It’s the Little Things….

WHOA!! Has life not been super crazy or what? I never though I would live in a world filled with such chaos and fear! These days, the stress seems hard to keep a handle on as the status of the world changes from one day to the next! So I thought I would write a little post about the little things I have come to appreciate. I am doing this because we all need to be more positive, and I challenge everyone to sit down and make their own list. I may add to this post as I am ready to share more of the things that make me content with life.

First, I want to talk about the little things I appreciate from my lifting and healthy lifestyle…..

1. I love that when I am having a down day, going to the gym gives me a mental boost and lifts my spirits.

2. I love that I have some cool trap and lat muscles forming, and my arms and legs (and booty) are growing nicely! And my chest! My boobs may have gotten smaller from building muscle, but my chest looks amazing!

3. I don’t get lean enough to have a six pack, but those abs peek through every now and then, especially in good lighting and I love them!

4. My self confidence has gone through the roof! I went from someone who wouldn’t dare wear shorts to the gym to someone who not only wears short shorts to the gym, but who also feels confident enough to wear a sports bra to the gym…without a shirt over it…..all without even blinking an eye!

5. I love that I have random new lifters come up to me and ask for advice because they see me as an experienced lifter!

6. I love that I have gained the honored status of top NASA powersports and top push/pull lifter in the country….even though I am 47 years old! And I love that someone thought high enough of me to honor me with powersports and powerlifting lifter of the year awards! My self esteem was so low for so many years, these awards mean so much to me!

7. I love that even though I can mentally struggle in my training, I always pull out the good stuff at a meet!

8. I love that I only put good nutritious food into my body that is benefiting my goals. I love even more that I have no craving or desire to eat crappy food! And I love that my love eats the same as me and doesn’t EVER try to tempt me into altering my nutrition by eating crappy food.

9. I love that I have made my life worth staying sober for! In my past I drank a little wine every night to deal with my life. But now, I don’t need to escape my life because it’s amazing!

10. I love that I can wear a bikini and not at all feel uncomfortable!

11. I love that I went out of my comfort zone and did a boudoir photo shoot and was pleasantly surprised about how nice the pictures came out….and I didn’t criticize the pictures at all, I actually loved them all! They are now displayed in my bedroom, and I am proud of them!

12. I love that most people think I am at least 10 years younger than I am and can’t believe I compete at my age!

Now to get more personal, without getting too personal of course (gotta keep it PG)! My life with my love.

1. I love that he makes me a full breakfast every morning because he wants to make sure I am eating well enough to fuel my goals…and he loves doing it! He won’t even let me make breakfast.

2. I love that he broke ground on a brand new gym the day he heard of the second shutdown, and he did it because he knows how important my training is to my well being. I now have an amazing home gym!

3. I love that he busted butt to get a front porch built for my daughter’s graduation party! And I love that we now have this AMAZING front porch where he sits with me sometimes for hours having coffee and talking while enjoy the warm sun.

4. I love that he is always building things for my art room to make running my business easier!

5. I love that he is not only teaching my kids to be kind, thoughtful, logical humans, but he is teaching them amazing skills like building things, and fixing things.

6. This one is a little personal, but I love that he changed me from someone who would rather get a root canal than cuddle to someone whose favorite thing is cuddling! Every night, we cuddle, and we fit together perfectly! I can drift into the most peaceful sleep being in his arms. I never ever thought there would be a human on this planet who I enjoyed cuddling with.

7. I love that he travels with me! We go to Oklahoma for meets, Silver City for family and fun, and he drives me. It is an 8 hour drive to Oklahoma, and he drives me there and back several times a year because he knows that I need to rest up both before and after my meet. And he always makes sure we stop at Cadillac Ranch on the way back, even if it is windy and cold, because he knows I need to get a new picture of us while we paint our new heart with our initials on a car. He takes me and my kids to Silver City to go hiking and to just explore. The kids love it and so do I. And he does this even though he is busy with his business. We have some great adventures planned soon!

8. I love that he always makes time for me. We go have nice healthy dinners, we have coffee, we hit the local indoor flea markets, we go see amazing shows. No matter how busy he is, there is always time for me.

9. I love that his touch gives me such an overwhelming feeling of safety and comfort. I can’t really put into words how this makes me feel, it is like being hugged by the universe.

10. This one is a little personal…so proceed only if you aren’t easily embarrassed. I love that we LOVE each others natural smell! Apparently this is a scientific sign that we are truly compatible. I am so happy burying my face into him, especially when I am stressed. And I love how he likes to bury his face into the base of the back of my neck when we cuddle at night. It calms us so much.

11. I love that he can literally build or fix anything! He fixes my cars, builds buildings and furniture, fixes anything that is broken….and when things need to get done, he gets them done!

12. I love that he is so kind to people. He just has a way about him that makes people instantly have trust in him.

13. I love that he is my coach, and that it works out so well! We love training together, and honestly, he is my rock and I couldn’t do it without him. I love that he takes a healthy lifestyle as seriously as I do. I love that health and fitness are such a big part of our lives, and he has absolutely no problem with that, and is so encouraging and supportive. I love that having him there at my meets gives me the confidence I need to do well. Hearing his voice helps me so much!

14. I love that he is my protector. He insists on walking on the road side of the sidewalk, he has guarded me many times from stepping somewhere I shouldn’t, he has stood up for more times than I can count, and I really feel sorry for anyone who ever tried to hurt me!

15. I love that he has more confidence in my abilities than I do, and he always tells me that he knows I can do anything I put my mind to…..and trust me I need the encouragement!

Now let’s talk about my amazing kids!

1. I love that my kids turned out to be the most amazing human beings! I never had problems with them!

2. I love how Angelina is such an amazing photographer and writer. I love how she has learned to make such good life decisions and has become so independent! And I love how laid back she is and how she truly loves life. And I love that she loves hanging out with mom!

3. I love how Joseph is learning how to build and fix anything, and he is doing it well! Everything from machining to rebuilding transmissions…he is acquiring some skill! And I love seeing how excited he is about fixing his own Jeep! He is so organized, the kid is going places.

4. I love how Nathan is such an amazing artist! I really think he is better than me! And I love how is is so empathetic, and how he give me hugs ALL THE TIME, and is so very loving! And I love how much he loves learning to do new things from machining to building. And when he does a project, he takes it by the horns! Life will treat him well.

5. I love how Matthew is sooooo smart! And I love how he understands the human condition better than most adults! And it is amazing how he can pretty much do anything on the computer from running his own store to making awesome videos! And he helps us when we can’t figure things out. And he is so logical and super independant! He will do so well in life.

6. I love that my kids went through so much with me and their dad splitting, yet they stayed strong and adapted like champs! You wouldn’t even know that they went through anything! And they have learned to love their life whether it’s their week with their dad or their week with me, they enjoy their time with their family.

7. I love that my kids are also into fitness. We are just a family that thinks fitness is important. They are becoming gym rats just like their mom.

8. I love that even though my kids have had several medical challenges, you wouldn’t know it! They have kicked butt and have worked hard to beat their genetic condition and have normal healthy lives!

So, I am sure I will add to this list, but I will leave it at that for now as I am running out of time today. I encourage you to make your own list and start recognizing the good in your life. Have a wonderful, loving, healthy day!