Monday Morning

What happened this morning? Well it all happened running with my buddy. I kind of think I should just type it because if I open my mouth again something odd might happen LOL!! I have lived in TX almost 9 years and rarely had an accent. I lost my vowel and said "towel" in a VERY southern way. We had a good laugh about it because it was kinda funny coming from me. I feel ya'll coming. The words may happen - but I will always be a West Coast girl ;) Then one of things happens that runners hate... I ATE a bug. I saw it then it was down the hatch.. UGHH.. Have to love my friend to say "Well, you just had a little extra protein today:"  Even though it's Monday and strange things may happen realize you can find the good in it ... like extra protein, a reason to laugh or the blessing of a great friend.

Cyber Bullies

Raw, real and honest post.

For over a year I have been dealing with a cyber-stalker. They follow me on Girls Gone Healthy. Befriend, act like they need help just because they know I have a kind and compassionate heart willing to help anyone in need. They will then follow me on my personal page. Unfriend me then refriend to let me know they have "47 accounts following me and have no intention of leaving me alone". Since then they haven't. I have been harassed by fake military personal, fake women, men, and then the not so fake person. They have mocked my life, my truth, laughed at my seizure, the fact that I have had mini stroke prior to my seizure. I have never contacted them in return. This person is truly sick and demented. They always use different emails but the same names and always use pieces of my life and childhood.  The person who IS doing this all IS my parent. Yep. Abusing me as a kid wasn't enough. Lets go a second 3rd, 15th, 20th round as an adult years after I cut you out of my life and moved half a country away from them. I have been told I live too openly. I should shut down everything FB and stop being a coach. Well let me tell you that is NOT going to happen. This "woman" controlled my life as a kid. She will not control me now. My passion is helping other people. I have come so far in my life. I have lost a ton of weight, found my happiness, overcome the odds. I wake-up EVERY morning excited to help others do the same. I have helped hundreds of woman and I plan on helping hundreds more. A person and their sick fascination with me, my success and life will not stop me. It will just drive me. So my parent can keep sending me her psycho messages and my friends and I will laugh at them. I will put them in the psycho file and we will just move on like it didn't happen.

Now the part that upset me is what about all the children and teens on social media who don't have the age and maturity to deal with it in this way? WHO is going to protect them? No wonder there are children hurting, harming even killing themselves over cyber-bullying. If there are states that at this time can't and won't protect them - who will?

Maybe it's time for me to look into this and as suggested help start a Law to help the innocent.

Empowerment of Truth

If we don't show up in our truth. Our true life will never be a part of us. Ever. I'm not afraid of my truth. I'm not ashamed of my truth. I am empowered by my truth. My truth has made me strong. My truth has made me whole again. I will sing it from the mountain tops. The only people afraid of it are the people living a lie. People ask how I can be so open. Because it is freeing. Also because if I tell my story and it helps just one person improve their life that is enough for me.

Evening Thoughts

My thoughts tonight as I go to sleep is I am so grateful that after all I have been through in my life. All the issues I should have from being raised by a hurtful and sick person is that I still have a heart full of love. A heart willing to help instead of hurt. To cheer on others to victory instead of laugh at their defeats. To see the good in others instead of the bad. To be able to love somebody expecting nothing in return but the same love, never with an agenda.  Also, to be able to trust without borders.  I won't let one evil person change me. I will though let one loving person lead me and keep me on the path to all that is wonderful in my life. Because it is a wonderful life and I am so blessed.

Don't Give Up

My #TBT . Have you checked on the "on this day" option Facebook gives us now? This post was from 5 years ago today. I was putting on a positive front but I was unhappy in my health. I had pretty much given up and surrendered to the fact that my family, friends and life was going to have to be good enough. I really didn't feel I was worth putting any effort into because I had tried so many times and failed. My family,  friends and life IS enough but I deserve more. We all deserve more. We should never settle simply because we are stuck. When we are stuck we need to learn from what isn't working and find what will work. What wasn't working was my nutrition and the hours daily at the gym. I first started with my nutrition. What started as giving up Diet Soda because I read an article that it could increase my odds of seizures turned into clean eating. Next I jumped off that elliptical, cancelled my gym membership and hit the streets. Walking turned to running. I then added Beachbody. I have done every workout I can think of from them. I now am a Coach and have helped hundreds of women lose thousands of pounds. Why? Simply because it is my passion. I want others to know they can do this. They don't have to be alone and they NEED to know they are WORTH it.What started as me getting healthy has become some much more. It really is amazing when you can see life go full circle right before your eyes.

So bottom line - if you feel like you have to settle. DON'T DO IT!! I promise sometimes the biggest changes come at the other side of despair. That wall will go away - you have to climb over it though!!

All Storms End

For me running leads to reflections. I just had a major aha moment reflection from the Easter Holiday Weekend. My reflection is it was amazing. It was calm, peaceful, loving, fun. Perfection. Why is this an Aha moment? All my Holidays are wonderful but what they usually have is pieces of painful family memories. Pieces of reflecting in how one person and her illness and need to control everything and everyone in our family has actually torn 3/4 of it apart. In the past I would dwell on making  phone calls as a requirement of being a good family member while knowing it would just bring negativity to my day. I would reflect back to the moments of good in our family and the happy moments we would have. I would also think of the horrible times and the manipulation, lies and pain we went through to be able to have a nice day. I would think of the dreaded family picture around a Holiday table. The family members, the drama, the pain, the good the bad -  didn't cross my mind once. This Easter absolutely NONE of this crossed my mind until days later on my run.

What was on my mind??

How amazingly happy I am. How happy I am to have such an amazing husband for 20 years. We just celebrated our anniversary and for two kids getting married under 20 we are so lucky. Not only do we love one another but we are best friends. We have two amazing kids. As I was sitting at church on Easter with my family I wasn't thinking of missing people but looking forward to the future ( way, way in the future ) to when we have a row filled with their families. A family that started because two people feel in love at first sight. A family that is strong and healthy because we ended the trends of emotional, physical, alcohol and drug abuse with our generation.  As a family we are healthy from the inside out and truly love and respect one another with no agendas, lies, false pretenses or manipulation. Another thing on my mind is the family that is still standing. The family that is not didn't cross my mind. At this point my children know no better and don't care to be a part or around them either.  Setting boundaries and leaving them behind truly changed my life to the point it cleared my mind and my heart. The storms are gone. Just peace. We shopped for Easter dresses, made silly Easter Peeps Poop Cupcake, made a delicious dinner. Spoke to my family and my friends who are the family of my heart.  At dinner it was relaxing and fun. And no, I would never take a picture. Some pictures are just better as an amazing memory.  Just like this weekend.

Just remember no matter how big the storm you are going through it will eventually come to an end. If the storms tries to huff and puff again - just turn your back. It has no power. You do.

Coconut-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

                                                             

Coconut-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
serves 4
Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° 
Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise.
Next cut into strips about 1/4" thick. 
In a large bowl, toss sweet potato slices with coconut oil, cinnamon and salt, making sure all pieces are covered.
Spread out on baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes flipping at 20 minutes.

 These are totally SIMPLE!! Also 19 year old son approved! Double win!

Simple Moments

Life Lesson - Don't wait. If you want to do something - just do it.

We always wanted to bring our Irish Setter for a ride in my convertible. We always put it off. Weather, his illness, we were busy. I could have on his last days but the thought of it was way too emotional for me. So today, 10 days after he has left us from cancer, I surprised my daughter by picking her up for the first time with Paris in the car. (Don't worry when we drove the windows were up and the dog is secured by a leash.) Olivia was so happy. So was her dog. We spent the ride home laughing and making memories. Olivia made a puppy selfie camera and video.

Don't wait. Make memories.

Stop Spinning The Globe - Find Peace

If the problems in your life were an old fashioned globe do you peacefully let them rest? Or are you pushing that globe daily making it spin faster to the point it feels out of control? Do you complain about everything? Do you feel like you are in the center of all the family problems and issues? Well, if you do I hate to break it to you - you put yourself there. Stop feeding problems with your energy. Stop looking for issues, it just makes them bigger. Stop inserting yourself in everything and then crying when you feel like everything is out of control and everyone involves you. You involve you - you put yourself there. How do I know this is all true? Because years ago it was me. I felt I needed to fix everything. Try to make everyone happy or help smooth everything out. All it did was make everything worse. Make me a victim, feel used and put me in a negative spot physically, emotionally and spiritually. Some things you can't fix. Your life IS what you make it - that you can fix. STOP spinning the globe. START feeding the peace - the calm. Set the boundaries with love. Walk away. Trust me. It's the best thing you will ever do.