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."

Peer Pressure

Today I taught my first lesson in primary as a new teacher for the valiant 9 class. I talked about peer pressure and how we can be influenced with negative pressure or even positive pressure. Sometimes we get caught up in life to not think of the situations we put ourselves in. We can choose the right way to follow Him. In school it's hard to be around positive pressure because a lot of school kids don't live the same standards as some. As you find those friends who have the same standards as you do you will begin to strive and to live those high standards. I am so thankful for the friends that I have had who understood my standards and how I wanted to live them. I wasn't your average high school girl. I didn't go to parties, I didn't do drugs, I chose the right. I knew what my standards were and what I was living for. I was living to return to my Heavenly Father. To be able to go to the temple. I am thankful for the positive peer pressure of my friends and the church that have allowed me to keep the commandments and the word of wisdom.
"It's not hard to make decisions, once you know what your values are."

Life in a Blink of an Eye

Days go by fast when you think about your future. Ever since my first day of high school I dreamed that I would soon be 18 and be graduated. And it finally came. August 10th was my 18th birthday. Yet, this one felt just a little bit more special and meaningful to me for some odd reason. Because it was sunday of course we went to church and what not. But about 2 weeks before my birthday I got this little white slip of paper from the ward clerk saying that I would be giving a talk on August 10th, realizing moments later that it was my birthday, I went up to my Bishop and asked him why I had to give a talk on my birthday! He said, "Well I'll make you a deal, you can either give a talk on your birthday for 3-5 minutes or 10-15 minutes after your birthday?" Well of course I chose the 3-5 minute talk. Aha! But that same day I also had the opportunity to have my baby cousin Mason get his baby blessing. Which is really a blessing for it to be done on my birthday. BUT... That's not the best thing that happened for my birthday. After 6 consecutive years of working countless hours and reading my scriptures I finally got my YW medallion! On my birthday! The best birthday present any girl can ask for. Amazing right! A lot of effort went into getting just a necklace that doesn't mean anything to some people but has absolute meaning to you! The little silver or gold thing that just sits around your neck. Yeah that reminds me daily along with my CTR ring, who I am and what I stand for. No matter where I am in life I know that the thing around my neck will take me to the next place that I need to go!

You never know what lies ahead. As long as you keep moving forward you will find the way. Never  dwell in the past. Yes the past makes you who you are but theres also a future that allows you to change and change is always good!

Breathe In Breathe Out

What a stressful day! Sometimes life just takes a toll on you and you just break down. No matter where you are, you break down. You realize that life isn't easy. That its hard to take a break. You practice and train and practice and train, you get most of it but you don't get all of it. You beat yourself in and out, up and down. The little things will get under your skin more than the biggest. You come home with headaches, maybe even a migraine, not hungry, knowing that you might of done something wrong. Having multiple anxiety attacks thinking that you might of messed up. It definitely takes its toll. 

Memories That Will Last You a Lifetime

It's crazy to think that your most memorable experiences are during your senior year. Senior year was probably the best years of high school I have ever experienced. From varsity soccer to senior trip! It was an amazing year. Varsity soccer started in August with try-outs, we won and lost games, I didn't get to finish out my soccer season due to extreme internal bruising under my knee. That was the most devastating thing that I could of experienced this season. But I managed to get through it. As well as family problems. After soccer season, my hospitality teacher decided to push me into doing DECA. Which is competitve events dealing with marketing, entrepreneurship, and much more. I received 2 medals and almost got to go to Nationals. That was one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. Sadie's came along and you know how that goes. Senior Projects.... the most stressful thing you will experience in high school. Well at least my high school! As the year was coming to a close, we had senior sunset, senior night at Disneyland, and my senior prom. They were all memorable experiences and I am glad I was able to go to them all. My senior year was coming to a close. With just a couple weeks left, our last final exams of high school were coming. It didn't matter if I passed them because my grades were so high, but I tried my hardest to still pass. Finals were over and it was to  our graduation practice. 12 years of schooling was over, now it was time for the next chapter in my life. College, a career, a family, and maybe even a mission for my church. I was glad that through all of my schooling and always had one person I knew I could trust and that was my Heavenly Father. Through the hardest and most difficult things I have experienced and still experiencing I don't think they ever left my side. Just like that high school was over. The drama, the classes, were just over with. Graduation was June 9th and I earned my Advanced Honors Diploma and proud of it!

Life isn't always what we expect. Sometimes life throws a curveball and you hit it hard, but make sure you hit that curveball out of the park. We can do hard things. No matter what life throws at you, if you have the right support system, friends, family, you will be able to get through it. You'll break down and feel terrible at times but you will manage to make it through.