Running...

A few months ago I made a goal to put some good miles in this past spring. What I didn't anticipate was what seems to be a bulging disk in my back. So I have just been trying to exercise without doing anything to make it worse. Unfortunately every time I think it's over, it isn't. C'est la vie!! So until further notice, I won't be doing a whole lot of running... which I still hate but strangely miss!!

In Defense of Self Defense

 

When I was 17, I worked at my family's video rental store. If you are too young to know what that is, think Redbox but where all the videos are lined up on shelves and you have to interact with a human in order to rent one. My mother ALWAYS told me to be aware of my surroundings. I would roll my eyes because of course as a teenager I was invincible. One night about an hour away from closing I heard my mother's voice in my head, "Are you aware of your surroundings?" I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I casually looked over to the parking lot and sitting in a car right outside our store were two men staring right at me. I don't know why they were there, but the feeling my intuition was giving me was tangible. I jumped on the phone and called my parents and then texted a friend at the ice cream store next door and asked him to bring me some ice cream and hang out until the men left. He did. And it worked. The men drove off. I stayed on the phone until I was able to close up shop and go home. I have never felt so threatened in my life and I was so grateful help was nearby. I was also so grateful for the Holy Ghost letting me know danger was nearby.

 

 

Fast forward several years and I read a story of a woman who was sexually assaulted on the Pacific Crest Trail. Immediately people began to question why she would decide to go hiking alone. Every guide book will tell you that is not safe. There is safety in numbers. In response to this, others accused those questioning her preparedness of victim blaming. One woman continued to point out that women shouldn't NEED to be prepared for attacks of this nature. That women should be respected and valued as human beings and that she refused to learn ANY self defense or take any precautions simply because she didn't believe women should have too.

 

 

I agree, women SHOULDN'T have too...in a perfect world we should be able to hike alone without fearof attack. We shouldn't need to watch for suspicious vans parked next to us. We shouldn't need to consider taking different routes home each day. We shouldn't live in fear of the wrong person learning our husband is away. We shouldn't need to wonder if the "nice" man offering to help us with our groceries has more cynical motives. I shouldn't have a self protection stick attached to my key chain. I shouldn't have needed to create the habit of holding it at the ready. I shouldn't have to practice the defense moves I've learned. 

 

BUT WE DO NOT LIVE IN A PERFECT WORLD!!

 

The men who would hurt us do not care about our philosophical ideals of utopia. Yes, women SHOULD NOT need to know how to defend themselves. But we HAVE to be realistic. We HAVE to be honest about the world we live in. One day I hope to live in a world where everyone lives peacefully together and there is no danger for women. But that is not here and now.

 

One in four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Ignoring the danger or refusing to learn how to defend yourself isn't empowerment. Learning to protect yourself against those who would attempt to control you, violate you and harm you IS!

 

I have read other's say that those who practice self defense are paranoid. Listen, I don't ever think I will need to use what I have learned. But I am not willing to take a chance either. If I am ever in a position where knowing some simple self defense tactics or precautionary measures could save my life, I am so going to be so glad I paid attention.

 

View this knowledge like your food storage or 72 hour kits. Same principles apply!! You never hope to need it. You never WANT to need it. But you have it incase you might.

 

In a self-defense class I took taught by a previous Bishop and Chief of Police officer he made a point to tell us that the statistics and stories he told us, though horrifying, were not meant to scare us. He didn't want us to live in fear. Aware, yes. Fearful, no! The point of self defense is actually the opposite of fear. It is preparedness.

 

I encourage each woman I know to invest in their safety. To find a personal protection device that they feel comfortable with. To take a self defense class. To research defense tactics and practice them often so you are ready (Husband's are great for this!). Become aware so you can be less of a target and stay safe!

Whether you are a self defense master or just wanting to get started, here is a great place to start:



 

 

NOTE: I want everyone to know that I DO NOT BLAME VICTIMS of these crimes. The woman hiking alone was in no way responsible for what happened to her. That responsibility lies solely with the man who attacked her. If it wasn't her it would have been someone else. These people are opportunistic. We can do all we can to avoid giving these people the opportunities but these attacks will continue to happen. Had she had someone with her, chances are the attack may not have happened. But it is in NO WAY HER FAULT. And I hope that man is stopped before he has the chance to prey on anyone else. It does not matter what a woman is wearing, it does not matter what steps she has taken to protect herself if any, it is NEVER her fault. There is NO EXCUSE for these attacks. There is no justifying it based on the victims actions.  RAPE is not about SEX. It is not about sexuality. It is about control. I say again, IT IS NEVER THE VICTIM'S FAULT. YOU CAN NOT CONTROL THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS. YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR OTHERS ACTIONS. Take precautions to protect yourself but NEVER THINK FOR A SECOND that if you are assaulted you are at fault.

Changing the Focus: Same Blog, New Title

Originally this was supposed to be a blog chronicling the crazy army life we live. But eventually, I simply ran out of things to talk about. And seeing as our army journey could be coming to an end soon(ish), our army life is winding down. Which is ok! But I miss blogging and I wanted to have some accountability... for running. Being 5 foot nothing, you can imagine how NOT built for speed I am. I HATE running. But I LOVE how I feel afterwards. I LOVE the way it makes my body look and really that is enough for me to keep doing it. But of course when you hate doing something EVEN when you KNOW that afterwards you will feel amazing, it is sometimes challenging to get yourself out the door. So this change of focus is to help me stick with it!! I am also going to bring you the:

 

The Spring Sports Challenge!!!

 

This is for me but if you want to participate, you are more than welcome!!

 

You can run/walk/bike/swim...any exercise that gets you mileage. From March until June! And here are categories (keep in mind these are my goals. You can change them to fit your needs.)

 

GOLD MEDAL: 180 miles

SILVER MEDAL: 150 miles

BRONZE MEDAL: 120 miles

BLUE RIBBON: 100 miles

 

I am shooting for gold. My goal is three 5k's a week... yikes! You have no idea how this is going to push me!! But because I have posted for the world to see I am holding myself accountable. Here we go!!

This Week on Facebook: Feb. 1-7

It has been a LONG time since I have written on my blog. I need to get back into this because I LOVE it. It is so easy as a wife and mother to stop doing some things you love! Between running my own business, husband just getting off of night shift (thank goodness!), kid's being sick... It's been all I can do to keep my head above water!! But hopefully the worst is behind us. Now on to the post!!

 

 

Do you ever notice a theme in your Facebook newsfeed each week? This will of course differ for each person because each person follows different things. Here are my thoughts on the trends that hit my newsfeed:

 

 

 

Are leggings and yoga pants...pants?

 

You may have heard about a wife and mother who wrote a post about no longer wearing leggings. This caused quite a stir among my friends! Why? Because most of us fall into an age group and category of avid yoga pants wearers! But to my surprise, there seemed to be a 40/10/10/40 split (official stats right here!) of opinions:

 

40% Were absolutely against the wearing of yoga pants or leggings. Sighting that they are too tight and in that essence revealing. They really don't leave much to the imagination. Just pretend their flesh colored and you are basically picturing the person pants-less. Posts by these friends spurred debates about modesty stating that they wouldn't want to be a stumbling block for men.

 

10% Were ok with leggings or yoga pants so long as the lady's top covered the buttocks. Because it seems across the board that appears to be what everyone is concerned about.

 

10% Were ok with them as long the lady's top or skirt hit the knee. (A Mormon standard for modest dresses or skirts.)

 

40% were unequivocally in support of leggings and yoga pants. Many stating that men need to learn to control their thoughts and that women are not responsible for what they think.

 

What do I think?

 

Well first off I should admit that I am a yoga pants wearer. It's once of my vices...one of my many many vices. I personally don't wear leggings because I have no intention of reliving the 90's. And for some reason leggings feel more revealing to me than yoga pants. I hope we can all agree that tights, aka panty hose ARE NOT PANTS. But here is my final say in the matter:

 

 My boys will be taught that they are in control of their thoughts. Women are people and not pieces of meat no matter what they are wearing and they are expected to treat them as such.

 

I also believe in being considerate to others. Here is the thing. Porn addiction is real. I would hate something I was wearing be a trigger for an addict who is trying to recover.

 

 

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

 

A measles outbreak from a person who went to Disneyland has caused quite a stir!! And once again I feel like social media is beating a dead horse. Why? Because quite frankly the studies and statistics from both sides are so staggeringly contradictive there is no way to really know what is right!! You have both sides using scare tactics. On the one hand you have the mom from down the street telling you your child will be autistic if you vaccinate and on the other you have doctors telling you your child will die from some disease that is perfectly preventable if you vaccinate. You will hear terms like "herd immunity" and you will be asked to weigh the consequences. Someone posted this: "When it boiled down to it, I would rather deal with my child being autistic than them getting the measles!"

 

Uhhhh... That doesn't sound right too me!

 

Where do I stand?

 

Vaccines aren't perfect. The last 3 years of getting the flu vaccine and we still get the flu and a myriad of secondary infections and my youngest's asthma pays us a visit! However my children are up to date on all their shots. We waited with our oldest till he was two to begin vaccinations, much to the support we received from our doctor who also did the same thing with her children. After much prayer and consideration we felt that was right for him. In thinking about when to vaccinate our youngest we had no such feelings and proceeded to keep him on schedule. Are there adverse reactions to vaccines? We would be dumb not to think so. People react all the time to western medicine. I and my two kids are allergic to Amox. And let's just say that morphine works maybe a little too well on me. My oldest reacted very badly to one vaccine. He got really sick and his leg swelled up like a balloon. People can have a bad reaction to any of the chemicals in vaccines. There is a reason why babies can not have the measles vaccine. The risk is too great. HOWEVER, I do believe in vaccines. I believe that it is because of them this outbreak isn't taking over our country. And I feel better knowing my children are to some degree protected. We are social beings and can't just lock ourselves away from the world. My kid goes to school and my husband goes to work. And they bring it all home! I don't even want to know the horrors being passed around an elementary school or a job where getting a sick day is near impossible. You had better be dying to get that sick day and thus my husband works with sick people on a daily basis. I am not in support of those who refuse to get vaccinated because they believe that since everyone else is, they don't have to worry. That isn't fair. Because you are putting babies and the elderly at risk, not too mention people who have compromised immune systems like cancer patients. But at the same time I am for people making their own medical choices. So if you don't vaccinate, I support your right to choose. I just may not like your choice.

How much sleep should you be getting...

Have you heard that the powers that be have changed the standard on how much sleep you should be getting? All of my friends on Facebook have! I didn't look into it... because not being able to rise up to meet such lofty standards depresses me. I would rather keep trying to slothfully go about my day not knowing that my children are killing me with their inability to sleep through the night most nights. Or that my husband's erratic and insane hours likewise but me in harm's way. (Seriously he went to work at 2:25 am this morning... Is it nap time yet?

 

 

Jamberry has announced the designs that are being discontinued!!

 

I am shocked by some of these! The Icy Polkas for one!! Get them before they are gone here!!!

 

 



Jesus The Christ

Ever since I first read this INCREDIBLE book I have wanted to make reading it a yearly thing... Well you know what they say about good intentions!

But this year I am actually going to do it! 

I think the Christmas Season to Easter Season is kind of the perfect time to read this book!

I've had several requests for my reading schedule so here it is!!

Back Friday to Christmas: 109 pages to get through to after Christ's birth. 5 pages a day!

Christmas to Easter: 689 pages = 7 pages a day!

The dates won't match up completely but it should get you really close and definitely help you get into the real reason for the season!!

You can read this book online for free HERE

or on your Gospel Library App and the I believe you can download it free when you download the Deseret Book E-book App.