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!