A few months ago or so I openly told the blogging world that I had started jogging on a regular basis around my neighborhood. At that point in time I was only able to jog like a granny for about 3/4 of a mile before getting heavily winded. Since that time I have kept up the jogging routine, which in and of itself is a miracle to anyone that knows me! It was a decision that I am glad that I have stuck with. I have to admit that in starting out I would often ask myself "WHY DO PEOPLE PUT THEMSELVES THROUGH THIS?!" But I decided that no matter what thoughts ran through my mind, that I was going to stick to it.
When the weather started getting cooler, I realized that with my sensitive lungs would not really survive jogging outside. I joined the Ogden Athletic Club and have continued jogging. I go at least 3 times a week. I was happy to say that though to many experienced joggers/runners it may well mean nothing, last Monday night I jogged 3 miles without stopping and felt great! Then much to my own surprise I beat that personal goal last night by jogging 4 miles with out stopping! It felt amazing! I know some of you may be laughing to yourselves about the big deal I am making out of this, but I have never ever been a jogging/running person. Thanks to my Ipod and a great pair of running shoes, I have been able to stick with it! My commitment to taking better care of myself is still working!
Sunday, October 26
Saturday, October 18
48 Hours of Joy
This last week started just like any other. I went to work Monday, and all day Tuesday. I came home after work Tuesday and was thinking about what we would have for dinner, and anticipating picking Brandon up from work.
That's when I got the call. Our Resource Family Consultant called and told me there were two little people being removed from a home right as we spoke that we needed to pick up to bring home! I was speechless, but thrilled all the same. I got off the phone as quick as I could and went to grab Brandon from work. We needed some extra time to run to the store to buy some car seats, and baby stuff. The ladies at Babies R Us were fantastic as we quickly told them why we were in a hurry. We made the mad dash to the Christmas Box House off of 12th Street in Ogden to meet a brother and sister that were coming to our home. The little girl was nearly 2 years next month, and the little guy was just 7 months. Their names were Rahniya and Aubrey. We called them Niya and Bubba for kicks.
They didn't stay with us long though, even though at first we were told it could be a while since mom wasn't in the picture. We were told that mom had left the babies with their great grandparents and had moved to St. Louis for whatever reason. But as soon as mom found out her kids were in custody she flew back and got them. We will never know why the judge let her take them back so quickly, but have to accept that it's the Lord's will.
We absolutely fell in love with these little ones. Niya was very trusting immediately when we picked them up. Luckily the little guy was too young to fully get what was going on. The kids hadn't had their own beds while at their grandparent's so getting them to sleep was an insurmountable task. The 1st night with us, she zonked right out because of the trauma of the day, and the baby would only sleep if I was laying down with him snuggled up on my chest.
It was heartbreaking when we got that call to take them back. They didn't want to go with their mom. Niya was handed over to her mom and turned around to look at me and started crying, screaming, and reaching out for me. Bubba was upset too. It was even more difficult to leave them like that, and Brandon and I cried all the way home.
We took training classes that told us it would be difficult to leave babies behind. But nothing could have prepared us for the broken hearts we received. Those precious little babies left us changed people. We are still recovering from this, but are grateful for the experience.
Saturday, October 11
Phone Frustration
I have developed an unprecedented addiction to my cell phone. So last Tuesday when I lost it somewhere between two of my interpreting appointments I was on the verge of panic. I told myself to calm down and tried to think positively that it would be found. I called and even went back to the places where I had worked and no one had even seen it. I looked everywhere in the car (several times over), I didn't find it.
After 4 days of not being able to get in touch with anyone, I had to accept the fact that I would never see that phone again. So I begrudgingly went back to the Tmobile store and bought new phone. I was ready to buy a cheap one to last until the end of my contract next year, but none of them had some of the same capabilities that my Dash had. So I bought my new BlackBerry. It is a great phone! So if you know that I had your cell number and most likely have lost it, please email your phone number to me at lisadopf@gmail.com. Thanks!
After 4 days of not being able to get in touch with anyone, I had to accept the fact that I would never see that phone again. So I begrudgingly went back to the Tmobile store and bought new phone. I was ready to buy a cheap one to last until the end of my contract next year, but none of them had some of the same capabilities that my Dash had. So I bought my new BlackBerry. It is a great phone! So if you know that I had your cell number and most likely have lost it, please email your phone number to me at lisadopf@gmail.com. Thanks!
Thursday, October 2
Step One and Two on the Road to Better Health..
Today I went back to the Ogden Athletic Club and signed up for a membership again. I am pretty excited about this because compared to other clubs around town, the price is great. I looked at many other club prices but some of them didn't have all the perks of this one we used to belong to.
Along those lines, I also bought an iPod Touch and have been playing with it all afternoon and transferring songs on to it. It is full of music to give me the extra boost I sure could use in order to keep in the habit of exercising!
Saturday, September 27
Tagged by my sister... again...
Here are the rules:Link the person who tagged you.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.
1.) I clean house like an OCD schizophrenic. I don't go from room to room like many sane people. I see something that needs putting away, and en route to putting it where it belongs I see something else that needs to be done and end up doing that instead only to get frustrated with myself for getting distracted in the first place and then putting the first thing away last. It's pretty chaotic but I still get things done.
2.) I still like to color in coloring books. I find it mildly entertaining and gets my mind off all my adult responsibilities.
3.) I still laugh at movies with bathroom humor. And I can still participate in belching contests.
4.) Just about ANYTHING makes me cry or become emotional. I cry reading hallmark cards, seeing those Christian Children's Fund commercials, seeing a beautiful child,or weight loss success stories (the list is endless)
5.) If I swear it never sounds genuine or like I really mean it. While working, if a Deaf person chooses to swear and I have to voice the swear word, I really feel bad because I just suck at it.
6.) I laugh really easily at a lot of things, even when people might not be trying to be funny. It has made for some awkward situations with people. I think laughing easy is a genetic trait from my mom.
I hope these count as quirks, because I had a hard time coming up with them!
I now tag Shelly, Tammie, Tanya, Rachel (Keyser!), and Arren!
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.
1.) I clean house like an OCD schizophrenic. I don't go from room to room like many sane people. I see something that needs putting away, and en route to putting it where it belongs I see something else that needs to be done and end up doing that instead only to get frustrated with myself for getting distracted in the first place and then putting the first thing away last. It's pretty chaotic but I still get things done.
2.) I still like to color in coloring books. I find it mildly entertaining and gets my mind off all my adult responsibilities.
3.) I still laugh at movies with bathroom humor. And I can still participate in belching contests.
4.) Just about ANYTHING makes me cry or become emotional. I cry reading hallmark cards, seeing those Christian Children's Fund commercials, seeing a beautiful child,or weight loss success stories (the list is endless)
5.) If I swear it never sounds genuine or like I really mean it. While working, if a Deaf person chooses to swear and I have to voice the swear word, I really feel bad because I just suck at it.
6.) I laugh really easily at a lot of things, even when people might not be trying to be funny. It has made for some awkward situations with people. I think laughing easy is a genetic trait from my mom.
I hope these count as quirks, because I had a hard time coming up with them!
I now tag Shelly, Tammie, Tanya, Rachel (Keyser!), and Arren!
Monday, September 22
R &R in Bear Lake
We just got back last night from a trip to Bear Lake this last weekend! It was so much fun! When we checked the weather for this weekend in trying to plan what we wanted to do we were a little bummed to see that it was supposed to rain and be cold on Saturday. We went ahead and planned and it ended up being a great trip.
We arrived late Thursday night and stayed the night, but moved to a different condo the next day for the following 2 nights. Friday was spent driving around Bear Lake. We drove to Paris, Idaho to see the LDS tabernacle there. It was such a cool place to visit, and such a beautiful historic building. When I visit places like that I can't help but feel really touched by the holiness of the site, and the legacy of faith the pioneers have given to modern day LDS people.
Then we decided to keep driving north to Montpelier, Idaho to look around. Brandon and I share a common love and interest in small towns so we thought we'd go take a look-see. We drove around a bit looking at some really cool looking Victorian style homes at least 100 years old, as well as visited the Oregon Trail visitor center. A bishop of Brandon's ward back home in Cambridge had moved to Montpelier years ago and Brandon wanted to visit their home, so we did. What wonderful people they were. They welcomed us in to their home and talked with us for a while. The cool part was that we were taken across the street to a semi-circled LDS tabernacle that was dedicated in 1918. It was beautiful. It's a building unlike any I have seen built by the LDS Church. It had original paintings by an LDS artist of pioneers. It had the original pipe organ still intact and used even to this day. Church officials were going to knock down the tabernacle, then because of the local LDS people it was saved and modern technology was used to make the building safe and up to code.
After we left Montpelier we drove back down to the beach not far from the condo we stayed in and went wading in the water. Because Friday was the warmer day before the rainy Saturday we experienced the water was clear and beautiful. What I love about Bear Lake is the cool clear water there. There is no algae that grows there so we can see the bottom several hundred feet out from the shore. I didn't know this before Brandon told me, but Bear Lake is sometimes called the "Carribean of the Rockies" and I think that fits the description very well, except no nude beaches!
Saturday we woke up to rain and cold weather but still made the best of it. We got up and got ready for the day and then went out to lunch at a local restaurant. Then we drove south to a golf course where Brandon and I splurged and paid for him to pay 9 holes of golf, rented clubs, and paid a fee to rent a cart and allow me to drive. It was really chilly outside still, but we had so much fun just messing around in the cart on the course and hoping not to be struck by lightning in the process. It sprinkled on occasion but otherwise the cool air was refreshing.
After golf, we decided to drive around the lake. We ended up driving all the way around the lake which was a gorgeous drive. On the way back from the lake we stopped in St. Charles, Utah and visited their old cemetary. It was so cool to see how old some of the graves were, and that some of the people buried their had seals on their graves that showed some of them fought in WWI and in the Mormon Battalion. Others showed they were among the original pioneers that came to Utah seeking refuge from the mobs back East.
Yesterday we got up and left the condo and enjoyed a wonderful trip down Logan Canyon. Trees are changing color so fall is definitely here! When we arrived to Logan we went to church at the Logan Deaf Branch and visited people we hadn't seen in a very long time. It was sooo good to catch up with the dear people up there. Lots of memories came back to me just being there. I just have to go to Logan, and I feel like I am home. There are very few places that I truly feel like that.
We arrived late Thursday night and stayed the night, but moved to a different condo the next day for the following 2 nights. Friday was spent driving around Bear Lake. We drove to Paris, Idaho to see the LDS tabernacle there. It was such a cool place to visit, and such a beautiful historic building. When I visit places like that I can't help but feel really touched by the holiness of the site, and the legacy of faith the pioneers have given to modern day LDS people.
Then we decided to keep driving north to Montpelier, Idaho to look around. Brandon and I share a common love and interest in small towns so we thought we'd go take a look-see. We drove around a bit looking at some really cool looking Victorian style homes at least 100 years old, as well as visited the Oregon Trail visitor center. A bishop of Brandon's ward back home in Cambridge had moved to Montpelier years ago and Brandon wanted to visit their home, so we did. What wonderful people they were. They welcomed us in to their home and talked with us for a while. The cool part was that we were taken across the street to a semi-circled LDS tabernacle that was dedicated in 1918. It was beautiful. It's a building unlike any I have seen built by the LDS Church. It had original paintings by an LDS artist of pioneers. It had the original pipe organ still intact and used even to this day. Church officials were going to knock down the tabernacle, then because of the local LDS people it was saved and modern technology was used to make the building safe and up to code.
After we left Montpelier we drove back down to the beach not far from the condo we stayed in and went wading in the water. Because Friday was the warmer day before the rainy Saturday we experienced the water was clear and beautiful. What I love about Bear Lake is the cool clear water there. There is no algae that grows there so we can see the bottom several hundred feet out from the shore. I didn't know this before Brandon told me, but Bear Lake is sometimes called the "Carribean of the Rockies" and I think that fits the description very well, except no nude beaches!
Saturday we woke up to rain and cold weather but still made the best of it. We got up and got ready for the day and then went out to lunch at a local restaurant. Then we drove south to a golf course where Brandon and I splurged and paid for him to pay 9 holes of golf, rented clubs, and paid a fee to rent a cart and allow me to drive. It was really chilly outside still, but we had so much fun just messing around in the cart on the course and hoping not to be struck by lightning in the process. It sprinkled on occasion but otherwise the cool air was refreshing.
After golf, we decided to drive around the lake. We ended up driving all the way around the lake which was a gorgeous drive. On the way back from the lake we stopped in St. Charles, Utah and visited their old cemetary. It was so cool to see how old some of the graves were, and that some of the people buried their had seals on their graves that showed some of them fought in WWI and in the Mormon Battalion. Others showed they were among the original pioneers that came to Utah seeking refuge from the mobs back East.
Yesterday we got up and left the condo and enjoyed a wonderful trip down Logan Canyon. Trees are changing color so fall is definitely here! When we arrived to Logan we went to church at the Logan Deaf Branch and visited people we hadn't seen in a very long time. It was sooo good to catch up with the dear people up there. Lots of memories came back to me just being there. I just have to go to Logan, and I feel like I am home. There are very few places that I truly feel like that.
Tuesday, September 16
Quite a Difference
Growing up in a warm weather climate I was always outside playing or playing sports. I was very active. I swam on the neighborhood swim team and loved playing volleyball in the Young Women, as well as basketball. I am still pretty good at volleyball, though just like any skill I have to get warmed up in order to even play decent. Let's just say that basketball has never come back to me in any shape or form. Swimming will forever be second nature to me. I have always loved the water, and can't wait for the day when I can teach my own kids.
During school, the only physically active things I did were the classes I took at the HPER building at USU. They only required 3 classes to graduate. After taking swimming twice, volleyball once, spinning (which I never went to) and yoga. I loved these classes. Walking all over campus was also a great way to stay in shape, because I naturally am a "hoofin' it" kind of person. I have never understood why people just saunter.
After graduating college, any physical activity came to a screeching halt. I even tried joining a health club but that was just a waste of money because I never went. This last summer, I decided that I was going to be more active. I started something I thought I would never do, and that was jogging. Not much improvement in the department of speed has occurred, but my distance without feeling like I am going to keel over dead has dissipated. I even ran my first 5K a week and half ago! It just about killed me, but much to my pleasant surprise, I wasn't even sore two days afterwards. And with another impending walk/run on the 27th, I am jogging or "hoofin it" every day in some form or another. I have really enjoyed the release that getting outside and being active has given me. Of course I have my own health reasons for do all this, but I am thrilled with the time it gives me to not think about my stress, or anything in general, I just focus on breathing and keeping a steady pace. Turns out I can walk and chew gum at the same time! (on rare occasions!)
Last Saturday, Brandon and I went down to SLC riding the FrontRunner in order to go to the Mountain Dew Tour's Freestyle Motocross finals. This was something Brandon had really wanted to do, so I went along with it though I thought it was pretty amazing myself. The skill (also insanity) required for some of the feats and tricks they did is tremendous. But while we were planning the day (meaning the trip down there, the walking, and the timing) Brandon made sure I was aware of the fact that there would be a lot of walking going on. Before this summer, I would have NOT been excited about that at all. I had gotten quite acclimated to my sedentary life on the couch eating my chocolate or commuting in my car inhaling my fast food. But's it's amazing how one can change this outlook by getting scary blood test results, and by choosing to eat healthier! I actually was excited to walk and get my blood pumping!
We walked a TON, but it was worth it. We had so much fun just being together and laughing and talking. But important also is the fact that I got my "activity" in for the day!
During school, the only physically active things I did were the classes I took at the HPER building at USU. They only required 3 classes to graduate. After taking swimming twice, volleyball once, spinning (which I never went to) and yoga. I loved these classes. Walking all over campus was also a great way to stay in shape, because I naturally am a "hoofin' it" kind of person. I have never understood why people just saunter.
After graduating college, any physical activity came to a screeching halt. I even tried joining a health club but that was just a waste of money because I never went. This last summer, I decided that I was going to be more active. I started something I thought I would never do, and that was jogging. Not much improvement in the department of speed has occurred, but my distance without feeling like I am going to keel over dead has dissipated. I even ran my first 5K a week and half ago! It just about killed me, but much to my pleasant surprise, I wasn't even sore two days afterwards. And with another impending walk/run on the 27th, I am jogging or "hoofin it" every day in some form or another. I have really enjoyed the release that getting outside and being active has given me. Of course I have my own health reasons for do all this, but I am thrilled with the time it gives me to not think about my stress, or anything in general, I just focus on breathing and keeping a steady pace. Turns out I can walk and chew gum at the same time! (on rare occasions!)
Last Saturday, Brandon and I went down to SLC riding the FrontRunner in order to go to the Mountain Dew Tour's Freestyle Motocross finals. This was something Brandon had really wanted to do, so I went along with it though I thought it was pretty amazing myself. The skill (also insanity) required for some of the feats and tricks they did is tremendous. But while we were planning the day (meaning the trip down there, the walking, and the timing) Brandon made sure I was aware of the fact that there would be a lot of walking going on. Before this summer, I would have NOT been excited about that at all. I had gotten quite acclimated to my sedentary life on the couch eating my chocolate or commuting in my car inhaling my fast food. But's it's amazing how one can change this outlook by getting scary blood test results, and by choosing to eat healthier! I actually was excited to walk and get my blood pumping!
We walked a TON, but it was worth it. We had so much fun just being together and laughing and talking. But important also is the fact that I got my "activity" in for the day!
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