3 Things

So I don't know if I'll ever get to my vacation posts, but I am going to keep moving forward.

#1 - Swimming
Today we added swimming to our work out regimen. In order to do this, we had to add Tuesdays and Thursdays to our work out schedule, and get up 10 minutes earlier. That means I am now going to be getting up at 5:30 three times a week and 5:20 two times a week. Yikes. Today we ran for 15 minutes straight (a new record for me on time and distance) and swam for 25 minutes, with a lot of breaks. I think I did 20 lengths (1000 meters). I haven't done laps since college when my cousin, Suzanne, talked me into swimming with her two summers in a row. I can see that this will be a good work out and it's the 2nd step toward doing the triathlon in June, but I don't think Micheal Phelps has anything to worry about.

#2 - Sugar
is my drug of choice. I have decided to go off of sugar until the General RS Broadcast (which is in less than two weeks) at which our stake is having a cake buffet afterwords. I will be indulging in the cake buffet and then we'll see from there. Basically if I lose weight, I'll probably go back off sugar. If I'm cranky with no results I'll go back to my sugar junkie ways. I need to clarify that I am still eating fruits and normal things that include sugar (like salad dressings, etc.) But I am NOT eating candy, chocolate, ice cream, baked goods, graham crackery type things, etc.

#3 - PROTECT Our Children Act
Most of you were probably smarter than me and chose not to watch the very disturbing Oprah yesterday (I did fast forward the parts that were way too much, but I heard enough) on child predators and child pornography. Basically it's even worse than I imagined and they have the technology to track these people down and put them behind bars, but they don't have the resources. If you want to help make this happen, PLEASE read this and follow the instructions.

Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.The PROTECT Our Children Act will:
Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Act Now! Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.Go to www.senate.gov to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either drop down menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!
Call Your Senators
If you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act."
Write to Your Senators
If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter—and modify it how you see fit.

Dear Senator:I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.(Your name here)

I did this last night and it took less than 15 minutes. I'm not a big political person, but this is one thing that I feel VERY strongly about. And I didn't do it just because I want to be best friends with Oprah either!