My, my city's filthy

In case you didn't know, I am from Washington. No, not DC, the actually state of Washington (seriously people, stop assuming DC, it's annoying). I love the westside, I love Seattle - I've been called "the pretentious westsider" (or p-dubs for short) by my eastern Washington cohorts. Because I seriously can't get over how GREAT where I come from is.

I'm sure you know that the Seahawks are going to the Superbowl tomorrow. I'm also sure you've heard of us, those known as the 12th man. Say what you want, say that our fans are band-wagoners, whatever. Say what you want, but let me tell you us PNW folk are proud of where we come from and that's why the 12's are SO LOUD. And as I sit here in my Sonic's sweatshirt, I am finally starting to realize why.

We've always been proud of where we come from, point blank - but we haven't had the success for people to really notice it. Let me explain. They took away our beloved basketball team the Seattle Supersonics about 5 years ago. We were outraged, to this day we are still willing and ready to start an angry mob and turn David Stern's life upside down like he did ours - hell, we're having parties because he's finally retiring. Anyways, that's one less team for us proud Washingtonians to root for. Who else is there? The Mariners. Hell, we love them! And you know what, they kind of suck. But it's okay, we're still at the games purchasing tickets for less than it costs to get a beer. We're still there - little flickers of hope bursting when we start do do well in the game of baseball.

The Seahawks give us that time to shine. Every game, where we are louder than any other fans in the country. Our home, Century Link (where I walked on the field back in the 6th grade on a field trip, might I add), where we average about 2 false starts a game, is a place where we can erupt with pride for our team and our city. It's the moment we've been waiting for, it's what we live for. To have pride in our city and show them what we're really made of.

Moral of the story - we love our teams. Even if they suck right now, even if they don't exist anymore, we FUCKING LOVE THEM. So yeah, the 12's are loud and we're proud and obnoxious. The Seahawks have helped us showcase our city and our people and how great we really think the PNW is.

And as Ben Haggerty said (AKA Macklemore) "the skyline is etched in my veins, you can never put that out, no matter how hard it rains". We are forever proud of where we come from and our teams and you can't deny that.

Grown Up But Not: Let's start this year off right

It's 2014, let's start this year off right! How? By taking advice from a great (fictional) teacher: Ms. Frizzle. Yes that's right Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus!

A lot of the time, we want normalcy in our lives. We're like Arnold, hoping for a normal field trip or in our case, a normal year. But what fun is that? You learn more when you are stretched and in a new environment doing things you aren't an expert in. Yeah, it's uncomfortable and scary, but it's also fun and exhilirating!

The Magic School Bus is a wealth of knowledge, but this year we're starting out with the wise wisdom of Ms. Frizzle. Before she takes her students out on eccentric adventures she always challenges them to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!

We're adults now, we don't go on field trips anymore - well at least we don't call them that anymore. But when you think about it life is an adventure and every day has the opportunity to be a field trip - going out into the world and learning something from it. We may not be going to the Museum of Flight or anywhere out of the ordinary, but that doesn't mean it's not a learning or growth opportunity.

Listen to the Frizz.

Take chances. If you succeed, awesome sauce, well done! If you don't - it's an experience to learn from.You can't life your life on the proverbial sidelines. Risk is required for a fulfilling life.

Make mistakes. And don't be scared to; no one expects you to be perfect (except for maybe yourself). Mistakes help you learn what not to do in the future or maybe what MORE you can do in the future. Failure is inevitable in life, but when it happens, just make sure you fail forward!

Get messy. We all have this idea of what perfection is and what life is supposed to be - like life is a nice present wrapped up beautifully for us. But here's the thing, not everyone's present is the same inside and if you're to busy worrying about how the present looks on the outside and preserving that, you will never get the gift that is your life.

Listen to the Frizz. Go on adventures, don't stop having field trips, don't stop learning. What are you waiting for? Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.

Final thoughts on 2013

As the year is coming to close, I feel that it is only right to reflect on all of the awesomeness that was 2013. But I'd also like to remind y'all that self-reflection shouldn't JUST happen on New Year's Eve, it's something you should do often! A lot has happened this year and I thought I'd give you some highlights.

• I turned 22 and celebrated accordingly by blasting Taylor Swift's 22 for a majority of the day
• Graduated from Eastern Washington University 
• Moved away from my hometown for my first big kid job - but don't worry I have a village here that's helping me navigate this big large world
• Became an alumna of Gamma Phi Beta and got involved with my local alumnae chapter
• Learned how to drive a manual after tons of crying and stalling out... everywhere
• Ate my first banana - yes that's a thing and I still think they are weird
• Said goodbye to the good old Blackberry and went to the iPhone (I still miss my blackberry dearly though)
• Entered into relationships with amazing people that I am sure will always be in my life; people who will always be my support system and hold the mirror up for me when I need it
• I learned to let go of control - well I am actively learning and practicing
• I started to figure out that it was okay to have feelings and that those "feelings" are actually really important
• And so much more than I could ever list

When I look back, I want to cry, because 2013 brought about so much change in me and my heart and I am so happy to be where I am now. So much has changed about me and I am happy about it. 2013, you were oh so good to me, even when I thought you weren't being good to me, you were. 

As a final note to 2013, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who was and has been a part of my journey. Thank you so much for entering my life and challenging me and helping me become a better person. Even if you don't think you matter in my journey, I promise you, you do. I am so grateful for those who have come in and out of my life in this year. I am so grateful for the people who always showed up for me and chose to stay, even when I was difficult. There is so much love and joy in my heart for each and every one of you.

Here's to a 2014 with more growth, love, and self-reflection. Here's to you and me becoming the best versions of ourselves, constantly.

With a spirit of gratitude, life freaking rocks

Yo my blog-reading peeps, I just need to let you know that my cheeks literally hurt from smiling so much today because I had such an insanely awesome day!

Why was it insanely awesome you may ask? It's not because I got a whole bunch of cool things or did a whole bunch of stuff. Really, if you look at it from the outside, it would look like a pretty mediocre day. Got my drink, went to work, returned some clothes. Not something that usually rocks someone's world, right? But today, today it was amazing.

Here's why.

Today was my first day back in a week. I got to see my work pals who make me oh so happy. I beat my friend in ping pong for like the second time in my life. I caught up and learned about everyones joyous holidays. And I worked. Like cool, right? Still doesn't sound amazing really though. But just think, non-stop smiling and joy and happiness because the people I work with are absolutely amazing and I love the relationships that I have built in my time at vivint. It may not seem like a super awesome day to you, and that's understandable - you've never met these people and you haven't had the opportunity to experience just how great they are.

Enough bragging about how awesome my coworkers are though, there's another part to this awesomely amazing day. I made the decision that it was going to be awesome and that I was going to be awesome as well. I chose. I left last week feeling meh. Meh about my job, meh about my work, just meh. I wasn't myself and I allowed myself to be negative about anything that went awry. Last night, I decided to put my best foot forward, give others grace, and love life. And guess what, I did?

I loved every second of today because I was myself and when I am the best version of myself, people respond in a way that inspires me to be even better. I loved every second of the day because I chose to live with a spirit of gratitude and be thankful for the people and the things and the experiences that I had today. I loved every second of the day because I decided not to get hung up on little things, but rather find solutions to the things that were bothering me. To speak constructively to help others and myself.

Today, I woke up and was grateful to be me. Because I am the only person who can be me and I am the only person who can do what I was put here to do. I was happy to be me, I was authentically me, all day. And I am grateful. Grateful that I was able to me and grateful to be surrounded by people who accept me.

Today rocks because I chose to live with a spirit of gratitude and be unapologetically and authentically me. You should really try it sometime, because I want your day to rock too!

Storytellers

We are all storytellers. Actually, let me revise that: we should all be storytellers.

I'm not talking about tales of fiction with fairies and princesses and happily ever after. I'm not just talking about the stories that make us feel good to tell, the stories that make us proud of ourselves. It's easy to tell those stories, it's easy to tell stories that show us in the best light, stories that makes us feel good inside. But you know what? Those aren't always the stories that NEED to be told.

Everyone needs to hear those painful stories; stories of heartbreak, failure, regret, and isolation. Not because we are some sick and twisted individuals, not because we are pessimistic, but because we need to know that despite how these things make us feel, we are not alone.

It's those stories that are hard to tell, the ones that get stuck in your throat, that need to be heard. It's those stories that let others know they aren't the only ones and there are people like them who have experienced something similar. We al have stories that only we can tell, and while our stories may all be different, the struggle is something that we all know too well. And just because we don't talk about it, doesn't mean that it's not there, eating away at us.

You know what happens when you tell your painful story, when you share your experience? People listen. Whether they identify with you, help you work through it, gain knowledge, or are inspired to share their story as well, your story has impacted them at some level. But that's not the end, there's even more magic in store for you; each time you fight your tears and battle past that lump in your throat, that painful experience loosens its grip on you and you grow too.

We've all got stories to tell, it's just a matter of finding the courage to speak them into existence.

What are you waiting for?

The other day, I had such a meaningful, deep, caring, and honest conversation with one of my good friends who I don't see nearly as much as I'd like to. There were so many takeaways, but there was one that I had to share with y'all. I'm sure I'll share more little nuggets of wisdom later, but there was one message that was pressing that I needed to share:

Attack life.

Seriously, I'm talking full on assault. Too often we wait for life to happen. We wait for opportunities to show up neatly wrapped up at our door; we wait for some sort of superhero or "sign" to present itself and launch us into our lives, who we'll end up with, and who we are supposed to be. And the real question here is this: Why wait?

What are you waiting for? Attack life and show it that you mean business and you are here to fulfill your purpose, whether that is being a baker, the president, a candlestick maker, or actor. Our time here is limited and even more, the time we have left is unknown, so why are we waiting for life to make itself awesome, when we have the opportunity to make life awesome for not only ourselves, but others as well?

Sometimes there is no magic happening around us, sometimes it seems like there are no opportunities, and that's okay. The cool thing is that we can make our own magic and create our own opportunities for growth. If we dig deep enough, we'll see that we can be the creators of our own magic and our own happiness instead of waiting for someone to hand it to us.

The great thing about being human is that we're allowed to mess up and change our minds and grow from that. We're allowed to leave if we need to, we're allowed to go out and be adventurers and explore this world to figure out what we want and what we're truly passionate about.

So what are you waiting for? Go out and attack life. Life is too short, and your time is now.

Don't be a Grinch

You know what I think? We should all just be decent human beings to one another. No, not just decent, but ridiculously inspiring and amazingly kind human beings. Wouldn't that be awesome?

But let's be real, some people are going to be absolutely rotten to you. You might leave a conversation feeling like you've talked to Cruella DeVil on her way to make furs out of Dalmatians or the Grinch on his way to steal Christmas.

Here's the catch - you don't have to reciprocrate their rotten-ness. I mean, it would be easy to just be rotten right back, treat them the way they treated you. But you my friend, you have a choice, a conscious choice, on how YOU will act.

You can't control Cruella or the Grinch, you have no control over how they treat you, but you do have control over how you treat them. Choose to be at the VERY LEAST decent to them. Choose not to be rotten, because when was the last time that two rotten people made anyone happier? Choose to show them love, because honestly, I'm sure Cruella expects people to be rotten to her, and heck, so does the Grinch, they're used to it. But what they're not used to, is people being kind even when they aren't.

So be a kind, amazing, inspiring human being, regardless of others actions. Don't let rotten people dictate how you are going to live your life, because it's YOUR choice on how you treat people and how you live. And I'll agree, it's REALLY hard to always be happy and kind and amazing, and all those other good adjectives, but at the VERY least, chose to be nothing less than a decent person.

Make the conscious choice to be a good person, because the world could always use more good people.