Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Super Angie...to love you more

Do you ever just dance (like the most grandest dancer in the world) around your kitchen? Leaping, twirling, perfectly sure that your kitchen taught technique is perfectly fine? You are just in the zone. in the music. Your toe point is great. Your hairography is on pointe.  Your choreography is out of this world. You are a star! 

I do this multiple times a week. Probably multiple times a day truthfully.  I joke that my kids are the only ones one our block who's mom wears a skating dress around the house to cook dinner or watch TV.  You don't know do that? What a shame. You should.

I'm being serious.

The 2018/19 Figure skating season saw the incredible Mariah Bell skate a short program that EVERYONE fell in love with instantly. It doesn't matter if you are a die hard Celine Dion fan or you can't stand her and have no idea how she still continues to sell out shows in Vegas. Regardless, Mariah Bell skated this short program to TO LOVE YOU MORE with such joy, happiness and freedom, you just fall in love. Maybe it's the costume? Maybe it's the pure joyful expression on her face. Maybe it's the jumps and spins. I think it's all of this and more. Here's the program. Be prepared to fall in love. 

So I added this song to my play list. I have several playlists. Skating, Christian, December and yes, even a playlist for my camper-- don't judge. Well, I made a playlist called WARMUP. This is my "I'm freaked out and need to calm down, chill and get ready to compete" playlist. Typically my days skating start with me driving 30ish minutes to my rink. During this time, I listen to two or three Conference talks from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. These are like the ultimate podcasts full of self help, love, and all things Christian values. After I get off the freeway and start the long daunting task of driving 15 mph several blocks down Provo Center Street (seriously, 15 mph. And don't you dare even think of speeding. The cops will find you. Trust me. I know), I turn on TOBY MAC and jam out to one or two songs before arriving at the rink. I've found that this centers me and puts me in a great mood to skate.

When I arrive at the rink, I put on my rose gold headphones (I'm considering adding crystals to them) and I turn on my SKATING PLAYLIST. I jam out to LONE DIGGER while doing all my cardio off ice jogging. After I'm completely out of breath and wonder if I'm actually an athlete or not, I turn on my WARM UP PLAYLIST so I can calm down, do yoga poses and find my balance. I LOVE this time. It's almost sacred to me. I try to not get annoyed when someone wants to talk to me during this time. This warmup just feels so good. 

Okay, back to the topic. TO LOVE YOU MORE helps me find my balance, joy and remember who I am and why I LOVE skating.

A few things have come to my mind. 

Do YOU have a warm up in life? Maybe you aren't a skater who needs to run laps to get his or her legs prepared to work out on the ice. But I bet you are a mom, wife, daughter, co-worker, neighbor, friend. You are a waitress, a mailman, a lawyer, a nurse. A dad, husband, son, uncle. There is SOMETHING you are doing in your life that would benefit from a warm up.

Do you ever just let go and dance in your kitchen? I'm not saying you need to have on yoga pants or a skating dress (but hey, skating dresses do look pretty good in the kitchen, just saying). I'm just saying-- do you ever let go? Let go of worrying "what would my children/roommate/neighbors/ girlfriend think if they saw me dancing by the dishwasher? "  Let go of "my form/ choreography/ toe point isn't perfect"  Let go of " I'm not good enough/trained/skinny enough/ strong enough/happy enough". Just let go. Like Mariah Bell does in this program?

True story.  I used to be so embarrassed to warm up off ice. I'm not an elite athlete. I'm not super skinny or buff or in my own eyes, gorgeous. But I knew the benefit of warming up. I had been taught by a very smart coach and was even given his elite off ice training plan.  I knew it was important.  So I started. I would go to a far corner of the ice rink where no one would see me and I'd do my warmup quietly and timidly.  I never fully let go and I never owned it. So shy.

I don't know what changed but suddenly one day I felt powerful. Maybe it was the red lipstick I had one. Or maybe it was a good hair day. But regardless, I felt so amazing. My rink has two Olympic size ice sheets (it housed the 2002 Women's Olympic Hockey games). We usually skate on the south rink but up by the north rink, there is a new fitness center on what used to be an indoor soccer turf. There are free weights and classes. Looks bootcamp style. Usually at 8 or 9 am it's pretty packed with awesome adults getting stronger and enjoying each other's company.  Well, on this particular red lipstick morning, I decided I would do my full warmup down by that fitness area while gazing meaningfully at the Olympic rinks that hang by the Olympic rink.

I turned on Lone Digger and started jogging. I stretched, I kicked, I skipped, I freestyle danced. OH MY GOSH! Suddenly I was an Olympic figure skater (after all, I had the rings over my shoulder in my selfie. Must be true, right?). My point- I was EMPOWERED!!!!

So how can YOU apply this to your life? Maybe you skate, maybe you don't. Maybe you are sick in bed. Maybe you are sick of life. Maybe your husband left you, or maybe you really want to be a dad but you haven't found the right person yet. Maybe your community doesn't accept you or maybe you don't accept yourself. Have you tried dancing in your kitchen?

The Celine Dion song talks about LOVING YOU MORE. Do you love yourself more? Do you think you can try to love yourself a tiny bit more? Just a smidge more today than yesterday?

Let go of worrying what others will think if they see your warmup and just do it. Play that Celine song and dance like the principle dancer you are. Be your own Star!









Saturday, February 9, 2019

Super Angie...Zwift



My husband got himself and the boys a ZWIFT account. This is pretty awesome.  Now instead of just watching a movie while on the trainer in the basement, they are doing awesome courses all over the world.

Rick has also been doing ZWIFT running.

Do you like any programs like this?

Too bad there isn't a ZWIFT skating. lol

Monday, February 4, 2019

Super Angie... God has a plan

Do you ever stress yourself out thinking "what if"? I do. All too often actually. I worry. But I firmly believe God is in charge, so I always go to Him. And he always says the same thing. "Angie, I have a mission for you. Don't worry. I'm in control and I have this covered".  Over and over. He let's me know what my mission is and that he will take care of the rest, so long as I focus on my mission.

But like most mortals, I freak out and get anxious. He never fails to comfort me, "Remember, I have a plan. Be patient".

Today I saw some amazing things happen.

My oldest son got back his test scores and HE PASSED THE NATIONAL EMT TEST! Yessss! It's official. Dallin is now an EMT.  I have watched Dallin go to the Lord in prayer and ask time and time again what his mission on earth is, and each time, he has moved in the direction God sends him. This is just one of the many things God has prompted my son to do.

Another amazing thing is that I got a small job. It's not much but it is something I've been praying about and God has just been saying "Have patience...it's coming. " Today it came.



If you find that life is too much right now, turn to Him in Prayer.  And then sit and listen. He will answer you, I promise!

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Super Angie... writing

I love writing. I mean, look at my social media and you can tell..I really like communicating. I'm not a super social person but rather, I'm a communicator...I like to communicate online. I'm not sure that makes any sense.

Anyway... I've been doing stuff online since the late 80s. Yes. I was a Compuserve girl. Not AOL (although I did like getting all those free AOL coasters, eh, I mean DISKS in the mail). But really. Prodigy and Compurserve and those message boards is what I liked. I would chat everyday with people all over the US. We'd talk about skating. Gordeeva and Grinkov in particular. I remember once, some dude (who was a professional photographer) sent me a gorgeous framed pic he took of G&G performing in STARS ON ICE right after Daria was born. Amazing.

In HS (early 90s) our school district had a inner web chat room for students. I was asked to work with the district and kind of be in charge. I guess that's when it all started going down hill for me. Just kidding. I loved chat rooms and I still do love chatting online with friends and family.

Later I started using yahoo message boards. In fact that's how I met my husband Rick. I'll tell that story another time. I was on an adoption message board for a year. I still have a rooster Christmas ornament someone from that board mailed me. Amazing the generous, kind people you can meet online. I also got many acting gigs from message boards.

In 2001, I was on a skating message board and I met a bunch of really fun skating fans, some of whom were going to go to the 2002 Olympics. We decided to meet up at the games in Salt Lake City. We actually met up the year prior to the games and attend 4 Continents Championships. I often wonder if I could locate those people now on FB. Hmmm....







Super Angie...unboxing

There is a strange fascination in watching people unbox a product they get on the mail. I'm guilty. I've watched famous skaters on Instagram unbox everything from makeup to sport drinks.

My husband recently has gotten into Unboxing. He LOVES training. I mean, like really loves to train. He wakes at 4am to run and then after work he does a bike ride. He also likes to lift weights.

He recently got SWIFT for him and boys. They seem to really love it. Anyway, here is a fun video of Rick unboxing the Stryd Footpod.  Hikercize- Stryd Footpod.

Do you like watching unboxing videos? Maybe I'll make one. :)

On Belay

On Belay
Brennan Top Roping

Climb On!

Climb On!
Dallin top roping