Retro Resolutions

At the wise old age of 26, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this goals thing. I thought I'd figured it all out last New Year's when I decided the key was to set my expectations of myself very low. I made resolutions to do things like not gain 50 lbs (instead of hoping to lose 5 or 10,) eat and sleep daily, get a year older, etc. Don't get me wrong! I still fully support that theory! But I think I've come up with something better.

I call them "Retro Resolutions." Instead of setting expectations at the beginning of the year, I'm going to look back on the previous year and make a list of the resolutions that I would have succeeded in had I made them the year before.

Let's try it! Here are my Retro Resolutions for 2011:

- Lose 7 lbs. (Yes, I actually did. Go figure.)
- Attend an NBA game.
- Remain single. (Not even a close call. Total Success!)
- Learn to play the harmonica. (This one I'm actually kind of proud of... though I've got some improvement to make.)
- Win an iPad2 at a work party.
- Don't go completely broke.
- Start a new job.
- Quit said job for a better position with the previous job.
- Break my addiction to Diet Coke. (I still drink it... but I don't NEED to drink it!)
- Make a quilt.
- Join a gym. (I don't really go, but the option is there.)
- Turn 26. (Done and done.)
- Continue to be awesome.

Okay, okay... I could go on, but it's starting to sound a lot like the goals I made for the year in the first place. My point is that perhaps it's more beneficial to look back and recognize what I actually accomplished rather than realize that I didn't accomplish what I had hoped to.

Happy goal-setting/accomplishment-recognizing (whichever you may prefer) to you all!!
And Happy New Year.

Laser Tag

I finally did it! And by that I mean I crossed something off of my bucket list. Fun fact about me: One of my greatest fears is being chased. (No, not being chaste. I'm okay with that one.) There's something about having someone after me that causes a great deal of anxiety... even if it's just a game.

On the flip side, I've always wanted to play laser tag, but it made me nervous just to think about it. (I'm also super cheap sometimes... but we don't need to discuss that.) Last month for a ward activity at church, they had laser tag at a park nearby. Thinking it would be the cheap Nerf equipment we went to check it out.







It was legit. (Kids use that word these days.)

I have to say it was a little unnerving how satisfying it was to shoot at my peers and hear my gun report "That's a kill!" What does that say about me?

"Play laser tag" will be replaced by "Attend an OKC Thunder Game" on the Everlasting Bucket List.

Winds, Waves and Wheels

Confession: For quite some time I've very much wanted to become a Roller Derby Girl. (I even have my name picked out, but I can't tell you what it is for fear it may be stolen.) Skating happens to be one of my talents and I often enjoy some fierce competition (except in terms of dating, but that's another topic altogether.)
Last night I went with my sister to the championship match between the Coffin Draggers and the Runaway Brides. Somewhere between jams I realized that this will likely be added to my list of dreams that never came to fruition. Partially because I don't think I can pull off the little outfits. (I'm very anti-public wedgie.)


This afternoon in Relief Society, the teacher had us write down the things we wanted to be when we grew up. Most of the girls probably wrote down things like "doctor" or "teacher." My list looks like this:

- Miss America
- marine biologist
- one of Barker's Beauties
- circus performer
- Olympic gymnast
- jet pilot
- tall

Basically, I set myself up for disappointment. The only plausible possibility was marine biologist and, as it turns out, I'm terribly afraid of sharks.

Now I'm not saying. "Let's all cry for Ami," but I am still single with a less-than-ideal career path living with three other chicks (which I love, in case they're reading) and have little money. Not quite where I imagined myself at 26.

Today we sang a hymn in church (painfully slowly) that says, "Be still, my soul. The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below." It was kind of a nice reminder to me that Someone is still in charge. Luckily for me, this Someone knows and cares about me and probably has better ideas for my life than knee pads and tiny shorts.
"...and that is an encouraging thought."**



**Yes, I made another Lord of the Rings reference. I don't know why I'm single.

Grown Up Birthday List by Ami Blamires (No, not Amy Grant)

As we get older, we come to realize the things in life that really matter. Things like birthday gifts and big celebrations seem unimportant. Age is, after all, just a number, right?

I could not disagree more. I've decided that aging quietly is the worst idea ever. I would like everyone to know that in precisely two weeks, I will be celebrating another year survived in mortality. And, since there's nothing good about entering my late mid-twenties, I've compiled the following list of worldly items that may ease my passing:

- A garlic press.
- A Magic 8 Ball.
- A fancy hummingbird feeder.
- A toaster.
- A grapefruit knife.
- Glow bracelets.
- A Scentsy Plug-In. (Camu Camu is my favorite.)
- An aloe vera plant.
- Twister.
- A white orchid. (I'll try not to kill this one. Uh... it could even be fake.)
- Sour worms.
- A bobblehead of myself.
- A good flashlight.
- A John Wayne refrigerator magnet.
- A strobe light.
- An air pump.
- A lover.

Just a few quick, affordable ideas for my adoring fans. Happy Almost-My-Birthday to you all!

Shall We Not Go On...?

Okay, I realize my blog has been a bit of a downer lately. I promise I'm not having a serious crisis of faith or anything... these little blurbs just seem to be the only "blogworthy" things that come to mind.

That being said, I have had a great deal of anxiety and doubt lately regarding the direction of my life. Getting restless at work, homesick, indignant about my social life... that sort of thing.

Today I had a distinct impression. This doesn't happen to me often. I was thinking about Emma Smith in her early years married to Joseph. Never having seen the plates... being ridiculed by her own father... feeling as if she was somehow unfit in the eyes of the Lord. The 25th chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants is a revelation given to her during this time. He told her not to worry about the things she hadn't seen, but to focus on what He needed her to do.

The chapter is not full of frilly consolations. The Lord simply puts Emma to work. She was given assignments that He knew would help her faith and strengthen her testimony.

Obviously my questions are not the same as Emma's were, but the answer, I believe, is the same. Work. Of course I would love to be told "Hey, here's the man of your dreams and a graduate program!" Instead I realize that I need to stop trying to fill in the blanks and get busy. I've been given responsibilities and can only expect greater responsibility to come.

In order to increase strength in any aspect, an increase in work is required.
Obviously as an Exercise and Sports Science major, this concept is familiar to me. Perhaps I should have thought of that before I said my prayers. :)

Stop worrying and get to work.

The Motions

There's something I often hear said in church meetings and spiritual thoughts that sounds to me a lot like nails on a chalkboard.
"It's not enough just to go through the motions."

Sometimes it is.

Moses was given the 10 Commandments with which to guide the Israelites. Today we have set of 15 questions with which to gauge our own personal worthiness. These are the basic requirements for righteous living. Sure it's great to "go the extra mile" when we can. But the thing about that extra mile is that if it was a requirement, it wouldn't be "extra."

Please don't misunderstand. I don't mean to say that we shouldn't be doing all that we can to help those around us and be the best Christians we can be. But I've definitely had times in my life when all I could do was go through the motions. I've seen it in the lives of people I love. We are promised in the scriptures that "all we can do" is enough.

I may not always be a saint, but during times when my emotional stamina is running low, I can go to church. I can say my prayers. I can do what I need day-to-day to get along. I can keep the commandments. I can stay worthy. Sometimes the least we can do is also the most we can do, and during those times I believe that it's enough.

The Key to Success

The other night while I was borrowing internet access by holding my computer close to my bedroom window I stumbled upon what could be the discovery of a lifetime!

All my life I've wondered what it would be like should I ever truly find success. Would I be happy? Disappointed? Excited? Proud? Would I even recognize it if it was staring me in the face?!?

Well, dear friends... I've found it! I still remember how I felt when it hit me. Lost. Confused. Sleepy. Not at all what I expected. (Ironically enough, this serendipitous find was severely impeding my web browsing.) Nevertheless, I'm willing to share with you all what I've accepted as my greatest non-failure of a lifetime. Here it is:

The Key To Success!

So let this be a lesson to you. Success may not come when you want it to... but when you are least expecting it, there it is. You're welcome.

Single Long Enough...

Okay, so this title may be misleading. It is in no way a complaint or cry for help. Recently I was thinking about all the ways that I'm better off having had this time to myself; Things I otherwise wouldn't have learned or realized. Some were inspired by others, some I determined myself... And since I'm a fabulous list maker, you can imagine what's coming up! Here we go.

I'm happy that I've been single long enough to:

Understand that not being interested in me does not make a boy stupid. I love it when someone says to me, "You're single? Oh, boys are just stupid!" No. They aren't. They just aren't in love with me, and that's okay.

Learn to kill my own spiders. Granted I may still stop dead in my tracks and stare for five minutes to fully assess the situation, plan my attack, and get up the courage... I now know that I can get by until I find someone to do it for me.

Just be the cool aunt for a while. I imagine I'm much better at it when I don't have my own children to distract me.

Have friends who know me as myself without the association of being somebody's child, wife, or mother. (Good point, Jess.) There is definitely some value to this, as I believe these are a few of my strongest and most lasting friendships.

Decide that being high-maintenance is perfectly acceptable when you are maintaining yourself. I never have to feel guilty getting a pedicure or haircut when I'm not asking someone else to support me.

Realize that being single does not indicate that something is wrong with me. Imperfect people marry other imperfect people every day... and I'm not looking for perfection anyway.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the things that have come to mind. Suffice it to say that being single is not all bad and I believe I'm better off for it... for now.

7 Things I Don't Hate...

As a child, I had a super tacky silver poster with a daisy on it which read, "Bloom where you're planted." Here I am, some fifteen years later, and life has planted me in the desert. I'll be the first to admit that I've been an Arizona hater for the last year. From the complete lack of change in weather to the poor treatment from Suns and Cardinals fans (is it my fault me teams are so much better?) it has been difficult not to shrivel and dry out around here.

In an active attempt to heed the encouragement from my garish childhood wall decor, I've decided to force myself to proclaim a few things that I don't hate about the "Valley of the Sun." Okay, here we go:

1) Sprouts Farmers Market. It's fabulous. In-season produce and whole foods for reasonable prices. I owe my lack of scurvy to Sprouts.

2) My Bedroom. It's perfect. I found the most wonderful shade of gray for the walls. It's calming and beautifully compliments the rest of my belongings. Too bad I have to move out next month.

3) Outdoor Malls. I love that I can get a tan and shop simultaneously.

4) Costco. Okay, I don't actually ever shop there... but the fact that I could buy in bulk if I wanted to is a good feeling. Also, they have frozen yogurt and pizza by the slice! That right there is worth the membership.

5) Palm Trees. Those are fun. I especially like it when they try to disguise radio towers to look like palm trees. So clever and oh, so effective!

6) QuikTrip and Blue Bell are around... It's like a little piece of home, though not quite so prevalent as in Oklahoma.

7) A Few Good Folks. In addition to my brother and sister, I've managed to meet a handful of pretty darn cool people. They sometimes help me forgot that it's 120 degrees, or that it hasn't rained in 6 months, or that the crime rate is ridiculous, or that the majority of the population is generally unfriendly, or that scorpions run around as they will, or that the cost of living is significantly greater than that of other places.

Yes. I can handle the desert for now.