Uncategorized – Page 2

Did the LDS church cross the line by stepping into a city dispute

Long title. I know. But nonetheless that is the question I find myself asking.

Little background info. BYU (Brigham Young University) and the LDS church are seeking to build a 9 story addition to the MTC ( missionary training center) in a little neighborhood named Pleasant View in Provo, Utah. To say some residents are a bit unhappy would be an understatement.

Normally if a company or organization wanted to build something against city code, they would present their case, residents would object, the planning council would decide. End of matter.

This story is a wee bit trickier considering the organization in this case is the church to which most if not all of the residents belong to. In fact the leader of the neighborhood resistance is also employed by the church. How’s that for tricky?

Initially when opposition was voiced to church about the matters, the LDS church stated the matter was secular and would be dealt with as such. The residents of the neighborhood were free to voice their conscience.

That ended about a week ago when stake president Chris Randall read and spoke from the pulpit on Sunday July first. He reiterated a message that is purported to come from Elder Nelson of the 12. A higher up in LDS church organization. Anyway, the message “invited” the neighborhood opposition to support and “sustain” the church leaders in their decision that the building is necessary to the church and an important ecclesiastical matter.

Hmm. Anyone in the LDS community knows that when you are invited to sustain something, there is a deeper implication at hand. Those words in particular imply certain things with a certain religious connotation.

When I related this story to my friend, she immediately said it smacked of fascism. Perhaps. I think that is a little far personally though. It is interesting to note that immediately following the “invitation” the leader of the opposition and a good many members, dropped their protests. Did the leader, Paul Evans, feel like he might lose his church standing and more importantly his job if he dissented? It could definitely be implied as such. He does not state that as the case though, let me be clear.

What about the members on the planning committee? If they are LDS will the “invitation” from church leadership put them in an awkward position? Or put undue pressure to cede to the will of a church versus the city?

I don’t know. It’s an interesting quandary to say the least. In my opinion, the notice from the pulpit was in poor taste and poor wording. But the Mormon faith is one where the needs of the gospel, God and church comes first. The view from your front window would be second. There is definitely a doctrinal case that could be made for a member of faith.

I’m not disputing that. Not questioning whether or not you can be a faithful member and disagree with the church at times. Just questioning the transition from stating it as a secular issue then changing to an ecclesiastical one when the chips were down.

Faith and politics is not a new discussion. Nor is it unique to the Mormon faith. I have seen people using this case as a reason not to vote for Romney. Because the church would influence his decisions. What about a Catholic? Would the Pope order a justice or president to strike down Gay marriage or face excommunication?

As Americans we like to point to a separation in church and state, but the lines are never drawn as clearly as we might think. School prayer, in God we trust, one nation under God, etc.

So I ask you dear reader, did the LDS church go too far bringing a civil city matter into church meetings? Exerting pressure or merely asking for help from the congregation? And the broader implications… Can anyone truly consider themselves a member of faith and not have that leak into their political decision?

Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And before the haters start hating, I am a member in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Just looking at some hard questions.

Fitness Tip: Make a schedule

Most of us don’t have a manual labor intensive job. That means that if we don’t set a piece of our day aside, the exercise often doesn’t get done.

Case in point. Last night I thought that it would be nice to run or walk a few miles today. If I got up early enough before school I would fit it in. I didn’t set my alarm. Do you think I rolled over naturally at 6 ready to move. Uh no.

Now it’s the end of the day. It’s hot. And there’s no one to watch my kids. All this adds to a day that I won’t fit it in unless I shift some stuff around.

It would have been so much easier if I had planned for it in the first place. Look at your calander, set aside an hour and pencil it in. Just like any other appointment. Then keep it. Because your health is everybody as important as lunch with your mother.

Everything I need to know as a writer, I learned from Buffy

My husband and I have been indulging recently in last year’s Christmas present… the full series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but the show is brilliant. Joss Whedon is a freakin’ genius. It is my fervent belief that if every writer watched Buffy, the quality of books would vastly increase. Here’s what I learned.:

1. Witty irreverent dialogue makes characters interesting. Even the unlikable ones.
Principal Snyder is not a character you should like. He constantly causes problems for our heroine. It would be easy to cast this character as a throw away. Just a boring voice of authority. Instead, Whedon has given him some of the best lines, making him worth watching instead of a snoozefest.
Principal Snyder: That’s the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.

2. Sidekicks are almost as valuable as the protagonist.

Where would the Scooby Gang be without Willow, Giles and Zander? These characters are all essential parts of story. They add meaningful support as well as comic relief. Often sidekicks are relegated to very surface personalities. It’s easy to fall into the stereotype trap. The fat best friend, the nerd, the snotty cheerleader.. you name it and it’s been done. They don’t grow. So take it farther, make the audience care and give your sidekicks depth. Think of the growth Willow had throughout the series.

3. Angel was the original Edward from Twilight

And Joss Whedon did it so much better. Edward comes off as too good to be true. He has no flaws. It’s obnoxious. And unrealistic. Angel is awesome because he has issues. He’s not perfect, we don’t always like him; but in the end, we all root for him anyway. Have you ever had a relationship that was all sunshine and roses? Where the only problems between the two of you could be worked out through a little DTR (define the relationship). Didn’t think so. Buys make you cry. Love makes you cry.And sometimes… true love doesn’t conquer all.

4. Sometimes life sucks.

Throughout the series, Buffy goes through hell. How often do we read books where the main character is never in any real peril. Nothing bad really happens to them. Buffy got the crap beat out of her on a weekly basis. She doesn’t often get what she wants, but she does what is needed. Don’t be afraid to hurt your hero. If there is no true peril, the story isn’t interesting. And if it’s obvious that the hero will come out all peachy keen… why would we keep turning the page?

There are so many more lessons, but I think I’ll leave it on just one final thought. Fun. In every Joss Whedon project I have ever seen, it is clear that he has fun. Look at Buffy, Firefly, Avengers… they do well and have cult followings because he has fun with his writing. When the writer has fun, the audience can’t help but join in.

So until next week, live by my personal author tagline — Having fun on the page

The Long Run: Indoctrinating the Kids

One of the biggest reasons I was fat was a lifetime of inactivity. As a kid I never played a sport. Didn’t ride my bike. The only thing I exercised was my fingers by playing video games.

I’m making sure I don’t fall into the same trap with my kiddos. So I’m indoctrinating them into the cult of physical fitness now. I’m not pushing anything about body shapes or weight, just that we need to be healthy and strong.

I could just put them on a machine at the gym, but I want it to be fun and a family way of life. So this weekend my 5 and 3 year old ran their first race with me. It was a mile long and at the end we got covered in colored chalk like in Color Me Rad. They had a blast and got their very first finishers medal.

Hopefully I am not only teaching them to enjoy an active lifestyle, but also the value of completing things vs competition. We came in dead last, but it didn’t matter. Because we finished.

Sliding Scale

Today’s weight 153..2. change . -.8

A little note about weigh ins. Weight fluctuates. Daily. Hourly. Weekly. Monthly. Keep this in mind.

You will weight less after a good nights sleep after emptying your bladder. Obviously, the more you eat and drink, the more you’ll weigh throughout the day. So resist the temptation to weigh again.

Also water and waste weight can make day to day fluctuations. Sunday morning I was 152. Yesterday I was 155.

These little dips and rises used to freak me out. Not anymore. If I’m doing the right thing and sticking to my budget, the weight will come off. Some days more than others. And faster once I can workout again.

But if you stress you can create cortisol otherwise known as the fat hormone. We don’t want that. Plus stress can cause emotional eating. We don’t want to blow our budgets either.

So just keep at it and the pounds will do their job and melt off like Popsicles in this 100 degree heat.

Fitness Tip: Pain vs Being Sore

There is a fine line between the day after soreness and real pain.

After any good workout, you should be sore. That is the sign that your muscles have been worked to their limits and pushed just beyond. This kind of soreness should last around 2 days. Being sore shouldn’t prevent you from exercising more. In fact, moving, stretching, and ridding yourself of lactic acid may in fact help.

But if you are in true pain, the kind where regular activity is painful and the pain is sharp or tearing rather than dull and generalized – then you might be more than sore. If that’s the case, further activity might make it worse.

Take time to evaluate and be honest with yourself. Are you using regular aches and pains to get out of a workout? Or could you be really injured?

I’m stuck in the latter category, much to my dismay. The quad and knee injury from the marathon are not going away. I keep trying to run, but have to stop after one mile. This is where I need to take my own advice and assess. Even though it kills me, my leg needs time to heal. It will hamper my weight loss not to mention the training for Park City half marathon next month. But sometimes not exercising can be just as important to your health as exercising.

So in the meantime, it’s lots of yoga, Pilates and arm work. Running will just have to wait.

How Do You Get Published?

This is one of super obnoxious chicken and the egg type questions. In an effort to get a book published, authors often run into the wall of platform and previous works.
Agents and publishers want to know that you have an audience. That people like your work. That you actually already know how to write. You know, the stuff you put in that all important Bio part of the query letter.

In other words to get published, you have to already be published.

There’s always the slush pile. You can get picked out of inbox sitting on an editor or agents desk. It happened to me. This is one of those lightning striking kind of things though. Right place, right time, bottle ready to catch that lightning.

But there is another way grasshoppers. Build up your credentials. Enter Contests, start a super popular blog (I clearly do not have the machanics down on this one yet), submit short stories and essays to magazines, find places on the web looking for content writers.

Today I’m going to plug the first option: Contests. One in particular.
Mormon Mommy Writers blog is having a contest. We are looking for personal essays, short stories, poems, haiku, limmericks (just kidding), but you get the idea. The subject pertains to the title of our blog. Mormons, Mommies, and Writers. Write about one or all. You don’t even have to be a Mormon or a Mommy to enter. Just a writer. Winners and honorable mentions will be published in an anthology.
Mormon Mommy Writers

So enter hopeful writers. What do you have to lose. Nothing. What do you have to gain. A publication credit. Something to put on that bio section.

Good luck! For more contest info use the above link. Submissions must be received by July 31. And yes, I am one of the judges.

Some things are not a race

I was talking to an “anonymous” friend yesterday. She read my Fleshy Confessions post from a couple days ago. She informed me about this great product that would shed all 12 of those pounds in one week. All I had to do was starve myself and subsist only on a special “drink” (nameless on purpose).

I told her, um, no.
Why? she asked. It’s only a week. Anyone can do something for just a week.

I told her the same thing I’m gonna tell you, some things are not a race. I don’t have a big fluffy white dress I need to walk down the aisle in a week. Nor am I entering a swimsuit competition anytime soon. I have learned my lesson about losing weight way too fast. It plays hell with your skin, (think a deflated balloon in several prime locations), absolutely screws up your hormone and body chemistry, and is mostly water and waste weight anyway. And it comes back.

I’m in no hurry. I can afford to be smart and tweak my life to lose a pound a week instead of turning it upside to lose it all.

I’m going to impart a little nugget of wisdom, so pay attention: The only way to long-lasting weight loss success, is finding a lifestyle that you can keep. Everyday. Without wanting to shoot yourself.

Full Body: Fleshy Confessions

If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know I am all about taking responsibility for my actions and choices. So it’s time I confess a couple of actions and their consequence.

Choice #1 – in an attempt to focus only on getting through the marathon, I ditched the scale so I wouldn’t focus on the numbers, just on how my body felt.

Choice #2 – Believing my friend when he said, you run marathons, you can eat whatever the heck you want.

Result: 12 lbs. extra on the scale. Lame.

Now I’m not fat by any means, just a little on the fleshy side. The high endurance training has just eaten through any muscled definition I had in December in my peak shape. My pants are snug, but they still fit. But when I look in the mirror, I miss seeing the contours of my waist, the slight curve in toned arms, to say nothing of a non saggy bum.

So no excuses. I know exactly what to do. Drag myself to the gym for weight training 3x a week. Zumba 2x and running 1x. Sunday I’ll pass out. I’m starting on a 1500 calorie budget, but I will adjust as necessary if that is too little.

I’m not in a hurry. I don’t need it off tomorrow. Or even next month. If I keep exercising and keep to the budget, the fat will go down and the muscles will go up.

I thought about taking a NOW picture for reference, but aside from my arms, it’s really hard to tell with clothes on. And as much as I love you guys, I am not stripping to sports bra and panties for y’all.

So join me, or just tune in. Either way, it will be an adventure. I’ll update every Wednesday

Today’s Weight – 154

Snack Smart: Cake workout

For dinner, my family went to Beto’s. My favorite thing on the planet is flan. Mexican custard. Depending on the size, it is 200-350 calories. The one I opted for was at the high end of the scale.

Before eating it, I made a conscious choice. I had been eating high protein all day, plus lots of fruit and veggies. So treat wise, I could fit it in. But if I had it, then I would need to make room in my budget. My caloric budget. Which was already spent for the day. So my only choice is to wave goodbye to my favorite treat. Or eat it and earn the calories. Just like I have to pay the restaurant, I need to pay my body in exercise.

For the record, every bite was savored. And now I am off to run 3 1/2 miles to pay for my treat. Totally worth it.

For the record