-So {WHAT's} next?!?-

If you have been following me for a little bit now, you know that race day is tomorrow! You know the half marathon I was training for? All the long runs I was logging (well that one hahaha)... The 15+ miles I was running each week.... Well ya, My first half marathon was supposed to be tomorrow... but guess what?? I am not running it! It pains me a little to say that, but it is all for a good cause. 

I also didn't make it back to baking school this month like I had originally planned, which I said I will explain later... So I guess now is later??

Can I get an Amen?!?

If you know me, and my family, at all in the slightest bit... than you know that I "was" a one and done kind of girl! You know with the whole kids aspect of life! Joy is my pride and Joy so to speak. She is a sassy little 16 month old who keeps me on my toes. She is the smartest little girl I have met. She has the best personality && she just fills my heart to the max!!! Or so I thought... 

Well Surprise!!! Oopsie.... I guess the one and done is no more! 

That is her "Say what? I can't believe it!!' face too...

Yep, you guessed it, well I told you, baby number 2 will be here before long! Its crazy to me! I don't think it has hit me yet! I was content with just Joy, and only having one child (full time at least, we still have Carter who is with his mom)! Now I am going to have to learn how to function with two, yes TWO kids... I made the doctor check to make sure it wasn't twins! Well needless to say, two kids, two years apart... my tubes are getting tied!!!! 

I know that this is a little blessing that God has gave us and I am excited to see what will come of the next couple of years, now that Joy will have a full time play buddy! I want this pregnancy to be different from the last one, I REFUSE to gain 70+ pounds again! I am going to do what I can to stay active and still go to CrossFit. Right now, with all the wonderful all day morning sickness going on, I am doing what I can to eat as healthy as possible and get the proper nutrients that my body needs. I know that whatever happens, and however this pregnancy goes, I will enjoy this little peanut just as much as I have enjoyed being a mommy to miss Joy! 

DD: June 11, 2015

So since we sold EVERYTHING that we had with joy... yes everything (I was so set on the one and done thing, ya know) we are going to be slowly adding back to what we need. Since I have been through this once before, I kinda remember what we used the last time, and what we didn't but I am still open to suggestions. And we will be doing cloth diapers again, which I have already started stocking back up on!! I am excited for this new journey in life! And I know that all the other goals I had recently started working towards will just have to wait for now. We have more important matters to take care of!!! Like hoping for a girl, but wishing for a boy!!! Updates will follow, slowly but surely!! 

-{LIFE} Happens-

So I have been a little MIA this week...

I got a little sick.... well a lot sick... It was horrible! 

I couldn't keep anything down and I just slept!!

I slept for hours and hours at a time! 

I was literally only awake yesterday for 5 hours! 

I guess it was needed!

I woke up this morning and I felt refreshed!! My stomach is a little queasy when I eat, but other than that I had energy, and I felt good overall!! 

Sometimes you just need to listen to your body when it tells you to stop, rest, rejuvenate and then start back up again!

I have recently switch my long run days to Friday's so that I am able to do them while Joy is at daycare! I am thankful that I did! It has been easier to get them in, and I feel motivated to do them! Today was actually the longest run I have ever gone! 

8 miles && Check!!

It felt horrible... it was miserable... I wanted to stop... then I would get a burst of energy... and then I was done... 3 weeks away from my first half marathon!! I am ready!!

So tonight is a girls night for me! I haven't had one in a little bit so I am excited for it! Who else gets time away from the kidos?? What do you usually do with your time? Tonight a couple of my girlfriends and I are going to go to supper and then drinks afterwards. It should be a good time. I am the DD so no drinks for me. And plus, after these last couple of days, alcohol doesn't even sound good to me!! 

We decided that we didn't want to dress mom like... do you know how hard that it!! I am a very conservative dresser... I like my cardigans and my jeans, my leggings under my dresses, not much skin showing... you know, the usual! Trying to dress not mommy is hard for me!! I still haven't figure out an outfit yet but I still have a few hours or so!

 Well here I go to rummage through my closet to see what I can piece together that isn't "mommy" like... Plus I need to rest up from my 8 mile run. The last thing that I want to worry about it walking in heels, sore and miserable!!! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!! Let me know what you plan on doing with your time!

-Hitting some new {PRs}-

So since I started back at a CrossFit gym, I have less and less videos and pictures of my workouts... well actually they are obsolete! I wish I had a personal video recorder to capture all my workout moments! I love being able to share all of the progress my body is going through... but since I don't have videos or pictures, I will just write about it!!

This is the only picture/video I have from the gym.. I snuck it in!

Since I have started back at a CrossFit gym 3 1/2 weeks ago I have been able to set a new deadlift personal record (PR), a new 3RM Backsquat PR (which was my old 1RM PR), and complete some Handstand Push ups (with assistance of course)!

This is huge for me!! For starters... at the beginning of the month I wasn't able to even do 1 handstand push up using 3 ab mats! Not even 1! So at the gym I go to, either before or after your workout, you are supposed to devote 5 minutes of your time to the Skill of the Month, which this month is Handstand Push Ups (HSPU)!!! I started out just doing a handstand against the wall. That was hard in itself. I had never tried one before, and I had never put my body in this position. After about 2 weeks of that, I went to 2 ab mats. That just means that I didn't have to go as far down, to push myself back up. I was able to do only 1 on that first day of trying.... and I have slowly been able to increase the number of reps each time I went. Today I worked on it before class, not looking at what we were actually going to do, and I knocked out 5 total (2 of them being back to back with no rest) I was ecstatic!! Then I saw what we were actually doing.... OYE, 3RFT, 800m run, 20 pull ups, 20 HSPU! I ended up using 3 ab mats and was able to complete all 60 reps, 10 of my reps being back to back!!!

 

 

Now my Deadlifts have always been my struggle. I struggle with proper form..(you can see a video of it on my IG @itiswhatitisbykisty) When I am doing my deadlifts, I usually pull with my back and my thighs instead of my hamstrings. This is something that I have been working on, with proper coaching, and I feel that I have been able to improve on this as well. I know that with my form improving, I am able to pull the higher weight for my 1RM! I maxed out this time at 175# but I know that the next try I will be able to get that 185# that I went for!!!

So lets talk squats!!! I love back squats!! They are probably my favorite! I have come a very VERY long way in my form for my squats, but I am still not fully there yet. I am very straight when I do them, and I don't push my knees out as much as I should. I get really deep into the squat and at times get stuck in the bottom. Tonight I tried a new wider stance, not so deep into it, and I was able to push my knees out more to bring up the weight faster from the bottom. My 1RM was at 110# (with no belt) and 115# (with belt). Tonight I was able to do 110# for a 3RM!! I am excited to see what my new 1RM will be! More weight is always a good thing!! 

So with all that being said, I can't say enough how proud I am of myself! It isn't every day that you find something that you truly love and just give it all you got!! CrossFit has taught me so much about what my body is truly capable of doing. It is one thing that drives me each day to be a better person! I push myself to the limits each time and the after feeling is amazing! I wish it upon everyone that they can find something that they love, and give it all they got! The sense of accomplishment makes it all the worth while!!

-Checkin off {GOALS} one at a time-

So I have recently begun training for a [HALF MARATHON] ... Well not recently recently, but recently as of the beginning of  August. I have always had this goal of running a half marathon, but I have never fully committed to one. 

I was sitting in class one day and my GF texted me to ask/tell me to run it with her. Without hesitation I said okay and signed up that day! I knew that if I wouldn't have signed up for it, and paid, I wouldn't commit to it. That is just how I am. 

Then I knew that I had to start the training process... 

My first "long" run. It was gorgeous!

Now I am NOT a runner... I repeat, I am NOT A RUNNER... I don't know what I was thinking! Who signs up for a half marathon who doesn't even enjoy running... -THIS GIRL-

I have had to run for the past 7 years, not because I wanted to, but because I HAD too. When I joined the military my 2 mile run was over 23 minutes. I hadn't ever ran before that, and running didn't come natural, or easy, to me... Before I broke my toe, my 2 mile got as fast as 16 minutes, but nothing more... It was something that just kicked my butt EVERY... SINGLE... TIME... 

Now as far as races go...

I did one 10K race while I was in the military, finishing at 57 minutes.

I did a 5K race when Joy was 4 months old and I finished at 32 minutes. 

I did a 10k race when Joy was 9 months old, finishing at 1:06

And that is as far as my racing days have gone.

So why a half marathon?? I honestly don't know. I have always wanted to do one, and I have been on this kick lately of crossing off my goals... so half marathon it is!! 

My run in Indiana... Middle of Nowhere AMAZINGNESS

Since I have recently gotten back into running I have learned a few things... 

It still isn't easy to run

I don't/won't get up at 5 am to run

I slack real easy when I am too tired to run

I make up a lot of excuses to not run

I don't enjoy listening to music anymore

I have learned how to focus on my breathing

I have gotten better at staying on pace

I am getting faster each time I run

and it is so empowering to let your thoughts run wild

 Oh, and I am starting to enjoy running, since it isn't forced upon me anymore!

Now, my half marathon isn't until October 18th.  It is the Go commando here in Clarksville and I still have a long ways to go in order to feel fully ready for the race. But I learned today that I have to stop making excuses for myself and just go out and do it. After not running for the past week and a half, my 3 mile run wasn't so easy after all! 

There have been multiple days that I have set my alarm for 5 am and I always turn it off. My sleep has always been more important to me than getting up. But what I have recently realized is that I just need to get up! I am going to be tired anyways, so why waste that hour I could be running, just wasting away sleeping. 

So now that I know where I want to be when the race comes along, and where I am now... the days of making up excuses to not run have to be over!!

 My overall goal isn't just to complete the race, but to maintain an 11 min/mile pace through the whole race! 

 It is time to get serious, dig deep within myself, and conquer this goal with a vengeance!

My race tonight... Billy Dunlop Park!

-[LET GO] & {LET GOD}-

[LIFE] is a tricky thing you have to do.

When I grabbed my computer to start writing this post I turned on Pandora and the perfect song came on. Why do we always want more? Why do we always envy what every one else has over us? Do we learn this? Are we born with this envy? This want? This "need"? There are plenty of people who are doing way worse than you are, and they are proud of what they have. So why, as a society, do we always want more??

I know this song is about him losing a girl... but the lyrics in general just make sense. He wanted more, until he lost what he had, and then he was perfectly happy with what he had, but it was too late....

That is how most things go. You have to lose what you have in order to appreciate what you had!

Lately I have been wanting to just better myself. I have struggled so much this last year with trying to get my "perfect body" that I have lost the peace that I had within my mind. I had to let go of this mental image that I wanted so badly (and for what, I don't know)... But I had to let it go so that I could start working toward that inner peace that I truly needed. These mental images that you put into your head, they just stick and wont go away, and they can really be discouraging. I had to completely stop comparing myself to other people in order to truly understand my journey.

Everyone's journey is different. No two people are the same. And you need to stop looking at her, wanting her body, envying her dedication, her everything, and just know that {THAT ISN'T YOU}

You are [YOU] ... You are NOT {HER}

I am not a religious person by any means. I believe as a kid, we attended church, and I was baptized into our religion, but I grew out of it somewhere along the way. I don't know why, or when it happened but it did. I haven't gone back to the church, and I don't know that I will, but I do know that I can, and will, work on my spirituality.. I know that to find true inner peace within my mind, body and soul I just have to surrender to him!


I have been put on this earth to be the person that I want to be, and that I am meant to be. I want to help others know that it is hard, that we all go through struggles, but then we overcome these struggles. The way I want to help others is just by sharing my journey, nothing more, nothing less. I want others to know that they are not alone. Not just with fitness, but just LIFE in general.

With fitness, I was able to find like minded individuals on Instagram that didn't just tell me it is "easy", that it just takes "time", that they did it so I can do it too. That doesn't help anyone. Yes it does take time, but it may have taken one person 2 months, and someone else 2 years to get the same results. And you know what, that needs to be okay! I want to make that okay for others to see! 

So... here is to the journey of finding inner peace within myself. I know that I can be a better person for myself, for my husband and for my daughter when I become a better person from the inside out. I know I need to stop worrying about everyone else and how they are living their life, and just keep living life for my family.

There are only two other people on this earth that mean the most to me, Andrew & Joy. My family is my life. They are my rock, my saving grace, and they know how to help me even in the smallest of ways. That is my focus. That is what drives me, pushes me, motivates me to find peace within myself. With them by my side, I know I can conquer the world!

{Mind, Body & Soul}

Live better through those three things, and you will just lead a better life daily!

-When Life hands you {LEMONS}-

Get some [VODKA] and take some shots, shots, shots, shots, shots....

 

 In all seriousness though ...

People need to grow up, worry about their own, and move on with their life. Why are we so focused on everyone else? Why as a society do we care so much about what others think, do or say? Why do we spend so much time worrying about everyone else instead of worry about yourself? 

Don't [WORRY] about it!

Like Seriously! 

Lets get real for a quick moment:

Don't explain yourself to anyone...

You don't have to, nor should you even want to...

Don't change for anyone... 

You don't have to, nor should you even want to...

Don't worry about what other people think...

You don't have to, nor should you even want to...

Don't stress about what other people say...

You don't have to, nor should you even want to...

Do you see where I am going here...

{BE YOU}

[BE WHO YOU ARE]

 That's it. Simple as that. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezey... Vodka right? Yes please!

Now go out, live your life and enjoy every minute of it! It is the only life you will ever get, so keep on living! Don't live with regrets! Don't live with negativity!! (& believe me, I know negativity, I am usually the negative nancy) Don't live with fear! {LAUGH, LOVE, & LIVE} And then wake up the next day and do the same thing over again!

-A {LIFE} with [FRIENDS]-

It has taken me a couple of days to gather my thoughts, put things together, and figure out how to write about [FRIENDSHIPS]

To me, being a friend is the hardest thing you can do for someone.

You have to be there for someone when they need you most

You have to be there for someone when they need you least

You have to listen to them when they complain about nothing

You have to listen to them when they complain about everything

You have to be there when they want to cry

When they want to laugh

When they are angry

When they are sad

When they are happy

You have to be there for them through everything

It is hard.... But it is also hard to find someone who is willing to do the same back for you

You can do all the above, and if you aren't getting that in return, you will lose energy. If you aren't getting the same care back, you will lose desire, you will lose compassion, you will lose that friend eventually. Its just a matter of time. You can only put so much of yourself into a friendship before it is just too much and you have to let it go.

This post isn't about anyone in particular, so before anyone gets their feelings hurt let me explain... 

I am 25 years old. I can count on one hand the number of people I have truly became close with. That number is the number of people I have let into every aspect of my life. I haven't closed anything off. I haven't not told them something in fear that they will judge me. I haven't not shared something important about who I am in fear of them not liking me. That number is the number of people that I have called my {BESTEST OF FRIENDS}... I can count on that same hand the number of my "best friends" who are no longer my "best friends"

Being a friend is hard.

 

I have always been the listener, the giver, the I will be there no matter what type of person. Now I am not perfect in any way, but I have noticed that the more "friends" I lose, the less I become a listener, a giver, an I will be there no matter what type of person. The more I let someone close to me, the more I close myself off the next time. It isn't fair. It isn't fair for the next person I want to consider my "best friend" because I know that I won't trust myself to them fully. It isn't fair to myself to close myself off because of what I have had to deal with. 

I am the person who holds grudges. I am the person who doesn't like conflict. I am the person who isn't going to say sorry for something I didn't do. But I am also the person who is to stubborn to drop my pride and admit that maybe things shouldn't have happened the way they did. But you know what, sometimes peoples true colors come out in that time of need. When you need someone the most, and they don't bother to ask what is wrong, but just turn it around on them being the victim, then I stop trying. Sometimes the person who is the listener, the giver, the I will be there no matter what type of person needs that back in return, without having to ask for it. 

Maybe it was my own doing that we aren't friends anymore. Maybe it was their own doing that we aren't friends anymore. I am not going to place blame. All I can say is that "it is what it is" and that "life goes on". I can't sit and look at what happened, what I could have changed, or what I should have done different. I need to look forward, think about what is to come, and then go from there. 

-Being a {STAY AT HOME MOM} ... Part 3 of 3-

Now don't get me wrong. I {LOVE} my {DAUGHTER} and I cherish every moment that I get to spend with her. That is not what I mean by "Then I got bored..."

There is only so much cleaning, cooking, singing, or whatever we would do during the day before it gets redundant. Joy and I would attend weekly play dates. We would chase each other by crawling around the house. We would clap. We would listen to music. We would color. We would do crafts. When it snowed, we played outside. When it was warm, we went to the park. We kept busy... But I needed a change

Park day

 I am just not cut out for being the stay at home mom type forever. It was fun for a little bit. But I needed more. I needed to be busier. I needed something for myself as well. I understand that when you have a child, your purpose for life is to take care of that child, show them love, provide for their needs. But also, you need to do something for yourself. You can't get lost in your child/ren. You need to think about where you will be when they are gone.

I was a stay at home mom for 6 months.

Those 6 months were the best months of my life so far. 

Those 6 months provided me with the bond I wanted with my daughter. 

With the love I received from her each day. 

With the laughter of a happy child. 

With the cries of a frustrated child. 

With the nap times I would take when she slept (I still do this now ;D) 

She was my joy each morning, and my exhaustion at the end of each day.

 It isn't an easy job to be a stay at home mom. And some people don't realize how much you truly do during the day. But it is a job that you never clock out of. It is a job that never ends. 

This was a daily experience...

 I made the decision in April to go back to school full time. This meant that Joy would be going back to day care full time, first time being in an actual day care. Thankfully we we were able to get a spot at a great daycare so it wasn't as hard this time around. 

Joy has developed into such a smart little girl already and she is only 15 months. I believe that putting her back in day care has helped that so much. We don't want any more kids, so Joy will never have that other child at home to play with. She loves going to day care each day and playing with the other kids. She is so happy when I drop her off, and she is still happy when I pick her up. 

Always so happy!

 Being a {STAY AT HOME MOM} for those 6 months made me into a stronger individual. It taught me how to love my family more than I thought possible. It taught me how to love myself as well. I may be in school full time, and Joy may be in day care full time now, but my job as a mom, as a wife, as an individual doesn't stop there! I am still growing and learning about my life, my family, their needs and our needs. It is an ever learning experience. 

-Being a {STAY AT HOME MOM} ... Part 2 of 3-

So the first [6 WEEKS] of {JOY'S LIFE}..... 

Lets back track a bit to pregnancy/delivery.... I was the WORST pregnant person ever! THE WORST! I hated it. I didn't enjoy it one bit. I was sick the first and third trimester. It would make me nauseous whenever Joy would move inside me. I had no energy and I gained A LOT of weight... and when I say A LOT I mean A LOT.... I was 136lbs when I found out I was pregnant & I was 209lbs when I delivered... YIKES! 

A Little of my Bump Picture. I took a weekly one!

I did however have a good birthing experience. I didn't have any issues. I didn't have any complications. My water broke naturally. I did get an epidural (which if I could do it again, I wouldn't... I was so swollen... like bad... I'll take the pain over water retention) But the one thing I regret to this day is that I didn't have any pictures taken. I don't have any pictures of the two of us from the day I delivered or the two of us in the hospital!  I was so ashamed of how I looked, how I felt, with my appearance that I wouldn't let anyone take any pictures of me. I regret it every day still. 

The day joy came home from the hospital. One of the only pictures I have of us.

So now to the baby girl! The first 6 weeks weren't the greatest for a new mom. Joy was on a good sleep schedule, but that was about it. I was breastfeeding and something I was eating just wasn't sitting well with Joy. I had to cut out dairy, I had to cut out wheat.. I ate only veggies, fruit, and meat. It wasn't fun! At this time I was so not ready to dedicate myself to a clean eating diet (HA, I still don't, but it is a little better)... Anyways. Every time I would go to feed Joy she would SCREAM!! She would fight me, push away, eat a little, cry some more. It was absolutely horrible! No one warned me how hard it would be to breastfeed! I was fortunate enough to have help and support from others around me. When I had an issue, they would walk me through it. But it still wasn't getting any better.

Joy was the baby who didn't want to be put down... At all! But that was okay! I was in love with holding her, snuggling, cuddling all day long! I didn't do much those 6 weeks while I was home from work and I went a little stir crazy. Don't get me wrong, I still kept up with the house work, and cooking, and the doggies, thanks to the Tula, and I was getting out at least once a week to visit people, but it just wasn't enough. I didn't feel like I was doing enough... I wasn't working!

-

Daddy & the Tula

When I went back to work Joy was only 6 weeks old but I was ready! Yes I said it.... [I WAS READY]! It was a change for me to be home full time. I was used to working and I was ready to do it again. Yes it was hard to go back. And yes I cried. But I was ready for the break! For some time for myself... even if it was just at work! 

That lasted about a week... then I was over it! When I had Joy, I went back to work with a different mind set. I had become a mother, and I started acting like one. The first week back to work I had to pull a 24 hour duty. My first night away from Joy... EVER... and she was only 6 weeks old. I knew right then that I couldn't do this. If I was in a position where I had to leave her for a week, a month or on a year long deployment... count me out! Wasn't happening! 

This was a typical day of Joy climbing everywhere...

I became a full time stay at home mom when Joy was 6 months old (that is how long my chapter packet took)

The time was finally here... I became a full time stay at home mom... 

& {I LOVED IT!}

My love

Joy has always been a very active baby (even now as I am trying to finish up, she is climbing all over me)! She always wanted to be on the go... never stop moving. So she kept me plenty busy throughout the day... I felt a sense of relief... I would get things done around the house when she napped. For once I didn't feel stressed with juggling three different lives... work, school, home.... It was nice.... She was worth getting out of the military for!

Then I got bored....

-Being a {STAY AT HOME MOM} ... Part 1 of 3-

My {LIFE} at the moment...

5 years ago, if you would have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, a [STAY AT HOME MOM] wasn't on my list! Yes I wanted kids one day, but I was never any good at not working for long periods of time. Every time I went on leave for longer than 2 weeks, I went stir crazy, had to find work somewhere, doing something...

I always wanted to be an Interior Designer (still do)... And I always wanted to be a personal trainer on the side (not anymore)... But I didn't ever want to give up my dreams. I was an independent person, ready to take on the world. Andrew and I had decided that we were just going to see what happens, stop trying for kids, and just live our life! Giving up working wasn't something that I was EVER willing to do... I mean NEVER ....

But when I had {JOY} things changed...

My [LIFE]

I went back to work when Joy was 6 weeks old. It was the HARDEST thing I ever had to do. I cried when I would drop her off ...for like a good week or two I cried. I didn't want to leave her! I didn't want to miss out on her life! I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend whom I trusted, to watch my daughter full time. I didn't have to worry about day cares, other kids, and people I didn't know touching my child. She would text me updates throughout the day on how she was doing. She would send me cute pictures of her playing with her kids. It helped make the working process a lot easier. I was very fortunate.... But then she moved...That's how the military works. You don't stay somewhere to long, and you are always leaving the people that you have come so close too. 

It was [HORRIBLE]... {MISERABLE} to say the least. After she left I went through my fair share of bad babysitters. People who were my "friends" who I thought I could trust.... I finally couldn't do it anymore and I requested my chapter packet! That was the best decision I could have ever made!

 

The {LAST} day of the Military!

I have been fortunate enough to have been there for all, and I mean ALL of Joys milestones...

The first time she rolled over

The first time she said "Momma" (First word)

The first time she crawled

The first time she pulled herself up

Her feeding herself

Her words

Her laughter

The first step she took

The first time she bled

Her night time terrors

Her cuddles

Her sick days

Everything.. 

I have been there.

I knew that if I was put in a position where I had to deploy again, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't have been able to leave {MY LITTLE GIRL} She is my why on getting out of the military...

A {GIRL} & Her [DOG]

Now Joy hasn't always been an easy baby.... The first 6 weeks of her life.... Oh My Goodness... Anyone else have a high maintenance baby??? 

I will explain what I mean tomorrow!

-Who [I AM]-

A Little Bit [ABOUT ME]...

I am 25 years young as of December 12 

I have three [BROTHERS]

-Tyson

-Taylor

-Tad

I grew up in [Twin Falls, IDAHO]

My {Father} - Cody

My {Mother} - Kelly

Married to my best friend, my life, my everything [ANDREW] {December 18, 2010]

There is a story behind how we met, and our anniversary date... I'll save that for later on. 

I have the best [DAUGHTER] in the world... (I may be biased, but seriously, she is the cutest thing ever) ... 

{JOY ADILYNN} She is named after Andrew's grandmother (Joy)

I am prior [MILITARY] 6 1/2 yrs. 

Now I am a full time {STUDENT}

Right now I am figuring out my {LIFE}. I am usually a happy go lucky person, but I do have my days. I look for the best in people and sometimes that comes back to bite me in the back ... I get along with most people and I let a lot of people into my life... But I only have a select few who are really close, and know me, know who I am and who I want to be... 

I have always loved the {OUTDOORS} camping, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, hunting, swimming, biking, etc.. Being outdoors is relaxing. Gets you away from everyone... no phones, no internet, no people... just you and the world around you. 

"It is what it is..."

I am going to get that as a tattoo one day (BTW, I have 3 total) 

Life is what you make of it. It isn't something it isn't. It is what it is. You can't control others. You can't control things out of your hands. You can only control [YOURSELF] and your [ATTITUDE].

Live your life for yourself and no one else. You only get this one shot... this one life... this one opportunity.... Make it Yours!