All over the place...life your mom.

So first I should start by getting a few things out of the way.

I really botched up the 14 Days of Valentine's this year. What did I do, 2 or 3? But you know what- my whole year has been about loving myself and others. Since I got my calling last spring as the Compassionate Service Leader in my ward I've tried to focus on serving others- and it's made me so happy!
I mentioned healthy things for my first couple of Valentine's activities, and that's been a big focus for me the last few months. I've got a Wellness Coach (she helps me make goals and keep track of them. She also helps me talk things through and look at my victories and find ways to challenge myself) and a personal trainer. I go running 2-3 days a week...well, I'm working my way up. I started only being able to run for 1 minute intervals, with 3 minutes of walking in between, but now I can run for 11 minutes straight! It's exciting to see my progression and push myself. I always wanted to run, but for the first time in my life it's happening! My personal trainer is helping me with strength training, something I've never really done before! At first I thought it was awful, but now I see how wonderful it can be. I weight train 3 days a week. I feel myself getting strong and hey, I've lost 10 more pounds! I also like to toss in pilates, and I tried yoga- I need to make myself go back more...it's SO hard! And this week I'm trying out lap swimming!
Some of my long term goals include running some 5ks this summer, buying some nice jeans, and hiking that #%m@$! waterfall hike all the way to the top!!!
Spiritually I've been trying to improve myself too! I've been listening to LDS talks all year, but more recently I started listening to Hugh Nibley talks! Hugh Nibley is amazing and he says it like it is. Sometimes it's tough, and the truth hurts, but I just love him!
As important as it is to be physically fit, it's even more important to be spiritually fit! BUT! I think to be our best spiritually, we have to be strong physically, and in contrast to be our best physically we have to be strong spiritually! Our bodies and spirits are SO connected, it's ridiculous!
Hmm let's see...I've also purchased a guitar and I'm attempting to learn how to play. Let's just say...it's a slow process for the rhythmically and coordination-challenged.

I'm also trying to get ready to do my Masters in Education project, apply for jobs in the fall, and learn to garden and bake bread...so LIFE IS AWESOME! Did I succeed to presenting regular blogs in the last few moths, no. Is life moving along anyway, yes.

So, I meant for that to be a brief note...but I'm Laura. Originally I was going to list my turn-ons and turn-offs, basically repeating this post I did: http://lauraconsistentlyinconsistent.blogspot.com/2010/01/so-i-was-driving-through-campus-and.html SO, I got this far:

"Turn-offs:
Picky eaters. I want a man who will eat what I give him. I want a man who likes to try new food. I want a man who will eat any flavor hummus I concoct. I'm not saying he can't have a few dislikes, I don't like peppers or rye bread, but let's not get crazy.
Swearing. Okay, now here's where I get really hypocritical. I've definitely done a lot of swearing in my life. Most especially in the 7-8th grade (My mouth was dirtier than a 20 year-old latrine boiling in West Virginia). BUT! I can't help it, when I hear a man swear I cringe and think, "Ick, really?" Now I don't swear as much these days, but I slip here and there. So I guess I should be more forgiving of men who occasionally slip too. Hmm, maybe. I'll be honest though, a certain man I find very attractive said the "D" word, and maybe one or two other little ones in my presence, and I got over it. So maybe this turn-off is a secondary one. I'd prefer it if swearing wasn't a regular occurrence, but if you slip here or there, or throw in a "D" word- I'll probably forgive you. But as a general rule, swearing is stupid!
Showing off your underclothes, tramp stamp canvas, or happy trails. Don't get me wrong, one day I might want to see your manscape- but save it for the honeymoon. Now you might be thinking, "Hey baby, I'm just giving you a preview." But guess what, it's more like the when I saw the trailer for RENT. I knew I didn't want it 39 seconds in. The best preview you can give is clothing that fits. Jeans, pants, suits, shorts, onesies- bring them on! Okay...so I don't want to see your crack, lower back, or...well, anyway, I don't want to see it. But even more, I don't want to see your LDS garments. Garments are a personal and sacred thing, and there isn't a whole lot more that turns me off than seeing your personal business hanging out the back. Oh and ps, we can see your bum through them. So A. I feel uncomfortable for seeing your sacred undies, and B. I can see you bum. Lesson: Cover up! For now...bwahahaha.
Liking lame bands. If I ask you, "What kind of music do you like? Specifically, which bands?" And you answer, "Nickleback, Creed, Atreyu etc." You've just been tested, and you FAILED.
Being too beefy. I'm not saying you shouldn't work out! Do, it's wonderful for your health! I can see how it would get addicting to, weight training I mean, but take back a few notches. If you can't have your arms parallel to your torso, you've gone too far. If your arms are wider than my thighs, you've really gone too far. If you have cleavage that exceeds an Olsen twin in a push-up, you may have gone too far. If you have more than 6 visible ab muscles, you've gone too far (I count 8 here, he's gone too far. Plus, eww.)If I can't see your Adam's-apple because your neck and shoulder muscles swallowed it, you've gone too far. Let's all be healthy, but let's not be obsessed. Moderation in all things guys!"

 AND THEN...I realized it was a dumb post. How can my life be so busy and wonderful, but my mind still finds the time to obsess about men? Curse you men and your mind control! I'm not looking for someone perfect...usually I'm not even looking. But always the thinking...always the analyzing...always the wishing...and then usually the feeling pathetic about it. HA. I know just how Wolverine feels.

Life is too wonderful to clutter your mind with necessary things. For example, here are a few good things I've experienced:
The Punch Brothers live at the Egyptian Theater in Ogden, Utah. I was continually smitten by all of them.

Change of Sunday Meeting House! We now meet in the building right behind my house so I can walk to church, and we went from 9 am to 1 pm until further notice!
Working for the school district to help with evaluations. It's been great seeing all of the schools, teachers, and classrooms! Also...money is nice.
Finding two new roommates! Jernae and Charity are moving in at the beginning of June!
Coming Attraction: MY MOM VISITING ME!

Holi Festival!
Kid History 4
So life is good...and men are too...but that doesn't mean I should think about the latter all the time.

BEEF up your tuna.

I have other posts in the works, but for now I wanted to share something yummy.
I love tuna fish sandwiches. Love em. But they can be quite unhealthy. Mayo out the wazoo, bread choice, and extras (cheese for a patty melt) can make your meal ridiculous. And so I wanted to share some yummy and healthy alternatives to dress up the amazing tuna fish sandwich.

Use Vegenaise. I LOVE this stuff. It comes in several varieties, all vegan. Rather than using animal fat it uses olive oils, vegetable oil, etc. And of course it tastes wonderful!

Add some lettuce. I prefer green leaf.
Add avocado, don't mix it in, spread it on the bread.
Add apple cut into little pieces

Other add-ins:
tomato
grapes
spinach
cucumbers
hummus
thinly sliced raw zucchini
onion
green onion
pickle
peppers
sprouts

 Yummy! Here's my version of ants on a log! Sorry the picture is blurry- I used my phone bc I couldn't wait to eat it! Celery with fresh crushed peanut butter, raw honey, and chocolate covered sunflower seeds!

The Third Day of Valentines

In true Laura fashion, my third Day of Valentine's completely contradicts my previous health-pumped days. For my thrid day I was feeling awful- I'm sure it's chemical. My favorite artist said, more or less, at an open house, "If nothing is working, and everything is terrible, and everyone is terrible- it's probably chemical."


So what's my solution for an injured foot, a disheartening "talk" with someone about my work performance, anxiety, and overall poopy feelings? ICE CREAM!

Now I realize it's never a good idea to eat my feelings- but it's not a regular occurence. I usual listen to music, work out, or rant my feelings when I'm feeling awful (and now I sometimes play the guitar!). So I wanted some ice cream therapy and I ate a bowl of ice cream. I wont lie, I wanted someone to bring me ice cream so I didn't have to walk on my muscle strained foot- but in the end I bucked up and went to the store for some cookies and cream. I don't have any junk food on hand, I guess I always figure if I want it enough to go buy it, then I can have it.
So there you have it, the third day- I ate some major empty and delicious calories.

The Second Annual: 14 days of Valentines!

Remember the great event?! It's on again! 14 Days of appreciating love, Laura, and life! Here's a link to last years celebration.

As Shelly said last year, "A 14 day celebration of all things lovely and a countdown to the holiday d'amour! Everyday we are to complete some romantically exciting task. If you are single or have always been indifferent or perhaps even bitterly loathed V- Day, that is ok. You can take this as an opportunity to fall madly in love with yourself."

So, in an effort to skip redundancy I'll just start in on this year. If you want to read up on the description, or last years events- read the old blogs. 

Day 1, 2011: For day one I was good to my body and spirit. I discovered a great liking for yoga at FHE and taught a lesson on gratitude and service. Here is a clip from said lesson:

"Julie B. Beck said in the March 2008 CES fireside:  “The…young adult years are usually times of great self-interest. There are so many decisions to make, and it is easy to be turned inward. The first thing I…would encourage you to do is forget yourself. You should probably be participating in fewer activities that are meant merely to entertain when you could and should be finding ways to make life a little easier for someone else. The quickest way to find friends, to find happiness, to feel grateful, and to have the companionship of the Spirit is to get on your knees and ask the Lord, “Who needs my help today?” and then begin helping.”

I know we’re all busy and we have work, school, homework, facebook, whatever- but we can always find time to serve. We don’t have to plan elaborate service projects to help other children of God. Service can be as simple as picking up trash on the street, smiling at someone, inviting people to play games at your house, heart attacking a friend, making someone a card, participating in church activities, or limitless other things. Service isn’t always about toil and time (though service that involves those things can be incredibly rewarding). Service is about love and friendship and sharing that with other people...

Sister Beck continued, “You could serve as individuals or prayerfully organize yourselves in your callings with your single-adult groups, ward and institute groups, and Relief Societies and priesthood quorums; together you would be able to make a difference for good in the world. Most service opportunities are found very close to home, within your families and wards. You are now old enough and mature enough to lead out in planning and organizing these types of activities. You also know how to receive answers to prayers to learn what the Lord would have you do. As you look outward, the Spirit will be with you to guide you in all the life-changing decisions you are making because the Spirit always accompanies righteous service. You will not have any trouble finding places to serve. While you serve with your peers, you will form good friendships and have meaningful social experiences."

After giving the lesson we made cards and listened to a mix cd of mostly classic rock. Overall, I'd say the evening was a success and I felt an appreciation for myself and my body.

Day 2: Tuesday was all about my well being. I went to a wellness coach and made 3 month goals with her. She also set me up with a personal trainer, and that evening I "got my sweat on" on the treadmill.

Lazy book reviews :)

I thought I'd briefly mention a few books I've read lately. The first is Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Honestly I had a hard time getting into this one. I loved it, and I love the stories- but it didn't keep me in it. So I took a break and read Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, and something else...but, being the queen of the worst memory ever...I can't remember the other book I read in between...Any who, I also read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (but I'll review that next). So some of you might be saying, Cheaper by the Dozen must have been a crap book- but despite taking a break in the middle of it, I really liked it. The stories were full of wisdom and wit, and they were all around funny and entertaining.

 I loved it when they talked about baby talk and how their father thought baby talk was dumb (he said it but didn't believe it I suppose, because he was caught baby talking when he thought no one could hear him.) I suppose I like this bit because I abhor baby talk. I might, MIGHT, baby talk to a dog, but most certainly not to a human at any age. So here's a clip about baby talk:

"Dad had long held theories about babies and, with the arrival of Anne, he was anxious to put them to a test. He believed that children, like little monkeys, were born with certain instincts of self-preservation but that the

instincts vanished because babies were kept cooped up in a crib. He was convinced that babies stated learning things from the very minute they were born, and that it was wrong to keep them in a nursery. He always forbade baby talk in the presence of Anne or any of his subsequent offspring. “The only reason a baby talks baby talk,” he said, “is because that’s all he's heard from grownups. Some children are almost full grown before they learn that the whole world doesn't speak baby talk.”"Dad" wouldn't allow baby talk  and he would talk to the babies in an intelligent way. 

The nurse (or nanny) thought it was foolish and said this: The German nurse whom Dad had employed was scornful. “Why she can't understand a thing you say,” the nurse told Dad. “How do you know?” Dad demanded. "I like "Dad's" response because I think babies understand a lot more than people think. So overall, I'd rate the book a 6 out of ten. It was smart and fun. It was interesting, but it didn't suck me in and keep me in.

Next I'll mention I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. I read this book because I was talking to my friend Rouchelle about skinny dipping and streaking. It was from there that Rouchelle was reminded of how the main character's (Cassandra Mortmain) step mother (Topaz) would commune with nature (aka streak), and more importantly how at one point in the story Cassandra lays out in the sun nude. Here is an excerpt:

"While I was hanging my bathing-suit out of the bedroom window, I had a sudden longing to lie in the sun with nothing on. I never felt it before--Topaz has always had a monopoly of nudity in our household- but the more I thought of it, the more I fancied it. And I had the brilliant idea of doing my sunbathing where nobody working in the fields or wandering up our lane could possibly see me. It felt most peculiar crawling naked up the cold, rough stone steps-exciting in some mysterious way I couldn't explain to myself. Coming out at the top was glorious, warmth and light fell round me like a great cape. The leads were so hot that they almost burnt the soles of my feet; I was glad I had thought of bringing up a blanket to spread. on the top of the bedroom tower, It was beautifully private. That tower is the best-preserved of them all; the circle of battlements is complete, though there are a few deep cracks--a marigold had seeded in one of them. Once I lay down flat I couldn't even see the battlements without turning my head. There was nothing left but the sun-filled dome of the cloudless sky. What a difference there is between wearing even the skimpiest bathing-suit and wearing nothing! After a few minutes I seemed to live in every inch of my body as fully as I usually do in my head and my hands and my heart. I had the fascinating feeling that I could think as easily with my limbs as with my brain--and suddenly the whole of me thought that Topaz's nonsense about communing with nature isn't nonsense at all. The warmth of the sun felt like enormous hands pressing gently on me, the flutter of the air was like delicate fingers. My kind of nature-worship has always had to do with magic and folklore, though sometimes it turned a bit holy. This was nothing like that. I expect it was what Topaz means by "pagan." Anyway, it was thrilling."

  Sorry, I realize it's rather long, but that's some sweet self awareness/discovery right thuuurr! In a way I feel like that except sums up the whole story. That's not to say that it's a nude romp of a story, but rather a coming of age story that takes us along for some of Cassandra's life lessons and the changes that take place in her family. I REALLY enjoyed it because self awareness and meta-cognition have been a big part of my life this year, and I think this book illustrates a version of those things beautifully. It's not a happy ending/love story necessarily, but I think it's perfect just as it is. I don't recommend the movie, which is R rated for nudity (communing with nature), because it takes out the best bits about social tact and Cassandra's thoughts. And the movie totally screws up the last conversation Cassandra has with her love interest. Boo you whore to the movie. But Gruel to the book!

Other than that I read Nine Days A Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi. It was okay. I liked learning about the chronology of royalty after Henry the 8th and before Elizabeth, but it was just okay. I mean really...I have nothing more to say about it.

So that's what I've read recently...oh and I listened to The Life and Teachings of The Prophet Joseph Smith by Truman G. Madsen. I recommend that book a million times over! I learned so much from it. SERIOUSLY. A million times over!!!

 

Nest on the docket, Matilda by Roald Dahl and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A super healthy and delicious lunch.

Not mine, just an example

Ingridients:
raw tortillas- cooked on skillet, no butter or anything else that would taint there flavor!
1 can black beans (I rinse mine to get rid of the extra junk they're sitting in)
1/4 red onion, chopped into salsa sized bites- I use a lot b/c I loves me some onion
cucumber, also chopped to salsa sized bites- to your liking
tomato, also chopped to salsa sized bites- lots!
avocado-to your liking, I like a lot!
lettuce (I prefer green leaf or romaine, as they are heartier lettuces)-to your liking
lemon (real and fresh, not from a bottle)- half a lemon squeezed
cumin-to your liking, I like a lot
fresh cilantro-loads of it! I love cilantro!
salt and pepper-about 2 hints
garlic (fresh- not dry)-to your liking
chili powder-to your liking
cinnamon-just a hint
graded cheese (this is my non-healthy cheat, just a little though!)

Chop and combine! Mix the avocado all around as a sort of delicious glue. Everything must be fresh, except for the cumin, chili powder, beans ( they're canned...), salt and pepper, and cinnamon.

DO NOT COOK ANYTHING BUT THE TORTILLAS and cheese. I cook one side of the tortilla, toss on a little cheese, and add everything else cold. Every time your process food (aka heat or cool it) it loses nutrients), so eat as much of it fresh and raw as possible. Also, feel free to add any veggies or peppers to your liking! Make your own. Personally though, I'd avoid meat (this isn't a meat dish, it's all about the flavors of everything else and meat tends to boss the other flavors around), corn (our bodies don't digest corn that well- but if you are going to have it, get it fresh on the cob and just cut it off raw, it tastes divine!!!), sour cream, too much cheese, or anything else that would distract from the amazing flavors already in the dish. That last line was a bit redundant...oh well.
P.s. Cucumbers aren't especially in season :( ....but I just loooooove them!!!

This isn't my dish, but I ate my dish before I could take a picture...haha. This looks similar, minus the avocado, and plus some corn

A few quick notes

1. The garbanzo beans are way better than the white kidney beans as butter replacment. I also started using whole wheat flour. They're much heartier cookies- but they're very popular! My next experiment- garbanzo beans to replace the butter in my raw granola!

2. Beware of texting or chatting when you are sick. I think it may be similar to drunk text/chatting

3. I'm going to Disneyland for Christmas! I'll be sure to blog when I get back!

4. A little pre-holiday treat (warning: it mentions hermaphrodites and shows a wrapped...package...):