Random Thursday Thoughts

The past few weeks have been pretty stressful. Hubby and I both have been pretty busy and we've sort of been running around on autopilot for awhile. Don't worry (!), everything is fine. I'm coming back out of my shell a bit and enjoying the fresh air.

One of my cousins on my Mom's side of my family has been in town this week for work. She sent me a message a couple of weeks ago asking if I had time to hang out and maybe show her around a bit. Of course! We took her to our favorite Greek restaurant, to a Suns basketball game, to our favorite pizza joint, and wandering around Mill Ave in Tempe. I'd previously been around this cousin only 3 or 4 times that I remember, so I was a little nervous, wondering if we'd get along. I had so much fun! We talked and joked and laughed and just really enjoyed each other's company. She leaves today to head back home. Safe travels, Avery! :-)

I'm still studying for the S7 exam. My scores on the practice exams are getting better every time I take them, which is fabulous news. For awhile, I was seriously doubting whether I'd ever get it figured out.

My baby brother is 21 as of yesterday. This is strange to me. I remember holding him just a few days after he was born. I'm not sure how it's possible that 21 years have elapsed since then when I swear I'm barely 15 years older than I was then. Except that I'm not. Drat!

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I like all the food, I like spending time with family and friends in a loud, chaotic space, and I like watching football. I love it when a meal shared with family and friends gets to be loud enough that you can't participate in all of the conversations swirling around. I like sitting back and listening to people I care about talk about work, their kids, the weather, their plans for Black Friday shopping (go forth, people, and let me sleep off my turkey!), and just life in general. And this year, I'm pretty darn excited to meet some newly arrived family.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Fear

I received another Healthy Reflections email from Sparkpeople today that made me think.

Are you afraid to try or are you afraid to fail?

A well-lived life is not for the timid. The world was never meant to be approached with extra caution and fear of making mistakes. Kids know that you have to jump in feet first and be willing to take some lumps on the head if you're going to have any fun. When did we stop trying new things? Why did we stop taking risks? In large part, we're afraid of messing up. We've settled into our comfort zones and don't want to look like a fool to ourselves or others. What's the price we pay for our pursuit of perfection? No growth, no sense of discovery, few real experiences. The sacrifice isn't worth it. Are there points in your life that you wish you could have back because you didn't pursue an idea or a new interest? Those chances are gone forever--but you'll have more in the future to take full advantage of. It's been said that most people don't learn much that's new past their 20s. That's an awful long time to stay stagnant. The only mistake you should be afraid to make is not trying.

This makes me think of a lot of things. I get so annoyed when I'm told I should be afraid of something and I like to say that I'm not afraid of anything. But when I stop and am completely honest with myself, I am afraid of failing. I think we all are, to some degree. Most of the time, this fear doesn't stop me and I go on ahead anyway, but there are things I have not done because I was afraid of failing.

Now I'm looking for something new to try. What about you? What have you been holding back on because of fear? 

Romp to Stomp 2011

Success in 2010!

In 2006, I signed up to do the Romp to Stomp event in Colorado with a couple of friends. One friend injured herself skiing or snowboarding a week before, so we didn't do it after all.

We moved to Arizona later that year (4 years ago this week!), but I flew back to Colorado to do the event in 2007. It was so much fun I did it again in 2008. And 2009. And 2010!

Well if something is fun 4 years in a row, it's bound to be a total blast 5 years in a row, so here we go again! With my friends O'Kerri and Betsalita, I have signed up for the Tubbs Romp to Stomp in Frisco, Colorado on March 2, 2011.

This announcement is good timing as it coincides with my most recent mammogram results coming back completely normal. Yay healthy!

See my personal fundraising page for information and a link to donate if you'd like.

I do all my breast cancer fundraising events in memory of my Mom, who lost her battle in 1987 when she was just 35 years old and my friend C's Mom who lost her battle in 2007.

I also do these events in celebration of many survivors, including my aunt I, my Grandma F, my friends J and S, and women I don't even know.

With love to all.

W3D1

This morning was my first round with week 3 intervals. I took a different route to change things up a bit and even wore a long sleeved shirt - wow! :-)

My GPS app did weird stuff again this morning and tried to say I went less than a mile. I got online and adjusted the route - 2 miles in around 30 minutes again.

Everything went well; nothing notable happened except I was proud of myself. Yay!

Most importantly, tomorrow is election day! Get out and vote!!