There are often times in our lives that things don't always go as planned. We might face illness, have to deal with depression or might not win at some of life's races. This last week I had to deal with a event that I wasn't expecting. A dear friend-past boss of mine passed away after taking his own life. It was something that a lot of people were blind sided by. I had to remind myself to breathe at times as I was in such shock of the entire event. It was hard to come into work and see everyone so weighed down by the after events of it all but on a positive note it was amazing to see everyone come together and support and encourage each other. Despite the hard times that have followed because of this sad event it has made me ponder about a lot of things.
When I attended Southern Utah University I had the great experience of being the student director of the women's center. I became involved in the program after one of my best friends had to go through the horrible experience of being raped. During my time of service there...there were several suicides that had happened to college students as well as some adults in the area. I had several people come into my center for support and to release some of the pain they were experiencing. It was really hard to process it all and know how I could help other people deal with something that frankly I didn't quite understand. I had to rely on my own personal experiences and at times the only thing I could think to do was to pray and seek out the extra support and strength that I needed in the hard time before me.
Since graduating from SUU I made it a goal and ambition of mine to help other people. I have worked now at a treatment center for adolescents for the past 4 years and it is probably the best decision that i have made. It has been both challenging and rewarding but it has kept me on my feet for sure. It is hard to understand why someone would take their own life and frankly I will never fully understand but the sweet assurance that I have found by this experience is that he is in a much happier place where he can be with his wife again. I am no one to judge and will never judge him for his decision but it is sad and it has had a huge effect on me and other people and we will have to grieve together for we are all dumbfounded by the experience and through this hard experience we will have to come together for support as well as blessing of knowing that there is life beyond this life and answers will be given there but until then we can't blame ourselves and we can only let the experiences of this life weigh us down to a certain extent.
I am so grateful for so much but the biggest thing I am grateful for is the sweet assurance that I have a Savior who died for me and he went through all the pains and afflictions of every human being and only he can truly understand what every human being faces. When life gets too hard to stand we can kneel down on our knees and be given the sweet comfort that we need in this life to go on. I would be completely lost without the gospel and am so very grateful that I have it in my life. Yeah, this past week has been difficult but through every difficulty lies opportunity and that is what I have to remind myself all the time.
To all the people that are reading this: I love you and you are amazing and I will forever be grateful for your presence in my life. :)
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
My Favorite Things
Although it is random I felt today's post should be about my favorite things. So here it goes....
1.Watermelon
2. Fresh Pineapple
3. Snickers
4. Strawberry milk(after a long hot run)
5. Bananas and PB
6. Frozen Yogurt
7. Cookies and Cream : Favorite Ice Cream
8. Cinnamon Jelly Beans
9. Swedish Fish
10. Nike Free Run Shoes
11. CEP compression socks
12. Bandanas
13. My awesome camera( loving capturing awesome moments in life)
14. Mexican Food( love me some Cafe Rio!)
15. Fruit Punch Gatorade( get tired of Lemon Lime from all the half marathons I do)
16. All my awesome medals from my half marathons
17. My Ipod( obsessed with music)
18. My Garmin watch
19. My bed after working all night!
20. All the awesome people in my life that make me laugh :)
1.Watermelon
2. Fresh Pineapple
3. Snickers
4. Strawberry milk(after a long hot run)
5. Bananas and PB
6. Frozen Yogurt
7. Cookies and Cream : Favorite Ice Cream
8. Cinnamon Jelly Beans
9. Swedish Fish
10. Nike Free Run Shoes
11. CEP compression socks
12. Bandanas
13. My awesome camera( loving capturing awesome moments in life)
14. Mexican Food( love me some Cafe Rio!)
15. Fruit Punch Gatorade( get tired of Lemon Lime from all the half marathons I do)
16. All my awesome medals from my half marathons
17. My Ipod( obsessed with music)
18. My Garmin watch
19. My bed after working all night!
20. All the awesome people in my life that make me laugh :)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Random Thoughts on Monday
I have been thinking a lot about this past year. Not just my weight loss journey but the people I have met and the experiences that I have been able to have. The main thing that I have learned is that I don't admire people just because of the weight that they have loss but the bigger picture of it all. They all have a strong sense of courage, dedication, patience and the heart to win which I admire more than anything.
I never thought that it would be possible to be able to run a half marathon and now I have ran 5! It is easy to get caught up in beating ourselves up when we don't achieve but it isn't worth it.
I always have doubted my abilities but I am so grateful for the people that have made me realize that I can achieve anything. You never know maybe this girl will run a full marathon one day!
There have been people in my past who have made me question my worth and I let those opinions define me but the greatest blessing was when I realized it is better to build ourselves up then put ourselves down.
When I weighed 40 pounds heavier I was hiding from my potential but when I lost the blanket that I had around me for so long it was the biggest relief I have ever felt.
I have so many heroes in my life especially this past year:
1. My Parents- they are amazing..from day one they have always pushed me to see my potential and made me always want to shoot for bigger and better things.
2. My sister Holly- always pushes me to reach for bigger and better things. Even before my weight loss journey she always made me feel beautiful.
3. My amazing friends: made me enjoy the simple things and always kept a smile on my face.
4. My running buddies: Angela- she is amazing she always reminds me that the most important thing is to finish what you get started and not get caught up in timing or how slow or fast you are.
Josh- what a rockstar! He has been a great motivation this past few months and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to meet him finally. He is a bit addicted to running but it has made me want to keep running. He is always so supportive too and always waits around for the slow runner that I am...I for sure don't run like a 18 year old :)
As there are so many more heroes in my life. the most important one is My Heavenly Father. In the good and bad times I have had the great blessing to know that I can always get down on my knees and ask for comfort when I need it as well as thanking him for the journey that I have been through and the blessings that I have been given this past year.
I guess if someone were to ask me one thing that I would want to pass on to other people through my experience this past year it would be this....life is too short to make excuses. We often get caught up in the pressures of life that we loose sight of who we are and the potential that we all have human beings. The most important thing to remember in a weight loss journey isn't the number on the scale...it is just a number the most important thing is who we become in the process. I have realized that through my running it isn't about how many times I finish a race it is the journey I go through to get to each finish line. Yeah it is awesome to get shirts and medals at the end of it all but for me it is the process. Yeah I am proud to say that I have lost 40 pounds but I am more proud of being able to say that I have ran over 60 miles in races and have trained more than that as well.
My next goal is to achieve a PR at the Layton City Half Marathon and I feel that it is reachable.I just have to remind myself to slow down and listen to my inner self.
Love ya all :)
I never thought that it would be possible to be able to run a half marathon and now I have ran 5! It is easy to get caught up in beating ourselves up when we don't achieve but it isn't worth it.
I always have doubted my abilities but I am so grateful for the people that have made me realize that I can achieve anything. You never know maybe this girl will run a full marathon one day!
There have been people in my past who have made me question my worth and I let those opinions define me but the greatest blessing was when I realized it is better to build ourselves up then put ourselves down.
When I weighed 40 pounds heavier I was hiding from my potential but when I lost the blanket that I had around me for so long it was the biggest relief I have ever felt.
I have so many heroes in my life especially this past year:
1. My Parents- they are amazing..from day one they have always pushed me to see my potential and made me always want to shoot for bigger and better things.
2. My sister Holly- always pushes me to reach for bigger and better things. Even before my weight loss journey she always made me feel beautiful.
3. My amazing friends: made me enjoy the simple things and always kept a smile on my face.
4. My running buddies: Angela- she is amazing she always reminds me that the most important thing is to finish what you get started and not get caught up in timing or how slow or fast you are.
Josh- what a rockstar! He has been a great motivation this past few months and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to meet him finally. He is a bit addicted to running but it has made me want to keep running. He is always so supportive too and always waits around for the slow runner that I am...I for sure don't run like a 18 year old :)
As there are so many more heroes in my life. the most important one is My Heavenly Father. In the good and bad times I have had the great blessing to know that I can always get down on my knees and ask for comfort when I need it as well as thanking him for the journey that I have been through and the blessings that I have been given this past year.
I guess if someone were to ask me one thing that I would want to pass on to other people through my experience this past year it would be this....life is too short to make excuses. We often get caught up in the pressures of life that we loose sight of who we are and the potential that we all have human beings. The most important thing to remember in a weight loss journey isn't the number on the scale...it is just a number the most important thing is who we become in the process. I have realized that through my running it isn't about how many times I finish a race it is the journey I go through to get to each finish line. Yeah it is awesome to get shirts and medals at the end of it all but for me it is the process. Yeah I am proud to say that I have lost 40 pounds but I am more proud of being able to say that I have ran over 60 miles in races and have trained more than that as well.
My next goal is to achieve a PR at the Layton City Half Marathon and I feel that it is reachable.I just have to remind myself to slow down and listen to my inner self.
Love ya all :)
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