ADHD strikes again! But here is one of my outdoor recommendations

 If anyone has been following my blog, I sincerely apologize. I sometimes find myself "girl bossing a little too close to the sun" and then dropping off the face of the internet after trying to start an outdoorsy blog. However, if you're like me and remember about this blog roughly a few times a year, you're in luck, because it is likely I will only post a few times a year.

Now that we've sorted that issue out, let's get back to some of my outdoor recommendations!

This week, I'm recommending the Kula Cloth for when you feel nature calling and there is not a bathroom in sight. So...what is a Kula Cloth you ask? According to their website, it is "an intentionally and obsessively designed reusable antimicrobial pee cloth!" (https://kulacloth.com/pages/faqs).

So instead of having to lug around toilet paper and a bag on your hikes, you can attach this little cloth right onto your hiking backpack, pole, belt, whatever. Here is mine on my backpack

I like the Kula Cloth more than the pee funnel things they make for women (I have not had very good luck with them). The cloth also builds on "leave no trace principles" as it goes with you and is reusable. I have had this specific cloth for a couple years now. The cloth snaps together (like in the photo) to give you some privacy after wiping, or if you don't care, you can leave it open for the UV rays to dry it.

                                            (here you can see my first one in the wilderness)

It is very easy to clean. Sometimes I throw it in with my clothes in the washer, or I'll wash it by hand, and then hang dry it. Honestly, I contemplated making this my regular TP for having to go #1. It doesn't leave anything behind on you and could easily be washed between uses and dried before you have to go again (which might save me a fortune in toilet paper).

If you are unsure how to use it, their website does have some good instructions, but it is pretty simple. Make sure you pick a spot at least 200ft away from water sources and squat down (and by squat, I mean squat ALL the way down, otherwise it gets messy). Use the non-printed side (or in my case with the all-black, use the dimpled side) to wipe or pat dry. And that's pretty much it. 

If you don't want a stealthy version like mine, they have some really fun prints on their website for sale (I am not paid for this at all just as an FYI). Just last year, a friend of mine purchased one with a rattlesnake print, it was pretty killer.

My rating on the Kula Cloth would be an 11/10 because I have not gone back to using TP for needing to pee in the wilderness. I've used this on hikes, camping trips, river trips, and birding outings. Honestly, I want more of them.

I hope you find this recommendation to your liking and let me know if you try it out! It really has made fieldwork and being outdoorsy easier! 

Until next we meet.

6 Weeks Down and 9 Weeks to Go!

Hey guys.
It's been about 5-6 weeks since I last checked in.

So far half-marathon training has been excruciatingly hard but equally as rewarding.

While Joseph was gone in June I took this lovely little girl with me. Aná has been a decent running companion and has shown me that humans are pretty much the ultimate endurance machines. There were a few times Aná wanted to stop running and I didn't (even though I'm slow as sludge).

After Joe got back from his trip he decided that in an effort to support me, he was going to train for the half-marathon with me! It's been really helpful having Joe support me as now I know that I am not alone in my workouts each day. Sometimes he goes out with me and other days he goes while I'm at work - either way it's motivated me to continue going each step of the way even when my calves feel like tight little knots.

Recently we hit a mile stone. We ran 5 miles together in the evening heat of 98 degrees. We also started getting smarter with our gear and energy. We started trying out different energy chews and have found that the Extreme Jelly Bellies are one of our favorites. We also got some hydration belts because from here on out, our date nights on Fridays will be a longer run!

After our 5 miler, I realized that I needed new running shoes. The shoes I was using were pretty old. They are around 7 years old at this point. I got them for my mission and have logged miles on them there and miles on them here. It was time for a change.

I ended up getting a brand that I've never had before and never heard of. I got On Cloud.

So far they have been pretty great. They are ultra light and have more support in my arch as well as more space for my toes (which is super helpful!). The next week will test them out really well as this Friday we both will hit a new mile-stone (pun intended). We will be going 6 miles on Friday which is further than either of us has ever run in our lives!

Wish us luck!

Why Am I Doing This?

I'm training to run a half-marathon.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. What in the world has possessed you to even do this?! Well...I'll tell you.

On June 6, 2019 I got a text from my sister, Sam. It went something like this:

Sam: "Wanna run a half marathon with me in September?"

Me: ................... "You are gonna run?!"

Sam: "i listened to a really good podcast about making impossible goals, and this feels like the most impossible thing ever😅 "

Me: "Have you done a 5k before?? Or you just want to go straight for the 13 mile kill?"

Turns out my sister has never run a 5k before. And for whatever reason I was compelled to do this impossible task with her. Maybe I just wanted a change in my lifestyle, a reason to start running again, or maybe I've lost my mind. Only time will tell.

Last week was my first week of training on a 14 week training calendar and oh. my. goodness. Running is a lot harder now than it was 5 years ago. (That whole sentence hurt to write! When did I get older?!)

In my training, I'm doing a test of a program for work. It entails that I set a goal with the program and certain objectives and then the Bot automatically texts me at specific times I set to ask me about my progress in my goal. In addition to the interactive reminders, I can ask friends and family to record supportive messages.

The messages have turned out to be really helpful for me. They have gotten me about of bed at the butt crack of dawn more than once. And it really helps to not just have an alarm that I can snooze, but an interactive text message that forces me to think about my goal. I'm constantly thinking about it! Which in turn helps me remember to text my sister about it.

Here's to another 13 weeks of training. Race Day is September 14th, one week before my birthday. And right now, I can't think of any better way to celebrate life right now than to prove to myself that I am capable of the impossible.

Thanks Sam for asking me to join in your quest of impossible - let's make it possible!

I Was Diagnosed with PCOS. Let's Talk About That

First, a little explanation.

Since Joseph and I have been married, we both knew that we would love to have a decent sized family...seven children to be exact. He grew up with a lot of siblings and I had three and I love them a lot. We just wanted to the same for our children - to have siblings.

Fast forward to February 2016. We decide that we want to start having kids. I delve into research and ask other mothers questions like, how long does it take and what is normal. From what I gathered 6 months was pretty normal. 

I tried my best to patient but every month grew harder and harder. I saw my friends having babies left and right and people who got married after me were already pregnant and having children of their own. My heart ached and still, I knew that there other women out there who have been trying longer. I tried to quash my sorrow, but every month my excitement was torn to shreds before my eyes. I thought maybe the disappointment each month would get easier, but it never really does.

In November 2016 I was having an annual check up and I asked my doctor about it. At this point it had been over 6 months. She decided to have me take a blood test to check and see if everything was alright because by her opinion, we should have been pregnant already.

December came and so did my results. I had PCOS. What is PCOS, you might ask? PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. A quick google search will tell you,

 "Higher than normal androgen levels in women can prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg (ovulation) during each menstrual cycle, and can cause extra hair growth and acne, two signs of PCOS."

 In reality, PCOS can vary from woman to woman and it actually more common than you think. It just seems that no one talks about it. My particular form is the one mentioned above - my body doesn't ovulate. Well, at least right now it's not. After my diagnoses I was prescribed Femara. This was supposed to help my body ovulate. It is now March and alas, I am still not pregnant.

It has now been a year. 

This month my prescription has been changed to Clomid. Clomid is supposed to help my body produce and release an egg. I am hopeful that it will work in the next coming months so that Joe and I can have a growing family.

I am writing this because I feel that this topic have been deemed a taboo. Infertility struggles are a hard topic to tackle and I just hope that this story reaches someone who needs it. There is hope (thank you modern medicine). Hold on, your time will come. Just as I struggle to wait for my time and have hope that something will work, you too, can hope for the best and stay strong.

Spiritual Running

Something really crazy happened to me the other day, but first, a quick back story.

In December I lost my beloved Grandpa Dallas Mangum. He was a really good man and he loved to play the guitar. At his funeral I didn't cry. I knew he was someplace better than here. However, just after Christmas I was driving around St. George. A song came on by Fleetwood Mac; the song is called, "Go Your Own Way." For some inexplicable reason it reminded me of my grandpa and caused me to cry. (It's also a very catchy song)

                                 

                                    

Now fast forward to last week. I added this song to my list of classic rock songs that I enjoy working out to and the strangest thing happened. I was running on the treadmill and this song came on and I began to run faster. My mind brought up visuals of my grandfather before my eyes and suddenly I was on the verge of crying. And then it happened, I was no longer running for myself or to be fit. I was running for him, one of the greatest men I know, my grandpa. In fact, I ran faster than I have for awhile and I didn't stop. I put that song on again right after it ended and I kept running for him.

At last we come up to the crazy thing that happened. I was sitting in my Contemporary Native American Issues class. Somehow we had gotten on to the topic of Hopi runners. Not only does this tribe run for competition, but for religious/ceremonial reasons. They run for their people. My teacher, Dusty Jansen recounted a story of when he ran an ultra marathon. He recalled that on his way back to the finish line he was making deals with God to finish this race. As he turned the corner, his little girls called out to him, "Go daddy!" He proceeded to cry and they came and ran with him to the finish. When he reached his wife, he was sobbing. It had become a spiritual experience for him.

And that's what happened to me. Running became so much more than just working out or trying to lose weight. It transcended all temporal and became spiritual. It became a memorial, a dedication to my grandpa and maybe even to all my family past, present, and future.

I really hope that when I run from now on that I'm not just running for something like losing weight, but for myself, my family, and my God.

I dedicate this entry to my grandma: Judy Mangum

A Look Into Today

I've been away from the blog for some time now and felt it was time to come back.

Right now, I'm in my second semester into the Social Work program at UVU. So many things race through my head all day and all night. The central theme of these thought that I carry home from school are: Who am I? What am I? What do I want to become? Who do I want to become?

It might be helpful seeing as one of my assignments this year in my diversity class is finding out who I am and my biases and then working on removing them. It might be tough to find biases in myself. What I mean is, I know I have them, but it might be tough to face them. Time will tell.

I've decided to come back to blogging to express myself and share my artwork, school work, and community work with friends, family, and anyone who needs to see it.

A view from my apartment

Recently, the snowy weather has reminded me how much I like to write poems and use words to express my thoughts. Here is a little haiku I wrote just now:

Waking Up - A Haiku

How still the air is

As I wake from dreamy sleep

Sun beams through windows

I'm hopeful that I can continue to be creative while being so busy with classes and homework and I hope that, maybe, it will inspire someone else as other's creative work has inspired me.

Matisyahu and Understanding the Gospel

As a recently returned missionary, I've had many thoughts, especially concerning the Gospel. One such thought hit me quite profoundly as I walked home listening to my iPod. I was listening to King Without a Crown by Matisyahu (one of my very favorites by the way). This is song is quite packed with lyrics that go very fast and the once blur of words was absolutely clear to me. I thought, most songs that I listen to for the very first time, although I like them, I don't understand every lyric that is being sung. I usually jump in somewhere in the chorus where they repeat stuff. (Admit it, you've all done this.)

I thought back to the first time I had heard the song in January. I could hardly understand it and I'm pretty sure I tried to sing some of the lyrics...with different words. But the more and more I listened to it, and the more I read the lyrics the clearer the fast jumble of words became! Everything was being clear, but it took a bit of time and effort. I still sometimes, to this day, mess up on the lyrics.

How is this like the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Well, it's like this. At first, we learn about the Gospel, and we like it, but we don't actually comprehend all that is being said or taught. Then as time goes by and we take efforts into learning about it, our understanding is expanded. This is the way God works, He doesn't give us everything all at once and expect us to understand it on the first go. It states in Doctrine and Covenants 50:24 - "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (Emphasis added)

When we really get down to it, the Gospel is so alive that we are continually learning to understand it clearer every day of our lives. When we allow God to touch our understanding, He will reveal His doctrine and will so that we can understand it, but only "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30) until the whole picture becomes clear to us.

The Gospel is a beautiful thing that we can discover if we do our part and "learn the lyrics".

Here is the famous song itself, "King Without a Crown" by Matisyahu