Janae Says...

During the sacrament at church today, I did a lot of thinking. I was visiting my friend’s home ward because she was giving her mission farewell talk. I thought of her and how she would soon be with the people of San Antonio, Texas. I thought of the people she would meet, and those who would accept the joyous message of the gospel, and of those who wouldn’t. And I felt so much love and appreciation for the people who go out there and at least try to deliver that message. I thought about how much of our lives can be determined by the seemingly small actions of others. You hear stories about somebody who had been contemplating suicide but received a smile from a stranger and changed their mind. You may have received a simple call from a friend on a day where you just needed it. One small choice while driving can drastically affect the lives of others. Letting someone over when they signal, or cutting them off, are both very small decisions that can make a big difference in the scheme...

It's funny how much pride I used to take in my annual number of gym check-ins. I now take pride more in how hard I can work without having to go to the gym to do it. Don't get me wrong. I still love the place. I just would like to be able to get a good workout in at either my apartment complex gym or in my actual apartment. Remember, it needs to be easy (in a sense) if I'm going to make myself do it. I've mentioned before that I often use a blog for my workouts, and I modify according to what is available to me. Sometimes I even make it harder. But I thought I'd share just a few of my favorite "at-home" workouts that require minimal or no equipment. I've even done these at hotels and things when gym equipment was either taken or nonexistent. 1. The 15 Minute Workout I love this one because of its flexibility. If I felt like running 2 miles, I could come back and do a single 15-minute round of this afterward and call it good for the day. I l...

Book One – Book of Mormon Guess what, guys? I finished a couple of books recently. On Sunday, July 27, I finished my second (ever) cover-to-cover read of one of my favorite books: The Book of Mormon . It took me over two years to do it. Yikes. I probably shouldn’t advertise that fact, but it’s real, and I try to be too. I started it back in May 2012. The challenge came from the Murray YSA stake to have The   Book of Mormon read by September in time for stake conference. I accepted this challenge because of its uniqueness.  They gave us a card with a square for each chapter. The directions say, “Get a clean paperback copy and as you read it, highlight in different colors: - Each reference to Jesus Christ (any of his names or pronouns referring to him) - His words (spoken by Him or by prophets when they say, ‘thus saith the Lord’) - His attributes - The doctrines and principles contained in the Book of Mormon At the bottom of each page, count the tota...