Blog lovin

My amazingly talented friend Danielle awarded me a Liebster Award! Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Danielle's amazing eye for art and beauty and insight to life is continuously inspirational to me and while I haven't blogged for ages, I appreciate her love and this award! Thank you Danielle!!

The award has a few stipulations:
1.Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2.Reveal your five blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3.Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favorite bloggers.

And the award goes to.....

Life: Inspired (see above)

In the Belly of the Fish (my best friend's honest and raw experiences with life)

Swissfamilysoderlund (new blog by my friend and her husband which I'm excited to read!)

I work in duh office (hilarious blog by my angry office girl friend, haha)

Kaia F.I.T. Sacramento (this may be a cheat because I'm sure our website has many followers, but I specifically love Megan's new blog series)

It made me think about my blog which I had honestly given up on. But then I started to think about the first post (two years ago yesterday, WHAT?!)...I wrote about making changes, not knowing what I want from this life, and how I thought I would achieve these things....It's kind of amazing to compare that time to today. Well, I can say that I have a much more clear vision of what I think I want from my life and it will take a lot more courage and some major leaps of faith than I originally expected but I've also started to learn that life is never as you imagine it's going to be.

Perhaps one of the greatest realizations that I've had is one that may seem obvious but it's so much more fundamental for me and ultimately, the way I want to live my life. It's the realization that I want my heart to be in it, whatever it is that I do, and I don't want to do anything out of complacency. As my blog posts have described, I've struggled with the industry that I've worked in for a long time now...but I've been exploring ways out and just reaching in any direction that I think sounds interesting to me, seeking possible refuge and escape. The problem is, I have many interests....MANY. I've thought, I want to teach, I want to be a nurse, I want to blah blah blah. All are great, but none of them lit a fire in my heart, none of them gave me the drive to GO FOR IT, and for that reason alone I toyed with those ideas but they did not manifest. I give myself credit for at least exploring them, but I also give myself credit for not getting too deep into it and denying the fact that my passion wasn't enough to allow me to succeed.

Well the good news is, I've found that passion. I have found something that I WANT to make a career out of, and one that I think I can flourish in because I love it so much, everything about it. Here's the catch: there's no obvious path. To get there, I have to throw myself out there, I have to create my own way, and I have to bring it to life. And I couldn't be more excited.

Belly Laugh

I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don’t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.

~ From the book Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

Rules of Life: Defined by MOI!

*Let me add a disclaimer: I try to abide by these myself, but I don’t claim to have them perfected!


1) You CAN do it. I constantly hear of people claiming to want certain things so bad, whether it is a drastic change of any kind or the slightest one, a new activity, one less activity…..My take on this: just make it happen. I have learned this and it has been life changing. Yes, certain things you can’t change immediately- like your job. But you can try. And keep trying. And while you try, what else can you do to offset that seemingly endless wait? Take a class for fun. Find a new hobby and hold yourself to it. Can’t afford it? I BET you can reduce some of your expenses enough to make up for it. Too tired? JUST GO- I practically guarantee you won’t regret it. I could go on and on. The point is, step out of your comfort zone, let go of your fear that is holding you back (once you realize that’s what it is) and just DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. One step at a time is sometimes enough to make you realize that there is such a better way of going through life than by default.

2) Flakey = fake. Fake = waste of EVERYONE’s time. Yes, I really believe this! Do people really think that they are being nicer by saying yes to things while fully intending on making up an excuse and flaking later? Let me tell you, you’re not! I know it sounds harsh, but it’s pretty much dishonesty. I’ve been liberated by practicing telling people no when I just know I can’t or won’t make it to something. Yeah, that isn’t very fun either. But I personally feel it’s better than telling someone who is planning on you being somewhere that you can’t actually go. And best of all, it’s HONEST! I’ll stop now 

3) An attitude of gratitude is the way to opportunity. AND it rhymes! (Thanks Yogi tea). Treating people well is such a key in life. Obvious? You’d think so. But I watch so many people (at work, mostly) who get this crazy attitude due to their frustrations or how much more they (think) they know than everyone else and it exudes in their presence. Sure, you can feel that way, but it doesn’t mean you should act that way. This is different than the honesty I speak to above. This is what I consider grace, kindness, respect, and appreciation….etc. I’ve learned that when you up the bar on your attitude, and also make sure you treat people good no matter how cranky you are, it goes SUCH a long way. Nobody wants to be around a whiner, a downer, or a complainer. People will embrace you so much if you refrain from that as best as you can, and put that smile on your face.

4) Health matters. See two posts below.

I'll stop here. Just some of my thoughts for the day!!

Fill in the blank Friday

1. One of my happiest moments ever was: when Matt proposed. Honestly, I was so surprised....we were overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge...my mom, brother, and cousins were there to witness and it was AWESOME.

2. Summer is wedding season and weddings are: Well, mine was SO MUCH FUN! As was the case when I went to the weddings of some of my closest friends, who were marrying guys I totally loved. We had a blast and all of the above events were filled with joy. Otherwise, when you are not too thrilled about the union, it can be mildly horrible....

3. This summer: Has been pretty focused on fitness, and it feels great. I'm stoked Matt hasn't had summer school, because we actually get to have tons of fun plans and feel like we are on summer break!

4. My summer food of choice has been: lots of quinoa and lots of berries. I've made fish with fruity salsa several times and its been delicious!

5. My summer uniform has been: Dresses!! When of course, it's not so cold (?).

6. If I could spend the entire summer in one location I would choose: If its somewhere I've been before, then Cinque Terre, Italy. Fantasy spot- anywhere, Spain.

7. My summer anthem is: Mumford & Sons- I can't stop listening to this entire album.

{via the little things we do}

High.

This morning I am celebrating a personal victory, which is really not that monumental in the grand scheme of things, but it feels so good to me! I received wonderful words of encouragement from one of my bootcamp coaches, and it's sparking a fire in my heart to more seriously pursue becoming a coach or trainer myself!

Since May, I've been attending an intense bootcamp for women (KAIA) three days per week. I've honestly never felt so healthy, at least not as long as I can remember. Each class I attend gets my heart racing, my sweat dripping, and my muscles burning! It feels incredible to push myself further than I knew I could go, and to see results I felt were long gone. My experience makes me want to scream out loud to everyone I love- "YOU can feel this good too!!"

It's incredible what working out can do for you. I firmly believe in "healthy body = healthy mind". Of course, there will always be those days. Always! But, overall, my energy level has increased tremendously, my confidence has increased, and I feel so much happier. I am motivated to eat healthier, and to workout on the days I don't have bootcamp, because I feel the outcome is so positive, there's no way I want to let it go. I believe everyone owes this to themselves, to take care of their bodies and minds, and stop making excuses. Just do it!

Oh, Paris!

What an amazing giveaway!!


http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/

(my) Rules of Summer

Inspired by Emily, I've decided to come up with my own summer to-do wish list:

1. Ride bikes in San Francisco

2. Backpack and camp in the Klammath area

3. Plant tomatoes

4. Eat dinner outside and watch the sunset

5. Learn how to barbecue (stole this from Emily also)

What's on your summer wish list?