Making new "friends"

At my new job, in my office, I have a white board.  This white board is right above my computer.  I glance at it a ton.  I got a bunch of magnets for it, only to find out the white board is no longer magnetic.  "So..." I asked myself, "...what in the world am I going to do with this white board?"  Well, I thought and thought, and then remembered that in seminary I used to memorize scriptures by writing them down, and then erasing one word at a time, until I had the whole thing memorized.  The problem?  I only did this my freshman year.  The other three years I "didn't have time" for scripture mastery.  Then it clicked!  I can use this white board (that isn't magnetic anymore) as a tool in memorizing scriptures!  Elder Richard G. Scott spoke in the October 2011 General Conference about the power that comes from memorizing scriptures.  He said they become a friend that cannot be separated by time or distance.  I LOVED this concept, but had forgotten about it until now.  I am excited to start this adventure of making new "friends."  I have memorized Moroni 7:45 and 1 Nephi 3:7 so far, and am currently working on 2 Nephi 2:27.  The greatest part?  It only takes about thirty seconds to glance up, read the scripture once through, and erase a couple words for next time.  I love it :)

We did it!

Guess what?!?  I didn't die on Saturday!  Robin and I both ran the entire 5k in 35ish minutes!  We didn't get any pictures (I know, what the heck, right?) but I was allowed to get new running shoes after the race.  My OLD Asics KILLED my feet, and my knees, AND my hips.  So now I have a lovely pair of pink and gray Under Armor running shoes, and I'm VERY excited.

The other exciting news?  Neal and I are both going to start training for another 5k.  I felt so accomplished and great after the St. Patty's Day race that I now want to do another one, and Neal wants to join me!  He got a new pair of Nike Shox just for the occasion.

Yaya!

Hooray for St. Patty's Day!

Ok, I know.  This is my third post in two days, but I feel like I have a lot to talk about lately.

Today, I remembered something very important.  I remembered that about two months ago I told my sister-in-law I would do a 5k with her on St. Patty's Day.  It seemed like a very long ways away, so I didn't think much of it.  Until today....when I remembered that I'd agreed to do this 5k...which is on Saturday.  Now, to some people this wouldn't be a big deal, but for me, well, I don't exercise much...or at all.  If I do, its like a half an hour of yoga or a couple push ups and sit ups.  Not cardio.  I used to be in GREAT shape (explanation: skinny does not equal in shape).  I ran seven miles in one run once.  Hit a runner's high for the first time and LOVED it. At that point in time, I had a goal: to pass Loveland PD's entrance fitness exam.  I had a reason to be working out (more than just to take care of my body...for some reason I don't find that a huge motivator, which at this point, makes me feel kind of ungrateful to my Heavenly Father for the good working, healthy body I have).  Then I lost my goal because I decided not to go into police work, and well, I stopped exercising at all.  Then I met Neal and life got crazy and took off.

Anyway, back to the present.  The 5k on Saturday.  I forgot until today.  Three days before the race.  So I went for a run today...I walked/ran 1.5 miles and it KILLED me.  I was hacking up a bunch of crap (my lungs were SO not happy), my legs felt like absolute jello, and started to feel dizzy.  Awesome.  Luckily, my sister-in-law said she's going really slow/walking on Saturday.  So, my goal?  At this point to just finish the race: walking, running, crawling, etc.  My next goal?  To be able to do the Turkey Trot (another 5k) in November, and to not die doing it.  Preferably running, but at least not to die.  I have a goal again, and that makes me happy.  (I'm pretty sure it'll make Neal happy, too.  You know, the whole "wife getting hotter" thing...hahaha)

Army vs Marine MMA Fights

My momma sings the National Anthem at all of the MMA fights for the local MMA organizations in Denver.  The event scheduled for Saturday (the 10th) was the Army vs Marine fights.  They were raising money for the Wounded Warrior project, and everyone who fought represented either the Army or the Marines.  For this particular event, Jeff (the guy who is in charge) wanted both the National Anthem and America the Beautiful sung.  My mom thought it would be boring to hear the same person sing two songs in a row, so she invited me to come sing America the Beautiful with her so we could mix it up a bit.  It was really fun, and really nerve-wracking all at the same time.  I haven't sung in front of that many people in a LONG time!!  We were treated to VIP passes for the day and got to eat free burritos and all kinds of other awesome stuff.  It was wonderful to see people come and support the project.  Over $2000 was raised in the four hours we were there.  It was also wonderful to be able to sing a song that was about a country that meant SO much to the people who were there!

Neal and I in our "VIP" spot

Mom and I getting ready to sing

Singing America the Beautiful

Probably the only time I will ever stand inside an MMA cage

So much to do, so little time

It feels like it has been forever since I posted.

I started new jobs a couple weeks ago.  I'm now the Conference Coordinator for Front Range.  It's a part time job, so I'm also serving at the Candlelight a couple nights a week.  The coordinator position at Front Range is really quite enjoyable.  I even have my own office!  According to Neal, I'm a big girl now!  Hahaha. 

Serving is also fun.  I've made quite a few friends in a short amount of time.  I seem to have a nightmare about serving every night after I serve.  I'm still trying to figure out why this is happening...everything can go just fine when I'm actually serving, but when I go to bed I have horriffic visions of everything that could possibly go wrong.  I think Neal finds them rather entertaining when I tell him about them, and they SEEM silly, but when I'm actually dreaming them, they scare the heck outta me!!!!

I have my "Truth-Verification" test tonight for Fort Collins dispatch.  Kind of like a polygraph test.  As long as I pass (which, I don't see why I wouldn't...I didn't lie in my interview) I only have the psych test and the drug test left!  I'm very excited, and we're hoping I get the job so we can discuss other "areas" of our lives ;)

It's that time again at the Candlelight: Tech Week!  So, Neal will be living at the theater (basically) until Saturday.  We got "Anything Goes" tore down last night, and they're putting up Oklahoma! for the rest of the week.  It's sure to be a great show.  I'm grateful this week because I actually have friends to hang out with instead of chilling at home by myself (which generally leads to a fight between Neal and me, as well as mild depression for me).  I'm grateful to the two ladies who've invited me over later this week!

No real big updates on school stuff - Neal's still plugging away at classes this semester, and so far doing really well. 

I found out one of my very good friends is having a little boy.  I am SO excited for her and her husband :)  They will be great parents!  I also found out one of my other friends from high school is having a little girl.  Congrats to him as well :)

Well....I think that's about it for now!  Short and sweet!