Hockey Weekend

Last weekend was a hockey weekend!  Actually, it was just a busy weekend in general!  I was supposed to go dancing on Friday night, but oops, my wallet fell out of my pocket somewhere while I was running across the street trying to hit up the ATM so I could have cash.  This was one of my back up plans to the date I was supposed to have gone on.  Instead, my friend Matt helped me search the street for my wallet and we tore my apartment apart to try and see if maybe I dropped it somewhere inside.  I was certain I had it when I left my apartment.  I had to buy a new DL at the DMV the next day, get a temporary ATM card, buy a new bus pass and was sad that my punch card for UAA was gone, as well as three school IDs.  Blah!  It's all good though, things always work out.

I played two games, for two different teams.  The game with my team we lost (0-5), and the game I subbed in we tied (0-0).  It was a lot of fun though, win or lose.  I talked to a coach last week about taking his beginning hockey class at the suggestion of some of my teammates after one of our losses!  LOL!  I am certain they are tired of me sucking so much already.  At any rate, I spoke with him and he agreed to take me on.  Since I play goalie, I get to take the class free of charge!  It's a supply and demand thing so that is a benefit for me!  High demand for goalies, and a low supply.  I had my first class on Tuesday and got worked over.  I was so tired I could barely stand up by the end of the class.  The coach said I need to work on staying on my feet and not "flopping" around the crease.  Haha!  Yeah, staying on my feet was very difficult. I have never skated that hard in my life!  My gear got heavier and heavier by the minute (this is not a complaint, I loved every minute of it), and by the hour mark I thought I might puke!  Haha!  I look forward to going again next week!  It's gonna be so on when I can actually do what I mean to do!

I did go on a "date" with a guy, I guess it was a few, but I already called it quits.  He's not a religious individual which was not necessarily the problem, but he had a difficult time with the boundaries I set, so we decided it wasn't worth the time.  He is a super cool guy though, and we parted in a nice way.  It was kind of nice while it lasted.

Last week, termination dust was visible on the high peaks of the mountains in the backdrop of the mountain range to the east.  This week, mountains that are a short drive away have snow on them and winter is soon to be upon us!  I am eagerly awaiting the first snow of the winter season and as the temperatures continue to fall my excitement grows.  I love that it is dark more hours in the day and that there will be so much to do when the cold hits.  We are already planning all the fun that there is to be had (except for the peeps with no imagination, or love for the outdoors).  My boss and I were talking today about the things we plan to do this winter.  He doesn't ice climb anymore, but he is excited to get out and cross country ski.  There are miles and miles of lit trails here for cross country skiing and Alyeska has lights set up for when the minimal daylight dissipates so that skiers and snowboarders alike can continue their runs.  Anchorage is so amazing when it is covered in white.  This year, I plan to enjoy the ice sculptures and downtown skating set up.  It's going to be so much easier now that I know my way around so well.  Here's to winter!!!
ej

FHE - Give us this day our Daily Bread

I gave the FHE lesson for the YSA ward this past Monday.  Here are my notes, though I tried to eliminate the discussion questions for the sake of this post.  Despite my nerves, I think the lesson went well and there were  a lot of great and isighful comments shared!  I love how much you learn when you're the "teacher."  I also shared some gems from one of the most amazing people I know, Scott, and it was great to be able to share the words of wisdom with my Alaskan "friends."  Hope life is finding you all well.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread (FHE) 

By Elder D. Todd Chistofferson (YSA CES 09 January 2011)

As a child growing up, perspective was something I knew very little about.  The adage “can’t see past the end of his nose” is really quite literal when you consider one’s youth.

I know as a young child all I thought about was the next opportunity I was going to get to play basketball, or jump on a skateboard.  I never considered the consequences from deciding to enjoy those activities.  Sprained ankles, jammed fingers, cuts and bruises, a sore backside, or breaking my mother’s picture frame or even ending up on crutches for a week.  On occasion, those injuries, sometimes groundings, or an increased chore load, had a great affect on my happiness, comfort and play time. 

Something I have learned as an adult and since converting  and choosing to live a life in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the great freedom we enjoy when applying the “little things” the gospel encourage us to do. It widens our perspectives and provides great insight on decisions we make.   Elder Christofferson says:

“[we] often admonish you to plan for the future.  We encourage you to pursue education and vocational training as preparation for life in the years ahead.  We urge you to lay a foundation for marriage and family and to act on those plans.  We caution you to think of possible consequences down the road when making decisions about what you do down the road when making decisions about what you do today.”

I underlined some key words to rephrase his statement and make it a little more concise, which in this case, will hopefully be the jumping off point for this evening’s thoughts.

First thing:  Look to God for What is Needed Each Day

Matthew 6:9-13

9 ^aAfter this manner therefore ^bpray ye: Our ^cFather which art in heaven, ^dHallowed be thy ^ename.   10 Thy ^akingdom come. Thy ^bwill be done ^cin earth, as it is in heaven.   11 Give us this day our daily ^abread.   12 And forgive us our ^adebts, as we ^bforgive our debtors.   13 ^aAnd ^blead us not into ^ctemptation, ^dbut deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the ^eglory, for ever. Amen.

As His Disciples, we are encouraged to look to Him for temporal and spiritual sustenance.

2 Nephi 32:9

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must ^apray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall ^bpray unto the Father in the ^cname of Christ, that he will ^dconsecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the ^ewelfare of thy soul.

As we look to God for what we need daily in some of the ways discussed already today, this creates a bit of a cause and effect reaction to take place in our lives.  Elder Chistofferson shares the story about Moses and his charge to feed over a million mouths as they were in the wilderness.  They looked to God to have their needs met, but chose not to follow his counsel.   When they heeded the words of the Lord by way of Moses, they were blessed.  When they did not as Moses counseled, they had no Manna.

D&C 82:10

10   I, the Lord, am ^abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no ^bpromise.

When we are seeking to do as the Lord asks, he will always provide.

Elder Christofferson also shares some gems on how we can persevere and stay commited to our effort to seek Him daily.

1.      Trust in the Lord – Solutions May Come Over Time

a.      It is in the Lord’s time

b.      Remain humble

c.      Miraculous comes in different sizes

d.      We learn from our Journey not necessarily when we arrive at our destination.

2.      Work Through Large Problems in Small, Daily Bites

a.      We had saying in Massage College “you can eat an elephant, one bite at a time.”

b.      Navy SEAL“First of all,” he said, “I do not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. Whenever you’re hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you’re still feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit. Second, take it one day at a time. One [phase] at a time.  Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day, and there’s a wonderful career ahead of you.”

c.      “To worry about what is or may be coming can be debilitating. It can paralyze us and make us quit.”  Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:  “Perhaps fear held them back when they should have gone forward.”  Lancelot to King Arthur.  Or, “Not Scared.”

3.      God’s “Daily Bread” is Needed in Reaching our Potential

We need God to be a part of our lives daily.  Several years ago while living in the South Bay, we had a Stake President establish a stake mission statement and goals.  It may still used to this day in that stake and I continue keep a few of them on my own personal list.  The main one is PROs.  Personal Religious Observances. 

4.      Seek the Lord’s Help in Serving Others

5.      Daily Choices Have Eternal Consequences

a.      The choices we make today, can and do affect our future families.

6.      Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. …

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

“I am that bread of life.

“Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:35, 47–51).

ej

Something Fun

Last night, I somehow convinced Megan to go with me to watch some AWHL games that were going on at UAA.  It's great that she is supportive, even though she really has minimal interest in Hockey itself.  I planned on going, pretty much regardless, or play basketball with my buddy, Taylor, who text me during dinner so I was pleased as punch she was willing to go.

Upon arrival, the first game was in the 2nd period.  I wanted to get an idea of what kind of level the Denali division was playing at.  Oh, so, in my League, there are three divisions:  Hunter Division (beginner/recreation), Foraker (intermediate), and Denali (Advanced/competitive).  However, as is usually the case, at least in my experience, "competitive" in women's sports standards are usually not what I think them to be.  This was also true in last night's Denali Division game that I watched.  Don't get me wrong, I can't skate as well as those women can, not even close, and I do not wish to knock them in the very least, but the game is slower and the way they spread the ice/floor/field/pitch/rink, whatever you want to call it, is typical of what you would expect from inexperienced female athletes.  This being said, it merely gave me hope that my hopes of moving up in a division in the next season or two is well within reach.

Also, we (Megan, Chancy-Megan's Boyfriend) decided to head up to the vending machines for a snack between periods of the second game (Foraker Division).  As we were making our way back to the rink, we saw kids jumping off the diving boards at the pool.  It must have been open rec time, because there were no serious swimmers and no lanes set up.  Since there are big windows that are above the pool, we stood there watching the guys jump and so silly things off the different spring boards.  Some were pretty awesome, some not so awesome.  So, we started giving scores!  It became quite the game and two girls ended up joining the dive competition.  Though, I use the word "dive" loosely here, there were some pretty fun moves displayed.  We even gave some 10s and a foot too!  LOL!  When you start running out of fingers to hold up, you have to resort to the toes!  I always gave extra points for a well executed face or body plant, or for an increased degree of difficulty.  The lifeguard seemed to enjoy the contest and always looked to us for the scores and so did the divers, and would give a nod of appreciation or head shake after seeing his or her received scores.  Next time, we are bringing dry erase boards!  LOL!  Good times!

I know you [Nancy] said you would not feel sorry for me if I injure myself playing hockey, but, just so you know, I am taking all the necessary precautions to prevent injury.  =)  My knees are sore, but that is the life of a goalie, and I am also working on remedying the lasting affects of that as well.  I'm not as young as I used to be, so stretching before and after is going to play an extremely large role in my knee health, as well as focusing on my hamstrings at the gym.  I get a good thigh workout, but the hamstrings tend to miss out on some of the action.  Raising my glass to the wonderful world of hockey as I embark on a different workout routine and also head back to the pool!  It's nearly winter time, so pool time is always my favorite activity when it's cold outside.  Though, in Alaska, you don't see pools outdoors...I'm sure you can understand why, though...how cool would it be to be backstroking, or floating on your back and looking up at the Northern Lights???  If I ever get rich, I will have to build an indoor pool with the option to open the top during the cooler and clear skied days.  Hmmm...

This weekend is going to be our season opener against Champion's Choice.  The team is already looking forward to shooting at me!  LOL!  I subbed as their goalie last week for the pre-season game and they have already let me know they look forward to having me be on the other end of their sticks.  You gotta love it!

ej

Hockey Time!

Well, last week was our pre-season practice and game.  It was a fun night, but I was pretty tired.  Beast and I got there early, like we were supposed to as goalies (out teams were scheduled to scrimmage each other), and the prior session was going but without goalies.  So, they asked if we wanted to sub in after they were done practicing.  I convinced Beast that we should!  =)

So, we were able to practice a bit with them and then scrimmage.  By the time that game was over and the Zamboni was doing its thing, I was then sent into Locker Room #3 to be introduced to my actual team.  Tada!!!  "Hello, this is your goalie!"  So, I stripped off my already sweaty jersey, and put on my new team jersey.  So, we practiced then played a scrimmage.  The coach was nice enough to let me sit out some of the drills since I had already skated a session beforehand.  After awhile, the gear starts to wear you down, especially us newbies, since we're not used to skating in that much extra gear.  We haven't done the math, but we're guessing it's at least 20 lbs.extra weight we carry.  We also determined that the pads all weigh a lot more after being in them two hours.  Walking in was much easier than walking out!

I got a "bagel" in the first game, but since it was only a scrimmage, I really shouldn't count it.  The second scrimmage, well, we're not gonna count at all.  For the first half of the game, the puck didn't even get into our zone.  Since it was supposed to be a learning experience, my team started helping them out by giving the other girls help as they played and letting them get the puck.  Poor girls though, they would end up on their backs more often then not.  So, when they would finally come my way, I pretty much just stood there.  We gotta build each other up in the pre-season!  Next week, the season is officially on and I won't be so nice!  =)

I will cheering on Beast's team Trailer Craft on Saturday afternoon at UAA at 545pm if anyone wants to join me.  I plan to make a sign and everything!  LOL!  Woot!  She's a Beast in the Crease!

ej

My Job and Stuff

Well, I am now about four months into my job and still enjoying it.  Like anything in life, it has its "pros" and "cons," but nothing that is deal breaking.  I really enjoy the work that I am doing and the flexibility I have with my schedule.  It's my GDI home away from!  As much as I miss working/seeing Scott and Nancy, and of course the entire GDI crew, I know this was the right decision to move here [Anchorage, AK].  It's been a wonderful adventure so far and I haven't thought about looking back yet.  My friend said she didn't miss California until about 3 years later when she even thought about going back to visit because she wanted to, aside from obligatory visits with friends and family.  We'll see how it goes for me.

Winter is approaching and I can hardly wait!  This is the last weekend of the State Fair up in Palmer and I have opted out of going this year.  It was a sacrifice I chose when I decided to get my own place.  Next year, there is always next year.  Besides, I am more interested in getting myself squared away on homework so that I will have a few weeks off school when hockey starts!  Grace, you know how worthless I was after the clinic each day!  No homework, or housework got done!  I'm just lucky I clean up after myself on the regular, or else my flat would have been a disaster area!

I am still trying to transition into my new ward.  Sunday our start time will change to 11 and that will make my life a lot easier.  The buses don't run until much later on Sundays, so I won't have to depend on my bike (I don't plan on spending money on studded tires this winter), or having to ask for rides.  I would rather get there on my own, so a later start time allows me more freedom and ease to get to and from church without having to depend on others.  This also means I will have to finally buy myself a legitimate winter coat.  I was able to borrow Jimi's last winter, but now it's time to spend the money and get my own.  I don't want to freeze to death!  LOL!

ej