This is getting interesting

So...things are getting interested. Round 2 may end up much different than I expected. Lately, there have been a bunch of twists and turns in my story that I truly didn't see coming or expect. I feel like I am living in one of those choose your own adventure books I used to love as a child. Here I am at the end of the page do I go route a or route b?????? I guess we will find out. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed adventure :)

And then the sun came out...

I have been through a lifetime of storms. The storms came so early, that I forgot what the sun looked like. Some storms were lighter than others, some tragic. Each storm left damage behind. Just when I started to rebuild, here comes another, destroying my progress. I finally realized I was using the wrong building materials and trying to reconstruct on a broken foundation. So I asked for new materials (realizing that I couldn't rebuild this on my own) and started building on a new foundation. Then one day, the sun came out. What a beautiful sight. As I sat in silence taking in the magnificence - I realized it was always there - I just couldn't look past the clouds. Now I know when the rain clouds come, they are just seeking the sun as well and blocking my view. Even though I can't see them, the rays are still shining down on me. I smile in that knowledge.

Smile

Cherish the things in life that make you smile. For a long time, I didn't have many thing (or at least I thought I didn't) to smile about. Lately, I find myself smiling a lot more. Each smile seems to cancel out some other piece of negativity in my life. Each smile makes the bullshit that much less important. Pay attention to the things (or people) who make you smile, they will come in handy on those bad days. We all have bad days. It's much easier to smile through it than to cry through it. Plus, smiling is contagious. :)

Productive release

Weights are my most productive release. I forgot how great it felt to hit the gym take out all the stresses of the week on the weight machines and end up with a great body. It might feel like the last thing on earth you want to do, but when you are done with your work out you wonder why you haven't been doing it everyday.

What fuels you?

So my friend Maya told me about The Daily Plate and I am just getting around to checking it out. Partly because the holidays completely through me out of my healthly eating ways and partly because I am going on vacation next month and need to get my body back in shape. This is my second day and I must say I have been made fully aware of how awful we (Americans) eat. Paying attention to the calories, fat, sodium, sugar, etc. in everything you put in your mouth makes you realize how awful some of the things you have been eating actually are. No wonder almost everyone I know feels like shit most of the time. They say you are what you eat.

Have I really figured it out?

I think I have. My ideal life. I know exactly what it would be. It is filled with my purpose and my gifts. The picture is crystal clear and it is a manifestation of all of the talents God gave me and the experiences He put me through. It's always been there in me. But, I've finally washed away all the bullshit that was hiding it. I claim it. Better keep an eye on me :)

Not worth it.

So I put my gym membership on hold a few months ago in an attempt to cut my monthly budget down and get a better financial footing. This week I took it off hold. I have had too much stress in my life the last couple weeks and couldn't relax at all. Oh what a good workout can do. And yes, I have been working out at home but DVDs just don't cut it. Letting all the days stresses out on some weights does wonder for your mind and body. Not to mention it's almost swim suit season. Some things just aren't worth the sacrifice.

Relate

You cannot truly relate to God until you truly have a relationship with God.  It's deeper than going to church on Sunday.  He should live within you every day of the week, every week of the year.

Open mind

Sometimes things can come into your life and completely turn the reality you thought you lived in upside down. Today, my view of life, religion, love and relationships completely changed. My mind has been opened to a whole new existence. Funny how life can do that to you in the blink of an eye.

Back on track

The sun has been peeking through. Time to get back on track. Protein shakes- check. Whole grains- check. Fresh fruit and veggies- check. Nikes- check. Setting aside an hour a day- check. All of this adds up to a bikini body and much needed stress relief. 

Escape

The wonderful thing about being a human is the capacity of our minds. (Even though we only use a fraction of our mental ability.) We create escapes - movies, music, books, tv shows (LOST is my personal fav.) We can go anywhere we want to in our minds. We can create whatever reality we want. But some of us can't seem to think outside of box we have confined ourselves in. If only we could all think outside of that box, imagine what a wonderful world we could live in.

Ashton?

Lately, everyday of my life has felt like an episode of Punk'd. I've been waiting for Ashton to jump out...but he never does. And he never will.  There is something going on though. Something I am being either punished for or prepared for. I'm praying it's preparation for something great. Knowing I have a big God, I guess I already know the answer to that. What don't kill you only makes you stronger..pretty soon I will officially be able to add a "Super" in front of my name.  I guess I better have my bff start designing my supersuit...

Brick Wall

Why does it seem that one piece of bad news seems to attract other pieces of bad news until it's attacking you from all angles and spiraling out of control? Or maybe it's just me. Anyway, I have decided to build a brick wall so that no more bad news can get to me, I have had enough. At least for this month...and it's only the second day. I'm taking the glass half full route...vacation is one day away.

2 days

2 days until I can get away...Lord let them go by fast.