{small town heaven}

So maybe "heaven" is pushing it a little bit, but, I love my husband's hometown, Milbank, SD.  Milbank  is about an hour from North Dakota and 10 miles from Minnesota.  Just about as Northeast as you can get.  It is a small farming community of about 3,500 folks.  Though I'm not a huge fan of the snow and cold I even love it in the winter.  It is like a tiny Kalispell, the eastside to be exact, especially in the summer.  The huge trees shade the streets because they are so well established and huge that they grow over the smalltown streets so that they touch each other's leaves.  My inlaws backyard meets the city park where we can watch softball and baseball games from the backyard.  An elementary school is a block down with brand new play equipment that my children love.  In the summer I wake up kind of early, get dressed and walk five minutes downtown for a coffee.  Then I spend a half hour making my way back home.  Sometimes I go for a run and find I have to backtrack a lot in order to get my miles in.  Depending on how far I go a lap around the town isn't enough.  I also love a trip to the Milbank Mall.  Mall.  Don't let that word fool you. :)  The "mall" consists of Judy's Hallmark, the Mall Cafe, Leibe Drug and a ladies clothing store, but, I love it.  I always find some crap to buy at the Hallmark store and can usually find a Milbank Bulldogs shirt for one of the kids.  Maybe I love it, too, because I can finally sit around and be lazy without the guilt of not doing laundry, my own dishes or cleaning up some kid mess.  It always seems like a true vacation.  But, the very best part is the family.  Seeing the kids with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and Tony with his Dad.  I will never tire of spending time in Milbank.

{level one certified with a side of food}

I landed in Reno Friday afternoon at 12:30 and arrived back in Kalispell Monday at 12:45, twenty minutes earlier than scheduled.  When does that happen?  I spent two days on the University of Nevada-Reno's campus, which is quite pretty, at a CrossFit level one certification.  Who knew you could be so sore from moving, moving, moving with a piece of PVC pipe.  We sat in lectures, practiced fundamental movements, worked out, practiced movements, worked out, listened to lectures, snacked on all sorts of Zone/Paleo food (nobody would have been caught dead with any other kind of food), practiced movements, worked out, etc, etc, etc.  I am still tired!  By Sunday night all I wanted to do was curl up, rest my weary knees and fall asleep.  But I did what any follower of any healthy eating plan does after a long weekend of fitness and healthiness, I cheated!  I had a French Dip (what bread????), a side salad that consisted of  iceberg lettuce and a 16 oz. bottle of blue cheese dressing (That's  not how I ordered it.  That's how it arrived at my table), a very loved and longed for Corona and lime and with the help of one of the cert trainers, a beautiful, large, moist, chewy, almost orgasmic chocolate brownie.  It did have some crap on the top like a couple of sliced strawberries and a plump blackberry, but I quickly discarded those.  I have never had a better cheat night.  My night of indulgence was celebrated and cheered on by three of the cert trainers.  Nobody appreciate's a good night of crappy eating like them.  It was glorious.  I have to admit I haven't quite climbed back on the Zone wagon, but tomorrow I will be.  Preparations are in order as I type.  I have a pan of broccoli cooking, turkey patties on my George Forman grill [I know.  How gay is it that I have one?  But, I love it. :)], containers out for my food tomorrow, cans of tuna on the counter waiting to be opened and stored in the fridge, chicken and lean burger thawing and peppers waiting to be chopped.  It's time to hit it hard.  Next week is going to be a good week for a fresh rested me.  On top of all this food prep, I am taking a recovery week.  I believe I started to hit an overtraining cycle in my training.  I wasn't recovering from workouts and feeling totally exhausted and not seeing results.  So after a long weekend of certifying I thought it was the perfect time.  I am loving it, but at the same time feeling terribly guilty.  We'll see if I actually make a full week, but I'm going to try hard.

So back to the certification.  I'm very glad I went and planned to before I was even asked to coach at the gym.  I'm just that kind of a girl.  More fitness info, please.  People keep asking me, "how does it feel?"  Honestly.  I'm very glad that I did it for myself and for our gym.  All of my friends, CrossFit and otherwise have been very supportive and I appreciate that, but you know what?  It doesn't feel like it means anything.  Any Joe off the street can attend these certs and there is no testing at the end.  Show up, do the work for the weekend and you get a nice CrossFit Level 1 certificate when the weekend comes to an end.  (But, apparently you can't be a total dick and get one though.  Heard of a story of a guy that they refused to give a certificate to.  He was an ass and they said they didn't want him out representing CrossFit.  I thought that was great.  I respect that.)  There were two people that attended that have never done CrossFit. But, now by CrossFit's certification standards they can now coach at a gym, open an affiliate, etc.  That is the bummer.  However, I'm pleased and proud to know that I did the work beforehand that does qualify me more than they are.  It is still kind of a letdown when you think about it that way.  However, I need to make it known that a great majority of the people attending were strong, hard working, CrossFit drugged individuals.  It was fun to be around so many different CrossFit shirts and tore up hands. 

So I start a new CrossFit adventure now.  Gaining experience as a coach, learning from my coaches, our gym members and my mistakes, and making a difference in people's lives.  Isn't that really what CrossFit is all about?  Changing lives one athlete at a time. 3-2-1-GO!

{these are a few of my favorite things . . .}

I've decided that sometimes a non-thought provoking blog entry can be nice.  So here it is.  I actually stole this from my Facebook page so it really required very little thought this time. 

Things That Make Me Happy

~ text messages ~ painted toenails ~ orange spice tea ~ nonfat sugar free vanilla lattes double shot half the flavor ~ my kids telling me i am the best mom in the world ~ tony’s kisses ~ a good run or workout ~ a great haircut ~ perfect jeans ~ fun shoes ~ cuddling ~ long hugs ~ laughing ~ kenna's laugh ~ quiet time ~ the smell of the trees after it rains ~ tulips ~ genuine friends~ memories of my mom’s smile ~ finishing a sewing project ~ sewing myself something fun ~ receiving a fabric order ~ ordering online ~ my siblings ~ my dad’s generosity ~ crossfit ~ gno ~ roadtrips ~ the east side of Kalispell ~ trailrunning ~ new running shoes ~ fun workout clothes ~ visiting new places ~ cottages ~ sunshine and warm weather ~ cami tanktops ~ loungy pants ~ hot baths ~ days off when you should be working ~ healthy happy kids ~ dates with my husband ~ family nights ~ online chats ~ quotes that hit home ~ nice people ~ hockey games~ my computer ~ coffee with friends ~ meeting new people ~

{the prize of peace}

Let me start this post with an admission of being totally disinterested in politics and I know I can't participate in an intelligent arguement about politics because of that disinterest.  But, that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion about it.  Here's my opinion, politics suck.  I DO NOT like confrontation and I don't like arguing.  Unless you happen to step into a circle filled with open minded people chances are that is just what you will get.  Confrontation and arguing, topped off with a little disrespect.  I won't argue.  Arguing is a waste of time and energy, especially with politics (religion, also, but that is a whole other post).  If somebody has an opinion regarding politics, most likely, you aren't going to change their mind.  Hence, waste of time, waste of energy.  No thank you.  Just because I have an opinion doesn't mean I am right even if I think I am right.  If you have an opinion, it doesn't mean you are right even if you think you are right.  BUT,  if you have an opinion, I can respect that.  If I have an opinion, I should receive the same respect.  See how it works?  People that talk politics need to agree to disagree. 

 

So, here is what brought politics to the forefront of my thoughts today.  A friend on Facebook just posted a news clip with Rachel Maddow about Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and something that she calls Obama Derangement Syndrome.  Here is what I had to say about it: 

 

You know I should care, but I just can't stand to listen to anything having to do with politics. I tried to watch all of this and it just made my skin crawl. It is all corrupt in some way, shape or form and to some degree. The masses will never be pleased.

 

I agree with the Derangement Syndrome. The Obama critics, and any president for that matter, will never be happy with anything that he does and will cheer at his defeats. I like what Tony had to say, you have to listen to the people in the middle.  I agree. The ones that don't support or oppose him. Most likely they are the most open minded of the population.

 

I'm really not close to being up to speed on Obama and will never pretend to be. But, seriously, the Nobel Peace Prize. Whatever. 

 

I personally just don't get the Obama thing.  I totally missed the part where he started walking on water and was anointed savior of all mankind.  But, that's just my opinion.  Please respect that.

{the wrath of the filthy 50s}

We do girls, we do heros and we do filthy stuff at our gym.  All workouts that will shred you in anywhere from 3 1/2 minutes to 54 minutes.  Tomorrow will be no different.  I will have my second meeting with "The Filthy Fifty".  The Filthy Fifty was conjured by some sick CrossFitter that thought 500 total reps in a single workout would be a good idea.  And you know what? Ask any CrossFitter and they will say, "Yeah, it is a good idea".  This workout will test you to the core.  Your VERY core.  I naively went to battle with the 50s after three days of very little sleep and no food.  Foolish was I.  Hell, I've given birth three times with no drugs.  I've survived tragedy in my life. I've survived "Fran" and "Fight Gone Bad".  50s?  You don't scare me.  Well, I should have been a little scared.  I figured, I'll just pick a steady pace, just finish the workout. I wasn't worried about time.  That was a great plan until the wall ball shots, the third to last skill.  About 10 shots in I thought, "this isn't going to be pretty".  25 shots in, "oh crap, I'm only half done and I seriously think I might pass out".  Somehow I finished, onto burpees.  10 down, oh SHIT! Turn around and fall to my knees. About 10 more, turn around and fall to my knees AGAIN.  About 10 more, grab the nearest rower and hold on until the dizziness goes away.  During this a friend told my coach, "Pull her!  She has hardly eaten or slept in three days".  Coach B, "no, she can do it" And here is where the encouraging words of an excellent coach and a will you didn't know you had will push you to your limits.  Five burpees left and Coach B grabs my hands and tells me,"you only have five left, you can do it.  After you finish you will skip the double unders and give me 50 singles and then you will sit down on that tire".  Believing him I step back and somehow finish those last five burpees with my friend doing them and counting beside me because I was too gone to count.  50 singles and a seat on the tire.  How the hell did I do that?  How the hell did I push through that?  How?  I CrossFit.  It lights a fire in you and breeds an athlete that maybe you didn't know was there.  So tomorrow, I say give it to me you Filthy 50.  I know what you can do to me.  You tried like hell to drive me into the ground and I won.  Tomorrow will be no different.  Give me all you got and it still won't be enough.  I win.

{chaotic soul}

So yesterday I was setting up this blog  and I was choosing a fun background.  I was looking for something that was green and brown.  Not just any green, but peridot green.  August's birthstone, my mom's birthstone.  That is irrelevent to this post, but now maybe you have learned something new for the day. So back to my background.  I didn't find green and brown, but I found one that seemed soothing and calming to me.  It is subtle and has a little beauty to it.  So I went with soothing and calming, but my mind has been stuck on another one that I looked at.  I didn't care for the background, but the title has been rattling around upstairs and is opposite of what I chose.  "Chaotic Soul".   "Chaotic Soul".  That struck a chord in me.  I had a chaotic soul not long ago.  Too overwhelmed, missing something, tired, busy, overscheduled, dare I say "lost", needing something, lonely.  That's tough for a mom.  Not sure where you belong. Not just wanting to be "mom".  Wanting something of your own.  Living with a chaotic soul can be draining.  But, if you have a "chaotic soul" you just might be lucky enough to stumble upon something that starts to fill you up.  I found a friend, encouragement, rediscovered my husband, found another friend who is true to me, tried something new, went back to something old, found a community, got reaquainted with my creativity, made a new friend . . . I could go on.  I think (okay, I know) I still have some chaos going on in my soul, but it doesn't seem heavy anymore.  Chaos makes you hang on tighter and fight harder.  It makes you pay more attention to what you need and what you don't need.   It makes you learn to survive with what you have lost.  It makes you learn to say no and take your own advise.  You learn to shake your head at the chaos and say, "no thank you, not today".  Sometimes it makes you walk down the hall, crawl under the covers and cry.  But you know what?  Sometimes a good cry is okay and what you are really doing is crying some of that chaos out.  So embrace your chaos and wake up to tomorrow.  Don't let it drag you down.  Welcome the good chaos and just say "no thank you" to the bad.

{hello world}

Here I am world.  Inspired by a friend that blogs regularly.  I don't know that I will have anything exciting or important to say, but here I am nonetheless.

So this is me.  I'm a mom.  I'm a wife.  I'm a CrossFitter.  I'm a coach.  I'm a friend.  In the midst of all of that, I'm me.  Ask me who exactly "me" is I probably won't be able to tell you.  I take care of my family, can't seem to keep my house clean and sometimes have dinner done on time so my hubby doesn't have to pitch in.  I'm a wife that gets overwhelmed easily leaving my husband to just wait out my moods.  But, I'm a loving wife, married to the love of my life 16 years this past summer.  I CrossFit. I ditched the typical gym mentality that included elliptical trainers, lateral raises, lat pulldowns, bicep curls, etc. for a method of training that will drive your Global Gym into the ground.  But that is just my opinion.   I love my friends.  Online, local, friends from the past, friends that touch your soul, new friends, long-distance, reaquainted, like-minded, etc.  I don't get to spend near enough time with them.  Coffee, anyone?

So that's the beginning of my blog. Just introducing me to the world.