Strength Training

I have to say I am really loving Strength Training. It is one of those really cool things where you get started and don't realize the impact that it will have. I have been working on the P90X dvds and I love it. I feel strong, I feel my core muscles, I am noticing a difference already!! It even helped me on the treadmill today. I was able to do more running today and went a mile without dying or totally dreading it. It was fantastic. I can see why people love marathons (not that I am pushing to that...Yet) There is something so empowering about becoming strong. I love it.
My favorite things is the looks and comments when people here I am doing P90X. It is a TOUGH work out...especially the plyometrics and the stretch and yoga. Tough for me, mainly because my knees are toast and there is a greater amount of high impact exercise going on in these, so I just modify, wrap my knees and go for it.
So am I going to continue..YES! I think the other thing I have learned is that it is Ok to NOT do the P90X if I don't want to that day, I just doing something else.
I have been doing push ups and can't wait to start on pull ups..(they are going to kick my butt) But I started at about `12 girl style push ups and I am up to 25 girl style this week. I am trying to increase each time. It is cool. I am using resistant bands instead of free weights for now. I am going to purchase those soon. I think I also want to get a free standing punching bag. I think it sounds invigorating. I think I also want to get Zumba dance dvd and have that too. It is just fun to try so many different things.
Ok, more power to us that are trying to increase strength and fitness. I am grateful to find something in my life right now to really focus on that is making me feel so great!!!

Goodbye 2011........... HELLO 2012

Goodbye 2011

Highlights of 2011

Kris being made a High Priest

Nate turned 19

Nick turned 18

Caitlyn turned 16

Kris called to serve in the High Priest Group

Cheryl called to serve as YW Pres

Many productive trips to Utah

Going into Muir Woods to see the Giant Redwoods

The Ocean

Having James come down and stay a while

Many opportunities to serve my mom and family

The love of two big adorable dogs

Reading the Book of Mormon

Young Women's Camp

Successful Thanksgivinng and Christmas

Writing an original song complete with lyrics and music

Medical technology and amazing health care professionals

Lowlights of 2011

My Mom diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer 

My mom passing away in September

Does anything else even compare to that?

It has been interesting this week to be back in Utah, back in moms house, handling her things, talking as siblings about what means something to each of us, what we could benefit from and use. It borders trivial and emotional with a very fine, thin line. I find myself looking around at the really beautiful things that my mother and father had from all around the world, things they purchased that may have worldly value but hold no comparison to finding very sentimental things like my parents scriptures or a worn and tattered pair of little baby shoes or my dads old leather wallet or their drivers licensees. Things that would have no worth to an outside but that invoke deep emotions in their children. 

I think 2011 was very much a year of breaking through, breaking through the emotions of talking to a parent who knows their time on earth is very limited, breaking through into new eternal growth experiences, breaking through emotions of learning to love through dissapointments.

I hope and desire 2012 to be a year of new beginnings. Of new understandings within the gospel, within family relationships, within personally growth. To understand that making a New Beginning and establishing or strengthening relationships and seeing people in a new light, a new understanding and with an eternal perspective will cause greater joy and progression. 

I hope that in 2012 I will discover some new things about myself . Something I have already discovered is that I REALLY like strength training, it totally rocks. I am a cardio wimp, but give me strength training...I am all over that. It is like a huge high! Something else I discovered, but I think I already knew this, it is just hard to get back there, is that I need to treat myself better and if that means buying the more expensive hair care product and make up, then so be it. I can treat myself the way my Father in Heaven would. Its ok! :D

Perhaps even an opportunity to blog monthly about a new discovery. I think that is called goal setting. Hmmm, maybe that can be tied into my personal progress somehow. 

I always LOVE starting a new year and pondering about the passing of of the old year. How did I improve from the year before.

In 2011 I improved on my site reading skills on the piano (just a bit, thanks to Caitlyn and her difficult choir music) I improved on personal prayer and personal listening and I improved on inviting people to hear the missionaries. I had 5 invites last year. And guess what? I have already had one really awesome invite in 2012

(I mean, what good is improving if you don't carry that into the new year with you)

Some goals for this year? 

1. improve body strength

2. Rely on the spirit in all things

3. continue to learn about loving my husband and children in a capacity like my Father in Heaven

4. delegate *sometimes I think I have to do it all

So HELLO 2012....WELCOME to my life!

 

Rededicated

I just got done reading the blog of a really amazing young woman in our ward. She has great perspective in life and in all that she does. It has caused me to re evaluate some basic things in my own life that have slipped again over the last 2 weeks. I am trying every so hard to re establish the patterns of daily prayer and daily scripture study and am realizing this has to go hand in hand with daily taking care of my self. I have to be focused in what I do during the day and in what I want to accomplish. Time is short and I want to do so very many things. I am realizing (in my middle years) that I matter. I have worth and I am good enough to do everything Heavenly Father wants me to do. So in that light. I re dedicate myself to daily scripture study...Study... not racing through the scriptures just trying to get done. Also to daily prayer. And with that, I am re dedicating myself to exercise, healthy eating and the lifestyle change that comes with it. It scares me death that I will fail...again. But if I fall, I can stand up again and get right back on the path. I am going to try some new things and am looking for the right time to go back to school (am i crazy?)

No unrealistic resolutions, just resolve to know that I am worth what I put into myself.

Is anybody out there?

Do you ever wonder if everyone you know and love has fallen completely off the planet?
I am definitely having one of those months.
Let me know if you still exist by posting a comment. I am seriously missing my friends!

The power of Prayer and a really cool Holiday Miracle!

So, my 1st counselor in our YW presidency is just an amazing woman. Her name is Elizabeth Giuliacci and I love her dearly. I have to preface this little miracle.... before I was called to be YW president, Elizabeth called me to come over and do a project for her. We worked on it, got it done and as I was leaving I turned and said..."I think we need to collaborate on some music". I then proceeded to explain that Kris was writing a musical and with her amazing ability to arrange music, I thought she might be interested in the project. I usually don't step on Kris's toes and invite people to work on a project with out his thoughts and go ahead. But I did with her. I told Kris I didn't know what came over me, but he seemed OK with my invitation to her. Since that day, I was called as YW president and I knew I wanted her for my 1st counselor, she accepted and now we serve together....**move to present day**
Elizabeth asked me if I would help her with the program for the Relief Society dinner (which was Saturday night) I sent her a few songs, she told me some she wanted to use and I suggested a program we used 2 years ago called "the women who knew Jesus" She thought it would be great, but we wanted to include some men as well as two Young Women and one Primary child. So I rewrote part of the script and we were figuring out songs to go with it. We did NOT have a song for  the Mother of the girl Mary. It was a part from the point of view of Mary's mother. It was beautifully written. We had a part for Joseph's mother, we couldn't just leave out Mary's mother. So last wednesday while we were at a luncheon, I said to her "why don't we just write an original song to use"..........What? What just came out of my mouth??? Why don't we just WRITE/COMPOSE a new song in 3 DAYS??? Well, it came out of my mouth and Elizabeth said "Sure, Im game" (or something like that) She said if I could come up with lyrics she would come up with the song. So I went home and in about an hour, the lyrics were there. Caitlyn did help me rearrange the wording and get it hammered out and I was so appreciative of that. :D Elizabeth emailed back and said SHE LOVED IT! Holy Cow...really? She loved it? I was so excited...we were moving forward. We she asked me if I had a melody and I did while I wrote it out, but it would not come to my mind when I pondered on it. Obviously it was NOT the right melody. So I woke up Thursday morning, said my morning prayers, not really even praying about the song. When I got home from taking Kris to work, this very simple and beautiful melody came to my mind. I sat at the piano and plunked it out and wrote it down. I immediately sent Elizabeth an email with the words and corresponding notes and told her that if she liked it she could run with it, if she didn't then she could use what she wanted. She emailed me back and told me how she had prayed Wednesday night, all MORNING long, Thursday morning and she prepared everything to sit down and compose and still had NO melody. She prayed one more time, opened her email and there was the melody that I emailed her. She cried when she sat down with it. It was the right melody. She worked Thursday and Friday morning she woke up and had the introduction and the feel for the accompaniment. She worked Friday in between piano lessons and being mom and wife and got me the almost finished music Friday night. She and I had about 20 conversations those two days making changes, tweaks, changing the tune and bit, it took on a sort of quiet, music box, hauntingly melodic sound that was just beautiful! I cried when I played through it. It even had a part for "Mary" to sing back to her mother. Caitlyn and I were able to learn the song and perform it together Saturday night for our Relief Society dinner. It was amazing. Such a miracle occurred, I was truly humbled to be part of it.
I have to say of my dear friend, I had longed to get to know her for almost the whole time we have lived here, she just is like a magnet, you just want to know her. Truly inspired, truly talented, truly and blessed daughter of God.
Here are the original lyrics

Daughter Divine

When I was younger, I had a dream

A dream of a daughter divine

I felt of her greatness, her purity and worth

I longed for her little hand in mine

If my faith were greater perhaps I could have seen

her standing right there by my side

But her spirit touched mine and I knew that soon

In my humble home she'd reside

Chorus:

Daughter Divine, daughter of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

What plans does our Father have for you?

Daughter divine, You are great in his sight

My daughter, your here, so tender and pure

It is you I felt so long ago

To raise you in faith is my mission divine

But your mission is greater, I know

You've cried in my arms, you've told me your fears

To carry the Christ child and love him so dear

You are the one, my daughter divine

To be his sweet mother to hold him so near

Daughter Divine, daughter of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

This is the plan Father has for you

Daughter divine you are great in his sight

(Daughter)

Can I raise the Savior, this Holy King

Will I rejoice , lift my voice and sing?

You taught me well, right from birth

Of who I am, and of my worth

Mother divine, Mother of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

Did you know the plan Father had for you?

Mother divine, you are great in his sight.

(Sing both Choruses together with parts. )

 if you want to see the final version with the music, email me at cheryl.polson@hotmail.com and I will email it to you. We are going to post it on my friends website for FREE download. I am also rewriting the lyrics so they aren't just about Mary and her mother but about mothers and daughters.

How grateful I am for prayer and for this very special Christmas MIRACLE

A season to be Thankful

Isn't is wonderful to experience this time of year?

A season, literally, to stop, pause and ponder on what we are blessed with 

And what we are THANKFUL for?

I love the song "Count your many blessings"

Think of what God hath done.

In the spirit of the season, I am Thankful for

My Heavenly Father, My Savior, Jesus Christ, My family-- my brothers and sisters who set such a great example for me, my own family-- Nate, Nick and Caitlyn who are completely amazing and who are talented, respectful, kind and who love their mom and dad, for my husband and all that he is and does, for his great respect of me, I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows me opportunities for growth, for stretching and understanding. I am grateful for the comfort of the Holy Ghost and for the inspiration and personal revelation that comes from prayer. I am thankful for modern technology which lets me stay in touch with my friends and family, which lets me see pictures of my sweetest little great nieces and nephews and lets me see what my family is doing. I am grateful for blogger, to let me read about the lives of my amazing friends and all the goodness they are doing. I am thankful for my husbands great job and that he is happy and that we can support our family. I am grateful for a home and a car and for the little things in life that are wonderful like fleece blankets and falling autumn leaves and hot cocoa. I am thankful to live near the ocean and to experience that vast wonders and beauties of the earth. I am grateful for the example of those around me, young and old, who teach me each day. I am thankful for my calling and for the amazing Young Women in our ward, including my own daughter. I am grateful for a wise and prayer Stake President who understands and teaches us how to invite those around us to partake of the gospel. I am thankful to a wise and prayerful Bishop who guides our ward. I am thankful for talents, both my own and those I see around me. I am thankful for silly things like chocolate and comfy sweats and fluffy warm towels and big slobbery, cuddly dogs.

In all the world around me

The harvest fields abound

Bringing forth abundance

In all the lands around

The season of work has passed

The reaping has begun

From that which we plant and sew

Richness can be found

And in this season of

great Thanksgiving

my thoughts quickly turn

to all the riches in my life

from family and friends and to all that I have learned

I stand to count my blessings

of the things God brings to me

The riches in my life

It is plain to see

In this season of remembering

And with a thankful heart

Give love to those around you 

and Thank God for the blessings he imparts.

May you have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving Day

 

Ella Marie

I just had to make a quick post because I am feeling such gratitude for the safe, albeit, early arrival of my newest great niece, Miss Ella Marie Gunn. Ella arrives 2 months early and weighs in at 4 lb 8 oz. Her lucky and proud parents are Ali and Erik Gunn. Ali is my niece and I introduced her to Erik. They are amazing and will be such fabulous parents. So far Ella is doing really well. She is breathing on her own. She is in the NICU and there is not a time frame on how long she will be there, but she is loved and being taken care of. She has tons of black hair and beautiful eyes. She is so tiny and sweet!

Welcome to the world Ella!!