Just let it happen...naturally.

For so much of my life, I was trying so hard. Trying so hard to force all the things I thought were "suppose to be". I was suppose to go to college, meet someone, get married and buy a house. Isn't that what everyone does?  Well, I did just that. I was forcing everything because I wanted it so bad, and I wasn't patient. I ended up pretending to be happy for many years. To make a VERY long story short, I went through two of the worst years of my life, went through a divorce, then dated someone right after and had the relationship from hell. Finally, I took a vow to myself to stay single for a year and train for Ironman. I did just that, and it was exactly what I needed. I became independent in everything I did and found out what I wanted for my life. I wasn't worried about finding someone else. I planned my life for me, as if I was going to be by myself forever. I worked five jobs and did everything I could to support myself financially, emotionally and spiritually.  Without looking, a new and amazing career came to me and an amazing man. I didn't have to try to move to Madison. Everything worked out naturally down to the last detail. I didn't have to try to find a guy. Things with Nate and I worked out naturally. We haven't had to try. It has just worked out. This is how it should be! If you let go, have faith, and focus on you and what you want, it will come to you. Make yourself some goals, but also don't look too far ahead that it makes you worry. I know how this feels, and it is a horribe cycle to be trapped in. Do something each day to work towards your big goals, but truly take it one day at a time. It will come to you. It will happen without you even trying.

I had a wonderful weekend with Nate's family. It was his brother's wedding, and it was the perfect day. It was really fun to get dressed up together, and I got to spend a lot of time with his awesome mom! I instantly felt comfortable with his entire family. It was like I had known them all forever. It was so natural. Another thing about Nate and I that don't have to try for! I don't know how it could get any better, but it keeps happening!

On Sunday, I did a half ironman relay with my friends Beth and Clare. I was the swimmer and swam 1.2 miles in 42:30. This is the fastest I have ever swam that distance, so I was real happy.  Beth biked her little heart out and Clare anchored us and was 4 minutes from her best time! It was a great day to spend with my two friends I hadn't seen in a while. Nate, his mom, and his mom's boyfriend, Tom, all came to watch me. I thought that was so thoughful because we were up pretty late for the wedding the night before, and I was just swimming, so they couldn't really even see me. It made me swim harder knowing they were there though. It made my day.

My week at work is busy, but not too busy.  One of my clients is moving to New York, so we are trying to work out every day before she leaves to use up her sessions. It has been really fun kicking her butt each day!  I am going to miss her when she is gone!

I swam 8.5 hours last week. My goal was 10, but I didn't have access to a pool on Friday or Saturday, so I did it in 5 days!  On Saturday, I did ride 25 miles, so I suppose I can count that as the other hour and a half.  Yesterday, I made the goal to do 500 push ups, and I did it! Boy, am I sore today! I broke it down throughout the day. I did 10-25 each time until it added up to 500. It was fun to do with my clients. I know what you're thinking... I am crazy!! And you are right!!!

Maybe Someday...

Maybe someday... maybe someday I will start a savings account. Maybe someday I will volunteer. Maybe someday I will start working out. Maybe someday I will start eating healthy. Maybe someday I will buy a house. Maybe someday I will visit that friend I haven't seen in a long time.  Are you a maybe someday person? Have you heard yourself say these words?  I was at church on Sunday, and this was part of the message. I know I am guilty of it. We have to stop saying maybe someday and go out there and do something. Set a goal and take one step each day/week/month/year to reach that goal. Write it down. Put it somewhere you can see it because a goal is just a dream until you write it down and give it a deadline. Nate and I took the time to do this together, and my motivation increased dramatically. I cannot function without a goal, no matter how large or small it is. This week, my goal is to spend 10 hours in the pool. My best friend, Melissa is going to run 75 miles this week. These are big goals, but by speaking them outloud and setting a deadline, they are going to get accomplished. They don't always have to be exercise goals, but that is just an example. What small goal can you set today to take a step towards your larger goals? Have you written your goals down and set a deadline for them? DO IT!

I had a great weekend this past weekend in Cedar Falls. I came back to go to my good friend, Megan's wedding shower and bachlorette party. It was so great to be a part of her day because I am unable to make it to her wedding. I also got to visit a lot of other people while I was in town too. Nate came with me, so he met a lot of very important people in my life, and they of course loved him!  He is pretty loveable! We didn't get home until 8:00 on Sunday night, so it felt like the weekend went by so fast. We talked the entire 3 hours home. We have the best conversations about life, and I am so glad I found a best friend to call my boyfriend. I love our lives together :)

Well, I have to get going so I can spend 2 hours in the pool again today then head to work! I hope you all set a goal today, write it down, tell someone, and go out there and get it done!



 

Weekend recap

I had a wonderful weekend here in Madison.  I started my Friday off at the terrace where I read my book, went for a swim, and had a few beers at happy hour as I waited for Nate to get off work.  I met him at his house, and we had a picnic together and went to the swimming pool and hot tub at his apartment.  It was nice to have some quality time to catch up because we don't really get that during the week as much. Being a girl, I need to talk about my feelings all the time, so he was wonderful about listening of course!  On Saturday morning, we got up at 6 and volunteered at a kid's triathlon, ages 3-14. It was really fun watching them!  They had training wheels, big wheels, and some of the older kids even had nicer bikes than me. No fair! I got to help at a corner of the run course and between the bike/run transition, and Nate helped with parking. We rode our bikes there, so on our way home, we stopped at Abuelo's, which is a Mexican resturant and smashed some good grub! When we got home, I was sitting downstairs and Nate brought down his mattress pad to put on the living room floor so we could watch the Olympics together. It was raining out, and we took a nap instead. We ended up sleeping for about 2 and a half hours!  It must have been needed because we both woke up feeling really good!  We made a trip to the grocery store and I made chicken cordon bleu, green beans with bacon and red skinned mashed potatoes for dinner. It was rather delicious.  We watched some more Olympics and went to bed.  On Sunday, I got up and went for a swim, then we went to church and then to the zoo.  Madison has a free zoo, and it was the perfect day outside. It was very enjoyable, and we of course, had a wonderful time there. Then, we drove around looking for houses we want to buy and got ideas. We finished our weekend by talking about our goals for the next year together and wrote them down. We are going to review them regularly to reach all the goals we have set for ourselves and for our relationship.  Here is another reason why he is so perfect for me!  I need someone who is driven and goal oriented, and here we are, writing down our goals together!  I can't imagine that our lives will be anything less than amazing. Well, that was the weekend!  Today has been a busy day at work and I got in a great swim work out. I plan on reading when I get home and waking up in the morning to do an open water swim at the lake.  Have a great start to your week, everyone!

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!!!!!!!!!!