Pat Tillman Run 2011

Remember my terribly pathetic running post? Well, those days are slowly coming to an end!

I began to go walking and then slowly turning it into a jog. My "workouts" would be jogging til I was tired and walking til I was rested. Not the best, but I liked it.

I made a goal to participate and finish the Pat Tillman Run. My goal time was 1 hour. Really, this was a HUGE accomplishment for me. (To be honest, before I started the run, I felt an hour was a mistake and I should have aimed for 90 minutes)

At the finish!

I finished the run in 1:02:06! Yay!

I can officially run that quarter mile without panting like before. Still not a running fan, but I do enjoy the listening-to-my-iPod-while-running-or-walking stuff.

Next up: 31st Annual Beecroft Run in May!

Spring Break Goals

Spring Break is only one week away. And this, my friends, may be my last Spring Break ever! This is my one last week of zero school and zero work. I am free to do whatever my little heart desires!

And just what does my little heart desire?? A trip to Disneyland of course! But, sadly, that is probably the one thing I just cannot do this time :(

So, this Spring Break, I will take advantage of my free time to accomplish the following:

1. Go on a hike

2. Sew an apron

3. Watch LOST (hopefully season 6!)

4. Hang out with friends!

Whew...quite a list right? Just kidding, it isn't that impressive, but I only have a week! Yes, a week. One...WHOLE...week. How often does that come? In my lifetime: one a year. In my future: not so often. I am totally looking forward to it!

First I have to get there (that means finish my homework).

Blast.

I am officially out of shape!

I just ran a quarter mile (as a homework assignment). I am out of breath. I got only half way through (what, like an 1/8th mile??) and I could barely keep it to a jog. Almost started walking.

What does this tell me? I am more out of shape than I realized.

My new goal: Take this "Concepts of Fitness & Wellness" online class seriously. I will be able to run a quarter mile by the end of the semester.

Ow...cramp...can't breathe...I can barely type...gotta go.

2011 Goals

When the clock struck 12 on New Year's Eve, I don't think I could've been happier. It was like the opposite of Cinderella. We're three days into the New Year and it is wonderful! Just for commitment purposes, I am going to post a few of my goals.

1. Pass my classes & graduate!

2. Budget better

3. Read and finish Sense & Sensibility

4. Re-watch all 6 seasons of LOST

5. Take a "hobby" class

6. Keep a positive attitude and continue to find joy.

My goals aren't much, but I like to keep them within my grasp. Otherwise, they'll get lost and forgotten like most resolutions. However, I am a bit proud of myself for checking them periodically throughout the year, and in December, I check off the ones I accomplished. Which aren't very many, but still a good reminder of what I need to improve on.

Wish me luck!

In Review

Well, here is an update on my "fun" list from my last post...nada. Ok, ok, that isn't completely true, but it felt like it!

Here is how my last two days went:

• devotional at ASU with Sister Virginia Pierce! (loved it!)
• Krazy Sub with Kylie
• Ice Skating with David
• Sprained my ankle
• Got virtually nothing else done

So, there you have it. But, as I thought about it, I did get some fun things done this week!

Here are a few:

I started the week off by hanging up my colorful scarecrow I made during General Conference. This got me into a creative-festive mood!

Next, I found some fabric on sale and made this bulletin board.

Then, I went hiking on the Rim with my mom and sisters. For more pictures and hilarious commentary on that go here. Yay for links!

Then, I finished the middle of the week with this! Thanks to the wonderful girls of Relief Society.

And thanks to this...

I didn't get to my other projects like the one I found here. Provided by Rachael (thanks!)

All in all, it was a good week. Back to the old grind tomorrow. But, stay tuned... fall has just begun and I am determined to find time for all of my projects by their designated holidays!

October Break

When we see the word break--what does that really mean? Of course, I had to look up the definition and found this. Of the many, many definitions of break I finally found it! I found that break can be defined as "to interrupt one's activity or occupation for a brief period" and "to get away by overcoming restraints or constraints." Translation: When I see that October Break is coming, I have every right to assume that I will have a brief period to get away from my occupational constraints. So, naturally, I expect to have time for fun things. Oh, you want to definition of fun? Here you go. It only makes sense that break & fun would go hand in hand.

With this attitude, I began my one week of October Break with a 12 item list of fun things to do! These were the things I really did need to get done, but things that I wanted to get done also. No one told me that I was going to spend three of those days doing homework! Ok, ok, it was my fault that I totally underestimated (since we are defining words here is that definition) the amount of homework I really had to do. As a consequence (ahem) I had to sacrifice my fun To Do list for my necessary (click)To Do list.

Until now!

I am finished with homework this week and I refuse to do any more until next week! Time to celebrate!! I think that I will begin by finally adding another post to my blog. (Hey look, all done!) Tomorrow is Friday. That means I have two whole days (did you hear that people? Two...whole...days!) To start in on my 12 item list. Ah...the sigh of sweet relief. You may say that my break is about to end and, technically, you are right. But, I say, it is just the beginning!

And, if you haven't noticed already, I learned how to use the link feature today! Try me!

July is officially over

It is August 1st! I cannot believe it! Actually, yes I can...

As some may know, I didn't work this summer. As kindergarten took a summer break, so did I. Except my break was from kindergarten, not college. I had bright hopes for the summer. Time to get things done. (Isn't it funny that we all make summer goals knowing full-well that we have a slim chance of accomplishing them all, and yet we pursue them anyway...then, by the end of the summer we are amazed at how fast the time went by and how our list of goals are not nearly as accomplished as we'd hope them to be? I'm not saying that we shouldn't make goals, I'm just finding the irony of the whole situation. I'm also finding this a yearly trend for me and others...)

Anyway, I fell into the same pattern this year and made some goals. Of course, in June, I accomplished both of my goals: take summer school and pass summer school. Check, check.

Then came July, no work. No school. What's a girl to do? Well, I was anticipating a surplus of boredom. (I soon found that this was not the case since I left for Vegas and Girl's Camp) But, I still made a list of goals for July. Just to refresh you memory, here is my list (with a little bit of commentary):

1. Work on Girl's Camp duties CHECK-camp came and went just as fast as last year
2. Finish sewing my apron and possibly make another CHECK-I will soon blog about this...stay tuned!
3. Go to the cannery NO CHECK-I wanted to go with a friend, Kathy, but we never found time :(
4. Clean out & wash my car (outside in the heat sweaty like a pig in my swimsuit then take a nice shower and feel clean after!) CHECK-I love doing this. Feels so good even though I got a small sunburn...
5. File kindergarten worksheet masters NO CHECK-might have to save this one for next year...again
6. Visit Kylie & Layla a lot HALF CHECK- I did visit them, but not as often as I wanted. But, it was fun cutting thread with Kylie and running errands with them
7. Finish reading Sense & Sensibility NO CHECK- I did read a little more of it, but I have not finished
8. Watch a few of my DVDs that have collected dust CHECK-As I prepared for Girl's Camp, I would stay up late and watch movies. Here's the list of what I've watched: Ocean's 11 & 13, The Holiday, Ever After, The Majestic, & Hope Floats.
9. Learn to play guitar NO CHECK- Sadly, the guitar has collected about 8 months worth of dust.
10. Blog about it all! CHECK-Don't you see I'm doing it right now?

So thats...5 1/2 checks? Over 50%? I guess I did accomplish things this summer. And the good news is...I still have 10 days left of Kindergarten summer vacation and 18 days of college summer vacation. Maybe I can squeeze some guitar, reading, or filing in there somewhere. Or, maybe I should just shelve those for next summer.

A Clean Car

I said I would blog about the goals for July. Today, I took advantage of the slight cloud cover this morning and cleaned my car. Yay! I threw on my swimsuit and shorts, turned on the radio, and went to work.

I cleaned out the garbage, all 11 water bottles, and various odds & ends including a spoon, a hula hoop, towel, and my dad's briefcase (why? don't ask me). Then I started to vacuum every nook & cranny! It takes a while with a handheld vacuum and a small hose. I was sweatin' up a storm I tell you. I topped it off with my last Vanillaroma air freshener. Ahh...

By now, its about 10:30am and I recruited Carla to help wash the outside. It took some backbone to scrub those squished bugs off the front, but they eventually washed away. I celebrated by taking a dip in the pool and a shower for myself. Wonderful.

I later got to drive in this now luxurious car. I took a deep breath as I sat inside and almost wiped away a tear as I parked and walked away from it. It was just so beautiful.

I know you were waiting for me to blog about washing my car. So there you have it. Satisfied? And no, I didn't really cry over a clean car, but you get the picture, right?

July Plans

Dear Blog,
It has been a long time since I have visited you. A whole four days has seemed like an eternity. I was swamped with homework and Avatar this week. Summer school has finally come to an end. I was stuck studying for my final. Then, The Last Airbender came out in theaters (see previous post). I just had to finish the series this weekend too! And I did. And it was awesome.

So Blog, I am here to tell you of your fate. I have one month of less-than-really-busy-busyness. As I prepare for Girl's Camp at the end of the month, I will be busy part of the time. What else am I supposed to do with the rest of my time? This will never come again. In May I will graduate from ASU and move onto a (most likely & hopefully!) full time job. A whole month of no school and no work will never come again. I must take advantage of this time.

The possibilities are endless! I could travel! Backpack across Europe, visit Lucy in China, lay on the beach in Hawaii, or watch the World Cup final game in South Africa? Sounds like the life to me. Alas, funds are low and do not permit such activities. I might have to do those in my dreams.

So, my "To Do" list has been modified. Here is my Taking Advantage of the Time I Have in July list: 1. Work on Girl's Camp duties 2. Finish sewing my apron and possibly make another 3. Go to the cannery 4. Clean out & wash my car (outside in the heat sweaty like a pig in my swimsuit then take a nice shower and feel clean after!) 5. File kindergarten worksheet masters 6. Visit Kylie & Layla a lot 7. Finish reading Sense & Sensibility 8. Watch a few of my DVDs that have collected dust 9. Learn to play guitar 10. Blog about it all!

Yes, my dear Blog, you shall occupy part of my time this summer as well. I do this because I don't want you to feel forgotten when school and work resume again in August. So, it is with this little note that I begin my true summer activities. Farewell until next week when I begin to report on my summer progress (or lack of).

Thank you for being so understanding!
Always,
Jonna