I'm leaving on a jet plane... oh wait, in a van

I feel like I've been on the road a lot lately!!

I've been kind of spoiled and haven't traveled much with my athletics teams lately -- until this past month!!!

Recently I've made a road trip through Montana with Men and Women's basketball. Been to Las Vegas with Men's Lacrosse and I'm gearing up to go to Sun Valley, Idaho with the snowboarding team for Nationals.

I love getting good use out of my cute suitcases!!

Good thing I have my house all settled with wonderful renters, my pup Porter has a warm GG and Spud to curl up with and I can leave for awhile without worrying about things at home.

It's one of the perks of this job. It was hard to leave with a family at home, but now being single again it's fun to be able to get out and explore. We all know how I love exploring!! I just didn't realize my next expedition was coming up so quick!!

I better get going, I have some laundry to do!!

Keep Swimming

This has been my mantra lately...

KEEP SWIMMING.

Tomorrow is a big day, the day it should all be over. The day that I should hopefully be able to answer some questions and be done with all this.

It isn't going to fun. Everyone is going to be there. They will probably try to be rude and intimidating, but I can survive. I have to stay strong and just get through this.

If all goes according to plans this should be the last of it. But, if I've learned one thing from all of this it is that nothing goes according to plan.

Today another punch. Tomorrow many more.

I'm just praying to survive the punches and be able to lick my wounds tomorrow night surrounded by people that love me.

36 hours from freedom. That's the hope.

I've been under the thumb long enough. I'm served my sentence for loving too quickly and trusting too much.

So, here's the final push. Swim through the fire, swim through the waves.

Because hopefully tomorrow evening will be the long awaited moment when my feet hit on solid ground and I can stop swimming against this storm.

Thanks for all your support thus far, and if I can ask one more time for your love and good energy to be sent my way I would ask for that starting now and continuing through tomorrow evening.

Love you all, here's to hoping this is almost over.

A New Day

Every morning I wake up and see the bright sun coming over these gorgeous Utah mountains. I realize how grateful I am for each new day.

Every day brings new adventures and another step up for me right now. I'm moving..... I'm grooving.... and things are good.

Someone very important in my life recently got to the point that they thought life wasn't worth holding onto. It breaks my heart. I can't imagine being at a point where the intense morning sun didn't make me feel like anything is possible, anything is within my reach.

I'm grateful for where I am. I'm excited for the future.

Sure, I'm living with my folks for a short span; but it is bringing great things. It's allowing me to the find the house of my dreams. It's allowing me to pay off more debt while I'm looking. It's giving me grateful mouths for the the food that I'm really enjoying cooking. It's letting me bond with my baby brother who I have never had the opportunity to live with, until now.

Things are good. Things are moving. Things are shaking. Things are happening each and every day.

I can't imagine not feeling invigorated and motivated with that powerful sun hitting my face every morning.....

How could I not?

I wish I could help everyone feel this way, yet the best I can do is try to send that energy out in to the universe and hope that somehow it lands on their heart and helps them to reach up and move forward.

This world is full of opportunity, but it's up to us to take it by the horns.

Buckle down

I like metaphors.... and here is the one that I keep picturing a lot lately.

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I'm climbing a ladder, a tall one. I've been climbing for awhile now... slow and steady.

It hasn't been easy. In fact, the hardest part was getting on it to begin with.

I've continued climbing, the longer I've been climbing the easier it has been and the faster I have been able to climb.

A few times I have been hit with a strong gust of wind, all I can do is hold on and wait for it to pass.

Sometimes the weather is nice, climbing is easy, almost as if the gentle breeze encourages me along.

Other times, like today, the wind is harsh and mean. It stings my face and makes my knuckles feel like shattering glass as they tightly grip the rungs of the ladder. White-knuckled. Wind ripping at every part of my body.

The fear now is that I have climbed so high. If I fall now I probably won't make it.

I MUST hold on. I MUST beat this.

So I try to tuck my head, protect myself as much as I can. The problem is I keep looking around, I can't help myself. I want to know what this storm is all about, how long it will last, what I'm up against.

The irony is, the more I look for answers, the less I know.

So I hold on. I beg my hands to hold on. I feel the ladder shaking and swaying underneath me. I do my best to cling tight.

Just. Hold. On.

This too shall pass. It always does.

Until next time.