What It’s All About

I woke up this morning realizing that sometimes I leave some things unsettled.  I tout myself as this great communicator but sometimes I fall short…..I also recognize that I am not alone in this and that I should not be so hard on myself.

That being said, I wanted to kind of explain what this particular blog is all about….because I get the feeling that many of my friends who read this (read: non-blog friends), don’t necessarily understand why I write this blog.

I preface all of this with:  I USED to have a personal blog.  In fact, you could probably still find all of them (yes, I all of them – I had more than one).  On that blog I would write about the things that bothered me, why I was happy/sad/etc.  I was an open book….or whatever you want to call it.

It was all out there for the world to read….or all 5 of my readers to read 🙂

ANYWAY….A few years ago I decided I was going to shift my focus for a few reasons:  1.  No one needs to know THAT much about my personal life.  2.  Most people don’t really care all that much unless they are my close friends or family and 3.  I wanted to write about more interesting things….

I decided to write a blog about my fitness/healthy lifestyle.  (Note:  a follow up post is coming as to how I actually got IN to this lifestyle).  The thing is,…..some times I do share personal information about my life but I truly don’t believe it’s as bad as I’ve been informed of in the past.

To clarify….

This blog IS NOT:

-A blog about my close friends and family (although I do mention them from time to time).

-A blog about who I am or if I am dating anyone.  I share this blog with all of my friends on facebook.  I don’t even share if I am “in a relationship” on facebook.  People who know me know what my sitch is…if I have one.

-A blog about being sad or mopey.  Let’s face it – we all have bad days.  DON’T DENY IT.  If I have a bad day, I workout.  THEN, you’ll know about it.

-A blog about how you can change the world.  I am working on changing my own personal world every day – one step at a time.  I don’t have all the answers and neither does anyone else.  I am not always correct and I know that.  I make mistakes and I know that too.

Conversely….

This blog IS:

-A blog about my fitness journey and the experiences I have while on it.

-A blog about running, swimming, spinning, biking, yoga, and whatever other activity I get myself involved with.

-A blog that includes tidbits of my career – teaching or coaching or otherwise.  Those are healthy things that make me a happy person.  I don’t feel as though those things are too personal to share.

-A blog about my ability to stay healthy and happy POST Eating Disorder.  Many of you, who have not read my ‘about me’ section, may not even know I am a recovering Anorexic.  If you don’t – that’s an EXCELLENT thing.  It means I am living a balanced life.  If you just read that and can’t believe it – also a good thing.  I have worked hard on getting to where I am at in my life and it has been no easy task but all of it has been worth it.

-I blog about my experiences with health, fitness, and my ED because I hope to help someone by showing them IT IS POSSIBLE to recover.  IT IS POSSIBLE to be healthy and live a normal life.  IT IS POSSIBLE to maintain some sort of normalcy.

I make no apologies for the sharing of my information as far as health, fitness, and my ED.  Even if it only helps ONE person….that’s fine with me.  (note: I don’t believe myself to be a martyr, nor will I ever….don’t mistake that statement as a self declaration to being one).

I enjoy writing.  I enjoy working out.  I enjoy helping others.  I enjoy life.

So…..What’s It All About?!?!

Health.  Running.  Swimming.  Biking.  Spinning.  Music.  Reading.  Writing.  Teaching.  Coaching.  Experiences.  Challenges.  Opportunities.  Interactions.  Fears.  Failures.  Wants.  Desires.  Happiness.  Frustrations.

Sounds like a good list to me…..

My questions for you:

What’s it all about for you?

What’s on your life list?

Why do you blog?

 

Family Weekend!

Good Morning! (well, at least it is when I write this)

I am up early for my first day of school (minus kiddos – they’re in tomorrow)!!!  EEK!

I am incredibly glad I had things to keep me busy this weekend otherwise I probably would’ve been really nervous all weekend.  Well…let me retract that…not nervous…but anxious.

Truth is, I’ve always loved the first day of school.  New teachers.  New books.  New faces.  Lots of NEW! 🙂

This past weekend, however, there was no school mentioned – except for the “good lucks” I received from family members for today.

I mentioned yesterday that I went up to Hawk Mountain followed by some waverunning at my guy’s parents lake house.  Yesterday we went to my family’s house and hung out for my cousin Zack’s 16th Birthday….which is today!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOOCH!

Yesterday, like the rest of the weekend was amazing.  I obviously encurred a few hiccups (as in not having my running sneaks to get in my 22 miles) but I made the best of it becuase truly I wasn’t about to let anything bother me.  I am so lucky.

Anyway, I’m in a bit of a time crunch this morning so I’ll leave you with one more funny cartoon and be on my way – more to come this week!

xo

 

FTF: Why are you thankful?

So I am clearly not doing the greatest with keeping this baby updated – BUT – I haven’t forgotten about it!  There’s been a lot of craziness going on so naturally the first of my priorities to fall by the wayside is this here blog.  But I am still here!  And it’s FRIDAY!!!!  WOO!

But really, let’s talk about something important…..

I have been in an incredibly happy mood lately…..for plenty of good reasons.  Some of them I mentioned the other day…but really I’ve come to find that it’s easier and MORE FUN to be happy.  For so long I was sad and bummed out and all I wanted to do was hear other people’s bad stuff….so I could feel a little bit better.  You know that expression, ‘misery loves company’….it’s true.  But in the last few months, so many things have done a 180 and I’m entirely convinced it has to do with the concept to ‘just keep going’ and/or ‘just keep moving forward’.

In reality, whether we like it or not, life moves on without us.  We all have a choice – we can either sit there and be upset about what is going on or we can sit there and be thankful for the things we already have.

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It’s more than likely at some point you’ve all seen the hashtag #firstworldproblems somewhere.  And if you’re just seeing it for the first time – it’s self explanatory.  I’m not trying to diminish anyone’s plight and/or things that are happening in their life at the moment

What I’m getting at is the fact that we all have a choice to be happy or sad.  I’ve found that when you put out the good, the good comes back to you two-fold.  Maybe not immediately but eventually.  And patience (although I tend to lack it at times) is definitely a virtue.  And I am not a highly religious person but I always think of this quote from Luke 6:38 when I think of putting the good out there….

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That being said….my Five Truth’s Friday, today, is about the things I am thankful for at this moment in time….

1.  My mother

WHAAAAAAA?  I know – I KNOW!  More often than not I have been caught talking about my mother, in – well let’s just say, not the greatest light.  Truthfully, she’s been kind of amazing and an incredible support for me lately.  We’ve gotten a lot closer over the summer (she’s a teacher too so she had a lot of free time).  I am thankful to have her be so understand of me and to support my endeavors.  She was right there with me when I was struggling about what I was going had I been offered a job an hour away that requested I give up my coaching job at LM.  I won’t get into the specifics but with the incredible emotional reaction I had to even having to consider doing that…she totally understood.

My mother has recently developed a knack for texting – to give you an idea of what my mother is like (this is not an actual conversation between her and me but COULD be)….

 

2.  My Dad

If you’ve been reading my blog for a little while – you know how important my father is to me.  I am not joking when I tell you this post I wrote about him on his Birthday will likely get him that sainthood he’s been hoping for 😉  LOVE YOU DAD!

I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with my Dad in the last few months and I feel awful about that.  It’s not intentional but the thing is – he gets it.  I am busy.  And yes, I still want to see him and spend time with him but we still talk nearly every day.  He still knows what’s going on in my life.  He is still my favorite person in the entire world.  He gets it.  He gets me.  He’s probably one of the most understanding people in my life.  I am so thankful to have a father that knows me the way he does.  Plus, he’s the awesomest (I don’t care if that word is underlined – IT’S NOT MISSPELLED, AUTOCORRECT!)

3.  My friends

I know I say this often, at least – I think/hope I do, but my friends really are the best.  They’re entirely understanding of me when I am busy and forget to ask them how they are…..they are entirely supportive of me when I need someone to lean on.  My friends are basically my family – at least, I treat them that way.  I would do anything for them and go to the ends of the earth to help them if they needed it….they know I’m not a mind reader and they know that sometimes I forget.  I am incredibly thankful to have such a wonderful support group …

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4.  My Sister

She and I don’t always see eye to eye…..but she has the same parents as me…so she gets it.  She understands it.  She doesn’t always understand me but she is there for me when I need her and I am there for her when she needs me.  Kellygirl was my first friend….or I was her first foe considering I am four years her junior and most likely after I was born there was less attention paid to her.  It just happens.  I was the younger one…..it all started that early July 11th morning when she woke up to my neighbor Sue telling her that our Mom and Dad left to go to the hospital….good times good times…

We have some of the funniest inside jokes…..including

Not quite the same but she knows what I mean 😉 Source

5.  My Health

I am incredibly thankful for my health.  In the last few months I had been feeling – well, not the greatest.  So I went to the doctor, had some blood tests…went to see a specialist….and it turns out – I am an incredibly healthy 30-something….  WOOT!

I am still training for my marathon.  I am still training for life.  I want to be the best self I can be and exercise and eating better help me get there.  I was recently talking to one of the kids I give swim lessons to about living a long time.  He informed me that his great grandmother was 90 years old.  I explained how wonderful that was and then proceeded to tell him I was planning on living til I was 120.  To which he informed me that the oldest person living is 110.  I was like….cool.  Imma beat that 😉  Age is just a number…and if I take care of my body now, I will have it for a LONG LONG time….how?  I think this lady is on the right track….

So I ask – what are YOU thankful for?

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Where are you going….

with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away, like an ocean
But you can’t see, but you can smell
And the sound waves crash down

I was bummed out last week….but not for the reasons you might think.  I hid away last week…I pulled away…I retreated like the tide ebbs.  Lame on my part….I know…but some times when you’re faced with an issue you’re not sure of what to do, you have to just keep to yourself and reevaluate the topic at hand.  And then I was like…..what am I doing?  This is MY LIFE….why should I let someone else judge me….?

 

Truthfully – my life is kicking butt lately.  I only have good things to report. 🙂

First and foremost – I finally got a job!  It’s a 12 week Extended Time Substitute job so it’s not all year but it’s something and I have this feeling the rest of things are going to fall into place with it.  Basically another school district is looking at me too, so here’s hoping that falls in line right after this first one ends.

Secondly – I am officially off the market.  That’s all I’m going to say about that except that he is amazing and wonderful and makes me happy and it is unlike any other relationship I’ve been a part of.  The communication between us in incredible and alone makes me want to be a better person on a daily basis.

Thirdly – I am house sitting for two weeks.  To give you an idea as to what kind of obstacles I am facing…..

 

It’s a rough life, I tell ya.  A pool, hot tub and two bbq’s?  What’s a girl to do??? 😉

The only rough part is that I do start school on Monday (a week earlier than everyone else) but that’s okay – it’s only for a short time that my commute will be about 50 minutes each morning.  I don’t even care!  I am SO PUMPED!

Amidst all of this – yes, I am still running.  I logged 37 miles last week.  I didn’t get a long run in on Sunday – probably because I was exhausted from teaching back to back spin classes on Saturday morning.  So far this week I’ve only logged 12 miles.  Today I plan to do some speed work – here’s hoping that works out!

The rest of the week is devoted to getting things ready for school next week (outside of running!).

How’s everyone else been?