"Rough Start, Great Finish"

Some people like to wonder, Why is my life so tough?

Mortality is full of trials, and every day is rough.
They say, “Hey, Lord, I’m being good, why punish me with trials?
I thought that if I chose the right,

I’d have a life of smiles.”

So here’s some things within a poem we mustn’t disregard
Which hopefully will answer why our lives can be so hard.

Nephi crossed a desert to find a place to build a ship.

I think we’d all agree that this was not a pleasure trip.
The wilderness dark and dreary lay before the tree of life.

You must fetch Ishmael’s family before you find your wife.
The wilderness will always come before the promised land.
Before they sewed in dark, rich soil, they saw a lot of sand.

The kind of things that they went through, we go through now today.
Here’s 25 examples of how things can be that way.

You’ve got to eat the Cracker Jacks before you get your prize.

You have to sit through drive-through before you get your fries.

I drove a Chevy Vega before my Honda Prelude.

I had to take my finals, man, before I got my grade, dude.

Before the 80’s music came we had to go through disco.

Before the Teflon frying pan we used to cook with Crisco.

You do a lot of dating, son, before you find your honey.

Bank officers will check your past before they loan you money.

Endure the small apartment, kids, before you buy a home.

My Franklin planner weighed a ton before I bought a Palm.

You have to pass the food court before you reach the mall.

And I was really, really short before I got this tall.
It takes a lot of courage, boys, to ask the girls to dance
Without the risk of asking, though, you’ll never find romance.

The ugly duckling

came before the really pretty swan.

You’ve got to pull the dandelions

to have a gorgeous lawn.

Could take 300 Wonka bars to find a Golden Ticket.

To eat that pile of chocolate, boy, you’ve really got to dig it.

We shovel snow in wintertime

before we get to spring.

Some guys will sacrifice their Jeep

to buy a wedding ring.

It’s half a dozen previews then the feature presentation.

And only after 8^th grade trials comes high school graduation.

Airport security must be passed before you find your gate.
It’s odd that much of traveling is stand in line and wait.

You’ve got to go through rush hour then you park in your garage.

You have to do stuff for your wife to earn a back massage.

Hours of piano lessons came before the big recital.

The Cougars played the U of U before they won the title.

Perhaps I should get to the point before this poem gets longer.
I guess that what I’m trying to say is trials make you stronger.

So when you have a problem there’s no reason to complain.
It might just be that all that’s wrong’s for your eternal gain.
Next time a trial comes along, don’t gripe or write a letter.
Just see what’s really going on: your problems make you better.
I hope my amateurish poem my point will not diminish,
Sometimes a rough start comes before a really awesome finish.

-John Bytheway, "Rough Start, Great Finish"

run, bike, AND swim?

I've never been much of a runner. Anyone shocked? Until lately, I guess. I mean, I still don't like doing it. Hate it actually. Hate that I can never seem to break the 3 mile mark without passing out. Sometimes I just want to go further! So, sometimes I swim instead. Because my arms get tired at the same rate as my lungs.

Yesterday at the gym was a swim day. I was thinking about it at work, though, and wondering, hmm, if I swim for half an hour today, would I be able to even attempt to run a mile right after? I decided to try it. And after a mile, I still felt okay. So I did a second mile. Halfway through that second mile I thought, I wonder if I can jump on one of those crappy stationary bikes for 10 minutes. So I did. And the good news? I didn't die.

So the question is:

Is there a triathalon in my future? Maybe. It would have to be a sprint triathalon, because lets be honest. I still won't be able to run further than 3 miles without wanting to die. But the other stuff? Maybe it won't be so bad...

zucCHIni!

For the last day of the month each month, I make cookies and bring them into work. I guess as a motivation for the sales guys to close what they can? Who knows. But every month I make at least 5 dozen cookies and every month those 5 dozen cookies are devoured in about 4 hours. They have never lasted through an entire 8 hour day.

Today, my co-worker brought me a zucchini from her garden. I got so excited, and started thinking of all the things I can do with this zucchini. I really was like a little kid on Christmas.

She realized this and said, "As excited as you are about this zucchini, that is how excited we get when you bring in cookies..."

Double dose of happy today :)

I definitely have not taken advantage of all the amazing hikes in Utah in the last 7 years.
(Yuck has it really been that long that I've been here? Sigh...)

Rock Canyon was introduced to me, oh, a month ago by Sean. And I will be forever thankful. Because Rock Canyon is beautiful. And peaceful. And secluded.

Last week, I decided to go up before FHE and hike as far as a could (in my allotted time) and then sprint down the canyon. It was fun!

I took some pictures with my phone on the way down:




And this week, Kjerstin came with me.

We hiked down, though, we did not sprint.

"Women don't eat at all. They just look at food then jump on the treadmill."

Quote from Gilmore Girls.

But seriously not true. Well, maybe for some women. But definitely not this one...

I'm a little obsessed with this website recently:
http://picky-palate.com/

I found a recipe for this chicken roll thing on her website and thought it sounded delicious.

the before:

(sorry it's sideways, you get the picture)

the after:


(yes, those are my grandmother's plates from the 50's...)

The only bad part about trying new recipes is I can never judge how long it will take me. This one took two hours, but now I know the process and it will be MUCH shorter next time.

Oh, and it was super delicious, in case anyone wanted to know.

Find the recipe here.

She likes basketball, isn't that wild?

Dear Hayley,

Note to self: when you stop playing basketball for extended periods of time, you do get hurt.

(ring finger is bruised and swollen)

Remember how you couldn't type? Play more!

Love, you know you want to play more, so just do it. And don't be a pansy about your finger. You like showing off battle wounds.

This is my sister. She is silly.

My conversations with Jenny after she had taken a muscle relaxer the other night:

j: "hayley, i just did my nails, and i totally forgot my stuff is in the wash. can you move it to the dryer?"
h: "sure" and i went and did just that.

30 minutes later:

j: "hayley, i forgot, i have stuff in the wash. can you move it to the dryer for me?"
h: "jenny, i already did that..."
j: "really? how did you know to do that?"
h: "you asked me to..."
j: "really? i dont remember..."

20 minutes after that:
h: "jenny, go to bed."
j: "but that means i have to move."
h: "yes but you don't want to sleep on the couch, it will hurt your back."
j: "oh, you are right."

10 minutes later:
j: "what day is today?"
h: "sunday."
j: "are you sure?"
h: "yes, we had church today, and break the fast."
j: "what day is tomorrow?"
h: "...monday"
j: "are you sure?"
h: "yes i am."
j: "do i have to go to work?"
h: "jenny, yes you do."
j: "...what time?"
h: "well you are supposed to be in at 7am..."
j: "oh, ok."
"no don't turn my lights off yet, i have to look for spiders. dont laugh."
h: "i'm not laughing, i do the same thing."

and then i get this gem of a text this morning...
"I'm dead today. Also I don't remember anything I said to you last night."

of course not. that is why i'm such a nice sister to document this wonderful conversation.

also, she apparently called our friend Alex after she went to bed

good thing i'm honest. i didn't exaggerate anything. which i definitely could have...

love you jenny!