Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Treadmill ah la GO, GO

The Health Associations tells you that to have better health, that a person needs to physically move, move, and move some more...

The best way and maybe the easiest way for this physical movement is to walk. 

A person should walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  Now I know you cannot count every step you take in a day, but you can wear a pedometer and let this pedometer count your steps for you, and that is exactly what I do.

Every morning when I get dressed and ready for the day, I log the steps I have taken the day before, reset my pedometer for this new day, attach it to my waist band and I'm READY to go.

Sometime during my day, I know I will need to do some serious walking and so I will head out to the garage and step on my treadmill and off I go...

Have you ever tried to just walk on a treadmill?    B O R I N G  every step you take seems like an eternity and if you need to be walking for an hour, that can be sheer torture....

To make this walking more enjoyable I go to the library each week and check out DVDs.

Now my walking gives me enjoyment.  Not only do my steps count up, but I get to see and enjoy movies or programs that would have passed me by.

I just have finished watching the series "Emily of New Moon" and "Cranford" which I truly enjoyed..  Sometimes I'll watch a oldie and sometimes I'll watch some history, but what ever I watch it sure makes my time on my treadmill enjoyable...

Here it is almost time for bed and I just looked at my pedometer and it says I have walked 12,392 steps.  Pretty good won't you say? 

I'm trying for better health and that means I'm watching my weight too. 

If you only walk 10,000 steps and don't cut your calories, your weight will stay the same.  So in order to lose weight you have to use the "Cut and Burn" program.  

What that means is you cut your calories down and you do more physical movement that will help burn more calories which will result in a weight loss. 

I've got it...  I cut my calories today.  Walked on my treadmill and logged 2,392 extra steps and hopefully tomorrow, I'll step on my scales and they will be down a bit.  and that will be good news for me.....

Monday, May 30, 2011

Daughter Stranded at Airport

My daughter Marta called this evening and said she was stranded at the Airport in New York City..

You see, she's on her way to Germany to babysit her grandchildren.

Now Marta lives in North Carolina in these United States, so I know your thinking, that's a pretty long trip to go, just to babysit grandchildren.....  but you see-----

Shawna's husband has a job that takes him all over the world.. so Shawna is now a world traveler and her children are very blessed to be able to have this wonderful experience to live in far away places. 

Just imagine the education and the experiences these children are having, learn about different cultures and languages and then to see wonderful and beautiful historical places too.  What a blessing this is in their life...

Sean, Shawna's husband has a business trip to England and he wanted Shawna to accompany him.  He thought she would enjoy some R&R for a few days (they have 5 children) which she agreed.  So grandma was needed.

Plans were made and Marta was excited about this trip. 

I understand Germany is a beautiful country and with lots of history, and my Marta is a world traveler herself, so this experience would not only be a first hand adventure outside the picture book, but the blessing of seeing and loving grandchildren too.

She left early this afternoon with her flight from home, but then her flight was late arriving at New York, so that made her missing her connecting flight to Germany.  The airline had to make other arrangements but after a three hour wait, she could be on her way, but instead of a straight flight, she would have a side trip to Paris, France.   Now that would be fine if it was planned and you could enjoy PARIS, but no, she would be spending more time in a airport waiting for her next flight to take her to Germany.....

She is a world traveler I know, but I don't think she wasn't planning on taking this side trip, especially when she won't be able to see any of the country or any of the sights, just only an airport....  and not knowing the language or reading the signs??

My daughter will be arriving many hours later than planned at her destination, I know she will be tired but she will be greeted with open arms and lots of hugs and kisses....

A few days ago Marta had call to tell me about her conversation with Shawna.  She said, "Mother, Shawna wants me to come for a visit again after Thanksgiving this year.  She said that Christmas time is a beautiful time in Germany and she wants you to come too."

Oh, I would love to go and have that experience and my sweetheart said yes, go and enjoy.. 

I have passport will travel......  Let's make plans....

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Technological Challenge

Sometimes I get so frustrated with this COMPUTER that I feel like taking it and throwing it as far as I could, or maybe I should just take a bat and beating it to Kingdom Come.....

You might say that I'm "TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE."

I feel lucky that I can just turn it on and let my fingers do some typing, but when this Computer has its own mind and wants to do its own thing,  JUST FORGET IT.....

Last night was one of those nights.

About 9 o'clock I decided I would write a post for my Blog.

I went into my sewing room where my computer is, turned it on, pulled up my Blog website, tried to access my Blog for a post and then my frustration began.

No matter what I did my Computer would not let me have access to my blog post.  It kept asking me to put in my password, I would put in my password, and it would ask me again for my password, over and over we went....  it would ask, I would give and it would repeat....

I decided to call my daughter Marta, as she was the one that set this Blog thing up. 

My son-in-law David answered the phone, I told him the problem.  Now he's a "Computer Whiz" so I figured he could help me, even if it was over the phone.

David gave me some instructions, I tried to follow these instructions.  Nothing worked.. 

Soon my daughter was on the phone.  She could access my Blog on her computer, but still nothing worked on my end...

By then I was truly frustrated saying:  Forget it, Forget it,  NO BLOG FOR ME!!!!

I thanked David and my daughter for trying to help, but I give up..  I then hung up the phone, turned off the computer and went back to my sun room for some "Rest and Relaxation".

This morning after I arose from a night sleep, I went into my sewing room, turned on the computer and went into my Blog site.  Guess what..  A Miracle happened...

I was able to gain access to my Blog and to be able to write this post...

I hurried and call my daughter to let her know that this miracle happened and if all was well there would be a new blog posting for all to read.

Am I still Technological Challenge?  YES...  but  thank goodness my computer with it's mind of its own decided to be nice and let me have access to "MY" blog so I could write a new post.

Thank you dear computer,  please remember to keep being nice to me so I don't need to get so frustrated.  It's not good for my soul....

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Missionaries

Today at our Sacrament Services at Church, we had a young man just return from his mission and he gave his mission report and a gospel message.  He had a very successful mission in the Spanish speaking mission in California.

As he was speaking my mind went back to the time when my own sons had returned from their missions and they too were standing in front of a congregation giving their homecoming talk.

My oldest son Mark went to the Philippines on his mission.  I'm sure when he arrived in that country he witness quite a culture shock.  The food that he learned to eat there was very different from the food that he was use to eating at home, also many of their customs must have seemed very strange to him.

He was very excited about the fact that there he had house boys and house maids and he was also very excited at the time to let his mother know that he didn't have to fix his own meals or do his own laundry.  This experience of having to do his own laundry and fixing his own meals, had been something I had expressed to him, that I was very happy he would be doing this on his mission, so his joy for having a house maid was my disappointment.

His mission was a very rewarding experience for him.  For two years he served his fellowman , he taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people he learned to love.  He came to know his Heavenly Father and to gain a deep testimony of the Gospel of Salvation.

Years later the fruits of his labors came full circle back to him.  One day he received a telephone call from the church headquarters, telling him that one of his converts he had baptized over 25 years ago wanted to talk to him.  This man was now in the Missionary training center being trained to be a new Mission President.  He wanted to thank my son for teaching him and giving him the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My younger son Brad was called to the North Carolina mission.  I know when he left for his mission he was scared and worried about what the next two years would hold for him.

Reading, learning lessons and discussion I knew would he a challenge for him, but I also knew that with hard work, pray, determination and sincere faith he would be successful.  

He met many wonderful people and had wonderful companions that encourage him.  Brad has a special way with people and no matter where he is, he will soon have many friends.
He was successful on his mission and was instrumental in bring the gospel to many special people.

His mode of transportation while he was in North Carolina was a bicycle.  I wonder how many miles he put on his bike in those two years while on his mission.

Years later his sister Marta and her family moved to the state of North Carolina and lives in the same area where her brother had served his mission.  It's a very Small World...

I have eight grandsons and 5 of them have served missions.  I have 7 granddaughters, with 5 of them married and 3 of the husbands are returned missionaries.  I also have 1 son-in-law that served a mission.

In primary our children learn to sing the song, "I hope they call me on a Mission,"  I'm so thankful that my sons, my son-in-law and my grandsons took the meaning of this song and planned and prepared themselves to be worthy to serve a mission for Our Heavenly Father and to go to where ever they were called to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to special people who are looking for the truth.

I know their lives were blessed for their missionary service and I know this experience has helped in their foundation for being great husbands and wonderful fathers.

I love my Missionaries.....

Saturday, May 21, 2011

What Women Want

What women want can take on several different meanings depending on who sees it, reads it or hears it. 

But for me today, its a "Woman's Expo" in St. George at the Dixie Center, with LOTS of vendors with LOTS of goodies... 

They have this Expo twice a year and my sweet daughter-in-law Susan and I have a standing date to attend.

We have a good time together, we laugh, we share, we talk, we giggle, and we seem to enjoy many of the same things and we enjoy each others company too.

I am a very blessed Mother.  I have 2 wonderful daughters that have always blessed my life, I enjoy their company and I always enjoy being with them.  We work together, we do projects together, we share, we talk, we laugh, they are truly a blessing to me, but the down side is they live so far away that I'm not able to be with them like I would like. 

My oldest daughter Marta lives in North Carolina and my youngest daughter Ann, lives in Phoenix Arizona, so the time we can be together is far and few between.

But blessings also come to me with sweet and special daughter-in-laws. 

Susan is married to my youngest son Brad and they live about 25 miles away.  Shelly is married to my oldest son Mark and they live in Sandy which is about 3 1/2 hours away.  I am able to see these girls and be with them  more often because of where they live.. They are a blessing to me in my life.

All of my girls are wonderful and special women and are filled with wonderful and special talents.   They are strong in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are truly spiritual women.  They love their husbands and their families.  They are good homemakers and their homes reflect their style, creativity and love.

But, when all is said and done, What do women really want? 

I believe that each and everyone of us just wants to be loved and to feel loved.  We want to feel special and that we have worth.  We want to feel that we are important to those that we love and care about.  That we are appreciated in the things we do and the things we say.

Yes, I had a wonderful day being with Susan and maybe one of these days I will be lucky enough to have all my girls together so we could all share in a special day and that is, "What This Woman Wants."

Friday, May 20, 2011

SUDOKU

It was about 5 years ago that my daughter Marta came for a visit.

One night as we sit in the family room, she pulled out a puzzle book called "SUDOKU."  I asked her about her book and how you worked the puzzle?

She told me that Sudoku is a number placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.  The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.  There was a difficulty level in each puzzle from 1 to 5.

I thought, OK, I think I could do that!  So I asked her to show me how it worked. - She tore out a level 1 page, showed me how and I was hooked.

It has been over 5 years now since that night, but every night before I go to bed I have to do my Sudoku puzzle no matter what time it is. 

My day is not complete until my puzzle is done.

My daily paper has this puzzle in it and in the morning I look for it, but it is not worked on until evening.  Sometimes my paper will not have it in for that day and then I feel a loss, my day just doesn't seem complete.  The difficulty level increases from Monday to Sunday with Monday starting out as 1 and Sunday ending with the difficulty of 5.  I'm getting pretty good at it now and I always feel pretty good when I have worked Sunday's puzzle.

I remember my Mother always sitting on the sofa in the evenings, working the Cross Word puzzle in the newspaper while my father had the Sports on TV.  Her comment was, "that it helps to keep her mind alert."

I use to try to work those Cross Word puzzles too, but they were more frustrating that solvable to me.

As the years keep creeping up on me and my mind takes a few minutes sometime to remember a name or two, I'm thinking this Sudoku puzzle might do the same to my brain as the Cross Word puzzles did for my Mother.

I have a puzzle book in my car and also in my Sweetheart's truck and a small one in my purse and when I have to wait in the car or somewhere else for a period of time, I always have something with me that helps invigorates my brain and also helps pass the time.

When my cousin Barb was here for a visit and they borrowed our truck, she was pleased and happy to find that there was a Sudoku puzzle book in the door pocket.  It seems she too is hooked on this game.

Thanks Marta for teaching your Mother a puzzle that not only she enjoys but also exercises her brain, maybe its not too late to teach an old dog a new trick.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Lessons for Sunday Church

Tomorrow is Sunday and this week I'm doing double duty.  I have my regular Sunday School Class. and this week I have been asked to also give the lesson in Relief Society.  So double duty is my call. 

My Sunday Class lesson is on "Freedom to Choose", which I prepared the first part of this week, and my Relief Society's lesson is on "Developing Our Talents", which I just finished preparing.  The good news was the Relief Society's lesson I am giving, I had already given in my Sunday Class sometime ago, so it was mostly prepared, I just had to refine it for the Sisters in our Ward.

I was reading my daughters blog and she had a entry titled "Destiny". 

She wrote "In life there are opportunities to make choices and decisions every day.  Some are as simple as "what shall we eat?"  some are major as in "where shall we live?"

She then quoted Pres. Thomas S. Monson  "Decisions determine destiny"

She goes on to say, "One may not think much about what is eaten every day, but to a dieter that decision is a major thought process each and every meal."

"Choice in what to wear reflects our values.  Others see our outward appearance and are either drawn toward us or repelled."

and then she finishes with "As I have thought about it, I agree that decisions do determine our destiny."  "That is major work 24/7"  I too agree with that statement. 

Thanks Marta my love, for this profound insight..  I think I'll share your Blog with my class, if that's OK with you? 

Now for my Relief Society's lesson on Talents..

My handout for this is a "Pencil"  attached to a card that reads,

Our Talents are like pencils:
     1.  You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand 
          (the Lord's)
     2.  You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better
          pencil.
     3.  You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
     4.  The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
     5.  On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark.  No matter what the conditions, you
          must continue to write.

OK I'm ready.  Freedom to Choose, and Developing Our Talents.

Two great lessons and principles of life.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Time Marches On

My Daughter Marta said to me the other day "Mother you haven't written on your Blog for sometime now, I miss it.."

And so I thought, No, I haven't.  Life just seems to get busy and the time just marches on and away.

Writing a blog is like writing a journal, but a journal is only a good journal if you remember to write in it, and writing is only good if you write your coming and goings and your thoughts and your feelings.

Now having that said, just where should I go from there???

I have a dozen or so things going thought my mind right now that I would like to write about but here it is going on 8 o'clock this Friday night and I need to work on a Sunday lesson for church, so I'll just make a mental note and get back to my "Blog" real soon.

Until then -----