If You're Going to San Francisco...

...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. 

AND LOOK ME UP BECAUSE I'LL BE THERE TOO. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I told you how long I've dreamed of going to CA you'd think I'm crazy for waiting this long to make it happen.  What can I say.  Maybe I was waiting for the perfect time.  Sometimes the stars align perfectly and things finally work out.  Just like I believe one day true love will.

I'm signing off the blog for the next 2 weeks.  I'll be driving a tiny rental car up the coast and won't be anywhere near a computer.  The only thing I plan to do is upload photos to IG (jillyruns) to keep a travel diary for myself.  Otherwise, I think I'll remain mostly unplugged so I can absorb the new world around me.  And so I don't accidentally drive myself off a cliff on those windy coastal roads.

Things have been shifting for me over the past 2 years and all the signs I've been seeing lately point to big changes ahead.  I don't remember the last time I was filled with such excitement, hope, wonder and belief in what's to come.  And I love it.

Keep your heads in the clouds my friends.  Catch you on the flip side!

Relocation Dreams

Linking up with MamaKat today for her Writer's Workshop.  This week's prompt was definitely meant for me:

You have to move away from your state in one month. List 6 destinations you wouldn’t mind relocating to.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  This month marked my 11th year in Baltimore.  ELEVEN!  I moved here in April 2004.  Typing that out looks insane.  I can't even believe I've lived in the same place that long.  When I moved here at the tender young age of 25, I had no idea what my future in this city would look like.  I have a decade of memories here, some good and others not so much, but all are a part of who I have become.  Some memories are so old they are starting to fade away, and some I can hardly even believe happened.  What a crazy ride Baltimore has been for me.  But I've known for quite some time that my next chapter is not here.  So where to?  Here are my current fantasies:

1.  Southern California

This has been a dream for as long as I can remember.  I know it's expensive as heck, but can you really put a price on 365 days of sunshine?!  Quality of life year round is important to me and I'm pretty much done with Northeast winters.  There's a reason people in California are happier and healthier - Sunshine!  Like the ad says 'Happy cheese comes from happy cows, and happy cows come from California'.  Well, I want to be a HAPPY COW.

2.  Italy

Oh just one of my favorite countries on Earth!  A couple of years ago I actually looked into becoming a European Au Pair, but it turns out I've already surpassed the age limit?!  Rude.  Choosing a city in Italy would be the toughest part.  I have only been to a few on the mainland and a few in Sicily.  Perhaps my favorite destination was the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily.  I certainly wouldn't mind spending my days working in a seaside café in Lipari and perhaps meeting the Italian man of my dreams?!

3.  The Caribbean

Inspired by this article I read today as well as my general love of the beach.  I also just started reading this blog (http://www.moxieandepoxy.com/) about a girl who works on sailboats and travels to tropical destinations FOR HER JOB.  Sign me up.  Although I don't know a thing about sailing.  Maybe I can just get a job scooping (dairy free, vegan) ice cream like the woman in the first article.  If Vegan Treats wants to send me to a Caribbean island to open a franchise, I'M IN.

 

4.  The ATL

The obvious reason being my sister and 3 loves of my life live there, but it is also a pretty great city.  The winters are mild and the summers are just the way I like my men: hot and sweaty.  There are so many opportunities for outdoor activities and recreation, and the people are friendly.  What can I say, it's a real PEACH!

 

5.  Bethlehem, PA

source

No matter where I go, Bethlehem will always be "home" to me.  I really had an idyllic childhood here.  Although I loathe PA winters as an adult, as a kid no two words held more promise and excitement than these: SNOW DAY!  My closest friends, parents, sister and many members of my extended family live here.  It's the perfect place to raise a family and if/when I enter that phase of my life I hope to be living close to them again.

 

6.  ???

I'm leaving this one open-ended to see what else the Universe may have in store for me.  Perhaps the Universe has plans for me that I haven't even considered.  The only requirement: wherever I go must be cat-approved!

 

Happy Friday everyone.  Have a great one.

 

 

 

Play along!  If you could relocate anywhere, where would you go?!

 



 

 



I Wish I Could...

source/via Pinterest

 

 

Perhaps I'm still in a birthday kind of mood, but I've been doing some wishing this week.  I'm not going to put all my birthday wishes out there (because duh, then they won't come true!), but I am linking up with MamaKat for her writing workshop today, and blogging to the prompt:

 

 

I wish I could...

 

 

...time travel. 

 

...get a glimpse into my future 10 years from now.

 

...do math calculations as quickly as I pick up the latest TSwift lyrics (total right brainer over here)

 

...taste bubblegum ice cream again and not die (oh wait, I will THIS WEEKEND! Thank God for Vegan Treats)

 

...average closer to an 8:00 min/mi than a 9:00 min/mi during my 13.1's

 

...apply makeup like I knew what I was doing.

 

...save every homeless pet in every shelter in the world.

 

...write a children's picture book series.

 

...turn back time because my nieces and nephews are growing up way too fast.

 

...speak my mind more often.

 

...show myself as much love and compassion as I show the kiddos in my life.

 

...Hike the PCT some day.

 

...go streaking! 

 

...be the person my cats think I am.

 

...find a pair of jeans that fit that don't come from the juniors section.

 

...stop living paycheck to paycheck but still be able to do good, meaningful work that I believe in.

 

...know the exact day and time I'll meet my future mate (so I can learn to apply makeup before that, see above, and make sure I'm wearing a fantastic dress!)

 



The thing about wishes is, yes, sometimes I believe they really come true out of the blue.  Call it karma, divine intervention, luck, or what have you.  But I also think sometimes they need a little help from the wisher too.  Hopes and dreams might just forever stay that way unless they are met with some action.  Kind of reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry reserves a rental car but is told they have nothing available.  "You know how to take a reservation, but you don't know how to HOLD a reservation.  And that's really the most important part of the reservation. Anyone can just TAKE a reservation." 

Millions of wishes are made all across the planet every day.  With a little luck and some hard work, I think many of our deepest wishes can come true.  Now, I just have to remind myself of this a little more often.  First up, tackling time travel.  I'm off!


"When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." ~ Paulo Coelho


I'm headed home tomorrow for a long weekend to continue the celebration.  I'll be back Tuesday.  Hope you all have a great one!

What are you currently wishing for?

The Other Side of Fear

Source/via Pinterest

When it comes down to it, there is just one thing holding us all back from manifesting the life of our dreams.  At times, we may give this force other names.  We may say we're being held back by forces beyond our control - physical or economic limitations like comfort, time, money, or any laundry list of things.  But these are all excuses, and they all come down to the one thing we must face over and over again to grow into the person we were meant to be:  FEAR

The easiest thing is the world is to sit back, resist change and exist in the status quo.  But even that will eventually come to an end.  Change is a constant in life, and even if you refuse to change with time, the world keeps on spinning and change will be thrust upon you.  In the past, I've learned that lesson too many times to count.  Being passive in my own life and refusing to make decisions or take action simply because of the fear of change has proven to be a recipe for disaster.  Sure, I've become wiser over the years but I'm nowhere near 'there' yet!  There are plenty of times I still falter, hesitate or freeze because I'm afraid of making the 'wrong' decision or afraid of change.  But if the past few years have shown me anything, it's that I can survive (and even thrive within) changes - even huge, massive ones that I thought I'd never dig myself out of. 

Source/via Pinterest

I used to have a terrible fear of confrontation.  I guess this is a fairly common fear, especially among more reserved introverted types, but when I was little I used to literally make myself sick whenever I had to approach anyone about any topic I felt was even the least bit difficult to mention.  Teachers, parents, friends, you name it.  The fact that I still have this fear bothers me.  I still hesitate to bring up topics that I feel may rock the boat, or just simply need to be aired out.  Communication (verbal) was never my strong suite.  I'm ashamed to admit I used to be a huge offender of using the 'silent treatment' against people.  What a God-awful way of dealing with problems!  Thankfully I haven't pulled that move in years, but I still fear people thinking I'm not 'nice' if I try to stand up for myself or say 'No' to something.  However, this is something I've actively been working on ever since getting completely taken advantage of at my old job, and I do believe I am improving.  Um, hello, recent Apple store rampage anyone?!

Source/via Pinterest

Our fears are crazy little buggers aren't they?  For one thing, fears aren't real.  They are indeed figments of our imagination.  But we can never see that from where we stand inside our own heads.  It's only once we get to the other side, that we realize it was all an illusion.  Think about how many things (thousands, millions) in your life you have already overcome.  Starting from infancy and learning to walk.  Babies are very hesitant to step out on their own for the first time.  It takes a lot of half steps, holding mommy's hand, and walking with the help of a toy or piece of furniture until they are finally brave enough to let go completely and go out on their own.  And once that happens WATCH OUT!  The fear is gone, and soon you have a child that you can't pin down even if you tried!  They've seen the other side of fear and realized there was nothing indeed to be afraid of.  This pattern of breaking through fear barriers continues day after day, year after year, until the day we die.  It's the only way we grow.  If we weren't afraid of anything, there'd be nothing left to do!

So, although I've busted through what I thought were impenetrable fear walls the last couple of years, there are still so many I've yet to get to the other side of.  Some of these have easily identifiable plans of action, and some just completely baffle me to the point I don't even know where to start (those are the tough ones).  Here are a few fears I'm currently struggling with (in ranking order from the completely mundane to the incredibly serious):

1.  I fear I may never know what's it like to have perfectly manageable, shampoo-commercial worthy hair.

2.  I fear I may never know what it's like to have my very own washer and dryer.  (Community washer germs give me recurring nightmares.  What exactly is on these sheets I supposedly just washed?!)

3.  I fear I may never really know how to cook.  (True story.)

4.  I fear my cats may not actually live forever.  (Irrational.  They are magical cats and will live forever.)

5.  I fear I may never narrow down my 'passions' in this life to just one thing.

6.  Just like Augustus Water's in The Fault in our Stars, I fear leaving this life with no lasting legacy or positive impact on the planet.

7.  I fear I will never be able to see all the places in the world I want to see.

And the two biggies:

8.  I fear never discovering my purpose here on earth.

9.  I fear I may never know what it feels like to be a wife and mother. (<----HUGE)


Despite all of this though, I think no matter where we are in life, we've got to give ourselves a giant kick-a$$ high five for making it this far because think of all the things we've already accomplished.  The battles with our minds and fears will never end, because if they did we'd stop growing.  And that would mean we are either perfect (not possible) or dead!  So here's to keep on keepin' on.

Source/via Pinterest

 

 

 

What are some fears you've already broken through in your lifetime?

 

What fears are you still working to get to the other side of?

 

Virtual Vision Board

Yes I do!

 

 

Here it is, the 2014 Goals post.  Hunker down because this may be a long and winding road. 

 

So I mentioned in my last post I don't make behavioral resolutions for the New Year (ie. I will drink 12 glasses of water every day for the next 365 days. Nope, not gonna happen.), but I do like to have some goals and ideas about things I would like to accomplish in the coming months.  I have never created a physical Vision Board (but that is on the to-do list this year), but I love the idea and purpose behind it.  Today's post is going to be a virtual vision board of sorts. 

 

So without further ado, I present to you some of my 2014 goals (a girl's gotta keep some things private!) listed in ascending order according to degree of difficulty (by my own calculations):

 

1.  Create an (actual) vision board.  Crucial first step here :)

 

2.  Prepare and eat spaghetti squash.  Ok, I could've gone all out here and simply written Learn to Cook but let's be real and start small.  Learning to cook is going to be a HUGE endeavor so I'm starting small.  I have been wanting to cook/eat spaghetti squash for months now, so this year it will happen.  This one small victory may be all I need to discover I am actually a culinary genius.  HAHA

 

3.  Go to the movies alone.  I realized over the holidays there were so many good movies out that I wanted to see, but that upon returning to Baltimore I would not have as many people around to go see them with.  Enter Goal #3.  Just because I don't have a significant other, or an availability of single friends, does not mean I should miss out on catching the luscious Leo in all his glory on the big screen.

 

4.  Running goals.  Run 2 more Half Marathons this year, as well as enter more short distance races.  I did a few 5Ks last year and am starting to like them a little more than I thought I would.  I would also like to do a 10K this year because that is a distance I've never raced before. I have other (more distant) running-related goals on the horizon, but I'm not sure they are a 2014 type goal yet (ie. Full Marathon calling my name at some point; Trying a Triathlon - sprint distance at first).

 

5.  Blog work.  I'd like to get more serious about my blog but not sure what that means.  I would actually like to learn more about blog basics (search analytics, etc) and decide what direction I want to take this little number in.  Do I want my blog to have its own Facebook account? Do I want to try to generate revenue?  Do I want to be self hosted?  All things to consider as I am still a blogger newbie.

 

6.  Get my PT Certification.  This is one I have been poring over for some time now.  I have loved working out ever since I knew 'working out' was a thing - so probably since high school.  I love pretty much any type of exercise, not just running, and I love sharing that with others.  I get asked often by friends and family for exercise advice and many people (jokingly, I dk?!) have asked me to be their personal trainers.  Sooo, this is something I have wanted to pursue for a long time and I hope to make it a reality this year.  For those of you that are Certified Personal Trainers, I'd love to know which organization you recommend.  Thanks!

 

7.  Volunteer.  I have done volunteer work sporadically in the past but the last time I volunteered on a regular basis was about 10 years ago when I was a hospital volunteer in the maternity ward (LOVED it by the way!).  So this year, I would like to find ways to donate my time and services to causes I believe in - children, animal rights, etc.

 

8.  Meditate.  Perhaps this should be further down the list because I've said I was going to attempt meditation many times in the past and I have not, but I want to learn how to do this and give it a real try this year.  If anyone out there has a meditation practice and can give me some tips on how to get started I would truly appreciate it!  I've heard there are even iPhone apps for this?  Who knew.

 

9.  Yoga.  Along the same lines as the above.  I've been saying for years I would like to get into yoga, both for it's physical and spiritual benefits.  Here's hoping this is the year I get all bendy and zen :)

 

10.  Take a solo trip.  This one is currently wearing many hats, and I'm not sure where I want to go with it.  I'm turning 35 this year (wait, WHAT?!) and thought about taking a solo trip to celebrate my birthday.  I have also been looking into attending a blogging conference like FitBloggin or the SweatPink/Ideafit Blogger conference.  And I am also dying to make a West Coast trip a reality because it's been on my mind forever and I want to see if I could really see myself relocating/living out there one day.  So yeah, this solo trip could be a birthday trip/destination race/blogger conference/relocation scouting mission all rolled into one!

 

11.  Health Coach certification.  This is another one that has been on my radar for a few years.  I have been following the Institute for Integrative Nutrition for a couple of years and even attended a few Meetups last year with current students of IIN but I've never taken the plunge and registered for classes.  I'm not sure what I want out of becoming a Health Coach right now, but it just feels like the right direction for me to move in, just like getting my PT certification.  However, this and the trip have been put at the end of the list because they are heavily finance-dependent and we'll just have to see where I am in that realm as the year goes on!

 

Ok so there you have it.  If anyone had the patience to read through that entire list you are truly a saint.  It seems long and somewhat convoluted, yes, and it's not even all inclusive of the big dreams I have going on in my head!  As I said before, goals can change with time, and I want to be flexible this year and most of all do what FEELS right to me.  I did a lot of that last year along with soul searching and I feel like I am moving in the right direction in many areas of my life.  I just need to remember to listen to my own inner voice and try to tune everything else out.

 

 

Have you set any goals for the coming year?

 

Do you have any advice for me on any of my goals?

 

Can you cook spaghetti squash, meditate or bend your knees behind your head??! If so, teach me your ways!