Peanut Slabs.Racquetball&Rules

Guess what?! We've been playing racquetball wrong!! Last night we looked up the rules and had a pow wow today on how OFF our rules have been. It was interesting to realize how misplaced was our arrogance and confidence. It took some real mental wherewithal to reset our minds and follow the correct rules established by USA Racquetball. Although it was frustrating at first, I think we all started to really enjoy the game the way it was meant to be played.

Thursday my awesome friend gave me a pack of peanut slabs from her latest trip to the land of the long white cloud. After scarfing one down, I decided to save the rest for a post workout treat. I had to give one to my pops, but the last one was for Friday's dessert. All day Friday it was in the back of my mind and the foreground of my eyes, but I w a i t e d :) I'm not the most patient person. Ever heard of those behavior tests where you can get an extra marshmallow if you wait to eat the first for a set amount of time? That's what it felt like. *Little Victories*

Conquer your bodies/bridle your passions (food) lol.

It will rain

I love the rain ... from indoors. I can't remember playing in the rain as a kid. I think I had too healthy a fear of my mother's disapproval to be an all out dancing in the rain kind of kid, but I know I loved jumping in puddles. I didn't get to play in the rainfall, but I sure benefited from the aftermath!

Dancing in the rain is on my bucket list. I don't know why it's taking me forever to do it. There's always rain this time of year. I guess it's not something I really want to do before I die, but an experience that I would enjoy (and I'd possibly catch a cold...there goes my mother again).

My sophomore English teacher taught me that rain is used in movies and novels to denote change. I didn't have much fun during our Shakespeare unit, but the one useful piece of information I came away with is rain = change. It might be a realization, death, windfall, etc. We can't always have sunny days and sometimes the adversity of rain and dark, gloomy days is the kick in the butt we need in order to level up.

It's raining lightly outside :)

The other thing on my mind is planning. Many of us plan our lives. The details aren't always clear, but we have a general idea of where we want to go. When I was a teenager I wrote a letter to myself to be opened in 10 years. I think I ended up reading it at year four or five. I had a whole plan of things I wanted to accomplish and where I wanted to be at...at marriage and baby in a baby carriage, the whole nine. Fast forward 10-15 years and my plan is not coming to pass on my timeline.

It's interesting how many of us make plans without counseling with the Great Planner himself, our Heavenly Father. I hope I can truthfully say that I'm better at including Him in my plans now. I know for sure I didn't plan to be unemployed for this long, but somehow we're making it. I'm grateful for my family's support and non-judgmental stares when I tell them I'm tired after staying home or only working a few hours at my part time job. I'm trying.

He will guide us through the storms of our lives when we let Him. King Benjamin told his people to turn their tents toward the Temple. This is my trying to turn myself in the same direction.

Love & Blessings.

FA'ATUATUA MA GALUEGA

(www.lds.org/broadcast/ces/cesfrsdmcmullin00942890.pdf)

Two things I need desperately.

What's cool for five minutes? Caller, you're on the air.

Detailing a car.

Using my dad's weed whacker.

Some dates.

A teacher's lesson.

Going running.

An "En Zed" (NZ) radio station asked callers to give examples of things that were cool for five minutes. Some of the answers were hilarious, the running one especially. Think about it. You lace up your shoes, grab your music and head out for a nice piece of exercise. If you're big like me, you don't get very far before your run turns into a jog-walk and eventually you might as well be in a stroller for as fast as you're crawling (I picture wheelchairs being much faster). You can't turn back because your neighbors already saw you. What are they gonna think if you pass by again so quickly? "Aye what a lazy az. He can't even run for 5 minutes."

Or how about those tasks you start hard out, sure you're going to dominate and get 'er done? Then five minutes later, all those tiny pieces of trash between the seats don't seem so important. After whacking yourself a couple of times (I used to have the scars to prove it), the grass doesn't seem to be that great of a visual offense. The girl or guy across from you isn't as attractive once words start flowing out of their mouth. A teacher's attention getter is about the only interesting portion of the class period.

I have good memories of starting something only to be bored or overwhelmed after the first five minutes. Sometimes only my pride keeps me in the game. No way Jose, I'm not gonna give them the satisfaction of knowing that I'm truly over cutting this grass. I'm gonna finish it if it kills me. And while I do it, I'm gonna whack up these crab apples and hit them in the legs. I was somewhat of a ballbuster sister missionary. Oh, I didn't mention that was a mission experience?

Tears and ice cream.