What's Your Safe Haven?

Everyone has a safe haven, a place where you go to just find comfort. A room, a book, a t.v. show... Everyone has one. Yeah, some of the places are hard to just stay by yourself. Mine is running, my room, music, photography and t.v. shows. They make me feel like I belong. Like I should be around still. We all go through some pretty rough things in life. Whether it be bullying, divorce between families, friend drama, and the list goes on. Sometimes people aren't there, there isn't anyone to talk to. That's exactly why I thought to write this post. This is part of my safe haven, to write what I think of, what I believe, and what I feel like others are going through. Find friends who will be by your side where ever you go. Those friends will be there for you in some of those hardest times. Some friends can be across the world, but if you need them they will be there for you! Find a place you can go to, where you can get away from the world and where you can be by yourself. It will make you feel a little better about yourself. I know that going to my little place makes me feel like I can conquer the world.

See you guys in a few.. And just remember who you are and what you stand for. Someone will always be there for you! :)

Mind Blowing! Literally..

Woah.. It has been a couple crazy days. Somedays seem longer than others and others just seem super short. Life just keeps moving and keeps getting extremely harder and harder. Lately as you have seen in recent postings, I have been training for a half marathon. Well on Monday I ran from my house to the Hollywood Recreation Center. Which is about 5.6 miles. I would of never thought that I could run that, but training really does get you ready for anything. Then I skipped Tuesday and I ran on Wednesday, I got up before the sun (4:30) and ran 6.56 miles. That's almost 7 mi of hills and blisters and rashes. Yeah, you may think that you can never do it but once you hit the last couple you can just run for days. Some days are easier than others. You have to start somewhere whether its just a run around the block or up a hill, its something and something is better than nothing. Eating healthy helps as well! When you eat healthy and choose wisely its easier for your body to run.
As you get older I believe that somethings get harder. Some people have bills to pay. Some spend it on clothes, but having a budget makes you feel better about yourself. When you do it makes things less stressful, less miserable to live. I hate seeing people struggle. When I do see people struggle, all I want is to help them. Yesterday, I had the opportunity of going with my grandma to help take care of one of her family members. She lives in a memory care facility. She suffers from somewhat of an Alzheimer's disease. Seeing her go through that of which she doesn't recall any memory of the present and her asking every few minutes who you are really changes a person. Makes you want to have the best memories so you can remember the good times. She even knows she lives with it and she hates it. Seeing the other members in the facility whose stories are just horrendous, one of the ladies lived in Oregon and her sister said let's take a road trip. She said alright, and they headed down the coast and ended up in Las Vegas, where she now resides, she doesn't get any family visitors, and she remembers that of which her sister did to her. She basically left her there to care for herself, no love, no care. It shows just how much you should love your family even when you hate them! Sometimes our Heavenly Father puts us in rough places for us to go through, but getting through them, those are the best accomplishments. I was so surprised and glad I had the awesome experience of going with her and spending the day and learning of the past the she remembered and how in love she was with her husband. I can't wait for the day I am able to marry in the House of the Lord. That will be the best memory, other than the day I have kids.

New Lifestyle

Everybody needs change. One change I am willing to try is to be healthy. And this is how I am going to track my progress. I have an amazing goal. I am willing to do a half marathon with one of my closest friends. She is such a great trainer, coach, pusher, and I am so glad she is helping me reach my goal. It's a scary thought of running and pushing yourself to the farthest, but if you set a goal and you do everything you can to make it you will be happy with the end result. Yeah, that means I don't get sweets everyday, but in the long run I will be able to say how much hard work I put into my body and I will be proud. Needing the push to keep on that path and to not stray one bit. This is how I am going to stay on that healthy fit path. I want to share my experiences and my change with everyone and I am willing to share them with you. I want to a great role model and help to those who want the same lifestyle I am trying to achieve. So with that I ran 3 miles tonight with the help of Kelsie. Then we came back and worked on our abs, legs, and butts. This is going to be amazing and I can't wait to see and feel the difference in and out of my body! New change begins by starting not by sitting around and doing nothing. Get out and up and do it NOW!

Risks

Risks are all a matter of if you take them or if you don't take them. Some risks may be dangerous, but others may be good. My teacher wrote in my yearbook this year to take risks. Not to back down on anything you put your mind too. I recently just committed to myself to take the risk and run a half marathon. I have only done a 10k, so this is my first marathon! I have to go through lots of training and cutting back on a lot of things, but I will be able to say that I have completed a half marathon! Crazy that I go into it, but I am super excited for this new chapter in my life. Today, I was reflecting on how much I have made it through. Through trials and risks that I have taken. I've been trying to decide on a major I want to do for my career and the two that keep coming to my mind are both exhilarating and long hours. They both help people and they both will keep me going and help me to take risks in life, being put in high risk situations. They are both amazing careers. I just have to choose one and make sure that it's the right career path that I need to take for my future. That is the risk. Not knowing what I'm getting myself into. I don't want to have any regrets. Never, not at all. I want to take the risk of running that marathon of life.

What Shapes Us?

There are many things that shape who we are. Whether it be someone, something or somewhere. Many things have shaped me and how I look at life. About 5 or 6 years ago, I lost my great-great grandmother, Nana. She was someone who I looked up to and who I loved dearly as a role model. She passed away in the midst of the night, but watches over my family and I. Every single night no matter how dirty the sheets are, I sleep in the ones that she slept in. They might not mean something to someone else, but to me it was memories. Memories of the last times I go to spend with her. Her death shaped me into trying to be a better person. Her death was probably one of the hardest for me to go through, and I bet if one of my other grandmothers were to pass away soon it would probably be just as hard. I love being able to have trials that help shape us to become better people or even better the person who we were meant to be. It is amazing how different things shape us. 

"We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things."