Thursday, October 30, 2008
Responsibility - the leading cause of insomnia
Every once in awhile I go through periods where I just can't sleep. Some nights are worse than others, but I've noticed that my insomnia issues really seem to be stress-related. For example, during my first semester of grad school, I went through a several week period where I either didn't sleep at all for nights in a row, or would average 3-4 hours a night for several weeks. It was rough. Fortunately, these bouts with insomnia are pretty few and far between. Unfortunately, the insomnia appears to be back, if only briefly (I hope!). So, you may be wondering, what in my life is causing this current bout with insomnia? Well, it is hard to say specifically ('cause I'm sure work could be a culprit, too), but about 1 month ago I was called as the Relief Society President in my ward. That is no small assignment, under any circumstances, but our ward is undergoing big changes right now, making my task particularly daunting. In August our ward was moved from one stake to another, causing big changes in our boundaries. We are now housed in the Camelback Stake, but because we are a Young Single Adult ward, we take in 3 stakes, total. That is a very large area, geographically. That also changed our membership dynamics quite a bit, and we now have a MUCH larger ward, in terms of numbers and geography. I was called just after all the changes were made and inherited a Relief Society that had lost nearly all staffing due to the changes. We have had the large task of integrating a very big influx of new sisters and trying to almost completely staff a Relief Society. Needless to say, I have been on the go almost constantly. Tonight was the first night in some time that I haven't had specific Relief Society responsibilities (meetings, visits, staffing discussions, etc.) to conduct. So rather than catch up on all of my other activities that are falling behind (cleaning, bills, organizing, catching up on sorely overdue emails to friends), I got home from work, did a few small things around the house, and then crashed at about 6 pm. I napped for about 1 1/2 hours, then got up in enough time to watch The Office (which, I have to say, I am growing quite disappointed in. . . but I'll save that for another time). Admittedly, that evening nap probably didn't help my current state of affairs any. . . but still. Not being able to sleep isn't fun! So, as things start to slowly fall into place with the ward (as they always do), I am sure my sleeping patterns will improve. Until then, I am always looking for fellow insomniacs for some late-night company!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Mexico.2
Here is a little more information about our trip to Mexico.
Layne and I departed for Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, October 7 and arrived back in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 12. The resort wasn't terribly fancy, but it was nice and attracted a pretty low-key, tame crowd. It is right on the beach, but the water is really rough on that beach and not good for swimming or other water activities. Thus, the resort organizes trips every day to various beaches and other activities (snorkeling, hiking, surfing, boat trips, etc.). Layne and I quickly got into a routine: every morning we would wake up about 7 or so head out around 8 for the morning activity. We usually returned sometime between 12 and 2, had a nice lunch, and then either spent the rest of the afternoon by/in the pool reading and napping, or else showered and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool reading and napping. We often had a sunset walk and then a late dinner. Of course, we spent the rest of the evening reading and relaxing. We loved falling asleep and waking up to the sound of waves and the sight of palm trees swaying right outside the window. It was fabulous. Here is a sunset view from our balcony.
And Layne doing what we did best. . .
Layne and I were so fond of snorkeling, we went twice. The resort arranged for us to take a boat out to a series of islands in Banderas Bay. Apparently these islands are a national park, and there was good snorkeling all around the islands. There were lots of smallish caves around the base of the island and we had a lot of fun poking in and out of the caves and chasing fish.
We were also had a great time on the "hike" they took us on (more like a brisk walk, but whatever). There was another nationally protected area nearby at the base of an inactive volcano. It had lots of petroglyphs from an extinct native people. No one quite knows what the petroglyphs mean, but they were cool to look at. Our walk ended at a really lovely waterfall and swimming hole. It was so beautiful and green! And humid! We quite enjoyed our tromp through the jungle, even the near first-hand encounter with Mexican poison ivy (thank heavens for guides, or we all would have gone tromping through it, unawares).
It really was a wonderful trip. I wish we had more time to do some exploring and get a better flavor of the areas and towns we were in. I would love to go back to Mexico again, and spend some time traveling around and exploring. There is so much to see there, and everywhere we went people were SO friendly. Although I have traveled many places in the world, I am now wondering why it took me so long to become aware of a fabulous place just a few hours south of our border!
Layne and I departed for Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, October 7 and arrived back in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 12. The resort wasn't terribly fancy, but it was nice and attracted a pretty low-key, tame crowd. It is right on the beach, but the water is really rough on that beach and not good for swimming or other water activities. Thus, the resort organizes trips every day to various beaches and other activities (snorkeling, hiking, surfing, boat trips, etc.). Layne and I quickly got into a routine: every morning we would wake up about 7 or so head out around 8 for the morning activity. We usually returned sometime between 12 and 2, had a nice lunch, and then either spent the rest of the afternoon by/in the pool reading and napping, or else showered and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool reading and napping. We often had a sunset walk and then a late dinner. Of course, we spent the rest of the evening reading and relaxing. We loved falling asleep and waking up to the sound of waves and the sight of palm trees swaying right outside the window. It was fabulous. Here is a sunset view from our balcony.
And Layne doing what we did best. . .
Layne and I were so fond of snorkeling, we went twice. The resort arranged for us to take a boat out to a series of islands in Banderas Bay. Apparently these islands are a national park, and there was good snorkeling all around the islands. There were lots of smallish caves around the base of the island and we had a lot of fun poking in and out of the caves and chasing fish.
We were also had a great time on the "hike" they took us on (more like a brisk walk, but whatever). There was another nationally protected area nearby at the base of an inactive volcano. It had lots of petroglyphs from an extinct native people. No one quite knows what the petroglyphs mean, but they were cool to look at. Our walk ended at a really lovely waterfall and swimming hole. It was so beautiful and green! And humid! We quite enjoyed our tromp through the jungle, even the near first-hand encounter with Mexican poison ivy (thank heavens for guides, or we all would have gone tromping through it, unawares).
It really was a wonderful trip. I wish we had more time to do some exploring and get a better flavor of the areas and towns we were in. I would love to go back to Mexico again, and spend some time traveling around and exploring. There is so much to see there, and everywhere we went people were SO friendly. Although I have traveled many places in the world, I am now wondering why it took me so long to become aware of a fabulous place just a few hours south of our border!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Mexico
Hola mi amigos y amigas! So, my younger sister, Layne, and I decided to take a trip together and after much frustration we ended up at a resort in Mexico about 30 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. (Here is the website.) I am currently sitting on a chair underneath a palm tree looking out over the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Yes, life is good. :)
This resort is a smallish resort and attracts an eclectic crowd of regulars, families, drunks, honeymooners, and surfers. The resort is not one of those mega-resorts you commonly find near places like Puerto Vallarta. It is smallish and has lots of character and "local flavor" with an emphasis on surfing (they have surfing trips leaving every morning and most of the people here seem to come mainly for surfing). We have met several very nice people here. In particular, two surfer families from San Diego and a couple from Salt Lake. They have activities every day and my sister and I have been on the go every day. Here is a smattering of some of our activities:
This resort is a smallish resort and attracts an eclectic crowd of regulars, families, drunks, honeymooners, and surfers. The resort is not one of those mega-resorts you commonly find near places like Puerto Vallarta. It is smallish and has lots of character and "local flavor" with an emphasis on surfing (they have surfing trips leaving every morning and most of the people here seem to come mainly for surfing). We have met several very nice people here. In particular, two surfer families from San Diego and a couple from Salt Lake. They have activities every day and my sister and I have been on the go every day. Here is a smattering of some of our activities:
- Snorkeling: We went to a grouping of islands a few miles offshore. There are several really cool coves and caves and the like and Layne and I loved it. We are going to go again tomorrow!
- Surfing: Layne and I went to this funky surfing town called Sayulitas and Layne took surfing lessons while I watched. She managed to get up 2 1/2 times! We spend much of the afternoon wandering around and eating ice cream. Yum!
- Hiking: The hotel hired some taxis and a guide and took us tromping through the jungle to see petroglyphs and a really cool waterfall. It was insanely humid, but very, very beautiful.
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