Run?!!?? Say WHAT???
I was NEVER a runner and would do anything to get out of running! Running hurt my teeth, it hurt my lungs and quite frankly, I just hated, hated, hated running! (My dad would always say, “Hate is an awful strong word!” and my younger brother, at a sweet innocent age, said in reply to my dad one day, “Well, I meant it in an awful strong way!” That’s how I felt about running! Hahaha.)
So fast forward, well, my whole life, till just 4 years ago (2011). My daughter wanted to participate in a school running club. I was in full support of her getting active. I signed her permission form and she was on her way!
Now, at that time, I was about 190 pounds. I had lots of reasons why the weight kept coming on. I was a busy mom of 4 little people. I worked many hours. I worked as an interpreter (it’s a ‘grab food and run’ kind of job). I had my own self doubt and lack of motivation. I was motivated to do many things but quite often taking care of myself seemed to slide right off my list. Shopping, especially clothes shopping, was NOT a hobby of mine. Most of the time, I cried when it came to shopping.
One day after practice, my daughter came home and said she wanted me to run with her in their upcoming 5k. I was a little scared about that idea, as I knew I really disliked running, and I also knew how much weight I had on me. But I also wanted to support her. So I accepted her invite.
At that time, I didn’t have any running shoes at all! We were very, very poor and I was hesitant to buy some, in fear I would break the bank. Some how, Ryan and I managed to spare $20 for some shoes. That was a sacred moment for me at the shoe store. I took the purchasing of these shoes very seriously, 
although I knew my shoes wouldn’t be the top-of-the-line, I still wanted the best I could find for the money I had. I felt very blessed that day as the shoes I liked the most were on sale and I walked out, more committed to train for this 5k.
I began training that night. I found a ‘Couch to 5k’ (C25K) app that would help me along the way. I remember the first day – I thought I was going to DIE!!! I wasn’t sure how I would be able to keep doing it. But I had to keep going because I really didn’t want to waste our family’s $20.
The next “WHAT IN THE WORLD DID I GET MYSELF INTO” moment was when I hit the mile mark (over a month into running). First, it was amazing that I, Susan Layton, ran a WHOLE mile!!! But then I thought, HOW in the world will I be able to do THREE of those??? That was a hill I had to get over. But I did!
At the same time, our family changed what we were eating. We realized that what we had on our plates was food that was not entirely healthy. We started learning about what was good for us and what wasn’t. It was a wonderful learning curve! I loved it! I loved it all! I felt motivated! My pants started getting a little looser. I had more energy. It was a great feeling.
The race day came. It was cloudy and cold. But I was PUMPED! We ran the entire way! We definitely were not the fastest but we didn’t stop. It was an AWESOME feeling! Finishing that race made me feel like a winner! I was a winner! I put my mind to something and I accomplished it. Numbers didn’t matter. It was truly the best feeling in the world!
4- Trying on clothes*
Throughout this time, I lost over 50 pounds. My clothes were falling off me. It was a great feeling. The first time I went to go get a new outfit, I couldn’t believe shopping could be that exhilarating! It was a JOY that I had not ever felt! I was by no means SKINNY, nor did I want that. What I started to realize throughout this time was the beauty of being healthy. HEALTHY is what felt good! Sure, I still had “leftovers” (tummy from stretching) from four births. But that didn’t matter to me anymore. I was on my way to being healthy and healthy was happy!
*Pictures: 1- Me in the green blouse. One of the very few pictures I have of myself. My weight was up and down but mostly up. This was taken about 2008; 2- My first pair of running shoes. I still am so grateful we sacrificed that $20 to buy those life-changing shoes; 3- My daughter and I at the end of the 5k! That was a proud moment for me as a mom and well, for me!; 4- In the dressing room trying on clothes. I shot this and sent it to my hubby – “Can you believe I’m wearing this? I love shopping!!!” He replied something like, “Is this my wife speaking?” (Haha…) and then, “You worked for it! You deserve it! Enjoy your time! You look fabulous!” I felt fabulous! Working for it gave me such a huge satisfaction, because I did this! And I wanted to keep going!
Today is April 15th, one of the most stressful days of the year for many Americans. TAX DAY! … But regardless, of when you are reading this blog, have a quiet, honest moment with yourself … Are you feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Need a little something to relax you and refresh you? Why not try something quite delightful to help eliminate the stresses of life:
3/4 cup raw honey
love, Ryan Layton. I am so grateful for the blessing of being married for time and all eternity to the man I have grown to really love, appreciate and admire. We were married and sealed in the Las Vegas LDS Temple on April 14, 2000.
blooming all over and pretty white fluffy clouds in the blue sky. That was the day for me! … And then I grew up and realized that April 15th wasn’t the funnest of days, for this was the day your taxes would be due and blah for that. Ha. But I still wanted April and I realized a prettier looking day would be April 14th. Just the numbers rang beautiful to me! The year 2000 was the year I really wanted to be married! I wanted a number that was easy to remember how many years I was married, every year. I didn’t want to have to subtract, add, borrow, discuss, figure out, look at journals or anything else 
to figure out how many years it had been. So the day I wanted to marry was April 14, 2000! 😀
I lived in Vegas. Several months later, I received an email from him. His company had decided to relocate to LV and that very weekend he would be in town to check out apartments. Drats! That weekend was New Years Eve and I already had plans to go to an old high school friend’s home for a little party. All of my friends would be there. So Ryan and I agreed to visit the next day, if we could work out our schedules.
Ryan! WHAT??? Why, how, HUH?? He was there in MY friend’s kitchen! As we exchanged the “Huh? How do you know Lauren?”‘s, we soon learned that Lauren was my friend AND Ryan’s cousin!!! What a small world! Needless to say, Ryan and I hung out all weekend! Looking back, I remember Lauren, in high school, telling me about her Deaf cousin who was at Gallaudet University. How cool I thought that was, but I was a sophomore in high school! … And that meant he was old! Ha.
February 14, 2000: Valentines Day, lunchtime. I stood on the exit corner of the parking lot where Ryan worked. I was with a very loving and trusting friend, Angela Darling, who kept rooting me on (from her car), to be brave! Dressed up as a homeless girl, I held a sign. My sign read, “Will work for love” … or something like that! It was corny and I loved being corny, especially for something that was worthy of it! And to me, he was all that! He and his working buddies went out for lunch that day. As they were leaving the parking lot, I could see him trying to figure out what was in front of him. It took him a minute to realize that that was me holding the sign. I think he was in utter shock! Haha. … (He didn’t leave me standing there! So I guess it worked!) 🙂
April 14, 2000: My mother and Aunt had stayed up all night to finish sewing my bridesmaid dresses and pressing my wedding gown. My mother was/is amazing! … It was a beautiful spring day! The flowers were in full bloom. The white clouds were in the beautiful blue skies (kind of all over – not so fluffy, but no matter). It was the day of my dreams. Of course, there were hiccups. The photographer arrived over an hour late, my bouquet and flowers never showed up (until the reception much later) and 
the beautiful glass blown cake top never came home with us. But the day was perfect anyhow!
and we loved more. 15 years later, and I am so grateful for the experiences we have gone through. I love him more than I ever imagined I could or would. He is a handsome, strong, patient, loving, forgiving, happy, talented, and all-around, in-and-out amazing man, son, father and husband! Sealed to him for eternity is a blessing. A blessing I am so grateful we held on to (and continue to hold on to and work for)! Happy Anniversary, my love! Here’s to the rest of time and all of eternity! *MWAH!*
(5mm) – (Don’t use the metal needles)
working on eating right myself! Many years in the making and still learning! But I have found that I love to eat healthy. It gives me energy, my nails grow, my hair is shiny, I don’t have that sick feeling after I eat. One thing that I add to my everyday regimen is a HEALTHY shake that A- tastes good, B- gives me all the vitamins and energy I need and C- doesn’t include the gunk and caffeine that I don’t want in the first place! (Did you know? Most “healthy” powder supplements include caffeine of some sort. For me, this is always a turn-off.) So, my honey and I went on a quest to find a supplement powder that is not a supplement of fillers, filled
with GMOs, caffeine, soy, gluten, but instead full of natural, raw, organic plant goodness that is affordable.
If I make it, my recipe looks like this:
)
It was then that I realized I needed to find myself a counselor/therapist. It was the best decision I could have made to really start healing and be able to start living again. I have been very open about the beauty of therapy, especially to interpreters, stay-at-home moms, my friends, and Facebook audience. *heart*
” by Melody Beattie. I didn’t know what that meant by the title alone and I wasn’t sure how it would apply to me. But a friend had the book and said it was her favorite book in her own discovery and healing. This book comes from the perspective of those who deal with people addicted to alcohol and drugs. I have never been exposed to that at all. I came from a home where love, respect, rules and consequences filled the walls. So I wasn’t sure how it would apply to me or if I would relate. But I did relate, very much, to the information shared in this book – and that really aided in my healing process. I read it from start to finish, took notes, cried, journaled, and re-read it. I’m not much of a reader but this was a book of healing and I loved it! 
