Birthday Wishes

It has been well over a month since my actual birthday and I have had the best intentions of posting about what an amazing time I had but I guess it has had to wait until now. the thing about my birthday is that I don't hate it but I also don't like planning it for myself, it has always just felt like something someone else should do for you. Don't ask me why I think that, I can't tell you where that line of thought comes from. So now that I am older I just kind of go with the flow when it comes to my birthday. I might plan small things but no big parties, at least not until I am turning 30... only a couple years away *sigh*

This year turned out to be the best, somethings just came together and somethings I planned but overall it turned out pretty great and in the end what more could I really ask for. It turned out to be a weekend event type thing without me even trying, I had to work late that Friday night but still wanted to go out after work even if just for a little while. On the way out of work I found a $5 bill just hanging out on the ground. I feel like that was a good sign of things to come. I spent a couple of hours after that with friends at a local bar, drinking some cherry coke and listening to awesome karaoke. But I couldn't stay too late because the next day I had to be up early.

That Saturday was the day before my birthday, this year it happen to coincide with the San Francisco Color Run, also known as the happiest 5K on the planet. My friend and I got up early, especially for a Saturday and drove to San Francisco where we really did have a great time run/walking our first 5K. After we were tired but she wanted to take me to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, neither of us had ever been there but it was great. We were sunburnt and tired, the robotic snake was ridiculous, and we got stare after stare from people because we were a pink color, but let's face it I would of stared as well. It was great!

Finally on Sunday, the real day of my birth, I went to church and then hung out with family. Well sort of my adopted family, that is what we are calling it anyways. We had pot roast for dinner, watched a movie, opened some presents, had some cake, and played Skip-Bo. All in all it was really a great day, I even enjoyed that my Dad used his Facebook to wish my an additional happy birthday. He is learning the ways of technology, I am so proud!

How does it feel to be another year older? Sometimes I wonder what the heck I am doing with my life. How did I get here and where am I going? But then I realize how very blessed I am, I may not have everything in the world that I expected to have at this age when I was younger, but I have a lot of things that I never could of dreamed of having at this age when I was 20. My own apartment and my little Guido, great friends and family, two jobs and a church calling, my health and the ability to do activities that I enjoy. I may not have everything I expected to have at this age, but I have come to realize that there are so many things in this life that I will obtain, I would just be spoiled if I got it all at once, and I wouldn't appreciate the things I do have nearly as much.

Back To Work

I was debating what I wanted to post about today, the easiest topic of course won out so today I am thinking a lot about my decision to go back to being a gym member. I feel like it was a split decision because I walked into the gym with no intention of joining, I was just feeling lousy and knew that a good work out would help me feel better. And since I could just buy a day pass and work out with my friend I thought this was no big deal, $10 to feel better, I will take that. I decided anyways to ask about joining and see what it would cost, thinking that if I could work it into my budget then I could join within the next month.

Well I got the numbers and went to work out and think about what I was going to do. I have had a nagging feeling lately that I just needed to find a way to get myself working out again. I told myself months ago when I quit my last gym that I could just work out at home and save the money for other things. Lots of people work out at home and they do just fine. I should have known from past experiences that I am not one of those people. It is not that I don't like working out I really do and I know that my apartment is no gym but I also know that it is big enough to burn some calories, yet I never did anything to get the work outs going.

Call me lazy if you want I don't care, I know that I have a tendency to be on the lazy side, especially when I feel like everything is piled up against me. A lot of times that means I will fight back but when it comes to working out or house work I tend to let the laziness take over. These days it seems to take over easily between having a second job and my chronic neck pain/ headaches. I know deep down I couldn't let this all continue, I needed to make this change and work on helping myself feel better.

Luckily my friend was there to help me think through the idea of joining the gym.Don't you just love friends! We talked it over, what it would mean for financially, what it would mean for me physically and mentally, even how it might work better in my schedule than trying to get to the gym right after work like I was doing before. By the end of the work out I had done strength training for my arms, cardio on the elliptical and treadmill and shot some hoops at the converted basketball court. And I knew that I should sign up right away, so I did. I feel good, I feel stronger, I feel like sore :) Though I had some trouble getting out of chairs and lifting my arms over my head yesterday and today, it is a good feeling, I don't know if it is actually possible but I can feel my body growing stronger right now, healing it self and getting out all the junk I have been putting in there.

Willing To Help A Friend

How far would you go to help out a friend? Is there ever a time when you just have to walk away from the friendship? What are those circumstances?

I have almost never pushed a friend away, and in less than a handful of instances have I stopped being friends with someone. I am always a giving person or at least I try to be. I am willing to stand up for my friends in all kinds of situations and have at times been a middle person or peace keeper to help out the situation. In all my time of being, what i hope is good friend to those around me, I sometimes come to the idea that maybe I put up with more than crap than I really should.

Something that I am beginning to realize is that they might put up with more of my antics than I do of theirs. And I do worry sometimes that I use them irresponsibly. I am not really sure how you would use someone irresponsibly but I worry no matter what that I may have or be doing this. Friends have always been a bit of a mystery for me I guess. I know that doesn't give me a right to treat my friends badly, and for the most part I can't really think of a time that I have done that, though I am human and I am sure there are instances. But I come back to the ultimate question, when is it too far for them to carry me, cover for me, hold me up, or have my back? And vice versus? Is there ever a time when you should walk away from a friend or maybe just not be such good friends?

Happy To Be Without

I got home tonight and was weirdly happy for the first time in a while that I am not in a relationship. Not because I don’t want one, of course not, I am honestly looking forward to having someone to cook dinner for and sit with to watch TV with on Sunday nights, but today I was just happy that I didn’t have someone who would take me away from all the people and things that I get to enjoy in my life.

I know that there are plenty of people that get into relationships and don’t miss out on their family and friends, but there are some that unintentionally seem to push away from those around them. They lose themselves in a relationship and everyone else falls by the wayside. I hope that when the time comes I will not be one of those people.

One thing that I always seem to forget is how lucky I am to have the people I do in my life. But because of the counseling that I have been going to, my counselor always reminds me that I am blessed to have such supportive and wonderful people in my life and that they are lucky to have a friend like me.

Dogs are People Too

I feel like even though I didn't give birth to my little Guido, he is just as much my child as anyone who has a kid of their own. Granted he has been able to stay at home by himself since he was 1 year old and he doesn't need clothing but he does need food and water, plus attention and walks at least twice a day. I will say this, one thing that having my little man around has taught me is that single parents are amazing people.

It is quite a bit of work to take care of Guido by myself and sometimes I think that I gave up some things to make it happen. There are times that I wonder if he would of been better off in a different family, one with two parents and maybe some kids, but then I take sometime to really look at him and realize that I can't imagine ever living without him.

I am so proud of how well he has been able to adjust to the many changes that we have made as a family in the last three years. He has lived with dogs and cats, roommates and annoying neighbor children. I sometimes think that there is nothing that he can't handle. It is quite inspiring when I really think about it. And now he has a new little friend, Macy.

 

 I never know how he is going to react to new dogs or people or places, but I had a great feeling that he was going to love Macy. It has been awhile since he has had another dog to play with and tonight's play date turned out really well. At first Macy didn't know what to expect but just a short while later they were weaving in and out of people's legs and the furniture. She was jumping on him and rolling around like crazy, it was the cutest thing ever. And he was so good with her, he just played with her and didn't hurt her at all. He just let her do what she wanted, he even shared some of his food. I bet this is what it feels like to have an honor student now if only I had a bumper sticker for my car.

Institute

What an amazing Institute class we had tonight. I am so in love with the institute teacher Sister Dorff. She is amazingly talented and brings in an unbelievable spirit to the lesson. Going to her class is so worth the 45 minute drive that it will take every week to get to Saratoga to hear her words of inspiration.

But tonight it was more than just getting to listen to a great lesson from Sis. Dorff. Tonight I heard the voice of the spirit come from two of my greatest friends. Listening to the words that they had to say in response to the lesson we were being taught about what it is to know Christ, I really was touched by their words and could feel their love and understanding of the gospel parallel to my own testimony. It was the greatest feeling.

I know that we are not the quietest people and that we aren't perfect, no one is, but I was so glad that we were able to share this experience tonight. I think that is why I enjoy having them at church with me on Sundays because it feels exactly like that is where we are suppose to be together. And tonight was an even stronger bond, I have never felt as close to my friends as I did tonight when they were being sincere and sharing their thoughts and feelings about knowing Christ. My spiritual cup for the night has been filled and I have my two best guy friends to thank for that. I don't feel as bad for forcing them to attend class with me tonight.

From: Gospel Art Book

A Little Help From Our Friends

Today really seemed to be all about friends at church. Or at least that was what I was suppose to learn about today in church because that is what I took away from all the different lessons.

In Relief Society today there was mention of sometimes how the spirit can speak with our friends through us. What an amazing thing to be able to help out someone special in your life. I think that is what just happened to me, after being reminded of this fact and having a great spiritual day at church today I came home and just wanted to rest. As I laid here on the couch watching terrible TV shows and contemplating a nap, I was told to get up and get my scriptures and read them. 

I am never really the person who knows what to look up and study so I just try to pick up where I left off. Currently I am still working my way through the Book of Mormon. Slowly but surely I will get through it. But apparently this is exactly where I was suppose to read because while reading through I found a verse that I was prompted to send to all my friends. I can't be sure at this time if it was something they needed to hear or something that I just needed to share but I feel really confident that it will help them. I absolutely love days when I can feel the spirit helping me help someone else, even if i don't understand what is happening or how it might help them.

HP Challenge - Day 15 Best Friends

I have always imagined that my best friends at Hogwarts would be Harry, Hermione and Ron. I still to this day think that holds pretty true. I often wonder if I could actually get in trouble like they do, but for all the things they do that could get them in trouble they manage to stay out off it most of the time. Who wouldn't want the adventures that they get to have. I think that is part of what makes the books and overall story so great. We all want to believe that that would be us, running around saving the day and being just plain awesome.