THINGS I LOVE!!!!

Life is great, I don't think it could be any better right now, well there would be one thing but that will happen when it is suppose to happen. Lately I have had lots of time to do the things I love to do, and find new things I love to do. It has been fun exploring new options and getting back into touch with some old ones. Me and Mark have decided to make the most of our life right now, to not be sad and sulk that we don't have children yet but to embrace all the things we love to do and do them. Have fun with life and with what we have been given. I am starting to even make a list of all the things I love to do and how I can fit them into my schedule, which include

- running (nothing feels better than a good 5 KM run)
- bike trips (especially tandem bike trips)
- reading any book by Jodi Picoult (as of right now I am delving into her 6th book I hope to have all seventeen read by the end of next year)
-taking my Dogs for walks, I love seeing there faces when we grab the leashes and they now that right know our world revolves around them.
- spending time with my Husband
- reading my scriptures (this is a big one for me, in the past I have honestly never really enjoyed reading my scrips I just did it because we are suppose to, I felt myself growing closer to my savior but would get annoyed that I could not understand anything I read. This year however Mark and I set out a goal to read the Book of Mormon again together by the end of the year and as well read from Preach My Gospel, it is a goal our Branch Missionaries have set for us. I started out at the begin with a sincere prayer to my father in heaven that I would understand what I am reading and it has truly paid off. It is exciting to read from these books and grasp what the savior and prophets are trying to tell us, to learn and grown and to try and live like they lived.)
- relaxing in our Hot Tub
- and shopping (I know this one is evil I hate that I am totally a women when it comes to shopping, when I was little I could have cared less about clothes and shoes and accessories all those fun girly things, but ever since I got my first job out of High School and started getting a steady paycheck that was something I always struggled with. Thankfully I have grown up and matured and have learned to pay tithing, bills and saving first but any left over money, watch out Mall's here I come)

There is a small list of things I don't like to do with my life right now but unfortunately they have to get done.
#1. clean my house, why is it always so messy, it seams impossible to keep clean, you think you are getting ahead and then you have a bad day, then another bad day and then all of a sudden it is the end of the week and my house is a total disaster. Ahhhhh it drives me crazy, I hate having a messy house but at the same time I hate not having fun and truly I would rather go for a run, a bike ride or read my book then sweep and mop the floors or do the dishes or fold the laundry.
#2. work (usually I love going to work but it has been so slow lately sometimes I feel like I am wasting my life, I could be doing so many more productive things then sitting here wasting my time doing nothing. Hopefully it picks up soon or I might just go crazy.)

Really what it comes down to is we just need more hours in our day, I am thinking about 30 instead of 24 that would be perfect, maybe I could make a proposition to the Lord anyone with me. All in favor say "I".

WORKING IT IN!!!

Today are Tandem Bike got it's first real long trip. We biked to Lloydminster and back. It was so amazing, but both of our butts are really feeling it. It is so funny to watch all the people point and stare at us. I wonder what they are thinking? other we are totally cool or big nerds. I don't care though because I think it is awesome. I was so proud of Mark he worked two very long shifts in a row, last night he did not get home until midnight and started work at 5:00 the next morning. Even Mark did not think he was going to be able to do the full 48KM trek but with much perseverance, and motivating words he was able to do it. Well I guess we were both because if he does not ride then I am not either.

CARDSTON

This weekend we had the opportunity to visit Mark's family in Cardston. We had such a fun time. Mark' sister Corrine had fun planned for everyday, we were so grateful to her for that. We did everything from a Temple session, climbing Bears Hump in Waterton to a River rafting trip at Midnight. The weekend was packed with greatness. Then Monday we went to Calgary for the day to look at some Tandem bikes and visit some friends of ours in Strathmore that we have not seen in a long time. It was great fun and I am a little sad that our summer has come to an end. This was our last little trip of the summer. Hopefully winter will be just as fun and packed with lots of snowboarding trips.
Here are some pics of our fun filled weekend.

GOALS

I have been thinking about Goals a lot lately, why we make them? why we can keep some and break others in the matter of minutes?
Mark is reading a book right now called "Awaken the Giant Within" by Anthony Robbins. He is a man that went from being a Janitor to a Billionaire just by sitting down, setting some goals and following through with them. I hope to read this book when Mark is done, if he ever gets done. (Mark is great at starting books but terrible at finishing them). It made me think of myself and the goals I set. I don't really think I have ever set long term goals for myself. I mostly do something because it falls into place for me. Like School, Sports, Marriage, Callings, Church. Then I set my goals around the tasks I am currently involved with, Example: passing school with a 75% average, being a starter for my basketball team, try to do something kind for my husband everyday, and all the many church goals I try to set for myself.

Maybe this is why I feel like I never know where my life is going. I just kind of do whatever comes my way and hope life works out okay. So I have decided to try an experiment over the next couple of years in my life. First set some long term goals, 2nd find ways to achieve them, and 3rd always be assessing where I am at and if these goals are being achieved. I have been raking my brain the last couple of days with what would be good goals, and then I finally realized I just need to decide what I want in life, set those as goals and find out what I can do to achieve them.

A couple of the goals I have decided on are to personal to share but there are a couple of good ones I thought I would share with my friends and family.

1. Have a Family
2. Run in the Boston Marathon
3. Be Debt free by the time I am 40. (No Mortgage, No Vehicle payments, No fun toys debt, nothing not a thing)
4. Serve a Mission with my Husband in a foreign country
5. Go to a third world county with a group of Optometrist and Opticians and help people who can not afford glasses.
6. Go Visit Africa

Some of these goals are things I have dreamed of doing since I was a little girl, like visit Africa, and others are ones I have just recently thought would be very cool to do like go help people who can't afford glasses.
I think it will be interesting to see how hard I really want to do these things, because I really believe for the most part that almost anything is possible if you want it to be.
I am excited to read this book and hope it will help me understand how to make these accomplishments in life achievable.

960 CALORIES

= 4 Oreo cookies and the new Wunderbar that has two smaller sticks in it (what I ate in one hour, while sitting on my but watching a movie.)
or
960 calories
= 1 apple, 1 banana, 1small piece of chicken with no sauce, 1 medium bell pepper, 1 cup of fresh asparagous, 1 cup of brown rice, 2 pieces of whole grain bread, 1 egg, one glass of skim milk (What I have been eating in a typical day except for lunch and another snack, which adds about another 600 calories to my daily total)

I love that in one sitting of eating unhealthy food, I can eat almost as many calories as I eat in a typical day. Thank you Period for making me crave insanely unhealthy food and make me feel crappy the rest of the day and have no desire to do anything.

On a positive note I went for a run last night with my friend Royall ( we are doing the Climb of Hope Run together) and it felt absolutely awesome.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!!!

And they are good, I totally PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not stop smiling I am so happy. I kind of cheated though in finding out, I still have not got my results back yet, but I called the Alberta Opticians Association today, because if I want to take the cl's course I need to be registered by this Monday. I called and asked when the results were going to be in, they said they were in just not mailed out yet. She asked for my name and three seconds later she was like, ya you passed. It took all my power to not scream in here ear with excitment. Finally I can relax and maybe get a good nights sleep. There is definately going to be some celebrating tonight.

CLIMB OF HOPE PLEDGES!!!

I am officially registered for the Climb of Hope 5 km run, know I just need to raise some money and get a better running time then 28 minutes. If anybody is wanting to donate I would really appreciate it, it is going to a great cause (cancer research). Mark is being sweet enough to take some pledge forms to his work for me, but anybody else that would like to donate online it is super easy. the website is www.climbofhoperun.ca. Just go to the donate now button enter in the participants name and follow the rest of the directions. Nobody is obligated I am pretty sure Mark will be able to get the $100 minimum donation fee from work, but the more the better. Thank you in advance though to anybody who does.

BARRHEAD!!!!

This Friday and Saturday we had the opportunity to visit Mark's Aunt and Uncle and Cousin in Barrhead. It is a small town about 1 hr NW of Edmonton. We had so much fun, they are such a neat couple. Friday night we went to a demolition derby ( my first ever ) and had such a blast. The people driving these cars though are completely out of there mind. Then Saturday we did some mini golf ( better be ready Harkers), let the little kids jump in our Bounce House and ate some really good food. I have to say spending time with family this summer has been so much fun, but has not been good for somebody trying to lose weight. Burgers, Hot Dogs, Pizza, Chips, Ice Cream. All foods that just love to go right to my belly. Thankfully there is only one family trip left and that one involves climbing bears hump in Waterton so hopefully that will burns all the calories from all the fattening food we eat. Here are some pics of our fun filled weekend.

CLIMB OF HOPE!!!!

I finally found a marathon to run, as I was chocked out of my Magrath Tri-Athalon. I have been perusing the internet lately trying to find one in August or September that is not on a Sunday or a weekend I work and I could not find one anywhere. Well today I was finally successful. I am actually really looking forward to it because it is a charity one so I have to go and raise money for it, which is always a good cause. So time to hit the pavement and maybe know I can convince my husband to buy me new runners.