Coming Down

I just made myself a "milkshake" with a frozen banana, a scoop of raw cacao powder, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of ice.

That shit was good.

In other news, I think I'm having withdrawals from the fun that I had at the end of last week/weekend.

The following series of pictures was taken on Friday night. We were heading back to our rooms for the night/early morning when Janiac suggested a cartwheel contest.

Once I start doing cartwheels, I start thinking about CrossFit, so of course handstands are next.

I honestly can not look at that last picture without laughing out loud. 

Right after it was taken, security came around the corner like a ninja and sent us to our rooms.

I thought we were following directions nicely and not creating a scene, just waiting for the elevator, when the security guard called for back-up.

And they arrived within 3o seconds. 

Luckily no one got arrested or shot with a bow and arrow.

Sage Four-Year-Old Wisdom

I took Biggie and Tiny to see Turbo last week. There is a part in the movie where one of the girl snails tells one of the boy snails, "You're going to be my boyfriend and I'm going to call you Boo."

So on the way home we were talking about the movie and the remainder of my weekend. I was going to a convention and there were going to be a couple of guys there who may be potential suitors.

Biggie was talking about two of them being my boyfriend so I asked him how many boyfriends I can have.

He said, "You can have three."

Then Tiny pipes up, "No, you can have one hundred!"

So I say, "Should I tell him, 'you're going to be my boyfriend and I'm going to call you Boo.'?"

Biggie: Yes! Say that! Please say that!

Me: Do you think it will work?

Tiny: Yes! But if it doesn't, just call him whatever he wants.

Clearly Tiny is wise beyond his four years.

Change the Conversation

Janiac is back town! 

I love her new job because she is spending so much time in Arizona. One of these days I'm going to talk her into moving here.

Either way, on Saturday evening we were getting ready for a night on the town. She was laying on my bed and I was putting on eye makeup in the bathroom mirror.

I turned around and said, "I'm not trying to be an asshole, but sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and I think 'Damn, I'm pretty!'"

Janiac laughed at that and I assured her that I was serious.

I know, it sounds a little ridiculous, but it is the truth.

Sure there are things that I want to work on, but I think it is far more productive to focus on the positives than the things that I may not be 100% happy with.

Recently I was talking to another friend and she was criticizing a picture that was taken of her. And I got really angry. 

I just don't understand why we are always focusing on what's wrong with us.

No one is perfect.

Not me.

Not you.

But I'm willing to bet that there are a lot more great things about you than flaws.

That's the case for me.

We have to stop striving for perfection and start striving for positivity.

I am beautiful.

I could probably use a little less "fluff" around my mid-section, but I have great boobs.

I have a "royal nose," but an engaging smile.

And from today on, I am going to try really hard to focus on what I love about myself and the people around me.

And if you can't focus on those things about me and you, then our friendship may be on it's way to the finish line.

It Depends What the Meaning of the Word 'Is' Is

On Friday afternoon I stopped by Sissy's house to visit with the babies. When I pulled up, Biggie had just walked outside to visit the neighbors and he told me, "SisterSmalls just fell off the chair and bumped her head. She's crying a lot!"

When I went in the house, I encountered Sissy and SisterSmalls, and he was right - she was crying a lot! The three of us walked upstairs to see Tiny and that's when I noticed that Sister was acting a little funny and her eyes were kind of dilated. 

At that point we went downstairs for Sissy to call her pediatrician and Biggie came back in the house. When she hung up the phone I asked her what they had said.

Sissy: They said to keep an eye on her. Make sure her pupils are the same size, she doesn't vomit, and that she is acting appropriately.

Biggie: Acting appropriately? Like not taking her pants off in the middle of the road?

A little while later we were sitting on the couch.

Biggie: Aunt Airplane, do you know that song about California. With all the states?

Me: No, I don't think I do.

Biggie: See, Mom. I told you she wouldn't know.

Sissy: She knows, you just aren't explaining it very well.

So we go through a whole process where I ask him to give me some other clues about the song. What kind of music? Country. Did you hear it on the radio? Yes. Does it have all of the states in it? No.

And I start guessing songs, to no avail.

Then, I start googling things and I find it!

Jake Owen, Anywhere with You.

Biggie brings me his iPod touch and asks me to download the song for him.

Sissy: I told you Aunt Airplane would know the song.

Biggie: She didn't know it at first.

Me: Come on - all you gave me was, "It has California and other states in it." Based on that, I think I did pretty good. Uncle Bunner is always doing that - calling me and saying, "Airplane, what is that song? A guy sings it and it has 'and' in it."

About five minutes later:

Biggie: Oh, and I need that song that Papa likes from the Voice.

Me: Do you have anything else?

Biggie: The two brothers were singing it. And it has 'and' in it.

And he said it with a straight face.

And if you were wondering, SisterSmalls was fine.

Doin' It and Doin' It and Doin' It Loud

In an effort to close my day out basking in the glory that I told my coach I would be basking in all day today...

I strict shoulder pressed 99 pounds 3 times this morning.

BOOM!

Those of you who aren't familiar with weightlifting, may not understand what I'm talking about, so let me try to explain.

Stand with your broom held horizontally in your hands, laying across your collar bone, then without moving any other part of your body, use just your shoulder strength to lift it over your head until your elbows are locked out.

Now imagine your broom weighs 99 pounds.

Yeah, that's right. I'm a badass.

Last night I had a dream that I was in a dress with my hair curled and all done up for something fancy - and for some reason, I was at the gym and I stepped up to a barbell and snatched it.

Should I be concerned? 

The dress I was wearing was ADORABLE, bee tee dub.

###

You know what the scary thing about putting yourself out there is?

You're out there. Hanging. Vulnerable to whatever comes.

Do you know what's great about it?

The things you learn by pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Independence

"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again."

-Ronald Reagan

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into Barnes & Noble with Match while she bought Biggie a gift and I found a book on the sale table called, The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, so I had her buy it for me. And I can't stop reading it.

Ronald Reagan was a wise man. 

Today is a day to celebrate independence.

Freedom.

The men and women who fight for and defend it each and every day are heroes. 

I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to them.

I can say "thank you" and "I appreciate your service," but those words do not even come close to expressing how I feel when I see a veteran standing out of a wheelchair to salute the flag.

When I see a young widow receive the flag that draped her husband's coffin.

When I watch a video of surprise homecomings.

When I stood on the steps of the court in the city I work in and watched the vans carrying the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots to Maricopa County.

We think we know the risks that these folks face in order to keep us safe, but it isn't until we face a tragedy of the magnitude Arizona faced on Sunday, June 30, that we fully understand those risks. And the sacrifices that people are willing to make on our behalf.

I am proud to be an American.

I hope that I exemplify that every day.

I am proud to be an Arizonan.

I am forever indebted to those who serve on every level for the liberties that I enjoy on a daily basis.

God Bless America and her people. Give us the strength we need to get through these tough times.

Strong is the New Skinny

I know that I've told you all this before, but I love CrossFit!

Every day I read another article from a man or woman whose life was changed by CrossFit, and I fall a little more in love.

Today it was this article.

I love it when I read something that touches me. (That sounds wrong.)

When I learn that someone else out there feels like I feel. 

And even better, when a lot of people out there feel like I feel.

Then I think about what I would write if I was going to write a blog post about how CrossFit has changed my life.

And I think physically, it has changed me.

But more importantly, I think it has changed who I am inside.

When people say, "Strong is the new skinny," I always assumed they were referring to a strong body. And they may be.

But for me, more importantly, is a strong mind.

And in that respect, CrossFit has made me a different person. 

I have never like to show weakness. I have always tried to put up a strong front, never let anyone know when I was hurting. 

I still have weaknesses, but I am learning to be ok with them. Learning that it is ok to be vulnerable every once in a while.