Lisa's Blog

I Love Summer

2011-06-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

School is out for the summer & I am really enjoying my time off of work! People always wonder if I go crazy not having anything to do during the day, but I haven't yet! I can always find something to do. I guess I have always been that way. These last 10 days have been occupied by cleaning house, running errands, cleaning up my iTunes library, planning our Great Britian trip, watching a lot of Netflix (I have become hooked on various BBC shows), and catching up on the summer movie releases. I'm also branching out with my cooking skills & practicing on the grill. My sister's baby shower was last weekend & we also attended the Utah Scottish Festival & Highland games. I picked up a new CD from a tribal celtic music group called the Wicked Tinkers. I really want to share a song of theirs, but I can't find any way to upload the file to my blog or to facebook! Anyway, if things continue like this, summer will fly by!

Some Things are Worth Getting Up at 5AM For...

2010-12-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, my friend & I are planning a trip to Great Britian this summer. It has been my life-long dream to visit Scotland, my ancestral home. Because London is so close, we're taking a few extra days & visiting England, too. I am so excited for the trip, I can barely stand the wait. It's like waiting for Christmas morning when I was little; when my brother & I would stay up 'till the wee hours of the morning to sneak out to the living room and poke around at our presents.

We started planning this trip a year ago, when we became roommates again. About a month ago we nailed down the dates of our trip & were pleased to discover that we'll be arriving in Edinburgh at the start of the summer festival season. That information meant that we needed to make B&B reservations right away. We found an awesome B&B for a great price & made reservations last month. I was so excited that this trip was really happening. We also learned more about the festivals going on & decided we really wanted to visit the Royal Military Tattoo festival while we were there. For more information visit: www.edintatto.co.uk

Basically, its a military performance from tons of military bands & regiments from around the world. The festival runs from August 5 - 27, 2011, with performances every evening except Sunday & two performances on Saturday. They perform in a stadium at the base of the Edinburgh Castle & the grand finale features a combined pipe band performance of Auld Lang Syne & Scotland the Brave. When the finale is finished, they close the program with a lone piper playing on the ramparts of the castle. I get emotional just thinking about it, I can't imagine what it'll be like when I get there!!

Tickets went on sale on Wednesday, December 1st at 10:30AM, Scotland time. That meant 3AM our time. Oh Boy!! I finally pulled myself out of bed at 5AM and click the link. I was immediately entered into a queue that read, "Do to the high demand, you have been entered into a queue. Your position is #1,988 and your estimate wait time is 1 hour 20 min." That information was extremely accurate. At exactly 1 hour 20 min. I was automatically directed to the purchasing site & was pleasently surprised to see good seats available in our price range for the date we wanted!!! I'm so excited to go! The show might be the highlight of the trip!!

Here's a pic of the event:

Let It Snow, Let it Snow!!!

2010-11-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I updated my blog, I couldn't even remember my email address to sign in with! Wow!

Anyway, nothing really exciting is going on. I'm still working at the school & it's keeping me more than busy. Things have been better this year...I have an entire day devoted to just instrumental music classes. I love my B days for that reason. Then A days come & things get a little more challenging. But, the holidays are coming & that means long breaks without any school work. Yippee!!

What I really wanted to post about was the awesome "Winter Blizzard Warning" that has been issued for our state tomorrow afternoon & evening. According to the news reports, a blizzard warning has never been issued for our state. I've got plans Tuesday night, but I'll be happy to cancel them if this storm is as bad as predicted. Thankfully I don't have to work Wednesday morning & I can curl up in my apartment & wait for the storm to pass.

I think the only thing that could ruin this excitement would be if the power goes out. The power went out at my parents house a couple of years ago, during christmas break, & it didn't come back on for three days. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I made some preparations just in case. I bought some new batteries for my lanterns & flashlights. I bought water & some food that I can eat without cooking. I've located the extra blankets & coats in case it gets really cold. I also filled the gas tank in my car. I'm feeling really "grown up" right now. We'll hope for the best, expect the worst. It's going to be an exciting week!!

I'm Sorry, My Life is Boring

2010-08-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Summer was good. I loved every minute of it. I wish I never had to work & I could sleep in & do whatever I felt like doing & didn't have any deadlines or stress. But, there is opposition in all things, every good thing must come to an end, yada, yada yada. At least I know summer will come around again.

School starts on Monday. I've already spent the last two weeks cleaning, spending money, and getting ready. Overall, I feel good about this school year. That good feeling may not last long, but it's been nice so far. I've only had one nightmare. Usually at this time, I've had several. All you teachers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. It's normal "back-to-school" jitters. I'm sure the next week or two will be chaotic, but I know I'll survive, 'cause I've already survived it four times now. :)

In an effort to catch up, I went on two trips this summer. One to Washington DC with my friend Bekah & the other to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons with my family. Megan has posted pics of Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. They're still beautiful. I forgot how much I love the scenery there. Washington DC was awesome! I took tons of pics, but not alot with me in them. I also had a big job interview this summer. My dream band position came available & I interviewed twice for it. Eventually, they offered the position to a colleage of mine who's taught band for A LONG time. When I saw him at the second interview, I knew right away he was going to get it. But the whole process really boosted my confidence as a teacher. Even though nothing has changed for me, my attitude has changed. I feel like I'm on the right track, so far. On a spiritual note, the Lord definately has a plan for me. The path is different from the one I picked, but I need to have faith in Him. I'm here at this point for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I feel a quiet, calm, reassurance that everything is as it should be.

Well, I'm sure life is about to get more exciting now that school has started. I wonder how many lockdowns we'll have this year? I'll let you know!

Running Again...

2010-04-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have a deep confession to make. Two years ago I started this blog as a journal. I wanted to record my training for my first race. I admit, it was a short, simple race, but a big deal to me. I've never been the athletic type & at the time, I'd never run in a race. I recorded all my training days and posted all the pictures from race day. When it was over, I stopped blogging for a while & I stopped going to the gym. It didn't help that school had started again & I was working alot. I kept thinking I would go back, but it never happened. I've visited the gym occasionally over the last 9 months; maybe a total of 10 days since last August. But obviously it doesn't do any good unless you do it consistently. Because of this, I have gained a lot of wieght & fallen out of shape.

Maybe it's the good weather that has inspired me, or the wonderful examples that I have from my family, but I've decided to start training again. There are plenty of 5k races over the next few months & I would like to run in a few. Not to be a world-class runner, but to give myself a reason to go to the gym. I need to exercise & I need a purpose besides work. And, I know that if I don't post my progress & check in with my blog, I won't perform as well. It's easy to talk yourself out of doing something if nobody knows you were going to do it in the first place. So, thanks for listening & holding me accountable.

NEWS FLASH: Today I left work at 3:10, headed to the gym, ran/walked 2 miles & came home. It wasn't my best work out, and I've lost alot of endurance, but at least I did it.

MOAB!!

2010-04-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love spring break. It always comes at a much-needed time. Saturday, my family & I drove down to Moab to break-in our new camping trailer. We stayed in a group campsite near Dead Horse Point with several other families. Saturday was spent listening to conference & hanging around camp. I took my bike for a spin & walked around the local trails. Sunday we listened to more of conference & took a drive on the BLM land around our campsite. On the drive we saw an old well, a bunch of cows, & spectacular scenery. We drove all the way to the Green River overlook. Then we came back for dinner. Monday, we drove into Canyonlands & hiked up to Mesa Arch. About noon I had to drive home so I could get ready for work on Tuesday. It was fun to hang with family, see beautiful sites & relax a little bit. The weather was partly cloudy & little cold sometimes, but much better than Salt Lake's weather. The rest of my family is lucky. They get to stay for a couple more days.

Our Campsite (Circle of Trailers)...

Proof I can ride a mountain bike...

The old well in the middle of nowhere...

Picture taken from the truck...

The weather did cool things...

The Green River overlook...

Canyonlands, view from the visitors center...

Being blind doesn't stop him...

Mesa Arch...

The View through Mesa Arch...

My iPod's Not Big Enough!

2010-04-02T22:57:00.001-07:00

Well, its finally happened! I have more music & videos than will fit on my iPod. Considering I have the 120 GB iPod, this is quite an accomplishment!! Now I have the fun task of selecting the files I want to take with me & the files I have to leave at home. :( Summary: I have 45 GB of music, 25 GB of movies, 5.6 GB of TV Shows, 4.6 GB of Podcasts, and 19.4 GB of audiobooks. Pretty cool, huh?

Kid-Friendly Me

2010-03-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today for lunch, I stopped at the local Subway restaurant. After buying my sandwich & filling my Diet Coke, I sat down, pulled out my iPod & started to enjoy my chicken teriyaki sandwich. Within minutes, I feel I'm being watched. I look to my right & I see a cute little hispanic girl, around two years old, watching me eat. She just keeps staring at me. I smile, and she smiles back. I try to go back to eating, but she just keeps staring. After a minute, she starts to play with the garbage can flip door, occasionally glancing back at me. I keep smiling until her mom calls her back. I think, that was weird...why me? Twenty minutes later, I've finished my sandwich and start to eat my cookies. I feel I'm being watched again. Turning to my right and expecting to see the same girl, I'm surprised to see a different girl, around 2 years old, with blonde curls. She's staring at me too! I smile, she smiles back and continues to stare until her dad calls her back to the checkout line. What's the deal?! Did my nose turn green or something?! I couldn't decide to take it as a compliment or an insult. :)

For the Record...

2010-03-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

I promise during our spring break, at the end of March, I will update my blog's background. The week after spring break, I should have some new pictures to add!

The Biggest Time Waster?

2010-03-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Just for the record:

I have spent the last 2 hours on the internet: reading blogs & forwarded emails. In these two hours, I have learned how cute cats can be when they sleep in flower pots, what kids say about moms, the latest credit card scams, I don't look good in pictures, how hard it is to buy a car in costa rica, how awesome Brian Reagan concert was in SLC, and how "public" our lives have become. A special thanks to all my family & friends for helping me procrastinate my lesson planning a little longer.

The Poor Kitty

2010-02-01T18:41:00.001-08:00

My roommate took our kitty into the vet today to get her de-clawed. This was the look I got when I got home from work:

Big Changes

2010-01-27T20:04:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since I posted, and in an effort to avoid my bedtime, I'm going to provide the general public with a brief synopsis of the last three months.

A week after my last post I finally moved into my friends condo. It has been a wonderful change in my life. I now live 10 min. from work, unless there is snow or an accident on Bangeter Hwy. I have two wonderful roommates that I have been able to hang out with & socialize with when I'm home. My roommates are also wonderful examples of thriftiness & I have been able to save more money than in previous years. I live in a wonderful area of town & I'm a part of a wonderful singles ward. I've been able to make a few friends in the last three months, in addition to the ones I already knew.

I had a wonderful christmas break & received a new camera for christmas. I looked forward to posting pictures from my new camera. But since school has resumed, I haven't found the time to learn my new camera & upload pictures. Hopefully soon, I'll make it a bigger priority.

The most recent change in my life is the decision to go back to school. I want to pursue a Masters in Education & Administration, so I may become a school principal or vice-principal someday. I'm not in a big hurry, but I know I can't teach my entire life & I already feel some "burn-out". I've run into a couple of obstacles since I decided, however. Once I decided I wanted to earn a Masters in Administration, I needed to decide which school to attend. Most programs start in the summer. My first choice became the University of Utah, but I discovered I had already missed the application deadline for the year. I can apply as a non-matriculated student, which means I can take up to 9 credits without being officially enrolled in the program. But it will mean the program will take 3 years instead of 2. It might be nice to spread the classes out, and relieve some stress while I'm also working full-time. But it will also mean more money in the long run. Another option is the University of Phoenix. It seems to be a "low-stress" program because I only take one class at a time, but it is completely on-line & I'm concerned about not having real people to talk to & attend class with. From the principals I've talked with, a big part of school is networking with other students who I may end up working with in the professional field. I'm currently looking into my final option, Utah State University. Apparently, they offer this program through their extension campuses, but I don't know any details yet. I hope to talk to someone in the department tomorrow. I've also run into some problems with my teaching level. All of the programs require a level 2 certificate, but I still have a level 1. Even though I have technically taught for 4 years, I've had some difficulty getting credit for the 2 years I taught at the charter school. I haven't tried to work out the details because I didn't have the need. But I may need to jump through that hoop before I can attend school. Don't you love government bureaucracies?

Anyway, there's a quick summary of my life. I'll try a do a better job of keeping th'blog updated.

The Power of Music

2009-10-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I play bass clarinet in a community band ensemble. We rehearse Tuesday nights & give periodic concerts for the community. It has been alot of fun & a great way to keep my "sophisticated music-ears" active. It has also been a great way to socialize with other music teachers in the area. Last night we gave a concert in partnership with the Skyline High School's Wind Ensemble. Our group performed one of my favorite songs that I played in high school, "Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew". It was our big competition piece & it sometimes made me & my family cry. When my mom found out we were performing it, she wanted to come hear it, even though she already had commitments that night. I later remember that she also graduated from Skyline High & it was fun to see her walk the halls of the school after the concert, reminiscing.

While I didn't know the American Fork High School band teacher who was killed in the recent bus accident, the band director at Skyline High School did. When the Skyline High students found out about the connection, they respectfully wore red ribbons at the concert. They also dedicated their performance to her memory, even though most of these students didn't know her personally. I thought they showed a great example of sympathy & maturity beyond their years. It made for a very emotional night!

Another fun weekend

2009-10-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Any day away from work is a great day. This last weekend I spent some good vacation time with family in Moab. For a full report, see Megan's blog. Unfortunately, my camera is really old & doesn't take good pictures anymore. So, I don't have any pictures to share. But I wanted to keep up on my blogging anyway. Moab was great fun, and it was nice to spend some time away from my work life. It makes me sad that summer is coming to an end, as the weather today reminded me. I actually saw snow flakes falling outside my window for about 5 min this afternoon! I have been singing christmas songs all day. "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!" Anyway, I'm excited for the changing seasons & more fun experiences with family & friends. I also had today off, so I was able to get some cleaning done. I think I did 7 loads of laundry today, most of them consisting of stuff with red sand in it. I also had to go to the laundromat & clean my sleeping bags. Another sign the summer season is over. But, I'm excited to wear sweaters & sweatshirts! AND...my friend called me and said we can "definately" move into the condo on the 17th of Oct. Yippee! So, while I have to go back to the work-grind tomorrow, there are still great things coming up. :)

Weekend in Logan

2009-09-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

This weekend was Homecoming at USU. Even though I graduated from USU 4 years ago, I've never really participated in the Homecoming events. This weekend was a little different. Because of parent teacher conferences this week, I had Friday off. Add that to a couple of other circumstances & it made for a perfect weekend to go to Logan!

Friday, I drove up to Logan for a rehearsal with the USU Wind Orchestra & Alumni Band. We did a combined concert Friday night. My parents were able to come up for the concert & we all stayed at a hotel that night. Saturday morning, we caught a little bit of the Homecoming parade down main street & then hit the mall. Mom had some coupons she wanted to use. Technically, I didn't have money for clothes, but I managed to find some really cute stuff anyway. JC Penny was having a huge "door-buster" sale. Everything was 50% off! $150 later, I was walking out to the car with a huge bag full of clothes. Luckily I get paid this week! After the mall, we grabbed some sandwiches at Old Grist Mill & headed up the canyon. It was such a gorgeous fall day & the leaves were the brightest I have seen them in years. We ate at "1st damn", watching the fishermen NOT catch fish. With our stomachs full, we drove up towards Tony Grove & took a walk around the lake. My mom & dad got their faces burned, but I didn't get anything! I'm still white as a ghost. Once we got back to town, we joined up with Megan & ate dinner at the Bluebird. Yum! Then we burned off our dinner by walking 6 blocks to the stadium to watch the football game against SUU. It was an awesome game, particurally because USU won! Yippee! Final score: USU 53 SUU 34. After the game, we drove back to Salt Lake & I slept like a baby.

This morning, I woke up early, refreshed & ready to get some personal things done before church today. As I sat up in bed & reached for my eye glasses, I discovered they weren't in their case! I frantically searched my bag from our trip to Logan, coming up empty-handed. After a quick mental check, I realized I left them on the nightstand in the hotel room in Logan. ARGH! I called the hotel, who thankfully said they found them & they were at the front desk. Because my family & I are leaving in 3 days for Moab, I new I couldn't have them mailed to me before we left town again. The only option I had was to drive back up to Logan this morning to retrieve them. Blessed with an extra 3 hrs in the car today, I decided to download the General Relief Society Broadcast from last night & listen to it on the way. It was a great broadcast & having had those extra 3 hrs turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now I'm even more excited to listen to Conference!

Here are some pictures from the football game:

Oh! What a cute family!

Mmmm! Aggie Icecream!

Making a Difference

2009-09-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Let me share with you a couple of conversations I've had with a few of my students:

My bass player stayed after school on Wednesday to practice. When he was ready to go home, he asked me for a note. He wanted me to write a note to his mother, verifying he was at the school practicing. I asked, "What's the matter? She doesn't trust you?" And he said "Nope. My cousin just started coming to this school & she thinks when I'm late coming home from school, it's because I'm hanging out with him." I ask, "Does he like to get into trouble?" And he replies, "Oh yeah! My mom blames my uncle because he's the real troublemaker..." I wanted to ask what kind of troublemaker & thought better of it. Instead I asked, "Do you hang out with your cousin alot?" He replied, "Just when I'm bored." So, then I finished with, "I guess you won't be bored too much with all of that practicing you have to do, right?" :)

I had a kid from one of my classes hang out in my room after school today because he didn't want to go to the dance. He's a 9th grader & he said the dances were "lame." He talked with me while I planned my classes for the next day. He had a lot of really good ideas for his class & "encouraged" me to accomplish some of them. I said I would try, but with my schedule, its hard to get things done quickly. I feel like I'm planning all the time & I'd like to have a social life once in a while. He agreed with me & said having a social life was important. Jokingly, I said, "So, why are you hanging out here? You have friends, right?" Of coarse he had friends. He went on to explain that his best friend was struggling right now. He caught her with vein marks up her arm & told me about all of the different drugs she said she had been shooting up. I was shocked that a 14 year old kid could possess such a diverse pharmacy. All I could do was listen to his story & offer words of encouragment to him, hoping he would find a way to help his friend get clean. It's amazing what kids deal with these days.

Meanwhile, I received a call from my friend today. She said they ran into some problems with the bathroom renovations at the condo & it won't be ready to move into by the 19th. I was disappointed, obviously, cause that means I won't be able to move in until the 10th of Oct. On the positive side, I guess it will give me more time to pack my crap, and she just freed up my weekend. I guess I'll have to take a student's advice & have a social life!

Boring Life

2009-09-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

I don't really have anything to say. But, I feel like I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to say something. This is the third week of school & things are starting to calm down & fall into a routine. It has been really nice to have all of my prep time, but I still find myself working after hours. With 5 different classes to prep every two days, I have plenty to keep me busy. I'm learning just how impossible my schedule is. Nobody should be expected to teach my schedule. Not only do I have 5 different classes to prep, but in two of those classes the students are on 3 different levels. It's like I have to teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, & Calculus at the same time to 50 different kids. Then in the same day, I have to teach US History, Geography, & World History at the same time to a class of 30. In addition, I also have to teach a class of 50 students 5th grade biology, and three classes of Health. No wonder I'm going crazy! So far things are better than last year, but it's still tough. I would love to work in a normal Band position, where I just teach Band classes all day long. I'm still looking, but with the economy the way that it is, I'm lucky to have any kind of job. I know a few people that have lost their jobs recently, and I try not to complain too much. Things can definately be worse.

Meanwhile, things are on track to move into my friend's condo on September 19th. My brother & his family move into town this weekend, so it looks like I'll be spending the next two weeks moving stuff. That doesn't leave much room for a social life. Its a good thing I have "mini" vacation plans for the Sept 25th weekend & the Oct. 2nd weeekend! Halloween is going to be hear before we know it! If only the weather will cooperate & get cooler!

My First 5K

2009-09-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's ironic that I originally started this blog to document my training for my first 5K race. But when I finally managed to register & run in my first race, it takes me two weeks to post the results. But I guess it's better to blog late than to never blog at all, right? So here it goes... The race was an awesome experience! As I posted before, I decided to run in the Wasatch Women 5K/10K race on August 22nd. I was attracted to this race's women-only status & it's short distance. I figured there would be many women of different running levels there & I wouldn't be too embarrased. I'm still considerably out of shape, and knew I couldn't keep up with serious runners. Even though I'm far from my ideal body weight, & running level, I wanted to run this race anyway. I was running for the experience & to get a better idea of my current 5K time. In fact, I didn't really "train" for this race at all. I went to the gym twice in the two weeks prior to the race. I kept meaning to train outside, but the weather was so hot, I just couldn't get myself to run outside. I figured I could at least finish the race, and I didn't care exactly what my time was. But that doesn't mean I wasn't nervous. I've never run a race before. I've never expected myself to run outside, up hills, consistantly for 3.2 miles in front of 1300 people I didn't know. Considering the terrain & the hot weather, I set a personal goal of running the 5K in less than an hour. I know this is a terrible time, considering a "decent" 5K running time is around 20-30 min. But, for me, coming in less than an hour was going to be awesome. I talked Megan into running with me. She agreed, even though she HATES running. Her husband was also kind enough to arrive early with us & take a few "before" pictures. My parents arrived just before start time. It was awesome to have all that support. At the last minute, I decided to listen to my iPod while I ran/walked. I don't usually exercise with my iPod because I'm usually watching the latest video in the CardioCinema room at the gym. I also don't have a good place to keep it while I run. But I was really glad I used it that day. I was able to totally get "in the Zone," and focus on listening to my body. I could push myself harder than I normally would have. I found a good pace & started a quick jog/walk pattern. Before I knew it, I was rounding the corner to the finish line. As my foot crossed the line, I glanced up at the clock and saw 49.52! I came in less than 50 minutes! WOW! I never knew I could do that well! Megan did awesome, too. She had cut 7 min off her time from her first 5K race in May. Considering all the hills in the park, and the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, our times were especially sweet. I was emotional when I started the race & when I finsihed it. Hopefully next time I won't be such a boob. :) Here's a video of me crossing the finish line:

And here's some more pics:

Megan crying after crossing the finish line.

Megan & I hugging after I crossed the finish line.

The "After" picture. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Last Week of Summer

2009-08-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

In my world, today is the last Monday of the summer. School starts next week, and if I don't think about it, I'm fine. :) Things are starting to look better in my classrooms & I'm getting closer to getting lessons planned for the first week. Dance Company had a rehearsal today & I could hear girls yelling & giggling in the hallway while I cleaned today. It was a pleasant reminder of what I'll hear next week when all of the students return. Tomorrow I have a music meeting at the district and Wednesday we start our official meetings at the school. We've got meetings Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday is free. I'll probably be planning & running off copies on Friday. My goal is to get everything ready to go by Friday afternoon, so I don't have to do anything over the weekend. I want this weekend to myself. Saturday is my first 5K race & I'm really excited to get it over with. I know my time won't be great, because I'm still terribly out-of-shape, but at least I'll have a starting point to improve upon.

Meanwhile, my friend finally closed on her condo last Thursday & her parents have been constantly working on getting it ready to move in. My friend is stuck at work for about 60 hrs a week. She has one night off & Sundays, so she's not able to help a lot. I was able to help out for a few hours on Saturday & it was the first time I've seen the place without the previous owner's crap in it. The condo needs a lot of work before we can move in, but things seem to be moving quickly. It's going to be awesome when it's finished. I'm going over to help tomorrow after work, so I'll try and take some pictures.

Change Can Be A Good Thing

2009-08-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

At risk of falling victim to Murphy's Law, I'm going out on a limb and saying I'm really excited for this school year to start. I have spent the last two days at the school, cleaning & organizing my classrooms. Yes, I have two classrooms. The "band" room & the "choir" room, although the "choir" room is currently the "piano lab". After a year of living in clutter & chaotic messes, I'm finally able to clean & organize 30 yrs of crap. I should've taken "before & after" pictures for all to see, but I know the students will appreciate the work I've done. I'm sure it will help my sanity too. Hopefully by Friday I'll be organized enough to start working on lesson plans & disclosures for when classes start. The only frustration is the heat. The school has no air-conditioning. It only takes 10 min. of moving boxes before I'm sweating profusely.

It's also been fun to see the new teachers at the school. I haven't realized how much I've learned in the last year. Thankfully, I don't have to figure out my account login, how the copy machine works, what my budget is, what a referral is, etc. Life is good in that area. :)

Meanwhile, the moving process has been stalled again. My friend is experiencing some delays closing on her condo. I shouldn't be surprised; I've heard this happens a lot. But, I can still be disappointed. Now, we are thinking we'll be able to move in some time in September. I'm still hoping for the first weekend in September, but we'll see how things go. The positive side is I'm able to concentrate more on work things, which will help make the school year run more smoothly. At this point, I think we are taking things one week at a time.

I'm Finally Going to Do It!

2009-08-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Guess What?! My sister & I have registered for a 5K in three weeks! It will be my first race EVER! I meant to run the 5K at the Salt Lake Marathon, but was very sick. I didn't even register for that race, so I'm already doing better than last time. If anybody wants to come out to Sugar House Park on August 22nd to cheer us on, we would love it!

In the spirit of the race, I decided to run/walk the entire 3.2 miles at the gym today. I tried to pace myself, so I wasn't dead tired by the end. I was tired, but not "dead" tired. I probably walked about 2/3 of the way, but 3.2 miles is alot farther than the 2.5 miles I have usually been doing at the gym. Now that I know I can finish the race, my next problem will be trying to NOT be the last person done. Today I reached 3 miles in 46 minutes. I think it took me another 2 minutes to finish the .2 miles left. Honestly, I don't really know how bad that time is, but I guess it doesn't really matter. All I can do is improve my time, so that will be my goal for the next three weeks. I figure I can try walking less & less, and running/walking faster. Next week, I'm going to start training outside, so it's not a huge shock on race day. It means I'll have to get up early so it's not so hot. Although, the cardiocinema room was 81 degrees today! I guess they were having trouble with their air conditioner. I was even more proud of myself when I realized how hot it was.

Moving

2009-08-01T22:36:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I will be moving into a new condo my friend is buying. I was able to go see it tonight. It needs some work: new paint, carpet & minor repairs. But, overall, it's going to be awesome! I'm excited for my friend, who I've known for along time. We were roommates in college. I'm also excited that we get to live together again & live in a new area with new friends and neighbors. Amazingly enough, I will be moving into a single's ward where I already know people. I've lived in my current singles ward for 4 years and know about 8 people. I know that is partially my fault, but it will be fun to be somewhere new. My friend hopes to close on the condo by the end of the week & repairs should take about 2 weeks or so. Hopefully, by the end of the month, I should be moved in! Yeah! I'll post some pictures soon.

Facebook vs. iTunes

2009-07-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

I know I already did a post today, but besides perfecting blog-art, I wanted to share another frustration I experienced today.

I recently bought a new iPod when my previous one was stolen at work. I decided to buy the classic 120 GB because all the other iPod's didn't have enough storage space for my current library. I previously had an 80 GB iPod and while it wasn't full, I had more than 30 GB worth of music & the 120 GB was the only one that would work for me. Apple doesn't sell an 80 GB iPod any more :(

ANYWAY, since I now have TONS of room, I have spent the last couple of weeks copying movies & borrowing music from family to add to my new iPod. (Don't worry, everything I'm doing is legal.) I currently have 40 GB of music and 18 GB of movies. Which should be great, right? Except, I spent AN HOUR just organizing all my songs that start with A. At this rate, it's going to take me 26 Hrs. to organize my entire library!! And I was making fun of people for spend too much time on Facebook!

P.S. If you were wondering, I haven't gotten my room cleaned yet.

Pretty Blog

2009-07-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Finally! I have managed to make my blog look pretty. It only took me 2 hrs! It's funny how little things can really bug you. I spent 45 min on my title banner just because I wanted my title to show in the bottom right corner instead of the top left corner. I also spent 20 min figuring out how to change the banner background color. Anyway, I'm sure it isn't perfect & I'm going to have to change it again when it's not officially summer anymore. But, it sure is a whole lot better!! Now I need to go back to cleaning my room. :)

Tory's Groove Thang!

2009-07-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

And that's why we love our sister in law :)

(for more entertainment, see Tory's blog for "Tyler's Groove Thang."

School's Out For Summer

2009-06-09T17:32:00.001-07:00

School's Out for Summer! Da, da, da, da. Da, da, da, da. School's Out forever! (I wish...).

Lazy Sunshine, here I come!

Working Out Again!

2009-05-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Great News! I had a minor break-through yesterday. I overcame my negative self-talk and got myself out to exercise. I wanted to ride my bike along 2700 E. to "the gully," a wooded area in Salt Lake that I have never been to. But, to get to 2700 E, I had to ride my bike up hill about 6 blocks. I had to stop for a breather once. I also didn't realize that heading north along 2700 E. is slightly uphill. It turned out to be a bigger workout than I anticipated. I guess the combination of strenuous exercise & rising temperatures caused me to feel a little light headed & I had to pull over. I didn't make it to the gully, but I still feel like I had a major accomplishment by riding up hill for as long as I did. I don't think I've done that in years. It also got me motivated to work out after school this week. The kids may be off the wall & I may be stressed, but that shouldn't stop me from taking care of myself. My health needs to be my priority. So, here's to a new commitment this week. Wish me luck!

quick update

2009-05-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

I should be in bed, but I wanted to give a quick update. This last weekend was awesome, spending time with family (see megan's blog). I'm feeling MUCH better & counting down the minutes until school is out for the summer. And, it sounds like we don't have to worry about our school closing because of the swine flu. For those who haven't heard, the district decided to close Granite High School, so they didn't need to cut the Elementary Music program next year. That means my job is safe next year. Yeah. This week will be busy with my last Salt Lake Symphonic Winds rehearsal & concert of the season. If you would like to come, our concert is at Westminster College, Wednesday May 13th at 7PM. I'm not sure where at the college, but if you really want to know, call me. Since I'll be out of town over the 4th of July, I'm not playing in the Sugarhouse park concert, so after the concert Wednesday I'll take a break from playing until next fall. Next week we get to see my friend Peggy's creation Treasure Island at Hale Theatre. It should be great! Hope y'all are well & we'll see ya later!

when will it end?!

2009-05-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you notice the date & time of this post, you should say, "Why isn't Lisa working?" That is a very good question. Remember my little bug I caught last week? I went to the doctor on Saturday & asked him to do a strep test. He didn't think it would come back positive because I also had a runny nose & nausea. But the only time I've had a sore throat this bad is when I had strep. So, I wanted to be sure. Guess what? My test came back positive on Monday & now I am in isolation until my antibiotics make me not contagious. My throat & nausea feel better, though. I should be back to work tomorrow, yippee.

I think I will allow my cousin Jennifer to come beat these bugs away. Thanks Jen, for the support. :)

Meanwhile, on the homefront: The district should make a decision on the final budget cuts tonight. Hopefully, the Elementary music program won't get cut. Also, one of the elementary schools in the district is closed for two weeks because of the "swine" flu. I just hope & pray that nobody at our school gets sick so we can finish our year on time. I'll keep you posted.

Good News/Bad News

2009-04-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

Good News: I survived my last music festival of the season today. Things went well, and I'm starting to earn some respect in the district. Hopefully, it will help save my job if the Elementary Program gets cut.

Bad News: I'm sick again. After school yesterday I felt especially wiped out. I also started to get stuffy & had a mild sore throat. I didn't sleep a wink last night. First I couldn't shut my brain off. Then, I couldn't find a comfortable temperature. Next, I was stuffy enough that I started breathing thru my mouth, which caused me to snore, which made my throat extremely sore & got so loud at times that it woke me up. This morning I couldn't breath, my throat ached constantly, I got hot & cold flashes, & felt dizzy spells. I had to go to work today because it was our orchestra festival. Luckily I could sit most of the day & listen to the other orchestras. I left soon after school got out & took a nap. Hopefully, I'll get better soon.

Good News: We have 25 days left of school.

Bad News: We have 25 days left of school. :)

I'm Back! Time to catch up...

2009-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

This is my first spring flower bed. I planted the bulbs & the pansies last fall & have enjoyed watching them bloom. Not bad, huh?

This is my bike on my car. I think it looks pretty cool.

This is my bike close up. Its pretty awesome, huh?

Well, I can't believe it has been over a month since I blogged last. I wish I could say a lot of things have happened, but I can't. I bet I can sum the month up in 100 words or less. :) I'm finally feeling better. It was slow going for awhile, but spring break finally put me over the top. I believe not having to think about work for 5 days did the trick. Needless to say, I wimped out on the 5k race because I hadn't been training for 2 months. I feel bad, but what can I do? It also took a while to get back to the gym. I finally went back today. It wasn't a great workout, but it felt good to be working out again. I also weigh 224.8 lbs. Not great, but not terrible either. I plan to go several times this week. I need a good stress reliever from work. The kids are driving me crazy! Its going to be a long month.

I also bought a new mountain bike. I have wanted one for years, but could never find the money. I recently received some extra money for teaching Jazz Band early morning & I decided to put it to good use. I shopped at 4 different stores & found one that will work great for me. Its a 2008 Jamis Durango with disc brakes, 24 speeds, & locking front suspension. It rides great! I love it! My friend & I went riding along the Jordan Parkway last Saturday & it was awesome! I really wanted to go riding today, but it wouldn't stop raining. That's how I ended up in the gym. I had to vent my frustrations out somehow. Anyway, I'm looking forward to riding all summer & taking it to Moab in October. Here are some pictures.

Getting back into the habit...

2009-03-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still not 100% better, but I think I will try to exercise this week. I planned on exercising tonight, but talked myself out of it. I convinced myself I had too much school-work to do. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SUMMER! Truthfully, I have reached burnout. I will try exercising again on Thursday. I won't have an excuse on Thursday, so that should be a good day to start. I'll also plan to exercise on Friday & Saturday. That will still be 3 days this week. On a positive note, I have been better at managing my eating habits, my finances, and reading my scriptures. I also found out I will be getting a big check for teaching Jazz band before school. It was an unexpected $1200! I want to put 1/2 towards my credit card & use the other half to buy a bike! I'm so excited. I'm suppose to get it sometime in April or May, so the next time my family goes to Moab, I can ride my bike instead of sitting in the back of the hot jeep. Yippee! Well, I guess I had better get some work done. I'll post again soon.

On the mend??

2009-03-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, three weeks later, I'm still not feeling better. My antibiotics are almost gone & I'm still stuffed up, coughing up crap, & have body aches. Maybe my doctor was right & all I have is a nasty virus. Last Saturday night, I finally gave in & bought a humidifier. It has been a huge help in getting me to sleep. I still wake up occasionally during the night, but I can usually fall right back to sleep with out having to get up and take more drugs. I slept all day last Sunday & felt a little better. But, this week has been long & stressful & any progress I made was lost by Thursday. Thankfully, because of parent teacher conferences this week, we had Friday off. After spending some time watching TV with my brother Thursday night, I fell asleep & didn't wake up until 9:30 Friday morning. I got up, ate breakfast, watched The Biggest Loser, & went back to bed around 11:30 AM. I woke up again round 2:30 PM. I kept thinking I needed to get stuff done, but all I felt like doing was watching TV. I managed to shower & go to the store, but was in bed by 9:30PM. I hope I can finally get over this crap. I want to start working out again. I've got about a month now until the 5K race. Even if I'm feeling better, this week will be difficult to get to the gym. Monday I have to go to Costco & buy stuff for Enrichment, Tuesday I have rehearsal, Wednesday I'm going to see Pirates at Hale, Thursday I have to prep & serve our Relief Society dinner. I guess I'll resume workouts next weekend.

Still Sick...

2009-02-27T18:52:00.001-08:00

Well, I managed to make it through the week. I lost my voice several times & the kids had fun laughing at me. My boss came in to observe my class & was sympathetic. That felt good, since I called in sick on Wednesday. I went to the doctor & she suspected I had a virus and wanted me to try Mucinex for a day. She also said the sudafed I was taking was making things worse. If things didn't get better in 24 hours, she also gave me some antibiotics. I was grateful for that because that was what I came in there for. I became confused when I went to the pharmacy and all of the Mucinex boxes said it clears up chest congestions. I don't have chest congestion, I just can't breath. I slept all day Wednesday & almost felt worse. Wednesday night I couldn't breath at all. After three hours of tossing & turning, I finally took more sudafed & a bunch of ibuprofen. I think I slept about four hours. Thursday was more of the same crap, but I started the antibiotics Thursday night. I still feel like crap today, but I'm hopeful things will start getting better.

A Huge Brick Wall....

2009-02-23T17:48:00.001-08:00

Well, some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted a blog in a while. This is mostly because I haven't worked out in a while. I worked out on Wednesday, February 11th, so I can count that as Day 15. But that following weekend, I got a nasty cold. I first noticed the symptoms on Sunday, while we were in Cheyenne, and I felt progressively worse as the weekend went on. I tried to go to be early & sleep most of the way home, but I wasn't feeling better by Wednesday when I had to go back to work. Thursday was horrible. It was a stressful day at work, and it didn't help that I was still sick. I almost fell asleep several times while I was driving home from work. To make things worse, Thursday was also my birthday. I am forever grateful to my family for taking me out to dinner & celebrating with me, when all I felt like doing was sleeping. Friday was better, but I was at the school until 8:30 PM getting caught up on midterms. Saturday, I crashed. I felt worse Saturday & Sunday even though I took extra naps, went to bed early, & slept in. I even skipped a scheduled temple trip on Saturday, and church on Sunday. I hoped I would feel miraculously better on Monday, but I really don't. I can't remember the last time I had a cold that was this strong, this long. I feel as bad today as I did on the first day. If I don't feel any better tomorrow, I'm calling in sick on Wednesday. I don't know if taking one day off will help that much, but I've got to do something. I was suppose to start my official 5k training program today, but obviously that didn't happen. All I can do now is pray I get over this crap quickly.

Day 15

2009-02-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to the gym tonight & I have decided that I like the Gold's Gym in Kearns a lot better than the one in Holladay. It has all of the same amenities, but fewer people. I don't have to fight for a treadmill in the cardio room, even when I go at the peak times. I fulfilled my 30 sec walk/30 sec. jog routine at 3.6 walk speed & 4.3 jog speed. I even started the jogging 30 sec early so I would come out even at the end of the 15 min span. I worked up a pretty good sweat, but my legs didn't kill by the end. Hopefully by the end of the week, I can kick my speed up a little bit. I plan to work out on Wed & Thurs of this week. I'm still not sure about Fri & I probably won't work out on Sat because I'll be in Wyoming. But I'm definately going to take my gym clothes with me so I can hopefully work out on Monday & Tuesday. My eating hasn't been great today. I had cereal for breakfast(that was good), but I had Wendy's for lunch & 3 slices of Little Ceaser's pizza for dinner. I also had yogurt & 2 cookies. I have been trying to drink more water, though, and I think that helps me curb my appetite sometimes.

Day 14

2009-02-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, this week didn't go as well as I had hoped. Things were crazy in the evenings and I didn't get to the gym as often as I would have liked. But, I'm not giving up. I went today & I promise this week will be better. I could tell I was losing ground during my workout. Things were harder than they should've been. I made it through the workout, but I can't say it was a great workout. I also weight 229.0 lbs. But, this week I won't have any excuses to miss the gym. My evenings are free & I won't let work interfere with my personal goals. Anyway, that's about all I have to say about that. I am really looking forward to our trip to Wyoming. I pray the weather is nice.

Day 13

2009-02-02T18:21:00.001-08:00

Its a good thing I keep this blog, otherwise I won't be able to keep track of what day I'm on. So, today was better at work. I had to do alot of mental preparation (mind relaxation & self-talk techniques) to get through the day. I have seriously been freaking out about work stuff, and I'm trying to calm down about it. I think this also helps me get to the gym. I was able to get a treadmill, even though it was really busy. Exercising went really well. I upped my speed like I talked about before, even though it was a little harder. I think I'll need to give myself a couple of days at this speed to get used to it. I still weigh 229.7 lbs. I think teaching an extra class is good for one thing. When I only have 20 min. to eat lunch, I definately eat less. So, I need to work out on either Tues or Wed and again on Friday & Saturday. If I can exercise at least 3 days this week, I will be happy. I'm also excited that Megan, my sister, has decided to run the 5k race with me. It will be more fun to have people there. I guess we will need to register soon & make it official!

Day 12

2009-01-31T11:09:00.001-08:00

Well, I think I have met the moment of truth. When the going gets tough, do I get going? So far the answer has been no. This week I only worked out on Monday & Saturday. Add that to the two days I worked out last week & basically I haven't been doing very well. Work has really been stressing me out & I felt myself getting sick this week. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling nauseated. I talked myself out of working out on Thursday, until my mom talked me back into it (Thanks Mom!). Then, I locked my keys, my gym clothes & my gym pass in my car after work & had to wait for my parents to come to my rescue. Thankfully they did, but I had to throw my evening plans out the window. I find myself slipping back into the same habits I've had for the past two years & I hate that about myself. I know that route won't make me happy. I had alot of time to think during my workout today because it took the people at the gym 20 min. to push the play button on the DVD player. The menu screen on X-Men: The Last Stand played over & over. It had good music, but after hearing it over 20xs, it got a little old. I had to remind myself again that work can't be my life. No matter how bad things go, or how stressed I get, I NEED to go to the gym. I NEED other priorities in my life or I can't truly be happy. So, here comes a new week. We'll try again.

My work out today went well. I managed to get through the 30 sec jog/30 sec. walk sequences & didn't feel as tired as last time. In fact, during the last 2 minutes I upped the pace so I was walking at 3.7 & jogging at 4.3. I realize this is still slow compared to other people who are in shape, but at least I'm making progress. Someday, I'll reach 5.0 or 7.0 like I see other people at. I also weigh 229.6 lbs. Cool!

Shout Out

2009-01-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a quick "shout-out" to all of my family & friends who have read & commented on my blog. I know it can get a little tedious reading about exercise intervals & calories, but ya'll have been a huge help. Thanks for your encouragement & support. I don't think I would've made it this far without you!

Day 11

2009-01-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

"I'm back in the saddle again!" I made it to the gym today! I even got there a little early because I really needed a release from school work. The workout really helped to calm me down & reduce my stress after school today. I managed to maintain my 30 sec. jog & 30 sec. walk intervals, although it was very difficult. My legs ached, I was sweating bullets, and I started to get a stomach cramp during the last 2 min. But I hung in there and pushed myself to the end. I can only hope that Day 12 will be easier. It's about what I expected after taking 5 days off. I have started to notice some definition in my legs. It's kind of cool. :) I also managed to do some arm weights & I have noticed myself getting stronger there, too. I think what I am most proud about, however, is that I had alot of excuses today. I could've used the excuse that I didn't sleep well last night & I'm too tired, or that I have too much school work to do, or its "that time of the month" for me & I just want to go home & crawl in bed. But I have realized that I could have an excuse everyday, but in the end, I really don't have any excuses. My health is my top priority & I need to make whatever adjustments I need to be healthy. I also weighed myself today & I weigh 231.8 lbs. I think that means I lost 1 lbs. last week! I also didn't eat out for dinner today. I think it helps that I am totally out of money, but oh well. I've only got four more days this week!

Day 10.5

2009-01-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

It has been a terrible week at work & consequently a terrible week for workouts. It was the start of a new term & I'm teaching an extra class, so I only get a prep period every other day. I also had a couple of activities after school this week, so I wasn't able to catch up in the evenings. Saturday was the first day I was able to get to the gym this week. To add to the frustration, the gym was packed & I couldn't find a treadmill to workout on. I tried three ellipticals before I found one that wasn't broken. I was about 10 sec away from giving up and going to run in the rain. Eventually I found a good elliptical & got a good aerobic workout, but I don't want to count it because I didn't officially follow my training program. I also did some arm weights & crunches, and I weigh 232.2 lbs. Hopefully, this week will be better. I also signed up for a 5K training program online, offered through active.com. A friend of mine says active.com is a popular place for runners & races. I found it through the Salt Lake Marathon website. I will start my official 5K training on Feb 23rd (8 weeks before the race), so I have a month to get in shape. I am also going to set a goal to eat out for dinner less this week. I have been doing good with my breakfast & lunches, but dinner still needs some work. So, that is the plan. Wish me luck!

Day Eight, Nine, & Ten

2009-01-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have been neglectful in my blogging, but not in my workouts! Last Thursday, Jan. 15, I worked out on Day Eight. I had a very good workout, where I was able to keep up the jog 30 sec/walk 30 sec pattern for all but one jog segment. Towards the end of my workout, I had to take a 1 min. walk segment to recover. I walked at 3.6 and jogged at 4.3 speeds. I also did some crunches, but now I can't remember if I did any weights. I don't think I did.

Saturday, Jan. 17, I also went to the gym. It wasn't a great workout however. I had pretty much talked myself out of going to the gym that day, but soon experienced feelings of guilt. I finally managed to get myself there, to find it very crowded and a stupid movie playing in the cardio cinema room. I grabbed the last treadmill with a personal TV, but wasn't able to find anything interesting to watch. I had left my iPod at home. After 10 min. of walking, I had to go to the bathroom. I was afraid to go, thinking someone would take my treadmill. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer. I left my sweater on the machine and hurried as fast as I could. Thankfully, nobody took my machine, but I had a hard time getting back into the workout. I completed the 30 min. but jog/walk segments were chaotic & unimpressive. I finally ended with a few crunches and left. Even though it wasn't a great workout, I still want to count this day because it took a lot of effort to accomplish what I did.

Today's workout went much better. Not only did I complete the workout with all 30sec jog/walk segments, but for the last 1 min. I jogged the entire segment. It felt great. I expected to be more tired then I was, but it was almost like a stroll in the park. I don't know if today was a freak day, or if I have really made good physical improvements. I guess time will tell. I walked at 3.6 and jogged at 4.3 speeds. I also weigh 234.1 lbs.

I suppose the next step will be to increase my speeds, and watch my diet. My diet has been terrible these last couple of days. I have been eating out too much & drinking too much Diet Coke. The only positive eating habit I have been able to fulfill is not drinking Diet Coke in the mornings. I want to make a commitment that I won't eat out this week, but realistically I know that won't happen. But I can try to eat healthier, smaller portions. That is something I can commit to.

Day Seven

2009-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today was an awful day at work, but I was able to put all of that aside for an hour while I was at the gym. The running was good, and the walking was good. I had two intervals where I walked 1 min. instead of 30 sec. I also did arm weights and crunches. I don't really have anything else to say except that it was a good workout & a good stress reliever. I also weigh 233.7 lbs. My eating was good, except I caved and had Cafe Rio for dinner. On a good point, I got caffeine free Diet Coke at dinner again. Hopefully, I'll be able to go to bed at a decent hour.

Day Six

2009-01-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

My workout today brings my total to four days at the gym this week! That is a new high! I worked out on the treadmill with the personal TV. The cardio cinema room was busy and they were showing a dumb movie. I only had two walking segments that were one minute long. That is one less than last time. I managed to travel 2 miles in 33 minutes and 48 sec. and my left knee didn't hurt while I ran today. After the treadmill, I did crunches and leg weights. I also got a pretty cool looking bruise on my knee when I tried to get into the hamstring weight machine. It immediately went bright purple, probably because my blood was already pumping pretty good. Its almost gone now, but it was fun to look at.

My eating habits haven't been any better. My friends and I went to Olive Garden last night. I ordered the Chicken Alfredo (I know, lots of fat...) and I consciously ate slowly even though we were starving by the time our food came. I was surprised how little I ate of the meal. I felt like I could have eaten the whole plate, but after a while of slowly savoring every bite, I was full with less than half of my plate cleared. So, I have lots of leftovers! Anyway, I know I can eat less, I just need to be more aware of what I'm putting in my mouth and how fast it goes. I think I will give myself one more week of total gym focus, and then I'll be able to concentrate on food. Hopefully by then, the gym will be more of a habit rather than a duty and I can focus on something else.

Day Five

2009-01-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today's workout went much better. I ran/walked up a sweat while watching Elizabeth Swan become the Pirate King on "At World's End." I walked at 3.5 and ran at 4.2. I even kept close score on exactly how long it would take me to recover from my runs. I counted three walking intervals where I had to walk for 1 min. instead of 30 sec. The rest were only 30 sec. My left knee started to ache by the end of the 30 min. and I was sweating pretty bad, but I just kept thinking that when I run my marathon, I will feel even more pain than this. I couldn't let that stop me. Hopefully, I can run through my achy knee instead of making it worse. When I finished, I was surprised to see that I had traveled two miles. I hadn't reached the two mile mark during my workout until today. I think that means I'm making progress. I also weighed myself and I'm back down to 233.1 lbs. Its interesting that I can gain 4 lbs just by eating dinner.
As for food today, I ate my usual bowl of Life cereal for breakfast. I haven't been to Einstein's in exactly 4 weeks. I had my usual homemade turkey sandwich, small bag of cool ranch Doritoes, and a can of diet coke for lunch & I ate at Paradise Bakery for dinner. I had half a Tuscan Chicken sandwich, a cup of tomato soup and two cookies. Again, I think chocolate chip cookies are my weakness. If I was on The Biggest Loser, chocolate chip cookies would be in my display case. But, I felt like tonight's dinner was healthier than Wendy's, and I drank Caffeine Free Diet C0ke instead of the regular Diet Coke. That has to be better, right? Anyway, the good news is I have worked out three days this week, so far. I don't think I have been able to do that for several months now, possibly a year. I'm feeling really good.

Let's Count Today As Day 4.5 Instead

2009-01-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days that you wish you didn't have to blog about. It was a rough day at work. I ran out of lunch supplies in my fridge, so I ate at Wendys for lunch. After I ate my contraband, I didn't want to go back to the school, so I stopped at Albertsons to restock my fridge. Hopefully, that means I won't eat out for lunch again for a while. After school got out, I left pretty early to get some business done at the music store. I found what I needed, but when I left I was hungry. I stopped at TacoTime for an early dinner. I was tired, it was late, and I almost talked myself out of going to the gym. But I realized this was the same mental language that kept me out of the gym for the last four months. If I was really going to change my life, it needed to start today. I made it to the gym, but it was later than I usually get there. I had also just eaten a big meal. It was difficult to find an open machine because the gym was so busy. (You got to love New Year's Resolutions!) I ended up on a broken elliptical machine in the cardio cinema room. It wouldn't show my heart rate, so I have no idea how many calories I burned. I worked out for 30 min. and was sweating by the end. But my muscles didn't feel sore & I'm not sure how great of a workout it was. I saw a sign in the locker room that said something like, "Getting here is half the battle." I thought that sign was especially appropriate for me today. After my workout, I weighed myself, even though I should only weigh myself once a week. I was shocked to see I weighed 237.3 lbs! Had I really eaten 4 lbs worth of weight today?! Oh my goodness! I had no idea that my eating decisions could have such an immediate effect on my life. That definately gives me something to think about. I felt like today was productive towards my goal, but it could've been better. So, I'm not going to officially count it as Day Five. Lets count it as Day 4.5 instead.

Day Four

2009-01-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

Good news: I went to the gym today. After a long day back to work & a frustrating drive home in the snowstorm, I still made it to the gym. It felt good to not have to think about much during the hr. at the gym. I had a good workout, too. I didn't plan on exercising hard today. My legs ached from standing all day and I was tired from the change in schedule, but I knew that I wouldn't work out on Tuesday and I would feel really bad slacking two days in a row. As my legs loosened up, I started to push myself. I walked at 3.6 and ran at 4.2-4.3, depending on how I felt. I almost kept the 30 sec walk/30 sec jog schedule the entire time, but slacked to 45 sec walks a couple of times. I even ran for a minute during two time segments. I didn't do any weights today, just crunches. I also weighed 233.2. I think that means I lost 1 lb. this week. We'll see if I can keep it off. OH! I also ate an apple today! It was the first whole, raw fruit I have had in a while (I think the last fruit I ate was two oranges the Tuesday before Christmas, about 2 weeks ago).

Bad News: Driving home in the snow after my work out took so long, I finally gave into my hunger pains and stopped at the 4th Wendy's I drove past. I was trying to find a healthy place to eat, but Wendy's was the best I could find. I did order the grilled chicken sandwhich instead of the fried chicken sandwhich. I also had a little chocolate chip cookie binge when I got home. I ate six small cookies I baked. I was going to stop at three, but I ate the whole plate before I realized what was happening! I think it was a silent rebellion from the stresses of the day. I guess if I have alot of rebellions, I should start to worry.

Day Three! Finally!

2009-01-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

I don't have much to say today because it has been a typical boring Saturday of cleaning & working. But, I went to the gym today and it felt really good. I wasn't feeling great when I woke up this morning and I almost talked myself out of it. But knowing I had to explain myself on the blog if I didn't go got me out the door. My walking started out a little slow, but after 12 min or so, I started to get into it. It also helped that Transformers was playing in the Cardio Cinema. I love that show! Towards the end of the half-hour I even pushed myself to walk at 3.6 and run at 4.2. It also wasn't hard to recover from my running periods. I think I only had one or two walking periods that were longer than 30 sec. It shouldn't be too much longer before I can go the whole workout with 30 sec walking periods! I also did some arm weights, now that my right arm isn't sore. It will be interesting to see how sore I am tomorrow. My eating today hasn't been terrible. I had pancakes this morning with apricot syrup around 11 AM and didn't feel hungry again until around 5 PM. I ate a Twix bar while I was shopping this evening, and decided to get takeout at Olive Garden. I ordered the "light" Capellini pasta with olive oil, salad, & about 4 breadsticks. The breadsticks were my weakness, but I was really careful not to overeat. Because I ate 4 breaksticks, I didn't eat very much of the Capellini & have lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :) Well, I guess this is the end of week one. Sundays are my day off, so I'll check back on Monday.

The Treasure Hunt Begins!

2009-01-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to the Family History Library for the first time! I figured, if it was open, I would take the time I had before the Sugar Bowl and go check it out. The only thing I wanted to accomplish today was to familiarize myself with the library, so I wouldn't be so scared to go back! I had trouble finding a parking space and finally had to settle for a 2 hr meter on the street. When I walked into the building, I immediately had three missionaries by me willing to help. I told them it was my first time and they had me sign in, gave me a "First-timer!" badge, and wisked me into an orientation room where I watched an 8 min. video about how everything works. After the video, I told the sister missionary I was looking for information on my Scottish ancestors and she directed me to the 2nd level of the basement, where the British records were kept. When I arrived on the level, I had two more missionaries asking if I needed help. One British missionary had me sit down on the computer & started looking online data bases for records verifying Alexander McLachlan Sr.'s parents. Apparently, it was a difficult task because the information didn't just pop up. After about 10 min. the Elder sat at the computer next to me and really took off. I got so lost trying to follow what records and websites he was looking at. After about an hour, he had printed two 1910 US census records that showed Alex's mom Mary Johnstone living with Alex in Springfield and Alex's Dad, John Sr. living with Alex's brother, John Jr. in another house. We had some trouble verifying their immigration & naturalization records and there wasn't alot of information that showed John was really Alex's father. I was beginning to think I had the wrong information on my family group sheet. Eventually he pawned me off to a girl who was my age. The girl, I can't remember her name, looked really familiar. I ran into her once before in the temple. We both thought we looked familiar to each other, but we couldn't figure out how we knew each other. Anyway, she was a big help because she made me search myself instead of doing it all for me. We decided to start by verifying Alex Sr. birth in the Scottish registry. Apparently these records had recently been extracted by members of the church. I had to look up the microfilm number, look through the film and take it to a 19 yr old Elder to copy. By this time, I had to run to my car to fill the meter. I had enough change for one more hour. On the birth registry it mentioned John McLachlan & Mary Johnstone as the mother & father & verified their marriage date. It also mentioned a grandmother's name of Ellen Johnstone as a witness to the birth. I assumed Ellen Johnstone was Mary's mother. After I made a copy, I wanted to verify John & Mary's marriage date. This search lead me to a microfiche that listed several family history books that mentioned several McLachlan's and family histories. I realized this was going to take me longer than the half hour I had left, so I cleaned up and headed home. When I got home and started to explain my experience to my Mom, I realized that the information we had for Mary Johnstone's mother wasn't correct! We had Alice Reed listed as her Mother, not Ellen. I just found a new person! That was pretty cool! Anyway, I will need to go back and do some more research, but it was a great learning experience. Next time I will need to go on a Saturday when there is free parking, I will need to have at least 5-6 hrs of time to devote to the search, and I will need to bring more cash to make copies with. But overall, it was a great way to spend the afternoon!

Marley & Me

2009-01-01T21:03:00.001-08:00

On a personal note, Mom, Dad, Collin & I went to see Marley & Me today. It was a great movie and I recommend everyone see it. It is the first movie that made me cry in a LONG time. I recently bought the book & when I find some extra time :), I will need to read it.

Gathering Info on the McLachlans

2009-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day on Wednesday and most of the evening on Thursday looking through the information Mom & Dad have on the McLachlan side of the family. Collin has done some of the same research that I have done and it was fun to talk with him about it on Wednesday. We have alot of information about Alexander McLachlan Sr. (my great-grandfather) & his wife, but the trail of information practially stops after that. I found some pictures of the family that my aunt Linda gathered & copied for my Mom & Dad. In the photo album there are some pictures of Alex Sr. and his wife, Grace, and Alex's father John McLachlan and his wife Mary Johnstone. I found some personal histories of Alex and Grace McLachlan, including their conversion stories and their patriartical blessings. I found a timeline of the life of Alex & Grace that somebody constructed. It has been a huge help in learning what their lives were like. John McLachlan & his family immigrated from Scotland & settled in Springfield, Ill. in 1902. I found a copy of their Naturalization records dated 1909. Alex met Grace in Springfield and got married in 1908. By 1916, they had 4 kids. In March of 1917, they had their first meeting with the Elders and were bapitzed 10 days later. Both Alex and Grace received lots of persecution from their Catholic family and friends in Springfield for being Mormons and eventually they moved to Arizona to be closer to members of the church. In 1929 they were sealed as a family in the Mesa, Arizona temple. As their children get married, they moved all over the west. Eventually Alex & Grace move to Salt Lake City to be closer to family. Alex dies in 1953 and Grace dies 1971. Both are buried in the Bountiful Cemetary. In all the years I have been to the Bountiful Cemetary, I can't remember seeing their grave sites. I will need to go again sometime this week and check it out. I have been retyping the histories I have found so I can have electronic copies. Once I have organized this information, I will need to go to the LDS Family History Library and see if I can find more information on John & Mary McLachlan.

Day Two & Now I'm Sore!

2009-01-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

The quest for health continues! Wednesday I worked out on the treadmill in the Cardio Cinema room, watching The Day After Tomorrow. I kept my speeds the same as yesterday, but I think it was a little easier to recover after my 30 sec of jogging periods. My right bicep is really sore from lifting weights on Tuesday...just another sign of how out-of-shape I have let myself become. My arm loosened up a bit as I worked out, but is still really sore. I can't even extend it out all the way. After my cardio workout, I did some leg weights. I tried to push myself a little, but not too much because I didn't want to be too sore to work out tomorrow. I also ate a lot less on Tuesday than I did on Monday, but I still ate out at Crown Burger for dinner. I won't even mention what I ate on Wednesday (New Year's Eve). I don't think I could even remember.

New Years Day I didn't workout. I woke up still sore from my previous workouts & Mom had plans to go to a movie & stuff. Eating today hasn't been anything really crazy, but not good either. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a second breakfast for lunch (bacon, eggs, & toast), lots of popcorn and Diet Coke at the theater but NO BUTTER! (yippee), and Burger King for dinner. I think taking the day off has been good for my sore muscles & I have plans to go to the gym tomorrow for Day 3 of my training program. Maybe next week I will have to get serious about regulating my diet, especially since I balanced my budget and I discovered I spent too much for Christmas and I don't have any money left for eating out!

A New Hobby....

2008-12-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

On a separate note, I got off on a tangent today that has led me to find a new hobby. Most people know my surname is Scottish and it has always been my dream to go to Scotland. I would love to see the country and learn more about my ancestors. I spoke with a cousin of mine over Thanksgiving who recently returned from Scotland and he says that most people in Scotland know their family history & can tell you most of your's too! I have heard there is a McLachlan Castle and I would love to see it and do some research.

Anyway, this afternoon I was flipping through channels and saw a news story about Donald Trump's plans to build a multibillion dollar resort & golf coarse on the shores of Northeastern Scotland, and I naturally got upset. Apparently it is a done deal, because most of the locals are excited about the revenue it will bring to their town, regardless of how it changes the picturesque landscape. That got me wondering how far away this resort will be from where my ancestors are from. I haven't completely found the answer to that question yet, but it has renewed a desire to work on the McLachlan family history line. I will also start making plans to go to Scotland. I have always said I will go before I die, why not now?? This way, when I finally get to Scotland, I will have all the information ready to understand exactly where my ancestors came from. I have decided to dedicate a new section of blog posts, updating everybody on how my research and travel plans are coming. So far, I have decided to apply for a passport in Feb (when I have money for the fee), and start looking into how much it will cost & what my travel plans will be. Family: I'm hoping you will be able to come with me, cause I don't think I will go alone. Honestly, I don't know when I'll go; maybe a year, maybe two. I think the soonest I will have the money will be summer of 2010. Anyway, I started to make a binder that I will put all of the family information in. I created a cover page with the McLachlan coat of arms on it. I have posted the coat of arms I found on the Internet. I wanted to post it below this writing, but I can't figure out how to do that. I guess I'll have to ask Megan or Tory.

Repentance

2008-12-30T16:44:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry! Now I feel really guilty. Tory asked about my blog over Christmas & I guess I was surprised that anybody cared. Thanks Tory for keeping me honest. I promise I will update this blog much more regularly. Thanks to the rest of my family for the comments you have given me, even though I have only posted three times. :) Thanks for your support.

Well, needless to say, my 5k Training was nonexistent the past two weeks. With Tyler & Tory in town, I was a little distracted, but I can't use them as an excuse for every day I missed. Basically, I ate whatever I wanted and didn't work out once. Well, unless you want to count the day we went sledding. I climbed up the hill about four times before I decided it was more fun to take pictures. If we can get the pictures recovered off the memory card, I can say it was worth it.

So, this week is suppose to be a fresh start, and I'm starting a week BEFORE the new year! Since I didn't get a good start last time, I think I will start over. Today is Day 1. I went to the gym and worked out on the treadmill. Usually I like to use the treadmills in the Cardio Cinema room, where I can watch movies. But today it was "out of order". I was a little disappointed, but I discovered that Gold's Gym has added personal 15"? HDTVs to some of its equipment on the main floor. That was pretty cool. It definately helped the time fly by faster than before. I worked on a repeat of Day one on my 30/30 5K training plan. I walked for the first 10 min.; jogged for 30 sec on 4.0 speed and walked at 3.5 speed until I recovered. I found it was easier to recover if I didn't jog as fast (go figure). Anyway, I think I will keep steady on those speeds until I can recover my walk in 30 sec. intervals. After my cardio training, I did a few arm weights and some crunches. I felt weak from previous workouts & struggled getting started, but at least I was there. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I also weigh 234.3, gaining about 1 lbs. over Christmas. That was better than I expected, actually. However, I usually weigh myself in the evening and today I weighed myself in the morning. Anyway, I think I will plan on getting to the gym by 9 AM this week so I can watch The Price is Right on my personal HDTV. :)

Day 2, sort of....

2008-12-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

There is a term that I heard on my mission frequently. It's called "backsliding". For those of you who haven't heard of it, it is a term that is used by Christians who sin or fall backwards on their journey towards Christ. I guess you could say that I backslid in my training this weekend. Last week, I only worked out on Wednesday. I was a little disappointed in myself because I know that I won't reach my goals if I don't work out every day. So on Sunday, I set a goal to work out every day this week, but I didn't consider that I have my Christmas concerts this week & my schedules are going to be crazy. I worked out on Monday, but I got to the gym late & all of the treadmills were busy. So I worked out on the elliptical machine. I felt I got a good work out: I pushed the level up so my leg muscles got a good workout, and my heart rate stayed up for a good 20 min. However, I know I need to be on the treadmill and following my 30/30 training plan.

Today I had a rehearsal after school that went until 7:00 PM. By the time it was over, I just wanted to go home and go to bed. I also know that I won't go to the gym tomorrow because I will be at the school all day long for our concert. Thursday is our staff Christmas party, which is also at the school. Usually I don't have time to go home & come back so I might have to stay all day for that too. Friday is an early out, but I also have a ward Christmas party that night. If I get all of my school work done before Friday afternoon, I look forward to working out then. Then Saturday will be a good workout day. So I guess my new goal is to reach Day 4 by the end of the week. Day 2 was Monday, Day 3 will be Friday, and Day 4 will be Saturday.

As far as eating out, I also backslid last Thursday and went to Einstein's. But that was the only day. Monday I didn't eat out for breakfast or lunch, but I got a Little Caesar's Pizza for dinner. Today, I also didn't eat out for breakfast or lunch, but I got Carl's Jr. for dinner. I woke up with a huge headache this morning, but I wasn't sure if it was from lack of sleep or caffeine depravation. I took two ibuprofen & it went away. When I weighed myself at the gym on Monday I weighed 233 lbs. I will have to post again this weekend and let ya'll know how things are going.

Day 1

2008-12-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

So my whole purpose in creating this blog is to keep a journal of my training for the 5K. I've never run a race before and I am currently in the worst shape of my life. Last week I made the big gesture. I seriously cut back on my eating out, including my consumption of Diet Coke. This move was largely motivated by the desire to save money, but it has turned out to be a big help physically, too. Previously, my diet consisted of: A whole wheat bagel with butter and a 32 oz Diet Coke from Einstein's every week day morning; usually a homestyle or grilled chicken sandwhich combo with a 32 oz Diet Coke from Wendy's for lunch; and sometimes a big, fast food dinner. Some of my favorite dinner choices include Cafe Rio, Crown Burger, Arby's, Subway, Little Caeser's Pizza, Carl's Jr., or whatever was around at the time. I rarely ate at home.

Last week, starting on Monday, I eat a bowl of Life cereal for breakfast, a homemade deli turkey sandwhich with cheese, chips, a 12 oz can of diet coke & sometimes a Jello pudding snack for lunch, and dinner at home. I cheated on dinner four times from Monday - Saturday, but I could feel a huge difference from the lack of Diet Coke consumption in the mornings. I had a pretty good headache for a couple of days, but 10 days later I am falling asleep faster & waking up easier. I figured I also saved about $35 last week.

My diet this week has been about the same. I am averaging one "fast-food" meal a day. Monday I had Cafe Rio for dinner, Tuesday I had Carl's Jr. for dinner, and today I had Wendy's for lunch. But I haven't been to Einsteins at all, even though I was seriously tempted this morning. I also managed to go to the gym today for the first time this week. At the gym, I discovered that I lost 1 lb. this week. I'll take what I can get. Obviously I can do better, but I have been doing great compared to before.

My workout was great. I am following a training program on halhigdon.com that my cousin recommended called the 30/30 Plan. I exercise 30 min. a day for 30 days, but I'm going to take Sundays off, so it will really be 34 days or so. According to the plan, I walk for the first 10 min. Then I jog for 30 seconds, walk until I'm recovered, jog 30 seconds again, etc. for 15 min. The last 5 min. I walk. I could feel I got a good workout, not too much, but not too little. Hopefully I'm not sore tomorrow. I started the middle section taking 30 sec to recover from my 30 sec jog(that is the goal). After about 5 min. it was taking me 45 min. to recover. After 10 min. it was taking me 1 min. to recover. My average walk speed was 3.5 mph, while my average jog speed was 4.5 mph. I also weighed myself and I weigh 232 lbs. I figure I can lose at least 50 lbs. I weighed 165 lbs when I graduated from high school & I would love to be 170 lbs., but right now I would just love to be below 200 lbs. and finish the race with a decent time (of coarse!).

In a nutshell, my training plan consists of three elements: diet, exercise, and accountability. So far, my diet goal is to not eat out & watch my portions. My exercise goal is to follow the 30/30 plan, aiming for a 30 sec jog, 30 sec walk pattern consistently for 30 min. And my accountability goal is to post my progress every day on my blog. I understand this topic is not the most entertaining, but I hope it will help me focus & stay honest with myself. I also hope my family and friends will check up on me & support me through the whole process.

My first post!

2008-12-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, this blogging thing is turning out harder than I thought. I have spent the last hour trying to create this stupid thing & now I don't have time to post anything! I guess I'll have to ask my sister for help and end this post with "this website is under construction."