Run Away.

This morning as we prepare for the funeral services of Sherry Arnold, I feel it's appropriate to share this post I wrote one January morning that was left incomplete, with out answers. We're now begining to be able to piece together what happened to this amazing woman and this afternoon as we'll all gather to celebrate her life together I'm so thankful for this event to final have some sense of closure and peace.

I write to right the wrongs in my life. As if my words can explain things to me in a way that nothing else can. This is the way I best express my truths. In writing. This morning the pain surging between my head, my heart and my finger tips is unbearable to a point that I don't want to look at the computer as I type. I just want to get this out so quickly. I just want my words to be. As if then maybe I'll be able to understand life a littler more clearly, when I can read this and explain things to myself. I'm a little bit broken this morning.

I'd like to add that I know this will be okay. I know every little thing is going to be okay. We'll all float on alright. And someday this pain with make sense. But right now my life is a little sad. And that's okay.

Sherry Arnold. It's unbelievable what words can hold, that combining straights and curves to make letters and letters to make words and then all of a sudden they have meaning, you combine words and make feelings. Comunication. Kind of like math in away. Math is so beautiful. Like on the movie mean girls when Caty moves from South Africa to America and explains her favorite subject in high school is math because it's the same in every language. Math always makes sense. It's always explainable. It's always true. Life is like that. We just don't have all of the solutions yet.

I have a passion for math. I love math. I understand math. And maybe that's a big reason why I love math is because I love to understand things. This week has been so hard for me because I haven't been able to understand this, I almost feel to the extent that I don't know how to feel because we don't have the answers yet. I have no desire to let my mind run wild with what could have been, so I haven't.

I think one of the reasons I love math so much is because of Mrs. Arnold. She was my 7th and 8th grade math teacher. The begining of 7th grade she moved me from the class I was in, into the advance class. Which put me one class up for the rest of my time in junior high/high school. I went on Mathlete trips with Mrs. Arnold. I spent so much time growing with her, because of her. In her class room. I spent so many mornings there before school.

In college I had this fabulous friend name Sarah. The girl who studied abroad and had plans of peace corp was always up for anything and was always spreading sunshine with her infectious smile everywhere she went. She will always hold such a special place in my heart, she was so special to me. This week my heart hurts in that special place because Sarah was killed when she was on a Pay It Forward trip in Florida, on a jog. Sarah was hit and killed by a jeep.

It blows my mind that two people who are so significant in my life lost their lives while running. Especially when running has become such a significant part of who I am. It has me so broken. Running is a contreversal subject, because I know there are just as many people on this earth that despise running with every fiber of their being the way some love it. But for those that choose to run, running adds to life. It astounds me that something that adds life to so many came to be the cause for the end of these fabulous women's time here on earth.

Obviously the contents of this blog are completely my opinion. But that's scary right? Scary things happen. Life is difficult but that is no reason to stop living. Quality of life is priority for me.

Life is difficult. But sometimes I think that's the point. What would we enjoy if we didn't struggle. Someday you will wake up in this beautiful place where you won't want to change a thing and then you will know it was all so worth it.

<3

Fine By Me.

Good morning Lovers!

I'm sorry it's been so terribly long. This year has been SO many things for us already. I have started posts and not posted because they're not ready yet. I haven't forgotten about you. Nothing is complete for us right now. So I just wanted to share this. (:

Happy weekend y'all.
LOVE YOU.

Get Toned, at Home.

My best friend Nicole (love you) asked me to help her out with an at home workout plan. Her goal is to get overall toned and she told me she has about 45 minutes in the morning or a couple hours in the evening to put toward working out. Nicole will be at home where she doesn't have access to machines or weights.

An important step to getting healthy is taking a look at what you're eating, I've blogged a little bit about this before, you can take a look here for my tips.

Maybe soon I will work on some more specific work out plans, but for now here's what I found for my friend. I did a little research and found this site that I absolutely recommend, it's loaded with at home workout routines. And I'm also going to share my Exercise Inspiration pinterest board (here) that is loaded with pictures, quotes and a few put together workouts. Check them both out.

I would start with a little cardio (anything that is going to get your heart rate up). To wake yourself up, warm yourself up and get your blood pumping. At home this could be jogging in place, jumping jacks burpees, etc. A lot of people have opinions about whether you should do cardio before or after a work out if you want more info on that I found this, that might help. Personally if I'm going to do a workout and run I like to do my workout/weight lifting first. So if I'm going to the gym I will start my workout with about 5 minutes of cardio on the bike to warm up, then do my weight lifting, then take off for my run. My reasoning for this is honestly because after my run, I don't have the motivation to lift. I like to get my lifting done first so I can get it all out of the way, that way I know I get it all done, and then go for my run. It's absolutely up to you which way you do things, maybe you feel the opposite. Maybe you're going to choose not to do cardio at all. I think it's an important part of every workout primarily because if you're working out to build muscle, you aren't ever going to see the tone in your muscles if you aren't doing some form of cardio to remove the fat from on top. Whether or not I'm going to put in a run after, I will still start with a quick cardio warm up.

My next suggestion is to break up your work outs into an every other day routine. Monday, Wednesday, Friday do leg and ab exercises. Tuesday, Thursday arms and back. When you're working out  you're actually breaking down your muscle fibers to build them up, they need time to heal that's what's making you stronger.

If  you're going to work out a muscle, you need to work out it's opposite to keep the tension even in your body. For example if you're going to work out your biceps you should also do tricep work, hamstrings/quads, abs/back.

I would also take time before and after each work out to stretch, take time to warm up and cool down. Make sure you're DRINKING WATER!

If Your Goal is to be Consistent and Maintain an Exercise ProgramIn order to stick with exercise, it needs to fit into your daily routine and lifestyle. It also has to feel good to you. For this reason, it is helpful to pick the type of exercise, the order of exercise and the time of exercise according to what works the best for your body. You may be naturally inclined to feel best if you do endurance exercise first and then do weights. You may also find that your body responds best when you lift weights at one time of the day and go for a run at another. It's OK to let your body, mood or interest determine when you exercise. (By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com Guide)

So I would just go through the work outs and make out a plan/schedule that works right for you! Start anywhere and when you're feeling comfortable increase it. If you come across a workout and you don't know what it is or don't understand go to youtube.com, I'm not joking, type it in and you should have no problem finding videos explaining and demonstrating it for you. If I find something that I don't recognize that's absolutely what I do. Most times I will find out that I just new the exercise by a different name. Or maybe you'll find you were doing something incorrectly.

Listen to your body and don't forget to feel good about YOU! That is really what this all should be about! Have fun!

Questions?

Love you!

Two thousand and eleven.

The thought of a New Year's Eve post is a little terrifying. It has so much ground to cover and so much potential to reveal twords the coming year. I think my attempts would only turn up inadequate. I think the best way to go about this is to stay short and simple.

Was there pain in the last year? Of course, but was there joy? That's what I want to hear about. I don't think this life is about the darkness. It's about the light. The sun coming up each morning. But life is so much bigger than this world. I hope if you haven't found that in previous years, this year brings that to you. There's a season for all things in this lifetime. I hope through the next year you come to find understanding of all of the painful seasons of your past and learn that there's an up to every down, but even more importantly there's a bigger plan in motion that you or I can fathom.

This year's been so full for us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For the impressions you've left on us in the days of 2011. You have changed our lives. You have changed the world. Please don't forget the potenial you have. That life is about the choices you make.

Let 2012 be about living. About loving. Maybe instead of resolutions we should choose priorities. Does your life reflect the things that are important. Are you giving the things that matter, the things that are real the attention they deserve?

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

 --The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

      

We love you.

Happy New Year.

I found a quote today that I wanted to share:

Each morning, take time to imagine the person you want to be.

Beautiful, right?

I am understanding of the fact that I am so full of flaws. I think this quote is so inspiring and something I'd like to work on everyday. It changes everything about my day and everything about my life when I start each day spending time with Jesus. Crazy? Honest. We live in this world where we try something once and expect it to change out lives, how unrealistic are we? We give it one shot and then give up. You can change your life one baby step at a time but you aren't always going to notice a change after each baby step. Change takes time and it takes time for us to see change.

Let's try every morning to spend time in our bible. Maybe start one small verse at a time, one chapter at a time, whatever fits into your schedule, maybe just one pray at a time is where you're at. Take time each morning to imagine the person you want to be, what better way to do that than by studying the person we should be striving most to be like?

Dear Jesus, I'd like to say a prayer this morning for everyone whose eyes pass over this post. I pray that you will shake things up for them, that you will change their world. I pray that they choose to dedicate time each morning to you and I pray that they will be patient with the change about to take place and then that they will see the results. We know that you will fill those who hunger for you. Thank you for your promise. Thank you for your forgiveness. I love you. Amen.

Good luck lovers. Please share your goals and results. (:
Katie

Tangled Up In Me.

I'm about to pour my dreams out to you. I hope you're prepared to be supportive, encouraging and honest because I need you. I have real life plans to open a salon. I've been planning and hoping and waiting and stressing and most importantly praying. I've decided I will never be prepared mentally or financially for what I want to do with my life. I'm terrified. I'm ready to start.

Here's my crazy plan. I am going to open a non profit salon.

Ready for more? I'd like to offer all salon/spa services for free will donation.

Here are my thoughts. I first started doing hair because I like making people feel good about themselves. I think that's important and I think it's important for everyone to experience. I don't think people should have that taken away from them because they're unable to afford it. I understand that life can be a tangled mess.

I will collect information about what all of the other salons in town are charging and have the averages posted. I will have to charge for product on any chemical services (color, perm, etc.). But I'd like everything above that to be the clients call. I understand it's possible that people will take advantage of it but I think it's possible that just as many will not. I'd like to provide opportunities for those that can afford it to provide services for others. To help others untangle.

I have so many ideas that I'm not about to ramble about right now. I've been planning this for so long. I'm okay with it seeming ridiculous. I have faith in this.

My first step is to license my business. Before I can do that I have to decide on a name. So here are my two choices.

Tangled

OR

Tangled Grace [Because not all things start out Amazing.]

Please, vote it up! (:

More soon. Thank you.
Love you.

This our 50th post.

Erik and I are going to implement a no electronics night once a week. Or, we're going to give it a shot! Ha. Tonight will be our first night with no computer and no tv. Wish us luck and pray we both survive. ;)

We love you.