Really Fast...Literally!

I only have a couple of minutes because I am leaving to church BUT...

the track meet yesterday was awesome!

We scratched both relays due to injury on the team and we don't want to risk going to nationals which is the smartest thing to do.

My 100 meter time was a 12.77 placing fourth in the meet! (my goal this year is a 12.5)

My 200 meter time was a 26.37 placing third in the meet! (my goal this year is a 25.9)

I am now placed fourth in the entire collegiate conference. 

I am sooo happy with my times, O my goodness. I finally feel good and once I gave it to God everything went so much better. The craziest part about the entire day is that I prayed exactly for those times. I prayed for a 12.7 and got it, and I prayed for a 26.3 and I got it.

God is so good. 

The icing on the cake was Susanna being there to watch me run! I was so happy :) 

We were with each other all day. 

I will write again soon!

The Night Before

It is the night before a track meet again :) 

I was going to write an inspirational post about a couple of things that I have been thinking about, but I will save that when I am in the mindset to write (or should I say type).

Tonight I am excited to run in the meet tomorrow. I have a TON of competition. 

4x100

100 meter

200 meter

Possibly 4x400 depending on how my relay team is feeling. 

There is a girl in the 100 meter that runs an 11.95. That is SO fast. But this is the time to pr (personal record). I am in the fast heat so lets see what time I can have my little butt run!

It is the same case for the 4x100 meter relay. There are a lot of fast teams that will push us to our full potential. This kind of competition can either make some one break someone. Let make this relay team go to nationals!

I am curious about my 200 meter because I have not ran it in a race for about...4 or 5 weeks. I hope to run a crazy pr so I will have a better seed lane at conference, which is in 2 weeks.

I am officially done with classes! I have one take home final to turn in by Wednesday, and then I am completely finished with my sophomore year in college! O my goodness :) 

Now I just need to add one more class to my 2013 spring schedule, finish a scholarship, and turn in a form to accept my financial aid award. My FASFA is complete, and I just need to do a couple more things on my to do list. 

The craziest thing is to see my boyfriend pick up his cap and gown for graduation. He has done so well and now he is moving on to even bigger things! I am so proud of him :) I pray that life brings him the most amazing blessings. Another crazy thing to see is people starting to already move out. I still have a few weeks due to track, it is a very awkward feeling when the dorm building is empty. Rachel is required to check out on a certain day, or else she would stay with me. 

Rachel today did the most amazing thing ever! She sent me an encouraging note in my mailbox saying good luck with finals and nationals. She is an amazing friend!

Another awesome thing is that Susanna is at the track meet this weekend. She ran the 1500 today. Rachel, Deb, and I drove over to the track to watch her run. It was so great to see her :) Now she gets to watch me run all day tomorrow. It will be just like old times! 

Thank you to, Susanna. I completely copped her idea to get pictures from pinterest :)

Hello Jr. Year, I didn't think I would see you so soon

Time is flying by so quickly. I am currently sitting in my dorm room waiting for my 11:35 class. I turned in my final for one class this morning, started laundry, and I have been doing random tasks all morning. The last couples weeks of living in the dorms are approaching. I remember the first day moving in. Mom helped carry my clothes up the stairs while Dad brought my TV through the side door of the building. Dad started to cry, and Mom cried before she got into the car and left to go home while her little girl stayed on the college campus. Now, two years later, I am waiting to move into an apartment, and run out of the dorms. Everything is moving by so quickly. 

Now I finish what is not complete and wait. I have two more classes today for the last time, a presentation and  paper due tomorrow, and a final due on Wednesday. Then I am completely finished with my sophomore year of college. I still need to finish one more scholarship with the deadline being May 1st, so that is still another bullet point on my to do list. 

Track is getting more intense. The 4x1 relay...the four of us girls are working our tails off with our hand offs to make it to nationals. This is exactly what happened at relay practice on Tuesday: 

      Tiffany, Daragh, and I were sitting on the railing and Coach Lee stood next to us. 

      Tiffany: Coach, do you think we can make it to nationals in the 4x100 relay? 

      Me: Be honest Coach.

      Coach: Well, lets just say that I need to reserve hotel rooms in advance in Indiana and I have already    reserved your rooms.

And that was that :) We are so pumped and we want to accomplish this goal. It would be amazing. Right now we are seeded second in the conference. We have three more attempts to run a national qualifier. Pray for the speed, power, and hand offs!

These are pictures from last weekend. I wrote Friday night about enjoying life and relaxing with track. That day I told myself that no matter what time I run and no matter what place I come in at, I will be happy because it is not worth losing happiness over. Well, it worked. We took first in the 4x100 and 4x400 relay and I won the 100 meter. It was a GREAT race. You can see how close the three of us were in the picture below. I did not run the 200 because of my hamstring, but I will be running that this Saturday.

I won the 100 meter with a time of 12.94 :)

4x400 relay. We won the meet with a time of 4:06. We beat our best time by 5 seconds! Coach Lee thinks we can break 4 minutes :) 

Now I am off to start my day. It's lunch time :)

Taking a Step Back...Maybe a Couple

First is business.
1. Tomorrow I have a track meet. It is the first time I will be competing in three weeks. I am actually excited, and it has triggered some thoughts (I will get to that soon). This week I have noticed that my right hamstring is very sore. The thing is, is that my right hamstring is the one I tore my junior year in high school. An injury like that doesn't ever really go away. So one, it is scary to have it hurt, and two, I am wearing a sleeve on it to keep it from getting injured. I think I have already strained it, but the sleeve helps it so much. My coaches do not know that it is injured, but they will find out tomorrow when they see me wear the sleeve. I can't take it easy or not compete. I have been out for four weeks and don't have time to be hurt. SSOOO as a college athlete that is what you have to do...suck it up :)
2. Today was a really good day. My class this morning was canceled. No morning class = no alarm. I had track practice and later went to coffee with Deb and Rachel. We spent a lot of time talking (as girls do) and looking at furniture for our apartment next year. Let me tell you that craigslist is amazing for that. After we came back we ate dinner in the good ol' cafeteria, and Deb and I went to a literary event. This is an event I needed to attend for my creative writing class (Deb was just being a good friend and coming with me). This event was put on by an art club on campus. Before I went I thought about how bored I would be, and it was  the complete opposite. I loved it. Poetry and stories were read, while photographs taken by fellow students were shown. It inspired me to actually come to my room and write like I love to do.

So this might come off random, because I am just writing from my heart, but I guess this is what writers do. And maybe if someone comes along and reads this blog they will like what they see leading me to a place in my life I never thought I would be :) But for now, I am writing to write, and writing to let my mind wander.

     I went outside to write, but the grass was too wet. The weather tomorrow should be beautiful, 75 and sunshine. It reminds me of home right now. Which home? My first home. Before I came to college, and before I met Rachel and Deb. Before I met Bill and Hunter. Before Alija came into my life. The weather reminds me of the place where I started. And no, that isn't California. It's Idaho. So to embrace the moment of remembering what it is like to be me, I am taking a step back from finals, watching movies with friends, filling out pages of scholarships that I might not even get awarded to me, and writing. Writing about what I feel, writing about what I fear, and writing about anything that comes into my mind. What is life if I can't enjoy it? What is the point of running track if I am just upset every time I run? What is the point of training when I will just be disappointed with my time on the outside to show people that I can do better, but when in all reality I am proud of the time I ran? What is the point of not being happy right now? I have two more weeks of school, and three more weeks of track. Time is slipping away faster than ever before, and I feel as if I am feeling like it is still in the middle of the year. I went into last summer thinking about how my life changed within weeks. I came into the school year with my mind running 1,000 miles an hour, and now that it has finally slowed down, the year is almost over. Decisions for summer are going to be made, and my life may change again in a matter of weeks. I am not necessarily afraid of the change that is to come, but the memories of what is left behind. Seniors who are graduating will not be at my school, friendships that have bonded may not be as close, and seeing something as small as a bench that I once sat on with another person who will not be at my school next year will still be there. The bench marks a huge mountain in my life. To some people it is just a bench they walk past everyday, but to me it is where someone told me to take a chance. It is where my life altered, and I made a choice. It is what led me to this day, and now this day has come so fast that the bench will not have that person soon. I will be the only one to see the bench, and it will remind me of the change that has occurred. I know this is completely wishy washy, but these are the kinds of things that run through my mind everyday. I want to share what I see with others, I don't want to be the only one who sees them.
     I don't want to be afraid of failure. In order for someone to feel success, they need to feel failure. I want to enjoy what I am doing. I don't want to ever look back and say "I wish I would have done that differently." That will happen regardless of who someone is because no life is perfect and not one person on this earth has made all decisions the right way, but I want to be happy with the decision I make. I don't want to be afraid of being wrong. I want to take every change I have. I want to be known. I want to live a life that is worth living. I want to live a life that is worth Jesus's blood. I want to love life. There are times when I sit before practice, or even nights like tonight before a track meet, thinking to myself "I wish I didn't have to run. I wish I didn't have to compete. I wish I could just relax." It's so pointless to think these things. I remember dreaming when I was a little girl of being so popular for my speed and winning a race. I remember what I dreamed of, and now I am right where I wanted to be wishing I could be doing something different. In all reality, I am thinking foolish thoughts because I am afraid to fail. What I need to do is not be fearful, and be all I can be. Be everything that God intended me to be. I don't want to be afraid of failure. I want to embrace what is around me. I need to love everything in my life, to be happy with the way I am living. Maybe not even loving EVERYTHING, but not taking advantage of what I have. This is because I know that when it is time for me to graduate and move on from this college life, I will look back and say "Dang, I wish I would have done things differently." That is what I want to prevent. I want to look back and say, "I wouldn't change a thing."
     One thing that I do not love is the word average. I don't want to be an average height, I don't want to be an average person, and I don't want to live an average life. I want to make a difference, and I know God gave me this kind of heart. I want to some day look back and say "Wow. I did it. This is why I went through everything I did. It was to get here." I didn't exactly have time to be a child, and I didn't exactly have time to make the mistakes people around me made. There have been small moments when I say "Wow. This is why..." but I wonder if there is a larger moment. I understand why I went through the trials I did, and I accept them. I forget most of them by choice, but I accept them. That is why I don't want to be average. That is why I move 1,000 miles an hour. I don't want my past to catch me. I don't want the little girl who had to grow up troubled to catch my tail. I want to run into my future and squeeze fresh lemonade for my family while we all sit on our matching couches talking about our days. I know it is far fetch, but I want to give a life of perfection. I want to give the life I envisioned when I was so small.
     Taking steps back in my eyes right now is loving life. Be happy with what is around me, and be thankful for the opportunities I have. Love track because I truly love it. Love memories because I had a chance to live them. Love today, because I don't know what is to come tomorrow.

That is what runs through my mind. Those are the things I want to write a book about. Those are the things that keep me going. It is as if they are gas in my tank :)

Here are Bible quotes that I think fit into this blog. And again, if there are many errors I am sorry :) I want to be able to write with errors in my own blog, because in my final papers my professors don't accept them!

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34

Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person get the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

Let love be your highest goal!... 1 Corinthians 14: 1

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 4 Philippians 12-13 

    P.S. My mom comes back to watch my conference track meet in 21 days! :)

Y.O.L.O.

My weekend was great! It was just what I needed. Family, love, bonding time, conversation, movies, great food, waking up without an alarm clock, not feeling pressure...is there anything more to say? Aunt Sandi's birthday on Saturday was so much fun! We barbecued, opened gifts, ate cake and ice cream, saw a funny garage sale down the street, took a walk...it was just a great day :) Sunday came fast and I headed back to school. Before I left Aunt Sandi and Uncle Jim packed me up some goodies, and I hit the road after breakfast. I already miss Aunt Sandi's morning lattes. 

Rob, Rowen, Kim, Sandi, Sadey (puppy), Jim, Shane, Me :)

  Now back to reality. Two more weeks of regular school classes, and one week of finals. May third is my last day of my sophomore year. It's not time for the stressful assignments, the crowded library, and a little bit of anxiety. It wouldn't be college if these things didn't occur, so its time to embrace the beauty of being a student. 

Track is a little frustrating. I am feeling better, but getting into shape and still "babying" my body is so tough. My ST joint is starting to hurt again (the strained muscle in my hip), and now my hamstring is acting up (I tore my hamstring my junior year in high school). These next 4-5 weeks of track will be a time of prayer. I pray that God to give me strength, and that he gives me the ability to show other people what he gifted me with. He gifted me with speed for a reason, and sometimes I want to know why. I want to shine, and reach the goals that I see in my mind and feel in my heart. I'm ready to be strong physically and mentally again. 

It is now time for bed. I have my list of "to dooos" for tomorrow, and sleep is calling my name. I have so many ideas to write about during the day, and then over the course of the day I forget what my ideas are. The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write it down. I will remember." :) I will start writing them down. 

Today was Deb's birthday! We went out to eat with a group of friends, and ate a bunch of unhealthy things :) Whenever I feel guilty about eating junky food I should not eat I think of this: 

YOLO: You Only Live Once :) 

Lovely Life

I love my life.

These are the small things in life that make me realize that I love where I am, what I am doing, and where (I am not sure where yet) I am going. 

This weekend I am at my aunt and uncle's home for the weekend. I have been looking forward to it all week. Tomorrow is my aunt's birthday so this weekend worked out perfectly. I came here last year one weekend, and now I am again here a year later. I cannot believe how fast a year has gone by. Right now I am sitting in the room I have at my aunt and uncle's lovely home. It is literally perfect. Welcoming. Loving. Inviting. Comforting. Family.

The first hour I am here we sit and catch up on EVERYTHING going on in life.

We eat dinner as a family.

and then even have DESSERT :)

We make popcorn, watch a movie, and then I am sent to bed with hugs, kisses, brownies, and milk.

I am overwhelmed with happiness from the love of family. 

My health is doing great. I feel healthy! I am up and working out, and I am at 125 pounds (I have gained back three pounds). I have five more to go (this is muscle mass pounds, not fat). But I don't think I will have a problem with gaining this weight back. Being at my aunt and uncle's home will get me ready to start rebuilding my muscle. Milk and brownies are being tackled right now, and in the morning (after I sleep in!) we will have pancakes and eggs. I literally am LOVING life. They are the kind of people who make everyone feel welcome and loved. They are amazing. I love coming here to visit, and I love being able to spend time with them as a family. 

This is the last weekend off of track. I have a track meet next weekend, and each week until conference. Lets pray for national qualification times for my 4x100 relay team! 

School is coming down to a close shortly, and that means dead week, which leads to finals week. I am about to start homework, but I needed to get blogging out of my system. It is the one thing that gets my brain to start working, but it also relaxes my mind. I have officially enrolled for next years classes and I have an idea for my life career. I am majoring in psychology and minoring in trauma intervention. I want to work towards a career in psychoanalyzing in crime. Lets see where this leads me :) I have always wanted to get into the criminal side of professions (my original plan was to be a lawyer), but my heart was pointed toward a different direction. In the fall I will be tackling 18 credits, and will be followed by 16 more in the spring. Lets just say I will be a regular in a coffee shop.

I will either be going back home May 13th or May 27th depending on qualifications in track. I will be starting a babysitting job right when I get back! I pray that goes according to plan, because I NEED a steady job. My goal is to have a car by the end of summer to bring back to college. 

I have been reading my Bible...I am still in Matthew, but I am still reading on! 

Here are prayer requests: 

-Candace's family (her grandpa just passed away)

-Alija's body (healing)

-Mike (athletic Chaplin for Warner; his wife found out she has a rare health issue and she is pregnant with their second child)

P.S. If there are a lot of editing mistakes in this blog, it is because I did not reread it/make corrections! Please forgive me :)

For Rachel's birthday a group of us went out for dinner at an amazing dessert place in downtown!

I was a bridesmaid at Fata's wedding :) 

For Easter I made chick deviled eggs (Thank you Grama Sharon for all of your recipes!)                                                          

These are my teammates :)