Who are you doing it for?

Let me preface this post by saying I've had a couple of really interesting weeks.  Some emotional upheaval, both good and bad.  My family and friends have been really good  about just listening and letting it be.  I spent a lovely day with my sisters on Saturday and attended the LDS General Womens Conference.  It was a good day.  As I've been mulling over the events of the past while, a general theme kept running through my head.  I think its ready to be written down now. 
I suppose I've been wondering why people do things.  What motivates them.  Who are you doing things for in your life?  I'm sure my perspective is different from someone else's simply because our lives are different.  I'm sure someone would say that my thoughts could be categorized as completely selfish because I don't necessarily have to care for a dependant.  But, like I said, our lives are different.  However, I would dare to say that my point would apply regardless of your situation.
Who are you doing things for in your life?  I'm not talking about the every day things like fixing lunch for your kids or working to support yourself or your family.  I'm talking about all the extra things that add stress and make you busier than you need to be.  Are you spending your time and efforts on things that make other people happy but not necessarily yourself?  For example, I like to blog.  I usually blog in spurts.  I like to share some of my life with friends and family who read this.  It makes me happy.  But I listen to moms in my ward or friends at school who are literally in a panic about what to post!  Was it funny enough?  Did I include a picture?  Are there going to be alot of comments made?  What could I say that would generate traffic?  THAT is why you blog?  You're stressing over that?! haha  Makes no sense to me.
Is this making sense?  I used the blog reference because I just spoke with someone about that.  But I could use a zillion different references.  Who are you reading books for in your book club?  Just to say you're part of a book club or because reading and discussing a book really makes you happy?  Who did you get plastic surgery for?  Or implants for?  What made you change your hair or get acrylic nails?  Do you really enjoy spending time with that person or do you just know they have connections so you keep up appearances?  Is it trendy so you thought you'd do it even though you know its stupid and makes you stressed and unhappy?  Is it really you underneath all these things or are you just lost in what makes other people have a false impression of your happiness?  I can't answer those things for you and I'm certainly not rushing to judgement about any of it.  For heaven sakes, I'll be the first to tell you I spend good money making myself happy with my hair color LOL
I guess my point is this.  (I'm not making it very well, am I?)  I'm frustrated with people who complain about their "extra tasks" that bring them no joy.  Then why are you doing it?!  Can't you be happy and comfortable in your own skin yet? Strip yourself down.  What's left?  Take away your fake nails, tans, body parts, your fake personality to fit in with the group, your "very important" activities and see if you're happy with you.  That's the only person you have to please.  I'm tryin to do it and wow- that's deep haha But good to realize what I'm doing and WHY and for WHOM.  Just thought I'd pass that along.

I added to my food storage today...

Remember when I went to California in July?  I flew Jet Blue.  The stewardess brought around snacks and I chose a bag of something called PopCorners, Kettle flavor.  OH MY GOSH.  I was immediately addicted!  I'm dead serious.  Serious enough that I saved the bag and brought it home to see where I could purchase them locally.  AND.... I can't. Sadness!  So I went to their website and well... look.

LOL!  Yes- I ordered a case.  It came to about $2.05/ bag.  They are worse than Lay's because I really CAN eat just one of those but these things?!  No way.  I've spoken with their Product Publicity Manager man named Matt and given him contact information for my favorit local grocery store :)  Pretty please start bringing them in!

Thank you, Ron Clark, for saying what I want to say!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

Just So You Know

Just So You Know
By: Sarah Addison Allen

You fall in love with every book you touch. You never break the spine or tear the pages. That would be cruel. You have secret favorites but, when asked, you say that you could never choose. But did you know that books fall in love with you, too?
They watch you from the shelf while you sleep. Are you dreaming of them, they wonder, in that wistful mood books are prone to at night when they’re bored and there’s nothing else to do but tease the cat.
Remember that pale yellow book you read when you were sixteen? It changed your world, that book. It changed your dreams. You carried it around until it was old and thin and sparkles no longer rose from the pages and filled the air when you opened it, like it did when it was new. You should know that it still thinks of you. It would like to get together sometime, maybe over coffee next month, so you can see how much you’ve both changed.
And the book about the donkey your father read to you every night when you were three, it’s still around – older, a little worse for wear. But it still remembers the way your laughter made its pages tremble with joy.
Then there was that book, just last week, in the bookstore. It caught your eye. You looked away quickly, but it was too late. You felt the rush. You picked it up and stroked your hand over its glassy cover. It knew you were The One. But, for whatever reason, you put it back and walked away. Maybe you were trying to be practical. Maybe you thought there wasn’t room enough, time enough, energy enough.
But you’re thinking about it now, aren’t you?
You fall in love so easily.

But just so you know, they do, too.

Borrowed from her website:  http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com/so_you_know.html

My new favorite find

As you know, I've been working out in the mornings again.  4:30 a.m. is early, let me tell you.  Some days it about kills me but I've been fairly faithful about it.  I have some personal cheerleaders checking on me and I simply can't let them down! haha My 16 year old neice has dubbed herself my best personal cheerleader and she's really the one who got me out of bed last Wednesday.  The thought went through my head like this: "I hate that alarm. I'm so tired.  I'll text Jenna and tell her I worked really hard yesterday and I'm taking the morning off....... ya.. that sounds GOOD!.......but then when Sam asks how I'm doing I'll have to be honest and tell her I sluffed.... UGH! I can't let her down! I would suck as a role model! Ok fine..."  And I got up.  You can see I'm cheery that early in the morning, right? :)
Something else I'm NOT at 4:30 is hungry.  Who really wants to eat anything at that hour?  However, its better to eat something small prior to working out so your metabolism can really get going.  I invested in the LARGE package of peanut butter sandwich crackers at Costco several months ago thinking "Hmm- these will be good.  Protein and carbs- nice choice."  And then after about two weeks of them, I wanted to gag every time I thought about munching on them while driving to the gym.
SO- I needed to find something new.  These are my new morning treat:

I found these at Costco, too.  I was a little worried they might be too pop-tarty for my taste.  Pop-tarts make me go in to Sugar Shock and get caught in my lederhosen.  Plus, they're not healthy.  However, these Special K numbers are so yummy and 50 calories per crisp.  THIS I can handle at 4:30 a.m.  Then I can come home and have some peanut butter with toast and a plum.  MUCH better.  Go check them out!