So wow...2013 is almost over and I haven't posted anything since May! Haha that last post was therapeutic to read again though; crazy how long it has been since then and how much has happened in that amount of time!
That goes for this whole year actually...what a year it has been indeed!
Here are a few of the highlights:
-I placed in all of the triathlons I did for the Jax Tri Series and pulled out a 2nd place win for the series in my age group!
-I reached my goal weight and have MAINTAINED my goal weight of 135 for almost 6 months now!
-Buddy and I made many beach trips this summer and loved every minute of it!
-I've made some amazing friends being out here thanks to trivia at Tony's Pizza...PILGRIM ANDREA! ;)
-I got to go to the UCF Homecoming football game! First football game I've been to since freshman year...sheesh was I missing out!
-I played in an indoor volleyball league and made some more friends! :)
-I've read so many good books and have rekindled my love of pleasure reading versus studying
-I got to see a lot of my good friends this year who came to visit me!
-Orlando Pub Crawls...that is all I have to say about that ;)
-I got placed as a secondary trainer for a sea lion! And I love him and his whiskers with all my heart :)
As far as resolutions are concerned, I am greatly looking forward to 2014!
I've got a lot planned out to make this year one of the best years ever, and I think the game plan that I have for it is going to work out just fine :)
Anyway, figured I'd update this since I completely forgot about it until I looked back on my old resolutions!
Time for some new ones, which I will post at the start of the new year ;)
Here's to 2014!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
BRAVE.
"Let your words be anything but empty,
Why don't you tell me the truth...and
Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out;
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave."
I can't explain how much music is a huge part of my life; I love listening to music, making music, working out to music...it's pretty much in my heart and soul, and that's one of the biggest reasons why I chose St. Cecilia when I was confirmed, because she is the patron saint of music.
Music can be incredibly powerful...it can bring back vivid memories, both good and bad, with just a few instrumental notes. Recently, I had a run-in with a song that brings back one of the worst memories of my life; a song that I avoided at all costs for fear that listening to it would cause me to have a mental and emotional break-down as it has done to me so many times before. The last time I heard this song I wasn't alone...I was at the Andy Grammer concert with so many people around, and within the first three notes of the song I could already feel myself starting to have a panic attack. Luckily, I was with an amazing guy that knows my whole story, and he helped me keep myself together while the song was playing. We ended up talking and laughing throughout the whole song, and now I have that memory to hold on to. I heard the song again a few days later, and for the first time I smiled when I heard it. I smiled thinking about being with Andy at the concert instead of thinking about the previous memory that song reminded me of, and that was HUGE for me.
There have been a lot of things in my life that I've had to put on a brave face for, a there are only a few people out there who know my whole story. It's not something that everybody needs to know, but it happened and it will always be a part of my history.
I am who I am today because of the people in my life, both good and bad, over the years of trying to figure out my own life and the journey I'm supposed to be taking.
The reason I'm going being so personal about this post is because of Sara Bareilles' new single, "Brave." This is another amazing song from one of my all-time favorite artists, and although it was written for someone who was scared to come-out, I think a lot of people have found it as an anthem for their own personal struggles because I know that I have.
I think once you find your own Brave, then you begin to find meaning in the reasons for your struggles and start to see faith and hope take over when you realize how much stronger you are becoming. And maybe that's why you challenge yourself to do things you never thought possible, things that people told you you'd never be able to do, things that you have never dreamed of doing before.
It's all a part of your journey and although there may be times where you feel that you have hit the lowest of the low and you've been hit so hard that you might never get back up, THOSE are the times that you are able to see how truly strong you can be.
"You don't know inner strength, until strength is the only choice you have."
Every day I am finding myself getting stronger, physically and emotionally, and it's amazing to think of the person I was last year, 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 7 years ago...looking back makes me appreciate how far I have come and how much I have grown as a person.
And this year will be my greatest year yet, because it's not even halfway over with and I'm already convinced that this is one of the best years of my life. So here's to 2013, to music, to Sara Bareilles, and to being Brave.
Why don't you tell me the truth...and
Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out;
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave."
I can't explain how much music is a huge part of my life; I love listening to music, making music, working out to music...it's pretty much in my heart and soul, and that's one of the biggest reasons why I chose St. Cecilia when I was confirmed, because she is the patron saint of music.
Music can be incredibly powerful...it can bring back vivid memories, both good and bad, with just a few instrumental notes. Recently, I had a run-in with a song that brings back one of the worst memories of my life; a song that I avoided at all costs for fear that listening to it would cause me to have a mental and emotional break-down as it has done to me so many times before. The last time I heard this song I wasn't alone...I was at the Andy Grammer concert with so many people around, and within the first three notes of the song I could already feel myself starting to have a panic attack. Luckily, I was with an amazing guy that knows my whole story, and he helped me keep myself together while the song was playing. We ended up talking and laughing throughout the whole song, and now I have that memory to hold on to. I heard the song again a few days later, and for the first time I smiled when I heard it. I smiled thinking about being with Andy at the concert instead of thinking about the previous memory that song reminded me of, and that was HUGE for me.
There have been a lot of things in my life that I've had to put on a brave face for, a there are only a few people out there who know my whole story. It's not something that everybody needs to know, but it happened and it will always be a part of my history.
I am who I am today because of the people in my life, both good and bad, over the years of trying to figure out my own life and the journey I'm supposed to be taking.
The reason I'm going being so personal about this post is because of Sara Bareilles' new single, "Brave." This is another amazing song from one of my all-time favorite artists, and although it was written for someone who was scared to come-out, I think a lot of people have found it as an anthem for their own personal struggles because I know that I have.
I think once you find your own Brave, then you begin to find meaning in the reasons for your struggles and start to see faith and hope take over when you realize how much stronger you are becoming. And maybe that's why you challenge yourself to do things you never thought possible, things that people told you you'd never be able to do, things that you have never dreamed of doing before.
It's all a part of your journey and although there may be times where you feel that you have hit the lowest of the low and you've been hit so hard that you might never get back up, THOSE are the times that you are able to see how truly strong you can be.
"You don't know inner strength, until strength is the only choice you have."
Every day I am finding myself getting stronger, physically and emotionally, and it's amazing to think of the person I was last year, 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 7 years ago...looking back makes me appreciate how far I have come and how much I have grown as a person.
And this year will be my greatest year yet, because it's not even halfway over with and I'm already convinced that this is one of the best years of my life. So here's to 2013, to music, to Sara Bareilles, and to being Brave.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Quarter-Year Resolutions!
Well, 2013 has been more than I could have asked for so far :) Things have been amazing!
I figure since we're entering the 4th month of the new year, I might as well take another look at my new year's resolutions for 2013 and see how things are going and what adjustments I need to make:
1) Get out of credit card debt: not going as great as planned...haha once my roommate moves in, I'm planning on taking the money that I'll be saving from rent along with the money that I make from dive time and putting it towards my card, so that should help! Not sure if I'll be able to get it done by the end of the year, but I plan on making a serious dent in that sucker and getting it paid off by this time next year
2) Lose those last 8 lbs and start toning up: Well, I did that AND some more! At the beginning of my weight loss journey last year, I was 158...and now I'm proud to say that instead of reaching my weight loss goal of 13 lbs to make it to 145, I was able to lose 22 lbs and now I'm holding steady at 136!!! It has taken a lot of time and hard work to get here, but now that I am here, I vow to NEVER let myself see the numbers on the scale get that high again, and now healthier eating and working out has become more of a lifestyle than just a phase :) which brings me to my last resolution...
3) Compete in a sprint triathlon: Already signed up for the Jax Tri Series!!! I'm getting all set with my gear too now that the first race is less than 3 months away now! Thanks to my parents, I got my road bike, Blue Steel!!! I'm so thankful for all of the support that I've been getting for taking on this challenge and I'm getting more and more excited every day!
I'm definitely looking forward to the month of April when I will get my new roomie, Dani! :) Then lots of fun stuff going on in Fernandina Beach, the weather starting to warm up, and an extended weekend visit from my army dive buddy, Andy! Not to mention the fact that Papa & Uncle Marty will be coming to visit at the end of the month too!!!
So much exciting stuff going on and I'm loving every minute of it! :)
I figure since we're entering the 4th month of the new year, I might as well take another look at my new year's resolutions for 2013 and see how things are going and what adjustments I need to make:
1) Get out of credit card debt: not going as great as planned...haha once my roommate moves in, I'm planning on taking the money that I'll be saving from rent along with the money that I make from dive time and putting it towards my card, so that should help! Not sure if I'll be able to get it done by the end of the year, but I plan on making a serious dent in that sucker and getting it paid off by this time next year
2) Lose those last 8 lbs and start toning up: Well, I did that AND some more! At the beginning of my weight loss journey last year, I was 158...and now I'm proud to say that instead of reaching my weight loss goal of 13 lbs to make it to 145, I was able to lose 22 lbs and now I'm holding steady at 136!!! It has taken a lot of time and hard work to get here, but now that I am here, I vow to NEVER let myself see the numbers on the scale get that high again, and now healthier eating and working out has become more of a lifestyle than just a phase :) which brings me to my last resolution...
3) Compete in a sprint triathlon: Already signed up for the Jax Tri Series!!! I'm getting all set with my gear too now that the first race is less than 3 months away now! Thanks to my parents, I got my road bike, Blue Steel!!! I'm so thankful for all of the support that I've been getting for taking on this challenge and I'm getting more and more excited every day!
I'm definitely looking forward to the month of April when I will get my new roomie, Dani! :) Then lots of fun stuff going on in Fernandina Beach, the weather starting to warm up, and an extended weekend visit from my army dive buddy, Andy! Not to mention the fact that Papa & Uncle Marty will be coming to visit at the end of the month too!!!
So much exciting stuff going on and I'm loving every minute of it! :)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Get it right, get it tight!
I had the Pandora Pop/Hip-Hop Workout Station on today and "Miss New Booty" came on...OMG I haven't heard that song in years and I forgot how funny it was haha hence the comical title for this post
Anyway, things are still going great! As far as triathlon training is concerned, I really need to try to get to the pool and get some solid workouts in, because swimming at work doesn't really count...I have been keeping up with my arm/shoulder exercises though, so hopefully that will help!
I have some new motivation for the next month to hit the gym a little bit extra since my army dive buddy will be coming to visit in April! :) Hopefully by the time he gets here the weather will be much warmer and we can chill out at the beach!
Other than that, I can't believe we're already 3 months into 2013! That means my first race is only about 3.5 months away now...so crazy! I really need to start saving up to get some gear...especially a bike haha
Things are looking promising! :)
Here's the tentative training plan I will be following for the next 3 months:
Anyway, things are still going great! As far as triathlon training is concerned, I really need to try to get to the pool and get some solid workouts in, because swimming at work doesn't really count...I have been keeping up with my arm/shoulder exercises though, so hopefully that will help!
I have some new motivation for the next month to hit the gym a little bit extra since my army dive buddy will be coming to visit in April! :) Hopefully by the time he gets here the weather will be much warmer and we can chill out at the beach!
Other than that, I can't believe we're already 3 months into 2013! That means my first race is only about 3.5 months away now...so crazy! I really need to start saving up to get some gear...especially a bike haha
Things are looking promising! :)
Here's the tentative training plan I will be following for the next 3 months:
I'll keep ya posted on how it's going!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Life is GOOD!
2013 has definitely been a much better year that 2012 was, and I hope it keeps up that way!
I absolutely LOVE my job!!! There are days when it get tough and the work is hard, but it always pays off getting to work with the animals :)
My new apartment has been good to me! I love this area and I can't wait until summer when I can take full advantage of being only 10 minutes from the beach!!!
Also, I've been keeping up with working out a lot better than last year; I think this motivation for the triathlon series has been extremely helpful! On my next paycheck, I will finally register and then it will be crunch time! Then I'll have to wait a few paychecks after that to get a bike...
I've also had the chance to read a few books that I've been wanting to for a while now! P.S. I Love You was the first, Warm Bodies second, and finally The Lucky One...I was not disappointed in any of them and they were all SO good and entertaining and great reads :) It's nice to be able to sit on the patio, enjoy a glass of wine, and curl up with a good book after work!
Anyway, things have been better than I could have imagined and even in the love-life department things have started looking up ;)
Can't wait to see what the rest of this year has in store!
I absolutely LOVE my job!!! There are days when it get tough and the work is hard, but it always pays off getting to work with the animals :)
My new apartment has been good to me! I love this area and I can't wait until summer when I can take full advantage of being only 10 minutes from the beach!!!
Also, I've been keeping up with working out a lot better than last year; I think this motivation for the triathlon series has been extremely helpful! On my next paycheck, I will finally register and then it will be crunch time! Then I'll have to wait a few paychecks after that to get a bike...
I've also had the chance to read a few books that I've been wanting to for a while now! P.S. I Love You was the first, Warm Bodies second, and finally The Lucky One...I was not disappointed in any of them and they were all SO good and entertaining and great reads :) It's nice to be able to sit on the patio, enjoy a glass of wine, and curl up with a good book after work!
Anyway, things have been better than I could have imagined and even in the love-life department things have started looking up ;)
Can't wait to see what the rest of this year has in store!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Resolution Solutions!
All right, so last post I said I didn't have a game plan for my resolutions yet but I'm working on it!
First off, I found a sprint triathlon SERIES that is going to be held in Fernandina Beach...in the wise words of Barney Stinson: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I found a good, solid training plan that I will be following, and it's actually an 8-week plan, so I should be ready to compete hardcore after 6 months of training! ;)
I also really like going to the gym on base...let's just say, it's very motivating! hahaha
As long as my schedule stays the way it is now, I'm planning on going on base about an hour and a half before work to squeeze in the gym time.
Fitocracy and MyFitnessPal are going to be my helpful training tools too for logging workouts and meals. Hopefully this training will help me shed those last 8 lbs!
As far as finances go, I'm still working on a perfect spreadsheet for budgeting...it's not quite there yet, but it's getting closer! One thing that I am going to need to invest in for the races is a bike, so I'm going to have to figure that in somehow too...eventually haha
Things have been going great so far and I'm really loving it here; I know it's only been a week, but I love my job, I absolutely love my new apartment, and I LOVE this fresh start!!!
2013 has been pretty good to me so far...let's hope it stays that way! :)
I'm going to start trying to blurb about my training plans each day, so if it gets too annoying just ignore me ;)
PS: This article TOTALLY made my day! Turns out I have a man-magnet car AND dog!!! ;)
First off, I found a sprint triathlon SERIES that is going to be held in Fernandina Beach...in the wise words of Barney Stinson: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I found a good, solid training plan that I will be following, and it's actually an 8-week plan, so I should be ready to compete hardcore after 6 months of training! ;)
I also really like going to the gym on base...let's just say, it's very motivating! hahaha
As long as my schedule stays the way it is now, I'm planning on going on base about an hour and a half before work to squeeze in the gym time.
Fitocracy and MyFitnessPal are going to be my helpful training tools too for logging workouts and meals. Hopefully this training will help me shed those last 8 lbs!
As far as finances go, I'm still working on a perfect spreadsheet for budgeting...it's not quite there yet, but it's getting closer! One thing that I am going to need to invest in for the races is a bike, so I'm going to have to figure that in somehow too...eventually haha
Things have been going great so far and I'm really loving it here; I know it's only been a week, but I love my job, I absolutely love my new apartment, and I LOVE this fresh start!!!
2013 has been pretty good to me so far...let's hope it stays that way! :)
I'm going to start trying to blurb about my training plans each day, so if it gets too annoying just ignore me ;)
PS: This article TOTALLY made my day! Turns out I have a man-magnet car AND dog!!! ;)
Monday, January 7, 2013
New Year, New Home, New Job...NEW LIFE!!!
I had my first day of work today!!! I'm so excited to start with the REAL work, today was just paperwork, training, and orientation...pretty much what this whole week will be. It kills me to know that I won't be able to post the things I'm doing, or tell anybody details, or have any pictures from my time here...but it's pretty amazing knowing what I'm doing and how it helps protect this country :) If you want, you should check out the declassified stuff on Youtube!
Anyway, 2012 was a really rough year...but there were highlights: graduating from UCF with my dual degree, having an internship at Disney for 6 months, landing my dream job here as a marine mammal assistant trainer for SAIC, meeting an army boy who ended my self esteem issues, and having the greatest dog in the world to help me through all of the tough stuff that happened this year :)
Here are my top 3 resolutions for 2013:
1) Get out of credit card debt!!!
2) Lose those last 8 lbs and start toning up!
3) Compete in a sprint triathlon!
Still working on a game plan for all of those...things have been crazy lately with unpacking and trying to get organized and starting this new job. I'm not going to wait for things to settle down to tackle these though....BRING IT ON 2013!!! :)
Anyway, 2012 was a really rough year...but there were highlights: graduating from UCF with my dual degree, having an internship at Disney for 6 months, landing my dream job here as a marine mammal assistant trainer for SAIC, meeting an army boy who ended my self esteem issues, and having the greatest dog in the world to help me through all of the tough stuff that happened this year :)
Here are my top 3 resolutions for 2013:
1) Get out of credit card debt!!!
2) Lose those last 8 lbs and start toning up!
3) Compete in a sprint triathlon!
Still working on a game plan for all of those...things have been crazy lately with unpacking and trying to get organized and starting this new job. I'm not going to wait for things to settle down to tackle these though....BRING IT ON 2013!!! :)
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