Life Is a Gift

Life is such a beautiful gift, I cannot get that thought out of my mind.  No matter what journey you may be on, it is important to remember to enjoy every moment.  We don’t have preset lengths of time for every stage we go through, nor do we have defined expiration dates.  But, when it comes down to it, we are each allotted time and we need to take advantage of it.  I don’t mean to abuse it and to use it to do harm to others or things that may be deemed to be less than satisfactory.  Rather, take that time and dedicate it to the Lord and the things that in turn make us happy.  It isn’t a selfish dedication of just pursuing what you want, rather it is a Holy dedication in which we listen and pray and ask God what he wants from us.  Too often, we lose sight of the higher power that exists, a presence that yearns for us to reach all of our dreams which are also the dreams He has laid out for us.  It took me a long time to come to know my God, for He is mine just as He is yours.  But, now that I recognize Him in everything, I feel the tears welling up in my eyes in humble appreciation for all that He has done for me that I failed to give Him credit for.  I can continually reflect back on my life to times when I was down or times when I was elated, and in doing so I realize how big of a force He was all along.  I  am so grateful that He has shown Himself to me time and time again, and that finally, I see and acknowledge all that He is.  These tears fall down because I am so absolutely full of love for Him and the love that He fills me with is so great, I cannot seem to contain it.   

No limits

At some point in our lives, we each realize what is and is not important to us. We accept the past and restructure our future accordingly. The topmost items are often called dreams while the subsequent items are often considered limiting factors that we cannot change. 

Today is the day to make your dreams priority. Turn those limiting factors into challenges that can be overcome or support networks. Live YOUR life to the fullest. Let go of the idea of impossibilities and embrace opportunities. Live and learn, but, most importantly, grow so that the stars become within reach. If you believe you can achieve something, no person nor thing can hold you back. The only limiting factor you truly have is yourself.

Coast Guard Elite Athlete of the Year!

I am very blessed and honored to be selected as the Female Elite Athlete of 2013 for the US Coast Guard and I'd like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your kind words. I am so lucky to have an incredible command that supports me and nominated me, a job that allows me to pursue my dreams of triathlons and running in my free time, and friends and family that push me to be the best I can be. Among so many well deserving athletes in our service, I am so lucky to have been selected and put in for the award. I can't thank everyone enough and promise to continue to represent our service well at each event.

http://www.uscg.mil/announcements/alcgpsc/027-14_ALCGPSC.txt

Wrecked :(

For all of you who haven't been notified in some form or another, I took a bad bike spill yesterday crossing the grated bridge between Downtown Miami and Brickell on Brickell Avenue. Due to the rain, I lost traction in my tires and fell hard to the left side. With bruises, scratches, and some stitches, I managed to make out quite well despite a necessary visit to the ER. Sadly, my bike and helmet are both compromised from the ordeal. But, I am so grateful to the incredible friends and the wonderful support network that I have for looking out for me and helping me when I most needed it. I was so lucky to not be ran over following the fall, and that the same man that stopped in time for me also rushed me to the hospital with my bike in tow. I am very blessed that I will only be out of training and full functionality for a week and hopefully I will be able to figure out a solution to my bike soon. Lessons learned: your helmet will save you, be sure to invest in a great one and also, beware of biking over grated bridges in the rain!! It is a rather painful experience! Thanks you to everyone for your kind words and support. See you all out there training again soon

A Life Worth Living

Sometimes we sit idly, caught up in a vast web of emotions and blinded in the moment, feeling as though the walls are slowly compressing and eliminating the air in which we crave.  We are so distraught; we can no longer clearly see our dreams and aspirations.  Rather, those become the faintest of lines, overridden by large and looming obstacles desiring to suppress all happiness, hope, and joy.  We become choked up, thinking that there is no more to life than what is in view, and desire to succumb to even the faintest of temptations in order to deviate from a path yielding so little opportunity.  As those walls draw closer, we similarly withdraw from those around us, as though they too are now foreboding features when they ironically might very well be our salvation.  Depression consumes the mind; passion is lost and replaced by mere desire to escape.  But what are we truly escaping?  Though our views are imprisoned by fear and our passion is crippled by reason, all is not lost.  Too often people yearn for greatness; yet fail to realize that the journey towards it will be full of trials and tribulations well beyond even the most vivid of imaginations.  To be successful, we need more than just dreams, for those will, at times, be clouded over or imperceptible.  We need a combination of passion, drive, desire, mental tenacity, and an overwhelming tendency towards optimism. 

            What does it mean to be passionate?  Does it mean that you want something so badly that you are willing to do whatever it may take to get it?  Or is it perhaps that we find something we care so much about that the rest of life seems to pale in comparison?  Passion comes in numerous forms, be it passion in a relationship, passion in work, passion in sports, etc.  Each person chooses involuntarily to be passionate about something.  Even those who claim to be impartial are passionate about standing on a neutral ground.  We need things that we believe in strongly so that we can work towards them.  Otherwise we would all be content merely existing and never expanding in knowledge or power.  Choose something that you can pursue wholeheartedly. 

            I recall days long past where I would sit in solitude, reminiscing on decisions that were less that desirable.  I would sit for hours at a time thinking through every detail of my actions and try to delineate my reasoning and thought process.  I had become so critical of myself that I could find errors in every gesture, word, or action.

I sit and ponder and reflect often on the past.  I long sometimes to go back and to change it all in order to reduce some of the pain that I find myself feeling in retrospect.  I wish that I had known some things without the lessons that ensued.  I know that I have made some major mistakes and I wish that I could be at a place where they no longer plagued me.  But sadly, here I am dwelling yet again on things that I cannot change and longing to be a better person than I am. I feel that I do not deserve all of the wonderful things that life has given and shown me.  But I also know that that feeling ensures I continually appreciate the beauty that is life.  Without pain and darkness, it is hard to see how bright everything else is.  I am a girl who foolishly has always made decisions from my heart with little regard for my mind.  Now I get to deal with that on a constant basis, but I know that in the grand scheme of things I am very lucky indeed.  My problems are so few in a world that is so very vast.  I need to step aside from myself and take a new perspective so that I do not miss out on a life that is so worth living.   And this is a life worth living J

Dopey Challenge

Impossible is nothing. These words ring so true right now. I officially completed the Dopey Challenge. 23 min 5k, <45 min 10k, <1:40 13.1 and finished it all off with a 3:19 marathon!!! New personal best by nearly 13 min and 2015 Boston Qualifier by 16 min. So magical to share this with my mom and brother who both PRed their races... Tom Anderson with a 3:31 marathon. So proud!! Simply incredible and in the happiest place on Earth. I believed in myself, but I needed all of the love and support from my friends and family to prove it. Thanks to everyone and Wolfpack sponsors for preparing me for this and foll

owing me along this journey. Love you all

New Year, New Goals

2013...what a roller coaster ride!! So many wonderful adventures with old and new friends, joined the incredible Wolfpack, accomplished many goals in both work and triathlon, and learned a lot from each setback and challenge that I faced. No regrets - I couldn't be happier than I am right now, sitting here as a better person with a renewed sense of purpose and life. Everything does indeed happen for a reason! 

2014...I can't wait to meet you! From New Year's resolutions to substantial goals, you will be a year to be remembered.