Smile!

last week I was so fortunate to be able to hear a few great keynote speakers at the "Just For Her" Women's Fair at the Dee Event Center. one of those speakers was Meg Johnson.

Meg was 22 years old when she went to St. George with her boyfriend one weekend. as she was out exploring the beautiful red rock of Southern Utah, she was hopping from boulder to boulder, not realizing that the red in the rock can play tricks on the eyes. she jumped onto what she thought was another boulder, but in reality was a 35-foot drop. Meg became a c7 quadriplegic, meaning she is paralyzed from the chest down. she can move her arms, but does not have regular use of her hands.

she elaborated a little about her experience in the hospital when she was unable to breathe on her own, and had what felt like a garden hose down her throat. she told us that when you feel as though you have nothing else to be thankful for, be thankful that you can breathe on your own. talk about a sobering thought.

when Meg woke up in the hospital one morning, she thought to herself, "I love that ceiling!" she continued to look around the room, naming different objects in the room that she loved.

Meg has re-learned so many things, like doing her hair and makeup and driving. she also types 60 wpm! what an inspiration!

and she loves to smile! even at random people. guys have chased her down in the car to ask her out after she sent her infectious smile their way--even with her husband in the car! those were funny stories!

but my favorite story shared by Meg at this conference was one of a study performed at Berkeley on clinically depressed patients. these patients were expected to be in a room filled with mirrors and to grin from ear to ear for 20 minutes every day. after 2 weeks, not a single patient was still depressed.

imagine the power of a smile :D

My Happy List

as a follower of Liv's blog, I decided to take her challenge and write out my happy list.

it is an interesting subject, as I have contemplated it lately. some of the things that make me happy include:

spending time with my family

church

my awesome Institute class

living the Gospel

rock climbing

the mountains/outdoors

working out

associating with good people

what is really interesting to me is the following:

I used to be somewhat crazy into rock climbing. I would go whenever I had the time/friend to go with. this is what constituted a lot of my happiness. now...even still...I see nothing wrong with this. however, after having broken my leg recently, I have noticed the little things that make me happy...like having the ability to walk :) I'm even starting to run again! I was just given the ok from the doc to climb as soon as I feel like I can. now THAT is a motivator.

anyway, my point is that its so easy to skip over the little things. I, for one, want to recognize and appreciate the little things more.

Reality Check

do you ever have those times in your life when everything seems surreal? as though your life were one long weekend? about the last 2 years have been one long weekend for me. as one who believes in rec therapy, I play all that I can. I love the mountains. I learned first-hand, though, how unforgiving the mountains can be.

on the last day of June in the year 2010, I was experiencing some rec therapy in the mountains with a friend. I took a fall, and I broke my leg.

after my friend carried me out of the canyon on his back, we almost hit a deer on the way to the after-hours clinic.

after being sent from the clinic to the emergency room, I waited in the hospital for 3 days to find that there was too much swelling to perform the regular surgery for my ankle. so they did a preliminary surgery to hold it in place while I waited a week for the swelling to go down.

after my second (and hopefully final) surgery, I have some pretty wicked awesome scars, and my leg is finally on the mend. I am currently not able to drive (it was my right ankle), and several vacations this summer have been put on hold, canceled, and/or otherwise frustrated.

I have learned a lot over the past month, though. I have learned empathy in a way I never could have otherwise. it is interesting to be learning about inclusion and ADA regulations in school, while requiring those services myself.

it is interesting to see which friends I can call on, and which friends shy away when I need help.

just going into a store, or going out for ice cream, or just going anywhere in public...customer service skills really shine (or not)...and its easy to see from my perspective. it is obvious when other people have been through the experience of having a broken leg, or some disabling feature. empathy plays a big role in life.

I have had the pleasure of living with my parents again while I am still not able to walk using both legs. I never thought I'd be back at home, but it has been so fun!! seriously. my parents are incredible. I am so glad that I live so close to home, and that they can and are so willing to help me out when I need it.

City of Rocks

I recently was able to go with some friends for a climbing trip to the City of Rocks, or as I call it, Climber's Paradise :) here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

The Beauty of Being a PRT Major

for my Foundations of PRT class, the class was divided into groups of 4. we were assigned--as groups--to have a "recreational experience" together. my group decided to go climbing. yes, I absolutely love my major :)

"The Gospel Is The Easiest Way To Live"

this is so true. and it really is that simple.

again, one of the many factors that play into me absolutely loving where I live at this point in my life...two Sundays ago I was sitting, waiting for Sacrament Meeting to start. I looked up at where the speakers were sitting and thought, "that looks like John Bytheway." so I looked at the program and sure enough, John Bytheway was the High Councilor speaking in my ward that day.

John Bytheway has played a big role in my life through his many talks published on CD and DVD. it was interesting to think that if I were speaking that day (as they did have a young lady from the ward speak), I probably would have referenced one or more quotes by John Bytheway, which would have been so funny to me because he was sitting right there!!

he started speaking that day by saying, "The Gospel is the easiest way to live." and I would reiterate...it is so true.

Sometimes Its Good To Gain 2 Pounds

I have been so blessed to have a schedule that will allow me to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings...and I don't mean at 5:00 in the morning. having this great schedule has helped motivate me to get to the gym. weight lifting has been a much enjoyed hobby of mine for quite some time now. after joining Gold's Gym about 6 months ago, I was given a free consultaion with a personal trainer. I did not sign up for continued personal training, but Jaron did teach me a thing or two about how to eat/work out, and it has worked well for me :)

with my most recent training schedule, I have been able to go consistently. at first I gained 4 pounds, and was so perplexed!! how did I GAIN weight by working out? well, muscle weighs more than fat, right? because I was doing weight lifting, it made sense.

now I specifically remember two weeks in a row I was unable to go to the gym consistently because of school work that I needed to get done. I didn't feel horrible or beat myself up about not making it to the gym, but I thought it humorous that each of those weeks I would get on the scale and find that I had lost another pound...by missing a workout!!

either way, I love working out :)