The Fourth

I'm late again this month...I hope it doesn't become a habit. But lets be honest it probably will. 

16. Finish a 1,000 piece puzzle= COMPLETE
20. Go on one date a month= ROUND 4 COMPLETE
22. Explore my new city=  ON GOING

I have been house sitting for my grandpa this past month. He lives farther south so I have been driving an hour or so to church and activities. It has been great to drive and drive. But it has been hard on my hurt knee. It's only been 4 weeks though so it'll get better. 

I bought a puzzle and had a fantastic time putting it together. 1000 pieces and it only took me two days. I wanted to try something harder so I only put the door frames together, and that only took me a day. Did I mention how good I am at puzzles?

I have a super cool story for my date this month. It wasn't a 'date-date' in so much that it wasn't planned. I was at Chick fil a after FHE one Monday night. There I was reading the menu with the only other person in line; a handsome 20 something man. We both ordered smoothie drinks or whatever and the cashier lady gave us coupons so they were free. I was headed to the table next to his, planning on awkwardly staring across two tables, when instead he invited me to sit with him. We talked for over an hour about life. It was really great to connect with an attractive stranger. We gave each other the 'outsider' perspective. He even asked for my phone number, to connect again before he went home to Utah. To my recollection I have never been asked for my phone number before by a cute guy. I tend to be the one asking. Unfortunately he left town before we reconnected. I probably won't ever see him again but it was so much fun to open up with a stranger. 

I did a little more exploring of Griffin this month. We moved when I was 8 so I don't remember how to get anywhere. Sometimes I'll come across a familiar building or road and memories will just flood in. It's really weird to figure out the driving routes to certain places. Driving on my family's farm is like rediscovering a memory. I am enjoying life at this slow down pace. 

Month Three

I don't feel like I accomplished much last month, part of the reason I am writing this post over a week late. I can't think of anything to update on.

20. Go on one date a month= ROUND THREE COMPLETE
22. Explore my new city= ON GOING

I was a few days late with my date this month but I'm okay with that. It was fun. We are both new to Atlanta so I took him to The Varsity. Its a place I remember going when I was little and living in Griffin. I really like their Frosted Orange, its like an icee or smoothie.

I can make my way to a couple of places without my GPS now, mainly church and IHOP (the important places). I guess I am still exploring but not as actively as I would wish. I haven't really done any of the touristy things on my list or truly explored yet.

Next month will be better...probably.

Oh yeah, I sprained my knee when I tripped in the dark...hunting for Easter eggs. That was fun..sorta. I'll be fine though. Even drove my jeep to IHOP today (again priorities).

Part Two

This month has been quite eventful. I went on an epic road trip: 11 states, 8 days just me and my jeep. I absolutely loved it. Moved to Atlanta Georgia. And basically questioned every choice that led me here. Am I crazy for moving 3000 miles without a job or apartment waiting for me?

1. Move= COMPLETE

3. Go through my material possessions= COMPLETE

9. Visit Grandma's grave= COMPLETE

18. Color my hair= COMPLETE

20. Go on one date a month= ROUND TWO COMPLETE

22. Explore my new city= ON GOING

I left my parent’s house in Spokane WA January 24. I visited my sister and her husband in Rexburg ID, my cousin and a million friends in Provo UT, my dad’s cousin in Edgewood NM, my grandpa’s sister in Comanche TX, another cousin in Austin TX, and another of my dad’s cousins in Baton Rouge LA. I was blessed with gorgeous weather and wonderful family and friends all along the way.

In order to move I finished going through my material possessions which was so intense and I feel guilty about how much stuff I have all the time. I’m working on my hoarding habits though so give me a break.

My road trip didn’t feel complete until I drove down to visit my grandmother’s grave in Forsyth GA. I felt her presence throughout the journey and everything in Georgia reminds me of her. It really feels right that I brought Ruby (my jeep, yay I name things) home. My grandma would have loved this road trip; she would have been so supportive of me being adventurous and independent. It meant a lot to be able to do this in her jeep.

I have purple hair now. YAY! Crazy I know but I like it. And it isn’t a super intense vibrant color either, it’s pretty subtle. In the right light you can’t even tell my hair isn’t just a darker brown. But I know how cool I am even if strangers can’t tell. I have included a before and after picture because this is important.

My second date was great. I was super awkward in asking him but that’s not the point. The point is I did it even though it was hard and mega awkward. I knew him when I was a kid living in Griffin 15 years ago. Honestly I picked him because I feel so comfortable talking to him. We spent most of the time catching up on who we are as adults which was cool. We went ‘mudding’ on my family farm (side note, I love dirty jeeps-they tell a story and prove an adventure happened) then we saw Jumanji which was a good movie. The movie theatre lobby had a duck claw machine so we proceeded to win 7. We are awesome.

In case you were wondering Atlanta is a very confusing city. There are lots of highways and freeways that connect, converge, confuse, and cause a lot of crashes. Traffic is a real thing here, and I drive a stick shift. All in all it is a struggle and I am shocked that I haven't stalled once. Ya hear that? I have been here for 3 weeks and I haven't stalled a single time!!!! (I'm sure I just jinxed myself but whatever.) I am exploring a bit but I still have lots of plans. Maybe once I make more friends I will explore more. 

I am looking for a job at one of the prop houses in the city and I took my resume to most of them. Once they are hiring I'm sure things will pick up for me. In the meantime I need to find a normal job or something. I do have savings so I'm not going to end up living in my jeep (also I am staying at my aunt and uncle's house and they are very nice). 

To sum up I accomplished a lot this month, I didn't even realize how much until I started writing this post. I still have things to figure out about this move but I think I'm in a good place. 

Round One

I have been 24 for one whole month. I feel like I have accomplished a lot. I quit my job that wasn't taking me anywhere. I went on a cruise with my family. I made solid plans to move. And I finally bought my jeep from my father. And those are just the things outside of the 24 goals I made.

2. Leave the country= COMPLETE
3. Go through my personal possessions= ON GOING
7. Get out of debt= COMPLETE
20. Go on one date a month= ROUND ONE COMPLETE

My family and I went on a cruise and we visited Mexico, Honduras and Belize. So I have now been to 7 countries outside of the USA. It was weird to only spend a few hours in each country. I don't think I like that about cruises-there just isn't enough time to really see each port. But it was cool to get a taste for each place. I really enjoyed Costa Maya where I went snorkeling and saw an eagle ray (its like a sting ray). I also got a bracelet with my name on it!!! Which is a big deal for me given that my name isn't in any gift shop ever. I also went on a zip-line in Belize which was just amazing! I really enjoyed flying above the canopy.

Much to the displeasure of my family I took over the family room with all of my junk that I am going through. I am having a lot of memories come up as I sift through all my keepsakes. I found my poetry journal from high school and I am sure it is a gold mine. I always forget how exhausting it is to throw away little pieces of myself. Each paper, each stuffed animal had a story connecting it to my life. I have to decide if I want to keep it in my life. Needless to say I am in a very reflective mood today.

I am officially debt free. I don't own any more money for college or on my credit card and I am flying high. I even bought the title for my jeep from my father. Usually getting out of debt and purchasing a car don't happen on the same day. HAHA. I never had tens of thousands of dollars of debt but my small debts felt crippling because I didn't have any savings to pay them with. I was living pay check to pay check. And now I'm not. I have money in my savings and I can move across the country without worrying I might run out of gas money. I feel so free. I didn't even realize I was trapped. But I now have a clean slate to start the rest of my life on.

I went on a date with one of my best friends from high school. We were both in town for the holidays and it was great to just connect. We saw The Greatest Showman (which is an amazing movie-seriously). Then had pizza at a great local place and watched King Arthur and the Legend of the Sword (I love that movie). I know that seems lame to just watch movies, but we dissect them afterwards so just chill. I really like spending time with him because there is zero pressure. And in a world where everything is changing it is nice to know our easy friendship never will.

One month down, 11 more to go.

24 while 24

Today is my 24th birthday and I have come up with 24 goals to complete in the next year. This is new for me but I really feel like this is going to be my year. I am not going to wait to be acted upon I am choosing to act. I am going to have an amazing year because I have decided. These goals are in no particular order and I will blog regularly about my progress. At least I am going to really try to blog regularly.

1. Move
2. Leave the country
3. Go through my material possessions
4. Go to a concert
5. Get a job
6. Get to know a celebrity
7. Get out of debt
8. Get and use a gym membership
9. Visit Grandma's grave
10. Visit the temple 24 times
11. Read the Bible
12. Read Shakespeare's complete works
13. Read Richest Man in Babylon
14. Vote/ be politically aware
15. Find Dad's Olympic brick at Centennial Park
16. Finish a 1,000 piece puzzle
17. Make another best friend
18. Color my hair
19. Kiss someone
20. Go on one date a month
21.Type 80 wpm
22. Explore my new city
23. Be known by name by my local grocer
24. Learn a new hobby/skill


I am very excited and also kind of intimidated. Wish me luck!

Running!!!

I haven't posted in forever. Over a year to be specific. Something else I haven't done in over a year is run. I used to love running. I'm not kidding I did love it. I'm also not some weird fitness guru. I'm a regular person who likes running. With a little effort all you regular people could probably love it too.

I figured I would always be the fat girl on the cross country team. That's right I ran all the work outs for 3 years and was not 110 pounds. I was way more than that. You could usually pick me out of the crowd. But I loved it. I loved the team. I loved the other runners, because in the back of the pack we were nice to each other. We needed each other to keep going. The general camaraderie was unexplainable. Here we are tearing the muscles of our body with each step just to build them back up again. And we ran with smiles. But then I went to college and ran a few times mostly to get to know the area. I gained some weight, felt worse about my life and for some strange reason didn't correlate them!!! I went years without regularly running, it sucked! Didn't realize that at the time though.

Last week I was doing my usual complaining about where my life is and a friend asked me what was stopping me from running. Shoes, shorts, sports bra, confidence, cool weather. He swatted away every excuse and told me I was the only thing stopping me. That hit me--hard.

So Saturday August 5, 2017 I put on my old running shoes, leggings, work out shirt and sports bra and stepped out the door. Mind you it was in the 90s and a freaking smoke warning in Spokane county!! But I ran. Not fast and I certainly stopped a few times. But I did a full 2.4 miles. It was amazing. I am so grateful that the river was halfway so I could cool off my arms and stretch a bit. And I finally understand why people water the street--its for runners. We don't want to be terrible humans and trespass your lawn to get to the glorious water, so thanks for letting it hit the street.

My body hurt.....a lot; headache and sore muscles galore. But I did it. And I smiled at every person I saw and some gave me thumbs up or smiles. Those helpful encouragements really made a difference.

I am happy to announce that I ran again today. Same route, 2.4 miles, same heat and smoke; however I didn't stop until I got to the river. I ran (and when I say ran I mean anything between a walk and a sprint) 1.4 miles without stopping. I am proud of myself (and it's okay to say that). I also sprinted the last few meters. My mother who was in the living room saw one look at my beet red face asked if I was okay. (I'm not giving you guys a picture but think intense sunburn, that's how my face gets with any exercise.)

I am sore right now and my lungs have a little bit of a runners cough, but I feel great. Sort of like my soul is singing. I'm two days closer to creating a habit. I encourage everyone else to take a moment and do that thing. You don't have anything stopping you but yourself!! :)

Lessons of Heartbreak

Things I learned from the 2nd man to break my heart.

-Be friends first
-Believe in myself
-Have more than one friend
-Cuddling is never just cuddling
-Sometimes people are never going to change
-Agency sucks
-Happy people want happy people
-Porn ruins almost everything
-Kissing means something and it always will
-Rules should be followed
-It's definitely not Mitchell's fault
-I should not settle
-Settling sucks
-There are different kinds of love
-Platonic love is better
-Nagging someone won't make them love you
-Not being able to imagine life without him doesn't mean he won't leave
-I suck at letting people go
-Giving up is sometimes the answer
-Loving someone's family doesn't mean you fit in
-Choosing a fake relationship over schoolwork is a terrible long term decision
-Guy and girl best friends can't last
-If he can't handle the darkness-MOVE ON
-Being happy for someone else won't last
-Memories hurt
-He never lied
-Lying to yourself hurts
-Beards are great
-Letting other people dictate your relationship leads to disaster
-He wasn't perfect for me
-Knowledge doesn't equal understanding
-The day he stopped treating me like a princess was the moment it was all over
-I will never make it into his songs
-Everything reminds me of him
-Time fades the memories
-"Let's try dating" is the stupidest plan in the universe
-Once you cross a line you can't go back
-Hearts can be broken more than once