Four Weeks Down, One to Go!

This morning I remembered there was a meeting at 9:30 at the school I wanted to attend, so no time for procrastination today!! I hurried out as soon as the boys were on the bus. I reminded myself how quickly I completed my 6 sets on Monday and that was great motivation. I walked back in the door at 9:11 which is before I've been getting out the door this week! So yay!

After set 3 I took an extra 30 seconds of walking but other than that I kept up the rigor. It was hard and I wanted to stop one of the runs, but I talked myself through it.

Next Friday is race day. I can't believe it is here already!!! The training is a little different in that Monday I get 3 min of walking but Wed and Friday I get 2 min. Running is bumped up to 3 minutes. I need to solidify my course so I can know how many sets to do Friday. Hmm. I just realized that Hurricane Sandy is supposed to land on Tues so we'll see how that effects my exercise. If it ends up as bad as people are expecting I may be delayed a week :/

Can you believe I was actually looking at the other training schedules to keep up this insanity? I could be doing another 5K in 5 weeks but completely running it instead of walk/jog. I have never been a runner so this is shocking that I am actually interested in doing this. We'll see how committed I am once the real cold arrives. I may be really wishing the treadmill worked here.

Something else I am pretty amazed at, per SparkPeople I have walked/run 10.21 miles this week and 34.09 miles since I started. Crazy!!! But awesome :D

Day off

Today was cross-training/rest day. Since it also happens to be Thurs which is Matthew's meeting day, I slept in until 7:15. Oh man did that feel great!!! As usual, I felt like being productive in the morning and decided to forego the cross training so I could accomplish something inside the house. I vacuumed, did dishes, laundry, put dinner in the crockpot, played for a long time with Aaron when he got home... It has been great!! I didn't feel like getting dressed today either, so I haven't.

I think the balance I am seeking is to take my cross-training days as rest days. Give myself permission to do something else I want to do - whether it be working around the house or getting out of the house. I will probably pay for it when I run, but there will be less things I will be wishing I'd be doing instead.

On a side note, I did actually feel like walking though. My legs are a little sore, but they also itched to be used. I love that feeling of having power in my legs.

blah

I did it but man was it hard. I can tell when I hit 1 min 30 sec because I am ready to quit. I have to talk myself through - One minute you can do it. 30 seconds. 15 seconds. After the third set I walked for 4 minutes. I had meant to run at 3 but the next minute passed before I even realized it. I  figure I am doing the 3 miles, does it really matter if I take some extra minutes half way through? I did not warm up the way I normally do so I don't know if that made my legs more tired, if it is just being tired, or if my attitude was dragging me down.

Catch up

I haven't updated for the last week though I have wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. I am procrastinating my training yet again. I know how challenging it is so I dread it though I have discovered I am quite capable of the task.

Wed, Oct 17th - trained at 6 am. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the early hour. I didn't like how dark it was in the beginning but there was something peaceful about seeing most of the houses still quite for the night but a few with lamps lit. I discovered this was the hour of the rabbits. By sunrise the squirrels take over the yards. It was so nice to have my exercise out of the way and I could start my day ready to go. Because of the dark I decided to change my route a bit - came back down the street instead of cutting across the abandoned yard.

Sat, Oct 20th  - 7 sets. I had planned on going on Friday but Jared ended up staying home sick. I tried to go early but Aaron woke up and it just did not work out. Matthew had to work this day, but he didn't have to leave until 8:30 so I was able to get out the door by 7.  There are a lot more people out and about on a Saturday morning :/ I did follow the same path though and come back down the street, but decided to backtrack to where I would have cut across. I was so excited when I tracked my route to see it was 3.06 miles!!! I found my route for the 5K though I will need to go just .04 miles more. I was pretty proud of myself.

Mon, Oct 22nd - 2 minutes walk/2.5 jog/6 sets. Because I was procrastinating it was later than usual when I headed out. I ended up meeting a lady who just moved here in August from CA. We had a nice little chat and decided we needed to meet again. I LOVE this neighborhood!!!!! I kept my route from Saturday and was surprised when I finished my sets half-way through. I made it out to F and walked all the way back (20 min). When I tracked it the training part was just over 2 miles. I didn't like having so much distance to walk back so I will probably add more walking in the beginning to even it out. I had debated skipping the CC street on the way back but decided I should keep my body used to the 3 miles.

Today, Oct 24th

Last week I didn't do anything on my rest days and I think it made my training harder. Thursday night or Friday night I felt a switch go off inside and I no longer cared about the exercise. I could give it up but I am not because I want to finish this goal. I also know where I'll end up if I quit and I don't like that destination. My clothes still don't fit great, but I can tell there is some slimming happening. I do like that.

I am so tired which I think is really contributing to my desire to expend the energy to train. I am so glad I have this dog companion. Normally I would be in the middle of my route right now. Ten minutes ago he sat up and looked at me like, Aren't we going yet?!

Yesterday we went for a no pressure walk. I had no qualms with going as soon as the boys were on the bus. I didn't worry about time or miles until went to input it on my tracker. We stopped at the field so he could run around. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the sun rise over the fall touched trees and listen to the birds call each other. These birds and their songs are new to me. One was particularly intriguing. It was like listening to an instrument tuning. Simple, clear notes about five pitches apart. I came home and tried to find it on the piano. I think the pattern was G (half note) D-D-D-D (quarter-quarter-quarter - half). I wished I had the capacity to take that call and create a song with it.

Ok, enough dawdling or I will run out of time and then I'll really be in a fix.

Motivation

Just a whiney post for the moment to motivate myself to get out and do today's workout: 2 minutes of walking 2.5 minutes of running 6 times. :P

Two minutes!!!!!

Yesterday was Matthew's PT test. He passed with flying colors. YAY!!! He invited me to do my training with him at 5 am in the mornings. He wanted to start today since that is my training day, but it should be his day of rest. We are to start tomorrow. We've made plans before and they didn't happen so I didn't want to end up with two days off since I can't train tomorrow due to other obligations in the morning. So that left me with what to do about today..... I decided to stick to the schedule and plan on not having a rest day tomorrow.  Afterwards I realized we should have gone ahead and trained today because my run is his walk speed :p

I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to keep pace and breath. I made it through 4 sets before I felt really winded. After my fifth lap though I felt a change come over me. It was weird. I was on my walk and then all of a sudden I felt my face and body go hot. I decided to walk a little longer than the 3 minutes to see if I couldn't cool down some more. Thankfully a breeze picked up and that helped a lot. I was just shy of a four minute walk when I started the run. I was really feeling it though and stopped the timer at 45 seconds, walked some more, then finished off the two minutes and walked the five minutes home. I don't know what happened but I don't think it was good. When I got home my face was really splotchy red. It is possible I got dehydrated because I haven't drunk enough water this weekend.

Last night I was talking to Matthew about how I used to run for 6 minutes in a row on the treadmill and now I am barely able to do two. I don't know what the difference is. I don't remember it being this hard though I do remember having to psych myself up the whole time - 30 seconds, 45 seconds, you can do it, just a little longer, etc. - until it became easy. I just realized I ran the most minutes ever today - 10. Granted, they weren't consecutive, but still. Maybe that was my body's problem ;) We'll see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll celebrate my body's success today!

Week 2 End

I did it. I made it through week 2. yay me.

Last night was the first night in a LONG time that I felt rested and comfortable the whole night. I don't know if it was sheer exhaustion (I was really tired), the clean sheets (nothing quite like crawling in bed with clean sheets. Love it!) or that I had surrounded myself in my pillow nest. Whatever the reason it was wonderful to feel like I didn't want to get out of bed - not because I was so tired but because it felt so good to be in bed.

Anyway, between being rested and the walk yesterday, I feel like I started off my strongest yet. I did some stretching and walked for about 5 minutes before starting the clock. My first run is usually really hard but I was quite impressed with how good it felt. I began to think that I may make the 2 min run just fine. hahahaha. Anyway, I'll get to that. I was able to judge my time/distance better today so that I wasn't looking at the clock just as it hit the one minute mark. Instead I could get to the 15 seconds or even the 20 seconds before I checked how much longer. I had an idea how far the time would take me so I would set a goal to reach some landmark before checking. My first two runs were really comfortable and a good pace. It could easily have been at 4mph.  By the fourth set I was slowing down and still had three to go though I wouldn't say it was brutal like the rest of the week. Runs 6 & 7 were hard. I am pretty proud to report though that I really pushed through set 7. I was hoping for a runners' high but I think I still have a way to go before I hit that option. My last run put me through the last two long streets and I set a goal to make it to the tree at the end of it. I wanted to stop before I got there, but I pushed myself on. Time check - 1 min 45 seconds. woohoo!! Of course the idea that I would have to continue running for another 15 sec on Monday is not a happy one, but I think I can do it. I will make the best effort at least.

My legs are pretty sore at this point, and I am grateful for the two days off. I was looking at the schedule though and the two days off are supposed to precede the 7 set day (presumably to make it easier to add the extra time on). Oh well.

Today's start time: 8:52 end time 9:36 (44 min total), 2.46 miles. I still need to add another half mile to my route to get to 5K.

Walk Around

It is cross-training/rest day so I walked my route. Oh ChiMax did not like having to only walk, but he got his fill when we stopped at the field and he got to run around for 5 minutes. I was surprised at my own body's desire to run but I kept it at a brisk walk until the very end and I decided to go ahead and run and see how far I could go. It wasn't very far - basically from the F culdesac half-way to CC (maybe the 1 1/2 minutes but probably not). It took us 50 minutes for the 2.4 miles which is only 10 min more than when I have the jogging intervals.

I ended up on the sparkpeople 5k forum and someone had started a thread about how hard the week 2 day 2 was and wondering if they'd be ready for week 3 (basically the same musings I have had) but she stuck with it and discovered she was fine. She just took it one day at a time. I like that :)

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

Hillbilly housewife

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
2 T. margarine or butter
1 envelope spaghetti sauce seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese (can use 1/3 less fat Neufchatel)

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot and add remaining ingredients except cream cheese. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken with fork, add cream cheese, and stir. Let stand in crockpot until heated through. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. (serves 4 to 6)

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I did not have cream cheese on hand so I used plain yogurt. I don't know what difference it would have made but it was still good. Reminded me of stroganoff. I had to put together my own spaghetti seasoning mix so  I linked the recipe I used and only put in about 1/4 cup of it. It smelled so good while it was cooking!! I served it over brown rice with a spring salad and fruit.

Week 2 Day 3

Yesterday I took a complete rest day because I had an appointment at 9am with a sister in the ward for breakfast. I really appreciate her reaching out to me in friendship. She took me to a restaurant and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS! I ate a lot of calories yesterday between my veggie omelet with bacon and cheese and home fries and Aaron making dinner last night (hamburgers, fruit kebobs and banana choc pops for dessert). I could feel it by the end of the day but it was some good eats!!

Today was brutal. I tried to warmup a little better before starting out. I did the best I could remember of the cardioX warmup and then walked a few minutes before starting the timer. I was still sluggish on the run. Set 4 was down on my usual route and it seemed easier at that point. I don't know if it is the terrain (flatter), the timing (being really warmed up), or the familiarity of the area that is making the difference. The 1 1/2 minutes of jogging is really hard. Friday I have to do seven sets which I can do, but I dread the extra 30 sec that will be added on Monday. I'm wondering if I should do repeat this week's training or go ahead and try to stay to the schedulee. I am not sure how I can be ready for the 5K at the end of the month when I am struggling with this extra 30 sec already. I think I will try the schedule for Monday (walk 3 jog 2) and see what happens.

 I still need to get new shoes, but I wore Matthew's old NB running shoes that I'd use on the treadmill to see how it would effect my legs. I could feel my left leg wanting to cramp up on the walk back :/ They did have nice padding though. I couldn't feel every branch and pebble I was trampling.

I was thinking about what happens after I've made my goal. I don't want to just stop and lose everything I've worked for the last few weeks. I am thinking about just continuing the 5K day schedule or trying the run the 5K in 5 weeks schedule. We're heading into the winter months though and it is raining more often and getting colder which will really put a damper on my wanting to be out walking/running. I am aware of the Lord's tender mercies in the weather though. For my day off it was cold and raining and today the sun is out and comfortably cool.

Week 2 Day 1

Walk 3 min, run 1.5 min 6 times.

Since I had to do 6 sets I went all the way down our street cut through a yard and up M. which left me with 4 sets for my normal route. It was nice to be done by the time I got back to F and could walk back home. The starting was brutal and I had to really push to get that additional 30 sec of running but by the third set I had a better groove. My total mileage today was 2.41 though the training portion was just over 2. I think if I'd gone up CC I would be almost to 3 miles. I thought about it, but decided to just go on home. If I had 7 sets it would have put me at the run on CC (Friday's task).

 Man my actual 'run' was like a slow crawl jog. It was really hard today. I need to get some new shoes and some more sleep :p I was up at 5 am (helping the boys get back to sleep and printing the routes for the day) and hoped to get my training done or at least out the door by 6:30 but opted to talk to Caleb and finish getting breakfast and lunches prepared. By then it was 7 am and figured I wouldn't be able to make it back soon enough to get the boys ready for school on time. I was right based on my time. It'd warmed up by the time I went though which was nice. Tomorrow I have a 9 am appt so I will need to be done and dressed for the day by the time the boys leave for the bus. eeks.

Day of rest??

Today we participated in a corn maze for about 2 1/2 hours. I managed to make my exercise goal for the week ;)

After the maze we went to the George Washington Crossing State Park and crossed the Delaware river via bridge.

For my day off, I certainly got a lot of exercise in :)

Week 1 Complete

Well, I've accomplished the first week of training. I did Chicken Fat yesterday morning before the boys even got up and was showered at the start of the day. What a nice difference that made for my day. I have been thinking about getting up around 5 to do my training but when the alarm goes off I am just too tired. I can tell that the exercsising has made me more tired by the end of the day. But I can also tell that a difference in the way I feel. I keep thinking I am already slimming down a bit but then I put on my clothes and they are just as tight as before so it 'must be all on me head.'

Today it took a lot of self-control to walk out the door and complete my task. Today I did 6 sets instead of 5 but I felt tired before I even started. I've been having this mental debate about whether I should walk on my off days. The dog was certainly disappointed yesterday that we didn't go. I think I've decided I need to go just not do the running. I think it would help my legs to not be so sore. I will need to do the chicken fat in addition though because I need that variety for the rest of my body. Maybe I could do the walk in the afternoon with the boys and it won't matter how fast or far I go.....

According to sparkpeople, in order to reach my goal weight (losing one pound a week) I need to exercise 180 min/814 calories and I am only up to 140 minutes/650 calories. So if I had taken a walk both days I would be at my goal.

Next week I walk for 3 and run for 1.5 minutes. I am pretty confident I can handle that because it feels odd to just stop when I hit the one minute mark though I will miss that extra minute of walk. I am curious to see how that will do for my distance because it hasn't really changed until today by adding the extra set. With the 5 sets I'd go about 1.98 miles and today I did 2.12.

Anyway, here's an interesting tidbit from today's experience as posted on FB:

"I had an extra companion at the start of my walk today. The cat decided she wanted to come too and had a great time until the one minute of running and she yelled at us when we got ahead of her and she had to really exert her energies. She decided she had had enough when we past the house again. But, it was fun while it lasted :)


I left the yard and she followed me across the street. I said hi to her and she went towards that house and I kept going. Pretty soon she started meowing loudly so when I finally figured out where she was I could tell it was directed at me. So, I talked to her, talked to the neighbor and started going again. She ran to catch up and kept up with us the entire way around the block. She was a bit upset for the run and when we got to the house Tim was going to the car so she walked nonchalantly up the drive-way."

Day 1 - Game on

I was itching to walk all weekend. I thought about going Saturday morning or even Friday afternoon because the weather had cleared up by then. But I didn't. Well, the boys and I did go for a walk but it hardly counted as much exercise and certainly not for my training. Today though, was the day. Game on.

I discovered the 4 min walk/1 min run done 5 times was perfect. It is basically what I have been doing but with more structure. It works well. I will do this 2 more times this week. My route was just shy of 2 miles. I used the stop watch on my phone to keep track which worked fine but it is clumsy. I need to figure out a better method and a way to keep track of my sets or I'm going to end up getting all confused.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a cross-training or a rest day. I think I will do my Chicken Fat video though I long for some plyo jumps. Maybe instead of pogo jumps I'll do plyo ;)

I tracked my effort on sparkpeople and decided to go ahead and make a lose weight goal though it really won't be something I work really hard at. We have no scale so I am unsure of my exact weight but it was pretty close to 180 when I got here. I may be down to 175 at this point but I said I am 180 anyway. I decided to let it tell me how long it will take if I lose 1 pound a week. By mid-April I should be back down to 150. If I lost 2 pounds a week I could be done by mid-January. Maybe I will get to a point where it will be a more serious effort, but for now this is good. I am hoping that my 5K training will make up for it.

Rain day

I have been lucky with the rain up til now. It'll rain all the way up until it is time to walk out the door and then stop or just drizzle. Today it started the rain when we walked out so my plans to go for a walk were thwarted. The dog was quite disappointed and frankly so was I. My legs are not sore but feel capable and ready to see what they can accomplish today. I decided to make it an exercise video day so I searched youtube for a copy of my favorite ones but ended up on sparkpeople.com instead. They had a 12 minute cardio workout that was similar to one I like but it stopped abruptly without a cool-down. It was a good video but wasn't very fulfilling.

Anyway, sparkpeople is doing a virtual 5K run Halloween week. If I start now, I can follow their 5 week training guide. A 5Ksomething I've been thinking about doing ever so often. By the looks of the walk/jog schedule I am well on my way already. It would be really great if we could do this as a family. We'll see how well that goes over but I have high hopes.

Back in the game.

Now that life seems to be settling, I have begun the difficult process of purging all the 30+ pounds I've gained over the last year (most of that in the few months leading up to the move). I brought the treadmill with dreams of running on it again only to discover that it sucks too much power and end up having to reset the outlet the times I've tried to use it. Thankfully we have a beautiful neighborhood and great weather right now. So, I began the habit of walking again. I believe this is week 3 for me. After the first week I decided to take the dog with me. I miss walking with friends but ChiMax is a great companion and he literally pushes (ok, pulls) me to go faster and farther. He was so excited the first time I took him that we sprinted down the street. I ended up with a lot of shin pain after that first time because we were so excited to use our energies. But, we have a rhythm now and goals to help me improve.

Matthew helped me chart the distance of our paths and the one I use regularly now is about 1 and a half miles. The route  is basically a long street with streets that come off of it. I go up the streets (culdesac) and one that loops. I've worked up to running the long strips (there are 4) and walking up the streets so I get a break between running stretches. (Kind of like the letter R) I only go up the streets on the way out and skip them on the way back. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the entire thing, but for now I want to be able to run the long strip on the way back.

Today I was able to run the most so far. On the way out I ran up to the second driveway of C street. which is almost to the top of the culdesac. I did the same for F street and then made it from the end of F all the way to C (which is two strips in a row). I walked the third strip and then ran from W to the end of our street. I had to do a longer cool down so I passed our house and walked up another two driveways and back.

I keep expecting my clothes to fit better because I am exercising again, but I have to remind myself that the weight didn't appear over night and it won't disappear over night. I am not focusing too much on what I eat right now either which really makes a difference too. I try to kind of keep it in mind, but I am just not ready to spend my energies on that quite yet. Baby steps. My efforts in this area are mostly in the fact that I am actually making dinner most every night instead of eating out all the time. I know there is great value just in this effort.

I wish I could do Cardio X but I don't have that disc anymore and few people in the area are selling them. Most of the ones I've seen on craigslist are in NY.I miss my plyo action. My belly could use some core work too. All in good time though. I figure I will enjoy being able to exercise outside for now and worry about inside exercise when it gets cold.

Sept 11, 2012

I much prefer an 'in the moment' kind of post than a 'catch up' kind, but I feel that I must answer my own question about the Lord's word being true. In short, it was what He said it would be - as it always is when we put our faith and trust in Him. At this point the house saga is history and already fading in my memory because we've ended that chapter and moved onto the next.

Over the course of the last year our life and situation has been full of oddities, but each action has been a gift from God and the gift just keeps on giving. We are co-renting a house with another family from church. The opportunity presented itself just when Matthew's lease was ending and we needed to find a place for all of us. I visited in June to meet the family and figure out where we were going to live for the next year. We looked at a townhome that would have been great for our family - decent schools, good size home (basement, nice kitchen, fireplace, two bedrooms, two baths), decent price - but even so we felt that renting from this family was what was right for us. From the moment I arrived back home that weekend until we pulled up with our UHaul August 16th, I was in a stressed stupor. We unloaded our truck and filled the house with our stuff and all I could think was "and my father dwelt in a tent". I wondered how on earth we could possibly be happy in this situation (we have the downstairs two bedrooms and bathroom and share the living room, kitchen and basement.) As the furniture got arranged and the boxes unpacked, I began to see that this is doable. We've been here 4 Sundays now and I can honestly say that I am happy here. I can see how this is working and that it is a blessing for us. It is like a dance to balance each of our family's needs, but rarely do we step on each other's toes.

"And his faith waxed confident in the Lord..."

My life is surrounded with thoughts about the house selling and how much we'll get out of it. This morning as I prayed, I felt assured that we would get what we need out of the sell of the house. Yesterday I called a realtor and scheduled a visit for Wed and in the meantime she sent a listing of houses that have sold or are on the market currently. I felt totally deflated and anxious after seeing them. As I closed the listings and my email, my thought was "He said it will be ok so it will, right?" And then my mind caught hold of memories from the night before.

A storm came through last night - an answer to prayer in and of itself - which caused the lights to flicker. Aaron said we need to say a prayer for the lights to stay on, so he said one. The lights flickered one more time and almost popped off but stayed on. Recognizing his prayer was heard, we said a thank you prayer and went on with eating our dinner. Some minutes later (maybe 10) the lights went completely out. I called the boys to me and Aaron said we needed to say a prayer again. As he completed his sentence pleading for the power to come back on the lights they did. He said 'Oh, well that was good!' and said thank you for answering his prayer so quick. Recognizing the power of his prayer, Aaron had the thought that he should pray that the power will always stay on. I told him that I don't think the Lord will guarantee that. At this point, Aaron had absolutely no doubt that the Lord would answer his prayer so he prayed for that as well and the power did stay on the rest of the night.

It warmed my heart to have his prayers answered so completely. The Lord heard his little son's pleading and loved to comply. And in return, Aaron's faith waxed confident in the Lord. How can I doubt or feel anxious when the Lord has given me assurance that it will work out? His words have proved true again and again. So, I put my faith and trust in the Lord and will do all I can to make my house desireable. 

The Purge

I have been slowly working through my cluttered house sorting, culling, shredding, dispensing, and trashing things that have been occupying space for years now. It has been a hard thing, but I'm ready.

Today I did a huge thing for me. I was going through a box of my things (it is always easier to declutter someone else's stuff because there's no emotional attachment to it) and came upon the stack of lessons I gave in Relief Society when I was the fourth Sunday teacher - which means these are talks given by prophets and apostles with my thoughts and inspirations received while preparing the lessons. Two of my wants in my home have been shelves filled with books so my children could have good books at their disposal, and a file full of church material to aid mine and my family's gospel studies. These are great goals, but I have come to the realization that there are public libraries at our disposal and my children are more likely to search the Internet for the talks they are interested in reading and not my file that I keep locked in a room they aren't allowed to play in. So, as I looked at this stack of papers, I took a deep breath and put them in the recycling bin. Not my "to file" bin. In the recycling bin. They are purged.

Yesterday I was going to get a spoonful of ice cream just because I could. I had one of those moments where I felt this tiny decision was one which carried great weight. If I followed through with it, I would be would be one step closer to losing this battle over self and Satan would laugh his maniacal laugh. But if I put the spoon back and walk away, I would have strength and power.

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." ~Mosiah 3:19


"behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" ~Alma 37:6

"And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth." ~1 Nephi 22:26

The Three Books

Let me tell you a story about The Three Books.


When I was called as Primary President in March of 2011, I sought out a blank book that Matthew had on the shelf and requested permission to claim it as my own to use as a journal. Many months later a blessing was given with counsel to write in my journal daily during this year of fire as it would be necessary for my posterity's sake. Although I have not been exact in my daily requirement, I have kept it up regularly.

From July 26, 2011:

I had a thought/picture this morning of my writing to the future generations who will read this account. I was thinking more about the blessing I received. In it, I was counseled to keep a daily record - the good and hard times - because it will serve a great purpose for those who come after me. I thought of the Book of Mormon and the counsel given to keep a record and the manifestations of the Spirit. I wondered if some of the 'knowings' and 'dealings' came from Priesthood blessings such as my own.

As I remember that this record is to be of value to my posterity, I begin to see Nephi's feelings more fully. He would not fill his journal with the mundane things but of those things that are of most value - the things of the Spirit and their relationship with God. What will my posterity gain from this record? What is it that would help them the most? I believe the promptings & inspirations are of great value, but perhaps my faith and testimony in the everyday life is of worth as well. I shall have to ponder this further and find out if the Lord needs me to record specific things....

I was thinking more about scripture comparisons. From the beginning I have thought of Nephi and felt like he did. Matthew compared himself to Abraham. Both men experienced a trial of faith, but the elements were different. I see them both.

Monday, December 12 I was sitting at my computer when I heard a large vehicle on our street. Soon I heard a shuffling sound and the doorbell ring. I was surprised to discover a bunch of wrapped packages waiting for us along with a note from The Happy Elves. On the back was a calendar with the dates leading up to Christmas circled. I wondered if this was the first of many visits from the Happy Elves. Amongst the presents for the boys was one for me. The paper had torn a bit and a soft blanket peeked at me.

From Friday, Dec 16, 2011 (the last page of my journal)

This morning my scripture reading paralleled my life again. I had asked myself what kind of journal I should keep. This is Nephi's answer in 1 Nephi 6:3-6 : "the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world; ... not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men; .. I write the things of God."

Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gifts

My heart is full today as I reflect on the blessings I've been showered with. It has been a tough week filled with wonderful things that also carried a lot of stress in it. I've also filled my journal so I'm feeling at a loss as to where to write.

Thurs, December 22 Mom called asking if she could borrow the boys from me. I was so glad to hear this question because I had just been contemplating how I was going to get to the store to finish my Christmas shopping for them. I wondered if she wanted to take them shopping for me, so I told the boys that just in case anyone wanted to know, what I really wanted for Christmas was a new journal. Jared suggested a new spiral notebook, but I told him I didn't want one like that. I reminded him what my journal looked like so he could understand what kind I wanted. He understood. That night he told me he found a new spiral on his desk I could use. He showed it to me and I let him know that it actually belonged to him to be used as a journal. That very night he opened it up and wrote in it. His first entry: "I am happy."

Sunday, December 25, 2011 (5 am)
Longing.....

I am missing my journal these days :( I filled it last week and have so much to add, but have neglected writing here too. Last night I got on the computer with the intent of writing and went back to bed before I remembered that had been my intent :/

Around 9:30 am our final gift was discovered along with this note:

We hope you have enjoyed your Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Lord testified in many hearts independently this Christmas season, that Sister ... was deserving of blessings because of her faithfulness.

'Yeah, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.' (D&C 8:2)

Many returns for your faithful service to your sisters and unyielding prayers for the children of the ward.

'And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.' (Moses 7:18)

And let that which belongs to this people be appointed unto this people. And the money which is left unto this people - let there be an agent appointed unto this people, to take the money to provide food and raiment, according to the wants of this people. And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you. (D&C 51:7-9)

This is not the result of our observations about your financial needs. It is a gift to you from the Lord.

And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers. (D&C 10:47)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.

'Therefore this is thy gift; apply it unto it, and blessed art thou, for it shall deliver you...' (D&C 8:4)

Sunday, December 25, 2011 (about 5:30 am)

I talked to a Known Elf [Friday] about the 12 days of Christmas. She said that the most she can say is that I am very loved. I feel that way and am humbled by the generosity of each of these families who gave so much to us. So many times I thought how nice something would be and then it would appear as a gift. How can that be unless there are those who are in tune with the Spirit because He knows the desires of my heart?

Christmas presents seem so much more important and exciting to children so I always let them go for it and not worry about opening mine. However, my children have such good hearts and remembered my presents and encouraged me to open mine before all of theirs were even done.
Since I'd already seen the blanket peeking from the wrapping, I left it for last. I had no clue that that first gift that I had saved for last would contain my most treasured possession.
Tucked inside the blanket was a beautiful new journal. Tears poured down my cheeks as I felt Heavenly Father's love for me. Before I'd even asked for a new journal, one was waiting for me under the tree. This is Book Two. This simple book feels so sacred to me because it represents a loving Father who anticipates our needs and the faithfulness of others who follow the promptings of the Spirit. How could I fill its pages with anything but "the things of God?"


Book Three arrived in the form of a gift from the boys. Mom had indeed taken the boys shopping for me. They were able to relay my desire for a new journal and now another wonderful book waiting for words is in my possession. I am thankful for my loving family and their desire to fill my needs as well.

1 Nephi 9:2 "And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after my own name; and these plates also are called tbe plates of Nephi." Now just as Nephi kept two separate records, I can as well.

To the Happy Elves, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot adequately express my love and appreciation for you and the sacrifices your families have made on our behalf.