My car broke down today. It was a hot day. I found myself stuck in a grocery store parking lot waiting for a tow truck. Tow trucks take a long time. I was grouchy and steaming with a negative attitude. Then, I saw the nail shop. I decided I would make the best of it and give my poor, neglected feet a pedicure.
I think they look really cute, and it made waiting for the tow truck much easier.
Yesterday, I went to a holistic health conference with a friend. Throughout the day, I kept seeing this little sticker. I wanted one, but that would involve me visiting the acupuncture booth in the vendor hall. My Mom has had Acupuncture, and I have heard about the health benefits of those little needles. I also really wanted that sticker. I knew that my mother had to pay money for Acupuncture, and today it was free. So, I did it. Kinda.
The relaxation treatment was five needles in the ear lobe. I got three out of five needles. Needle one was fine. I could do this. Relaxation. Here I come. Needle two really hurt. It’s worth a little pain for good health, right? Ouch! Needle three made me cry. There were four people watching and waiting for the Naturopathic doctor to finish my acupuncture treatment. They wanted to be relaxed as well. The observers walked away from the booth after they saw me cry. I do not cry polite Sunday school tears. I wail. I moan. I yell, “Ouch, that hurts. This isn’t worth it. I don’t feel relaxed at all”. The doctor wasn’t very happy. He looked at me and said. “Your pain tolerance is too low for acupuncture”. He took the needles out told me to have a blessed day. I was embarrassed, but at least I got the sticker and wore it the rest of the day. When I got home, I added a new word. ‘Kinda’.
Aren’t vendor halls fun? I like the free stuff! I went from booth to booth getting all the free things I could get. I came home from the holistic fair having had two chair massages, a foot massage, a bunch of pens, lots of little samples and a large smile. The workshops were educational too.
I had a bad day this week. I was grouchy and frustrated about many things. During my grouchy day, a well-meaning, perky friend told me to be more positive with a little saying. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. I was a bit annoyed ,until I realized how fun it was to rewrite the saying.
When life gives you lemons, throw the lemons at the person who is driving you crazy.
When life gives you lemons, chop down the tree because it will keep giving you lemons until you get rid of it and plant something else.
When life gives you lemons, wait a minute…we have lemons.. When did that happen?
When life gives you lemons, sit on your bed and cry. It’s easier than actually doing something about your lemon problem.
Since we are talking about lemons, here is a photo of our lemon tree. It actually gave us three lemons this year. We made lemonade.
Let’s have a joyful moment. I’m grateful for spring time in the desert
spending time with my amazing sister
being able to play with sparklers on holidays
going to Palm Sunday services with my favorite people
and lots of other stuff. What are your joyful moments?
Have you ever done something absolutely crazy, but it felt right and in the end you are glad you did? Last summer, the Accountant and I went on a road trip to visit his awesome relatives in Vancouver.
While we were driving through a beautiful forest, when we saw two young people hiking with large backpacks and a little hitchhiking sign. We passed by them. I tried to ignore the feeling, because I could just imagine the end of our tragic tale. Two bodies found after picking up kids with backpacks. Nathan said exactly what I was thinking. “We have to go back and pick up those kids. I really don’t want to get murdered, but it feels right to give them a ride”. Continue reading “Memory Lane”
These amazing people are my parents.
I know they love me, because when I went over to their house they had a copy of my latest blog post on their refrigerator. I felt like a little kid. Mom and Dad put my stuff on the refrigerator. They must really like me. I like them too. People are always telling me I look like my Dad. What do you think?
The idea of Lent has always intrigued me. I remember seeing friends at school give up chocolate for the 40 days before Easter. Last year, I did some research on Lent. It is so much more than just not eating your favorite treat. It is a time to rededicate your life. I have decided to participate in my own Lent this year. Now, before my family gets concerned, let me put them at ease. I am a very happy Mormon girl. I love expressing my Christian faith through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But like everybody else here on Earth, I’ve got a few weaknesses that would benefit from more self-reflection. I’m looking forward to spending the days before Easter giving up my own favorite things and spending a few more minutes praying and reading scriptures. I thought about giving up chocolate, but we just made these delicious brownies.
I love putting up the Christmas tree, but taking it down is not fun at all. So, this year the Christmas tree become a Happy New Year Tree and then a lovely Valentine’s Day tree. I thought about keeping it up all year long. Who wouldn’t want to have a Flag Day tree or a Grandparent Day tree? Things do have to end though so the Christmas tree is now in its cardboard home. We only have 10 more months before I can put it up again.
I’ve decided to take a picture each month so I can see if all of my little health challenges make a difference in my appearance. I feel better than when I started the blog a year ago.
Three hours of accounting homework= one very tired person. At least I got a 99% on my homework assignment. My sister Jenny and I have decided to learn more about money so we’ve signed up Accounting 101 at the community college. (My dad the CPA is so excited and proud of us. It is very cute the way he talks about his daughters studying accounting.) Jenny and I had a blast on the drive to and from class being silly and laughing. During the break, we were telling each other jokes about children of CPAs not growing up to be accountants. I don’t know if I can sit by her in class though. She kept smiling at me and making me giggle inside.
It’s the time of year when the wonderful before and after photos show up in diet commercials. The people are always frowning, wearing no makeup and dressed in ugly clothes for their “before” photo. The transformation is amazing. The person smiles, puts on some blush, gets their hair done and gets a new $200 outfit from the mall. I’ve been thinking of getting an “after” picture. Why wait till the end of my diet to look amazing?
My theme for 2014 is Happy, Healthy and Whole. The plan is to have all of my 13 day challenges go along with one of those three area. When I do things that help me be happy, healthy and whole, I get a leaf for my goal tree. The leaves are color coordinated to the goal area. Happy is green. Healthy is orange and Whole is red. The plan is to fill my tree with lots of little leaves. Happy represents my emotional health and building relationships with my dear family and friends. Healthy is just what it says. It is everything related to nutrition, exercise and stuff that makes someone healthy. It also includes keeping my home healthy (a.k.a more clean). Whole is my spiritual side.
This is extrinsic motivation at its finest. I’m excited. I already have three leaves on my tree!
my 13 day challenge 