans to lower themselves from a cliff (we actually went over a waterfall. . . beautiful!) it requires climbing to a higher elevation. Ah, therein lies the rub. Poorly functioning lungs and climbing up a steep hill. . . but I did it anyway. Slowly, panting and wheezing all the way, stopping to take a break 3 or 4 times within a mile, we made it. I'm so grateful for Chase and Ashley's patience with me. For such an exciting adventure and with all the anticipation of getting there, it easily could have been frustrating for them.

To get off track for just a minute, the descent from the cliff was amazing. Terrifying, yet wonderful. I haven't rappelled in years and even then it was off a 20-foot wall. Something to that extent. So not REAL rappelling. I received a few battle wounds, but really, who doesn't like a good story attached to a scar? I know I do, and I have plenty of them to go around.

Horseback riding at Chase's was great too. Ashley and I were both very sore for the next few days, but it was so worth while. (I'll get a few pictures up soon. . . but they're all on facebook.)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Let the Rain Fall Down

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the rain? If not, let me tell you. I LOVE RAIN! It really doesn't matter what kind of rain it is. Cold, warm, heavy, sprinkling. I just don't care. Yes, a nice warm downpour is just bliss. But I just love rain. There's something about it that makes me happy. (Okay, rain that causes mass flooding and removes people from their water-damaged homes, not such a good thing. I'll give you that.)

Wednesday it rained pretty hard for just a few minutes. My roommate and I both pretty much missed it. All I saw was the wet ground when I went to get the mail. Then Thursday came. I noticed the rain outside and I was just content with life. Then Lauren came home from work, except she didn't really come home. I heard her try to open the door, which was still locked from when she left for work. So I went to unlock the door and let her in. I open the door and she is soaked. Instead of stepping in, she stands there with this look of joy and anticipation on her face. Before she even said anything about it, I knew it was going to be a puddle-jumping day. Glorious day!

(Again, maybe not such a good idea with the recovering from all of the pneumonia etc. But really, honestly, and truly, I couldn't resist.)











And then we found a shopping cart. . .







Always an adventure, right?

Monday, August 16, 2010

How Far We've Come

Yes, I ended up with walking pneumonia and was sick for about 3 weeks which made me lose a lot of weight recently, but the good news is now that I'm feeling better, it's staying off! And still coming off! Here's the big announcement: I have officially hit my 20 lb mark. Hooray!!! Ideally there's another 10 to go that I'd like to lose this year. I'm still working on it, but I'm excited and wanted to share. So thank you for sharing in my joy.



This was me and my dad at the BYU v. OSU game at the end of last year.



This is me and Lauren at our Thai food dinner date last week. And by date I mean Lauren, Ashley, her friend Courtney, and I wanted Thai food and went out to dinner that night.



I don't have any full body shots. I usually try to avoid that anyway, but you can definitely see it in my face. Again, Hooray! And my dad has lost some weight too, so I hear. Hooray for him!

Monday, August 9, 2010

This is the End

This past week was my last week at EFY. It breaks my heart a little when I think about it. In fact, I was contracted for one more week (this week) in Twin Falls, Idaho, but I ended up canceling my contract. Why? you ask. Well, because the past two weeks of EFY my health has not been so great and I haven't been able to spend the time I need with my kids. This past week especially I was in bed sleeping more than I was with them. I didn't want to put another group of kids through that, I didn't want to put myself through that, and I really want to get healthy before choir auditions and school starts. Not what I want to do, but what I need to do.

Here are some highlights from this week though:

Monday I met my kids and they, again, are fantastic. Four of my girls are from Alaska, and honestly, they're all great. My boys too. This was probably the strongest group of youth I've seen all summer. Orientation: not feeling so hot. We're out under the seating of the stadium all week which is weird, but whatever. You just go with it. It's EFY. It is hot. About 100 degrees hot on Monday. So I move from where I'm sitting with my kids and lay on a bench a few yards back in the shade. Have to sit up to cough a few times which makes me dizzy. Health counselor comes to talk to me. I start crying. I don't know why. All I want to do is sleep. So one of the BC's starts walking me back to our housing. Just as we get out of the stadium and into the sun. . . that's right, I start throwing up everywhere. Luckily I was near grass. I feel bad for the BC. Oh well. I go back, sleep until FHE, and go back to my kids who greet me warmly. Love them!

Wednesday I ended up sleeping half the day. Finally decide to wake up and shower. Get out of the shower and back into my room (still in my towel) and notice a text on my phone. I start responding to that before anything and hear the keypad on the door (we had keypads and not keys). I think it's my roommate coming in for free time. Then the bedroom door begins to open slowly. Strange occurrence since I think it's my roommate. With my back still turned to the door, I hear, "Oh. . . you're naked." I turn, and it's my BC. She assures me she was coming to check and see how I was doing. I don't see what the big deal is. I'm in a towel, not naked. Yet, she continues to gawk at me like I am, in fact, naked.

I find out later that my BC that week had the morning off and went to the temple. All week she has been sneaking in to do small acts of service for us. Well, Wednesday morning, since she was at the temple, she sent the male coordinator to do it for her. So he walked in while I was sleeping. A little creepy to think a boy was in my room while I was sleeping without me knowing it. Also a little creepy to think that he could have been the one to walk in on me in a towel that afternoon. Funny story nonetheless.

Friday was frustrating because I was still sick, but I wanted to meet up with my kids for pictures before dinner or the dance. Who wouldn't? So I go to dinner to try to find them. Throughout the week this hasn't been a problem. They're always there on time because if you're not, you don't eat. But I can't find them. So I wait at our company spot until dinner ends hoping they'll be there. No. They never come. So I think, the dance is just starting, maybe they beat me there. So I walk over, and no. Not there either. Now, normally I would just call my co to see where they are, but he had no cell this week. Bad news. So I'm waiting there at the dance for them. My co has first dance duty and should have checked in already. 50 minutes later! I see three of my boys walk in. They were doing pictures this whole time! Without me! And, my co completely missed his dance duty. I had second dance duty and I still had to do mine. Which meant I didn't get to spend ANY time with my kids during dinner/pictures/dance on the last day. I was so completely bummed out. The frustrating part was that it didn't even seem to phase my co. The kids missed out on half their last dance (which many of them were sad about). At least I got to teach part of the last devotional and some of us met up Saturday morning to take a group picture. Some didn't show up, so that was sad too.


Some things I've learned at EFY this summer:

1. People genuinely like me. I never really felt that way before about people I've just met. Usually it takes a few times meeting me and really making an attempt before I feel they like me.

2. I can teach. I think it's one of my gifts. Not only can I teach, but I can teach teenagers. Not an easy task. And I love it!

3. I love teenagers. I didn't before. I do now.

4. I can have relationships/friendships with boys. I can do it! I actually have guy friends that I have no romantic interest in, and some guy friends that I find extremely attractive, yet can still remain friends without being awkward. Hooray!

5. People genuinely care about me. I've made some great friends who have shown so much love and concern that it literally warms my heart. I didn't know people were like that.

6. I have hope in getting married some day soon. I always thought it would be kind of far off, and not that I have any real prospects right now, I have hope. And hope is good.

7. Life is easier when you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. That's right! Prayers, scripture study, sharing your testimony. Who knew? Well, we all did. But it's so much easier when you just do it.

8. Music really has to be a part of the rest of my life. Even if it's just in my home and not my career, it must be ever-present. It is powerful and I want in.

9. I want to have a large family. I've always felt this way, but never really realized it until EFY. I've longed to be with my family this summer. But I've also discovered that 6 isn't a lot. My family has 6, my sister has 6. It's doable. And, well, I'll do whatever the Lord wants me to do.

10. Life is supposed to be joyful. If it's not, it's probably your fault. You can still have joy when everything seems like it's falling apart. It CAN happen. And it's supposed to! That's what the gospel is all about. Well, par of it at least. You can make it happen! So do it!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Weight of the World

Here's a random post/update for you.

Earlier this year I went to the doctor to check my thyroid because I had suddenly gained a bunch of weight and was kind of freaking out about it. Turns out that my thyroid was slightly under active, which was part of the problem, and I was under so much stress with school, just ending a long, long relationship with someone I was going to marry, etc. Well, you'll be happy to know that I am officially down 16.4 lbs. Granted, about 15 lbs. of this is from this summer at EFY, and about 10 of that is because I've been really sick the past week and a half. Not the best way to lose the weight, and it will probably come back once I'm healthy again. Oh well. At least I'm trying to find the silver lining. Just another 10 - 15 to go until I'm back at my pre-mission weight. Hooray for goals!

We'll see what I can do about a before and after pic.