DITCH THE WORKOUT!!

As many of you already know, I am a lover of ZUMBA! I have been apart of this dance craze for  2 1/2 years and I am in total love with it still. In the meantime of not having a gym membership for the last  year with our moving of houses, I was taking classes here and there at different facilities but I have now recently joined at TAC and have resumed by ZUMBA workouts! While there is so much to explain about ZUMBA, (the latin style dance moves of reggaeton, salsa, merengue and hip-hop, the targeted body sculpting moves using the toning sticks, the thumping international beats of loud music to get your heart beat up and blast the calories away, the friendly workout for all types and shapes, the invigorating party-like atmosphere of dancing), I will just give you a quick summary of what I think its all about...

* shaking the 'junk in your trunk' in front of a mirror and other peeps for 1 hour

* twisting and contorting your body in 'sexy' ways that are foreign to you

* hooting and hollering, or 'panting', like a chimp to try and keep the energy up

* 'easy to follow' moves of Latin Americans with rhythm that us white folks attempt here in America

* a form of 'dance' that one does believing they are actually good dancers when in fact they are horrible

* an excuse to get 'down and dirty' in spandex

I will forever be a fan of ZUMBA and I encourage those who haven't tried it yet to do so. It is so much fun and you don't even need to know how to dance. You just need to know how to let loose and have fun! Give it a try - 

S T A T I S T I C S

Sad as it is, it definitely happened and it is definitely true.
(i know this is long, but it is worth the read. I promise)

OK, so hold on to you belly (laughing uncontrollably makes it more fun when you hold your belly like Santa) and cover your mouth (partly for the gasp effect and partly for the burst-out-loud noise it will make when reading this post), because this story is funny! Slightly embarrassing actually! But still funny!

Last night our ward was to do sealings at the Draper Temple at 7. Sweets called me at 6:20 saying he was running late from work and would need to meet me there. I quickly finished getting ready, fed Tahoe, grabbed both our bags and hopped in the car.  

MISTAKE 1- I was running frantically to get out the door and to get there on time thus elevating my anxiety levels...

Just as I was coming around the corner to the temple entrance, Sweets calls me in a panic and asks if I somehow remembered to bring his pants that were hanging in the laundry room and NOT neatly folded in his temple bag. (How was I supposed to know.) My response was no. He called the temple super quick and they mentioned that had an emergency pair for him.

MISTAKE 2- I felt responsible and felt the need to fix the problem so in the mean time of his calling I was worrying about whether or not I should go back to the house and get the pants, and if I did go back, would I make it back again to the temple in time. Furthermore, this caused a heightened anxiety level which further depleted the only remaining sugar I had left in my body.  

So basically, you see where this is going. Sweets borrows an emergency pair of pants from the temple, we get dressed and start the sealing. There were a few peeps there so it was long, or at least it felt long to me. When it was our turn, Sweets made a comment of how he passed out last time to the room so we were to be on guard. As funny as that was, I looked at him and said I may be the one passing out! A few minutes later, literally about 2 minutes later, I PASSED OUT!!! I couldn't even believe it. I was overcome with sweat and heat and turned ghostly white. Before I new it I was hunched over still holding Sweets hand so I wouldn't fall backwards on the floor. He carried me to the side and a lady went and grabbed me some apple juice. While I was regaining consciousness, still shaking, she was pressure pointing my hands trying to get my blood flowing faster.

MISTAKE 3- I was a little depressed about the way my eating and dieting has gone lately that I decided to go back on the 5 day 5 ingredient challenge. So, not having too much food in my system, and still managing to exercise running 2 hours earlier, I was not adequately prepared with food for the temple. 

Once I felt better, they started back up with a new couple and believe it or not, SHE PASSED OUT!!! In the same exact spot and at the same time mind you! The room was halted again and laughter started breaking through the silence. She was carried back to the chairs and drank her apple juice. At that moment, I whispered to Sweets that it was time to go and that I needed to get some food. We broke away from the group and headed down the stairs. As I was leaving I saw the Sister who passed out after I did and she mentioned to me, "I don't know if it was not getting enough sleep, or not eating enough that made me pass out, but that has never happened before. Maybe it was watching you pass out that made me pass out"! I couldn't believe that I was, in a round about way, a potential cause of her passing out. I honestly couldn't help but chuckle at how random this all was.

MISTAKE 4- Apparently I am just so dang awesome and amazing that all people want to be like me! I never should have been a 'leader' last night and maybe then the domino effect might not have taken place. I sure hope whoever the couple was trying to get married actually did get married, because I sure as heck don't want to be yelled at on the other side! (J/K)

So you see, I became another STATISTIC last night at the Draper Temple last night!  

ZZZZZ...

every morning sweets are i are racing to get out the door and to work on time.

we have been snoozing a bit longer than we should have.

not for lack of sleep, but for the purpose that we just can't get out of our amazing bed.

you see, our bed is the most comfortable bed.

it is soft, cushiony, plush, posture perfect and relaxing.

it is practically made of hopes and dreams.

we have to drag each other out of it kicking and screaming!

i love our bed and i love intelli-bed for making the worlds best mattress.

JUST WORDS

STRESS : a wide range of phenomena, from mild irritation to drastic dysfunction.

It comes in three steps. 

Step 1 ALARM - We were asked to speak in church this Sunday! When we got the phone call from the the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric, both our stomachs dropped to the floor. All that was left was an empty pit. We scrambled our thoughts and tried to comprehend what had just happened to us. After a sleepless night we still we in complete shock.

Step 2 RESISTANCE - We tried to come up with as many excuses as possible, but came up empty handed. A vacation, an appointment, food poisoning and a family reunion all made the list, but unfortunately, we are no good at lying. For the last year, we have managed to dodge the bullet of speaking in church, and now, it has finally caught up to us.

Step 3 EXHAUSTION - We can't run forever and we can't keep finding reasons as to why we won't be able to speak. It is truly tiresome and takes away our positive healthy energy. We are bound to speak at some point and this Sunday just so happens to be that lucky day. Our guards have been let down and our white flag is raised!  

FEAR : the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or fight. 

It is known as the Fight or Flight response.

We were both able to see the danger in speaking in church. For Sweets, it is the idea of expounding in detail and B.S.'ing long enough to cover the 15 minutes we were each given. For me, it is knowing that within the first 2 minutes, my once full-of-life body would then be lying on the floor covered in sweat and vomit. As Sweets gave in to the fight, I was still holding out for flight. Realizing that I had no where to go and no where to hide, I submitted myself and followed his example.   

ANXIETY : created feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread.

Knowing that I suffer from this, I also know that I am doing the right thing. Sweets always tells me "Sometimes in life you have to do things that you just don't want to do", and he is absolutely correct. Although these definitions are "just words", so is my talk. I wrote "words" down on paper, mixed and matched them, rearranged them and twisted them into something more powerful than these words. They read something that I am proud of, and that I believe in. So why wouldn't I, or couldn't I share them with my ward family? 

This year is a new year. It is time for me to tear down my own walls with my own bare hands. I actually can't wait to speak on sunday, for I know that I will rock the pulpit! And the best part of it is, I have my best friend, husband and the love of my life there to do it with me! 

STORY OF MY LIFE...

This is just too funny to pass up! I secretly feel like this is my brain under review...

Ever wondered how a woman’s brain works?
It’s finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration:

Every one of those little blue balls is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.

STORY OF MY LIFE

i just keep tripping, stumbling and falling

over my own two feet

in places i'm not sure why or what was in my way.

the awkwardness takes over my mind and

i begin to walk faster

but i can't power walk fast enough to escape the humiliation.

i trip.

i stumble.

i fall. harder.

i struggle with strength and determination.

someone help me, but

the noisy laughing of these people to my face scape off my last bit of hope.

those who fall need to get up.

with my last remaining moments

i shall write a story, a name, a face.

my story.

my name.

my face.

avoiding monster-like shadows

i continue to walk sure footed past my fears

glancing behind as i leave footprints that i am not alone.

remember to get yourself back up.

learn from your mistakes and be strong

for i know that i am capable of anything.

(If you couldn't tell already by reading above, I am not a writer, but I just felt the urge to write something a little out of the ordinary.)

My sweet husband reminds me daily (which is how often this occurs) that he doesn't know anybody else who trips, stumbles or falls as much as I do; and he knows a lot of people! It happened again last night as we were running errands. We stepped out of a business door onto the sidewalk and within a few steps I was catching myself from face planting. As we both looked behind me to see what I had fallen over...there was a big fat nothing! That's is when he proceeded to laugh at me and make fun. I can't help but laugh with him as a supporting wife!

x0xo