Overcoming

Oops, I just published a blank post draft.

Guess I should actually write something now.

You now how in my last post I mentioned that I was looking forward to not teaching a class over the weekend.

Well I taught two.

Saturday morning I was asked to sub the 10 a.m. Zumba class and then—YES GET THIS—the 30 min Core class that follows it. I say sure to Zumba but then remind her...I've never taught a Core class. She assures me the class is laid back and gives me and example of a few exercises that I "could get away with" just doing that.

I immediately turn to YouTube to put together an assortment of exercises that I enjoy for the Core. Luckily I have a few that I personally turn to, so I just had to write stuff out, create a short playlist, and we were good to go.

I've taught short exercise things like that for friends and family but never in an official setting WITH REAL PEOPLE. People actually paying to come attend a class. Overall...it went OK. Oh, and later that afternoon, I ran a 5K at my consistent but slow pace...dressed in a Santa suit.

That said...I'm still exhausted. I have this problem. It's called the Icantgotobedatadecenttime syndrome. Or the Pleaseletmefallasleep condition. Sure I'm exhausted all day, but when 9 p.m. hits, I suddenly have a ton of energy and even when I crawl into bed at 10, 11, 12, 1, or 2...I can't fall asleep. I go through a cycle where this happens a lot. It's been a few months now, but it started up again last week. And I've been exhausted every since. My body needs sleep.

Tonight I think the trick will be going to bed BEFORE 9 p.m. I've got to trick my body into staying in the tired mode before energy kicks in again.

I HAVE to overcome this tiredness thing. Seriously it drains you when you are basically just laying in bed til 4 a.m. and then have to be up and at things by 8 a.m. and going going going until at least 7 p.m. Any suggestions are welcome.

Zumba burnout

I do a lot of stuff with Zumba. I teach three times a week. I am always on the lookout for new choreography and music. I spend hours watching YouTube clips and DVDs for instructors. I have to learn new routines regularly and then teach them a few times to my classses before they seem to work seamlessly. I attend master classes. I attend choreography jam sessions. I support other instructors by going to their classes. I am constantly networking within the Zumba world for new teaching opportunities.

Sometimes it can be a bit much.

Teaching can be a blessing and a curse. Usually I am thankful that I teach because I have an obligation to fit some kind of workout into my schedule. Sometimes, however, I REALLLLY don't want to teach because I'm tired, ornery, lazy, sick, or just unmotivated.

Yesterday was one of those days. I was feeling tired of all of my routines and tired of the attendance struggle that has cycled its way back. I haven't had time to focus on new choreography. I was sick of my warmup. I was sick of my cooldown. I was sick of everything in between. I didn't want to teach. I especially didn't want to teach a small class of one or two students; I simply didn't have the energy for that. Because, yes, it takes a LOT more energy to teach a small class...mostly because all the energy of the class has to come from you.

And then I taught two classes in two different facilities.

I don't know how I got myself to do it. I was not feeling up to it beforehand. But I taught my regular class and then was asked to sub in Pleasant Grove where I am a new sub. This was my first opportunity to sub, so regardless of my feelings, I had to accept. That's just how I roll.

I was still very, very tired by the end of my day. (I had an hour break in between classes and got home around 9:30 pm.) But it seemed worth it. Often when I feel unmotivated, all I have to do is GO. Even a small workout can be so invigorating. And it was really good for me to teach a whole new group of students. It's easier to teach old routines when everything is new to the students.

But the main thing that makes teaching Zumba worth it? The students. Simple comments are all it takes to make me want to keep going.

After teaching my class in PG, I talked with some of the students and thanked them for sticking it out with me. (Any of you group fitness junkies know that when you get used to your instructor, it is super hard to welcome another.)

One said, "Thank you for class. I wish you weren't a sub and had a regular class here. I was a little worried when I saw XXX wasn't here, but you were great."

Made my day.

ANNNDDD....while I really, really do love teaching Zumba (even if I have to remind myself sometimes), I'm really grateful I don't teach any classes this weekend. Here's to a better Zumba week next week.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

Ok, so I admit I went a little overboard with last year's 90% off after-Christmas sales on holiday decor. But I'm thoroughly enjoying the results now. Although I do have a tad too many ornaments. I have a big bag that I haven't even dug into, ornaments on four little trees, my full-sized tree, and two bowls of ornaments that I'm using for extra decorations. So yea...it's a lot for my little basement apartment.

The main feature of excitement this year is my tree. This is the first year I've had one. And the reason for that is that I have been promised my sister's tree for a few years now...so I haven't wanted to buy my own and I'm not one to want to deal with the ordeal of a real tree. But I finally got it! Now what I think is particularly funny about this tree is that, well, it is a bit old. And maybe I just haven't had that much experience putting together artificial trees, but this one requires assembly branch by branch. First you sort the branches by size (they have colored tabs to help) and then you attach each branch. Maybe this is completely normal, but I was indeed thoroughly entertained.

I've had the idea for how I wanted to decorate my tree for about a year. Crazy, I know. But I actually started making the ornaments last year and have been thinking about it the past couple months...although of course I didn't actually start on the project involved until last week.

Without further adieu, may I introduce...my grammar tree.

The main inspiration for this tree is the dictionary page ornaments.

Last year when I was cleaning out my office after the holidays, I found myself with a large stack of old cds to throw away. Some people would see trash, but I saw CRAFT PROJECT!! And I knew I wanted to make ornaments...and this turned into the perfect opportunity to finally do something with an old dictionary I purchased at D.I.

Just last week, I added the idea to create Scrabble-like tile ornaments spelling out Christmas words. While I did purchase an actual Scrabble game during my Black Friday adventures, I ended up using wooden tiles from Hobby Lobby and rub on letter stickers I had on hand. (Don't worry, I'll share more pictures and tutorials later.)

(P.S. Is it crazy to any one else that I've been on Pinterest well over a year now? It still seems so NEW. But it isn't... This occurred to me while I pinned image ideas for my work Christmas card...just as I did last year. Crazy.)

Anyways, I'm going to stop talking about my grammar tree now. But I'm excited for all my decorations coming together. It really makes me feel at home...in my little home. And I'm thinking I'm going to have to have some sort of Christmas themed, cookie-sharing, holiday movie watching party.

And yes, an episode of Friends may have been on in the background as I worked on this post tonight. 10 points to whoever can name the episode!

Odd prejudice

I guess you could say this prejudice is strange, but my message here is that I'm actually prejudice against odd numbers...like those that are not even. You know, "2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate!"

I've known this for a while but it dawned on me once again when continuing my listen of the new Taylor Swift album.

You see my favorite track is "All Too Well" but it kills me that it's track 5. Like it seriously irks me every time I have to skip by all the good numbers to find 5. And then I realize my next favorite songs are tracks 1 and 11. I even use 15 as a Zumba cooldown. Ah!

I've also been trying to find some scriptures I'd like to memorize. And I have to think twice about adding references like Jacob 3:1 to my list.

I am happy when I see an even time stamp in the corner of my phone or computer. And I cringe a little every time I see things like 17, 39, 191,  and 3057.

Ok ok, this is odd. But I just like things even.

My "political" rant

I'm a Mormon, so a lot of members of my church were even more invested in the presidential election than usual. While I hope people for and against Romney didn't make decisions solely based on his religion, I think we can all relate to the idea of rallying behind one of our own. You know, maybe some famous person went to your same high school or your friend's mom's uncle has some notable standing—when we have some kind of personal connection to something we feel more involved or invested, oftentimes with no other reason to back it up. That said, members of the LDS Church tend to lean right politically anyways, and Utah is a definite Republican state. So regardless of Romney's religion and other connections to Utah, he still would have had strong support in the area.

To be clear there is a higher percentage of Republican Mormons, but there are many, many Democratic ones as well. And the LDS Church is neutral in matters of party politics. 

I can understand people being disappointed or even upset when their candidate doesn't win in such a situation. But what I have a hard time handling is all the comments people made tying in our church leaders.

For example, one thing that showed up in my feed was a comment that said, "This is why I don't have to worry about the election choice" above a picture of President Thomas S. Monson that says "My president didn't change." (And dozens of my Facebook friends "liked" this.)

Seriously?

I'm not sharing the photo because I don't want it associated with my blog in any way. But that comment really irks me. What kind of message is whoever created that meme trying to send? The LDS Church leaders would never ask us to choose between them and the current leaders of our country. In fact, they encourage members to be active and informed in civic and political matters. And to respect "the fact that members of the Church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters." We are supposed to be involved in our communities. Not alienating ourselves from them and cleaving only to the LDS Church.

Not to mention, would this little photo be popular if Romney HAD won? I don't think so. But even if a Mormon were elected as the president of the United States, the president of the LDS Church would still be Thomas Monson. The two are unrelated.

Why are people obsessed with having a Mormon in office? More so than they are concerned with having a Republican in that role? If some other candidate was the Republican nominee and delivered the same results, yes I think people would still be upset, but not nearly as much as the Mormon population around me currently is.

To those outside of the LDS Church, there has been concern that a Mormon in office would give greater political strength to a religious organization that has often been criticized, ridiculed, misunderstood, and even feared. I think that issue is something that has been fought against since the beginning of Romney's campaign. And with the increased publicity of Mormons (or the Mormon Moment, if you will), I would hope people understand that such a concern is unnecessary—just as it is for the religious organization that any other candidate is associated with.

But that same message doesn't seem to be getting into the heads of LDS members who share a meme like the one I mentioned above. If THEY can't get over the idea of a Mormon in office meaning something for the LDS Church and the Mormon population as a whole, how can we expect anybody outside of the Mormonism circles to do so?

Having a Mormon president would not give a priority to LDS Church issues. We would not automatically have a government aligned identically to doctrine and beliefs. Mormons would not be controlling the country. (By the way, these statements are so outlandish, I'm having a hard time even typing them.)

Again I share the LDS Church's official policy on its relationship with government:

"Elected officials who are Latter-day Saints make their own decisions and may not necessarily be in agreement with one another or even with a publicly stated Church position. While the Church may communicate its views to them, as it may to any other elected official, it recognizes that these officials still must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies whom they were elected to represent."

I can't say it better. But it seems that members of the Church itself might need to be the ones to remember this.

P.S. Wow, I did not plan to ramble on. I thought I'd have two paragraphs about how stupid annoying people's Facebook statuses are. Guess not...

Grammar problems

You know you are a grammar nerd when two whole days after noticing an error, the issue is still bothering you.

I'm not usually overly concerned about correctness both here on my blog and on Facebook, etc. I often notice typos, misspellings, or uses of the wrong word entirely. But I shrug and move on...because I just can't obsess about every single thing being 100 percent correct.

For some reason, however, I haven't been able to move on from this one.

Here's my Instagram post Saturday. Did you catch the errors?

Jump back into running

This morning my sister and I ran the BYU Spooky Sprint 5K. Susie invited me to do it even though she hasn't been running in a while and I haven't run since May when my ankle first started acting up. But it has been feeling better lately and I was feeling ready to start running and what better way to do it then in a race.

I may have planned to run a time or two this week but...I didn't. Overall we did really well! The only time we stopped running was like 15 seconds, long enough for Susie to tie her shoe and me to take a quick refocus break. The whole race was so fun and I WANT to be a runner again. The first part of the race had a big chunk that was uphill. That part was hard. But after that we just kept running and finished strong.

Go us!

We dressed up 80s because I pretty much have a built in costume in my workout apparel. There were lots of fun costumes...basically our goal was to pass Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head in front of us. And we did. Because we are cool like that.

And of course we had to take some picture.

Susie text me in the morning asking what I was wearing. I sent this picture. Yes I was brushing my teeth.

I don't take pictures often...but when I do, I kinda go shutter happy. 

After our run. Yea...we're cool.

Don't worry, that's not our finish time. It did not take us 55 minutes to run the 3 miles. Hahah. 

Apparently I'm an Asian tourist

I changed my Facebook profile picture today. When I did that I realized that in both my new picture and my old picture I'm making a peace sign.

New Picture

Old Picture

And then I realized this occurs more than I realized. Other profile pictures are below. And believe me there are more. 

Red Monday

Today is dedicated to Taylor Swift. I thought about her when I woke up. I listened to her all day. I used a new song for a cooldown in my Zumba class. And I blog about her now.

This morning I left home early (um, like 2 minutes) so I could stop by Target to purchase the deluxe edition of her cd before heading to work.

At Target I was greeted by my friend Paul who works there and told me they were out of the copies of Red. This was five minutes after the store opened by the way. I laughed, said "Nooooo," and told him this obsession of mine was all his fault. He knows. And then (like 30 seconds later), they found a box with copies to hand to me and the other 4 people who arrived at the same time.

I arrived at work a few minutes late and my co-workers asked if I got my cd. Yes, yes I did. I had warned them of my planned late arrival and the reason for it. But I wasn't going to work without the cd. I even brought in my "good headphones" for my listening pleasure today. I didn't want to bother my coworkers with my repeated listens of the same songs all day.

Admittedly, I've been listening to many leaked tracks the past few days. But once I get all the tracks imported on my computer (the bonus tracks are on a separate cd), I had to listen to the album in full, from start to finish.

It doesn't take me long to find my favorites. And I want everyone else to listen to the album so we can discuss everything. Hurry up, people.

For those of you who are less obsessed, might I share with you some of my favorite parts of Taylor Swift's fourth album, "Red."

My favorite song is by far "All Too Well." Keep in mind that I'm a sad ballad lover, with "Last Kiss" and "Dear John" being my favorites from "Speak Now."

Favorite Lyrics:

"You tell me about your past thinking your future was me."

"Cause here we are again in the middle of the night. We're dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light. Down the stairs, I was there. I remember it all too well."

"You called me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest."

 

My second favorite song right now is "Holy Ground"

Favorite Lyrics:

"Darling, it was good never looking down. And right there where we stood was holy ground. Tonight I'm going to dance for all that we've been through. But I don't want to dance if I'm not dancing with you."

Love it!

For now that's all. I really like quite a few of the songs. You'll probably hear more from me on the subject later.

I'm an introvert

"Do you know someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice?"

I particularly enjoyed the part about scowling and wincing at pleasantries by people trying to be nice. Oh, I've been that person. I hate pleasantries. :)

This excerpt is the opening paragraph to The Atlantic's article "Caring for Your Introvert" by Jonathan Rauch. I've read this article before but was linked to it again today. So yes, that first paragraph identifies some characteristics of an introvert, which Rauch refers to as "among the most misunderstood and aggrieved groups in America, possibly the world."

I'm an introvert and, like many other introverts, seem to surprise people by the fact that I'm not timid or particularly shy, and don't have problems public speaking or presenting to groups.

What I liked most about this article (and a few others I read as well) is that it attempts to explain why introverts are so misunderstood. Today only about 25 percent of our society identifies themselves as introverts, so for the most part, we are living in a very extroverted world. A world where we are taught to value the things that grab our attention, where "being outgoing is considered normal and therefore desirable, a mark of happiness, confidence, leadership." 

Since introversion is on the very opposite of the attention-seeking scale, introverted individuals often find themselves trying to fit into the mold of a social extrovert. We go to parties we don't want to attend. We talk to people sitting next to us when we'd rather be sitting alone pondering our thoughts. We sacrifice our alone time in attempts to not seem anti-social and try to support the close family and friends whose relationships we truly value.

And while introverts can generally understand extroverts (our society is full of them, after all), extroverts have a very hard time grasping concepts that define introverts. For example, extroverts are energized by people and have a difficult time understanding that introverts recharge by being alone.

"This isn't antisocial. It isn't a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating."

Don't get this wrong. Introverts like people. I like people. But unlike, extroverts, we aren't energized by social interactions. More often than not, as stated in the article they drain us. We love and enjoy that time (in the right quantities) but then need to refresh on our own. We don't come away from social situations ready to conquer the world. My conquering the world mentality comes from having a balanced process that allows me to focus alone on things in my life, while hopefully tying in some friendly interaction. 

In fact, the author of this article, also an introvert, shares that his personal formula alots roughly two hours alone for every hour of socializing. Interesting.

I also read the article "Facts to Know About Introverts," which discusses this topic a little more. 

We get the energy that drives us to succeed differently than you do. We are energized by out inner world of ideas and insights. When we have time alone or with just one or two other people [Karianne's addition: people we are close to] to mull over our thoughts, reflect on decisions, and play out strategies in our minds, we come away from the experience with more energy than when we went into it.

You [meaning extroverts] get your energy from being around others; the more people you're around, the more enrgy you're able to generate. For us, large group interaction is draining, and we need to recharge. We are not shy and it's not  that we don't like you, it's simply that we're out of our comfort zone "energetically" around you and must prioritize time to recharge in order to continue to bring our best self to our work. 

 I found that sometimes I prioritize those extrovert priorities over those of my own introvert needs. I might spend a weekend doing all kinds of fun things but don't have time to recharge and then end up feeling drained and unable to be my best self. It's just interesting to see that put into perspective. Prioritize. What's best for me. What allows me to best serve others. Hmm. I want to read more about this topic and continue learning what characteristics I relate to and how I can best live a full and happy life that allows me to be the best me. 

Fearless

This morning I kinda woke up with the Monday blues. I didn't feel like getting my week started. I didn't feel like getting out of bed and heading to work.

So I stayed in bed for a few minutes as I procrastinated until the very last possible moment to start this new week. Believe you me, I have this skill mastered.

Sitting there I found myself looking at the quote I have on the wall across from my bed.

It's by Taylor Swift. It reminded me that there is now one week until her new album "Red" comes out. That made me a little excited. And then I thought about the quote itself: Be fearless.

Though this quote is "technically" about love, it reminds me that sometimes all you have to do to "be fearless" is to get out of bed in the morning.

Sure there are the days where I feel fearless. I feel that I can conquer the world. I have motivation and energy to get started on the dozens of things on my plate every day. I have hope and faith that I can be the person I want to be and accomplish anything and everything I want to accomplish. Those are the days where I feel fearless...but this quote reminded me that on days like today are when I have to actually be fearless.

It's the days where I have to muster whatever strength I have to get up and repeat the daily tasks. It's the days where I don't think there is any way that I can do anything of the things I'm supposed to...or don't want to do them. It's the days where I feel completely inadequate of what I face. It's the days where I have to rely on routine and regular procedure to get through the day. It's those days that I'm truly fearless. Despite my insecurities, despite my trials and fears, despite the unknown...I keep moving on. I get up. I get dressed. I go and do. Those are the days where I truly NEED to be fearless. Today is one such day. Tomorrow might be another. But I have to keep going. I have to believe that I'll find my internal motivation again. I have to believe that there are better things ahead. And there are. That I know.

To me, “FEARLESS” is not the absence of fear. It’s not being completely unafraid. To me, FEARLESS is having fears. FEARLESS is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, FEARLESS is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. FEARLESS is falling madly in love again, even though you’ve been hurt before. FEARLESS is walking into your freshmen year of high school at fifteen. FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again… even though every time you’ve tried before, you’ve lost. It’s FEARLESS to have faith that someday things will change. FEARLESS is having the courage to say goodbye to someone who only hurts you, even if you can’t breathe without them. I think it’s FEARLESS to fall for your best friend, even though he’s in love with someone else. And when someone apologizes to you enough times for things they’ll never stop doing, I think it’s FEARLESS to stop believing them. It’s FEARLESS to say “you’re NOT sorry”, and walk away. I think loving someone despite what people think is FEARLESS. I think allowing yourself to cry on the bathroom floor is FEARLESS. Letting go is FEARLESS. Then, moving on and being alright…That’sFEARLESS too. But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in it. You have to believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after.

Oct. Conference highlights

I've had several people ask me what quotes I'm going to be designing stuff for from the latest LDS General Conference. I haven't yet had time to complete any, although I have tried out some ideas for one or two. (All but two of these are examples of what I've put together from past conferences.)

But here are some of the excerps I'm thinking about. Some of them I have confirmed the actual wording, but some are still just whatever I could type during the talk. 

If you have any requests or suggestions, please please let me know.  I won't do all of these, so if you have any your particularly like... well, you know. 

While you at it, check out these awesome Conference highlights the Church put together. 

Sister Dibbs: Do we have the strength, discipline, and devotion to focus on WHAT MATTERS MOST?

I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it. (I've had several requests for this)

Elder Nelson: The gospel brings true joy and everlasting happiness to all who heed its message.

President Uchtdorf: We must DO and BECOME what Heavenly Father wants us to be. 

Resolve to spend more time with those we love. Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be. Resolve to find happiness regardless of our circumstances.

His Atonement allows us to leave the past behind and move forward with clean hands, with a pure heart, and a determination to be better, and to do better, and especially to become better. 

Elder Perry: Teaching in the home is the most sacred and important responsibility.

Elder Ballard: Great things are brought about by many hands anxiously engaged in a good cause

The next step in our conversion is acting and living consistently what we profess to believe.

President Eyring: God is close to us and aware of us and never hides from His faithful children. 

We can not insist on our own timetable when the Lord has His own. 

His time is not always our time. But we can be sure that He keeps His promises

We must FIRST do the things that make us as familiar with Him as He is with us. 

Sister Burton: First observe. Then serve.

Elder Gonzalez: When all doors seem to be closed, when everything else seems to fail, He will not fail you. 

Elder Holland: Do you love me more than you love all this?

The crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.

Elder Gay: God is mindful of each of us, and will never forsake us

Elder Whiting: The Lord knows the level of our efforts and if we have done our very best! 

Elder Anderson: With faith comes trials of faith, bringing increased faith.

President Monson: Take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings large and small you have received.

The Lord is in the details of our lives.

He wants to bless us. He wants us to seek his help. As he guides us and directs us and as he hears and answers our prayers we will find the happiness here and now that he desires for us. 

Elder Scott: Set aside the things that don’t matter and focus on the things that have eternal consequences.

Elder Osguthorpe: To know is not enough. To be converted requires us to DO and Become. (quoting Oaks)

Take one step closer to the Savior.

Elder Nash: Satan will use doubt, fear, and sin to get us to let go of faith and lose the protection it offers. 

Elder Johnson: Discipleship is all about doing and becoming. 

Elder Christofferson: At times you may not know quite what to do or what to say. Just move forward.  Begin to act

Bishop Stevenson: What you do, where you go, and what you see will shape WHO you become. Who do you want to become?

(I think it's pretty cool he's the presiding bishop now. Check out his bio that I wrote when he was first called to the Quorum of the Seventy in 2008.) 

 

President Eyring:  We each have specific gifts and ways to serve. 

President Monson: There is absolutely nothing in this world that will provide more comfort and happiness than a testimony of the truth.