Resolution Result

I know it's been 18 months but I wanted to check in and reveal that my 2013 year was amazing. I call it my year of men. I dated more than once a month, made a lot more friends, became the submissions editor of my university's literary journal, rode my bike regularly, and received my endowments from the St George temple. I did not kill Jack, I got a new calling in my ward as the media specialist, and I even got on the SUU Academic Dean's List.

I'm thinking of writing blog posrs every Sunday as a journal exercise. I'll be in touch about that.

As far as 2014 goes, since January I've been eating healthier and a lot more active. I've said goodbye to appx 30 lbs. It's slow and natural weight loss, so I'm pleased to announce that I'm finding more strength within myself everyday. Consistent gym attendance in the spring, hiking during the summer, riding my bike up the hills of Cedar City to and from school, running around campus, sweating up a storm while cleaning at work, and weekly yoga classes have helped me redefine my limits on a daily basis.

I can do hard things.

Sweat is not scary.

Exhaustion will not kill me.

Uncomfortable is better. It means change and growth.

Resolution Reveal

Another year has come and gone.

2012

Last year's resolutions were: 

1) Record my headaches in a journal.
2) Shoot a gun.
3) Follow the "Touch Once" (clean house) policy.
4) Host a dinner party.
5) Write more poetry.

     I did NOT record more than five of my headaches. What can I say? There were way too many headaches within the first two weeks and there's always a few resolutions that never make it past the first few weeks of the year. Oh, well.

     I did shoot a gun. Had target practice with a rifle in Hatch over the summer (Thanks for the tips, Anamarie). Turns out I'm pretty handy with a shooter if it's aimed at something holding reeeeeeal still.

     I followed the Touch Once rule very well (most of the time) and even convinced my sisters to follow it for the most part. It's safe to say that this year the house was cleaner than in all the other years I've lived here, and that's not a sarcastic comment as I've lived here for almost three years.

     With the help of my good friend, Lonnie, I successfully co-hosted a semi-formal Christmas themed dinner party. Kept it small with 12 attendees and decided to have in as a potluck. It was a huge smash and the most common compliment I received was something like, "Finally! A party in Cedar City that made me feel like a classy grown-up!" They also loved the decorations (Thanks, Trudi!). Unfortunately, now I'm addicted. I will be hosting a "Love Everybody" dinner party the weekend before Valentine's Day. (Fingers crossed it will all come together in time!)

     The last resolution was a cinch. I enrolled in an intermediate poetry class, so my portfolio grew and grew. I've received a lot of very positive feedback. One of my poems will be featured in a series soon to be installed in the Braithwait Art Gallery on campus. The exhibit will be centered around local wonders of nature; Brian Head, Cedar Breaks, The Grand Canyon, etc. The poetry professor joined forces with the art professor and each class took field trips to these wonders. Poems will be matched with sketches, drawings, paintings or photos of these amazing natural sculptures. The opening is some time in February, I believe. More info to come on that later.

2013

This year's resolutions are:

1) Exercise regularly throughout the year (rather than
     sporadically in the spring and during the summer).
2) Get a temple recommend by April
3) Connect with my new Ward family (since I raised my hand in
     opposition when the boundaries were shifted the last time).
4) Be nicer to Jack (Trudi's cat has been hard to connect to the last
     year or so).
5) Go on dates at least once a month (with a different guy each
     month).

     Exercising regularly was going to be the hardest one on my list so I signed up for a class. It really helped with my poetry, and working out was going to be a bit more of a challenge than writing was. So I will be working out regularly to ensure I get a decent grade (since we all know how important grades are to me, you understand what a great incentive the class angle is). 

    Bishop's appointments have been harder to come by than normal because of the increase demand for missionary interviews. But I've been working on it; the executive secretary's number is practically in my speed dial. I have April listed as the goal point because my stake has its own goal to have each member baptized for at least two family members that they researched themselves, in April.

     Connecting with my new Ward family hasn't been nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. All I had to do was stop going with my cynical friends and actually attend Family Home Evening activities. I've already seen a marked improvement in my patience during classes.

      Being nicer to Jack hasn't been so hard either. All I have to do is perceive him as an attention seeking kitty rather than a pompous prick with claws, and we get along great. 

      Finally, the topic I'm most excited about. My sister, Trayci, and I were discussing the logistics of getting back into the dating world. She mentioned that her friend had had a crazy resolution to date 12 different men in one year. I said I thought I could handle a challenge like that. She and I started discussing the rules of this resolution/dare: a different man each month, at least one date, only legitimate marriage material men need apply (ie: single, LDS-ish, heterosexual, males). All dates must be at least two hours long, and consist of the 3 P's (Paid for, Paired off, and Planned), so NO hang outs, or study sessions.

     Even though it's the first day in February, I've already gotten the first date completed and the post that addresses this topic will shortly follow. I'll explain the reasons I why I thought this resolution would be a good idea as well as the benefits I've already witnessed.

Wish me luck!

Beginning of 2013, Recap of 2012

Hello all.

Let's just jump in, shall we?

Grade updates:

Spring 2012 classes and grades were as follows:
Literary Genres: Gothic Lit.......B+
Modern Social Problems.........A
Social Inequality and Justice.....B+
Social Movements...................A-
Beginning Spanish II................B

      During the summer of 2012 I stayed in Cedar City and worked as a handyman for a company called Ault Realty LLC. The company is owned by a Psych professor and his wife who manage rental houses for college students and small families throughout Cedar City and Enoch, as well as Southern California and Virginia (of all places). I worked with my good friend, Violet, who got me the job, tearing out carpet, installing carpet, fixing up hardwood floors, painting (and prepping) a lot, fixing woodwork, replacing fixtures and installing window treatments. I really loved it. I want to do this kind of work all the time, now.

         Summer wasn't all work, however. Some weeks were spent in Hatch with Thayne, Taneil, Trudi and Trayci, (along with various sundry family members) getting ready for the 2nd Annual Gary Fagg Family Reunion. We did a lot of work in the garage, newly named Club House. Sorting through Grandpa Campbell's treasures was a real treat and we found all kinds of cool stuff; old toy trucks, old oil/gas cans, homemade dust pans, homemade extension cords, homemade spotlights, homemade portable compressors, and much more. We plan to make big, over-sized hanging lamps from the gas and oil cans and hang them throughout the Club House. We found a few sets of bed frame headboards and foot boards and hung them up on the walls as decoration/storage. We also found some antique appliances: refrigerator, washing barrel, dryer press, and scale. We hope to display these items in the Club House for all relatives and visitors to freely admire.

       The reunion was a smash hit. Travis and Todd's and Thomas' families was able to come (sans Thomas. Summer school) and we had a great time playing with nieces and nephews, having craft time with Aunt LaRue, band practice with Uncle Thayne and archery with Uncle Tyler. Aspen and Sierra proved themselves to be amazing babysitters, and Travis and Jamie really bonded over hating Hatch and s'mores. :D

     After summer came more classes.

Fall 2012 classes and grades were as follows:
Intermediate Poetry..................A
Major Authors: Willa Cather....A-
Pre-Algebra.............................B+
Intermediate Spanish................B


My Spring schedule looks something like this:

Creative Nonfiction Writing TR 10am
Algebra M-F 11am
Atonement, Repentance and Forgiveness MW 12pm
Advanced Conversation and Spanish Grammar M-R 1pm
Circuit Weight Training 3x per week

Hopefully I can get into my final math class during the summer and then I'll only have another three semesters left. I recently met with my Academic Adviser and she has really high hopes for my ability to juggle volunteer hours, internship hours, 16+ credits and maintain my sanity. Have a beautiful weekend!

--Tristen

Long Time, No Post

It's been forever since I posted last. There are no excuses. But since my last post I completed the Little Biggest Loser Competition (and did not win). I worked out all summer and got my endurance up. I maintained my original weight loss but stopped working out when school started in the fall of 2011.

I took 12 credits: Beginning Spanish I (A-), Critical Literature and Theory (A-), The Sociology of Leisure and Tourism (B+), and Computer Science and Internet Systems (B-). Then the holidays happened and of course I gained about 5 lbs thanks to the lack of exercise and overabundance of heavy food. Oh, and the baking. I was a baking fool that holiday.

I started the holiday break off right with a vacation to Mississippi with my best friend and her husband. We stopped at the Four Corners, drove through Roswell, New Mexico, visited Bucky's Truck Stop in Texas and ate at The World Famous Salt Lick Barbecue Pit. After driving through pouring rain in Austin and getting drowsy in Louisiana we finally arrived in Mississippi at SeSadie's house early in the morning, round 4am or so.

The next four days passed in a blur of fun times, new people to love and amazing food: Sausage balls, Pecan Tassies and Butterscotch Clusters, ham, homemade macaroni and cheese, and lots and lots of grits.

I got to show a bit of my clever/crafty side, too. For the Miss. Christmas gifts I made beer cap wind chimes, aprons out of button-up shirts, grocery sack holders, and a baby mobile out of a jar ring and paint sample cards. I really loved it.

Now that New Years Resolutions have been made and my sister has been surprisingly supportive, I've jumped on the fitness bandwagon again with both feet. I have myfitnesspal app to track my caloric intake and exercise, as well as a livestrong.com account to help with motivation and execution techniques.

Also, a new year means a new semester and I have more classes than I've ever had before. SOC Inequality and Justice, ENGL Gothic Literature, SOC Social Movements, SOC Modern Social Problems and SPAN Beginning Spanish II. UGH! It's gonna be tough in some ways, easy in others. I have a lot more exams than ever before but a lot fewer papers to write for my classes than last semester. More reading assignments but way more digestible topics.

Have a great year! See you in 2013

-Tristen

week three of LBL

I was sick yesterday with some kind of food poisoning. I didn't eat much til Katie made me drink this homemade electrolite concoction that included sugar, salt and a liter of warm water. After that I was ravenous. But I didn't work out bc of my queasy stomach. Today however I'm feeling great. I've already done one workout and plan at least two more.

Due to yesterdays stomach nonsense my weigh in is 241lbs. Measurements are as follows:
Head: 24 1/2in
Bust: 46 3/4in
Ribs: 40 1/2in
Stomach: 49in
Hips: 53 1/2in
Thigh: 28 1/2in
Upper arm: 17 1/2in

I think I need a bike. That kind of cardio and strength is what I'm itching for most. Well, that and a track but I know when to call it quits on *that front. :J

Here's to hoping something changes drastically. Cheers.

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