The Wonderful Wendy Watson Nelson

A dear friend of mine called me today and invited me to an institute "devotional" in Sandy tonight with Wendy Watson Nelson (the wife of Russell M. Nelson, one of the 12 apostles). Now mind you I'm a little "old" for this institute group, but this dear friend of mine invites me anyway, partly because I'm single I guess. But I know the main reason is because he gets "inspired" to do so. Am I ever thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord, for my friend's inspiration and willingness to follow the Spirit, because it's always something I need to hear. That was the case tonight, more so than ever.

Before tonight I didn't know anything about Sister Nelson other than she was single her whole life until she married Elder Nelson after his wife passed away, and that she was in her 50's (that's a long time to be single!) And I will admit when I saw her come in, I thought she looked a little dull and boring. Boy was I wrong! This woman has quite the sense of humor! And she's smart! She was a marriage and family counselor for years, and later a professor at BYU. She told a lot of fun stories about herself and about "dating" and being married to an apostle and about President Monson. It was a delightful evening (I sound like my mom) :)

She joked a lot about her age. She said she's old enough to be our mother, and for some of us- our grandmother, and she intended to talk to us as such. Her main message was "NOT EVEN ONCE." She had a lot of pictures to go with her stories (she has a propensity for taking photos of signs - it's nice to know I'm not the only one!) The difference between us is that she is a master at using her photos as visual aids for a wonderful and important lesson. She told a story of getting lost driving from Montana to Canada, but along the way she drove by a big barn with 3 words on the roof......"NOT EVEN ONCE." She said if she lived by that one motto alone it would be all she needed. "Forget whatever you've done in the past" she said, "and start today to say Not Even Once will I......." (fill in your own blank here).

She also said "Don't miss an opportunity to....." Don't miss an opportunity to pay a full tithing, to be kinder to someone (one of my favorite things she said tonight "unkindness is unnecessary!") to invite the Spirit into your home in full abundance, to create an environment where the Spirit wants to be, to fully and completely repent. I cringe when I think of all the opportunities I've missed in my life.

She ended with the thoughts "Be prepared to be generous (she told a story about a time when President Monson was travelling overseas and he ended up giving away half of the outfit he had on - his jacket - even his shoes - to individuals who needed them, so now he packs in preparation for giving away his clothes), and be prepared to be where the Lord needs you to be."

Am I where the Lord needs me to be? Not 100%, but I'm working on it. Thank you Sister Nelson for the wonderful words of encouragement and advice.

I'm so out of shape!

So my friend Shannan and I have decided to train for a 5K next April. I know what your thinking........next April? How pathetic......6 months to train to run 3 miles?? Well I need it! I've never been a runner, but I am determined to change that.

Shannan actually hasn't started training yet- she's 8 1/2 months pregnant. But as soon as the doctor gives her the ok she'll start training too. I decided to start now because I'll need as much time as I can get! :)

I remember my 4th grade teacher- Mrs. Allen. She was big into running, so our class ran laps every day. Towards the end of the school year, our class ran the Run For Life (a 10K). Even way back in 4th grade I was not a runner. I loved dancing, but not running. The run ended at Highland High School and all I remember is painful shin splints and crossing the finish line dead last, after they had cleaned up and almost everyone had gone home, and my mom and brother were the only ones there- waiting for me. I look back and laugh now, but that is how it's always been for me and running.

So Shannan referred me to a website that has a "Couch Potato to 5K" running plan on it and today was my first day. It starts with a 20 minute workout alternating 60 seconds running, 90 seconds jogging (plus 5 minutes to warm up and 5 minutes to cool down). The plan says to only run 3 days a week and let your body recover in between days. When I was reading it earlier today I thought to myself "20 minutes? That's easy- I can do that every day." After running tonight though, I think I'll take their advice and give my body a day to rest in between workouts :) I wouldn't say it killed me, but I was definitely ready to be done running by the end of the 20 minutes. I can walk forever, but 60 seconds of running can feel like an eternity!

So Wednesday is my next day. We'll see how it goes. I'm excited for the challenge and excited to get in shape!

I'm officially a "blogger"

After much prodding from friends, I'm starting a blog. I've been hesitant because I thought blogs were for mom's to brag about their kids and post cute pictures. But I've since discovered there are plenty of single people out there blogging their hearts out. I will now be one of them.

Anyone who knows me knows that my niece (Samantha) and nephew (Mason) are the loves of my life. Since I don't have children of my own (yet), you will be hearing and seeing a lot about them (I have plenty of cute pictures and love to brag) :) I also love to travel and spend time with family and friends- they will all be on here too!