Vaya Con Dios

Part of the grieving process includes sitting around and telling stories. 

And there are more than enough stories to be told about my Haytachi.

When asked for my favorite, I can't choose just one.

Today, I was at Amachi's house with PapaBear and some others and we were looking at pictures I had found. In the pictures were Sissy, PapaBear, Haytachi, and me at Disneyland. Sissy and I couldn't have been more than 4 and 3 years old, respectively. 

PapaBear asked me if I remembered the trip, and I'm not sure I remember that trip specifically, but I do remember a trip to the San Diego Zoo when he was feeding cigarettes to the monkeys.

PapaBear laughed and said that he was horrible at a zoo. He was always trying to get you to feed the animals whatever you had. If you were holding an ice cream cone he'd say, "Give the gorilla that ice cream cone, see if he'll eat it."

I can remember him taking Sissy and I to the local western store to let us pick out our first pairs of cowgirl boots. According to Papa, we earned them by helping to gather some wild cows at our desert ranch. I don't remember that day as much, but I remember walking through the store and looking at the boots.

I got an email from a friend today and she said, Some men are not cut out for a "long goodbye," it goes against everything that made them the great men we loved them for being. I consider it an amazing testament to the men they were and the life they lived for God to show them such mercy, allowing them to leave this earth with their dignity.

I honestly couldn't have said it better myself. 

Deep In The Heart of Texas

I can't believe it is already Thursday. I think the full moon threw my world off of its axis this week.

Seriously, since I got back from Texas, I have not been able to pull it together.

That is why it has taken me this long to write this post.

As you can see in the picture above, I headed to Texas this past weekend to attend a wedding as DVL's hot date. (Can you think of a better person to fill this role?)

I arrived at the airport on Friday morning in time for my 7:00am flight. Boarded the plane, taxied to the runway, and sat... Something about a computer issue, and we had to return to the gate, where we were deplaned and made aware of a three-hour delay. Not a great start.

So I had a cocktail and prayed.

Luckily we took off a little ahead of the delayed schedule and DVL picked me up in just enough time to get back to the hotel, change our clothes, and head to rehearsal. 

From there, rehearsal dinner. From there, North Texas State Fair and the Josh Abbott Band Concert.

One of the things that I love the most about DVL is that we have very similar opinions about most things. Fashion included. Which makes people watching with him excellent. And what better place to people watch than a state fair in Texas?!?!

We spent the evening drinking beer and judging questionable fashion choices. I will admit that I was a little disappointed by the lack of "big Texas hair," but there was plenty to keep me busy. Including a girl chewing tobacco and one smoking a Swisher Sweet.

Saturday was pretty chill until we realized at noon that we had to be at the wedding location at 2:00pm and that we still needed to get lunch and get ready for the wedding.

But clearly, we managed.

The wedding was beautiful and the couple was gorgeous. We got to the reception and realized that somehow, we were seated on the kids side of the table. Which was pretty ironic because I don't know two people who dislike other people's children more than DVL and me. We ate quickly and stole other people's chairs on the other side of our table to enjoy the remainder of the reception.

Some of my favorite parts of the reception:

- During the slideshow, there was a picture of the bride and her sister and they had some pretty crazy eye shadow on and DVL said, out loud, "Yikes!" The bride looked over at him and smiled, and I told him he should probably just think those things next time.

- While the band was on a break, the DJ was playing some "booty music" and a couple of bridesmaids and I were dancing, when one of the girls went and got the videographer and started shaking her butt in front of the camera and saying, "Just like TRL!" DVL's former intern was also there and she, at 22 years old, said, "What's TRL?"

- Towards the end of the reception, I was sitting in a chair next to the intern, watching DVL dance with the bride when a woman walked past everyone else and right up to me and said, "I just wanted to come over and say hi. It was so great to see you. How are you?" I said, "Hi. I'm good. Good to see you too." Then she walked away. The intern looked at me and asked, "How do you know her?" I had to admit, I had never seen her before.

- When the wedding was over, everyone went outside to wish farewell to the bride and groom. We were standing on the steps of the venue figuring out what we were going to do next and DVL had walked inside to get his tux jacket and I was standing there with one of his other friends from DC. One of the girls at the wedding, who I had deduced was from DC earlier in the night was saying goodbye to the other gentleman and then she turned to me and said, "Bye. See you back home." Ummm, I don't think you will. Unless you have moved to Arizona.

- Finally, I had to go inside to get the intern so we could go to the bar and as I was leaving I ran into the bride's sister and brother-in-law (who I had met only the day before). They went on and on about how great it was to meet me and then practically begged me to come back and visit them.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Tiny turned 4 on Saturday. I know it is so cliche to say, but where does the time go?

This kid is hilarious! The things he says and does make me laugh every day.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at an event with BIL and I was telling him to feel free to promote me to single men. You know, tell them how awesome I am.

He started laughing and told me that Tiny is so much like me. Apparently he will frequently walk up to BIL and say, "Dad, I'm awesome. Are you awesome?"

I say there is nothing wrong with that kind of confidence. And why wait for someone else to point it out? 

But recently it has come to my attention that Sissy may be in trouble with this one. He is one charming kiddo.

At school he was helping his teacher with something and she said, "Tiny, you're my buddy aren't you? Am I your buddy?"

He replied, "No, you're my sweetheart."

I mean, really? Where did he even come up with that?

On Saturday when I got to his house with his gift, an orange case for his electronics, Belly said, "Tiny, isn't orange your favorite color?"

He looked at me with his big brown eyes and said, "I don't like orange."

I got a sad look and asked when he decided that.

He replied, "Ok, I'll change it for you."

Seriously, he knows how to get just what he wants.

These Taste Just Like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...Yeah Right!

I'll take you on a little trip back in time for today's post. 

Way back when I was travelling quite a bit for work.

And I was on a trip to California - I can't remember what event I was there for, but I know that I spent the first part of the trip with Dirty and the second part of the trip with BigSurprise.

I believe that BigSurprise and I were heading to Nevada, but there was some off days in between events so I was staying the weekend at her house.

For some reason, we decided that we would take a day trip to Yosemite National Park. So we woke up in the morning, had a little breakfast and started on our way with a map and maybe a water bottle or two.

A couple of hours down the road, we realize that we are in the middle of nowhere and we have no food. And I am starting to get hungry.

Then BigSurprise remembers that she has these protein bars in her car so she gets one out and we are going to share it.

I'm a little skeptical - I really am not a big fan of protein bars. So I'm checking out the packaging and analyzing my options when she tells me, "Oh stop - I eat them all the time - they taste great! Just like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!"

Fine. I open the package and can immediately smell the protein. This is not looking good.

I take a bite and I almost hurl! Literally, this most assuredly DID.NOT! taste like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! 

But we ended up having a blast and I never ate another Think Thin bar again!

One of the many pictures that we took of ourselves along the way. At one point we stopped at a designated photo spot and I asked someone to take our picture, complete with hand gestures. They looked like they spoke English, but they did not. So BigSurprise yells at me that I found the foreigners and they didn't even know what I was saying.

I assured her that the hand gesture I used was the universal sign for "take a picture."

At least she didn't tell us to say "chicken bone."

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!

On Saturday night, I went over to Glinda and Fiero's for their annual Halloween party - costumes required!

I'm typically not big on costumes. Not that I don't like them, I just don't typically think of them enough ahead of time to get all of the pieces at a reasonable price. And I'm not very crafty, so I end up with something boring.

Though, two years ago, at the last minute, I made a white sash with black writing that said, "Understood." I wore an old bridesmaid dress and a tiara with the sash, and I got second place in the costume contest.

This year, Glinda and I were shopping at Charming Charlie's sometime in the summer and we found a headband with a little hat thing. And right then and there, I decided that I would be Effie Trinket for Halloween.

I did procrastinate a little more than I should have, but it all came together nicely.

This was my inspiration:

This was my costume:

McKayla Maroney (Glinda) is not impressed with Effie Trinket...

I won the contest this year!

In Like a Lion

 I freaking love this saying!

Sometimes I wonder why we spend so much time doing things because we think it is what we are supposed to do.

I'm just as guilty of it as the next person, but oh how I would love to be a lion.

I don't know if I have mentioned it yet, but I'm working on starting a wellness program at work.

I am passionate about wellness. I want everyone to be the best person they can be.

I want them to be healthy and to feel like I feel now.

Like I didn't feel a year and a half ago before I started CrossFit.

So one of the women at work who is working with me on this program sent me a link to a short blurb about how a city in Florida will no longer hire smokers.

From that blurb, I clicked on a blurb with the video below.

You have probably seen this video by now - it is all over Facebook.

What an amazing story. And good for her for standing up for herself.

I will tell you that when she starts to choke up a couple of times - it slayed me.

Maybe you have never struggled with your weight.

But it is likely that you probably had something going on in your life that people could see on the outside and judged without knowing your story.

I have talked before about struggling with my weight. Forever. Still.

Just this morning I was talking to my CrossFit coach about getting some blood work done to try to figure out why I can't seem to lose the extra weight in my midsection.

And the people who aren't in the gym with my every day or who don't know what my eating habits are, could easily judge me outwardly.

They don't know my story.

During that conversation this morning my coach was telling me that growing up his dad had a hyperactive thyroid, which caused him to be able to eat anything he wanted and remain as thin as a rail.

But also, very sick. To the point that they removed his thyroid and put him on medication.

Strangers don't know his story.

Just because someone is thin doesn't mean they are healthy. Just because they are fat doesn't mean that they aren't.

Just because someone doesn't look like you, doesn't mean they are wrong. 

October also happens to be Anti-Bullying Month.

Today I was in a meeting talking about Rachel's Challenge.

Rather than being anti-bullying, it promotes kindness. 

You know, it is a lot easier to stop being mean than to actively be nice.

Think about it. 

Update: BOOM!

First and foremost, I will be taking a moment to bask in my glory!

As you'll recall, last Monday, we ran 6 400m time trials at the gym. And I was so happy to get all six of them under two minutes. Even though the last one was on the brink - 1:59.

Well, today (and apparently every other Monday from now on) we did it again.

Do you see those numbers on the fourth line down?!?!

They are mine!

1:39, 1:43, 1:43, 1:49, 1:48, and 1:47!

BOOM!

And then we moved on to the clean complex lift - which is 3 hang power cleans, 3 push jerks, and 3 front squats.

My heaviest weight on this complex previously was 43kg.

Today - 49kg! And I could have potentially done a little more.

I lifted the same amount as one of the girls who competed on our affiliate team at the games!!

Tomorrow, I will share with you some awesome dating advice.

Trust me, you won't want to miss it!

I totally forgot - there was a second part to this post.

I am currently obsessed with this song! If you are looking for some good music - I highly recommend downloading it!

Mine

There are a lot of things about blogging that stress me out.

Thanks to this quote today, there is one less.

I know there are a lot of critics of Taylor Swift's music because she sings all of these songs about boys who broke her heart and she's like 12 years old. 

And if we're being honest, she may not be that great of a singer.

But she gets to sing her experiences. Because they are hers. 

And I get to write mine. Because they belong to me.

Spontaneity

So I got all crazy out of my comfort zone last weekend and did something without any plan at all.

And it wasn't just like, drove down the street.

I freaking packed up my car on Friday morning around 8 am and drove to Carson, CA to be a spectator at the CrossFit Games.

Now if you know anything about me (I should have included this in my list of 15 on Monday...), you know that I do not do things spontaneously.

However, I had spent a majority of Wednesday following the Camp Pendleton event via CrossFit Radio and Twitter, then on Thursday I watched Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as my team arrived and got checked in, etc. And I was sad.

I wanted to be there. So I texted my friend who was there. And she said, "Just come."

On Friday morning, she called me. She said just get in your car and come, I have an extra ticket. 

So I called Match and asked her if I was crazy for going.

She said that I wasn't, but she did say that I was probably either going to enjoy it so much that I would start being spontaneous all of the time. Or I would spontaneously combust.

I can tell you, without any doubt at all, that I do not regret my decision.

It was seriously one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It motivated me to be a better CrossFitter. To eat cleaner. To really dedicate myself to my fitness journey.

It is hard to imagine my body ever being able to do some of the things that the competitors did over that weekend. And the truth of the matter is, it may never do some of them. But I'll never know if I don't try.

Also, it was the highest concentration of good looking men that I've ever been around in my life. That doesn't hurt one bit.

If you want to read more about the CrossFit Games, you can do so at CrossFit.com.

If you would like to read more about my team's experience, you can do that here.

What you see in the picture above is the women of some of the teams completing 20 rope climbs after completing 30 clean and jerks with 135 lbs.

This picture was the stadium before Friday afternoon's chipper workout. The stadium soon filled up.

Getting to Know Me Miscellany

I was really planning to go a different direction with this post today, but I read Cheyenne's blog before I posted and she inspired me to share some things about myself - for those of you who don't know me.

Funny story about this picture - I am typically against wearing headbands like this, but we went to the Miranda Lambert concert on July 3 and SuperFan had me wearing this like a real headband. Well, turns out my head is too big for it and it kept doing weird things so I took it off and was messing around when I put it on this way. Then Dirty had someone take a picture of us. Then of course I instagrammed it. And then my family freaked out! And said it was the best picture they have ever seen of me. 

They are a little crazy.

But let's talk about me some more... :)

1. When I was a kid, we were farm laborers for the summer. We started by chopping cotton, then moved up to the sprayer tractor - they actually rigged up a tractor that Sissy, YogaHippy, and I could all work on. They welded two seats to the front, so one person would drive and two would spray. (And we would change to words to songs to fit our lives - there were some funny moments out there in those fields.)

2. For the first time in my life, I think I may be addicted to something. Fitness. It sounds so cliche to say it, but I really do feel like CrossFit changed my life. And now I want everyone around me to be fit and active.

3. I toy with the idea of going back to school. I haven't pulled the trigger, but I get closer every day.

4. I love my nephews and niece more than anything, but I'm no longer sure that I want to have children of my own.

5. I wish I could hip-hop dance. I'm not saying I would like to be a back up dancer in any music videos, but when I watch So You Think You Can Dance, I am always the most in awe of the hip hop dancers.

6. I want to make a difference in the world.

7. Sometimes I want to move to a new city and try something totally different.

8. I really like to entertain people. When people get joy out of their interactions with me - it makes my day!

9. I am crazy independent (like don't-like-to-ask-for-help-independent). I think sometimes it is one of my biggest flaws.

10. I was recently reminded how much I love the smell of Zest soap. I think it is nostalgia, but man, I love that smell!

11. I love to cook! Seriously, if I could afford it, I would spend the weekends trying new recipes and feeding people. I could go broke buying the ingredients for all of the food I want to make.

12. My sisters and brother know all of the ways to make me crazy (and they practice frequently), but if someone moves even remotely in the direction of messing with them, I become a crazy protective mad woman! For real - you don't want to try it.

13. Despite my tough exterior, I am super sensitive. Just because you don't see me cry, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

14. Wow - it is really hard to think of 15 things about myself that seem even remotely meaningful.

15. Music moves my soul. There are times when I am listening to my iPod and a song comes on that just speaks to where I am in that exact moment, and I will play it on repeat just to soak it all in. (Typically while rocking out - I'm sure I provide much entertainment for the other drivers on the road.)

Now head on over to Carissa's blog and read something new.

The Beginning...

I saw this picture on Instagram yesterday and it spoke to me.

(I know, cheesy, right?)

But I'm being serious.

And just yesterday, I felt like I had the best day of my life!

I was driving back to my office after picking up some lunch and it just occurred to me that my life is pretty great!

And I'm pretty great!

This journey is mine and I get to decide where it goes.

How freaking awesome is that?!?!

There are certainly days that are better than others, and I know that I'll stumble and fall along the way, but the journey is the trip! 

And this trip is getting started RIGHT NOW!

I'm ready to be who I am supposed to be.

Who I want to be.

The world better watch out! 

Because I'm coming! And hell's coming with me!

You hear?

Hell's coming with me!!

BOOM!

I now have the CrossFit Open Workout 12.2 under my belt.

And it can be said that I KILLED it!!

61/365

So, you can see that I made it through all 30 of the 45 lb. snatches and all 30 of the 75 lb. snatches! Without failure!

I had about a minute and a half left when I was done with those and we had some issues with getting the right weight for the 100 lbs. It was my fault - I didn't think that I would make it to that weight so I didn't have the plates out.

By the time I got them on, I had like 40 seconds to go and I couldn't get 100 lbs. up.

I may have been able to if I had the time to attempt it one or two more times, but maybe next time.

For now, I am happy with my score!

Getting stronger every day!

Miscellany Monday

I will start by apologizing - I know I do this every week, but I really have no idea why I have not sat down and wrote a few Vegas stories for you.

I'm hoping that 2012 is going to be a better year for me - in a lot of ways.

Here's to hoping that will include more blogging!

one

goin' to the Chapel

No, not me.

IT called last night and it's official - she got the ring! Which, I guess means that I need a name for the boy. 

That might take me awhile - there's a lot of pressure!

Did you ever see the Friends episode where Monica gets engaged and Rachel and Phoebe are talking in the coffee shop about it. And Rachel says something to the effect of, "I'm so happy for her and just a little jealous."

Well, I'm 80/20.

IT, if you're reading this - you know I'm so super excited and I love you! :)

two

picture this

We had our annual family Christmas Party on Saturday night.

We used to have it on Christmas Eve, but Pie Ranch would get frustrated because everyone was always late or rushed so she decided this year to move it up a week.

SO much fun! 

We had a "photo booth" set up and it was a blast!

Check out how adorable Tiny and I are:

I don't really know why my hair looks red in this picture though...


three
perspective


I have been reminded twice this morning that life is short.


So I want to take this opportunity to remind you to tell those you love how you feel about them. 


And please know that I love and appreciate every single one of you (those I know and those I don't) for coming here and reading my crazy.


I love to write - I would write even if no one read, but it is nice to know that someone else is.


So thank you!


four
merry, merry


I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas, or whatever holiday it is that you celebrate! 


Now head on over to lowercase letters and read a blog you've never read before!