Dreams Moving at the Speed of Light

As May I'd very quickly coming to a close, I've been doing a tremendous amount of thinking about the pace at which my life is currently moving. My baby brother turned 18 the other day and has his high school graduation today, my surprise 25th anniversary party for my parents (that had seemed like ions away,) happened over a week ago, my 24th birthday is a week away, I'm running a half marathon in under 8 weeks, and under 3 months from now I'll be moving to DC in order to start grad school. WOW, is my life brimming right now. So much to plan, so much to accomplish before I abandon the great Commonwealth of Mass, and just so damn much work ahead of me that I just do NOT want to face. Instead, I'm being a whiny baby and writing this post. 

In the 3 years since I've been out of college, (holy gross, where did those 3 years go!?) I've done so much growing as a person, but at very small stints, a little here, a little there. But now, now I feel like life is catapulting me in my dream direction. And I know, I should NOT be complaining. And honestly, I'm not, not really, I'm just taking this inventory of where I am, what I need to do to accomplish everything, and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to do it. I'm one lucky girl. I just want to make sure that I take my time saying goodbye. I want to take as much time as I need to spend with family and friends, especially given what is going on with certain members of my family. I don't want to rush my life, you will not catch me "wishing my summer away", cause hell, I love summer and I plan on milking as many free, homemade meals off of my parents that I can between now and August! 

(Even if my brother isn't as excited about family stuff as I am. Haha!!)

But that too is going to be precious, he is heading to college in NH this Fall after I leave for DC. Crazy to think the Stack children are going to be scattered along the East Coast! 

So I'm trying to take each day for why it is, complete with its challenges and joys. I'm trying to make sure I'm being kind to myself and taking care of everything without my "people pleasing-perfecting" ways. I'm trying to be vulnerable and authentic, happy and emotionally available. I'm trying to just be Elizabeth. I had a nice chat with myself last night in the car, discussin why on God's green earth I decided to run a half marathon, what I think grad school is going to do for me, what my goals are. I know that last statement seems weird, but opening up about my intentions and expectations, even if only to myself, was a tremendous help. It helped bring me back to where I am, so I could see all I want before me. This chat also allowed me to give myself permission to want what I want, only for the reason that I want them. I don't need any other reasons I run a half marathon, get a Ph.D. or anything else. If I want it, I'm going to get it. 

So do you ever have a nice pep talk with yourself in the car? Or do you have another way of centering yourself and your dreams? Let me know! I'm interested in all the ways people "talk" to themselves.

Happy Friday everyone!

~Elizabeth

Thoughts on Running, Dreaming, and Achieving

Happy Friday!!

As I sit on a bus, waiting to go to work, I've been reflecting about this past week. There have been some incredible achievements, like running 4 miles two days in a row, and some definite lows. But what really strikes me, is the 2.81 mile run I did Monday. Sure, it wasn't the whole 3 miles my training guide suggested (that's just what happens when the loop around your neighborhood is less than 3 miles.) but it was a very important training run. See, my big goal for 2013 has been to run a half marathon, I've been saying that since October of 2012. And Monday, I debated whether I wanted to even go for a run. It was a tough decision, especially when the alternative was sitting on my behind watching tv in the comfort of my living room. But I did it, I got up, put on some workout clothes, and hit the pavement. And that was officially my first training run for the half marathon in July. 

Since Monday I've run two consecutive days, 4 miles each time, which is the farthest that I have ever run, in my life. And tomorrow, the training guide calls for 6. That is going to be life changing. 6 miles, running, without stopping or napping. I am going to be one sore chica. But I am also going to be so proud of myself. 

See, it's not even my training that is amazing me, it's the high leftover from my parents surprise party that is doing this to me. That was me making a long-term goal and fulfilling it to the absolute best of my abilities. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but nothing in this world is. And I've been working very hard to accept that truth. So this half marathon training is merely a continuation of my achieving things that I had dreamed, but was never quite sure I'd accomplish. I am a runner. I am also a badass (in my own Elizabeth kind if way) and I love that. I love how much my confidence has improved these past few months. I finally feel like I truly love myself. And that is (almost) 24 years coming. So now, I'm going to revel in my successes and enjoy a nice restful Friday night out with the boy and some friends. 

Have a great weekend!

Always Coming Home

Happy Monday!

So the past few months I've been MIA and I know you're thinking, "surprise, surprise". Well I went over to tumblr, and while I loved the ease of uploading random stuff from my iPhone, I just missed the feel of a "real blog", I missed this place. So I've decided that this is where I need to cultivate my blog, where I need to be. So I'm going to include a link to my tumblr, so that there won't be any inconsistencies. What I am also going to do is update my 101 list, because I made a few changes based on what is going on in my life.

My 101 list has been happening at a significantly heightened rate lately, and not by design, which is pretty exciting in and of itself. But Saturday night was my big one. Saturday night was #96, my parent's surprise 25th Anniversary Party. And they had NO IDEA!!! It was fantastic. So naturally, I slept all day yesterday after running on pure adrenaline the past few days, weeks, and months. So there is going to be a whole post about it, but not until after my photographer sends me some pictures!!

Also, after seeing some of my family's pictures of myself, I decided that I was done putting my health and my weight on hold. I think the great thing about coming to that realization was that the decision to start watching what I eat and become more active wasn't born from a place of hate, but a place of tremendous love for myself. I just don't think I realized how large I've let myself become. I never realized how little I took care of my body until I started really listening to it a few months ago. So thile there were a few bumps with me trying to start my day working out, I did at least stick with eating something healthy to start my day:

And yes, that is a spoon, and it was a pain to eat sausages with a spoon. But in the effort to conserve resources, I sacrificed my comfort for the greater good of my dishwasher. So now, on to make my day off from work even more productive! As I will have to return to work tomorrow :( bummer...

~Elizabeth