Book of Mormon

It amazes me sometimes how influential your children can be on your life!!

A couple of weeks ago, we are sitting in church..........Madison fiddling with her dress, Chris squirming in his seat, and me sitting and listening diligently <---- hey, its my story, I'll tell how I want! haha
Anyway, we are sitting in sacrament and Madison, who usually pulls out pencils and a pad and begins to draw, pulled out the Book of Mormon instead. With no prompting from anyone, she opened it to the beginning and started to read.  Chris and I sat in amazement as she read it the whole service.

I believe the Spirit spoke to Chris' heart that day, because at the beginning of this week, he asked me to come into Madisons room.............. we were going to read the Book of Mormon together as a family - one or two chapters a night, until we were done.  Now experience has taught me just to roll with it with my mouth shut and let things play out, so thats what I did.  All this week we have read from the Book of Mormon, whether we were tired or busy...................didn't matter. 

I feel so thankful for my loving husband that he saw a need that Madison had and is filling it!!  As a result, we are all benefiting from the family one-on-one time, and being able to read the scriptures together and discuss them in small doses so that we can all absorb the meanings.

Truly blessed!!

Vegan what?

Now now..........no-one panic..yes it is true, I no longer eat animals or anything that came from an animal.

The typical reaction that I get is "WTF" (only they say the real thing) or "are you crazy?", and then "why would you do that?" 

Why?
Let me just say that I have been tinkering with this for many years, thinking and reading about it, but never really going all the way into it. I, like most people, thought that if I didn't have meat, fish, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs etc, then what would I eat..... there would be nothing left.  I have enjoyed meat for a long time, but it has never fully enjoyed me, in that, it never really gave me a full satisfaction, just typically a stomach ache. I would often eat a meal and then either have a "food hangover" or be in a "food coma". The only time this wasn't the case, was when I ate meals that were animal free, and I have known that for a long time, but just did nothing about it.

And then I saw an interview on Oprah about a month ago with an author named Kelly Freston who wrote the book Veganist. They were promoting trying to go animal free for 21 days, or a week, or even just a meatless Monday. So I bought and read the book and in it she encourages people to learn where their food comes from, read the labels on your food to really know what you are eating, and "lean into" eating less meat, fish, chicken, cheese, milk, etc....

I read in the book that I would feel better, weigh less, help the environment, and save some lives (animals). It was at that point that I decided I would give up animals for a while, with just the knowledge that at least I wouldn't have a stomach ache........but so much more has happened since then.

The Veganist book also recommended some documentaries and some websites to learn more, so me being the person who wants to know absolutely everything about a subject, I dove in!

Have you ever heard the term "ignorance is bliss?".......WOW, truer words have never been spoken in relationship to "where" your food comes from and how many products that you wouldn't think came from animals, actually have animals in them. An example, Jello.......that's right Jello! Jello has Gelatin in it....Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling animal skins, tendons, ligaments and bones in water and then used as a "thickener". 
I could spend days, and many pages to describe everything I saw or read, but instead I will list them out at the end of this blog and if you are interested in knowing, you can go watch them or visit the websites for yourself. And if you don't, that's okay too.

Day 1 - Giving up animal products was easy for me because I had spent lots of time and energy into thinking and preparing my mind for it, but for my husband Chris, the transition was not so clear cut.  You see, I had never really discussed any of this with Chris before I decided to do it, I just figured that I wouldn't eat meat and he would.
 
Not so much.........

I would say that the reaction I got from Chris was almost exactly what I "wasn't" expecting. The first day, I ate a salad for dinner and he had ribs and after dinner we had a loooooooonnnnnnggggg discussion over "why" I wanted to give up eating animals.  You see, Chris comes from a part of the country, Oregon, where there are alot of "those kind of people", and he didn't necessarily agree or enjoy their company because they were way too judgemental, in his opinion. So in short........ I was turning into "them", and that not only made him uncomfortable, but it also made him suprisingly angry. We agreed that I would do everything to not become "them", and he would do everything to support me.

Day 4 - I sent Chris an email link (as a Joke) to go to PETA's website and take the 30 day animal free challenge ------- he didn't think it was funny and sent me a WTF text within 2.2 seconds, but what he did next would change everything................

I got a text from him about an hour later, saying that he would give me 30 days.........
HE TOOK THE CHALLENGE.......now I was saying WTF.........
You see, Chris dropped the subject after the 1st day I went Vegan, but he continued to think about it and decided that he wanted to support me and my efforts, and wanted us to do this together :-) He told me that night that he figured the most he would miss out on was 30 days of meat and then go right back to it, but supporting me was the most important thing to him, and it would be easier to cook for the two of us.

Let me digress for a sec.........do I not have the most amazing husband and best friend ever?
YES, YES I DO!

Anyway, we have spent the last 3 weeks discovering new foods, new recipes, watching documentaries and reading about where our food comes from and how we can get the most out of the nutrients we put in our bodies. For Chris, the transition wasn't as easy, but he has still embraced it full on, even though, he has to listen to a large amount of ribbing (pun intended) from the guys he works with. For me, my mind has never been clearer and I feel GREAT! Gone are the meals that make me feel like complete crap after, not just physically, but emotionally too! What I learned more than anything, was that I was addicted to the food that I was eating and my poor food choices was actually making me eat more of the very food that was making me feel the worst.  It was a vicious cycle.

In closing, let me just say that if you sit at a table with me for dinner, please don't think I am judging your food, because I'm seriously just enjoying mine.........
I just wanted to put it out there of what led me to where I am right now and if you don't want any part of it, that's cool too. :-) :-)






Documentaries -

Food Inc - discusses how 4 companies have taken over practically all of the food that goes to your plate and explores the food industry's detrimental effects on our health and environment.

Food Matters - takes a hard look at how food is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better

Tapped - discusses how just a few companies have taken over water, and what it is doing to the environment.

Super Size Me - a guy uses himself as a guinea pig to take a look at the effects of fast food on the body by eating at McDonalds everyday. - a hint (it doesn't make him healthier)

Earthlings - examins our dependence on animals for food, clothing, pets, entertainment and medical research and how that links to the world economy - Warning - this movie is graphic and fully explores cruelty to animals and it made me cry alot because of the graphic images, but I had no idea these things were taking place :(


Websites

http://www.peta.org/  - PETA's website
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/  - this website has alot of really awesome recipes
http://www.kellyfreston.com/  - Kelly Frestons "Veganist" website
http://www.thekindlife.com/ - Alicia Silverstones website that has recipes, products and info

Distracted

The title of this entry says it all...................Distracted!


It started out with Spring Break two weeks ago, which through me out of kilter, and I haven't fully got back into the swing of things.  Sure I've had some workouts, but not successful full out "fist pump" workouts!

So long story short.............I'm ready to get back into it!

Let's do this!!!

The American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society:
I need your help and so does the American Cancer Society.  Please donate to help fight cancer and help me be eligible to run in the Portland Marathon! Search by Athlete name Penny Jenkins or click on the link below to go directly to my donation page!
Penny Jenkins for American Cancer Society

De-Clutter

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to be organized and have a "plan".  I love the idea that everything has a place and everything gets put back where it belongs as soon as you are done with it.  I have been called a "neat freak" before and I take it as a compliment, because for me, having things organized reduces stress and makes me happy to be in my home. I also applied these same skills out in the corporate world, which made me very successful at my job.
In my endeavor at training for this half marathon, it has occurred to me- that I should apply these skills to getting healthy. One of my absolute favorite professional organizers, Peter Walsh, has a show called Enough Already with Peter Walsh.  In these episodes he helps people deal with not only their physical clutter, but also their emotional clutter as well.  Now I definitely don't have physical clutter, but I do have emotional clutter (I think we all do), so I'm ready to explore that and see if I can push through.

Peter has 5 steps to decluttering that I believe you could apply to almost anything facet of your life.

• Step 1 - Empty the Room (during this process, arrange like items together)
• In this step, as related to health, its important to clear everything out.
• for me - decluttering the kitchen - I removed all food from the kitchen, and decluttering my thinking - I got a piece a paper and split the paper in half........on one side I wrote positive and on the other I wrote negative. On the positive side, I wrote all the positive things about me.  On the negative side, I wrote all the negative things about me.
•   Step 2  - Create a Vision
• In this step, what do you envision your health looking like?
• for me - I see my new healthy lifestyle equalling:
• healthy meals for myself and the family
• running and/or exercising on a daily basis
• having lots of energy and vigor
• losing weight
• reading more <--watching TV less
• Step 3 - Sort Into Two Piles
• In this step, sort items or thoughts into two "piles"
• The Vision Pile - in this pile you would keep all items or thoughts that support your new vision
• for me - kitchen - I put all the healthy food that I pulled out of the kitchen and put it in this pile, thoughts - I put the Positive part of the piece of paper on this side
• The Out the Door Pile - in this pile you would put all items or thoughts that Do Not support your new vision
• for me - kitchen - all the "un-healthy" food, and thoughts - the Negative side of the paper
• Step 4 - get rid of the Out the Door Pile of items
• In this step, I burned the Negative thoughts side of the paper (maybe too dramatic, but that's a memory I can go back to) and I threw away the un-healthy food or sent the food to my husbands work to be eaten by someone else
• Step 5 - Rebuild - using the items in the Vision Pile
• This step requires a continued commitment to the new Vision
• for me - Kitchen - I put the healthy food that I already had back into the kitchen and I have committed myself to buy primarily unprocessed food to restock our pantry and fridge. Mostly fruits and vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat/grain bread and pasta and so on. Thoughts - I put the Positive side of the paper in my journal so that I can see it everyday to remind myself what I already thought was good about myself and I have committed myself to recognize when I am "negatively" speaking to or about myself and immediately address the feelings. Also I am committed to defend my healthy lifestyle decisions against the negative "nay-sayers" <--- whats a nay-sayer? Anyone who tries to tell you that you can't do it, or tries to implant seeds of doubt that you can't do it. (on purpose or not, these individuals will sabotage your progress, if you allow it to happen)

Here is a link to Peter Walsh's website, http://www.peterwalshdesign.com/
He truly inspires me in so many ways!!

Run #6 - Danger

Today's run started off well enough...........
I got a late start in the day, so it was a little warmer than I would have liked, but still 75 degrees, so not bad. It was a little windy, but the first mile went really well........
As I was moving towards the 1 1/2 mile marker, a car pulled slowly behind me, and someone inside the car yelled something at me, that I didn't make out............but it did make me turn to see that there was a car full of guys following me, with one hanging out the car, looking right at me. 

DANGER.......................


FIGHT OR FLIGHT.............bells and whistles immediately went off in my head, as I decided my next move, not really sure what they were up to, but not wanting to be a part of it either.  They were on the road and I was on the path next to the road, with a parking lot directly in front of me and a playground and big grassy area to the side of me, so I went into the parking lot, where alot of cars were.  I saw a woman, who had just pulled in and still in her car, so I went towards it and stopped, with the hopes that my instincts were off and the people in the car would just keep going, or at the very least there would be strength in numbers.  Instead the guys in the car stopped in the middle of the road, starring over at me, like they were waiting for me to start jogging again.
Call me paranoid, but my parents didn't raise no fool.....................................its better to be safe than sorry!!
I immediately pulled out my cell phone and started walking in the opposite direction across the grassy area where cars can't go, making a b-line towards my car. My thought pattern being that if they were looking for trouble, I would have ample time to call the police and/or get to my car before they could drive all the way around. As I glanced back, I could see they had begun to pull away......perhaps thinking that I was calling the police or that it wasn't worth it..............or maybe I imagined it all in my head..........
Either way, the whole thing totally freaked me out. They were probably teenagers being stupid, trying to scare someone, because they think it is funny, but it left me feeling very vunerable.

I reached the parking lot where my car was located and after a few minutes of constantly checking to see if they were coming, I realized that they had left the park, or at least went somewhere other than where I was. I tried to resume my run, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone at any moment was going to jump out at me, and all I had was a cell phone, so I eventually packed it up and went home.

Since then, I have been thinking, what should I have done? Should I have just kept going, ignoring the car and the guys? Should I have stayed to complete the run, after I didn't see their car anymore?  The only thing I can say is that I did what I did, and I can't take it back now...............I am a firm believer in following your instincts, and something was telling me that these people were up to no good.

So for the future, I'm wondering how I will feel the next time I go to that park.  Will I be constantly checking over my shoulder? We will see.........

I will need to go out and run tomorrow to make up for today..........as my run was only 1 1/2 miles and it was supposed to be 3 miles.  So I will chalk today up to an extra workout :-)!!

Run #4 and #5

Run #4 - Long run - 3.03 miles distance, 20'15"/mi pace
This should have been a Monday training, but I wasn't feeling well, so Tuesday had to do.  I felt good when I arrived at the park, but when I began to jog, my knees hurt and felt weak.  I ended up fast pace walking most of the way, but still felt good because I completed the distance. :-)


Run #5 - Success - 2 miles distance, 16'26"/mi pace
Today felt really really good!! My knees didn't hurt at all! I ran more than walked, so that felt like I was making progress. I went to a new park to run and I'm so glad I did! It has many trails and trees and is a really big park, so lots and lots of distance that I will be able to explore! The best part of the run was that my pace was the best it has been! My goal is to get to at least a 12'/mi pace by the time of the race!

Next run - Friday

Run #3

Friday's run was a success! I was able to run more than walk and on my Nike app for tracking my pace, it showed I was much more consistent!

Stats:
Distance - 2.00 miles
Time - 34:45
Pace - 17'19"/mi

Run #2

Okay so you know Jane, the young vampire from the movie Twilight? Remember how she looks at her victims and says "Pain"..........and her victim drops in agony (except for Bella of course, cause she is immune)?



Yeah...........................

Run #2 ---------------- PAIN!!

I picked the same route for my 2nd run, which was at a park with flat paths in some spots and heavy inclines in others, and even though I was sore from day 1, I still felt good and ready to go. I had on my new running shoes (Nike Zoom Structure +14), thanks to my awesome husband, so what could go wrong?  Ummm.........ALOT!
Unfortunetely I made the classic mistake that alot of people do when they are new to working out, I pushed my body too hard! I should have picked an "all" flat terrain because when I got to the hills in the back of the park, my shins almost completely locked down. I kept going but I wasn't able to regain my mometum and speed.

So...........lesson learned. 

Listen to your body and don't let your ego get in your own way!

Run #1

Well it was harder in some ways and easier in others, but my first run/walk is officially over.  Several things went against me yesterday morning (my planned workout morning), it was chillier than anticipated, Chris forgot his phone (so I had to go back to his work), and I didn't feel 100% in my chosen workout attire, but...................I went anyway!
I am so glad that I did!!

First mile----> Killer and slow! My legs were aching, I felt so heavy on my feet, and jogging even a little was a chore, but I kept pushing......
Second mile----> My legs started to warm up and everything got easier, I jogged more and my pace sped up..........
Third mile-----> I came to a realization that I actually can do this!!!!

I found this amazing Nike running app for the Iphone, that keeps track of my pace, mileage and route (using GPS)!! It even cheers you on as you go along.  The best part is that it keeps record of all your past history runs!

So here is my stats for my first time out -->

Distance - 3.01 miles

Total time - 52:14

Next run - Wednesday

Tyler and Madison

Tyler is 19 and attends college on an ROTC scholarship

Madison is 7 and loves dancing and singing and is in the 2nd grade.



Let's do this!!



 I feel scared........
I have taken the leap of faith by entering and committing myself to run a Half marathon in Portland, Oregon this October.

How did this happen???

 My sister-in-law Lindsay is the first who mentioned this race to me over Christmas and I have been thinking about it for the last 2 almost 3 months! In my research, I discovered that the race began in 1972 (the year I was born). <-- just fyi, that fact alone was not enough to get me to want to do it. The race is in Portland, where I have never been, but always wanted to go.........mainly because we have family there, and Chris grew up in and around that area, so he could show me around <--this also was not enough to get me to do it.
What I needed was a "reason" to do the race, and the fact that I could get in amazing shape, lose weight, help me live longer and push my boundaries to new possibilities, not to mention, mark this off my bucket list..........still wasn't enough!

But.........then I saw it...........
The American Cancer Society was offering for individuals to run the race on their team DetermiNation!! Immediately I thought to myself..........LET'S DO THIS!! Since my mother passed away several years ago, I have wanted to do something that would honor her and the ACS was giving me that chance! Not only could I run in the race to honor mom, but I have the opportunity to raise money to help fight cancer, so that other families don't have to endure what we did for so many years trying to fight the good fight.

Okay so now the real work begins and I am terrified! I went to Runners World and created a plan with their Smart Coach link, so now I am set with a training schedule <<-----which begins Monday!!
 
I'm embracing this new adventure!! :) :)

My son Ryan

My son Ryan is 16 and plays soccer for Martin High School JV Team.

Day One

Day one of my new blog.  I must admit, it is a little intimidating considering I have no idea what I am doing.  The idea for this blog is to allow me to journal my everday life, projects, organization, training, etc.
My Motto...........Lets do this!!