Another Birthday?!

Where does the time go?  There was a lot that took my time this year and as my birthday approached I felt like I hadn't done too much just for me.  In July I did a little self-assessment and decided there was a little more I wanted to do before my 40th year came to a close.  I started my 10 week "NO EXCUSES" plan.

I wanted to increase my habit of personal scripture study and get back on track with my exercising.  I also wanted to improve my eating habits - really making progress on two out of three isn't bad, right?



I was able to read the Book of Mormon during this 10 weeks.  I enjoyed reading it in a shorter time frame and really felt the influence of the spirit in my life.  I invited my family to do it with me.  I only had one taker.  McKenna and I did it together.  We also decided that since we were doing that together we could encourage and help each other in the Young Women Personal Progress Program and get our Value experience and project for Virtue completed which included reading the Book of Mormon.  I really enjoyed working on these value experiences with my daughter.  She is so good and faithful.

I also determined to get at least 40 minutes of exercise at least four times a week.  Over the last year I had let my exercise habits slide due to other stresses and commitments that took more of my time.  I loved having the extra time in my day, but wasn't loving how not exercising made me feel.  It felt good to get back in the habit.

Besides exercising, I also wanted to work on my eating habits - I will need to keep working on that one this next year though.  I didn't find myself making excuses so I figure it didn't really fit into my ten week plan anyway and cut myself a little slack when I couldn't change this as drastically as I wanted.  This was going to take a little more effort than ten weeks to form a habit.  I did learn that my eating isn't because I make excuses, I just do it without thinking.  When people around me would eat, I would join them.  As you can imagine with growing teens, there is always someone eating at my house which meant I was always eating.  Well, at least I pinpointed the problem.  I'll work it out in this next year.

Carson, Tasha and Clint and the girls helped me celebrate.

Jim, Kris, Mom and Kathy (along with Greg) also came to the party.

When my birthday rolled around in the end of September, I felt I had been successful and I was a little better than I was at 39.  I had a great birthday celebration with the family (my Mom even surprised me and was here from Utah) and then Cathy and Lani treated me to a girls night out for dinner and to enjoy the Zac Brown Band in concert at the Clark County Amphitheater.  I am so lucky!