Who are you?

Making a fool of myself in stores never gets old.
Making a fool of myself in stores never gets old.

In the chaos of everyday life, sometimes I feel like we all get a little lost. It just becomes a matter of going through the motions. And as you go through those motions, so does everyone else. With everyone just as wrapped up in everyday living, we miss opportunities to give credit when and where credit is due; and most importantly, credit to ourselves.

It isn’t until I take a second to just sit and stare at a wall that I remember what exactly I am doing and who I want to be.

You could say…

I am a daughter.    I am a sister.    I am a friend.    I am a student.   I am a CrossFit coach… and everything in-between.

But those are just the roles I play with a title you can put on them. What is more important to me is that…

I am curious… I want to see everything the world has to offer. I like to learn how things work and why; even if they have nothing to do with my day to day living. I want to travel; ultimately visit every state and the rest of the world too. There is so much more than this little bubble we live in for our day to day being.

I am positive… I do my best to make the best of every situation.  I always say that life is too short not to be happy, and damn right it is! I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Like they say, you never really know what’s going on for anyone at home. And although not everyone may enjoy it, I am loud. Loud because I want to wish you good morning or congratulate you. I don’t mean to shout it, but you bet you’ll hear me.

I am grateful… I am so thankful for all that I have been given; the opportunities, endless support, and the love that surrounds me. I do my best to say thank you for anything and everything that comes my way. Just like everyone else, sometimes I miss the opportunity. But I figure if I continue to tell people just how lucky I am to have them in my life, at some time they will get the point.

I am passionate… And this trait is what takes me the furthest. I am obsessed with coffee, a wine enthusiast, and addicted to health and fitness. The coffee fuels my endless chaos, the wine helps keep me sane, and fitness continuously challenges me.  I can’t ever get enough of the painted sky with every sunrise and sunset. Pretty views make my heart happy. I find my soul at the beach, but a mountain top or being surrounded by nature seem to suffice in the meantime. Writing is my release. When I write I put it all out there. Take it or leave it. And in all, I pursue anything and everything I do whole heartedly. I am not saying this is the best way to go. Sometimes my passion becomes too much and I am invested in 12 too many things to handle. But you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I know my passion for life is leading me the right way.

I like chaos. You may not, and that’s fine too. I admire you for that. But this is who I am. I am more than the roles we socially classify each other as. Those roles may consume my day to day living, but what is important are the qualities we have that fill our daily roles… making life something beautiful for ourselves.

So, you may never get the credit you want and/or deserve all the time. But you’ve got you. You know what makes you full. You know what’s your best day and your worst. So, don’t pursue the roles that come with a title. Pursue the qualities of the best person you could be. Recognize them and give yourself credit. They are what makes this life worth living. All the titles and everything else will fall into place naturally.

Happiness is bacon wrapped steak and a bottle of wine.

photoWell for last night, our bacon wrapped steak, salad, sides, and wine was all we seemed to need.

We had no idea what we would be making for dinner after church. My sister had made it seem like she had a plan and there was no need to buy a thing. But, when we pulled up to the store there was a pause as we got out of the car. It was that hanging question of “Uhhhh..what do we want to eat?” And as usual, there never really is an immediate answer. After giving up on finding some sort of consensus, my sister and I skipped around the store as her boyfriend picked up some personal necessities (We tried to convince him that he needed children’s bubble gum mint toothpaste… always a great choice). Anyways, I jokingly mentioned that we should wrap some steak in bacon. Well after a few moments of picking some sides and a short little drive home, that’s exactly what we were having.

Although the meal turned out to be the best combination the three of us could have come up with, the night was filled with happiness because it was accompanied by endless laughter and the joy of just being in each others’ presence. The nights in with the people you love most always are that way.

Maybe it’s because there’s no need to be anyone but yourself. You can just sit there and enjoy the mindless conversation that occasionally will lead into those life discussions. But there’s nothing wrong with that either. Because the people that love you most aren’t there to judge. They don’t have some preconceived idea of you. They know you for who you are; and that is exactly who they love most.

I wish there were more loving, good people in the world. I wish we could all feel like we were surrounded by the ones we love most on a constant basis… even with a complete stranger. But that would take a whole change of pace for this society. It is sad where we are headed; from social media obsessions, endless selfies, a need for instant gratification, and greed.. the list goes on.

But here is my challenge to what we are becoming… It is time to embrace those moments surrounded by those you love most. Take a piece of that feeling and then spread it to others. And remember, no judgement and no questions asked. Maybe if we all loved on each other a little bit more and realized that there’s so much beauty around us, we could begin to see that life (like nights in with bacon wrapped steak and wine) truly is the most precious gift.

Life is about celebrating.

A close friend will be starting her first “big girl” job this Monday, and I quite honestly couldn’t be more excited for her. She’s someone who has always worked so hard to support herself (always with a smile on her face). I admire her dedication and go-getter attitude in so many ways.

Tonight we will be going out to get drinks to celebrate at Death & Taxes. Rumor has it, it’s a cute hipster bar. And I can’t wait for a big ol’ glass of wine. 

But besides a lowdown on my day to day activity, I LOVE TO CELEBRATE. So there’s something I am grateful for. 

Celebration. 

Life is too short not to celebrate even the littlest of things. I am a firm believer that every birthday is special (no matter what the age). Weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, and all the parties in-between… Life truly is about celebrating. 

New Year’s Resolutions…

I’ve never been a big believer in a new year can lead to a new you. It’s not like you we were all born January 1st, but I guess its a good excuse for change. And I love change; especially the kind that leads to a positive life or better perspective. So in the light of change, here are my New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Starting this blog.

2. Taking more time for myself.

3. Saving money to travel to the world.

4. Continuing to improve my gymnastic movements for CrossFit.

5. Taking note of my blessings EVERY day. (I am collecting them in a jar)

6. Being a better friend. (Cliche, but I want to spend more time with some of the people that matter most in my life)

7. Doing more crafts. (Hellooo Pinterest!)

8. Continuing to be as extremely happy as I was in 2013.

I think I could continue to list what I want to do endlessly. I believe there is so much to see and experience in the world and I want all of it. But in the meantime, here is to soaking up every minute of this beautiful journey and sharing it here.