Believe

Having a little more time to myself last week helped me reach a new level here in Madison.  A new level of independence and peace.  You truly can overcome anything with your mind.  Visioning and believing something will create it to happen. If you aren't happy with your life, how you look, your job, your friends, your significant other, it most likely is because you convienced yourself that you weren't. If you tell yourself over and over that you are happy, you will eventually become happy. It might not work on the first try, but it does work! I promise! It is all about perspective. It comes from within you and not from what anyone else does around you. Once you have changed your perspective and let go of those negative thoughts dragging you down, things will turn around for the better. It takes time, work and committment to train your mind, but it is just as important as training your body. Next time you are faced with a challenge--stop. Stop everything, close your eyes and change how you are thinking. You might have to keep repeating this at first, but it will eventually become second nature--like I said, it is hard work. 

Nate is home now, and I love him more than ever! We have such an amazing time no matter what we are doing, and I can't wait to continue our lives together. Everything about us is everything I have ever wanted in a relationship/friendship. I still don't even believe it is real some days. Is this real life?! You really can get everything you ever wanted! You don't ever have to settle!! Believe that, and it will happen!

Timing is everything

It finally rained, well, it actually stormed here last night. The grass is so happy! It is finally turning green. I broke out my mountain bike today so my road bike wouldn't get dirty and rode through all the puddles. It was so fun! I hurt my foot, so I haven't ran for almost two weeks on Thursday. I have been swimming, biking, and lifting. It has been nice to give my body a break from running, but I am ready to get back at it again. I am pretty certain it is a stress fracture, so I am going to give it one more week off. It has gotten a lot better, but since I am on my feet a lot at work, it will hurt by the end of the day. I am registered for the Chicago marathon, and I really wanted to run to see how fast I could do it. I have only ran marathons to finish, not for time. It looks like I might have to run this one for fun too-if I even get to run it. This will be my last marathon! I am going back to the shorter stuff that I am good at- 5ks and sprint tris. Maybe some 10ks or half marathons. Marathons are so hard on your body, and I need to listen to what my body is telling me. It has gotten to the point where those long runs (15-20 miles) are not fun anymore because it hurts my knees, back, feet, etc. so much. I will do this one more and call it good! I am much more competitve at the shorter distances, so I will focus on those and tear it up! Nate is on RAGBRAI right now, and it is so hot out! I am proud of him for doing the entire week. I am going to do it next year with him. I have missed him so much, and we still have to go 4 more days :( Tomorrow is his birthday, and I don't get to be with him! Booooo! It has been good to be apart for this time because I needed to get back into a routiene of doing the things I did before-for me. I wasn't taking as much quiet time as I was before, and I was beginning to notice the difference in my life with out it. I will definitley keep this up when he gets back. Finding balance between my time and couple time is a tricky one to master, but I am getting there. I want to be with him 100% of the time, but I know I need to take time for myself too. I will be able to give more to him and everyone else around me when I do that. Being in Cedar Falls by myself last weekend and this week so far have put me in a really good spot. I am not sure what it was about my trip back home, but it gave me 100% certainty that I am not suppose to be there. I love Cedar Falls so much, and it will always be home, but I thought to myself several times "I am really glad I don't live here anymore." It is nice having a fresh start in Madison at a really great time in my life. Cedar Falls has so many memories-good and bad-that I am reminded of all the time. Here in Madison, I truly only see today and live for today, with goals for the future in mind. Timing is everything, and everything came at the perfect time! It has been a really hard transition, but it has been the best transition I have ever made in my life! Life is good :) I hope yours is too! And if it isn't, only YOU have the power to change that! Get er done!

Life updates

I am not doing so well at blogging! I have been busy at work and still loving it! I have finally gotten into a pretty good routiene. Trying to make that happen and get caught up financially has been keeping me busy. I took a trip to Apple River with a group of friends this past weekend. That was a blast! We camped, tubed down the river, and relaxed. It is Thursday, and I just now feel like I have caught up on my sleep from not sleeping during that trip much. Sleep is so important. It affects my entire mood and day. It is just as important as getting a good work out in. My goal next week is to get 7-8 hours every night. I know I will feel so much better doing that. Another thing I have been working on is eating slower. I am always in a hurry to get from here to there, so this week, I have been forcing myself to slow down. It makes it much more enjoyable and satisfying. I am more in tune with my hunger cues. So...you should try it! Sleep more (increase your nightly sleep by a half hour to start with) and slow down at meals. These small improvements with make a HUGE difference in your health. I am heading to Cedar Falls this weekend, and I am really looking forward to spending time with friends. I am helping at barbecue-loo downtown Waterloo serving food and drinks on Saturday, so if any of you are around and reading this, I will be there at 3:30 until whenever. Stop on by! Nate will be leaving tomorrow to go on RAGBRAI for the whole week with his mom and brother. I wish I was going with, but I am definitley going to next year! I am really going to miss him. I miss him during the day when we are both at work, so this is going to be ridiculous! His birthday is while he is gone too, so I am for sure spoiling him when he gets home next Saturday. I have made a good friend named Pauline here, and she is a doll! She watched Oscar for me last weekend when I was at Apple River, and she had so much fun with him. She works out at Pinnacle and comes to my classes. We have hung out quite a bit, and she has done all she can to make me feel welcome here. It is wonderful to find people like that! I know her and I are going to be friends for a long time! That is all I have for now. Have a wonderful Thursday to all!

Be a kid again

What is your favorite thing to do for exercise? Do you enjoy your work outs, or do you have to force yourself to do them? It is important to find something that you truly enjoy. Yes, you do have to do some things you don't want to when you set big goals, but to remain active all your life, you have to keep it fun. That is what we did when we were little kids. We didn't even realize we were exercising because we were having fun. Instead of meeting a friend for lunch, meet a friend for a walk. Get a group together to play a game. Capture the flag is a fun one! (ooo, that is a good idea--I want to do that now!) Nate and I have been playing sand volleyball with a group of people on Saturdays. I love triathlons. Swimming, biking, and running don't always feel like work outs to me because I enjoy doing them. Be a little kid again, and make it fun somehow! Some would say I act like a little kid all the time, and I would agree. Children view the world in such an innocent way. They don't worry about what others think about them, and they will tell you like it is. They take value in little things and are entertained easily. So...my challenge for you is to not only act like a little kid with your work outs but to act like a little kid all day! Let loose and be excited! Be happy! Find joy and entertainment in the small things! Jump up and down and say WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Fridayyyyy!!!!!!!!!

It's Friday! I started my day at 4:43am. Even Oscar didn't want to be up at that time! It is hard enough waking up that early, but not only do I have to be up, I actually have to be awake and enthusiastic! I am pretty sure people hate that about me. Haha GOOD MORNING IT'S 5AM!!!!! BUT ya know what?! Someone has got to be excited about it, dang it! I was going to do a sprint triathlon this weekend, but I hurt my back when I was moving, so I decided against it. I have felt much better yesterday and today emotionally. Like I had mentioned, it has been tough dealing with so much change and transition. It is a lot for one little person to handle. They are all positive changes, so that makes it easier to get through the mixed emotions. Luckily, I have the world's most amazing man as a boyfriend, and he has made the transition a whole heck of a lot more comfortable. We haven't been able to see each other as much now that we aren't living together. It makes me miss him a lot, even when it is only a day! I never thought that would happen because I love my alone time. When I was single, that was the one thing I was worried about the most- finding the balance between together and alone time, but now, I just want to be with him ALL the time! Gosh, I am the luckiest girl in the world. Okay, I am done now. Now that you all have thrown up in your mouths a little bit! My boss went into labor last night, and we haven't heard yet, but I am sure she had her baby by now. That means I have to hold the fort down while she is gone. I am also starting a bootcamp class next week too, so I am going to be a busy gal! I love this job. It is so fun being in one place all day and not having to be so strung out. It is also pretty awesome that I get paid to do my hobby and be at the gym all day! It feels good to represent one gym and I am proud to represent this one. Do you feel that way? Are you proud of what you are doing with your life or do you hesitate when people ask you where you work? If you do, remember that your job is not what defines you, and you should be proud of whatever it is you are doing. No matter what it is, you are making a difference. You can be a role model in any position you are in, and you can define yourself by that. You can choose to be proud and choose to be happy in any situation you are in. If you can be happy in your current situation, you will be truly happy forever. The great thing about all the changes in my life is that I was already happy before they all happened. I was perfectly content with where I was, who I was, and what I was doing which makes for a perfect time to make a huge life decision like I did. I wasn't looking for happiness, and I wasn't running away from anything. Life happened, and I went with it--and you should too! WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday America!

Hello Friends! I have been busy moving, working, celebrating, etc. so I have not written a blog in a while. I am back now, and I am officially settled into Madison! It was a very smooth move, and I had such wonderful people helping me. I appreciate them greatly. It has been a hard couple of days because it has finally hit me that I really did move away. Away from a wonderful city filled with many wonderful people who treated me so well. My roots will always be in Cedar Falls, and I miss everyone so much. At the same time, I am looking forward to meeting many more people and touching lives in Madison. Transitions are hard and bring many emotions to the surface. Dealing with change is something we all need to be able to do because it happens so much. Our lives never turn out how we picture them, so you have to be adaptable to go with whatever comes your way. That is how I got to where I am now. I kept following the promptings I was given. Sometimes they are scary and make us uneasy, but give it time, and you will see exactly why you were suppose to follow what you were given. I may act like things are easy or seem happy all the time, but it isn't easy. I wake up every day and I CHOOSE to be happy and optimistic. Some days are a whole heck of a lot harder than others, but you fight the negative thoughts, emotions, etc., and you tackle the day! I hope every one has a safe holiday. Make sure you wear sunscreen and drink lots of water (in between beers of course ;)) I taught a class this morning and got a run in on the treadmill. Nate and I are going to get some lunch and head to Devil's Lake for the day. Happy Birthday America!