Donna's Journey

About 6:15 on 23 August, Zane Isaac Goff was born to my daughter-in-law, Rinda. He weighed in at 4 lbs. 9 oz. He was eight weeks early. Zane is my 4th grandson!!! and my 4th grandchild!!!!!

Jennifer and I walked on Monday and Tuesday morning. I believe we got enough walking at Education Week. I walked up to the Marriot Center at least twice a day. I took classes on–The 500 years Between the Testaments — Holzapfel and Wayment; the Joseph Smith Translation and Greek and Latin texts — Wayment; Dressing With Integrity– Judith Rasban; Perspectives on the fiction called Da Vinci Code, the Gnostic work called the Gospel of Judas –Holzapfel and Wayment; Neal Maxwell– Scott Anderson; Finding Your Mission– Randall Wright, and more. All were very excellent. I filled and entire Composition Book with notes. I was spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially fed this week. Education Week is always a workout.

18 August 2006 walked 4
19 August 2006 walked 5

20 August 2006 strolled 1.5 miles on an even walk with my husband.
21 August 2006 walked 4.5 miles
I have now lost over 10 lbs. in 33 days. The happy part is I continue to drop at a steady pace even though we have cut our milage in half. I think the vitamins are helping me metabolize better. All of us have been losing. So losers can really be winners in this case!

It is time to update this blog.

Walking:

7 August – 8 miles in one session

8 August – 6.5 miles in one session

9 August – 8 miles in one session

10 August – 6.5 miles in one session

11 August – 8 miles in one session

12 August – 8 miles in one session

13 August – 2/3 miles in one session stroll

14 August – 10 miles in one session Blistered!

15 August – 4.5 miles in one session

16 August – 10 miles in one session

17 August – 10 miles in one session

My poor tootsies. Friday we finished our walk and came home and showered. Then we were off to do a two hour drypack shift which really ended up as three hours on my feet. It was a cool process, we had never drypacked before. When we were done we were able to purchase dry pack goods for our own food storage. We had restocked our shelves over the last week. We had cleaned and defrosted our freezers and then to stock of what we needed. We wereon the last 2 bottles of jraspberry am I had canned at the cannery a few years ago. When we finished our dry pack, we were able to restock our jam, and that was a selightful surprise.

Saturday evening Roger took me out to get new walking shoes. Monday he encouraged me to wear them. I knew better, OUCH. I wore them and gained some pretty good sized blisters. Tuesday I hardly finished 4.5 with mole skin. On Wednesday I used blister patches and mole skin. The bones in the balls of my feet hurt more than blisters. Julia served me breakfast in the Secret Garden. I read about 20 pages in Helaman while I gathered courage and strength to climb the stairs into the house. Today, we walked to the park and did 1 mile at the park. Then we continued east on 4th South to Carterville road, walked down to the river bottoms, then east along 8th South till we got to Willie’s Pit Stop. Then we turned North and walked a mile to Riverwoods along the Provo River bike trail. Then we moved west and back up hill out of the river bottoms to the city of Orem. We walked to Target and I refilled my water bottle. Then we wove through the neighborhood south of Target, west to the Orem Rec Center, by our Stake Patriarch’s home. We chatted for a few minutes and headed home with fresh cucumbers in our hands. I came home and ate a fresh loaded salad, then took a much needed shower. This was supposed to be a low milage day, HA!

After everyone was showered, Roger, Julia, Jennifer, and I went to the Rec Centered to have a body composition assessment. My husband, Mr. Lover of Body Putty (candy bars) had the leaness mass. Can I tell you how unfair that is? He sleeps in while we walk for a month and he does better. No talking him into our Journey to Zion. Anyway, the up side of our little visit was that the fitness trainer said the walking we did was a good lead in, now we can cut back to about 4 miles a day and add Yoga/Pilates/weights. I think it is about 4 miles to Gold’s Gym and we can walk there and do weights or swim, starting after Education Week, as we have a family VIP pass. I have done training with weights before. Bottom line is I am over 50 and she said I was losing about 2% muscle mass a year and that I can reverse it and be healthier. Education Week at BYU is Tuesday through Friday next week. The following Monday I take my daughter to Cedar City for college. I am glad to know I have the endurance to walk as far as I have walked. I am elated to know we will be cutting that to about 4 miles. We do not need to change diet. Just a better training schedule. She wants us to make the changes and see her in 6 months.

I have been working hard on my school. I have even picked up a little html. Now really, my html is about like a second grader working in a workbook. Yet, my sight development is moving right along. I have enrollment tomorrow night for Moor House Academy, Orem Lyceum. It is 5:00 and I need to get ready to go to the temple for ward temple night in about an Hour.

5 August 6 miles
6 August 1 mile stroll
7 August 8 miles

I did read 8 pages in the Book of Mormon this morning. I finished Alma. I decided to read the Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley for half my doctrinal reading, The Journals of Wilford Woodruff and Journal of Discourses for the other half of my doctrinal reading.
I have been helping my husband refill our food storage shelves so we can get our 5 shelf system back up and functional. More on my Going Neo-Georgic blog. I look to the point where it is restocked, organized, and in motion.

I replaced my Bosch on Saturday. The old one is still functioning so I am giving it to my son. Hopefully the new one will serve us well for the next 26 years, like the old one has.

While gone today, a micro-burst blew through our neighborhood. Thank goodness we rededicated and consecrated our home and vehicles yesterday. A branch from our giant cottonwood, which was hanging out over the street, snapped, and got caught up on our rose arbor, protecting our car. We needed to replace the old arbor, just had not gotten to it yet. It looks so naked without the arbor there. I feel it was simply providential that it was there, to protect the car.

My oldest living grandson turned two today.  He arrived nine weeks early, he fought a valiant fight and is a healthy active boy.

I did a ggogle search to figure my milage to Independence, Missouri.

Driving Distance: 1113 miles to Independence, Missouri Visitor Center from my home.
2 August 2006     7 miles
3 August 2006     6 miles
4 August 2006     8 miles

OK, I am behind on reading, I better get moving.

This journey will literally be more than a thousand miles. It is a journey of the soul. I define soul as the body and spirit. No, more than that– the heart, might, mind, and strength. This June my youth participated in a Handcart Pioneer Trek; it was not more than 28 miles in total. They called their trek theme “Journey to Zion.” It was more than a simulation, as the focus was more on the inward journey and making connections with their life, than it was, to do a pioneer re enactment. After my youth’s described their trek, my husband remarked, “OK, I am glad I did not go, I would have never made it.” Further discussion brought to the forefront our need to prepare physically, spiritually, temporally, mentally, and emotionally, for what lies ahead.

I got to thinking . . . On no, Donna was thinking! That can be dangerousssssssssss. One of my biggest challenges is physical. My daughters and I have been walking about 5.5 miles a day since 19 July 2006. One day we did more than 10 miles. Today we did 7 miles. The Pioneers walked 1297 miles from Nauvoo to Salt Lake, many times over 20 miles a day. I am charting the miles from Orem, Utah to Independence, Missouri, through Denver. We will be walking here in our stake and charting the miles on a map as if we were walking to Independence. We have decided to read at least one page in the Book of Mormon and one page in other classics of the Restoration for each mile we walk. I wonder how long it will take us? How many pounds will we lose? Will my husband and boys join us? Will my husband’s heart get healthy? Will we really be prepared? After all, we may end up walking to Independence, in the future. Maybe I should consider mountain bikes;) That would be easier than pulling a handcart, as aluminum framed carriers can carry more and are lighter to use. Maybe we should move to Denver, on the other side of the mountains. No, I do not think so. Been there. Done that. We are where we are supposed to be. All of this, along with the classics and readings for my scholar group, should be quite the journey.

As we look at being prepared, there are so many facets, so many contingencies, so many things that can happen, I will chart our journey here. Wars, rumors of war, financial upheaval, crop failures, weather disasters, earthquakes, tent cities, plagues, rising fuel costs, pestilence or anything else society brings upon its self, or just daily living. Less you think I am all gloom and doom, NOT! I am sitting here peacefully enjoying the light as it filters through our cottonwood tree leaves, casting dappled light across my living room. There is a cool rustling of the leaves ( welcome relief after the heat wave of 100+ degree weather) and a choir of birds singing.

We will share the thoughts of the things we have done and are doing, along the way, in our preparations and journey towards Zion. We do this with the hope that it might be inspiring to someone. If but one family is blessed by this journey, we will be glad that we shared.

I will chart our efforts and progress here, though it may not be a daily entry.