*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!


NOTE: I had this post ready to publish and it vanished!  
I tried to remember what happened but the memory ain't what it used to be.
It really through a wrench in all this.  Now I am extremely behind!

dear monday, I was feeling really good today.  Dave still brought me breakfast up.  He used to do that every single day when I was unable to get around.  Now if he does, I tell him it's totally unnecessary.  But I do hate to give up a good thing.  LOL

Today I had lunch with the basketball mamas.  We met at Ricardo's only to find out they are closed on Monday and so we headed to Idle Isle instead.  I was so excited because they had their open faced turkey plus I got to hit the salad bar once with my order.  Good food.  We had fun discussing our boys and what they are all up to.  I cannot believe it has been five years since they were seniors. WOW, how time flies.  It is almost scary how fast it goes. 

These yummy things were left on my porch.
They were from sweet Daisy.  

 She truly makes the best cinnamon rolls on the planet.

  

These cuties stopped by for a quickie hi.  Aren't they adorable?

 Check this out!  I am getting my flexion back!  YAY!

 Gotta love this guy!  He always makes me feel so relaxed when I look at how relaxed he is.  If only I could sleep as well as he does!  

However, he gets pretty riled up when he sees Scratchers.  Scratchers just wants to be friends but Mr. Cat will have none of that!

dear tuesday, I had my PT today.  The photo of me is how I feel about the fun station.  Actually, I try to smile all the way through because I know smiling fakes out your sub-conscience into thinking you are having a good time. Works on marathons, so why not the fun station? LOL

We took dinner to the Coleman's tonight because Dave had a triple bypass on Friday.  He got to come home today though.  

This guy still hangs out with me if I happen to be in my room.  That doesn't happen very often anymore.  I'm so grateful for that! I LUFF him!

I picked this bouquet straight  from our yard!  Dave has planted quite the variety and I just love them.  Check out all the different kinds.

dear wednesday,  I met Mitra for lunch today in Layton at Chili's.  

I was so excited to hear all about Boston.  She filled me in on the latest and on how her race went.  She has been dealing with a lot of injuries and unknown things going on, but she killed it!  She was only like three minutes slower than last year.  She amazes me.  She does over train and unfortunately it is coming back to haunt her.  She is trying to rest for a while to get her health back.  She is the seriously one of, if not THEE sweetest person I know.  She is amazing.  She was so excited to bring me back a gift from Boston because I couldn't go this year.  I was NOT expecting her to give me the Boston Hoodie!  I saw it online and I loved it but it was so expensive.  $65 and since I didn't run, I just couldn't justify it.  But since I did qualify for Boston this year, I was so tempted.  And then SHE GIVES ME ONE!  She is so generous!  I was stunned.  My little package of all things unicorns paled in comparison. She also gave me the Boston Marathon thing to put on the back of my phone.  We had a good time.  I talked to her about some of my miracles and experiences and we had a good long chat.  

 When we were outside taking photos, I saw an IMT truck and trailer drive by and so I text Bryce to see if it was him and it WAS!  Twice now I have seen him when I was in Layton.  But he had to get to his next job and couldn't come back and say hi. 

I got my new frame for last year's medal.  They sent me the outside and inside that was scratched to just replace.  That left me with an extra frame and so I put my certificate in it and it fit perfectly!  Now to figure out where to hang them.  

dear thursday, I had my harp group lesson this afternoon. Luckily, I didn't have to haul mine down.  We had the lesson in Nanette's family room.  There were about 7 or 8 of us.  It was fun but I need to go home and practice before Saturday's recital!  I ran a bunch of errands.

I went and visited Sharon K. today at the nursing home.  She looked really good and her spirits seemed up. She has sure been through it and I wish I could do something for her to help ease her trial.  I took her some of our daffodils because her birthday was yesterday.

We took dinner to Dave's parents tonight as well.

dear friday, I headed to my PT this morning.  It was a good day.  My extension is getting there! YAY!  I worry about my flexion on my good leg though now. It's really getting stiff and painful.  Hmm....  I guess I should be working both of them out! 

We got a huge hail storm today.  At least I think it was today. Hah.  But it was awesome! I love storms!  

dear saturday,  if my accident hadn't happened I would have been running the Mt. Charleston Marathon today.  I guess I should be grateful because the heat was a killer again this year. It was so bad they have decided to move the race back three weeks next year.  It was going to be my race to qualify for Boston in 2020.  I am sure that would not have happened due to the heat.  I do not do well in that kind of heat.  Whew!  I was also able to get a full refund minus a $10 transfer fee. I got my Revel Big Cottonwood half marathon fee back on the same stipulation as well.  Ogden won't refund but let me defer to next year and I just barely sold my Utah Valley Half.  I actually made about $10 on that one.  So all in all, it wasn't too bad that I had signed up for more big races for this year than I ever have and here I am unable to run even one.

I got up and practiced this morning because I had my harp recital this afternoon.  I had to haul my harp there but luckily Dave was able to go. I know he did not want to but he is always very supportive. I am sure the last place he wanted to be was at a recital today when he could be getting yard stuff done. It was a group recital and those are my favorite kind because I don't feel like I am on the spot.  I did okay, but did get lost in two of the songs. The one I practiced the hardest was one of them.  Seguidilla 2.  Oh well.  And on Viva La Vida.  But everyone seemed to struggle today.

 With my cute niece Mackenzie aka Mickey. She is adorable and so good at the harp. She has been taking about three years longer than I have.  I can't wait until I am as good as she is.

 Holy crap this dress is so unflattering on me!  I think I am taking it back!  BLEH!

The group today.  My teacher is in the middle with glasses and the blue stripped dress on.

 We came straight home and I headed to the high school to see how walking would go.  It was pretty painful but I was determined to do it. I walked for about 40 minutes total!  It hurt, but also felt good!  And I found a good chunk of change. 

I have a great story about this, however, I didn't tell Dave this one or he would really be worried about me after the parable of the Box Elder Bug.  hehe  Before I got out of my car to walk, I wondered if I would find any change and I envisioned in my head my hand holding a bunch of coins. I saw lots of pennies, some dimes and a quarter.  Well, after I had been going for a long time and my ankle was done, I still hadn't found a quarter.  I kind of said, "Well, I need to find that quarter now because I have to stop when I get back to my car because my ankle is really hurting."  I decided to walk along the curb on my way back since I hadn't gone there yet.  I only had about 20 feet to my car and NO quarter.  I pictured the image in my head again with that quarter and wouldn't you know it, I found one!  Yep.  Don't tell me you can't manifest things!  It was a testimony builder once again.  The photo of me holding the coins is the exact image I envisioned before I started. I have been studying the power of envisioning things happening before they do because I need my ankle to heal and so I have been studying how to do that.  It worked today!  Our minds have so much untapped power. I truly believe that.

Sky and crew came today.  

I made lasagna for tomorrow.  I always change it up every time I make it but here (below) is the basic recipe.  It is my own recipe I came up after many trail and errors.  It's really tasty if I do say so myself!

 My Lasagna recipe:

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. sausage

1/2 onion diced

1 garlic clove

Brown together and set aside.

Sauce:
1 quart of tomatoes

2 small cans tomato paste

1/2 t garlic salt

1 t oregano

1 t Italian seasoning

1 Tbl parsley flakes

2 Tbl Worcestershire

2 Tbl brown sugar

1 Tbl dry mustard

Add to beef mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Cheese mixture:

2 small cartons of cottage cheese

3 eggs

2 Tbl parsley

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1 lb mozzarella cheese (remove 1 cup to put on top of lasagna)

Mix altogether.

Directions:

Cook noodles - set aside.  Layer small amount of meat sauce on greased pan.
Then layer:

Noodles

Cheese mixture

Meat sauce

Repeat 3 or 4 times

Add reserved mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
If use uncooked noodles then add one 8 oz can of tomato sauce.

Dave got a phone call from Elder R asking if he could stop by and pay me a visit tomorrow at noon.  Oh my goodness. I am not sure what to think. He is such a busy man and doesn't have time to do that!  

dear sunday, today was fast Sunday because we have Stake Conference next week.  We headed to church and it was a good meeting. I was worried I was going to feel like I needed to stand up again but I didn't this time.  I went to RS today for the first time in ages.  They now sit in a circle and it was a bit different.  I came home and hurried and tried to get some cleaning done since Elder R and his wife were coming.  I didn't have a lot of energy to do as much as I would have liked, but it is what it is.  I have significantly lowered my standards since the accident.  

He and his sweet wife arrived at noon and they were so kind and nice.  He had me explain what has been going on and I told him most of it, but I did leave out the radiation and so Dave added that part in.  Just listening to myself share it all, got me pretty choked up and I had a hard time several times.  He shared a lot about blessings and faith and healing and read from a talk from Dallin H. Oak. He mentioned how I had already been administered to and Dave had told me earlier that you don't need to be administered to again if you already have so when he didn't ask if I wanted a blessing, I understood. He said we always pronounce a blessing to heal and the receiver has to be willing to accept the will of the Lord whatever that may be. He asked me if I had ever asked, "Why me?"  I told him that I had not, but I did wonder if I was being punished. He went on to explain that trials come upon the just and the unjust for our growth and not our punishment and I am probably being taught something I need to know in preparation for something bigger about to come.  I shared how I had felt I was told from the spirit that my running days were far from over.  His sweet wife told me to hold on tight to that and shared how sometimes people hear things and when things go south they question if they really heard what they did, but she said if I know it was from God then I should get that phrase cross-stitched and read and repeat it many times a day. She was very sweet and very adamant about that.  She tried to find a scripture that her daughter read while in the temple when she was going through a big trial.  She couldn't find it and so she ended up calling her daughter.  The scripture was D&C 132:50 which says, 50 "Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins; I have seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you. Go, therefore, and I make a way for your escape, as I accepted the offering of Abraham of his son Isaac."
Hmm...  It was all a lot to take in and remember and I am sure I am forgetting a ton, but they were so loving and understanding.  I had a hard time keeping my composure several times. I think it was partly from the fasting and the fact that they would take the time to come and visit me.  Elder R did tell me that we pray for a blessing but we then have to be willing to accept the will of the Lord on that blessing.  He emphasized that several times. That kind of worried me because I felt like maybe I was supposed to be prepared for that.  I told him I felt like I had put it on the altar as was willing to accept His will but I am still going forth with faith.
He also told me he would continue to pray for me and keep my name on the temple prayer roll.  Carson joined us for most of it and just sat there so reverently. He kissed me a few times on the cheek which was so sweet.  He is just adorable.  I am in awe they would take the time out of their very busy schedule to stop and visit with me.  It was all very humbling. 

Photo credit: Carson

I had asked Sky to put the lasagna in the oven but he forgot to turn it on.  Haha  We had to wait another hour or so before we ate, but it was worth the wait.  Lasagna always is!

My parents came to join us for dinner. I felt bad we had to wait so long before it was ready.  But we all had fun while waiting.  They are a ton of fun to have around. McKay brought a strawberry pie from Maddox. I am going to miss it when he quit

Carson and Brinlee had fun painting rocks.  Liam wanted to join in on the fun as well.  Such cute Littles!  It was a great day!

These two!  LOL

dear random,

Is he not the most gorgeous cat you have ever seen?  His name is Sweetie but we call him Scratchers (named by Carson for self explanatory reasons - haha)

SPRING!!!

I needed a new photo for the AMI State Board webpage and so I had Dave take a few with the spring blossoms in the background.  Not sure I really like any of them.  

This one is too blurry or I would use it.

Nah....

Nah....

I just can't choose...I wasn't thrilled with any of them. But maybe this one. But I will crop most of it.

Not sure if I posted this yet or not.  I posted it on FB saying, "Did she or didn't she?"

In the future....soon.

My last trip to Shopko in forever.  Kind of sad. I loved that store.

dear quotes, 

I am adding parts of an article each week (by Benjamin Hardy) until I get them all because it is an excellent article with some real gems and I need the motivation right now. If you need some motivation, read it, otherwise just scroll past.  I will add four each week. 

These 20 Pictures Will Teach You More Than Reading 100 Books

The link is HERE for entire article.

1. Behavior Drives Motivation

“You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling, than feeling yourself into action.” — Jerome Bruner, Harvard psychologist

Motivation and momentum are two highly connected concepts. You cannot have either of these without first acting in a goal-directed way.

You can’t wait until you feel inspired to act. Motivation doesn’t just happen, instead, it is a reaction to intention and integrity.

When you begin taking small steps in the right direction, motivation and momentum immediately kick-in. You need to think in advance and plan ahead, even just slightly. This may mean that you need to take 5–30 minutes in your evening to prepare yourself for the next morning.

You need to set things up so that motivation and momentum are easy. According to Stanford Psychologist, BJ Fogg, “Forming habits is not about willpower… it’s about design and revision.”

Benjamin Franklin similarly said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

Motivation, then, is about set-up and follow-through.

When you tell yourself you’re going to wake up at 6AM and then EAT THE FROG (which is to do your #1 most important task first), and then you actually do it… then you begin to EXPERIENCE motivation.

Motivation then quickly becomes momentum because as you do the right thing, it becomes increasingly easy to continue doing the right thing.

2. Action Precedes Inspiration

“This is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers don’t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.”— Steven Pressfield

Getting creative insights regularly is something you can personally master. Psychologists call this “epiphany ability.” Like motivation, inspiration is not something you should wait for. Instead, it is something you need to design for and actively seek it!

The ideas flowing into your mind are heavily influenced by what you personally desire in your life. Your decisions — both the daily ones but also the BIG ONES — shape your desires.

Your desires are the product of your behavior, not the other way around. Therefore, you can train your desires. You can train yourself to want success, happiness, health, and deep connections.

You can train yourself to want to work hard. You can train yourself to want anything. You do this through specific inputs and actions. As you consistently act in powerful ways, your confidence grows which triggers newer and higher-level desires, which evoke new ideas and inspiration.

Eventually, you’ll want incredible things that no one else has thought of before. You’ll become a visionary with desires to serve humanity in bigger and more innovative ways. You’ll become an idea machine.

You’re 60 days away from more inspiration than you know what to do with. All you need to do is begin acting in far more powerful ways than you’ve been acting. Pay attention to what your mind tells you. Write it down. Then keep acting in an upward cycle.

3. Success Precedes Confidence

“Do what is right; let the consequence follow.” — Anon., The Psalms of Life, Boston, 1857

Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, explains that CONFIDENCE is the thing that entrepreneurs need to protect more than anything else. When you lose your confidence, you lose everything.

How much fire do you currently have to pursue something powerful?

How much fire are you lighting in others?

Money follows confidence.

Leadership follows confidence.

Influence follows confidence.

Like motivation and momentum, confidence is something you must create every single day. Confidence must be designed for. You must be highly proactive and intentional about it.

In order to develop more confidence, you’ll need to continually upgrade who you are. As Leonardo Dicaprio has said, “Every next level of your life will require a different you.” Similarly, Marshall Goldsmith said, “What got you here won’t get you there.”

In other words, past confidence will only take you so far. If you rely too heavily on prior experience and stop pushing new boundaries, you’ll get stuck. Eventually, everything will start crashing down. Because to maintain confidence, you must continually be growing. You scare confidence away by trying to maintain the status-quo. Confidence, by nature, requires that you take bold new risks to seek new growth and opportunity.

4. Behavior Shapes Personality

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” — Albert Einstein

A 2014 study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Dr.Nathan Hudson and Dr. Brent Roberts shows that over 97% of people want to change significant portions of their personality. Sadly, despite wanting to make permanent positive changes, most people have been taught that personality is a permanent fixture of who they are.

Your personality is not who you are. Your personality is how you show up in certain situations and relationships. According to Dr. Gabor Maté, personality is an environmental adaptation. In many ways, personality is the product of previous trauma. Once that suppressed trauma is healed, the personality will change.

For most people, personality is reactive and unconscious. However,personality can be proactively designed for. You can transform who you are and how you live. But in order to do so, you’ll need to change how you act.You’ll need to begin living, right now, as you desire to become.

You have great power within you to BECOME. In order to do so, you must be intentional. Who do you want to be?