Blazin' Trails

I've been eyeing this hiking group on Meetup for months (ok, years), but I was too chicken to go out and try it. I was worried about (a) not keeping up, (b) not making friends, and (c) not being able to take pictures (because let's face it, taking pictures is still my biggest motivation to get up in elevation).

Today, I decided to be brave and go meet some new people. (Full disclosure, I asked a friend to go with me first, but she was out of town.) I joined The Weekday Trailblazers on a 6-mile hike through the Santa Monica Mountains. 

I loved hearing the stories from my fellow hikers. We talked about work, cocktail recipes, the dating scene, donkeys and snakes (the actual animals). I can't wait to get out and join them again!

Oh, and there was a killer view of Boney Mountain. 

Whoops!

Kanter Fire Road/Whoop-De-Doos, Pacific Palisades

I've had this hike bookmarked in my phone for over a year! It was a relatively short hike, but the views were spectacular! 

Downtown LA - Pacific Ocean - Santa Monica Mountains. 

There were a bunch of towers and this cool triangulation station box.

And at one point, I was even swarmed by a bunch of dogs! Pretty sure that's what heaven is going to feel like!

My favorite part: the benches at the top. I love finding benches on hikes. Something special about someone deciding they liked the view so much that they wanted to sit down and soak it in...

An Open Letter to My Mother

Mom, 

I've never been much of a writer. In fact, as a student, you were always there to take my choppy sentences and make them into fluid paragraphs. We constructed some wonderful essays together. Some of them --remember that report on AIDS??-- even stood the test of time and were recycled year after year. This Mother's Day, I want to thank you for the many ways you've helped me become the *cough* lady I am now.

You taught me that knowledge is strength, laughter cures heartache, love endures all, and every other cliche out there. You also taught me to vent about things in the privacy of my own car, that clear nail polish can fix a lot more than a chipped nail, and how to properly make scrambled eggs (touch of milk and mixed with a fork).

Perhaps, the most valuable lessons you taught me have come in those moments you might not have known I was watching. I learned courage reading the highlighted parts of the scriptures you kept next to the bed (D&C 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not). I learned empathy when I saw the heartbreak in your eyes reflected from my own brokenness. I learned leadership from the umpire tower at a softball field in Eastern Washington. I learned what pride truly feels like as I watched you teaching a room full of parents about loving their children, especially when it's difficult.

Thank you for your patience, guidance, and unwavering, unconditional love.

Love You Forever,

Your Daughter

ego sum fortis

So far, 2016 has tested my strength. I wake up every morning full of hope and determination, but some days try to break me. Today was NOT one of those days. 

I woke up, after a (long overdue) full night's rest, to a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies and a salty ocean breeze. I've done this same thing for the past ten years on Super Bowl Sunday. I laced up my running shoes and headed to the beach. 

I spent the next 13.1 miles forgetting about all my worries. I took step after step (after step) soaking up some sunshine and listening to the calming waves.

I know everyday won't be like this. I know there will be times when I'm sad, times when my hands are full, and times when I feel defeated. But I also know there will be times when I've never felt more alive, times when my heart is full, and times when I realize my own strength. 

 

Ego sum fortis. I am strong.