Monday, July 28, 2014

Through small and simple things

great things come to pass.

I am taking those simple steps now.

I woke up early:
-checked email
-quickly perused facebook for business related posts
-read some articles on business
-available to take phone calls 8-9 am MDT
-moving kids along to take of animals etc.
-hit the treadmill for 15 mins-a slow walk

Does it always happen like this?? NO

Next on the agenda tonight will be The basic four workout.

The Basic Four are the exercise that all exercises are based on:
Push Ups (Close hand or Diamonds, Shoulder width, Wide arm or outside the shoulder)
Pull Ups (Using bands and/or tower to do Lat Pulldowns)
Squats (touch my glute to the bench, but don't sit down)
Deadlifts. (bend at the hips, not the waist or the knee-knee should not be locked)
 and for fun I throw in some lunges. (Ok, not fun, pure torture I hate them. But they help shape the glute and the thigh. So I do them anyway.)

I am improving a little at a time. Taking the steps necessary to reach a larger goal (Those pictures in the post prior). I'll address food later.
 I really need to find Breakfast and the shower.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Home Again

We survived our trip to St. Louis, Missouri and back home. It was fun to catch up with old friends and to make new ones. In some ways it does makes me miss the military. For some the environment would be uncomfortable, but for me it was quite comfortable. Some what like going for a reunion. If you have been in the military there is a certain degree of connection period. We understand the sacrifices we each made to keep our freedoms and our fellow country men. 

I have enjoyed being involved with the VFW since my friend Sanford "Sandy" Beshear, past Utah State Commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars. Gave me my first membership. A year later I paid for my life membership. I was not very active at first, but a move to Brigham City, UT changed that. My Aunt was active in the local post and invited me to a post meeting and then I met Norm Nelson, Past State Commander and current Post Commander. I have been active participating in Funerals, Eagle Scout Flag Presentations, and many other events over the past 10 years. This year I have not been as active because we are building multiple entrepreneural ventures and gaining my self-directed education. My reading has focused on becoming an inspiring servant leader. I am very imperfect and admit sometimes I have a touchy trigger. Certain things set me off. I know my kids aren't perfect and I freely admit it. I just wish that honesty was everywhere. I love the kids I have known who are true to their personalities in front of their parents as well as away from their parents. there should be no difference in public versus private behavior. Anyway tangent over. I have learned so much from those around me in the last year it is amazing, more so I have learned so much about myself. Looking back I can see how I have pushed myself to become better than I was. I have learned what I need to correct and improve on.

Listening. generally I am good, but when I get hungry or tired or frustrated because I need to step away from work. I become a little crabby.

Eating this has been an issue for some time, I generally can not eat until later in the morning which can be frustrating when I have to spend the day out and start early. I wake up really nauseated, I am only able to take in liquids-not very filling. Fast Sundays for me are real fun.  I have been doing a modified breakfast for about 8 years. I eat just enough bland food to take the edge off my hunger. because when I am able to I eat.

Exercise. This one is funny, because I truly love health and fitness. It is my chosen profession. I have struggled with it for about 8 years now because of Severe Chronic Fatigue.  I have beat myself up over my lack of exercise for a long time and only recently decided that I do what I can do. I have my weight set, Treadmill and other fitness tools in our living room. Most Women would have a cow if their husbands did this. But I am not just any woman. I wanted it in my face to prick me and tell me use it. Why would I torture myself this way? Because I know there is that hump you get over and exercise is something to look forward to. For many years it was my major Stress release. I have a history of bodybuilding prep, in which I spent most of a year prepping for a competition in which I chose not to compete. I know that getting back on the horse to ride will help me feel better about myself and look at life more positively. I especially love helping and serving others obtain their fitness goals. The human form is a beautiful masterpiece that iron and steel can shape and mold. I am very visual when it comes to human form and I notice beauty (male and female). But let say I notice the heart too. when the heart and the human form combine it can very exciting.

Family time. My daughter found out I can have fun. At home I am so tied up in things that need to be done sometimes I forget to stop and smell the roses. I am changing that. I am making an effort to spend time doing things my kids like. John the youngest is teaching me Minecraft, 15 mins is all I can do. I am learning to listen carefully and notice the signs of an older child struggling with their faith and belief. Not knowing why others behave as they do. He says it makes him doubt. He says all religion sounds the same. My heart aches for him and I pray he will find his way. My daughter is getting to go on her mission for our church for 18 months.

Husband time.  I have always done my best to give most of the time available to my husband. but I do not always succeed it is rather hard when his is half way around the world and wants to chat when I should be sleeping. But I have given my best effort. I am making the effort to give him more time especially working in our businesses. He needs it even more. I do not want him to think that I don;t need him, because that is just not true. I do need him  without his support and encouragement I would not be where I am at now.

Time for my Heavenly Father the most important of all is this relationship. Why? because the closer I get to Him the more things fall into place in my life and it all flows better. With Him all Things are possible.

I'll leave off here for now.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Why I love fitness ( and some history from the beginning...)

This has been in draft form waiting to be refined, I have decided to publish it as is with grammar, spelling and the time periods jumping back and forth.
 Why should anyone care about health and fitness? Well we live longer than any other time period in history. But I should back up and explain where my love of health and fitness comes from. It might be said I have had a love affair with health and fitness since I was young.
I was born in Virginia and soon after when I was very young my family moved back to the family homestead in Upper Michigan where my dad was born. I spent my days running through the woods and playing with my cousins. I learned to shoot a bb gun then. I still love to shoot, just bigger ones now. I was fortunate to be able to have that freedom to be as active as I wanted. I just could not seem to sit still unless I was being read to. I think that is when my mother decided she did not have as much time as I would have liked to read to me (all day). At age four she taught me to read and write. In fact, I got a spanking from my kindergarten teacher because I was reading the blackboard out loud to the other kids. It was rather frustrating because I loved words and learning. I loved a good storyline, though I did not know what that meant until later in life. We were without a tv for few years while in school, our entertainment was reading and playing games. During the summer we would check out 40 plus books a week and take them back to the library the next week. Later in life I would to check out books from the library on health and learn about different things (Novels, crafts, history, and cultures).  I would read about indians* and how they lived on the plains in grade school. In Virginia, while in middle school we studied indians in history and the about daily life. We learned how the early settlers interacted with the early Indians; in some things it was sad and then happy. I was fascinated by how they built their homes from nothing more than dirt, sticks and mud or the fact they used sticks and animal hides. I kept studying this way and learning pioneer skills. I have many books today and do like to practice some of those pioneer skills now more out of necessity now than for fun.


When I entered high school I really wanted to run cross country track. I ran and had a stellar performance puking my guts out after reaching mile 2. Needless to say I did not run cross country, because my physical stamina was not great and there was not really a safe place to run where I lived. I was drawn to books that explained how the body works. I loved biology, granted my grades did not show it. My junior year I had the opportunity to be a manager with the Varsity Football Team. This started an interest in Athletic training, which I would later go to college for in a related field.
I met my husband while at BYU, My initial degree program was Mechanical Engineering, but Calculus and I were not getting along during the Summer term. That class was my best sleep period. Honestly I did my best to stay awake for it. When the Fall term rolled around I looked into the Athletic Training Program. I switched to the program and started the perquisites classes. Beginning the Winter Semester I enlisted in the Utah National Guard and I said “Yes” to my husband for the third time. Keeping in mind I was engaged during my whole freshman year. My Winter Semester grades that were less than desirable. I had taken anatomy, physiology, nutrition science, and exercise science classes during my initial year in college. We married in April, I continued read everything I could get my hands on about health and fitness, as time allowed until August when I entered Basic Training and during training that followed. Being healthy and fit is something that is expected in the military. 
October 23, 2002 Home schooling and Nursing John-
~140# ??% Body fat
January 1, 2005-Final Prep for April BB competition
~100# ~13% body fat
I will fast forward to the period after my active duty tour, I came back to the Utah National Guard (1997). I entered Salt Community College to earn my Associate of Science (1998). I then went to the University of Utah to earn my Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science (2000). I took many classes in how the human body works. The major push for this program of study was to prepare students to take certification tests to become personal trainers or prepare for Medical School. The time between December 2000 and March 2004. I had our last little boy and some interior redecoration, this for me was sad. I would have readily had more children, but I know there are other ways to help raise children -Grandchildren. We look forward to this. I started to go to the gym and begin to shape my body. I decided to become a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) in February 2004. I quickly decided to pick up the Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM-PES) Certification in March. I found NASM had partnered with California University of Pennsylvania (California, PA) to offer a Masters’ Program that integrated the PES Certification. I called and I interviewed with the program head-Barry. At the end of our interview, he told me when I was ready- call him because I was in. I discussed this with my husband and we felt it was a good path to take. I entered their second cohort in July 2004. I worked and studied –usually 9 pm to 1 or 2 am, because I was still home schooling our children. It was a great period of growth and learning. That inspired me to keep learning from as many sources as possible. It taught me about how we evaluate information on a scientific basis. Honestly sometimes that is really snobbish. I have found many valid studies from Europe and abroad. Considering some of the treatments have been around for centuries and only replaced by modern medicine recently. I digress- during this time period (July 2004-August 2005-CoHort Classes) my husband returned from a deployment, I trained throughout for a body building competition, we moved, my father became seriously ill, and my husband deployed again; all while working to sell the house we had lived in. In December 2005, I went to PA to be robed and meet many of my classmates. I had never set foot on campus until this time. This degree program was completely online and a huge blessing in my life. 

Since that time, I have learned more through experience. I understand those that deal with chronic fatigue, digestive issues and so much more. I have been blessed with children who for a time took care of me. They fed me, took care of the house, and so much more. I apologize for judging those who suffered with those and other ailments. We moved to small piece of property to learn about homesteading. I have learned why I really need to be physically fit. I need to be able to do simple tasks of taking care of farm animals and produce items of various kinds.
I do not take any medicine at this point, because of allergies to fillers. I use supplements, herbs, essential oils, and energy work. The process of correcting issues within my body has been interesting.  I learn new things every day about essential oils, herbs and energy work. I have been blessed to have a great mentor who inspired me to dig deeper-Oliver DeMille. I will really have to dig deeper into this in another post. But it is related to recent changes in my actions and thoughts. Oliver co-authored a book with Orrin Woodward-Leadershift. Leadershift addresses the issues we are facing today with our overbearing government. Because of this book and Thomas Jefferson Education, my husband decided he needed a mentor. Through Rachel and Oliver, we received the name of an excellent mentor Ian. My husband started mentoring and within a month I saw great changes within my husband. He read more and was thinking more critically. Ian introduced us to LIFE Leadership. That has been one of the best things that has entered our life literally. For me personally, of the 8F’s Fitness of great interest, recently in February they came out with a Health and Fitness pack. My husband noticed I had bought this and made the comment-You bought that to pick it apart. Yes, somewhat I do that-but not like I used to. I like to see scientific backing for information that is given. I keep in mind that most studies are generalized and then by professionals applied to everyone. I have read books by Doctors and other famous fitness professionals, where they present ideas that they do not cite the original source. Because interpretation can be different from person to person and how the protocol may affect them can be different from person to person. I love books I can take the bibliography and read those baseline studies and see what my understanding is. This gives me a good base to discuss with other from. I enjoyed thoroughly talking to George and Jill Guzzardo when they spoke in Salt Lake City. I had listened to his CD several times and watched his video on the Library in our LIFE Leadership page several times. It felt so good to see this information from a viewpoint I could get. There are so many factors that influence how exercise and food process with in our body.
My husband and I have come to the conclusion:
-eat more minimally processed food-Fresh from the garden or frozen, home canned vs. commercial canning. I must actually cook more.
-raise our own food so we know the inputs-Raise our own animals to know what they are fed and treated –minimize antibiotic use and allow nature to take its course
-we must minimize our spending and start investing in our minds vs. things
-removing those activities in our that no longer serve us in living our mission in life
-remove things that are blocking new adventures from coming into our life
-we must build relationships to help serve others not what they can do for us
Major focus-Service to others not money.  When we are in the service of our fellowman we are but in the service of our God.

I am literal daughter of God, who has a mission and purpose in this life.
I am a wife who is married to man who loves his God and country. He serves both.
I am mother. I do my best to raise children who will preserve freedom and give proper gratitude to God for those freedoms.
I am friend. I get to know other people because of their goodness and grace.
Everything else I am falls below these three roles-
entrepreneur, home educator, veteran, volunteer, church member, community member, farmer, etc and so much more.

I shall leave off here…


* Please understand this wording (using indians versus native Americans) is from my childhood and for this story it is within context for the time period. I respect and love all Native cultures of the Americas, because they have many rich traditions and a beautiful culture over all.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Crockpot Dinner

AS an experiment I am just throwing some things into our 5 quart Crockpot.

1 lb of organic grass fed beef (thawed and chopped into chunks)
1 1/4 cups of mixed gourmet beans
1/4 cup of the following:
Dried onion
Dried carrots
Dried celery
Arborio rice
6 cups or water (no broth on hand)

Put it on low for 10 hours.

We want to start rotating foods better and eating a more balanced diet based on what we know to be good for us. This is not a food pyramid or my plate meal. I am fixing something more like our ancestors would.
My kids only requirements are no mushrooms :(

Will report back tomorrow how it went for lunch.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Dying Laptops and Dreams

I tried this yesterday, my laptop is going the way of most electronics. We used to love Dell, until they shipped all their work overseas. My oldest being the geek he is was able to recover everything with a Linux based program once my windows became un-repairable. The laptop limped along 6 months then I transferred the hard disk from the chassie (spelling?) to an external case and used it on an older dell that was on its way out. Ironically that desktop is still going with Fedora (a Linux based Program). I got a new HP Laptop for $600 through Costco shipped directly from China. Well come to find out I cannot  upgrade to Windows 8.1 or downgrade to Windows 7 (really would be an upgrade). No Bluetooth on board. DO NOT Buy these laptops, spend the money on a decent laptop. You get what you pay for. WE are buying an iMac next. Like all things we do and buy now, we put money aside until we have accumulated enough to do the activity or buy the item.

We went on Vacation Mid-May until Memorial Day. We traveled to Denver and waited for my husband to complete Reserve Duty. We then headed to Nauvoo, IL. In Nauvoo, we were going to camp but because of high winds and rain decided it best not to. We did do a few activities that afternoon and looked around the Visitors center and souvinier shop. John got a cap from the time period. I picked up a couple books and Rolling pin. We also bought homemade root beer. The next day my husband and I were able to participate in a Temple Session. It is such a beautiful and spiritual environment. The kids were able to participate in some other activities while we were there. Next we headed to NC to see my brother. WE spent a few days there. It was good as my youngest kids never met him and his wife. It was fun to take a trip to Nags Head to the beach. Many years ago, I was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. My husband I would frequent Cape Hatteras Beach and Light house. We also loved touring the USS North Carolina. WE headed to Berks County to look at Headstones for my husbands family. It was actually fun looking at various Headstones and such. Now if I could get my Dad's Genealogy past the 5 Generation mark in Finland. We then headed to the capstone event and that was to see one my husbands friends from Tours in Iraq get married. A beautiful wedding. I honestly have not seen that many weddings. Receptions- yes. Sealings in the Temple-all total 3. The ho-down after was absolutely fun to watch.
Thank you Chuck and Nicole Beebe for a wonderful experience.

Our next Adventure was a LIFE Leadership Major Convention in Columbus, Ohio. Wow! What a drive. Should I say we needed oars. It was great. Loved all of the speakers Friday and Saturday. Bill Lewis was Awesome times two. The recognition was awesome. Orrin Woodward Setting a New Guinness Worlds Record was fun and getting to help was even more fun. We left Early Sunday, because my husband had to be home to go to work. Really sucks, but the future is bright. I will have to review notes and report on those.

WE love the Sons of Liberty,  we belong to a wonderful Team.

Time for more reading and self education.