Power"Fall"

Last night, outta the blue, Driftin’ off to the evening news, She said, "Honey, what would you do

If you’d have never met me, "I just laughed, said "I don’t know, But I could take a couple guesses though", And then tried to dig real deep, Said, "Darling honestly...

I’d do a lot more offshore fishin’, I’d probably eat more drive-thru chicken, Take a few strokes off my golf game, If I’d have never known your name, I’d still be driving that old green ‘Nova, I probably never would have heard of yoga, I'd be a better football fan, But if I was a single man, Alone and out there on the loose, Well I’d be looking for a woman like you."

I could tell that got her attention, So I said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I wouldn’t trade a single day, For 100 years the other way." She just smiled and rolled her eyes, Cause she’s heard all of my lines, I said, "C’mon on girl, seriously, If I hadn’t been so lucky, I’d be..

Shootin’ pool in my bachelor pad, Playing bass in my cover band, Restocking up cold Bud Light, For poker every Tuesday night, yeah, I’d have a dirt bike in the shed, And not one throw pillow on the bed, I’d keep my cash in a coffee can, But if I was a single man, Alone and out there on the loose, Well I’d be looking for a woman like you."

She knows what a mess I’d be if I didn’t have her here, But to be sure, I whispered in her ear, "You know I get sick deep-sea fishin’, And you make the best fried chicken, I got a hopeless golf game, I love the sound of your name, I might miss that old green ‘Nova, But I love watchin’ you do yoga, I’d take a gold band on my hand, Over being a single man, Cause honestly I don’t know what I’d do,

If I’d never met a woman like you." (latest country song obsession...)

View of Manhattan across the Hudson

We are officially in FALL!! Back in Utah, that meant 3 weeks of changing leaves, wearing a down vest over a long sleeve shirt and hitting up ski swaps / online shopping the latest UGG boots. Life in NYC is slightly different. We still have some 80 degree days, the grass is still green, we experience some intense rain storms (still hurricane season) and quilted equestrian jackets is the outerwear of choice.

I realized on my way to work this morning, that Fall fulfills some pretty serious cravings I have. As a young child, I frequently hung around the kitchen, snatching the butter tub and eating butter from off my fingers. As an adult, I've had to find less direct ways to feed my butter craving. Enter, baking, which uses large quantities of sumptuously soft butter cleverly turned into something socially acceptable to eat with fingers, like cookies. Recently, I have discovered "brown butter" recipes, which is like melted butter (YUM!) cooked to the point that it has almost a caramel taste. HEAVENLY, there's no other way to describe it. Then there's the pumpkin cravings. I love carving pumpkins, pureeing pumpkin, baking pumpkin, pumpkin jam and as my amazing sister in law Jenny showed me, drinking pumpkin. Run to the nearest Starbucks and order a "pumpkin steamer" and see if it doesn't change life as you know it. But what if you could combine two intense cravings and serve it up together?! Enter "brown butter pumpkin cupcakes" which not only contain brown butter mixed with pumpkin puree for a cupcake, but then there's the brown butter frosting on TOP. I made them as mini cupcakes, so it's acceptable to eat more than one without worrying about thunder thighs or blocked arteries.

But while butter and pumpkin cravings can come on strong, nothing quite compares to the craving I get when I realize it's Fall, and that General Conference is right around the corner!! This past week, the questions started pouring into my mind - what will they discuss? Will there be a common theme? Will I receive some answers to my prayers?? The other night I was watching the "best of" Ted talks, and while some were pretty good and gave me a different view and way of thinking about things like achievement, General Conference makes Ted talks look like sharing time for 5 year olds.

Lately, I've felt like I've been asking for a lot of help on important aspects of my life while struggling to get direct answers and it has been making me so impatient and frustrated. I had this certain, resolute feeling that these answers and direction would come during conference. Sure enough, there were 4 talks that spoke directly to the concerns and questions that have kept me so preoccupied:

• Selective obedience brings selective blessings; establish an attitude of ongoing, joyful repentance; acknowledge and face your weaknesses but don't be immobilized by them, no matter what your current status. (Jorg Klebingat)
• I don't know exactly how each of you should fulfill your obligation to those who do not or cannot always help themselves. But I know that God knows, and he will help you and guide you in compassionate discipleship if you are conscientiously wanting and praying and looking for ways to keep a commandment he has given us again, and again. (Elder Holland)
• We are able to understand peace, because we feel turmoil; as you exercise that agency and include [God] in every aspect of your daily life, your heart will begin to feel peace, buoyant peace. That peace will focus an enternal light on your struggles, it will help you to manage those challenges from an eternal perspective; don't say that you don't have time to study the scriptures, choose to take time to study them, feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep - you may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God - if so, do it. As you dedicate time every day to study God's word, peace will prevail in your life. Be cautious not just to make your family home evening an afterthought after a busy day the structure of your evening is not as important as the time invested. These are the very practices that help take away stress, give direction to our lives and add protection to our homes; the temple is one of the best places to understand the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, seek him there. (Elder Scott)
• We all experience moments of great decision in our lives; sometimes a small change in the direction of our lives and have significant future consequences; President Uchtdorf has said "through years of serving the Lord, I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, in families, often comes down to an error of only a few degrees. How can we avoid these small errors? Will the blessings promised in your patriarchal blessing be fulfilled? I read it from time to time, but never with the intent of looking towards the blessings promised in the future, and evaluating how I was living in the present. If we continue to live as we are living, will the promised blessings be fulfilled? It was not a decision between what was right and what was wrong, but between what was good and what was better. We need to consider our options with the end in mind. Understanding who we are, why we are here, and what the Lord expects from us, will give us the broader vision we need. We need to be prepared for the challenges that will come - the best paths in life are rarely the easiest. We are not here in this life just to waste our time, grow old, and die. God wants us to grow and achieve our potential.  (Carlos A. Godoy)

Fall bike riding along the Hudson

Perhaps it's the leaves changing that makes me yearn for my own kind of changes to make in my life, but sometimes the hardest part is these little stumbling blocks of knowing which and what kinds of positive changes to make. General Conference is like attending a self-esteem course on how to get back in touch with "me", how to understand my divine nature, and how to fully realize my potential to overcome the stumbling blocks in my way. It's knowledge and power, with a formula for achieving my individual destiny, if I so choose.

Here's to less sleep, more studying, and growing not just in age, but in achievements. The "power" of Fall.

Lo

Look who's translating at conference!

Just Do It

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must DO.”-Leonardo da Vinci

Jay-Z says "if you can make it here you can make it anywhere," and sometimes I absolutely believe that's true. New Yorkers are an ambitious lot, you'd think the tennis courts would be empty at 7 AM on a Saturday morning when people are sleeping off long weeks and bar contents from the night before, but no. It was over an hour wait! Ah well. I did get in an amazing night of tennis earlier this week. The stars were out, the air was cool, and skyscrapers lit up behind us as we ran ourselves all over the court.

What determines our actions in life? Is it desires? Fears? Guilt? Religion? If I were to make a list of my biggest fears, number one is I am terrified that I won't live up to my potential. The crux of my decisions revolve around this, am I capable of more? Am I doing everything I should? I guess you could say this was my theme this week, I thought about it a lot. I usually don't listen to rock music but an old song came on my ipod, and I found myself listening to the lyrics:

"My best friend gave me the best advice, he said each day's a gift and not a given right. Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind, and try to take the path less traveled by. That first step you take is the longest stride. If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your last, leave old pictures in the past, donate every dime you had? And would you call those friends you never see, reminisce old memories, would you forgive your enemies? And would you find that one you're dreaming of, swear up and down to God above, that you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day? If today was your last day, would you make your mark by mending a broken heart? You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are. So do whatever it takes, cause you can't rewind a moment in this life. Let nothing stand in your way, cause the hands of time are never on your side."

An answer to my biggest fear came Friday night. Elder Jay E. Jensen of the seventy came to speak at a fireside, and he shared a moment in his life when he wondered the same things I've been wondering. As he put it, "What am I doing or not doing that isn't producing?" I could have hugged him right then. He found his answer when he pulled open his scriptures and found himself reading D&C 3:5, which says among other things, "remember also the promises which were made to you." Elder Jensen tied it to President Uchtdorf's talk, Forget Me Not. Uniting the two, Elder Jensen said "remember the promises which were made to you, that they will forget you not." He talked about the promises, specific and individual that have been made to each of us, that are the answers to living up to our potential. Sometimes the best answers are the ones that have been in front of you the entire time, so simple and just what I needed to hear. Notes from his talk will be uploaded shortly on my other blog.

I count myself lucky to be from a family of total overachievers, they are constantly inspiring me with ways that I can better my life and live up to my potential. This week, Chloe graduated from high school, a year early, and I couldn't be more proud of her or excited to see the amazing things she will be accomplishing! I sent her this photo from Christmas, offering my congratulations and love.

WAY TO GO CHLO! We are taking over the nation's capital this week, and it's going to be epic.

We're halfway through 2012, and for me the question is still there, every day. How Will You Make It Count? By working hard each hour, each day, each month and each year, to make my potential a reality.

The Bucket List

"No man is an island." I stopped in at my happy place this week. When I go there, I feel like I've walked onto a scene from the sound of music, except Captain Von Trapp is conspicuously absent. I sat on the stone balcony, book in one hand, cotton candy lollipop in the other. Idyllic. I think on average, I read and process 5-600 articles a day, maybe more. In seconds I quickly have to decide whether the article is relevant or not, and then file it away in my memory for later recall, or ignore it and move on. What this means, is that I'm processing a lot, every single day, and my memory feels a bit....stretched. So I went to Staples and bought a notebook, so that I could write down things that I'm learning and not have to worry that my memory will forget them. I tested it out at a fireside Friday night. Then I ran to the Met for another art tour, this time on Impressionism and post-Impressionism paintings. Like a total dork, I furiously took notes, and at the end of the lecture several people approached me asking for copies. I decided to start attending art tours because when I go to a museum, I have no idea what I'm looking at or why it matters or even why I should care. The tours are led by curators of the exhibit that crack jokes, keep it fast paced and stop at paintings to explain why they are indeed so famous. It's only an hour with lots of walking around, so it's perfect for my attention span.

I couldn't decide what to do with my notes. I have notes on my phone, I have notes on my computer, a Lot of notes in my head, and now a notebook. So I problem solved, and created a second blog- LoLo Notes. Self-explanatory, and now all of my learning experiences are in one place. If you want to see my notes from the Met tour, Condoleezza Rice's visit to BYU, or my favorite talk on love, you can access it here: www.lolonotes.blogspot.com/ 

I've been thinking a lot about vacations lately. When you leave this life, you can't take your money or your belongings with you, but you Can take your memories. I have some pretty epic vacation memories. On a whim, I sent out a text: "hey Chlo, which would you prefer- African safari or riding elephants in Thailand?" Her reply, was a screen shot of her bucket list:

Ok, I get it. Thailand for the win. But number 14?! All of a sudden I feel boring, unimaginative. I asked her for the full list, so I could see just how high she was aiming. Pretttty high it turns out. It sparked a conversation of what we will wear to the oscars/golden globes (she in Marchesa, I in Michael Kors or Zac Posen). Her list made me realize, sometimes I take life too seriously. There's a quote I often think about, "aim high, because if you miss you'll land among the stars." There's a lot of truth to that! Have I been selling myself short by making bucket lists of goals that are too attainable and realistic? Maybe. So I embarked on my own list, writing down some realistic dreams, others not so realistic but still...the possibilities are endless, right? I present to you....The Bucket List.

1. Wear a fascinator to a posh event

2. Bungee jump off a bridge

3. Fly a plane

4. Sit front row at a rolling stones concert

5. Play 18 holes of golf in Scotland or Ireland

6. Attend a garden party/picnic in the park wearing a giant fashionable hat. like kate. or julia roberts in pretty woman (see below)

7. Dive on the great barrier reef in Australia

8. Slalom water ski

9. Hug Roger Federer

10. Hit a home run

11. Swim in the dead sea (or just coat myself in black dead sea mud, either one)

12. Sew a quilt like this:

13. Plant a garden and make my own organic caprese salad

14. Be in a hollywood movie

15. Meet a royal

16. Go out with a polo player

17. Beat my dad ski racing

18. Spend a day as Mother Teresa

19. Be someone's rolemodel

20. Write a book and get published

21. Save at least a million dollars and pass it down for college funds

22. Take part in a natural disaster rescue mission/cleanup

23. Swim with whales

24. Attend a lecture at the Sorbonne

25. Meet the president President Bill Clinton, Congressional CC

26. Swim in a public fountain -Chlo, can we make this happen in France or Italy?!

27. Find buried treasure

28. Watch the sunrise/sunset with someone I love at the Taj Mahal

29. Learn to hula dance - I do a fabulous Hukilau dance

30. Kiss upside down

31. Be mistaken for a celebrity

32. Do a flip on the trapeze, like an acrobat

33. OWN the name hostess with the mostest (Splash says I'm getting close)

34. Live in a foreign country

35. Spend a holiday with the homeless

36. Drive a racecar

37. Heliski in deep powder (combining my two loves, helicopters And skiing!)
38. Witness or be in a flash mob (sorry Chlo, got that from you!)
39. Dress up in flashy spandex and go 80s Rollerskating
40. Be in an epic paintball war, like Reese Witherspoon in "This Means War"

41. Make someone's wish come true
42. Be serenaded
43. Sky dive
44. Train a dog to obey my every command
45. Ride horses on the beach in my swimsuit
46. Build a school
47. Visit all 7 wonders of the world
48. Cartwheel down the great wall of China
49. Receive a standing ovation


This is just a start to my list. Feel free to share your own bucket lists, help me with mine or if we have one of these in common, let me know. Maybe we can cross it off together :)

Love,
Lolo

Won't you be my neighbor?

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and
again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does
actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great
devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in
the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at
least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”-Theodore Roosevelt

If you look really hard, somewhere in the quote above you will find the word of the day. Devotion. I was walking to work this morning - you know winter is upon us when New Yorkers bust out the fur coats - when that word popped into my head, and set the theme for my day. It's this word that exudes power and intensity, unrelenting commitment. When paired with a good thing, you can't go wrong with devotion. Mother Teresa was devoted to caring and helping the poor and needy. What am I devoted to?

Someone in church last Sunday spoke on the importance of temple work, and he said, if you believe in the immortality of our souls then you have to believe in the importance of temple work. Valid point. Am I devoted to temple work? Absolutely!! Starting today. 2012 Goal No. 4, attend the temple once a month, at least.

As a side note, I was sitting waiting for the subway this morning and thinking about what other people are devoted to, what their interests are. It got me thinking: if you could have one room in your dream house devoted just to you, what would be in it? My dad technically has two rooms in our house, an office and what I affectionately call the "toy room," as it houses cars, motorcycles, snowmobile, crossbows, tools; the modern day man's playground. On the walls are posters signed by famous skiers, surfers, etc. And in the corner is a TV so that while he is puttering around in his play room, he can catch up on sports. That's his play room. What would my room look like? What would your room look like?

I picture interior decorators cringing in horror as I think about what I'd want. Giant windows, I have an obsession with light and scenic views. It would be a cross between a library and a workout room. Walls lined with the classic tales by Jane Austen, Twain, Dickens and then books like "The Dummies Guide to Gardening," French and German textbooks, and crossword puzzles. I'd have a giant puzzle table. Then, since Elle Woods (Legally Blonde) proved that both studying and exercising can go hand in hand, I'd have a treadmill. And a giant TV with ESPN sportscenter on all day long. I have never run better than when I watch sports games, it's almost as if THEIR hardships on the court/field inspire ME to push harder as well! I sweat while they sweat, ok you get the picture. The Economist would be featured prominently on a magazine rack. Next to Cooking Light. In another corner, a sewing machine. I wasn't actually going to commit to this but ok, 2012 goal No. 5!; sew a quilt. It's been on my list of things to do for a while. On a big couch facing the TV, my needlepoint stocking waiting for me to work on. A giant iMac desktop screen would be positioned on a table somewhere. A massive stereo. For Zumba sessions and feel-good dancing. Finally, a ping pong table, pool table, and basketball shooting game. Placed somewhere in the room, (yes I know the room would need to be gigantic, this is pretend remember?!) because I love competition and winning. And that's my play room...which coincidentally sums up my ride to work today.

Selfish detour over, the other part of devotion, which is more important than a devotion to things (see above, for reference) is a devotion to people. Right. Mr. Roger's neighborhood was one of my favorite shows with that catchy phrase "Won't you be my neighbor?" Who am I devoting myself to? Hopefully my family and close friends. But I'm afraid I judge far too quickly as to who is worthy of my devotion. I should be devoting myself to my fellow relief society sisters, all of them. To my ward members. To my fellow country men. Everyone is my neighbor. Maybe they've been waiting for me to reach out, make an effort, show that I care because I'm their neighbor!! Maybe not. Either way, 2012 Goal No. 6, perform at least two acts of service each week. People may not remember what you said or even what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel. I can devote myself to making people feel good.

Recap of 2012 Goals:
No. 1: You want it, you get it, take responsibility for your life!
No. 2: BOM 2x this year; one church talk each week
No. 3: Gym time 4x a week
No. 4: Temple once a month-at Least
No. 5: Sew a quilt/Finish needlepoint stocking
No. 6: Two acts of service each week-make people feel good about themselves!