Do Something That Scares The Hell Out Of You Every Day

The fourth of July has come and gone and I'm still waiting on fireworks...

Unfortunately for many Atlanta celebrators, fireworks were canceled due to rain that plagued the metro area last night. Thankfully, the group I was with was ju

bilant enough that the fireworks were hardly missed and, more likely, forgotten. I, however, am hoping that some rescheduled shows will be happening tonight so that I can catch the yearly tradition before summer rolls out.

While there were no fireworks, sparklers or even that much red, white and blue where I was at, I did enjoy the 4th of July in my own special way. This year I decided to yet again take on the Peachtree Road Race. Last year was my very first year running the 6.2 mile road race alongside Justin, Mel, Clay and Mrs. Anderson. We ran it in about 1 hr and 20 minutes which isn't terribly for a larger group of people with different levels of experience and bodily issues... heh. It was also the first time I had run anything over 3 miles before. I definitely enjoyed pushing myself during the race, but felt like it was something that might only happen about once a year.

So again, race day comes much to my chagrin as I had yet to run anything over 3 miles successfully in the weeks leading up to it. I was convinc

ed Justin was going to have to carry my butt for the last few miles or, at the very least, walk with me when I couldn't do it any longer. A few minutes before my wave (Y, the very last one!) I start to get nervous again, but decided I was going to try to run the entire race and if I needed to stop, I could, but I needed to always start running again. Let's just say it started out rough... super hot, I didn't stretch as much as a I should of, I missed the company of my friend pointing out funny things along the race and sometimes during the hills I walked a little as I caught my breath. Then at mile four something happened that I really didn't expect... I didn't want to stop at all. Not even for a hill, barely for the people ahead of me and surely not because I was tired. Before I knew it, Justin and I were crossing the finish line at an all out sprint! I was so stinkin proud of he and I and really not all that worn out!! What a difference a year makes : ) Hopefully our official time will reflect that!

Needless to say, I'm thinking about ru

nning longer distances and possibly doing a half marathon if I can hold on to the enthusiasm. As for now... I'm going to go stretch. While I was able to run the race and feel great, my body is feeling the need to remind me that training and proper stretching can keep you from feeling like an 80 year old the next day!

Skipping Rocks

So an update is definitely needed...

I somehow managed to totally avoid all of the new goings-on in my last blog and have almost 6 months of updating to cover since even then.

To start... I will have been officially working (and getting paid!) at m

y job for an entire year in August! I'm pretty excited about that milestone as it feels like I've been working in youth development for years!... Which is technically true as I was interning for a few beforehand. In this one year, however, I have been able to see and be a part of the very foundations of youth development and have garnered a great amount of professional experience. From learning to write grants and working with community professionals to teaching kids poetry and learning to sing a whole other Happy Birthday song, I feel like college taught me some good stuff... but really can't touch what I've learned over the past year! I really can't explain how much joy this profession has afforded me, even when faced with the hardships any job or career inevitably falls victim. I am thankful and interested to see what it yet to come...

I recently came back from Germany for my first visit since January 2010. It was great seeing my dad again after a year and half and being in Germany again. Always before the trip I feel like "Yeah! I'm going to a foreign country! It'l

l be so different and exotic!" This inevitably changes, however, as soon as the plane has landed and I realize that Deutchland is a foreign to me as my favorite dress from my 21st birthday party hanging in my closet-- I wear the dress very rarely, but have my memories of what I looked like, how I felt and who was with me while wearing it. That's what Germany feels like to me. I have so many memories of laughter, good friends and growing into a young woman, that it really isn't foreign or exotic-- it's a part of me. So in the end, I visited an old friend and my family for 11 days and returned home with my newly graduated little sister to hang out with for six weeks-- which always goes by so fast.

At the end of this summer I'll be moving back to Athens to live with my friend Tandra. I'm excited about this new chapter as I'll feel a little more like an adult living on my own again and getting to live in a town that is more accessible to my interests and passions. It'll be an adventure now that most of my good friends have graduated and moved from Athens to other parts of Georgia, the country and even the world. Luckily for me, I've been an Army brat and I know that with every move and every new person you meet is an opportunity to grow and have experiences that you would never have conceived to be possible! August can't come soon enough!

As for the organic/buying locally topic from my last post... Well, I've become more conscious of what I eat and where it comes from most of the time, but I can't quite call it a "lifestyle change" as I still enjoy my Chik-fil-a salads and an occassional binge of Reeses, but I'm learning and trying to apply what I've learned to my diet. I haven't been to the local Farmers Market yet, but I'm hoping that's a trip to be had this summer as so many of my favorite vegetables are available now! Luckily, I'm still here in High Shoals and there are tons of VERY locally grown veggies available in the backyard. I have enjoyed going to Earth Fare and Trader Joes which will soon be closer in August.

As for more recent news... I got back last night from Mississippi where Justin I traveled to see about him trying out for a minor league baseball team. I wasn't exactly excited about the prospect of a 7/8 hour drive to and from Mississippi, but it turned out to be the best part of the trip as Justin and I got to just hang out for 16 hours-- well and listen to books on tapes. I think that's why I like him so much... He'll listen to books on tapes with me and not laugh at me when I start to cry at particularly heart-wrenching parts of the book. He's a keeper.

So that's the update. I'll work on keeping my blog more up-to-date and working in some pictures as well. Thanks for still reading and having patience with me!

Snow Place Like Home

Many folks complain about the fact that they need a vacation from their vacation post Christmas break.

Thanks due in part to mother nature and Georgia's complete lack of preparedness when it comes to winter weather, I and the rest of northern Georgia has enjoyed an entire week at home trapped by snow and ice. I can't lie and say that I didn't suffer from some cabin fever mid-week, but have thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in my pajamas sans make-up or a schedule. My week has been committed to getting out of the winter dole drums and getting my butt and diet back in gear. My entire body aches in that "oh my gosh, I didn't know I had muscles there" kind of way but I am renewed in my pursuit for a healthier 2011.

Interestingly enough, Justin and I watched Food, Inc last night on Netflix. I decided to watch it as it kept popping up on the documentary suggestions on my Netflix account... and determined to stop watching trash tv and movies (I say that with soap operas murmuring in the background, lol) I pulled it up on my computer, snuggled up with the boy and was ready to learn a little... or fall asleep if it was too educational for 11 o'clock at night.

Now let me preface this by saying that I've been reading a little about the organic and local food movements and have known for a while that processed foods are killing us... but watching this documentary solidified my feeling that I don't really know where or how my food is grown and brought to me. I think that learning to grow my own food and navigate the local farmer's market are on my horizon. It'll just be a matter of making an actual change and thinking about what I'm eating.

Through the movie, I found the website takepart.com which may rival my TED obsession. It's a great lifestyle blog in which they talk about food, health, green movement, politics and schools. I'm thinking this may help me in making some of the moves to organic, local foods.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes!