Busy, Busy Happenings

My goodness, have I just had the two busiest months of the year.  That is, probably until the Holidays sneak their way around for the tail end this year.

I have had a lot of ups and downs this summer and have grown a lot.  It's been a long six month journey from the beginning of the year to where I am today but my hard work is starting to pay off and I am finding happiness.

Let me start with how the end of my June went.  I really lost my blogging touch when I started working on the community theater's summer musical.  Camelot 2015.  It was amazing, it was fun, it was full of "drama".  I learned a lot, experienced a lot, and it gave me an emotional growth spurt.

I started to take a selfie every night I went to help at play practice but that got to be a lot of work.  So I didn't get one for every single night.

  

My journey with Camelot 2015 started out with me volunteering my not so professional sewing skills.  I tried to stay just behind the scenes of the event, but I have been involved for 8 years and it's hard to stay away from my musical family.

   

 

 

A few of the selfies I took in the beginning. I made a thing of the "car selfie" on the way to the theater for practice.

I made amazing new friends and got to spend time with the old friends I made over the years.  I love this work.

Of course the play wouldn't be complete without a family selfie.  We are just missing my dad, who played Merlin in the production.  My favorite part about doing costumes was hanging out backstage the entire time and getting to spend those funny behind the scenes moments with the cast.

 

Took a short break from the play to host a baby shower for my little sister.  I am so excited for the coming arrival of my brand new nephew.  Can't wait until he is here.  The baby shower was a lot of fun and I got to see some really good friends that came to show support for my sister.  She was given the cutest stuff for her new baby, that kid will be set.  Thank you so much to all who came and are helping to make my nephew's first part of life a good one.

We were lucky enough to also get a visit from some of my favorite little people in the world.  My sweet brother and his family showed up for a friend's wedding and we got to spend a short time with them.  My sister in law was a Heaven Send in helping with the last finishing touches on the baby shower.  And I love whenever they come because there's always the cutest shoe pile in our entryway.

 

I couldn't let them visit without a little selfie time with them.  The other kids were running around and having too much fun to stop and take a pic so they're missing from these photos but are not forgotten.  Soon, this little guy will be de-throned as my youngest nephew, but I'm sure he's cool with it.

Just as the play got over, we had enough time to get ready for one of my favorite holidays, 4th of July!  We spent a quiet evening for the first time in our new neighborhood and I loved it.  We have really great neighbors and they helped to make the night fun with the fireworks they all lit off.  Some of them were so great that we got distracted from our own!  But we still had fun.  It was a nice relaxing day and we made sure to utilize our grill for good food.

 

We rounded out July with a family reunion that we hosted. My brother brought all his kids except for the baby and we had so much fun.  The two younger kids are missing from our morning camping selfie.  They were busy bodies.  Between making the perfect golden s'mores...

 

 

Racing balloon rockets in the woods, and doing Glowing Bowling (which would have been in the dark but the kids had to go home before it got dark, and then we got rained out so we didn't even reach the dark part of the night.  But they glowed enough to be cool and the kids loved it. 

At least as we were leaving and trying to escape the relentless rainstorm, we were greeted by an amazing sunset.

Inspiring Happenings

Okay, so I disappeared there for a few weeks.  Sorry about that.  A lot has happened but right now I have to hurry off and meet a friend for some quality time this evening and I don't have a lot of time to talk.  But I wanted to touch on something that is very important to me.  Something, that I have been struggling with lately.

On my Facebook news feed this year I have been seeing a ton of weight loss stories.  People posting the amount of pounds that they've lost, showing their before and after pictures, other people celebrating them like they won an award.  And I'll be honest.  It has been hard for me.  Very hard. Getting to my ultimate weight goal, that big finish line number in which I can stop worrying and finally feel "good", that big magic number that we're all striving for... well it's such a mind game for me.  I struggle, frankly, with feeling good enough.  This struggle bleeds over into all aspects of my life really.  But the one I am going to focus on is my weight.  I don't feel skinny enough, pretty enough, fit enough, etc.  Enough for what, you might ask?  I don't know... just... anything really. When I set out to change my life, I kept an eye on others' stories.  And when my "success" wasn't going fast enough, I really lost the "why" of my journey.  I didn't feel good enough to be newsworthy on Facebook, or anything really, so I just didn't talk about my weight loss journey to anyone except for those few very close confidants.  I didn't post pictures, or numbers of my progress on any of my social media sites.  Because I wasn't good enough, fast enough, worthy enough.

The other thing I was struggling with was that I wanted to do this the natural way.  Oh, it was tempting to try supplements and special meals or pills.  But I had made a choice, and a promise to myself that I wasn't going to take that route.  And I won't lie, I did try herbal supplements for a while. But ultimately my choice was to workout and change my nutrition.  A lifestyle change.  But... I kept struggling with my choice every time I would get on Facebook and see another person's "success".  I wasn't happy with my decision because no one could see it, no one saw my struggle, how hard it was, no one saw the hard work I was putting in.  The process was just too slow to be proud of.  Those were my thoughts, wrong as they were.

Don't worry, I pulled myself up from that floor or depressing thoughts.  I found things that inspired me, uplifted me, and now I know it's all okay.  I know why the route I chose is the best one for me. No pills, or prepackaged meals will make me truly happy.  But the work that I do, the control that I have, is all going to mean something really special in the end.  It's all going to pay off and I'll be able to feel proud about what I did and how I did it.  Because it's the right thing for me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that others can't take those routes I voted down.  Good for them for making the choice to change.  What I'm saying is that I am now okay with my choice for me.

And it's in part thanks to one of my new role models.  Chris Pratt is a major inspiration to me for many reasons but one of the biggest was something that he said in an interview that I only just came across last night.  It really touched me.

When Pratt started his journey to slim down for his big time movie roles he weighed somewhere along the lines of 300 lbs.  Interviewers are now always asking him what his secret is.  It was what he said to one reporter that especially inspired me because I have been struggling with my "slow road".

Here's his answer to her:

"It took a long time.  There wasn't any trick to it or any secret to it.  It's just a matter of getting after it.  That's the problem is that people want to know what the secret it.  The secret is... you can't do it in a month.  It takes 8 months.  Or a year, or a lifetime of consistency; working out every single day and eating properly.  And truly feeding yourself.,. not starving yourself but giving yourself proper nutrition to heal.  You have to burn off all the crap you put in your body.  And then you have to replace it with really good food and fuel.  And it takes a long time.  It just takes a little bit of consistency.  And time is going to go by just as fast whether you're doing it or not.  So, who do you want to be 8 months from now?  You want to be in good shape?  Then get on it today."

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It takes time... And I'm okay with that now.  I know who I want to be in 8 months; a year, and I'm okay.

Summer Happenings

My family gets involved every year with the community theater musicals. This year's production is Camelot. Not one of my favorites, I will admit.

I usually make sure to be involved in some way. And when I have no interest in peforming, I go behind the scenes. And I get to have way more fun. ;)  Sometimes, I move scenery or help with props.  But, I always help with costumes. I love the Director. And her daughter and I are like twins. It's uncanny. They are mostly in charge of costumes but my mother is their Costume Manager. She loves it. And I usually am her assistant.

Since I had no interest in the musical this year and I have been working hard on projects of my own, I didn't want to take the time to be involved at all. And you know what? I got away with it for a long time. I almost had it in the bag this year, staying away. Unfortunately, yesterday I spent the day helping with the last costuming of the cast. Which was also fortunate.  I found out that 7 people I know from my church are going to be in it! And about half of them are leads!!! So, I found this new excitement for the production and am going to get involved from here on out this year. Just in time for performances.

This week will also be jam packed with preparing to have a DoTerra party, a baby shower next week, and getting ready for my brother and his family to come for a visit.

Can I do it?  I think yes.

Here's to a very big crazy summer!

Promises Kept, Promises Broken

So, a couple of weeks ago, as my friend visited, we had a reunion. (See previous post). And we had agreed that we would keep up our blogs so that each other knew what was happening in the others' lives. I promised that I would keep mine up to date. Haha. Well, needless to say that was one promise that I haven't kept very well. Now, I figured I have a little bit of catching up to do. I'm not really sure how far to go back. But, let us review my Happenings so far.

Two years ago this month, my dad found cancer on his head. He went to the doctor, and was diagnosed with the deadliest form of melanoma just a few days before his birthday. That was a very grim birthday. Stage 4. Very hard to hear. He underwent surgery and they found his cancer had spread. So chemo was the next step. That didn't go too well. Thanksgiving that year, he spent two weeks hospitalized and the doctors had to find a new treatment that he wouldn't react so badly to. They determined it wasn't the right treatment for him. He's definitely doing better, though he's not in remission. The new treatments they gave him have been slowly shrinking the cancer. But that chapter is still being written. We're crossing our fingers.

That same year, earlier in the year, the office I was working for as a virtual assistant closed down. It was a whirlwind. In the same day, I was out of a job and being handed the rights to continue working on my own. I went into business with a coworker, and we ran our work out of her home. We took some familiar clients with us (with our former employer's permission) and ventured out on our own. That was scary. But, we just celebrated two years in business. YAY!

This time last year, I helped out the community theater with costuming for their summer musical production. It's something that I do every year. I love the family I gained from doing that. My musical family. It was at last year's production that I met two amazing ladies who had accomplished an amazing feat. In just 18 months they both lost 80 lbs. It was inspiring. I told myself I was going to so that. And so I started my own journey. Of course it has taken me a whole year to find the right meal plan and workout routine that my body likes. So, I have only just really begun to reshape myself. It's not much, and it's not as fast as those really incredible stories that you hear of dramatic weight loss, but you know what? I don't care. My weight loss motto is "slow and steady wins the race." I did amazing on my own. 15 lbs gone. But then, I was hitting a plateau. It wasn't until I joined TerraFit that I actually was able to break through that wall. I am now 21 lbs down. But I have lost much more in measurements. And have gained so much in strength and fitness. I can now hold a plank for 45 seconds. I am proud of how far I have come and I won't stop. The sky is the limit here. And I'm going to reach for it.

Lately I have been taking so much time in my life to focus on myself. My goals are to better myself, and others. I am working toward physical fitness, personal development, and finding happiness. And I tell you what, I am excited about my journey. It has been great so far, and I can't wait to see it out.

But there is one final important update to my life. My brother and his wife and kids have spent the last 5 years living in Pennsylvania. It has been hard to see him. He just started working in Utah, published a book, and moved his family back this way. So, I get to see him a lot more now. And I am thrilled.

Not only did I get to have my nieces and nephews closer now, but I am getting a brand new nephew. My sister is expecting her first! So, exciting. I can't wait for what the future brings for all of us.

Reunion Time!!

Here's to reuniting with old friends. Over frozen yogurt we pigged out, reminiscenced, and vowed to stay in touch.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

I'm still working toward this year's "resolutions" that I set.  I don't know that I really want to call them resolutions so much as they're long time changes in my life.  I'd like to become a better person all around.  I want to achieve more.

So far I've been doing pretty good on things.  Could do a little better on my resolution to read more books, but hey.  You can't just come out on stage and start juggling right off the bat.  Lots of practice and training.

Here's what's new since I last blogged.  I started setting more goals.  I mean, I have a slew of them all listed in the same place so that I can look at them and check them off as I go for them.  I've been told to not only set short term goals but long term as well.  So that's what I've done.

I've also started a list of trips I'd like to take this summer.  I can't take much time off work but at least I can do something over the weekend.  As long as the drive doesn't take too long I can fit it into the weekend.

The other thing I'm excited about is starting my doTERRA essential oils business.  These products have really improved my health and I feel better than I ever have before.  I'm so excited to share them and to help others find better health.

I'm really excited about all the changes that I've made and continue to make.  It's shaping out to be a good year and it's going to keep getting better.

The Sun Will Shine Out the Clearer

I don't know if it was the epic music that played during the scene, or the perfectly beautiful dialogue in the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when Samwise Gamgee tells Frodo that they're holding onto something, that there's good in the world that's worth fighting for but the scene has long been one that I have turned to during my dark hours when life has been so hard to get through and I'm unsure that I can make it through to the other side.  It continually reinforces Hope in my mind whenever I watch it.  Especially when Samwise tells Frodo that the shadow is only a passing thing and that when the sun shines it will shine out clearer.

Today, I feel like I'm in the clearer sunshine.  For months and months I'd been desperately searching for Light and Hope as I struggle with what feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders.  It's a mixture of family trials and my own that's had me feeling so down and I noticed that since I wasn't feeling good, I wasn't behaving "good".  Drive with me in the car and we would not get to our destination, no matter how short the drive, without my "road rage" commentary.  Oh sure, I never really exhibited much "rage" past my verbal insults and complaints toward other drivers.  I never gestured or pulled reckless moves to let it out, I would simply just make remarks.  There might have been some language used befitting a sailor, but that's all beside the point.  I was slowly but surely drowning in negativity and constantly lost in a world where I didn't know my own self.  I thought I did, for sure, but I didn't truly know.  I was raised by a sweet mother who taught me well.  From her I learned to say, "thank you," and be polite.  But during these dark months there was no polite bone in my body.  I had lost all sight, it had seemed, of what I was striving to become in 2014.  Don't get me wrong, 2014 was still a good year but I was still suffering from the damage of a terrible 2012 and 2013.  I didn't know in those bad years that it'd take me another 2 years to repair the damage.  I was bitter (and in denial over it) and while I wasn't overtly mean I didn't remember what it was like to be polite and good-natured toward my fellow man.  I was depressed most of the time and wallowing in negativity.

But let's step away from that ugly painted picture, shall we?  Today, as I was watching one of my favorite TV shows about two brothers who fight evil on a daily basis and in the episode I watched they were showing their love toward a dear friend, I had a revelation about myself.  Something I hadn't realized this week but once I figured it out could see behind me with 20/20 vision.  I had suddenly discovered that I was the sappy, sweet, and smiley person I had been in my teen years and early twenties.  I was sensitive toward my fellow man again.  Crying slow little happy tears over these brothers' exchange with their loved one.  And just last week, I paused in my driving to allow a car in front of me who had been waiting to turn onto a heavy traffic street.  And today I held the door open for another customer as they were walking out of the bookstore before I went inside.

I don't know how it happened, I don't know what I did differently to suddenly have this change.  But I feel that weight of the world has been lifted.  I'm a happier person.  Closer to being like my role-model: a man who seems to always smile and always be polite in everything he does.  And it feels really good.  All this time I'd been lost, but I finally feel like I've found myself again.  It feels good to not be so negative... and to not be so depressed.  And it makes me even more excited for the next 300+ days of 2015.

The First Happening

It is the start to this new year with all the new challenges, adventures, and explorations ahead of us all.  There is much potential to how the next 300+ days will play out.  There will be good and there will be bad but I greeted this year with enough strength to challenge myself to shoot for the stars.

Dream big, fail small, and go hard.

I have many goals that I'd like to achieve this year and I'm going to go hard at them.  I'm looking for success not another day in the same old rut I've been in for who knows how many months.  I stopped counting after a while.

Already off to a good start here (ok, sort of, seeing as how this took me 20 some odd days into this month to do it) with setting up my very first blog.  I'm excited for what this very near future holds and I'm ready to take on the journey.  (I just hope that I'm not going to regret that enthusiasm.)

So here's to you, my kind companions.  Let us go after those goals and dreams we've been putting off.  Let this be the year we greet those milestones we've been thinking up.  Stick around and I'll keep you abreast of my many adventures.  It'd be an honor to share my happenings with you.

May this new blog be the first happening, in the longest stream of happenings of my life.