Tag: Life

• Quitters Sometimes Win

  Posted at 7:30 AM by Brittany, on March 26, 2015

  Growing up I was told that quitters never win. Don’t be a quitter, and finish what you’ve started. I find this to be solid advice, and most of the time it holds true. However, as with most things in life there are some exceptions.

  I believe there is a difference between quitting something because it’s hard, and quitting something because it doesn’t feel right. Sometimes that line is very hazy, and you may have to tough it out for a while before making a decision.

  

  I’ve gotten quite comfortable with the rolling hills that life throws my way, and at times wonder if I’ve gotten too comfortable. It’s taken me a month to come to terms with what I’m about to say, but I’m ready to talk about it.

  I quit school. Again. Sort of.

  

  Once upon a midnight summer I was going to school for dental hygiene. Decided it wasn’t right, so I stopped. Then, last summer I started to take classes in preparation for a nutrition program through a holistic health college that was on par with my hippie dippie beliefs about food and living a natural life.

  It seemed perfect, until it wasn’t. 

  Some of you may remember this post I wrote about chemistry, and how it destroyed my life brought me lots of anxiety. When preparing to take the second round of it, I had no motivation. Instead of studying equilibrium’s and heat of vaporization I had something else on my mind, coming out for air once every…5 minutes.

  

  I work for an awesome company. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, a coffee company that originated in my home state called Starbucks. Anyone? Well, they recently started offering (nearly) 100% tuition reimbursement for degrees through Arizona State University. Initially I wasn’t interested, but then I explored the options.

  

  “The world is my oyster with free education.”

  I’ve spent the last month ironing out all the details and have decided to pursue a BS in nutrition communications through ASU. Does this mean my road to hippie town holistic college in Seattle is closed? No, it just means now is not the right time.

  

  The best part about this is that all the science credits I’ve taken over the past (many, many) years have transferred and I’m over halfway done with the degree. Unless I decide to study business, then I’m really in for a wild ride.

  So what will this do for my future? I have no idea. I love to write, I love nutrition, and I love talking about both. Perhaps this will be a catalyst into a future of preaching to the world about nutrition, perhaps it will simply satisfy my ongoing desire for a bachelors degree, or perhaps it’s a stepping stone to something else.

  Only time will tell.

  

  What I do know is that my previous path didn’t feel right, and I’ve learned to listen to the voices in my head and the gremlins in my gut. Or at least I think I’ve learned. I believe that sometimes quitting is OK, and sometimes it’s the right thing to do.

  The photos in this post are from a hike I embarked on last week, a hike I did not complete. The skies turned grey, the fog rolled in, and the snow started to fall. All of these were recipes for disaster and I DID NOT WANT this to happen again. Live and learn. Zero visibility meant it was time to turn around.

  It’s OK to “quit” a hike and not summit every time…I suppose. 😉

  Q: Do you ever struggle with the fine line of quitting?

  

  | 95 Comments Tagged Hike, Life, Mount Ellinor, School

• Going with the Flow

  Posted at 6:13 AM by Brittany, on December 2, 2014

  Sometimes unexpected things happen. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned how to (mostly) accept unplanned situations that arise. Case in point: last Saturday I had plans to see Mockingjay at 3:45, any later & I turn into a walking zombie. Come to find out the universe had alternate plans for me, and I noticed I had a flat tire.

  I knew my chances of making the 3:45 movie were impossible once the man at the tire shop told me it would take 3-4 hours to fix. This also happened to be the day of our first snow fall, and freezing temperatures causing every hermit and their moms to crawl out and prep for the winter season. To make matters worse my house lost power.

  

  My room was as dark as this brownie…darker even.

  No power means no heat.

  So there I was at home (thanks to my wonderful mother swooping me up from the tire shop) wearing enough layers to give a blubbered elephant seal a run for their money, with no car, and no movie. I was calm, collected, and OK with this unexpected change in plans. Why? Because I am the only person with the power to prevent negativity.

  

  Layers like this, but inside, and with no bike.

  I chose optimism and spewed positive thoughts. I now have a fixed tire, and made it to the 6:30 movie (no zombie), which was fantastic by the way. It’s natural to be upset when things don’t go as planned, but choosing how to react is entirely up to you.

  Go with the flow, it requires less energy.

  Q: Who saw Mockingjay? Thoughts?

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged Life, Random, Winter

• A Place of Zen

  Posted at 7:10 AM by Brittany, on July 11, 2014

  The older I get the more I realize how fluid life is, constantly changing and flowing in different directions. If you’re not prepared to bend and mold with the moving currents, reality tends to slap you in the face.

  

  

  As I stated a few posts ago, blogging has taken a bit of a back seat to other things in my life. Once upon a time I blogged every other day, but now I’m lucky to get 1-2 posts a week in. C’est la vie.

  

  

  

  Between work, school, and spending all my free time in the mountains I have changed my priorities around. Blogging has taken its place in hot seat number four. I stressed about this for all of 2 minutes before I reminded myself why I blog. I blog because I enjoy it, not because I have to.  Blogging is a hobby, to be done when I decide.

  

  

  My latest mountain extravaganza was one that I have wanted to check off my list for a few years now. I attempted to find this trail head in May 2012 (thank you blog archives) but was unsuccessful.

  

  

  

  I couldn’t be happier I tried again because this takes the cake for my favorite hike thus far. The Olympic Mountains have some of the most gorgeous valleys, and talk about breath taking views of the Cascades.

  

  

  Food tastes better up here.

  

  I literally sat in the same spot staring at these mountains for 20 minutes. I was waiting for Julie Andrews to run out from behind one of these hills singing about how they are alive, but she didn’t show.

  If I could build a tiny cabin anywhere in the world this is where it would be. I am either extremely under traveled, or I just adore the area I live in. I’ll say a little bit of both.

  

  

  I know I talk about it a lot, but hiking has really captured my soul lately. So much that I rarely think about running, and instead my thoughts are filled with high trees and snow capped mountains.

  It’s bizarre at times to think about how much my life has changed when it comes to running. I still love it (most of the time), but it’s not like it was when I first started. I feel like I’ve found something in hiking that I can completely call my own. Running has always had a slight connection to a part of my life that changed a long time ago.

  

  This is what I look like at 6280 ft, above the clouds, and with the sun in my face. OH and with a mountain sprouting from my head, look closely! Mt. Baker hat.

  

  I went to the bathroom near a bush with this as my view. I could get used to that.

  I’ve learned to change accordingly with my life as it continues to move forward. I have my moments of reminiscence, but I embrace each day for its own fresh start. Life is good, and I’m in a place of zen.

  

  Really what it all boils down to is perspective. Change your mind, change your life. The mountains look better when you’re at the top.

   Q: How do you handle the unavoidable changes life throws your way?

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Adventure, Hike, Life, Mount Townsend, Mountain, Washington

• Mount Si – How Hiking Relates to Life

  Posted at 7:50 AM by Brittany, on June 2, 2014

  I’m not sure where my running bug went, but I don’t care to find it anytime soon. OK, so that’s not entirely true. I still think about running all the time, I just don’t DO IT all the time. Instead I have been filling my soul with the trees and rocks of mountains.

  

  OH HEY that’s me! Standing on a mountain and stuff.

  I’ve always been able to relate my running endeavors to life, and in all reality any difficult physical activity can probably relate to life in a round about way. Since hiking is my adventure of choice these days it just seems fitting to reflect on how a difficult climb can mean so much.

  

  Mt. Si –  4 miles up, 4 miles down. Beautiful 8 mile hike.

  

  Last Thursday I made my way to a new hiking location, which will be a common theme on the blog during the summer months. I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple friends that are willing to hike weekly.

  Life Lesson One: Conquering a new mountain is like letting new and exciting changes occur in your everyday life. Getting out of your comfort zone is good for the mind, body, AND soul.

  

  

  These woods were quiet, peaceful, and aside from conversation with my hiking partner, they offered alone time with thoughts.

  Life Lesson Two: Quieting the outside world, and learning to quiet the mind is powerful. Chaos internally causes chaos externally.

  

  

  Sometimes the climb gets tough, this one was moderate, and while my heart-rate spiked I never felt like I needed to stop. Keep moving.

  Life Lesson Three: Pushing through tough times often leads to beautiful things, or views. Don’t give into the desire to quit.

  

  

  

  Life Lesson Four: Sometimes making new friends happens when you least expect it. Embrace and delight in those around you everyday.

  

  

  

  I was so scared…

  Life Lesson Five: Curve-balls are common, and being mentally prepared to handle them confidently will make a world of difference. You cannot prepare for everything. Things like changes at work, or a ballsy bird trying to steal your well deserved sandwich.

  

  Quick side note/story. That bird ^^^^ legit tried to steal my sandwich and scared me so hard I almost fell. I was in such a zone of pure bliss due to finding the peak/eating that I didn’t even see it coming.

  

  Life Lesson Six: Perspective is everything. Change your mind, change your life. Sometimes it’s not what you see, but how you see it.

  

  Life Lesson Seven: In the end, after fighting and climbing to the top of the hike or closing the page of a difficult chapter, you reward yourself, because you’re worth every slice of chocolate cake and tofu stir fry. You’re tougher and stronger than you first might think.

  

  

  I actually ate this BEFORE the hike, because obviously cake and coffee is the right choice for fueling…

  Life Lesson Eight: Never.Give.Up. Never stop exploring, and never stop growing. Fight until you reach the top, and life will find a way of sparkling and gleaming in a way you’d never expected.

  Lately my days have looked like a unicorn sharted glitter all over me.

  Q: How does hiking/running/swimming/anything physical (keep it PG guys) relate to life for you?

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Hiking, Life, Mount Si, Mountain, Nature

• 25 Things

  Posted at 6:15 AM by Brittany, on February 15, 2014

  Today is my 25th birthday, and I could go on and on about how I thought I would be somewhere completely different when I hit a quarter of a century. In reality, where I am right now is exactly where I am supposed to be. My path has gone many ways and at times I wish I had this, or I wish I had done that, but wishing doesn’t get me very far. What I do know is that in my 25 years of life I have learned so very much, more than any education or six figure job could teach or give to me. The journey of life tends to do that.

  

  My 22nd birthday…when late nights and loud music were “fun.” Oh, how things have changed. Except for my faces, those will never change.

  In the last couple years I blogged about the gifts that I had so graciously been given, and the activities I had planned for my birthday. This year I want to share something with everyone else. A list of things I wish I had known when I was younger. A list of things I have learned in the last 25 years. For those of you under 25, and even those of you over 25 this is for you. We are never too old to learn from our peers, and it doesn’t stop here.

  25 things I’d tell myself at age 15 

  1. Always tell the truth. You will hurt people, it’s inevitable, but if you’re always honest they will have no choice but to respect you.

  2. Make mistakes..LOTS of them, and then learn from them.

  3. Don’t be afraid to fall in love. Deep, true love. If it fails just know that everything happens for a reason. Learn from the fail, and pick yourself back up.

  4. If something is important to you then work for it. Nothing worth having comes easily.

  5. Worry, stress, and over think things less. Sometimes when you let it be, things work themselves out. Never underestimate the power of a positive mind.

  6. Don’t let other people change your mind, and don’t let someone else’s influence make you feel bad about your feelings. Be confident in your thoughts and decisions!

  7. Be vulnerable, with friends, with family, and with lovers.

  8. Do not live your life on a timeline. Things have a way of working out when they are meant to.

  9. Travel more. Money is meant to be spent, you don’t have to hoard it all. Memories are priceless and photos are wordless.
  

  10. Spend more time with your family, you never know when you won’t see them as often.

  11. Don’t always listen to what other people say about you. People will judge you, it’s human nature. The ones that stick by your side regardless of who you are will be the ones worthy of your friendship.

  12. Be respectful to your body. Treat it well, and listen to its cues. Eat.Real.Food.

  13. Do more things that scare you, and spend more time alone.

  14. Find joy in each and every day, and do more things for other people.

  15. Listen to your parents. They know more than you, and only want to keep you safe. Most of the time. 🙂

  16. Don’t be afraid to walk away from people that don’t treat you well. Friendships sometimes end, and if someone doesn’t bring light into your life ditch them.

  17. Eat more cake.

  18. STOP comparing yourself to other people. Success comes in all shapes and sizes.

  19. Put your focus on yourself. What do you want, where do you want to go, what does YOUR future look like? Be selfish at times…it’s OK!

  20. Forgive often, and do not dwell. You are only hurting yourself if you continue to let other peoples actions affect you. Always move forward.

  21. Listen to Jiminy Cricket – Let your conscience be your guide. If you don’t have internal peace about doing something, DON’T do it.

  22. Don’t be afraid to say no. Don’t be afraid to say YES!

  23. 15 jalapeno poppers in one sitting probably isn’t a good idea, regardless of how high your metabolism is. Oh to be 12…

  24. When you discover your passions, grab them and run. Be true to you.

  25. Stop comparing your life to what “society” has deemed as success. Forget the molds, you’re free to do whatever you want with your life.

  I could keep going, but long lists get boring to read after a while so I’ll leave it at this. Despite feeling “lost in life” at times over the last 5 years, I am finally feeling content with “floating” so to speak. Life is too short to be unhappy, and sometimes you just have to live in the now!* The future will ALWAYS be there waiting for you, and it’s never too late.

  *I don’t mean sitting back and doing nothing with life, still gotta work! I’m accepting not knowing the final picture yet and living more for each and every day! Life wasn’t meant to be rushed through.

  

  I’ve always wanted to be a couch model…not really.

  As I publish this post I am on my way to Portland to run this 10K, and enjoy a two day spontaneous getaway in one of the most vegan friendly cities. Bring on the food and fun! Running a race for my birthday is the best gift I could give to myself. This will be the third year I have run a race around my birthday, and the tradition will continue!

  Now if you’ll excuse me, #17 is calling my name.

  

  This is how I double fist.

  

  My Valentines Day cupcake! I found it ironic that this had the word birthday in it.

  Q: What would you tell your younger self?

  

  | 110 Comments Tagged Birthday, Cupcake, Life

• Cardio Conundrum

  Posted at 8:43 AM by Brittany, on January 23, 2014

  Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed some changes in my every day life. My mood has elevated, my hunger is under control, and best of all…my pants are fitting better.

  

  So what’s my secret? I’ve stopped doing intense cardio..and continued eating cookies and chocolate. OK so that is an exaggeration, but I do have a good balance with sugar right now, along with food as a whole. Intuitive eating has a whole new meaning for me.

  

  After my recent trip to Arizona I had somewhat of a small epiphany if you will. I was anxious about not having access to my gym, but instead of dwelling I focused my thoughts onto what I was eating. Hunger cues became my friend, and with no access to my gym I was forced to get outside and run. I ran short miles, and tried to run for the simplicity of the run itself. I was forced to step away from my routine. Hence my last post.

  

  I didn’t do any intense cardio workouts, instead I ran a few 3-4 mile runs, I hiked, I biked, and I listened to my body cues on when I needed to eat. I didn’t worry about burning calories and I finally just…relaxed. This is when I realized nothing I’ve been doing has worked. The intense cardio has not been working, and a couple weeks ago I decided it was time for a break. Are we noticing a trend with my constant breakups?

  The only problem was that I LOVE intense cardio. It feels like a waste of motivation, but with nothing to loose I decided to give it a shot. This has allowed me to eat smaller, more frequent meals which has helped my digestion and overall I feel better. With minimal cardio in my daily routine, it was time to start some new workouts.

  

  Along with casual runs I’ve been doing yoga, walking, hanging with Jillian, and Pilates. Let me preach for a moment..Pilates is a dirty demon that I can’t get enough of. My legs have never hurt so good. After a class I can’t walk right for days. The weight work that I’ve been doing through Pilates and my Jillian DVD have already started making small differences. I’m still doing intense cardio here and there, maybe once a week, but earlier in the day and I’m fueling accordingly.

  So why am I sharing all of this? Well, for starters it just feels good to purge all the chaos that swirls in my brain from time to time. As a devout cardio junkie…I am admitting to the world that cardio is NOT all there is to life, I’m officially a strength training believer. I honestly don’t feel like I was fueling properly for the workouts I was doing, and since I don’t want to change my intake, this was the solution I needed.

  

  I still love you spin class…

  As humans we are constantly changing and growing, reinventing and reevaluating. The trial and error with my workouts, and finding my perfect balance can relate to my personal life too. I am at a place of peace, and all the mental hurdles I’ve overcome within the last year have givin me the ability to switch my mindset when it comes to lower intensity workouts. It sounds ridiculous, and makes more sense in my head (per usual) but I’m saying it anyway! It feels good to start gaining back my confidence in a round about way.

  Q: Do you feel that confidence in your workouts helps with confidence in your life? YES!

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Cardio, Gym, Life, New, Random, Running, Spinning, Workout

• Small Victories

  Posted at 8:53 AM by Brittany, on November 4, 2013

  The other night I attended my first spin class in almost 6 months. It’s hard to believe I used to go to spin 3-4 times a week for over a year. While my unaccustomed backside cried out in discomfort from the saddle, and my legs screamed in pain from 6 minutes of straight sprints, I realized something..something monumental. In that moment I felt complete.

  

  This is a bike. Not my bike, and not my spin bike..but a bike..I rode this bike one time.

  I’ve never been one to enjoy talking about deep emotions, I struggle with being vulnerable and in all honesty I hate putting my “problems” onto other people. I know what it’s like to listen to others go on and on about things they cannot change, so despite some of my internal battles, I don’t like to share them. It’s been hard for me to admit that although it’s been nearly 6 months I am still not fully recovered from my breakup. I still have moments of complete weakness where I breakdown at the drop of a hat. That’s really hard to admit.

  

  If you’re worried about falling off the bike, you’ll never get on.

  It’s hard for me to admit that at times I still feel like I am lost, and that my direction continues to go up, then down, and then back, and then up again. It all feels complicated.

  

  I’ve had wonderful adventures lately, and I really am finding my happiness, but I still feel as if some days are a bit of a black clouded blur. This spin class opened my eyes to what I need in my life. I need a routine. My work schedule isn’t consistent, and I can’t say I like the inconsistency, but it’s something I have to accept with this job. This spin class reminded me of the days when I had a strict, yet wonderful routine.

  There is no guidebook to tell me when I am supposed to feel complete, and I’ve realized the “self work” I have to do takes TIME. Finding a consistent schedule is going to be one of the keys I need for my happiness. That spin class was a small victory for me on my road to success. I now see that I don’t need to be a medical professional to be happy, I just need a consistent schedule that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished my day. I love ending my day feeling exhausted.

  I have learned so much about myself in the last 6 months it’s almost crazy to look back and see where my life was a year ago. All this time I was longing for the past and struggling with my present, without realizing some of the simple things that would help me move forward. The saying, “live and learn” really means more than I thought. One day I will return to school and pursue a career, but for now I hope to find my balance in routine.

  

  Q: How do you feel about sharing/reading more “emotional” posts? I struggle with them and I don’t feel like the world needs to know everything, but sometimes sharing can be cathartic. I also enjoy reading more personal posts when I can relate to them. 

  

  | 66 Comments Tagged Biking, Emotions, Life, Random, Spinning

• It’s Been a While

  Posted at 8:10 AM by Brittany, on September 2, 2013

  The last few months have been a bit of a blur for me. I’ve been trying to find my feet after some changes that have occurred recently, and it’s been a very slow process. I’m not in any rush, I know these things take time, but it’s comforting when I see a glimmer of progress. I had struggled finding joy in things that I loved, and lately I’m finding that joy.

  It’s been a while…since I’ve genuinely enjoyed grocery shopping. Something that has always been one of my favorite things to do was more of a necessity than a want the last few months. I’ve started to feel that excitement again when walking into the markets.

  

  $50 worth of Costco staples.

  

  $15 worth of RANDOM steals! I am a sucker for things on sale.

  It’s been a while…since I have enjoyed recreational reading. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of uplifting books about finding peace, and how to be aware of your thoughts, and I finally feel ready to read some books just for fun.

  

  Deal

  It’s been a while…since I’ve really enjoyed baking. As you’ve noticed I have been baking a bit lately and I couldn’t be more thrilled. 3 months without baking really catches up to you!

  

  It’s been a while…since I’ve been this excited! Fall is coming..and I am so ready. I have some bittersweet emotions attached to fall, but this is my favorite season and I will continue to make it amazing! Fall makes me excited, and feeling excited feels good.

  

  I don’t even drink beer, but when I saw this I squealed.

  

  THE STORES ARE STARTING TO DECORATE!

  It’s been a while…since I have run 10 minute miles. For the last three months ALL of my miles have been in the 9:00 range. I’ve been running for almost two years now and it’s taken me this long to get a bit faster. Those of you that think running happens overnight, let me be the example that sometimes it takes a LOT of work. Keep going!

  

  Life is constantly changing, and if we aren’t ready for it we will be knocked flat on our backs. Always be prepared for change, you never know what will come your way! I’ve discovered that time is very powerful, and time will always see you through.

   

  Q: Has it been a while since you’ve done something you love? 

  

  | 68 Comments Tagged Change, Life, Random, Time

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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