Mormon Bloggers

                                  Welcome to the Neighborhood News! We’re always making and breaking goals. How can we make sure we’ll be able to achieve the goals we come up with at the beginning of the New Year, the beginning of a marriage, or, for that matter, any kind of new beginnings? Cami Checketts writes about ‘Setting Achievable Goals’. She tells us: “If you’re like me I’m on fire about my lengthy list of goals and then a couple of weeks into the year I realize something – my list is too long and I’m miserable. I’ve finally discovered that it doesn’t work for me to make too many goals at once.” On the other hand, Kasie West from Mormon Mommy Bloggers says it like it is, with the following statement: “Goal always has to be a four letter word, but it doesn’t... Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes in our repentance, in our daily efforts to become more Christ-like, we find ourselves repeatedly struggling with the same difficulties. As if we are climbing a tree-covered mountain, at times we don’t see our progress until we get closer to the top and look back from the high ridges. Don’t be discouraged. If you [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent. Waiting For Patience  Read More →

I promise that very soon I will actually write stuff instead of just posting videos and such. Until then…. These are some songs I really like. At first I thought this was a music video (in COLOR!) then I realized it wasn’t. Another old school song that I have been listening to lately, though it is not quite as old school as Sam Cooke, is this. And then there is this. I love how it changes moods right in the middle. Also, I really want to go to this. Does anyone want to come? Alternatively, if this is more your style, I am looking for someone to accompany me to this event as well.  Read More →

It’s hard to believe that this is my LAST Saturday post before Ben comes home!! Woot Woot! That’s right everyone, my man is coming home next Friday! It’s been 9 long months, and I can hardly wait to just be mom and wife again. Being mom AND dad is no fun at all. Besides, I never have gotten used to sleeping alone… Yesterday, I felt this new surge of energy that popped up with the sun. It seems I haven’t seen my big bright friend in a long time. Winter up here can be so cold and dreary. I am so ready for spring! Anyway, I thought that it was finally warm enough to put the boys in the jogging stroller and go for my first run out doors. I was so excited! I even wore a cute little running outfit that I put together.(Sorry about the quality of the picture. I took it in a dirty mirror and it distorted my face a little… I think…) Would you believe me if I told you I haven’t worn that jacket since high school!? So true. In fact, I don’t... Read the rest of this entry »

Now if you are like me, like to workout and do the weights, you have to come to depend more on inches than the scale. Scales can be very deceiving for people who are trying to lose weight by working out and lifting weights. I have been doing weights for 2 and half years now, and I can tell you, I don’t feel like I have 194 pounds of fat on me. Not one bit! And I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to get on the Wii and have it tell me I am “obese” when this butt fits in a size 10 now. Overweight? Yeah, I am still a little, but “obese?” I think I am over that. I told the Wii Fit off the other day. Here is how it went: I thought it would be fun to get on it after losing so much weight since the last time I was it. I haven’t played the Wii Fit since last summer. I have been playing other workouts like my Gold’s Gym and the Julianne Micheal’s one. Completely avoiding the Wii Fit… Until the other night. I put the program... Read the rest of this entry »

I anticipate. I think ahead. I plan ahead. I look forward to the future. I also anticipate the bad. I act in advance to prevent disaster. I worry. I fear. The first is healthy. The second is not. To encourage the first type of thinking and reduce the second, I’ve been practicing mindfulness—thinking and living in the present, [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent. Thinking Now, Not Thinking Ahead  Read More →

There was nothing like sitting in my father-in-law’s office the week he passed away to remind me that when we come to death we leave behind all our material possessions. I sat in his chair and thumbed through the books on his desk, taking home one that interested me. A few weeks later Paul traveled [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent.What Do We Take With Us When We Die?  Read More →

Sometimes, I feel like I am a fisher. You know, not the type that fishes for fish, but for compliments. The funny thing is, I’m really not. Sure it is great to get pats on the back for my hard work, and makes me feel really good about my accomplishments. But the real reason I am doing Fat Butt Friday, is not only to keep holding myself accountable for the weight, but I really, REALLY want to show my fellow weight loss pals out there, that if I can do it… so can you!! A little recap about my weight loss struggle: I have struggled with obesity my whole life. Even as a little girl I was a little on the chubby side. And let me tell you, other kids can be REALLY mean. But I had a great, loving family that taught me good eating habits and the importance of exercise. But it was really frustrating when those things stopped helping me, especially after having two kids. For two years after Nephi was born, I attended the gym almost daily, and ate what the health professionals told... Read the rest of this entry »

My original Alma Mater +Hundreds …. well, dozens, of people that I deeply love.+The Naked Indian Statue. I liked to check him out, Sego liked to bark at him. -70s modern architecture that is revolting.-A culture of spiritual McCarthyism. The University of Washington +Classy brick buildings that make my heart move up two inches in my chest.-Nobody I know, at all. Could that potentially be a +, though?+A fresh start.+An AMAZING program. I am in love with it, even the fruity little certification adviser who wears his pants high above his waist. +While I was on campus, I saw a booth handing out free condoms and selling tickets to a production of The Vagina Monologues.+Also, someone approached me and asked me to sign a petition about the environment (pro). +I walked around campus for over an hour and I did not see ANYONE wearing stilettos. I think I am in love.  Read More →

The “you” is someone who needs to hear this, not a “you” who broke my heart. Nobody who has ever broken my heart reads this blog, I don’t think. If you are: Hey. You broke my heart and I resent that, because my heart is kinda defective to begin with. Go screw yourself. Bye. Ways To Cowboy Up and Heal Oneself of a Broken Heart (in semi-chronological order) 1. Cry. A lot. Even if it makes the other people in the bathroom or movie theater or ethnic grocery store (true story!) uncomfortable. Cry as much as you like. Try to believe that one day you will be able to experience a trigger memory that will not make you cry again. Even if it seems unlikely. 2. Spend time alone. Go on walks, read scriptures, all that introspective stuff you see broken-hearted characters do in movies. DO NOT read old emails or journal entries initially. Build up to that gradually, starting with easy stuff like looking up his name in the phone book. 3. Spend time with people... Read the rest of this entry »

Productive: adj. 1. producing  or capable of producing 2. Producing abundantly; fertile. 3. Yielding favorable or useful results; constructive. Productive and fertile are synonyms. That’s interesting isn’t it?  A woman’s ability to reproduce and our capacity to help others grow and develop is part of our heritage. Producing is in our genes. That makes sense when you [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent.Productive? What’s That?  Read More →

With everything going on last night, I was just too pooped to get this done. But I promised I would post some update weight loss pictures so here they are!! Big News: Not only did I reach my 80 pound weight loss mark, I actually lost 2 more! So a big 82 pounds down!! AND I passed the 200s!!! No longer am I over 200!!! Woo Hoo!!! Before:Now at my 82 pound loss:My pants now (11/12) vs my old ones (24):I am now 3 sizes smaller than when I got married, and for the first time ever, I am smaller than my husband, who is 203. Life is great! I can’t wait to show off my new self when he comes home after 9 months away in March! Weekly StatsStarting weight: 279 lbsWeight last week: 200 lbsTotal loss up until then: 79 lbsWeight Today: 197 lbs Lost this week: 3 lbsTotal loss: 82 poundsGoal weight: 179 (My hundred pound mark) For those of you who are new to Fat Butt Friday click here! For those of you joining in, don’t forget to leave us your link, so we can come over and cheer... Read the rest of this entry »