It's been a goal of mine to eat healthy. My goal is not to lose weight, but to just be healthy. Be healthy enough to be able rock climb again, play sports, run, and generally get sweaty and feel good about it! I've started drinking LOTS of water and trying to eat more fruits and veggies. This was my breakfast this morning (delish!) and it was a large class of ice water, whole grain bread (still adjusting to that....uck), salted tomatoes, muenster cheese, lettuce, turkey, mayo and some strawberries! Very filling and healthy - even though I kind of had to choke it down lol, I feel great! 

We all have them - people we look up to, people we count on to rescue us when we need them. Champions, we all have one and each of us are someone else's Champion. Think about a time when you were a Champion. Think about how it felt and don't forget to smile as you remember. 

For myself, I remember the night I was a champion as clearly as if it were just recently. I was young, 15 I think, and I was going to be in my first horse-back riding show. I was showing Fidget, a crazy tennesse-walker gelding. Since this was my first show I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out being the best night of my life thus far. Fidget was, well, fidgety - we'll say "full of energy" - and my heart was going just about as fast as his. We rode around the show grounds, passing people and trotting down walkways. I ride behind the bleachers and spotted my family and my boyfriend (at the time's) family. I hollered up and we waved at each other and I felt like such a cowgirl and I was so proud. I rode around a bit more, strutting my stuff. Eventually it was my turn to go in the ring, and once i entered I heard my name being cheered by my team mates on the sidelines - they were cheering my name, it was so exciting! The judge called out his commands then the round ended. We lined up, I turned to the girl next to me and said, "Good luck" and the judge called out the winners. I wasn't among them, but I still felt like a champion!    

<3 

When I visited NYC several years ago, I saw this picture posted on a huuuuge wall in the NY subways. I remember thinking to myself, "Way to go Dove...that's ballsy. More people need to see this..." So now I'm introducing it to you. Dove is a great company - they have great products and the products are good quality and affordable. Not only that, but Dove's campaign for natural beauty is a fierce battle that they are fighting for women. A battle that I fully support. I'd like for you to look at this picture - all these women are different, and they are all beautiful in their own way - just like you. Our version of beauty is so fake, so cookie cutter that anyone who doesn't fit it 'isn't beautiful'. This is complete crap, and I have a video to prove it! Enjoy ;) 

Portals into memories, photographs are an excellent way to remember past times. Photographs shared from one person to another allow a window of communication - they are so beautiful, take a moment to look through some. 

Oh dearest Hilary - I f*cking love this gal! Despite her being millions of miles away, she continues to inspire me to be a better person. I encourage you to read this excerpt from her blog, the post being titled "Your biggest Bully"

"..... Your biggest bully is, essentially, yourself.Lately, I have been really beating myself up, just because of being rejected from so many jobs that I thought I should have gotten. It's pretty disheartening when you don't get a job you know you should have gotten. But this is when I have been getting the best of myself...thinking I'm not worthy of anything, that the employers didn't like how I looked, that I didn't do something right, blah blah blah. We are our biggest bullies. It's that little guy in the back of our minds that just starts talking out of no where, and getting us down. There is a comedian by the name of Christopher Titus who calls his guy in the back of his head, his retard. Now I do not like to use the "r" word, because I have been around MH kids all my life because of my mom, but I feel that using the "r" word in this context fits. The r-tard is always trying to bring us down, and we don't know why. So, don't listen to him or her. Put a face to him/her. Whenever, Mr./Mrs. R-tard puts us down, we should start saying something positive to ourselves for every negative thing that Mr/Mrs R-tard says. Easier said than done, I know. But maybe start with one at a time. It just makes me sad when I see all these beautiful people being self-conscious because of another girl walking in who is "hot". These people need to stop listening to their R-tard; no joke. And yes, I do need to take my own advice, and it might take me awhile to, but it will probably take us all awhile to follow this. But like I said, one step at a time. 
Maybe we should all sing "Beautiful" to ourselves in the mirror everyday. Wow, what a great way to start the day! LoL...."


We are beautiful is every single way, yes, words can't bring us down
[now tell me it's not in your head :) ]

The girl is RIGHT! I too find it hard to practice what I preach. Not going to lie - there are times where I wonder if I had just been a little bit thinner or a little bit more impressive would that person would have like me? Would I have gotten that opportunity if I had been someone other than myself? Then, I have to remember - We are our own biggest bullies and in our journey to self love we need to learn to silence that bully - it will be a constant battle at first, but eventually, it will become your nature and the bully will leave you alone! What a day that will be, eh? 

I know that each and every one of you wished on a star when you were a young. It was bliss and always made you feel a little better...why don't we wish on stars as adults? Because we as adults over think it, we can't take it seriously anymore! Well, I call BS. 

Eve.....damn you go girl! 

We all have them. We hide them - that's why they're guilty pleasures instead of innocent pleasures! (But that isn't nearly as fun now is it?) I think we should be feeling less guilty about guilty pleasures. My guilty pleasure is watching cooking shows. I never have time to and I don't have a DVR so when I catch one, or find a good one online, it's such a treat! At first you're brain says "You should probably work on Project #X" but just remember you need to take time to induldge! Catch that TV show, put the extra spoonful of whip cream on and by God - please, please hit the snooze button!

We have always been told to stop daydreaming. Why? Because it distracts us, and gives us hope and dreams. I think that's BS, there needs to be more daydreaming in the world. 

I love daydreaming. Not only does it inspire us, but seeing yourself being somewhere, doing something, it will manifest itself. The law of attraction is simple - negative or positive thoughts attract negative and positive actions respectively. Most of us are guilty of this without knowing it. If you say "I need more money, I'm so poor", then you will end up NEEDING money. If you start getting into the train of though of "I have money." (Even if it's only $5, you have money). When you see an old lady on the street with a can, your first instinct might be to give her the heavy change in your pocket, but then your brain steps in and says "Wait, those are probably quarters, I need those for myself," and you don't give it to her. Stop letting your brain interject it's self in, just follow your heart. Love. Say, I have $5 in the bank account, I have money, I don't need these three quarters. Easy go, easy come now isn't it? 

If you see yourself as happy, standing on the cliffs in Norway, focus and dream it, and someday it will come true :)

Here are two books that I recommend you read, they are both mind-blowing and not at all what you expect! 

The secret by Rhonda Byrne

Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch  

I love to be silly and get in touch with my inner geek sometimes and just let it run rampant! 

So, I encourage you to do the same. It really helps you to let go...so - I challenge you to break out the fake mustache and and those huge big, black framed glasses. Slap 'em on and head to the mall! 

- enjoy the attention, you'll be the one people remember that day -