So what if I am addicted?

So I guess it is no secret that when I get into these extreme fitness kicks I take it to the max. It may still be a secret to some but  I am unstoppable, I know my dedication to running and working off what I did to my body will beat anyones talent out there. When I finally stand in front of the mirror in a single digit dress size I will finally know I conquered my fears and became exactly who I always wanted to be. I am not saying that your weight defines who you are but to me personally it does. I love to run and I can go fast and hard, and I wont stop until I am out of breath and completely covered in sweat. But when some of your body parts such as my tummy,face, and back don't match my limbs it makes me upset. I have worked hard to get my stamina and endurance up and last year I pledged to never see "that" weight on the scale again. So here I go again, working hard and working out harder and eating clean.

So a couple of addictions for me lately are Broccoli- is it such a healthy veggie and I love it just boiled with nothing on it. The scale- I know most people say don't stand on it daily but it keep me on track and it gives that extra boost to strap on my shoes and get running when I know my goals are closer than ever. Water- I am drinking all day long, no pop or juice for this girl.

So here are some body shots of my journey, as well as some of my favorite fitness things that keep me going.

Health, Hiking, and Happy

I am loving summer, it is basically keeping me busy with working 12 hour shifts and fitting in my hiking and running. I really dont know what I would do with out having my time to myself. It's funny when you find that one thing in your life that you thought you would never love but in the end it is all  you ever wanted it to be and more. Last summer I did a pretty strick diet and really enjoyed doing it as I watched my body transform. Well today is day 2 of that strick diet and I am doing it for 20 or 40 days I have not decided yet. But I did that in conjunction with running last year and I felt better than I ever have. So I am ready to do it again. I am ready to become even more fit. I am also signing up for my second half marathon, and doing so will push me to beat my last time and to challenge myself. I guess I truly am my own competition. I also love that my family and friends ask if I have been out on a run or a hike. They keep me on track and also keep me motivated. I am so excited for what my future hold, honestly I just became a nurse and I am open to so many possibilities. I cant wait to get my bachelors degree and maybe get my masters and persure a life that is full of challenges and oppurtunities. I may sound like I am so enthusiastic today but I had the chance to watch a video that was about our wards trip to Martins Cove and I cried through the entire thing. Listening to the music and the hardships the youth went through as they set out to trek across the plains, I was humbled. I remember I was saved for this time, and I was born to shine. I dont ever want to do anything less than what my Heavenly Father has set out for me. I am truly just happy right now. Happy living at home while I get my national exams finished, happy sweating and working out every chance I get, and happy knowing that I didnt settle. I guess I just found what was in me all along......... determination.

Somebody I once knew.

Not much more I can say about that title, but I felt the need to blog this issue out as well. So don't worry if you think you are out of the loop on what I say. Just know I am just blogging it out.

I didn't really think time, change, or stupidity was something I dealt with all that well, but I could give my self a pat on the back for the way I recently handled a situation. I don't always do it with the best class or I don't always do it with the best attitude, but in this situation I rose up and handled everything like a champ. I conquered all three of those things. I dealt with time as if it was only a small fraction of the problem, and I dealt with change as if there was nothing I could do about it, and I dealt with stupidity by realizing I was better than that. I listened to the stupidity and I laughed but as I reflect on it, I personally think "WOW". I could add more words after that but I don't need too. This situation caused me to call one of my best friends and talk for an hour, sat on the floor talking to my room mate, and called my dad and heard his input, and most people who know me, know that I am an independent person. I usually can make my own decisions and act on them, but in this case I was calm and just needed to bounce the idea off peoples heads. I couldn't be more grateful for the time they took out of their day to listen to me. I think most of them told me that I had it all figured out. Im sure one of my really good friends looked at me all day yesterday and today feeling as if something was going on in my brain. But it wasn't. I was able to get on with my life and forget about this issue all together. Which I thank my faith and ultimately the people around me who support me.

So my moral of this post is listen to your self, sometimes you have the exact answers you need, you just need to slow down. I am still blown away by all this, as I acted completely different than I ever would of, and somehow I am happy with that. So I guess I get to say that time- you are really of the essence, and change- you can be the best thing or the worst thing, and stupidity- you ultimately reminded me of my self worth.

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I conquered these three things and I'm not looking back............ at least for now.

Besties!

Saying goodbye to a GREAT missionary!

Don't comment on how great we are looking, Kelsey and I had early morning class and this was not our shower day! haha (inside joke)

The Honorable Men in Black!

I think I am so overwhelmed with emotion right now that the best thing to do is blog it out. I watched this youtube video that had to do with missionaries coming home (I will post the link) and I watched these MEN who left as boys come down this escalator, they are dressed in black suits and they have the world at the bottom waiting for them. WHAT can be a better feeling for a mother than to stand there and watch their son come down the escalator and know that they just served a worthy full mission? I know that I had two amazing brothers in my life who served worthy missions and I remember standing there waiting for my brother Jim to walk into the airport. I was young, but I remember watching my whole family cry and hold on to him. I did experience this with my Grandparents as well, and I did have a ex-boyfriends serve a mission. So I have had a lot of the missionary experiences, but I would never change them for the world. This work is undeniable. I don't know anything else that is more selfless than giving up two years of their lives to serve the Lord. I know that I will strive each day to have that feeling as a mother and to ensure my son understands the important work that is to be done. I hope you take the second to watch the youtube clip. It will bring on emotion, much the same as when military men come home. If you know that the military men are out there supporting your country and you support them, please take in to consideration the men out there serving our All Mighty Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQcSGVmXKNQ

I am so glad I have the opportunity to support the Missionaries and get to benefit from their undying dedication and undeniable spirit they bring. Keep up the work Elders. I loved having the opportunity to help one of my non-member friends come unto christ, and I am willing to continue to spread the word. It was the so rewarding for both of us and the feeling I got was indescribable. I hope I can help more find this happiness as well.

The Spirit & Goodbye!

So in my friends (k-dog's) blog, she posted about an amazing experience we had and I think that I will go ahead and let all my blog readers hear about how I felt during this time. We participated in a Church tour, which the Missionaries set up (and anyone who knows me, I love missionary work) So I decided that I would like to go on a tour and see what exactly they prepare. I brought along my friend (k-dog) who is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We participated in walking through the church going to different rooms in the church and we learned about the apostasy, but the next room was the most spiritual room I have been in. We walked into a class room that had soft music playing in the back ground and had pictures of Jesus Christ on every chair that surrounded the room and and every wall and chalk board were covered with numerous pictures of Christ. There were pictures from his birth all the way to his resurrection and so forth. I was the first person to walk in to the room and as I stepped into the room I froze, everyone after me passed around me as I stood in AWE of the spirit in the room. In all four corners of the room they had round tables with multiple sets of scriptures opened and mark for you to read. As I stood in the center of the room and looked at all Christ has been through I began to cry quietly to myself. I sometimes or most times complain about little things in my life that drag me down and I begin to feel as if I cant take anything else. However, after I walked out of the church tour I remembered how blessed I am to understand that my problems are little in comparison. I am so thankful for my family who took the chance when they heard the true word of Christ and how that has continued to be a strong part of my family and my parents who raised me up in the church. I will never forget the amazing feeling I felt that day and how I appreciate the amazing work the Elders do. I am so glad that I am able to have them in my home to share a lesson and to feed them. They truly are elect men of god. K-dog and I did have to say goodbye to Elder Truman today and I know he will continue to bless others lives and those people will feel of his amazing spirit and love for his savior. His companion will continue to serve here in West Lethbridge YSA and we will continue to benefit from his dedication to the savior. Although goodbyes are always hard for me, I find it hard to say good bye to the amazing spirit which they bring. My testimony strengthens every time, and I love hearing about their investigators and making sure the are fed. I have contemplated serving a mission but as I ponder and pray on that idea I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and as well as getting the blessing of missionary work by being available to help them teach non-members or setting them up with non-members. I also am working with out of my less active friends and I watched her receive a blessing and the spirit that was in that room brought us both tears. I would never pass up these amazing chances to participate in the Lords work and bring others the happiness that I have. The moral of my story is all those members out there who have Elders in your wards, you are lucky. Learn from them, and support them as they strive to carry out the Lords work. I personally could not tell you have my life has been blessed as I continue to be a tool for the Elders. Spread the love and the Lords words, someone out there is waiting.....................

Sleepless night!

I never thought my blog would come in handy, but with it being the easiest way to write down my thoughts, I think I will make an effort to update it more often!

So I'm in my last semester of nursing (can I get a whoop whoop) and have a lot of plans for my future! I'm excited for the days to come. I'm excited to start to earn money and stop living off the government and my parents, but what I'm more excited about is to move away and experience some more life! I love Lethbridge but it's a big world out there and I need to live it up. So I am looking forward to that!

Lots have happened in my life over the last while, I ran my first half marathon and I finished with so much energy! I love running it takes me far away from the current world and for the time I am running, I'm in my element! So I continue to keep up the healthy eating and of course have my heart set on another half marathon! (I will update you soon).

I sure miss my Nieces and Nephews and hope I can make a trip to see them all soon! Well it's a random post but it is an update!