update

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I know you have been sitting on pins and needles to know how things went with my personal trainer...so I'll tell you. I went Friday and exercised with Jeff and learned that I was doing a bunch of stuff wrong. My knees went out over my toes! Gasp! Such a rookie mistake and I'm not that much of a rookie. I worked hard but I didn't really feel that I was beaten to a pulp. After the workout, he started talking numbers and how much it would cost for an awesome workout every week....
 
Long story short, I now have a personal trainer! I hope this was a good idea.

Yesterday, while attempting to be a good girl, I headed to the gym but landed in the Cardio Cinema again and saw the exact same part of Invincible that I watched from the treadmill three weeks ago. One of these days, I will watch it from start to finish and no exercise equipment will be involved.

I'm branching out, though. After working out in the dark, I went over to the free weights for awhile AND used four machines! I don't know if people were watching. I sure hope not. But I exercised in broad gym light! This is progress!

left my heart

6 days from today, I will be hanging out in SAN FRANCISCO with my sisters, Melanie and Maggie!

 Oh my heavens, I am so excited!

Melanie is getting ready to take her AP Art History test in the next few weeks which means that it is time for the big San Fran trip with Ms. Hughes! Melanie was nice enough to allow both Maggie and me to come along as chaperones!!!!! Last week, I ran up to Alta for the mandatory information meeting and was sent back 6 years (Holy Crap! I graduated from highschool 6 years ago! Man, that makes me feel old....) ago to when I was the student going for my first time and just barely starting this addiction I have to art. Since then, this will be my third trip. Maggie and I spent my first Spring Break in college roaming the streets and having a grand ole time. Both of us can't wait until we can share our addiction to such a wonderful city with Mellie-

We have already planned out a good portion of the trip thanks to Ms. Hughes. Our itinerary includes three, yes, THREE art museums: the DeYoung, Legion of Honor and MOMA, and trips to Grace Cathedral, Glide Memorial, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Chinatown, and a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge! (Never done that before.) We'll ride cable cars, watch the sea lions, see Alcatraz from afar, shout "Hallelujah" with homeless friends at Glide Memorial, walk up and down the crazy hills until our feet fall off, eat Bourdin sourdough, indulge ourselves at Ghiradelli Square, and drop some cash in the boutique stores off the boardwalk. I can't wait to get on a plane and head out there! Aren't you jealous?



P.S. Sorry Brighton and DB. I'll be home soon!

ah, shoot....

Here's my story: I want to get in shape. I'd really like to lose some pounds but let's be realistic- the priority is to get in shape. I have Brighton starting in 8 weeks and when the time comes, I need to be able to run up Hernia Hill at a moment's notice. I want to be able to be accessible to my staff without being lazy and using the four wheeler. Truly, with my luck, the four wheeler won't work for three-fourths of the summer anyways.

So I've started going to the gym more regularly. When I say more regularly, that is being generous. I have a gym membership to Gold's and have had it for some time but I rarely use it. I get the bill every once in awhile and think, "For this much money, I NEED to go to the gym," and then not much changes. I have been using the On Demand feature on my TV but they changed the workouts and now I only like the kick-boxing lady. So I finally decided to "man up," stick a gym bag in my car, and go before going home after work.

The whole point to this post is that I was cornered at the gym earlier this week as I was walking in and a man named Jeff (I should mention that he looked like he could kill me with his thumb) asked if I had been able to go over my goals and whatever else and if I would like to have a session with a personal trainer....blah, blah, blah. So I said yes. I mean, why not? He said it would be free...This whole thing happens tonight and now I'm panicking! I don't workout around people. I go to the Cardio Cinema because it is dark!!!! Hello! I know how to use some of the machines because I took a weight training course in college, but I am too self conscious to go and use them next to massive body builders and swim suit models. I am neither. And now I am going to go to the gym and see exactly how out of shape I am. What was I thinking?!?!

Well, it's been nice knowing you! I hope I see you after tonight's escapades....


P.S. Any tips you may have are more than welcome!

behind the times

Confession: Until recently, I have only read the first book in The Hunger Games series. When the book first came out, I was so caught up in the hype and the excitement of family, friends, and the New York Times, I went and bought my own copy. As warned, I devoured it and became consumed by "the boy with the bread." I have always been a Peeta fan although I wished he would show some sort of backbone in the first book. A problem arose that kept me from finishing all three like a fiend because I only had a copy of the first book. I read with such vengeance that you would expect that I couldn't rest until I had finished the entire series. However, that was not the case. I don't know whether I was simply stubborn because I decided to go against the hungry crowd, lazy because didn't want to fight the library for a copy, or broke because I couldn't buy the next addition...Whatever the case, I didn't read the last two novels until about two weeks ago. Don't judge.

Another confession: The movie came out and everything changed.

I wasn't planning on going to the movie. Then, my friend Laura said it would be fun to go on a Tuesday when Century 16 has matinee prices in the evening. If I can get a deal and hang out with good company, hey, I'm in! My sister, Melanie, went for the midnight showing and LOVED it! She kept talking about it over the weekend and made me more excited to go. Once Melanie shows overwhelming interest in something, it's contagious! The movie came out on Friday and I went the following Tuesday. There went all my stubbornness of going against the crowd. Suddenly I'm a follower...

The hype was back in full force. The Saturday after the movie came out, I shanghaied Melanie into letting me borrow her Kindle and letting me read Catching Fire.  I spent most of the morning reading when I should have been doing a number of other things. It was past lunch when I decided to take a break and then I realized I had read until Chapter 12! Thanks to Jury Duty, I finished the book in record time. That night, I went and saw the movie.

The movie was AMAZING....if you've read the books. I sat between Laura and Shannon, neither of whom had read the books, and they spent the entire second half of the movie appalled. There were moments when I covered my eyes (Again, don't judge) because I don't like violence. I don't like watching people get hurt. "Then, Jenny, why did you go to the movie?" Um, I dunno. But I liked it. A lot. In fact, I would be more than willing to go and watch it again.

Now I have read the entire series. And I am a big fan. A BIG FAN! Forget Stephenie Meyer, (although I forgot about her years ago) read Suzanne Collins. I read this friend's blog and completely agree when she said that being an English major, you become a trained reader. I started reading for the thrill, which was great, but take a step away from that and really look at what the characters are, how they evolve, how Collins covers all possible complications, it makes the book even that much better. I know that most readers are disappointed in the third book, but I liked it. I liked seeing how the story unfolds when Katniss and Peeta are on opposite sides. I also love how Collins didn't miss an opportunity to play with Peeta and what happens when he has no choice but to let the Capitol change him. I loved everything, absolutely everything about the series, EXCEPT for the last 10 pages. I was sad at the climax, but, reading with my English novel-expect the worst for the better of the plot mindset, it made sense. What I wanted was another conversation between Katniss and Peeta. Personally, I felt like there were a few strands left hanging out in the wind. Did Peeta come back or doe he spend every waking moment wondering if life is real? I know that Katniss mentions something but I want to read it from his point of view. Then, all the sudden, Gale is in District 2. I'm not a Gale fan but that seemed awfully sudden. Overall, I hate how she closes so many major details in a simple sentence. Bah!

Dear Suzanne,
You worked so hard over three books to make such wonderful characters. Why are you selling them short?
Love me.

And yes, I plan on owning the entire series and adding it to my library of a bedroom.

Last confession: I am slightly obsessed with Josh Hutcherson's jaw....

kindred spirit

I hope you don't mind if I am a bit more personal today than usual. My heart is heavy. Today is a melancholy day. I don't have them frequently, but today deserves its due.

I have been working in Deseret Book Corporate Offices for almost three months now. In that time, I have made a generous amount of friends. They are some of the most amazing people I have ever had the privilege to meet and I am over the moon that I have the opportunity to "rub shoulders" with each of them. One of such amazing caliber passed away last Thursday night.

Pat Williams is one of the sweetest people I have ever known. For the three months I've known her, I have been blessed to see her smile and hear her sweet voice. For the past three years, she has been dealing with painful cancer and proving all her doctors wrong. She continued to come into work, even through the pain, until it took three of us to get her in the car to go home. Then the Executive Office told her no.

I was working as she left the office. No one knew that it would end so abruptly. She came off the elevator to wait for her sister to bring the car around. While she sat in her wheelchair, she cried for some help. I'm worthless because I cannot leave the phone. She suggested I call Cory and as soon as I mentioned Pat's name, he was ready to come down and help, no matter whatever else was on his plate for that day.

I stood trying to comfort her, but it was useless. Cory came down and stood outside waiting for the car. I helped to push her outside and then Cory took over so that I could return to the dang-blasted phone. I sat here and watched the slow process of Pat going home. The next week, I heard that she wasn't coming back to work. She entered the hospital the next day.

This morning was her funeral. I wasn't able to attend but I like to think I worked so the rest of the office was able to attend.

I miss Pat. I miss our 5:00 pm chats. I miss her sassy attitude and quotable sayings. I miss her voice. I miss how she would smile and wave from the car as I left the office. I will forever be grateful that such an amazing woman came into my life, even for such a short time.

I love you, Pat. Keep them laughing on the other side. :)

To see her obituary

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=patricia-kay-cluff-williams&pid=156775939

weekend

(Catch up is coming as soon as I get to a camera/computer cord.)

I hope that this blog finds you in the pleasant nostalgia of General Conference weekend. I think I'm suffering from post-conference blues, but then I'm not sure that there is such a thing.

I love Conference! It feels like Christmas to me. This past weekend was no exception.

President Thomas S. Monson is one of my heroes. Every time I saw his face on screen, I remembered his face when I sang in the DMC choir this past Christmas. That man loves music and he grinned from ear to ear like a child when we started. Thinking about it still sends a thrill through me. I know he is a prophet. No doubt.

Along with all the wonderful talks and music and everything that I was able to experience, this talk stood out. Of all the questions that I needed answered, I feel that Elder Andersen had me in mind in his preparations. Listen, watch, read, or do all three!

*sigh* My heart is full. I hope the talks healed your heart the same way they did mine. That and increase my desire to be even that much better. How grateful I am for the gift of General Conference!