2013 my way.

its taken a little bit of time for me to decide what i really want out of this year and put that into words. i didnt want to make a new years resolution or an empty promise like giving up chocolate, like that would EVER happen haha.

and so i decided in 2013 i am going to focus on..ME!

the good part about this is it can include a lot of things and be applied into a lot of different areas. i spent the last half of 2012 getting rid of things in my life that were not healthy, like my weight and incesant knee pain. and moving on from things that werent going in the right direction, like my relationship and a few friendships. and really starting to find out what the important things are to me, finishing school and figuring out where i want my career to go eventually. and finding out what an amazing support system i have that reaches farther then i could have ever imagined.

now i can move forward in this brand new year and focus on me. i have some big plans i cant quite reveal quite yet, mostly because they arent formed yet lol. but here are some im thinking about:

*i would love to get into volunteering

im not sure in what yet exactly. the military in some form or working with kids are the areas im thinking about.

with my old store!
a very long time ago at the boys and girls club.

*finish school

this is techinically over but it was a big thing right at the beginning of the year.

*possibly rec sports

some of my ragnar teammates play volleyball and softball so im really thinking about joining now that im done with school!

*enjoy running

while this is something i already do, last year i did a lot of learning and didnt even realize it till i looked back. i had a blast last year and didnt even really stop to enjoy it all. must slow down to soak it all in. and hopefully add another state or two to my map of ones i have run in. 

boom. a warrior.

 *work on my mindset

i made some really big decisions and changes last year. its time to appreciate that the heartache happened and move to a new mental state that this is my time to figure out what i want out of my future.

*clean out my closet

this i am actually going to do tonight. i have soo many things that dont fit anymore because they are just way too big and i cant even try to doctor it up into fitting. time to get rid of all the things holding me back!

*not be so hard on myself

some days this is easier said than done. i am only 27, which seems old at times, but so young at others. i make mistakes, i make good decisions, all of which has led me into the person i have become and will continue to grow into.

*surround myself with good people

today i got a text from a friend celebrating a major milestone that not everyone would love. it was so inspiring and heartwarming that she a. included me and b. had healed from a sucky situation to now be excited about forward is amazing. i am so lucky to have her and so many others like her in my life that i need to grab on to it and learn as much as i can. it also just lifts your spirit more when you have those good ones there:)

i dont have it all figured out yet, not even close. theres a bigger plan for me in all this i know it. sure would be nice to know a little bit about what that is:) but i do know for sure that 2013 is going to get me on the right path to find out whats in store for me down the road!

the christmas homecoming.

it was the middle of may when my brother came home for a normal weekend and told us that he would be leaving in 45 days for his next deployment. it was one of the first things he said to me when i got to my parents house as he stood there hugging me with his feet on top of mine so i couldnt kick him when he told me. being in the military we always know theres a chance and it can happen rather quickly. last time we got rather lucky since he was stationed on a boat and wasnt in the middle of everything. this time he was headed to afghanistan. 5 days after he got back to base that weekend he headed into a 30 day training in the desert, went back to camp pendleton, then left 2 weeks later.

this whole deployment was different than last time. it almost didnt feel like he was really gone, we hadnt really been talking much before he left for the training so when he left it felt like a continuation of that. it wasnt until just before he got extended (yes that happened!) we really started talking. now for most of the 1st part he was out in the middle of nowhere without power, none of us heard from him. but when he got to camp leatherneck my mom and his gf kelsey heard from him all the time, me not so much, my dad either. once he got extended for another 2 months i really started hearing from him more mostly through text since that was the only way. by the time he was headed home we finally were back to normal. ps my brother and i are super close which is why this was so weird.

 

we had heard the end of november rumors for awhile but it wasnt until the tuesday before thanksgiving that we got the official date and time of december 2nd. he was really coming home, just in time for the holidays! my parents booked a great resort/spa in dana point for the weekend, we would leave from vegas saturday, he came home sunday, then the 4 of us would all drive back up to vegas together so kyle could take care of a few things here. so for the 3rd weekend in a row my parents and i piled into the car to head back to southern california!

after a detour through pasadena to visit stats (the best christmas store ever!) we got a phone call from kelsey that they werent coming home till monday night. now we had heard from kyle they were delayed because of weather but only by parts of the day, not a whole one! so here we were staying till monday with nothing to do on sunday. as we were driving by knotts berry farm i said outloud wouldnt it be fun if we could just go to disneyland tomorrow instead. just to see what happened. next thing i know im looking up ticket prices and trying to find somewhere for my dad to go golf for the day while my mom and i go to the happiest place on earth during christmas time!! i called my friend nate and his wife katie because they had annual passes and told me anytime i wanted to go just to call. they said they would meet us there in the afternoon, we were really going!

the next morning we had an amazing breakfast at the resort and were kicking my dad out of the car at the second golf course we found so we could head up to anaheim. we got to disneyland sometime around 10a and planned to spend the whole day, so we did!

bring it militray!
we are still gonna have a great weekend:)

love.

santa!

she asked if we swam there hehe.

it was misty and dreary but still busy. we got to ride all the rides we always do and had lots of delicious snacks on the way, hello disneyland churros! the christmas parade was so fun then nate and katie joined us for the afternoon. it never really opened up and rained, just misty enough to make you wet. that wasnt going to break our spirit but was enough to cancel the candlelight ceremony mid-way through and prevent it from "snowing" on main street after the fireworks show. we had a blast! i am sooo glad my mom said yes to going:) plus i got to cross something off my bucketlist, visit disneyland at christmas time!

nate and katie:)
oh and my very stylish poncho!

3 of our very favorites!

i love gingerbread men!
especially chocolate-covered mickey ones:)

such a pretty castle!

finally it was monday morning and i was up ready to go for a run when i looked outside to see it pouring outside. so i headed back to bed for another hour before breakfast. we were just finishing up, getting ready to head to base when kelsey called and said we needed to slow down. they hadnt even landed at march air force base yet, let alone start the 2 hour drive south to pendleton. so i headed back upstairs to lounge in my amazingly comfortable king size bed a little longer.

the view from my balcony.

at about 11a we finally couldnt wait any longer and knew that he was at least on the buses headed south to us. so we headed to base and the parade deck already had families there for us to hang out with. pretty soon after we saw the buses go by as they headed to the armory to check their weapons and get room assignments for the barricks. we were pretty good at entertaining ourselves at this point and watching the vehicles rolling in with weapons and bags gave us all stuff to talk about. everyone kept saying the check in process would take 2 hours, but luckily we knew better from the last deployment return. not even an hour later the motorcycle brigade was headed onto deck!

our traditional homecoming pic!

right behind them was our guys marching in for formation. we had to stay behind the flags set up until they were released, we were of course right on that edge. as they marched in we kept trying to find him in the 2nd group but they all look alike! before we knew the commander was calling out platoons and asking all accounted for? with a response as yes sir. then, finally...dismissed. except we still hadnt found my brother yet! luckily he found us and bee-lined right for me. first hug!! he made the rounds to everyone and tears were flowing freely.

 

after pictures it was time to grab the stuff and get the hell out of there. he had too much to just take on his own so we of course volunteered to help. dang his stuff was heavy!! the bag i took was probably a good 60+ pounds. we didnt care he was home.

 

one of the best.

food was a must pretty soon after so we headed to el torito for lunch and then the road home fairly quickly after which of course meant margaritas for kyle and i ;) it was cool to have him come home with us and hear all the stories over time. we also found out the real reason he was delayed! the pilot was making a u-turn on the runway and didnt turn fast enough then running them off the runway and into a massive snowbank!! we plan to blame the pilot for quite awhile. he was only home for the night then back to base tuesday night. the 18th-27th though he will be home for christmas leave! we are so thankful he came home safe, god bless our troops near and far.

the birthday staycation.

this year my birthday was on a thursday which means i got to stretch out over a few days! i turned 27 for those interested in knowing (hehe) and couldnt believe it was actually here. sometimes it feels like forever for birthdays to come around. i am a big fan of birthdays and think they should always be celebrated in the way the birthday person wants!

the day started off at work when i arrived and had some delicious treats on my desk:) i havent had things like this in quite awhile and couldnt help but have one! dang, they were good. i also got another huge cupcake during the day and lots of birthday presents via email haha. plus the song, i cant lie that i do like it a little:)

homemade whoppie pies!

told you it was huge:)

that night i had plans to meet my parents and cousin at the cheesecake factory! it seems thats a standard now since it was the same place we went last year lol. but really, who says no to the cheesecake factory?? this year was a little different since i am seeing my nutritionist and that meant ordering quite differently. did you know they have a skinny menu?! omg, seriously so good and tons of options! mom and both ordered off that one and i totally stole a bite off my cousins plate of alfredo hehe. it was delicious and i couldnt help but miss it just a little. i got another birthday song and 2 pieces of cheesecake! ha, just kidding. i had promised joanie no cheesecake that night so i didnt order a piece of my own but did have a few bites of the other 2 pieces. man they were good. i kept it all to a minimum since i had an appointment to see her in the morning and we were trying to be down a pound. (ps who tries to lose a pound in 2 days with 1 of them being their birthday, sheesh its hard)

saturday though was my big day to celebrate! i have wanted to stay in a room on the strip forever. i never have and decided since it was my birthday thats exactly what i was going to do. so i found a smokin deal at mandalay bay and wanted to keep it low key. it wasnt a huge year so a big party wasnt necessary, but you gotta do something:) so saturday morning i got up, knocked out my 10 miles, took a short nap, treated myself to a sparkly pink pedicure, then richard and i headed to mandalay bay to check in at about noon! our plan was to be at the pool by 1p and it actually worked pretty well. kristle came to join us and we were ready for some fun in the sun! we found 3 chairs and a waitress was by fairly soon to take our drink order. oh heck yes i was drinking haha. dont worry, i had permission lol.

our view for the day!

the afternoon drifted by as lounged, had lunch, took a few spins around the lazy river and the wave pool, and did a hefty amount of people watching. it was totally the way i wanted to spend my birthday! we also had a special treat we had concocted earlier in the week, drunken gummy bears:) since monday these little guys had been swimming around in a pool of vodka soaking up the goodness and they were a delicious treat on a hot day!

yum, gummy bears!

later on tiffany came down to hang out with us and go to dinner at the cantina inside the shops. like i said, very low-key:) we listened to the hilarious marichi band that sang me happy birthday and a johnny cash song along with every other party that had a birthday in the house! i had these lobster tacos that were a-mazing we spent the night chatting away. afterwards we headed up to the foundation room at the top of the hotel. well after the 3rd degree by the guy working the desk about how long we would be there and how much money we were planning to spend. it was the weirdest thing, but we made it past! the view was amazing and the drinks were some of the strongest ones i might have ever had haha. it wasnt as great as i thought it was going to be, but the view made up for it:)

sorry its little a dark:/

we were all pretty tired from the day so as tiffany headed home richard and i went back to our room and spent the night curled up watching friends:) it was totally what i was looking for! getting up the next morning was rough from such a comfortable bed and knowing we had to go home:/ we ate breakfast at the hotel just to stretch it a little longer before heading to the mall for my birthday shopping spree! i have been dying for new clothes for what seems like forever, so that was my present from richard:)

this birthday was great, i did exactly what i wanted and finally got to cross staying on the strip off my list! seriously if you havent you should very soon:)

the 2012 real life preview.

so after looking at my running preview for this year i got super excited. then i remembered all of the other things im also doing this year and had to share them with you of course:) now there are more things being added all the time for this list just like the running one. but here are the things i have so far!

3/17/12-3/26/12 : england!!

one of my best friends from undergrad is getting married! he traveled to england to earn his masters and fell in love with an amazing girl, whos name is also katie, she has to be cool then:) so we are heading across the pond to celebrate their wedding! i am seriously soo super excited. i cant wait to head back to england and do the tourist thing with friends from college. richard is unfortunately not going to be able to make it, but i am going to meet friends when i get there.

after getting married in a church,
this is where the reception will be!

source

3/30/12 : 1/2 way done!

i will be officially half way to my masters degree!! that will end my 5th class and i have ten total. oh i cant wait:)

4/14/12 : kristin and seans wedding : phoenix, az

my senior year i got to live the 2 best roommates, jessica and kristin. there was another one, but she was nuts, so we just talk about the fun things with the 3 of us lol. while distance definitely hasnt been on our side we have all stayed friends since. finally her awesome fiance sean popped the question and they are getting married! they decided to do a destination wedding to hawaii with just their immediate families and best man/maid of honor. but 1 month later we are all heading to phoenix(where they live) to have a big reception! i cant wait to see them and hang out with jessica for the weekend which also happens to be her birthday weekend! richard is for sure coming to this one and we have already booked our plane tickets to head to the party:)

standing outside san felipes at 530am for tequila sunrise!
homecoming 2007.

6/2/12 : andrew and stephanies wedding : reno, nv

i first met andrew and stephanie at mike and loras wedding in august 2010. they were so cool and live in reno. it was fun to have another couple around. soon we found out they were joining us on the hiking adventure to the grand canyon. they were coming 1 day after, but we would be able to hang out down there and head out of the canyon together. during their 1st day we hiked to a few waterfalls and they had a moment together right next to a beautiful waterfall. i look up in the next moment and andrew is on one knee with sparkly ring in his hand asking stephanie to marry him!! it was seriously so awesome to be part of that moment:) so we will be headed up north to celebrate their wedding!

she said yes!!

6/8/12-6/10/12 : san francisco, ca

the next weekend (tentatively) i will be heading to see my grandparents in benecia, ca just outside of san francisco. richard and his friends are going to this huge festival called edc here in vegas and i have been really wanting to go visit my grandparents on my own. so since its a 3 night festival and he will sleeping during the day/partying at night and i wont see him anyway, i think its the perfect weekend to get away:) they live in the cutest town and its only a ferry ride to the city. plus my grandma is a fantastic cook so i will be eating a ton while im there!

when richard and i visited them on our trip to
san francisco in 2009.
i was sooo sick in this picture haha.

new years-tba

after wandering the strip this year and seeing all the tourists here we started thinking about maybe going somewhere new. or at the very least doing something totally new. weve talked about warm places or even getting a room on the strip instead. definitely want to shake it up!

maybe here...

or here...

this is going to be a big year, i can feel it! there are so many exciting things lined up for richard and i this year:) i cant wait to share them all with you guys!