Family

I am really excited to be headed south on Friday to spend some quality time with these people that I am so grateful for.  In the spirit of the holidays I am going to gush about some of the people in my life.

Josh: the older younger brother

He's incredibly good at what he does.  Completely driven to succeed and could not be more different than he was 3 years ago.  I am so proud to have watched him realize the path he was on sucked and take steps to actively change his life.  He is one of my greatest inspirations and I know that you can change anything that is not working in your life thanks to him.

Rob: the baby

While he doesn't look to happy in this picture, he is really quite funny.  He's really reserved but is also very good at what he does and is as driven as Josh, just in a different way.  He loves to work with computers and knows more than I could even comprehend about how they operate.  He's the comic relief in the most random times and he's awesome.

My Parents

This awesome picture of these two was taken in Scotland where they are calling home for now.  They are currently having a world traveling year.  It is something that my dad has always wanted to do and a break from work that my mom really deserves.  They both work so hard so that all three kids can do exactly what they are meant to do in this world, even if it doesn't make that much money.  I am so grateful for their never wavering support and everything that they have done to allow me to be where I am right now.  I am completely jealous of their super awesome life and hope to be half as cool as they are when I am their age.

My surrogate parents: T and Papa Castellano

The two took care of me when my parents were across the country.  They gave me unabashed career advice and I am so happy that I get to have them in my life.  I know that I can (and do) call them when things really suck and its 2am in Scotland so I can't talk to my mom.  Papa Castellno makes the best pizza and really everything else!  I can't wait to see them on the 30th!

 The WP

I am so grateful for all these girls.  I cannot believe its been a year since most of us have been together. I am  super excited that we get to have a 1/2 WP reunion for New Years 2012 and that Chels and I are running the Country Music Marathon (or Half in my case) in Nashville in April.  It is still hard to believe that six random girls who were interns in Colorado Springs for USA Boxing, USA Wrestling, US Figure Skating, and the USOC (International Games, NGB Business Development, and Media) would become such good friends and stay in touch.  I really hope that sometime we can all get together (Ski Trip 2012 anyone?) because I have never had as much fun as I have had with these girls-laughing until my stomach hurts.

I am so grateful for all these people in my life and I cannot wait to see them over the course of a few weeks.

Finishing...

I am really good at starting things.  I have started to lose weight approximately 50 times over the last 10 years.  Each time I was into it, working out and eating like a crazy person.  Inevitably, things don't workout because I take it to such an extreme that it is not a sustainable way of life.  The past two weeks (see the post below) have been really challenging and that would normally be the point where I give up.

This time is different, I started to re-watch the Biggest Loser: Season 11, the one with my most favorite contestants ever.  I connect so much with Olivia and Hannah for some reason, probably because everything they say I could see myself saying if I were on that show.  Olivia talked about how she was always a good started but she never finished and how this time she was going to stand up and finish what she started.  She did (she won the show) and I am going to as well.  For a daily reminder I've written out the phrase "Stand up and FINISH what you STARTED" and put them up randomly around my house.  I also made this:

and it is now the background on my computer and my phone and my iPad.  That might be a little over kill but it's for sure reinforcing the goal.  I also joined the Christmas Challenge on Hannah and Olivia's blog: My Fitspiration {check it out, they have some cool prizes!}.  This goal WILL be reached in 2012.

Hard times

I have not been having the easiest of times lately.  People that I trusted, betrayed me leaving me the most alone I've ever been.  I desperately miss the life I had in Utah, the people I love and trust so deeply are so far away.

Today was the roughest of days, it didn't really matter what anyone said to me today, it ended in tears.  I reached the point this afternoon that I have a headache from crying.  Then I re-read the Thought of the Day {that is sent to me from someone I deeply admire and hope to be someday}.  When I first read this, shocker, I cried.  I think that emotion was drawn out by the sheer truth of these words.  "When you're going through a rough patch, its only natural to think about the struggles you're having, while overlooking the things in life you should be grateful for."  In that vane here are a few things that I am desperately grateful for:

-Having a job.  Lots of people don't have one.  Lots of people don'e have one as awesome as mine.  Yes, I have to deal with people who can be completely unprofessional, but I get to help people reach their ultimate dream--winning Olympic Medals.

-Enjoying my coworkers.  Even though I don't have any coworkers that work in the office with me, I seriously love all the people that work for the USBSF.  The coaches drive me absolutely insane sometimes, but they also have made me laugh harder than I have in a long time.

-My family.  My parents could not be more supportive of me.  I am so grateful to have them in my life and they will never know how much they mean to me.

-My second family.  T and Papa Castellano and the WP.  Each of these people has a place in my heart that will never go away. I could be in the worst mood ever, but one HeyTell message from Jenny Walter will completely turn my day around.  I got to Skype with Chels this week and that was for sure the highlight of the week.  I have said this several times but I thank God so much that we were put together as roommates because she understands me like a lot of other people don't.  I trust her with anything and everything and she is definitely one of the first people I want to talk to when something good or bad happens.

Those are some of the things I am grateful for.  What are you grateful for?

{Here is the excerpt from the Thought of the Day, from Doug Ingram}

An excerpt from
Learning to Dance in the Rain
by BJ Gallagher

Speaker and author, Tom Feltenstein often asks people, "Have you ever noticed how Life has endless ways of giving you more of what you don't want?"

His question makes people chuckle, but he's dead serious when he asks it. The problem is not Life, you see - the problem is us. Many of us are paying so much attention to what we don't want, that we actually make things worse. By focusing on what's wrong, we reinforce it, and attract more of the same.

It is an age-old truism that "we become what we think about." Spiritual teachers, wise philosophers, and psychologists all say so. There is ample proof all around us. By putting so much energy into thinking about our problems, we make our lives more problematic.

It's especially important to keep this fact in mind during stormy, difficult times. When you're going through a rough patch, it's only natural to think about the struggle you're having, while overlooking things in your life to be grateful for.

But if you want a bright future, it's essential that you think about bright things - and nothing could be brighter than gratitude. You and I create our own futures by the things we think about and appreciate:

·         If you want more love in your life, be grateful for the love you already have.

·         If you want more money, appreciate the money you have now.

·         If you want better health, love and appreciate your body.

·         If you want more friends, take really good care of the friends you have now.

·         If you want success, be grateful for your past and present success.

Create your own future through the amazing power of gratitude!

Lighter

270s

260s

250s

240s

I don't normally post specific numbers because, honestly, I have been a little ashamed of how high they actually were/are.  Today, however I hit a mark that I don't remember passing on the way up.  I am now in the 230s and while I realize that I still have quite a way to go before I reach one-derland, and ultimately my goal, I am 40 plus pounds closer than I was in January of 2010 when I originally started this journey {half-heartedly}, and 20 plus pounds lighter than when I decided to change my life, for real this time, in July 2011.  Here's to achieving the ultimate goal in 2012!

Whirlwind

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” --Marilyn Monroe


It has been quite the two weeks for me.  The last two weeks were National Team Trials here in Lake Placid, which meant that all of our athletes and nearly all our staff were in town and we had quite a few sponsors here as well.  It was a crazy two weeks that went by so fast!  The event itself went very smoothly and it was a great competition.  The next few years are going to be really exciting especially on the skeleton side--the races were so close!  


Once that was over and I thought I could take a breath, my landlord dropped by on Monday at lunch to say that the lease arrangement wasn't working out for him and that he needed me to move out of the house at the end of November.  I immediately have a mini emotional breakdown and freaked out about what I was going to do.  I immediately began searching for places to live.  The interesting problem is that everyone in Lake Placid has a dog but not one person wants to rent to people with dogs.  The one place I looked at in Lake Placid was pretty sketchy {as in the landlord was clearly high and I could smell the pot coming out of his apartment when I knocked} so I vetoed that one.  I looked at a few other places in Saranac Lake, about a 15 minute drive from Lake Placid, one apartment seemed really nice and I thought I had that one locked down but it was rented right out from under me.  So out of desperation yesterday I started calling more places.  Immediately this one house stood out, it was small enough to be perfect for us and it is owned by people who love dogs.  I called and the landlord asked me to do a drive by in the daytime, so I did and I fell more in love.  She sent me more pictures and I was already sold before even going inside.  I went to look at it tonight and let her meet Sam and Ruby, and this house is perfect for us.  Then I got an email that made me cry, I GOT THE HOUSE!  I can definitely see myself staying here as long as I work for the USBSF.  Needless to say the Marilyn Monroe quote above definitely defines outlook on life these days!


Excited for what's to come!  Stay tuned!

Time Travel

ABC canceled my favorite show Brothers and Sisters, I was concerned about what they were going to replace it with.

I am obsessed with the period pieces on TV right now.  I am also convinced that I was born in the wrong time period.  I should have been born when women were put together everyday and wearing dresses was the norm.  Lets bring back the 50s and 60s!

Making Moves

The vision board that I posted a few months ago is the background on my laptop, so I am forced to look at it everyday and remember what I am working towards.  One of the things on my vision board is a half marathon.  Well the date has been set for the achievement of that goal!  I am going to run the Country Music Half Marathon April 28, 2012!

This cute girl has agreed to run with me.  Roomies doing awesome stuff together, love it!

I started training this week, I am starting with a run/walk 12 week half marathon training program and after that I am going with a full on running program that is 12 weeks which takes us right about to April 28th.  I am taking two weeks off in February for the FIBT World Championships that are in Lake Placid, but otherwise I am running my booty off around town.  I'm excited to head out to Nashville in April, not only to kick some 13.1 booty, but to see my family that lives there-my aunt Susan, Uncle Don and Cousins Conner, Carly, and Annie.

Over It

There's this one boy {even though he is 5 years older than me, I consider him a boy} that has come in and out of my life for nearly three years.  He is someone that I have given part of myself to, little pieces of my heart each time we were together.  When we met he was a rising star and I was in the middle of my first year of law school.  The self-esteemeless part of me wondered why he would pick me out of all the other girls in the bar/around him.  But for some reason he did pick me and I let myself believe it was real.  The same part of me, that questioned the initial choice continued to question his intentions and made it easier to go back to him each time.  When I saw him I would be overjoyed to be in his presence again, and each time I left I was hopeful that maybe this time would be different.  It never was.

As his star continued to rise he got more distant.  One would think that is the natural course of things, one person becomes a super star the other remains the same--distance grows.  I didn't want to believe that was going to happen, I held on to every moment he threw some attention my way.  In hindsight, that was probably the worst thing I could do but at the time I could not let go of the happiness he brought to my life.

I am now in a new place, physically and mentally.  My physical location makes it much more difficult to move on mentally and emotionally.  I am brought face to face with him nearly everyday.  For the first few months it got worse.  Every moment he was in my presence my knees would get weak and my heart would beat faster and faster.  Things didn't change and living in the same city (which we've never done before) opened new faults to me that I hadn't seen before.  It was so hard, wondering if I would ever get over it, thinking that there was no way it was going to happen, and having a panic attack about no one else measuring up.  Thanks to an ever steadying force in my life, an email that is printed out and on my refrigerator so it can be easily referenced, I knew it was possible to get over him.

While I was walking with the dogs through the woods today I realized that I might be over it.  I have no idea where he is or what he is doing and I don't think I care.  There is still a pang in my heart when I see him with some other girl, but it is not so physically disabling as it used to be.

Here's to healing!

Fall in the Adirondacks

There is a nature preserve about 3 minutes from our house that the dogs LOVE.  It's called Henry's Woods and I am super excited that they are expanding it to include more trails and off shoots.  The main trail is a 2.5 mile loop, which is winds up the hillside.  We like to go off onto the Plateau Loop or the "yellow trail" (because its marked with these yellow markers).  It's a great time to think and just relax.  These pictures are from our walk yesterday.  I have been wanting to the Rocky Knob trail (which is red) but it just hasn't really been nice enough to head onto a trail we don't know how long it will take--so today we're hitting it up!

Making Strides

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I have been ridiculously busy!  Shortly after my last post I flew across the country for the weekend to see one of my good friends get married.  It was an absolutely beautiful weekend and she was one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen!

I got back on Monday from that extravaganza and left early Saturday morning to go pick up the latest editions to the Lake Placid troop of the Smith Family-Sam, Ruby, and Harriet.  I drove down to Virginia and my mom drove up from Orlando and we did the switch.  Since getting here they have become more at home, but those first few days were rough-we spent all of Sunday driving home and then Monday I headed back to work and the dogs proceeded to bark all day, apparently because I got a mean note--since then they are doing a better job.

Harriet relaxing in my lap on the drive home

Sammy chillaxin on the couch

Anyway...  We got to stay home this pas weekend and sorta get everything back together.  Right now they are passed out on their beds-we went to Henry's Woods after work and they got to pretend that they were wild dogs, they ran all over the trail.  Sammy got brave and ran halfway down the hill-not on the trail through the trees!

The other thing that came into my life since I last posted--this guy...

This is an OCD/super competitive girl's dream!  It syncs with my phone to tell me how many calories I have burned, how many steps I've taken and basically it rocks.  Part of my problem was not knowing how many calories I was actually burning, now I know and I can better tailor the calories I take in to make sure I am running on a deficit every day to keep losing.  I cannot express my love for this little guy-I have already lost 8 pounds since I first put him on 12 days ago...  I see beautiful things for our future ;)

That's all for now, I have another exciting update but you'll just have to wait!

Passion + Goals = Success

Those of you that read this blog--even if you've just glanced at the archives--you know that I LOVE to bake/create sweet treats.  I am famous for my cupcakes--my pumpkin heath bar cupcakes have been called "the best cupcake I have ever had"--by my former boss.  Well with my new goals and new life direction I was feeling kinda sad that I wasn't going to be able to bake anymore--because who wants that temptation in their house?  When I bake it is usually for others in the first place.  I never just bake a batch of cupcakes or cookies for myself but once they are done and before they go out the door somehow you lose track of just how many you ate and how many were given away.

I have been determined to figure out how to make treats that are good for you, enter these babies...

FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE

These are completely amazing, it sounds simple but (a) I never thought of it before and (b) who would think that frozen hot chocolate would taste as good as ice cream?  In this version I used Fat Free Hot Chocolate--you literally make the hot chocolate, let it cool and then stick it in the freezer.  I used these cute baby mason jars that I may or may not also use to make skittle vodka--they are perfect for one package of hot chocolate and they are portioned out, I dieter's dream.  The other fantastic thing about these little gems---25 calories!  SERIOUSLY people the best thing since sliced wheat bread!

INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKES

Normally I am not a cheesecake fan, but since these babies pack only 107 calories each I had to give them a go.  The crust is made with grape nuts which gets the perfect level of crunch on the bottom-with a few sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  There is no sugar in these, the flavors are accomplished with vanilla yogurt and a little honey.  These are so good (1) because they taste awesome, (2) they are portion controlled!  I have never been the person that can buy a bag of cookies and have them last 2-3 weeks--that bag lasts 2-3 days at the most which obviously is in direct conflict with the stated goals to the right!

Both of these recipes come from the Biggest Loser Cookbook, which is amazing by the way nearly all my meals come from that book.  I think the best selling point for me is that the recipes are done by serving sizes so it's not like you have a ton of food left over to binge on.  You can get the cookbook here (I have not been paid to advertise this book--I just love it).

Lastly, here is a pic of me doing something fun (besides baking)--hanging out at the Yankee game-with Amy, Operations Coordinator for the LPOTC

Podcast LOVE

I have been struggling since I moved to Lake Placid to get into a regular workout routine.  In SLC, I would hit up yoga at 24 Hour Fitness at least 3-4 times per week and if I wasn't doing that I was running on the treadmill or getting my cardio in.  The thing about gyms is that you can workout rain or shine.  Here in LP, there is no 24 HR-which for me is honestly a tragedy!  So I decided I was going to run outside, which is a good idea until it rains every other day--or lately everyday, which means the last few weeks I have gotten a good run in on Monday and then the rest of the week it just doesn't happen.  Take today for example, I was ready to go and then around 3:45 a sudden storm hit, including HAIL and really strong winds that lasted quite a long time--long enough to dissuade me from hitting the trail.  Yes I could run around town, but there is something about running in the trees that just makes me so much more comfortable--probably because no one is really watching you run, I am super self conscious about running in public.  Anyway this predicament lead me to search for gyms--and yoga studios.  There is only 2 yoga studios here and one of the studios only offers classes during the day and the second is a Bikram studio which I do want to try but it's too pricey for this girls budget right now...

Enter the podcast...  I'll admit I never really had much interest in Podcasts--every now and then there would be one that was interesting but I never regularly listened to them, until now.  Yoga Journal has an awesome podcast series with a bunch of yoga practices targeted at specific areas.  Some have video and some are just audio.  They are awesome and my new addiction!  With no dining room furniture right now I have the perfect space to do as much yoga as I want--and its FREE!  Thank you Yoga Journal!

Where I live...

I finally got some time-and recovered from Colorado, to walk around and take some pictures Fourth of July Weekend in Lake Placid!

Canoe/Kayak National Championships on Mirror Lake

Happy 4th!

New Furniture!

Today after work I drove the hour to Plattsburgh to look at some couches since I am currently chillin' and watching TV on an air mattress :(

I went to the Ashley Furniture Home Store mostly just to look, I knew the amount I could spend because I pre-qualified for no interest financing!  I didn't spend the max (which is new for me :))

Here is my couch that was $899, but I got it for $499--$400 OFF!  Thank you 4th of July Sale!

The cool think is that the chase part can be on one side or the other so it's really versatile!  Since I got such a good deal on the couch I decided to pull the trigger on a dining room table too.  Not the best picture, but it has a brown table top and seat bottoms, and the legs are black--which matches the hutch that I already have.  It's also counter height, taller than a normal table and its a square, I am in love :)

Can't wait til it all gets to Placid!

June Update

As promised this is my accountability space for this journey.  While it pained me to weight myself in the middle of the week (I usually like Mondays)--today is the first day of July therefore time for the report of how June went and how much weight I lost.

My June goal was to lose 12 pounds.  I almost got there.  I lost 9--which is pretty good but still a tad dissapointing.  Here is a recap of weeks 3, 4 and 5.

Week 3
Fairly uneventful-I discovered this week that I need to find a way to get cardio indoors because it rained ALL week during the times (after work) I was going to go running outside

Week 4
Crazy week in Colorado-I could not have been more exhausted when this week was over.  It was great to see all the athletes and people that I work with all in the same place, and we all know the love I have for the Colorado Springs OTC--but those were some of the longest days of my life.  I didn't make the best food choices this week--can we say gooey brownie cake and frozen yogert at the OTC?

Week 5
This week--still trying to recover on the sleep scale from last week--came home exhausted most days and couldn't get my sleeping scheudle back on track. I hope to use this weekend to rest and reset!

Bring on July--less moving, more unpacking, and puppies coming to live with me at the end of the month!

Week 2

I finally got all of my belongings from Utah into my apartment in LP.  I started the drive to Burlington around 12:30 on Friday and ended up getting back around 8:30.  I was so tired that I didn't move anything Friday night.  Saturday I got up really early (4:30) and moved all my stuff into my apartment before 8am.  I was really glad I did that because it started raining not too soon after I was done.  Moving all by yourself is NOT recommended.  I am so sore and so bruised that I could barely move the rest of the weekend.  I got mostly unpacked but I am short some furniture (couch, dining table/chairs) so as the year goes along I hope to fill in my apartment.  I am going to have a guest room so as soon as I get a bed you can all come visit me  and have a place to sleep!

I did meet my goal this week!  So far so good.  I will keep you posted!

Week 1 (sorta)

The sorta in the title refers to it not actually being a full week since I decided to go all out/hardcore into this journey.  Being the Type A personality that I am--I like things to be regular and since I knew I wanted to weigh in for the rest of the journey on Monday mornings (it just seems like the start of the week to me--probably all that school!)  I had to weigh in this morning.  That being said I didn't have high hopes for this first week because (1) I started halfway through the week; (2) in typical Haley fashion I gave myself a few treats on Monday and Tuesday that were definitely detrimental to the goal; (3) All of my earthly belongings were sent to Chicago so I couldn't move my things into my apartment this weekend--which I was counting on for some serious calorie burning and instead turned into a few too many calories in because I was mad and upset.  Needless to say this morning I was not to stoked to step on that scale and to my utter surprise I lost 4.5 pounds!

So I made my goal week 1 of losing weight.  I wasn't as successful as I would like to be with the treats so that is the goal this week.  Less treats more hikes--and hopefully when I get all my things on Friday I can get into a regular schedule--just in time to fly to Colorado Springs for National Team Camp!

Being Brave

I am a big consumer of reality television and one of my favorite/most inspiring shows out there is the Biggest Loser.  These people are attempting to change their lives, they put everything else in their life on hold to attempt to change everything, forever.  One of my favorite teams in Season 11 was the purple team.  The sister team of Hannah and Olivia were there for each other through every challenge and I think they were one of the few teams to never really have a bad week--yes they had not great weeks but they were consistently losing throughout the 20+ weeks.  In the end, Hannah and Olivia were the final two going into the final weigh-in.  They both lost nearly half of their body weight with Olivia winning the show losing 49% of her body weight.  These two are so inspiring to me because I really relate to them they are young women who have never known what it is like to be "skinny" and healthy.  Hannah said several times on the show that the bravest thing that she did was reach out for help and talk about where she was in her life and her journey.  So I am going to try to do that--writing it all down is not hard, I have done that for years in my 100s of journals, putting it out there on the interwebs for the world to read is less than comforting, but here goes...

The first time I remember being overweight was in the 5th grade.

This is me at my birthday party in the 5th grade.  I cannot remember a time after this that I felt good about myself.  In the 7th grade we had a weigh in during gym class and while all my other classmates were barely breaking 100 pounds, I weighed in at 150.  I was always the biggest skater in every competition I entered, and always the biggest on any team I was ever on.  I have always seen myself as the "fat friend" when all around me my friends are going out and getting dates I sit at home and feel sorry for myself.  There are a few notable exceptions to this rule but for the most part that is how it's been.  Now I am 26 years old, college and law school graduate, starting my first real job tomorrow and still can't feel proud of myself for any of these accomplishments.  I know that my self worth should not be shrouded in what I look like and it isn't.  The feelings about how I look just permeate every aspect of my life.  

With all that said, I have decided to make a change starting tomorrow I am going on my own journey.  I want to lose half of my body weight in one year.  It works out to be about 11 pounds per month for 12 months.  I want to do this for myself and for a new life that I want for myself.

I made a few things to help me out:

This is my vision board all the things that I want for my life and some inspirations thrown in for good measure.  I really want to run a half and a full marathon so that is what those numbers are on the side, its the back ground on my computer...

And these are my purple fingernails to remind me of Team Purple from the Biggest Loser and a daily reminder to stay on track!

Alright, blog readers (are there any?) there it is my life and journey out there for all to see...

Agenda

My planner ends this month and I cannot think of a time in my life where I have actually used my planner less!  I have started to transition to my online calendar because I am ALWAYS on my computer and nearly always have my phone or iPad with me if I am not.  I am about to bid goodbye to my planner so I decided to look at what was going on the first month I had this gem.  Since I have been a student for the past 21 years my planners have always run July-June [I think that is the best way, not sure I can make that adult transition to one that starts Jan 1, plus I would have to waste an entire half of an agenda].  In July 2010 here is a sampling of what I was doing:

-White House photos: assembling packages of photos for the Olympians--they got their photos taken with BO and MO while they were at the White House for there post Vancouver visit.
-Camping and Boating for the 4th of July
-Going to DC for a Federalist Society conference
-YOGs {Youth Olympic Games for those of you who don't live your life by abbreviations} (apparel, planning, conference calls)
-Helping Nicki pre-pack apparel for the Boxing Champs and volunteering for said Championships
-Interviewing my replacement
-Distributing commemorative watches to those who worked and competed in Vancouver
-Playing Goal Ball

It is hard to believe that my next agenda will start with my first big kid job--I can't wait!

Road Trippin'

Today I left Salt Lake for Lake Placid.  I didn't get too far today because I had a bunch of errands to run and turn in my apartment keys so I am only in Cheyenne, WY (about 6 hours from SLC).  Tomorrow is the big leg of over 15 hours from here to Indiana and the final leg is about 13 hours from Indiana to Lake Placid.

The saddest moment was when Jenny and I parted ways on the highway.  I literally didn't cry until then and then I cried for a little while but then I made myself stop, because, yes, I am going to miss Jens--but I know for a fact that we are going to see each other again {whether I like it or not, right Jen?} and I know that she will be in my life forever.  So a moment of sadness is ok, because let me tell you how much Jenny makes me laugh on a daily basis.  I cannot wait to get some awesome HeyTell messages.

Next step get to Placid and get an apartment...

Moving...

End of an Era

I have been in school for 22 years (I started pre-k when I was 4) and yesterday I finished my last exam of law school!  I am officially done with school forever, now the only question is where do I go next?

Special Delivery

No I am not pregnant.

I got a surprise present int he mail this week.

But before I tell you what it is, let us go back to last Wednesday April 20, 2011.  I didn't have class anymore I am done forever, it was a long, not so awesome day at work, and I was having a freak out/emotional breakdown about my future.

I wasn't sure the first person I wanted to talk to would be responsive, so I texted that person and I called my friend Emily.  She and I have been friends since college (which by the way ended 4 years ago today) and she always can make me feel more normal and completely sane in my worries.  She knows how to talk me down and that she did.  I am someone who doesn't recognize how stressed she is until it starts to manifest in physical symptoms {cold sores or just plain sick} and guess what started to form on Wednesday {gross I know but it happened and is totally stress induced}.

Over the weekend, I was told by several people that I just needed to calm down, chill out and things would happen.  So I tried to do that as much as I could.  Had an awesome Easter dinner and after dinner checked my email to find---AN INTERVIEW OFFER!  I have an interview with USBSF on Friday and I have everything possible crossed that it goes well.

Then yesterday came around and I got a surprise in the mail that I had no idea was coming.

This was exactly what I needed this week...  And I highly recommend it to anyone who is finishing school...  I am now going to force Jenny to read it--aka I might have to read the whole thing aloud to her--yes I did finish the book in 24 hours...

Moab: Day 2

Day 2 of Moab featured my favorite hike in all of Arches.  Yes it was forever long (8+ miles) but it goes into areas of the park where not many people {families} go so it was quiet and really peaceful.  The hike starts out a mile or so in at Landscape Arch.

My one memory of this Arch from my first trip to Arches was that I wanted to see this one but for some reason the kids weren't allowed to go, just my dad went and took an awesome picture.  The arch doesn't even look the same though because there was a rock slide on the right side of this picture and the arch is now larger than it was before.

Me at Partition Arch

Navajo Arch--I love that there is a tree growing in the shade of this one! 

The awesome view from the hike to Double O Arch

I think this is Pine Tree Arch--before you get to Landscape Arch

Notice all the SAND--this is what made this hike super hard, the amount of sandy areas/hills!

My absolute favorite!  Private Arch--it was so quiet it was like no one was even around us, so peaceful

The last hike we ended up doing was to Tower Arch.  I had never been here before mostly because it was a gravel road 30 minutes from the other arches.  Totally worth the drive.  It was Jenny's favorite hike of the trip.  You literally climb to the top of one of the bluffs in Klondike Bluffs and hike around the entire plateau until you reach the opposite side and this cool arch with again a tree growing right in the middle.  This one was really hard too because of all the sand and literally sand dune hills that you had to climb near the end of the hike.  I am pretty sure that I still have sand in my shoes from this one.

Tower Arch

The Marching Men

My favorite trail marker...  They remind me of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic logo

We ended up coming home that night because 1-we couldn't hike any more (12 miles in 1 day is a lot), 2-we both really needed showers (again 12 miles) and 3-we couldn't sleep in the back of the car again (the mice had already made an appearance early in the day).  All in all it was a great trip down to Moab.  A great chance to get away from the job searching, outrageous drama, and hustle and bustle of life and school in the "city".

I wish we could go back--every weekend {especially since it snowed here today}