Pointe

 Today I've been cleaning out the storage room and arranging/dejunking all my stuff.  Let's just say I get distracted too easily and when I found my pointe shoes... I had to try them on... I had to dance around... and I had to take pictures!  Took a good thirty minutes from cleaning!

Day 2

A photo of something you ate today.

Scrambled eggs with broccoli... then you put mozzarella cheese on top!  YUMMY!!!

Day 1

A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Here I am!  Obviously not a photo from today... but it didn't say it had to be!  Today is Sunday so I'm sure you can relate that not much goes on.  Woke up, showered, went to Church, came home, had a tuna sandwich, read the funnies, and now blogging.  Later will probably consist of watching a movie, having dinner, and catching up on my BOM reading.  Nice and relaxed day!

30 Day Challenge

Alright, another 30 day challenge!  I'm good at them if it doesn't involve food! ;o)

This is like the last 30 day challenge I did on my other blog- I may have to redo that one since I never really finished it... but give me some credit, I got pretty far before things started getting a little crazy... and you know why!

So here goes to this one!  Here are the 30 Days so you can join in as well.  Please do!  It's always fun to read!

30 Day Blog Challenge
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself from high school.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past

Old Lady...

I think I got a big reality check this past week.  It seems like yesterday I was dancing six hours a day, eating Spicey McChicken sandwhiches every other night after a performance and had the endurance of a five year old.

Now I'm sitting here on a couch, in sweats, a sore body, and Icy Hot on the ol' knee! 

Thursday night I got talked into going to a dance class with my old drill team bestie.  I'm glad to announce that I lived through it and absolutely LOVED it!  It was so great to be back in the dance mode.  Although, I didn't look nearly as good as I once did... but still impressed myself for being rusty.

The class is a bunch of adults who once danced and are coming out of retirement.  They have a competition team and I'm very tempted to join in.  That would add a little excitement to my life!  We started a lyrical routine to the song, Jar of Hearts, and love it so far!  Don't worry, it's low impact (so far) so the knee will do just fine.

Friday morning Chelsie and I met up at Gold's and spent a good hour humiliating ourselves in the aerobic room trying to do fouettes and pulling out the ol' dance tricks we once could do.  It was a lot of fun.  It's funny how easily you can loose your skills if you don't use them!  We'll get them back though!

On a side note, in case your wondering, the new dance shoe that is very popular is called "Foot Undeez."  I showed up Thursday with my "Old School" gore boot and felt very old fashioned! Haha!  So I'm going to have to upgrade and get myself some Foot Undeez.    

 

{The Gore Boot}

 

{The Foot Undeez}

 

{Yes, they look like panties! haha!}

Saturday mornings I'm doing my friends spinning class at Gold's.  Usually after her class I use her trainer skills and have her kill me and we do weights together.  I tell her I want the "Bonnie Body"- that's my fitness goal!  Today after spinning, we did our weights and then headed over to Acadamy West where they were having an open house and Bonnie was doing a demo for the class she teaches on Tuesday nights for the moms of the students.  So there went another 30 minutes of toning.  After that we got talked into doing the Zumba class.  

Have you done Zumba?

Holy Smokes!  I got so sweaty and it kind of kills you.  It was so much fun though!  The instructor was so much fun and just kept showing us more and more of the routines she does- so I think we did almost two hours of it!  

Today was a lot of fun- but a lot of activity and now I'm recovering in my sweats, with an Icy Hot 'back' patch on my knee.  It feels glorious and I can't believe I never thought of this before!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day.  Just thought I'd share with you that I feel old tonight.. had to get it out there in case you see me and I'm walking hunched over with a limp. :o)

Don't Make Assumptions

We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything.  The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth.  We could swear they are real.  We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking- we make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking- we take it personally- then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our word.  That is why whenever we make assumptions, we're asking for problems.  We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally,  and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.

All the sadness and drama you have lived in your life was rooted in making assumptions and taking things personally.  Take a moment to consider the truth of this statement.  The whole war of control between humans is about making assumptions and taking things personally.  We create a lot of emotional poison just by making assumptions and taking it personally, because usually we start gossiping about our assumptions.

Because we are afraid to ask for clarification, we make assumptions, and we believe we are right about the assumptions; then we defend our assumptions and try to make someone else wrong.  It's always better to ask questions then to make an assumption, because assumptions set us up for suffering.

We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do.  We assume that others think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge, and abuse the way we abuse.  This is the biggest assumption that humans make.  And this is why we have a fear of being ourselves around others.  Because we think everyone else will judge us, victimize us, abuse us, and blame us as we do ourselves.  So even before others have a chance to reject us, we have already rejected ourselves.  That is the way the human mind works.

***Such a great chapter.... Go get the book or borrow mine!

Don't Take Anything Personally

Nothing other people do is because of you.  It is because of themselves.  All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in.  When we take something personaly, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.

Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you.  What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. 

If someone gives you an opinion and says, "Hey, you look so fat," don't take it personally, because the truth is that this person is dealing with his or her own feelings, beliefs or opinions.  That person tried to send poison to you and if you take it personally, then you take that poison and it becomes yours.  Taking things personally makes you easy prey for these predators, the black magicians.  They can hook you easily with one little opinion and feed you whatever poison they want, and because you take it personally, you eat it up.

When you take things personally, then you feel offended, and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflicts.  You make something big out of something so little, because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong.  You also try hard to be right by giving them your own opinions.  In the same way, whatever you feel and do is just a projection of your own agreements.  What you say, what you do, and the opinions you have are according to the agreements you have made- and these opinions have nothing to do with me.

It is not important to me what you think about me, and I don't take what you think personally.  I don't take it personally when people say, "Miguel, you are the best," and I also don't take it personally when they say, "Miguel, you are the worst."  I know that when you are happy you will tell me, "Miguel, you are such an angel!" But, when you are mad at me you will say, "Oh, Miguel, you are such a devil! You are so disgusting.  How can you say those things.?"  Either way, it does not affect me because I know what I am.  I don't have the need to be accepted.  I don't have the need to have someone tell me, "Miguel, you are doing so good!" or "How dare you do that!"

No, I don't take it personally. Whatever you think, whatever you feel, I know is your problem and not my problem.  It is the way you see the world.  It is nothing personal, because you are dealing with yourself, not with me.  Others are going to have their own opinion according to their belief system, so nothing they think about me is really about me, but it is about them.

As you make a habit of not taking anything personally, you won't need to place your trust in what others do or say.  You will only need to trust yourself to make responsible choices.  You are never responsible for the actions of others; you are only responsible for you.  When you truly understand this, and refuse to take things personally, you can hardly be hurt by the careless comments or actions of others.

Be Impeccable

{I'm just going to take some key points straight from the pages of the book- it's too simple and clear to try and make it my own words...}

Be Impeccable With Your Word

Your word is the power that you have to create.  The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life.  The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic.  But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you.  Depending upon how it is used, the word can set you free, or it can enslave you even more than you know.

One word is like a spell, and humans use the word like black magicians, thoughtlessly putting spells on each other.  Every human is a magician, and we can either put a spell on someone with our word or we can release someone from a spell.  We cast spells all the time with our opinions.  The word can enter our mind and change a whole belief for better or for worse.

For example:  You may believe you are stupid, you may have believed this for as long as you can remember.  You may do something and think to yourself, "I wish I were smart, but I must be stupid or I wouldn't have done that."  The mind goes in hundreds of directions and we could spend days getting hooked by just that one belief in our own stupidity.

Then one day someone hooks your attention and using the word, lets you know that you are not stupid.  You believe what the person says and make a new agreement.  As a result, you no longer feel or act stupid.  A whole spell is broken, just by the power of the word.  Conversely, if you believe you are stupid, and someone hooks your attention and says, "Yes, you are really the most stupid person I have ever met," the agreement will be reinforced and become even stronger.

Impeccability means "Without sin."  A sin is anything that you do which goes against yourself.  Everything you feel or believe or say that goes against yourself is sin.  You go against yourself  when you judge or blame yourself for anything.  Being impeccable is not going against yourself.  When you are impeccable, you take resonsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself.

Sin begins with rejection of yourself.  Self-rejection is the biggest sin that you commit.  

Being impeccable with your word is not using the word against yourself.  If I see you in the street and I call you stupid, it appears that I'm using the word against you.  But really I'm using my word against myself, because you're going to hate me for this, and your hating me is not good for me.  Therefore, if I get angry and with my word send all that emotional poison to you, I'm using the word against myself.

Looking at human interactions, imagine how many times we cast spells on each other with our word.  Over time this interaction has become the worst form of black magic, and we call it gossip.  Gossip is black magic at its very worst because it is pure posion.

Gossiping has become the main form of communication in human society.  It has become the way we feel close to each other, because it makes us feel better to see someone else feel as badly as we do.

For years we have received the gossip and spells from the words of others, but also from the way we use our word with ourselves.  We talk to ourselves constantly and most of the time we say things like, "Oh, I look fat, I look ugly. I'm getting old, I'm losing my hair.  I'm stupid, I never understand anything.  I will never be good enough, and I'm never going to be perfect."  Do you see how we use the word against ourselves?  We must begin to understand what the word is and what the word does.  If you understand the first agreement, be impeccable with your word, you begin to see all the changes that can happen in your life.  Changes first in the way you deal with yourself, and later in the way you deal with other people, especially those you love the most.

Consider how many times you have gossiped about the person you love the most to gain the support of others for your point of view.  how many times have you hooked other people's attention and spread poison about your loved one in order to make your opinion right?  Your opinion is nothing but your point of view.  It is not necessarily true.  Your opinion comes from your believes, your own ego, and your own dream.  We create all this poison and spread it to others just so we can feel right about our own point of view.

If we adapt the first agreement, and become impeccable with our word, any emotional poison will eventually be cleaned from our mind and from our communication in our personal relationship.  Impeccability of the word will also give you immunity from anyone putting a negative spell on you.  You will only receive a negative idea if your mind is fertile ground for that idea.

Be Impeccable with your word.  Use the word in the correct way.  Use the word to share your love.  Use white magic, beginning with yourself.  Tell yourself how wonderful you are, how great you are.  Tell yourself how much you love yourself.  Use the word to break all those teeny, tiny, agreements that make you suffer.

Just imagine what you can create with impeccability of the word!

The Four Agreements

My friend Bonnie turned me on to the book, The Four Agreements.


She read me only a few pages and I was instantly hooked on what this little book has to offer.  I HIGHLY recommend everyone to read it- it's short, simple, and so powerful!

From the time she read me a few pages to the time I got the book myself, I had already been applying the concepts into my daily life and feeling rejuvenated in how I think about others and myself.  That sounds corny- but it seriously makes you think so differently before you open your mouth, or even think.  I'm grateful Bonnie introduced me to this book, especially when she did!

The Four Agreements, talks about just that.  Four Agreements you should make with yourself:

1.  Be Impeccable With Your Word

2.  Don't Take Anything Personally

3.  Don't Make Assumptions

4.  Always Do Your Best

Sounds simple, right?  It really is.  But then again, I know we all have a hard time... with number two especially!  My next few post I will go over each agreement- I don't want to give it all away, in hopes that you'll read it yourself.  I hope it makes such an impact on you- as it has on me! 

If anyone wants to borrow it- let me know!  But I do think, it's one of those books you should have on stand by... for a refresh!

A new Groomer

Well, here I go again in pretending to be a dog groomer.  You probably remember a few months back while in Alaska I washed Wallie... started brushing him and he just stood there... so I started to give him a hair cut myself.  He looked cute... but didn't have the 'Westie Cut'.

This morning Wallie and I ran to Petco to get some new shampoo and a razor- thank goodness for helpful employees that spend ten minutes telling me how to wash, cut, and take care of my puppy!

Wallie is so patient... I washed him, let him run around wild to dry off a bit, started to blow dry him and then the cutting began!

 {Before}

 {One wet puppy!}

 {Squeeky clean and blow dried}

 {Super white, and cut}

He was such a good boy!  He stood there, ate his treats, and looked at me like... alright mom, I hope you know what your doing!  I really don't, but I sure pretend good.  I did promise him that I'd have it down by summer so he wont look so silly at the dog park with a butch hair cut!

 {My handsome Wallie}

Enjoy the curls while they last... apparently he'll loose his puppy curls around the age of two.

{And this is him in the morning... I love waking up to his cute face!}

Vacuum vs. Westie

What happens when you wash a Kleenex?  It makes a mess of your clothes AND the washer.  So how do you clean it up without having to dive half way in the washing machine and pick out every single piece that one Kleenex made?

Grab the vacuum!

But, what you thought would be a three minute vacuum project- turns into about 10-15 minutes of fun!  Needless to say.. I got distracted when the Westie came charging at the vacuuming and I couldn't get much done so I contributed even more to the harassment.

There is a way funny video but I can't get it to upload... but this shows pretty much what happened for 15 minutes!

Giddy Up! Kind of...

The old saying from my dad...   

"I'm going to see a man about a horse."

Finally came true!  I have heard him say that since I was little and never did we end up going to see a horse... let alone a man with a horse!

For some reason I have always wanted to go horseback riding.  For Christmas that's what I wanted as my gift this year.  However, I got a camera... to document the riding lessons I did not get.  Disappointed, a little.  But it worked out great!!

Turns out my dad works with a "Brother" at the temple and he owns horses, so does his son and daughter.  My dad got talking to him and asked how much he'd charge for lessons..... FREE!                  
                

Last night my dad and I went over to the South Jordan Equestrian Park.  Luckily, it's a fancy indoor arena so it was not cold at all.  Troy had me get on his "calm" horse and then we started walking.  Not too much later the horse wanted to go for a run- so I pulled the reins and "whoa-ed!"  So he stopped.  We got walking again and then he jumped up and I held on for dear life!  All I could do was giggle since that's what you see in the movies and there I was with a not so calm horse trying to buck me off. 

So Troy says, maybe we should switch horses... this guy wont run unless you tell him.  Roger, the brown horse was sweet.  We walked around a bit, went in circles a lot, stood still a lot, and even trotted a bit.


It was such a fun experience!  Definitely wasn't a 'lesson' and I was a little nervous since I pretty much jumped on the horse and was told to have fun with little instruction on how to make the horse move. There was one point where Roger was about to walk into another guy and I apologized saying, "Sorry!  I'm a first time driver!"

I can't complain though when it was free and he said I could come as often as I'd like.  Hopefully I can get the hang of it and start my barrel racing in a couple weeks.   ;o)

Jenny Tell Ya?

Hello There!

I thought it was time to make a new blog.  A place where I can say what I want to say and tell you what I want to tell you without feeling like it will reflect upon anyone but myself.  And here it is!

So why Jenny Tell Ya? 

Especially since I've NEVER gone by Jenny nor ever wanted to.  I'm not a huge fan of the name Jenny {no offense to you Jenny/Jenni's out there!} and by no means do I think it's fitting for me as an every day name to be recognized by, especially by the public.

Well, funny story!  

One leads into the other so I'll start with how Jenny came about first.  My brother has a friend named Stevie.  Long and short, someone called me Jenny on accident {mixing up our names I'm assuming} and ever since my brothers, their wives, and a couple of my friends call me Jenny.  Which is completely fine- coming from them I love it and find it comforting- it's my silly nickname with them.  But I'm sure if anyone else called me it or a stranger... it'd just sound ugly and I wouldn't answer!

And the Tell Ya...  hahahaha!

My Bestie was at a restaurant with her family and she was saying something but her mom didn't hear her.  After the mom finished what she was saying she loudly said, 

"So, What did Jenna tell ya?" 

If you say Jenna Tell Ya together (pretend your playing Mad Gab) then you can imagine the embarrassment and the loud laughter that followed that question as silence fell over the restaurant.  If you don't get it- I'm not even going to explain what I'm getting at.

I figured Jenny would clean it up a bit instead of Jenna and it's a blog- it's meant to have a name other then yours.  So to the blog world, I shall be known Jenny!

There ya go- the story of my blog name.  I hope it gave you a good chuckle for the day and now your probably going to think of something cool to go with your name.

For example-  My dad once asked "Where did Chris Go?"  Which of course, he being the cute and adorable dad, starting giggling to himself because it came out "Crisco".  So, between the two of us: Jenna Tell Ya and Crisco...

What does your name sound like?

This is only a test :)

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!