P90x3 day 3--Yoga

I wasn't excited for yoga. I kinda hate it. Not really HATE hate, but it's boring. I like to run around while exercising and yoga has never quite done it for me. I don't think I ever did the entire one in the first p90x video. Couldn't handle it for that long. I've always been pretty flexible so that wasn't the issue. It hurt my wrist too much so I never wanted to trigger the tendonitis stuff. Me and downward dog weren't friends. And...so boring.

I'm also not interested in being able to do this.

I'm flexible, but ain't nobody got time for that, amiright?

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the yoga video this morning. There was a lot of downward dog, but I tried to stay more conscious of not keeping that hand down at a bad angle. Overall it went pretty well. Wasn't nearly as boring previous yoga experiences. Some moves I was on top of right away and others will be a little challenging to get the hang of for a little bit. Even though I wasn't sweating much, I feel like I got a good workout in and though it may sound lazy, the cool-down was my favorite part. I was so relaxed by the end of it, I could've laid on that mat all day.

I'm going to be honest though, my butt hurts so bad. I don't think it's from the yoga--I think it's from the agility workout. Holy moly. I was waddling at work today and I'm pretty sure I didn't actually bend my knees while walking. I loved it, but good heavens.

P90x3 day 2--Agility X

I really liked this morning's workout. Tons of jumping and running around. It felt like being in sports and some of the exercises your coach would make you do. I was able to do most of the exercises even though my wrist is pretty sore still. I stink at push-ups anyways, but tendonitis doesn't help. For the two push-up moves, I did them down on my forearms as best as I could. 

I felt pretty good the whole day, but I was definitely sore. Have you ever felt like the fat around your ribs was sore? It was kinda like that. But in a good way...

P90x3 day 1

So last night Ryun and I did our body measurements and "before" pictures. That was depressing. I love my body, all the things it does, my blood work shows that overall I'm pretty healthy, but I also know that I have more fat than is healthy. I'm not trying to become a model or some unrealistic weight --I just want to feel better and make sure I prepare myself to be healthy for life.

Moving to AZ has been great, but it has been a big lifestyle change for us. We still work out most days, but we're much more sedentary over all. In our Utah college town we walked all over and were in hiking areas within 10 minutes. In Arizona I drive 30 min to work each way, sit at a desk all day, and it's too freaking hot to go for walks anywhere. Even in nicer weather, the neighborhoods are just so ugly. The ones with nice houses are not as fun to walk around and look at as the old unique houses in Utah.

(He's so intense)

Anyways, those are excuses I tell myself. Regardless of the reasons, it's time for us to get in better shape. This morning we did our first day of p90x3. It was fun! My tendonitis in my right thumb started acting up over the weekend, but I was able to do more than I thought I would so that's good. Some of the moves wouldn't be so bad on their own, but after doing a few other moves I felt pretty rubbery trying to maintain my balance!

After we were home Ryun commented that he felt "stretchy." I agree, my muscles felt more elongated after the workout. It felt really nice. I never got so sore today that I couldn't move, which was a nice change from the first time I did plyometrics a few years ago--ouch! I'm looking forward to tomorrow's workout and to doing today's workout again next week and seeing how I have improved. And hopefully saying goodbye to all the weight I carry around in my legs. As much as I'm in this for better health, I'm also down for having better looking legs :)

Also, one fun Katie fact: P90X came out while I was on my mission and I heard a lot about it while I was gone, so naturally when I got home I borrowed my brother's copy before I went back to college. After about two weeks of doing it I had a nightmare that Tony Horton was trying to kill me. Here's hoping I have P90X3 on my mind that much again!

 (Some people think he's a little annoying, I think he's hilarious)

For the fellas

Happy Father's Day!

I am so grateful for the good men in my life. While none of you is my actual dad, you've done so much good for my life.

 Maybe you're one of my brothers, father-in-law, brothers-in-law, some other male relative, friends, Sunday School teachers, regular school teachers, a friend's husband, mission president, a senior elder from Nebraska, an old bishop, a great boss, a friendly ward member, one of my friend's dad, or maybe I just babysat your kids. Let's not forget my husband--he's going to be a great daddy one day.

Whoever you are in that lineup, thank you for teaching me how to drive, scaring my boyfriends, encouraging me in my school work, reminding me not to settle for anything in my life, having fun with me, being a soundboard for all my crazy ideas and not thinking I'm weird, telling me that it was cool for me to go on a mission before it was cool, making me laugh, teaching me the birds and the bees (you know who you are), reassuring me that I could wear the boss skirt and be good at it, letting me cry on your shoulder for whatever reason (let's face it, there were a lot), inspiring me to know that I am a girl who can do anything, calling me before a surgery I didn't think I could handle, telling me I was beautiful on my wedding day, and always letting me that you're proud of me.

I love all the men who have filled that role in my life at various times. Because of you all, I rarely feel like I don't have a father. That means the world to me.

Dealbreakers from a Married Persepective

Hey Zack, I recently read your blog post about dealbreakers and my married 20/20 hindsight kicked in. I've thought a lot about this over the last few weeks and had many different experiences come to mind. So even though I don't live in the dating capital of Mormondom anymore and I've been married over two years and have lost my single street cred, I'm going to share some thoughts anyways.

I do think it's important to be aware of relationship dealbreakers. There are things that nobody should tolerate. Like abuse in it's various forms. Or a liar. Or manipulation. Or someone who is unfaithful to you. There are many things that don't have a place in a relationship or marriage. Hopefully that's not the kind of things most of us are considering as "is this too much or can I handle this?" If you see those things in someone you're dating, I hope you don't question that too long and make the right decision to end it.

Once you get through those things, dealbreakers can become pretty fluid. I don't particularly remember what all of my dealbreakers have been or at which age, but I'm sure they changed after each person I dated. What was important to me as an 18-year old was different than when I was 21, which was different from when I got married at 24.

So, if we as individuals change from year to year, what makes us so confident in today's dealbreakers? Choosing to love someone for the rest of your life is a choice and it's one you have to make every day.

After a couple months of dating Ryun I started faulting the heck out of our relationship. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time with him and I loved him and he's a wonderful person, but that didn't stop me from worrying about everything. Was he making me a better person? Would we be able to make a long term relationship work? Is he going to stay on the same spiritual path as me? When I got worried enough I started praying that God would let me know if I should continue this relationship. Either give me the green light or let's end this thing before it gets too painful. And you know what? Ryun is human and he did something that I didn't like, so I took that as my answer and we broke up.
Fortunately, I got some clarification a couple days later. It was something along the lines of God saying "Okay dummy, that was a little extreme. Why don't you think about what my answer really was?"

As I wallowed in my broken-hearted break-up misery and talked with a few relationship geniuses (a.k.a. people who'd been married a long time), I started thinking about things in a new light.


1) It is nobody else's job to make me a better person. I am in charge of my own relationship with God, not my boyfriend and not my future husband.

2) Being with a good person does make you a better person, but that's not something you can always see right away, partly because we don't know what to look for. A lot of guys complain that girls expect them to be their mission president. Without recognizing it, I was expecting that dating "the one" would somehow turn me into my mission president's wife. Less obvious, equally unrealistic.

3) If I'm smart enough to make a list of dealbreakers, why wasn't I smart enough to make a list of his most winning qualities?

That last one has become very important to me the longer I have been married. Of course we all have our faults, but my marriage is strongest when I see Ryun for all of his goodness. Since October our life has been a rollercoaster of emotion. Some of the most exciting things in our marriage have happened and then were followed by extremely painful ones. The nights when we've cried ourselves to sleep, the times Ryun has held my hand when he knew I needed it--not once during those times did I think about whether or not he had sworn that week, if he'd read his scriptures, or if I thought he'd really paid attention at church. I thought about how he intuitively knew the best way to comfort me, how I always felt comfortable to experience every emotion around him, how I always knew how he felt about me, and how I knew we were going to be okay because in the short time we'd been together I was a stronger person. Because I didn't marry my husband due to his lack of dealbreakers compared to other guys. I married him because of who we became and who we'll become together.
{we're awesome by the way}


Welp, there's lots more I could say in addition to the lots I've already said, but I'll leave it at that. Keep your eyes open for the things everyone should stay away from, but don't spend all of your energy looking for things you don't care for. You could miss finding out how great someone really is.

**disclaimer** my insecurities while dating my husband were not because of him. Ask any boy I've ever dated :) My husband is awesome!

My Letter to Politicians on the Affordable Care Act

Well hello. 

There are lots of interesting things going on in the government right now. I'll be the first to say that I don't understand a lot of what the government does, but I am trying to learn. Since some stuff is about to hit the fan, I thought I'd post the letter I wrote and sent to my Congressman and both Senators. I'm not doing this to start a fight or anything, just to explain how my life has been affected by by the Affordable Care Act. I don't think it is all horrible, but I do think it needs to be looked at again and changed in many ways. 

 I really am proud to be an American and able to communicate with politicians and have a chance to be involved in the political process as much as I choose to be. So this is me being an adult and writing letters to my local political leaders. Go democracy :)

Dear Congressman Chaffetz (and also sent to both senators),

I am writing in regards to my experience with the Affordable Care Act. My background can help you understand why this is so frustrating to me. As a college student I didn’t pay much attention to politics; everyone involved seemed like a bunch of fighting teenagers. While I was away in Nebraska for 18 months as a volunteer for my church, this particular act was made a law. After I came back I still didn’t pay much attention to politics and focused on my education. Since I was studying Psychology, my plans included going to graduate school to obtain a Masters so I could get a job that paid decently and would allow me to help people.  I have been assured since junior high that if I attended college and worked hard to obtain a degree, I would be able to pay for the things I needed and raise a family with a modest lifestyle. I want to emphasize that I am not opposed to paying back my student loans. I am not opposed to hard work. I think it is a privilege to live in a country where I can pay taxes to improve my community and help people. What I am opposed to is being taken advantage of.

My college plans changed after I married my husband. He wasn’t quite done with school yet so my goals of starting graduate school were put on hold, which was fine. I had no idea how horrible the job market was (and still is). I searched from Springville all the way to Salt Lake City and it took me three months to find a minimum wage job. After spending thousands of dollars on school, I was making the same amount I was in high school. Fortunately I only spent three weeks there and was offered a job that paid well, but was only 30 hours a week (a little over 1500 hours a year) with no benefits. Since it paid so well I was more than willing to pay for private insurance for my husband and I. Things were fine and we were able to pay for our very modest lifestyle, keep my husband in school (though that still required student loans), and save a little for future grad school applications and flights to interviews.

About twelve months later, in April, I was pulled into a meeting with HR so they could explain to us some of the effects of Obamacare on our departments and hiring processes. They said they received the regulations in February and it took them a couple months to sort through it and figure out how they were going to accommodate it. Here are some of the issues I have seen since being informed of these “helpful” policies:

•  My company has reduced ¾ time employees to working 28 hours per week instead of 30 hours—including my position. I don’t blame them, they are a huge company and that would cost an enormous amount of money to make all the ¾ time employees full time. The premise behind the law is understandable, “yeah, it sounds great to make 30 hour employees get full time benefits,” but who on earth thought companies wouldn’t reduce hours? For me, cutting down to 28 hours per week is a pay decrease in just under $2,000 a year.

o   In my budgeted world, that's a pretty big decrease—a little more than 3 month’s rent or almost my entire year’s worth of insurance that I pay out of pocket. So, I still don't get insurance from work, but now I have less overall money to pay for my insurance.

o   But hey, Obamacare provides me with free birth control, so I'm saving $84 a year on birth control.... With my job, that would only be 4 hours of work that would pay for an entire year of birth control. I would much rather pay $84 than lose $2,000.

• Another stipulation is that I can’t work two part-time jobs for the same company or else they’d have to pay for the insurance benefits still. Unfortunately, the company I work for provides a massive amount of jobs in Utah. Again, with my hours being cut I would like to find another part-time job, but I miss out on a lot of jobs that I am well-qualified for because I would violate this rule. This leaves me with a lot of mall jobs that I can apply for, but who won’t hire me because they think I won’t stay long.

• A girl I work with is suffering from these policies in a different way. She has a full-time position in our company, and is currently expecting her first child. She didn’t want to work full-time after giving birth and our boss was perfectly fine putting her at a part-time position and hiring someone else for the full-time. Because of the new hours, she would have to wait 6 months before she could come back to work—even for part-time work only. Her options are to either work full time when she wants to be able to spend time with her newborn, or she has to quit and have no employment. For an administration who proclaims their love of women’s rights, that is a pretty anti-woman and anti-family policy. There are more desires than simply full time work or full time stay at home mom, but these policies don’t help.

• At this meeting, we were told of these policies and then told that we need to expect more policy changes, but that they have no idea what they are yet because the government hasn’t given them yet. How is it legal to enforce a law when the government hasn’t even told companies what all the policies are yet?

•  Even though not every change in my company is specifically stated by Obamacare, companies have to adjust so much in order to comply. Those policies make sure the company is in accordance with the law, but it’s at the expense of the employees. You know, the ones the president says he’s trying to help.

• Since my hours have been cut and our income has decreased I have been looking for a full-time job. Since February I have applied to at least 70 positions between Utah and Arizona, which I have been well qualified for. I have had two interviews, one job which was offered to me, but I turned it down because they went back on their pay. I would have earned $3,000 less than what I currently earn. There are even less full-time jobs posted and tons of people applying for them.

• My husband and I would like to start our family. We would be great parents and raise our kids to work hard and help others. I will not have a child with the insurance we currently have because we’d pay tons out of pocket, and I will not have a child with no insurance. I make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, so I would have to quit my job to qualify for welfare. I am not going to quit my job in order to go on welfare to have a kid. That’s a real lack of integrity, which our government may not mind, but I do. Thus far, Obamacare has done nothing to decrease my insurance costs—but it has successfully decreased my earnings.

• These laws will only make it harder for people who take pride in working hard to provide for their families and easier for those who don’t want to work to justify going on welfare. I am very willing to help out those in need and I donate regularly, but I don’t condone teaching people it’s okay not to try to improve their own situation. It’s extremely frustrating to not find work when you want it, it is depressing, and eventually individuals will stop trying to find quality employment that provides for their needs. Then those that are working will be paying even more for those who don’t work. I think Obamacare and other policies from this administration do nothing to encourage people to work hard, but they entice people to do even less.

I like to think the best of people and their intentions. I hope the administration isn’t intentionally putting the hard-working American citizens at a disadvantage, but the more I see these negative effects, the harder it is to believe. The name “Affordable Care Act” is an oxymoron.  With all the suffering happening to citizens because of these rules, our political leaders owe it to us to work to change this. I am 26 years old and am learning how to be involved in the political process and be part of determining what happens to my hard-earned money. I did not vote for you—I still don’t even know when those elections are (a sad commentary on American education in itself)—but I turn to you as my representative in Congress. I hope this letter helps you understand some of the effects of Obamacare; I’m sure there are thousands more stories similar to mine. Ultimately, I hope this encourages you to do all you can to make necessary changes so I don’t have to spend my entire life paying off bills for basic care. Even if this gets passed, I hope you do everything possible to work towards another resolution that would actually be affordable.

Sincerely,

Katie

Ode to Pinterest

I'm not going to lie.

I freaking love Pinterest.

I am doing some family history by scanning all of Ryun's mom's family pictures she took of the kids growing up. It's taking forever, but it has really cemented my confidence in Ryun and I having ridiculously attractive babies one day.

( I mean, look at him!)

Because it takes about 30 seconds for each picture to scan, I'm also on Pinterest looking up recipes. Now I know it's super easy to waste a ton of time on Pinterest, but today it has been time well spent. I found 11 recipes I'd like to try and three new food blogs to check out that look promising. 

I pretty much only pin things I'm actually planning on making.

(except dessert...I hope the images satisfy my cravings instead of actually eating that stuff. I've only actually made about 5-10 of the things on my dessert board. Go me.)

 Anyways, I do a pretty good job of actually making things I find on there. So far, I have made and kept 73 different recipes. Many of them I have made five or six times. Like the Cajun Pasta, homemade soft pretzels, Mediterranean quesadillas and Caprese Lasagna. Yum. 

I delete the ones I don't like so that I don't accidentally make them again and so I kind find the ones I do like easier. I have a separate board of recipes I haven't tried yet. There's about 140 on there right now that I'm making my way through. I will soon be trying this one, this one and this one. 

This is all very exciting for everyone to read, but after realizing how many new things I'd found in about 20 minutes I was pretty happy. Ryun and I have a lot of fun cooking together and trying out new things and new restaurants (last night's new Mexican restaurant almost killed me), and I'm glad we can spend less time searching Google for recipes and more time actually doing the things we like. 

And Pinterest has pretty much taught me how to cook. Well--taught me how to cook more than spaghetti, hot dogs, PB&J, and lemon bars. I couldn't make a roux to save my life. I'm not an amazing cook now, but I'm good enough.

Pinterest has also taught me how to sew some stuff, how to do my wedding reception in AZ for under $1000 but still be a big party, how to get free Redbox, and other things. It even gives me a head's up that some of my friends are pregnant by their sudden baby pins all over the place. It's also helped me realize that I do have priorities and some stuff just takes way too much time away from my family--even if it's cute/crafty/tasty/fashionable/etc. I will never figure out how to successfully braid my entire head and I'm okay with that.

(this will never happen for me)

So this is my long-winded way of letting the world know that I love Pinterest. Thank you for introducing me to people who know how to do things that I don't who are willing to teach me for free. 

That's my kind of deal.