weeks down - 9, weeks to go - 1 ?!

I can't believe I have been doing this kickboxing for 9 weeks! I just finished week 9 this morning and I have next week left. I get my after pictures taken thursday and my final testing is Saturday. I definitely can feel a difference and see a difference. I feel healthier and stronger. They have a maintenance course that I could sign up for and keep doing, but I am not going to. I am planning on doing things at home. Instead of getting up at 4:40am I am going to allow myself to sleep in until about 5:00 or 5:30am and get up and exercise then. Brent and I used to get up at 5:30 each morning before we had kids and now that I have been getting up so darn early, I think it will be easier to get up and workout here. Anyway, I am debating whether or not to post my before and after pictures. It might depend on how much of a difference I see. What do you think, Post it and show the world or keep it to myself? I am pretty white and I still have a nice belly, but that's me for now. My friends I grew up with used to call me bug zapper or such fun names because I was so white and could never tan, so the pictures wouldn't surprise them! Anyway, I will certainly post my final measurements and test time, it is the picture that has me worried. So let me know what you think.

Callings

I have lived in Iowa now for almost 10 years. Can you believe it!?!? Over these ten years I have had many callings in church. Ward missionary, baptismal clothing coordinator, enrichment committee, enrichment leader, nursery worker, 1st counselor in Relief Society, Primary secretary, and 1st counselor in Primary.
I believe all callings help you in your next calling. When I moved here I was just out of Young Womens and had never been to Relief Society, so it was good to be a ward missionary. I was able to get to know investigators and get to know the people in the ward.
Enrichment gave me responsibility. Nursery gave me a glimpse of chaos! (only having Megan by then) Relief Society counselor, I more fully interacted with the women in our ward.
Then 5 years ago I was put in Primary. I had always said "Don't put me in primary, I wouldn't know what to do." Learning from Karin opened my eyes that primary was fun and the kids were so darn cute! I didn't have to teach very often, which was just fine with me. I am one of those millions out there that hate to get up in front of a crowd. Then working with Toni as 1st couns., I got even more involved with teaching the kids and getting to know them more. Teaching once or twice a month and working with teachers has really been fun.
Now is the time of year when our ward gets a whole bunch of people that move in and move out. Unfortunately, our beloved Bishop is one that is moving. :( So naturally with many changes coming I have felt something was going to change for me, too. The Bishop called me on a thursday morning and asked to come by and speak with us that night. My suspicions were right, he extended a calling. Primary President.
I have to be honest, I was very excited. I was nervous about being out of primary since I have been in so long, but I was ready for anything. I really love the children in our ward and I really have gotten use to getting up and teaching, still nervous every now and then, mostly when I look at the teachers! Sometimes I feel stressed but mostly I feel very blessed and almost a little guilty about being given this wonderful opportunity to remain in such a fulfilling calling.

So I have to say, looking back on all the callings I have had, I truly feel they have all helped me get to a point where Heavenly Father trusts me to be a leader to help teach these children the gospel and be a support to teachers. I have a very wonderful presidency alongside me that I believe with all of us working together we can do wonderful things.
Many more callings are yet to come, but for now....I am happily blessed! :)

6 weeks down and Mother's Day already?

I am officially done with 6 weeks of kickboxing and I have 4 more. I can not believe that it has gone by so quickly. I have definitely seen improvements and I feel healthier. Joseph told me yesterday that I looked thinner and almost like the pictures before I was married! I thanked him and then said I still have a long ways to go but someday...... I am still 4 sizes away to get there. My friend asked me the other day if I am going to be sad to be done with this and I think I will be. I definitly will not miss getting up a quarter to 5 in the morning but I will miss going there. Hopefully I can keep up with something at home or join a gym. I have learned a lot about different exercise moves and how to keep moving and the right form for doing excersice and more about nutrition and I think all this will help me to keep it up, at least until I get pregnant and get sick again. Who knows maybe I won't get sick (this is wishful thinking!) (this is not an announcement yet but hopefully will be in the next 4-5 months.)

The kids are doing great and keeping me plenty busy. Megan is excited for summer and better weather and having a break from school. She loves school but sometimes going 5 days a week from 9-4 is a little much and I think she wishes she could just stay home sometimes. She still loves to do crafts and likes to color or glue or make rockets lately. She has done so good in kindergarten this year. We are so proud of her!

Joseph is still learning like crazy and being a boy. He is always trying to pick on Sarah. He doesn't know how to play with her just yet so he is constantl putting either his hands or feet on her and that drives her crazy. He has 3 more times at preschool and next year he goes 3 days a week to preschool. I am afraid he will be bored out of his mind. Megan has taught him much of what she has learned and so he knows the entire alphabet and sounds of the letters and is starting to put them together. The same for numbers, he can count to 100. He just turned 4 in April!! What am I going to do with him!?!

Sarah is growing and growing. She loves to go on walks and be outside. She is talking a lot and always singing. She handed me a yogurt container last night and said as clear as day "open it".
She really is saying new words every day and Megan and Joseph are always trying to get her to say new things. She just adores them so most of the time will cooperate. We feel like she is still a bit wobbly in the walking department but that will improve with time. She is constantly taking out the hair clips I put in her hair. Her hair is long enough right now that is goes right in front of her eyes down to her nose, so I try to get it out of the way and she just pulls them right out! She is a stinker.

My kids are so wonderful and I love them so much. With tomorrow being Mother's Day, Brent took them out shopping today to get me something. I was thinking that just being their mom and looking at their beautiful faces and being able to give them hugs and kisses is the best present ever!!! I love you Megan, Joseph and Sarah!!!

I also want to wish my mom and Brent's mom a very wonderful Mother's Day!!! We wouldn't be where we are today without great mothers like you two.

improving! woo-hoo!!!!

It has now been 5 weeks since I started kickboxing. I have seen many improvements. We did our half way testing today and I am proud to say things are much better than they were in the beginning. Here are my improvements:
beginning - today
1. 9 sit-ups in a minute (terrible!!!) - 28 sit-ups
2. 19 push-ups for 1 min. - 48 push-ups
3. mile run 12:42 - 12:15
4. ran the last half of the mile - ran/jogged just about all of it
5. (my favorite) things jiggled running - things didn't jiggle so much anymore!
6. got a side ache running - didn't get a side ache
7. hadn't lost inches forever - I lost 2 inches in my waist, an inch in my hips, chest
and just a little in my arms

I am very excited about all of this! things have been the same for a long time and now I am seeing results and now I have new commitment to push it these last weeks and really work hard so I see even more improvement in the end. I will right more late, right now Sarah is demanding attention!