Hi. My name is Alex.

For those of you who love a good embarrassing story, this one is for you.

This is a story of how I embarrassed myself today at church.  Enjoy!

Let me set the scene for you.  The first hour of church had just ended and Sunday School was soon to begin.  There was some new guy (with a very manly beard) who I had never met before talking to my friend Amanda (who was standing next to me).

Me- "I don't think I've met you. Hi."
I reach out to shake his hand.
Allen- "Hi.  My name is Allen."
Us shaking hands.
Me- "Hi.  My name is Alex."
I paused at this point and looked at Amanda.
In my head:  Something about what I just said is not right.  Wait...What? Alex?
Me (looking at Amanda)- "Did I just say that my name is Alex?
Amanda- "Um...yes.  Yes you did."
Me (looking at Allen)- "Um...I am not really sure what just happened, but my name is not Alex.  I don't actually know why I told you my name is Alex.  Hahaha"
Allen staring at me like he's not sure how to respond to that.
Me, not offering up my real name because I was still in shock at giving him the wrong name.
Amanda- "Her name is Alison."
Me- "Yes.  This is my name.  Wait, what was your name again?  I completely forgot in the confusion of me telling you the wrong name."
Allen- "It's Allen."
Me- "Allen.  Got it."
Allen- "I am not very good with names so I will probably forget yours."
Me- "Well it's a good thing I gave you the wrong one then.  You won't need to remember that one. Hahaha."
I am the only one laughing.
Me (trying to salvage this conversation)- "Um so are you new, or just visiting?"
Allen- "Well, just visiting I guess.  I am from the Frisco Ward, but we (pointing to his friend) came today just to...try something new."
Me- "Is that like a nice way of saying you are ward hopping? hahaha"
He just stares at me.
In my head- WHAT?! Oh my gosh! Why would you say that?!  You are an idiot.  This is totally why you are single!
Allen- "Um I guess you could say that."
Me- "No.  No.  I was making a joke.  I was just kidding..."
(For those of you not familiar with the term "ward" or "ward hopping," "ward" is the term we, Mormons, use for our congregation or group with worship with every Sunday.  "Ward hopping" is a term for when people jump from one congregation to another fairly often for various reasons like boredom, avoiding someone, trying to find someone to date when you don't like anyone in your assigned ward...etc.  It is not usually something someone would want to be labeled as.)
Amanda (to the rescue)- "Well if you are going to ward hop, this is a great ward to come to.  We are pretty cool."
Me- "Yeah. So cool, we don't even give you our real names."
In my head- WHAT?  What are you saying?!  Why are you speaking?!  Oh my gosh.  Just run away.  Seriously, I should turn around and run away and never speak to a guy again.  This is so embarrassing!
Allen- "Well in that case you should just call me Jethro" (I can't actually remember if that is the fake name he used, but it was something similar.)
Me- "Hahahahahahahahahahaha" (Laughing way too much for what this situation warranted.)
And then he walked away.


My friends called me Alex for the rest of church.  lol

My Mom's visit

My mom came to visit me last weekend.  Regina Hiatt came with her.  For those of you who don't know who "Jean" is, she is a long time family friend, neighbor, fellow ward member (of my church), my mom's bike riding buddy, and like a second mom to me.  I was excited that she would come all the way to Texas to visit and spend her fall break.

We had a good time.  We ate good food and visited several places I had not been in the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) area.  Those include the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (Texas School Book Depository) where JFK was killed.  We also went to Fort Worth Stockyards/Water Gardens (which I have been to before). We also went to the Dallas World Aquarium, and the Texas State Fair.

Jack and Jackie

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I — I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” 

The Texas School Book Depository and the Grass Knoll

The view from the window where the sniper was perched

 Fort Worth Water Gardens

Jean and I 

Mom and Me

At a steakhouse where the food was too good, and we ate too much.  This is the aftermath. 

Stockyards 

Dallas Aquarium 

"Big Tex" at the fair 

Fried Corn Dog 

Of course there must be funnel cake! Delish! 

 And...us at the pig races.  

Round 3

Running.  It is terrible.

Can I admit that I hate it more than anything else in life some days?  (I guess I just did.)

Like...I really really hate it sometimes.

I have discovered that I am an angry runner when I am starting out.  I hate everything and everyone and I want to punch people in the face while I am running and for at least the first 20 minutes after I finish.  Truth!  *Run with me at your own risk.

I have also discovered that once I can get to a point where I can jog/run about 15 minutes consecutively   I am no longer that angry runner.  At that point running is tiring and I have to constantly push myself, but I don't hate it anymore (or want to punch people).

About 2 months ago I could run 25 minutes without stopping.  It felt good.  I felt proud.  I was ahead of schedule to be able to run a 5k by 9/13.  I was thrilled.

Then I got shin splints that lasted all day every day.  It wasn't extremely painful, but I was concerned about injuring myself further, so I took a break from running for about 2 weeks.  I was still working out (walking, cycling, elliptical).  I got back on the treadmill after 14 days telling myself to start out slow and only run 10-15 minutes and see how things felt.

I STRUGGLED for 5 minutes before before slowing down to a walk, and guess what?  I was right smack dab at the beginning of my angry running days.  Only angry and feeling defeated.  Actually, that is not entirely true.  I was an angry runner and I certainly felt defeated, but I was majorly ticked off that running and my body had betrayed me in just a short 14 days.

Nevertheless, I kept running and angrily made my way back up to 12 minutes over the next few weeks.

Then one morning I woke up to my knee swollen.  It wasn't painful, but it did concern me.  Then the clicking and popping began and that was really painful.  I was off the treadmill again for about a week an a half.  My knee was feeling about 95% healed, but I am sure you can guess how far I struggled to run on the treadmill that first time back.

5 minutes.

Fully struggling the whole time.

I was less pissed off this time, since I knew it was coming, but still very irritated.

My knee is not really better.  I have been keeping it at bay while I continue to run.  It doesn't hurt while I run, but swells afterwards.  Every time.  I have a doctors appointment scheduled for 3 days after my 5k.  I think I know what is wrong with it, and we all know I went to med school, so I am sure it's quite an accurate diagnosis.

Either way, my very first 5k I trained the most for, outside of this one.  My time was 47.5 minutes.  Saturday I finished a 5k (on the treadmill) in 48.5 minutes.  I knew I could do it faster, but I was concerned about my knee and pushing too hard, too fast.

Today I completed it in 45 minutes.  I was pretty proud of that.  At the very least, I'll take it.

Here's to my knee holding out for the next 11 days.  I can't take another start over before then.

Seasons

Today I deactivated my Facebook account.  For every person I have told, I have been met with responses that very anywhere from shock to frustration.

Why is this?

Why does deactivating my Facebook mean the end of the world?  As if there are not 5 other ways to contact me.  Either way I did it for my own reasons and I refuse to be guilted into reactivating it.  That is not to say that I won't do it sometime on my own.  In a week, a month, a year...I don't know.  For me, it was simple.  I wanted to see just how much time I would gain in my day by simply cutting this one thing out of my life.  I also deleted Candy Crush from my phone, Pinterest from my phone (only) and a few other useless/time wasting apps.

Time seems to be a precious commodity for me lately and I am simply not willing to give it up so easily over something like Facebook.  I did find myself rummaging through iPhoto on my computer when I got home from work.  After about 20 mins I realized I was wasting just as much time doing that as being on FB so I moved over here to write a post (which was the reason for opening my photos in the first place).

Side note: I do not find blogging a wast of time.  It is good for me and a good use of my time. :))

I think it will take me some time to figure out how to use my time more wisely and not just replacing the time I would have been on FB with something else just as useless, but you have to start somewhere, right?

On a separate but related note I was talking with a friend outside of the gym last night and he told me that he could see a difference in me.  He said something like, "and not just physically, but in your countenance too.  You seem brighter.  Happier."  I thanked him for the compliment.  I have to admit that I feel much that way.  It certainly helps that I am losing weight and feeling better physically, reaching goals, and making plans for future goals, but aside from that I am at the present time maybe the happiest I have ever been in my life.  It is a wonderful feeling!  I could attribute it to a lot of different sources, but really I think I am finally getting my priorities in order.  It has made all of the difference.

A couple of months ago a different friend said something to me that completely changed my outlook on my life. He is about my age and not married either.  We were talking about how we both wished we were married already but that it didn't seem to be something that would happen for either of us anytime soon.  And then he referenced a scripture (I wish I remembered which one) and said that "it would be okay, because this time in his life was meant for something else."  It was meant for doing things that would bring him closer to Heavenly Father and building His kingdom.  That got me thinking about how we all go through seasons in life.

My season of singlehood is longer than I ever had anticipated, but it has given me a unique opportunity to serve HF in a way that many of my friends cannot.  I have the opportunity to go to the temple once a week.  I take my own family names every time and when I run out of names I immerse myself back into my family tree to find more names.  I serve in 3 different callings, all three of which I love and am a little sad that I will be getting released from one of them in the next month or so.

But really, this conversation changed me.  It made me realize I have so much free time without the responsibility of a spouse or children, without family nearby, without little people to cook for, or babies to dress or bathe or messes to clean up (from said children).  I have been given a gift that not everyone gets.  It is not a gift I wanted (and some days still don't want), but nevertheless I can see (a little bit) of the person that HF is building me to be, and as it turns out I LOVE HER.  She is a rockstar!

So I have to make the most of this time, because it will not last forever.  Some day I will get married and have babies and I am sure I will love my life then too, but I have come to a point where I am no longer a victim of this thing called "single."  I am not just wading through the singleness and trying to "make the most of it" or "just survive it" until the time comes when I do get married.  Life, in any stage, was never meant to be lived that way.  I am starting to live it, and love it too!

Probably my favorite talk (ever) was given by Jeffrey R Holland in the October 2012 General Conference.  The talk was call "The First Great Commandment."  I have read it or listened to it at least 20 times if not more in the last 2 years.  

He says many wonderful, thought provoking things, but this part plunges deep into my heart every time and makes me want to be something more than I currently am.

 “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it.

Gosh, this is such a good talk!!  The First Great Commandment
Go read it again, or for the first time.  It is so worth it!

So, just like he said, I have people to lift up, rides to give, ancestor names to find, temple sessions to attend, callings to magnify, scriptures to read, people to serve, dinners to make, prayers to say, people to hug, laughter to spread, motivation to give, light to show, and so on and so forth.  The more I pray for it, the more I find it, and the more Heavenly Father organizes my life to fit it all in.  It is awesome!!

And just as a disclaimer, I hope this post doesn't come across boastful.  That was not it's intent at all.  I am just happy and wanted to share.

Oh, and just because I think she is the cutest girl in the whole world, a few pics of my niece!

That hair is pure ROCKSTAR!! Love her so much!!!

Turning 30

I turned 30 a week or so ago.

30

I mean...30!

Like, with a 3.

So weird.

I said it for the first time a few days before my birthday.  I said boldly and with confidence, "I am 30 years old."  And then I felt really strange.  I always get odd looks from people too, like they really don't believe me.  I mean, I'll take it.  They can think I am still in my 20s all they want.  I won't put up too much of a fight.

I planned all sorts of things and stewed over big huge parties and going on trips with friends to other states.  I planned and re-planned all kinds of things.  And then in the end it turned out to be somewhat anti-climatic.  Not that I didn't enjoy myself, I did.  But you know, there was no big hurrah. The night before I went out to eat with my girls Alex and Bre.  We ate delicious brisket (or at least I did) and sat and chatted about life and boys and whatnot.

On my actual birthday I went to work where my cubical was decorated very elaborately, and breakfast was provided.  My plan after work was to just run some errands.  But then, unexpectedly, I ended up going out to eat with a friend that has been my new workout buddy lately.  He said he didn't want me to eat alone on my birthday.  He came over afterwards and hung out with myself and Bre (she was staying at my place for a few nights while she was in manager training nearby).  He came over because I wanted to show off my new birthday present that I bought myself.

It is this thingy that projects the sky (stars, constellations, auroras) onto my ceiling.  It sounds sort of lame when you say it, but really, it's pretty much the coolest thing when you see it in person.  I discovered it when a family I babysit for was showing me theirs, and I was sold.  It is really so so cool.  Come over.  I'll show you.  I'll make you want one too.  :)

From there the evening got interesting.  Very interesting.  That is a story for another time though (and probably not on my blog).

And that was really all I did on my actual birthday.  A few days after that I had some girls over for a craft/Pinterest party.  We made some string art, which I don't have a handy picture of, but turned out really good.  There was food, cupcakes, lots of banging of nails into wood, and more talking about life and boys and whatnot.

And there you have it.  I am 30.  Weird.  

Footprints in the Sand

I am sure most, if not all, of you have read the little poem called "Footprints in the Sand."

I used to see parts of it on inspirational bookmarks and the like, growing up.

I just looked it up and apparently it is disputed who actually wrote it.  There are a few variations as well, but here is the gist of it.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.” 

It's a nice poem.  It's nice to think about the Lord carrying us when we aren't able to do it on our own.  I like it.  I always have.  

A few weeks ago I was in California walking along Newport Beach alone.  I had jeans on and Chucks.  

There was already sand in my shoes, but I didn't mind.  My friends Lindsey and Lisa were up a few hundred feet in front of me walking along the shore and letting the waves wash up onto their bare feet.  I don't know why I wasn't with them.  Probably because I didn't want to soak my shoes or take them off. I was walking a little further up on the shore.  The sand was still wet, but the waves were not immediately coming up that far on the beach.  I watched my feet as I walked slowly, thinking about different things and occasionally looking out at the surfers, and runners, and kids.  

This lady was my favorite.  She stood on that board for so long just watching the waves come in.  It was almost like it was a religious experience for her.  I sort of felt guilty taking this picture, like I was intruding on a sacred moment in her life.  

Anyways, back to my story.  After maybe 15 minutes of walking one way along the shore, I noticed that the girls had turned around and were walking towards me.  I continued to walk until I almost met them, and then turned around.  We walked mostly together and mostly silent, back the way we had come. 

It was then that I noticed my own footprints in the sand.  I knew the ones I was looking at were mine, because I know the design of the bottom of my chucks.  All of the footprints faced towards me, now that I was walking back.  It occurred to me in that moment that I had a physical reminder of where I had just been.  It got me thinking about where I had been.  Not just in the last 15 minutes, but in the last year...or 30.  

My mind wandered to daydreaming about being up in the sky and having an arial view of my life.  And what if I could look down and see all of my own footprints and where I had been throughout my life.  Wouldn't it be so interesting if we could do that?

I wondered for a minute where I would see my footprints go.  I wondered where I would find most of my them.  I wondered if there were would be footprints next to mine, representing the Savior or the Holy Ghost.  Or would my footprints be alone?  It never occurred to me that I would be carried by someone else, but I did wonder if their were times when I would see my footprints alone because I chose to walk alone. Maybe I told the Spirit that I knew he couldn't go with me, but I just wanted to see what was over there, and that I would be right back.  Did I ever do that?  Would I do that?  And if I did, would I keep my promise to come right back, or would I say away for a long time?  

We, in the church, talk about the Spirit leaving us when we make bad choices or live a life that is not worthy of the Spirit to dwell within us.  But does the Spirit really leave us, or do we leave him?  Do we leave him standing on the beach, telling him that we just want to take a few steps this way or that, even though we know he can't come with us, and that we will be right back?  Or that he is within sight, and therefore we won't be in danger. 

I also wondered as I walked, how heavy my feet would tread.  How long were my strides?  Was I walking or running?  Was I coming or going?  What direction would they be facing?  It also occurred to me that my footprints might be leading other people.  Would they be small people, like children?  Were they friends, or family, or strangers?   Would I be proud of the places I led them to?  Would my path be safe and happy?  Would I find my footprints in places I had not wished I had been?  Would I find more of them on the dance floors of clubs in than within the walls of the temple?  And what if I found that I was following someone else's footprints?  Where was I being led?  Did I chose the right individuals to lead me to places that were safe or where I wanted to be?  

Would I be able to see the emotional footprints I had tread in the hearts and minds of those I came in contact with?  Did I leave them better than when I met them?  Did I trample over people or pick them up? Was I there for others when their footprints seemed to be stumbling or sinking?  

And does repentance erase some of those footprints, or just "x" them out as if they no longer count?

I don't know if, after this life, we will get to see a run down of all the places we have been.  I do hope to improve my scorecard in the coming years, just in case we do.  I hope that I can remember my footprints in the sand when I am at the forks of life, whether big or small.  I hope I remember that the choices we make matter.  

Amanda's Wedding and California!

First of all, let me say that California is AMAZING!!!

Like, why didn't anyone tell me that I NEEDED to live there every day for the rest of my life?!?!  Because seriously it was everything I had hoped for and more.  The weather was perfect.  The view from EVERYWHERE was amazing.  I never found a spot in CA that I didn't look out and think, "WOW."

Let me prove my point here, because I feel like you might not be convinced.

Can I also just say that every one of these pics is unedited, un-photoshopped, and unfiltered.

So now that you get it (I trust that I made my point to you), I can move on and tell you about Amanda's wedding.  It was in the Redlands, CA Temple.

Are you kidding me with this sky?!  Again those pics are unfiltered.  The sky really looked that good.

It was my first time to see a sealing (wedding) in the temple.  There were so many of us.  I counted something like 30 chairs and about 65 people (not including the bride and groom).  It was crowded, but also lovely.  The person preforming the wedding said he hadn't ever seen a "party"this big outside of Polynesian weddings.  Hahaha.

After the wedding and some pics of the couple, Lindsey, Lisa, and I went out to lunch, ran some errands and then made our way to the reception.  We were a few hours early still, so we walked around the California Citrus State Historic Park where her reception was to take place.

Then there was the reception.  It was so much fun!  Usually I don't have a ton of fun at receptions.  They get boring really quick, for me.  But this one was not only beautiful, but a lot of fun. 

My lovely ladies!!

They also had THE BEST cupcakes I've ever had in my life there!  And a In-n-Out food truck.  Yeah, you read that right, a food truck (with a very attractive worker who I wanted to bring home to Texas with me)!

This was a s'more cupcake and this picture does it NO justice.  So delish!

Also, I got new glasses.

We also stayed in this really amazing hotel.  Bonus!!

Oh California.  You won me over.