Outfit Repeat

I read people.com. Everyday. I like to look at what the stars are doing, what they're wearing, and often take satisfaction in the stability of my life in comparison. One section I enjoy is called I Really Love My... where people.com shows stars wearing the same outfit in three different settings. I don't know if the intent is to ridicule celebrities who dare to outfit repeat -wear the same thing more than once, even *gasp* thrice - but it comes off that way. If I pay $500 for a purse then I think I'm morally required to wear it (because, in case you didn't know, you don't carry a purse but you wear a purse) daily. For the rest of my life. And how dare I buy another purse! Alas, the celebrities have these absurd standards given them by people.com and perhaps by the reading public. One story in particular that I've actually enjoyed is about Kate Middleton. Kate will be in the public eye all her life and her wardrobe is of particular interest. She's created quite a stir in repeating outfits and I say, "Bravo!" It is a good example she is setting - anti-materialism - for all of us. (Granted she's only worn outfits twice; I tend to wear my outfits much more than that.) I like to see someone who could well have a new designer outfit daily (it's rumored that she has a $325,000 yearly stipend) that she chooses to be somewhat normal and wear clothes she likes more than once.

Thanksgiving

My family party began with a 5K Turkey Trot! Some friends joined us too. After we cooked yummy food and hung out with the awesome fam including Gram. Lots to be thankful for and here are some photos of those things/people.

Halloween

Angry birds

Kathryn the Great, me, The Blur, and Miss J

Curling

For not many dollars you can have a curling lesson and play for a couple hours.

Priorities

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A priority is something that comes prior to other things. In my life I have so many options, interests, and pulls for my time. I cannot possible do everything I want to do. Says Anne Morrow Lindbergh, "My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people [and I would add activities] to whom my heart responds." Sometimes I feel that I have such limited time and all must be done now but that's just not sustainable. It's a race that I can't possibly finish.

Miss J taught me about racing. She said that world class marathoners don't train at optimum - they train for endurance. If, say, I can easily run a (for the sake of the math) 10-minute mile, when I do a long run I'll run at my 10-minutes + 30%, so I'll run a slow, 13-minute mile. This increases endurance. I think life is not a sprint but an endurance race. We might have to actually slow down, more than is comfortable, in order to get through the long haul.

Since I can't keep up the pace I'd like and do all that I'd be thrilled to do, I have to close doors on some thing and make sure to keep others. It's an incredibly difficult decision and one I've been studying about the past few days. I haven't got it totally figured out but this talk and the following quote from Elder Dallin H Oaks have helped.

The ultimate Latter-day Saint priorities are twofold: First, we seek to understand our relationship to God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to secure that relationship by obtaining their saving ordinances and by keeping our personal covenants. Second, we seek to understand our relationship to our family members and to secure those relationships by the ordinances of the temple and by keeping the covenants we make in that holy place. These relationships, secured in the way I have explained, provide eternal blessings available in no other way. No combination of science, success, property, pride, prominence, or power can provide these eternal blessings!

North Carolina

After visiting Maine it was just a quick flight to visit Camilla in North Carolina where she is doing her PhD. We met up with friends --Bradley and Shalayne -- and met some new ones --Kristi and Emily. We went to Duke (a couple times), the Berkeley Plantation, and Colonial Williamsburg. I enjoyed my time with my wonderful and loving friends so much. I'm so blessed.