You've heard the saying, "It takes a strong woman behind ever successful man." ...or something like that. Jason always teases me about my ability to botch the quoting of every well-known phrase. Anyway, you get the drift. When you're riding the Pinnacle train, you can pretty much guarantee an irritated wife at one point during the four months of summer. You see, it's really hard to be bored. I know that sounds like a load of bull, I'm sure many of you roll your eyes and say geeze I wish I had time to be downright, plain old, hard core, very much, miserably, cant-stand-it-any-longer, bored.
Yeah well, one thing's for sure too much of a good thing can turn straight into a bad thing. Unlimited amounts of cake, cookies and brownies can quickly outweigh all your favorite jeans, skirts, and anything else in your closet for that matter. Unlimited fame and fortune can quickly get you high, wasted, or arrogant and sent straight to your local jail or rehab.
Anyways, my point is for every wife you see following her husband out of town for a Pinnacle summer, you'll find a bored wife. And that wife is ready to pull her hair out.
:)
In an effort to stave off the boredom blues I got a dog, set up Netflix, staked out the mall, deep-cleaned the car, planned all our Sundays, made friends with the doorman, and began an obsession with Lost. And yet still my days are long. However, upon moving to New Jersey I got to know the only other wife in the office, a cute little mom with another little one on the way. Our friendship has kept me sane, what with weekly trips to Target and Costco, and just as frequent getaways to the mall and Panera. It's crazy the difference a friend will make in the grand scheme of the summer. Just having someone to talk to, or someone to borrow ingredients from dinner's missing one thing.
On that note, this post is really about the four goals I have made to keep myself happy, sane, and supportive.
My first goal this summer is to put my body to good use; to get out and get moving.
Don't get me wrong, I get out of the apartment whenever I can, soaking up sun in the plaza and taking Ollie on three, four walks a day. Seriously, I think we've walked all over East Rutherford. But our apartments have an awesome gym that is always empty, and filled with enough treadmills, elipticals, weights and mats to keep me busy for a while. Honestly, why not put my time to good use and start feeling good??
Well, I guess I overthought that one, because the first day of my fitness goal I did way too many reps for way too long a time, resulting in a week long 'breather,' to get my abs feeling somewhat normal again. But I have resolved to get back on that treadmill and spend at least four days a week in the gym. It's fun having the whole gym to myself, for whatever lame get-up-and-go music I want to bump over the ihome, for all sorts of grunting and I-don't-think-my-nonexistent-muscles-can-take-one-more-rep noises, and/or not worrying about flashing too much during certain inner-thigh exercises.
It's been nice to spend time focusing on the strength of my body, working soley to feel good and pass the time. Of course defined abs, and toned limbs wouldn't be bad either. ;)
My second goal is to bring out my inner chef.
Sweet Nicole, the wife I mentioned before, lent me all her Taste of Home magazines. The system is, I take three at a time, post-it the recipes I'd like to try, return to Nicole's apartment, copy the pages, insert in my new Taste of Home recipe binder, and begin experimenting my favorites. Seriously, I credit her for my new interest in cooking. I cooked quite a bit in Charlotte, since I felt bad for the single guys in our office and their sad diet of ramen and mac and cheese, but once it was just Jason and I again my interest dwindled. I hate leftovers, and it's a lot of work to feed just one other person. But recently the hubbs and I had a talk about what makes us feel the most appreciated.
Right after our marriage, literally on our honeymoon, we started reading The 5 Love Languages- a book I would highly recommend to anyone married, once married, and/or planning on being married. In it, Gary Chapman explains five ways to express and understand your love for another. So we referred to this book a few weeks ago, when I expressed my need for quality time. With only one day each week to really spend time with my significant other, I explained to Jason the importance it is to me that that day be really quality time. In turn Jason expressed his need, or love language- acts of service. He told me just how grateful he was to me for making dinner that night, and how my humble meals made him feel more loved and appreciated. We resolved to focus more on each other's specified needs, and thus began my bigger dinner-making efforts.
Cooking became much more enjoyable when done from my Taste of Home recipes. For months I had avoided cookbooks, as the long instructions and absence of pictures left me overwhelmed and uninterested. But with Taste of Home, I developed a system that really worked for me- picking out the pages that really sound good and looked easy, writing out a shopping list for a week's worth of recipe ingredients, and then choosing from my plans what looked good each night. It's been really easy, my only challenge being that of timing the meal just right for Jason's return.
I'm proud of my progress. For one unusually close to the frozen section, I've become intimate with new produce and meat, searching out tomatillos, jalapeno and cilantro, salmon, pork and steak. I made the meal in the picture above, maple-glazed pork chops and lime carrots, much to the happiness of my husband, and it turned out surprisingly well! I've also done banana bread, orange bundt cake, meatloaf (never in a thousand years did I expect myself to be making this, let alone liking this, but it was so good!), beef and bean enchiladas, jamaican-jerk chicken, shrimp pad thai, barbecue cobb salad, hazelnut-filled croissants, cafe-rio style burritos (complete with cilantro lime rice and house dressing) and artichoke chicken casserole. We've had so much summer produce too, red grapes, corn on the cob, roasted red potatoes, sliced strawberries, fuji apples, and plenty of caesar salad (no more pre-made packets as we used to do so religiously).
At the end of a slow day I feel I accomplished something when my husband says, "Honey thank you so much for dinner, this is really good." He's working all day every day for me, so the least I can do is prepare a hot meal for him. It's not gourmet, but it's a start, and one day all this practice may just add up to some sort of perfect.
My third goal is to nourish my spirit, to be a quiet listener, and act now.
For the first 20 years of my life there was always a goal in mind- to marry in the House of the Lord. Now that I've made it, spiritual expectations are not so outlined. I mean, endure to the end is not incredibly specific. But everyone knows when it's time to shape up. Even after a temple marriage people have weaknesses and faults, sins to be forgiven. It's up to us to repent of those things and consistently do better.
A friend of mine recently commented on the blog about my recent boredom. She said, "Shannon, pray and listen to the Spirit. You are out there for a reason and only YOU can do what you're meant to do." That hit me hard. I hadn't thought like that. But yes, maybe I've been left without a job, without friends and without family for the next few months of my life because I need the time to reflect on what's really important- my testimony. I've been given the time to be a quiet listener, not so distracted by the crazy hustle and bustle of daily life.
Jason and I packed our temple clothes with us in an effort to attend the Columbia Temple in SC. It was 1.5 hours away from home, however, and obviously they're not open on the only day Jace has off. So now that we're so close to the Manhattan Temple, (30 mins with traffic) we're planning on a session before his work meeting. It's funny how one can justify lack of temple activity when it's a mere 5 minutes away. So much adversity comes up against you when you have even the best intentions to attend. I can't even imagine how hard it is for those around the world who have to travel to reach the House of the Lord. If we can't make ourselves go when we're 5 minutes away, then will we ever?
The next few months I need to really focus on my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I've always said I want my children to grow up in a strong, righteous home, a Heaven on Earth, but that must first start with my husband and myself.
Now is the time.
My third goal is to feed my mind.
I've become incredibly obsessed with books lately. I've ordered plenty from Amazon, and made one too many trips to Barnes and Noble. I'm trying so hard not to buy things out here, as anything I buy will need to be packed up and hauled across the country, but there's just something about a book that can extract you from life and plant your feet somewhere new.
I have had zero desire to pick up a book for a long time. Junior and Senior years of high school were filled with so many AP classes I had no time to read anything of choice. Instead, I read The Grapes of Wrath, The Scarlet Letter and The Adventures of Huck Finn. I loved those books, and I'll be forever grateful for those classes, but I despised them at the time. College was worse of course, this time with textbooks in place of classic novels. Studying and cramming, underlining and note-taking left me no desire to read anything more than what I had to.
Now that I've been out of school for a year I am finally ready to turn some pages. I'm constantly reviewing the New York Times Bestseller lists and consulting family and friends alike for recommendations. On our trip to Carlos' Bakery I came across The Kite Runner at a sidewalk sale outside a tiny Hoboken book store, and the lady running the register gave it to me for $3 when she could see I did not have $5 in cash. I'm developing quite the little collection, and I can't wait to paint up an old bookcase when we get home to display my new goods.
I like this new reading hobby. It's a self-education at its' finest, and entertainment at its' best.
For the next few months of summer I'll nourish my mind, body and spirit. And if there's still time left in the day I'm sure I'll think of something.
;)
Wow Shannon, just wow. It's so neat how much Heavenly Father loves you :) you are doing SO great! It makes sense though-cause it's you. And you can do anything.
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