Ten Thousand Step Challenge

Through work, we've been challenged to increase the steps we take each day to 10,000. I really need to drag out my pedometer, but without even measuring, I'm sure I'm WAY short of that goal. I counted my steps across campus - about a 15 minute walk, and only got to 1000. I'm figuring 10,000 is a lot of time exercising. I'm guessing there are days I don't walk more than a thousand steps.

Below are some easy ways to increase the number of steps you take each day.

1. Walk in place or pace when on the phone.
2. Get up during each commercial and walk around until the television program begins again. Even better, walk in place during the television program.
3. Use a restroom that's farther from your office or on a different floor.
4. Take the stairs.
5. Park farther away than you normally do.
6. Go to people's offices instead of using the phone or e-mail.
7. Take a walk at lunch and then eat at your desk.

I figure today has been a good day. I shopped all morning, took a walk this afternoon, and have been up and down the stairs a dozen times to answer the door for trick or treaters. I'm going to need to work a little harder the rest of the week.

How about it? Will you take the challenge?

What a difference a few days make

I love Fall. We have had a gorgeous Fall. With our first snow this week, I thought our Indian Summer had ended. But today was absolutely gorgeous!

The top two pictures are taken from my office earlier this week.

The next two are from the top of the hill today.

It's a perfect evening for trick or treating!

I'm a Fan

One of my darling Young Women (who is married with a family of her own) has a blog I just love. Her topic for the day was "Fan Friday" - where she talks about things she is a fan of. I'd like to add my own entry.

I'm a fan of Goodreads! I only started using it a few months ago, but I'm a fan. I have such a hard time finding books I like. With Goodreads, I can get ideas from other friends. There is one friend who is a kindred spirit. If she likes the book, I'll like the book too. I must have six books I've already checked out and can't wait to read. This is definitely something I've never experienced before.

One of the books I just finished is "Mary, Martha, and Me" by Camille Fronk Olson. The whole book is great, but I was particularly interested in this passage:

From either side of the comparison, condemnation stings. Regardless of which path is chosen, someone will certainly criticize that choice. I considered declining further invitations to speak when a woman commented at a “Know Your Religion” lecture, “After hearing you, I felt discouraged because I will never know the scriptures as well. But then I thought, instead of going to school, I chose to follow the prophet – I married and had a family.” Without knowing my choices, she had judged me as disobedient and seemed doubly irked that I was happy about it. I was reminded that I had not embarked on a career path as my first choice but was led to it by a power greater than I.

I'm guessing all of us have had interactions that resemble this one. So WHY do we do that to each other? I'm definitely not a fan of people who judge me or seem self-righteous.

Rainbow Closet

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

In visiting my daughters a month ago, I noticed they had their closets organized by colors. After looking for ten minutes for a black shell I knew I had, I decided to try it. I usurped one of my daughter's closets for my dresses - as my closet just wasn't big enough to incorporate the new arrangement and I only wear them on Sunday anyway so they hardly need prime space. In the process of reorganizing, I learned a few things.

a. I am boring. Over half of my wardrobe is black or beige.

b. Very few things are multiple colors - (which is a good thing, I guess - as it made sorting them easier)

c. I have tons of duplication. I didn't take a picture of the pant rack - but I must have ten pairs of black pants. I tossed out a large bag of clothes I would never wear again, as I had a better version of the same thing.

I think I need to go shopping! I have nothing in orange.

Smile...

I have been in charge of getting photos of the women in our ward for a video on Visiting Teaching. Kelly's idea was to video-tape the older sister talking about Visiting Teaching. She wanted still shots of the rest of the women in the ward. There are 120+.

I didn't even know how to use our camera, but decided I could try to help. We tried to get people to email us their pictures, but that didn't work too well. I think we got two. I'm a pathetic photographer, but I tried. I tried to catch people at church. I tried to catch them at the High Priest Dinner, Personal History class, Empty Nestors, and Board meeting. I wandered the streets with camera in tow.

It was quite a learning experience. People were so different. I would offer to show them the picture I had taken, so we could vote on whether they were blurry or had their eyes closed. (They would look great on my small view, but be unusable once they were on the "big screen".) One said, "Oh, I don't care what it looks like." All the others would run for their lipstick, tell me "You are SO NOT taking my picture - I just woke up," or say, "You really can't take my picture because it is Friday, and I don't wear makeup on Friday." I heard the same thing about Thursday. One woman said, "Oh, I'll send you one. PLEASE delete the ones you took. I look horrible." Another woman said, "I am NOT participating. I just don't do pictures."

This is a picture of the daughter of one woman in the ward. She was dressed in a fairy costume when I dropped by her house. You can see a glimpse of her wings behind her back. She was so thrilled to have her picture taken. She didn't run for her makeup, fix her hair, or make excuses. She was delighted. I have several pictures. In some, she is even airborne.

So, what happens to us as we age? How does it happen that we lose that self-confidence?

You have got to be kidding...

I have flies in my office. LOTS of flies. I kill a half dozen a day. I must make work look fun, because I have flies on the outside crashing into the window. It must look fun in here.

So, I have the secretaries call physical plant. I tell them I want a fly catcher. I was thinking of something like a roach trap. No, three people came to my office and brought be this brown sticky thing to hang in my window. Can you say, U G L Y??? I have (had) a beautiful view, but now it has this ugly fly catcher in it. It was ugly when they first brought it, but it is worse now as it has dead flies stuck to it. Since they left it a week ago, the three of them have been back to check on it.

When the flies get stuck, they make the most horrible sound for hours before they decide to conserve their energy and die slowly. Sometimes they squirm for over a day.

I'm keeping score. Everyday I kill more than does the fly trap, and I only work 8 hours a day, not 24. And my flies die immediately, without a prolonged, pathetic death chant.

Come on, there has GOT to be something better than this.

The best job...

Last night we went to an event in Salt Lake where alumni of our program gathered to visit. There were finger foods and a "bingo" game where the cells were signed by people having a specific characteristic "more computers than kids", etc. I wasn't really excited to go, but felt I needed to support the department.

There were over fifty people who came. We had such a great time visiting, remembering old times, seeing pictures of their children, learning about their jobs. I visited non-stop for two hours. I barely ate, didn't play the game, and didn't even notice prizes being given out. I had forgotten far more people than I remembered, but it was so fun to reconnect. Some lingered around just waiting for a private moment to tell me thanks for getting them through or saying they were actually using that 'game theory' we discussed in multi-agents.

On the way home, I asked myself, "Would I have traveled to such an event to reconnect with my old college professors?" I loved school. I enjoyed my teachers. I was very vocal in class and had good relationships with my teachers, but I doubt I would have traveled for an hour or more to spend an evening with them. As I thought about that, I felt even more blessed to have the best job in the world - (except for being a mom, of course).

The Winter Games...

Sunday night is always "Nine Card" night. Steve was the loser - he is only smiling because I took the pictures before he lost. He is so competitive :-) Grandma Allan is a tough player for her ninety two years. She was the grand winner tonight.

I hope I enjoy a good meal and a rip roaring game of cards when I am 92!

The Personal History Challenge

A dear friend is offering a Personal History class - once a month - as part of Relief Society enrichment (or whatever we are calling those meetings these days).

Our first assignment is this: Write an introduction to your history - why you are writing it. Give the history a title. And write about birth to age five.

I have so few memories of birth to age five, it should be easy. You have a month. I'll post mine if you'll post yours.

Here is my first cut at a title and introduction:

IF THIS IS THE ANSWER, WHAT IS THE QUESTION?
A teacher’s attempt to make the most of life’s experiences.

I am an analyzer. I problem solve. I reason about how things can be improved.

I am a teacher by profession, and as a Mother, I view myself primarily as a teacher.

I hate to waste things – money, time, opportunity, food.

Joseph Smith (while prisoner in the Liberty Jail) was told, “all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” D&C 122:7. I think about that a lot. When going through difficult times, I often tell the Lord (only partially in jest), “I think I’ve learned what I needed to from this challenge. You can take it away now.” I don’t want to be a slow learner and have to go through it again!

This book is my attempt to use my experiences – to help others and spur me to greater heights.

And conference was enjoyed by all

Well, another conference weekend has come and gone. Trisha, Brandon came for the weekend with Halle and Zach. Ben and Chelle came. Greg surprised us by showing up late Friday night. It was great to have them here.

Halle practiced her sitting (to keep up with her second cousin). Actually she didn't stay balanced for longer than 30 seconds, but it's a start. Yes, those are Easter eggs she is playing with. Zach loves to go into the storage room saying "we need to get something". When he found the Easter eggs, they were an instant hit.

During the opening prayer, Zach started jabbering into the end of the floor lamp. He talks well, but he wasn't talking - just making nonsensical sounds. It was evidently his microphone, because when the choir started singing, so did he. Pretty cute.

We didn't get to see the Idaho folks. Kimberly was tending Brooke and Drew/Lori were still in the hospital. They got to come home tonight. YEAH!