ok, yeah, i’m a little excited……shhhhh….

mondays and wednesdays i have american government & politics, math 1010, and town city and regional planning.

tuesdays and thursdays i have women’s studies and environmental ethics… and math.

fridays i just have government!

bright & early tomorrow, i’ll be going back down south.

north carolina, i can’t wait to see you again.

(Source: exp.lore.com)

three-healths:

and a very hilly — and windy — one at that.

• total distance: 6.8 miles
• total time: 54’55”
• average pace: 8’00”
• splits: 8:17/8:06/8:03/7:51/7:49

#halfmarathon training

can’t WAIT for this ROCK n ROLL HALF MARATHON!

why am i crying i feel so stupid for crying but i miss you already and i just can’t control it

• [my iPod is playing in the background at work]
• Co-worker:Where do you go to school?
• Me:Appalachian State in North Carolina
• Co-worker:Oh, I'm from North Carolina! I have some friends who go there.
• Me:Oh that's awesome
• Co-worker:You know... your music taste suddenly makes so much more sense to me.

but i miss Boone already. this city is no longer the place for me. boone has stolen my heart. please let me go back down south.

My greatest struggle has always been accepting that my past is, in fact, past, and everyday is another opportunity for future. I allow myself to be held back by these experiences, and I am well past the time to let go. I must allow myself to be refreshed and cleansed by the rain. And just as every morning the sun rises to shine light on a new day, I must also allow a new day to bring new opportunity and new beginning.

For the first time, I feel like I’m really starting to believe that I’m worth that and that the possibilities are endless (thank you for helping show that to me). That I can be whoever I want to be — I can be who I am. If I accept my past and move on, not from it, but with it, allowing my experiences — my mistakes — to help me grow and learn. I think that through all my mistakes I’ve learned who I am not, and therefore I can let who I’m not shape who I am… kind of like carving out the negative space in a sculpture, only to leave behind the essence of my being. And I think that I will find that I like who this person is — one who possesses immense passion and love for life, who has something to stand for, who does not compromise herself because maintaining that sense of self is necessary for any meaningful success, who cares abundantly about the people in her life and will give anything for them, who is motivated, who is truthful in both word and action, who recognizes the importance of the present moment, but also has perspective on the future. I can be all of these things. If I believe myself to be, I will become. So I must possess a positive self-image. When I look in the mirror I must see myself as who I want to be because then, in everything I do, I will reflect that. If, instead, I perceive myself as past, I will then fall back to that. It’s all about mindset and moving forward.

Because every day is a sum of steps. We are always moving, and everything we think, say, and do has the potential of taking us in a different direction. I always want to be moving forward. Sometimes I will be taking baby steps because I am always learning. But I know that I will learn to run, so long as I never walk backwards. There is no way of knowing where backwards can take me because I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, and therefore, disaster would be inevitable. Maybe I’ll trip and stumble but, when I push myself back up, it is necessary that I brush off the dust and keep moving… forward. It’s the only way to move, even if I’m moving in the dark and unsure of where the path I’m on will take me. I must have faith in the destination so I can make the most of the journey, one step at a time.

But, I must never forget to stop and look at the trees on the way and the vast lands below me after great accomplishment because, within the universe, I see a reflection of my essence because we are all a part of the same creation.