As I sit here at the end of 2010 looking towards 2011, I cannot believe how much my life has changed.  A year ago, I would never have imagined that I would have a successful food blog that people actually read.  I would never have imagined that I would own a piece of a collaboration that I was a fan of and now am a part of.  I would never have imagined that my family could make me any happier or prouder.  That my children would have grown so much and that I too, would be growing up with them.  That with the bad comes the good.  Personal tragedy and disappointments have the ability to change when your perspective and attitude change.  That you can take the bull by the horns and come out the other side.

2010 definitely had ups and downs.  But from where I am standing it was a good year.  I have come a very long way this year.  I learned about forgiveness.  I learned about loving myself and believing in myself.  I learned to not take little things for granted.  I have deeper relationships with the people that I care the most about.  I have a new found love of reading and writing.  I cooked some amazing meals for people that I love.  I had some epic kitchen fails, but washed the dishes and started over again.  I learned that you need to put yourself out there, opportunities are not going to come knocking on my door.  I am stronger than I ever thought.  I am braver than I ever thought.  I am more fearless than I thought.

2011 has promise, that is for sure.  I have big plans for you, my friend.

These sneakers are really what got me to this point.  These sneakers gave me the strength that I needed to see myself for who I am.  These sneakers helped me push my physical boundaries, but most importantly, they gave me the confidence to do the things that I really wanted to do.  I did not lose a thousand pounds, in fact, I gained most of it back, but what I did not have a year ago, was a lot of faith in myself.  Or confidence.  Or strength.  I have that now.  And these worn out sneakers, helped give me that.

© Bree for Bree Hester, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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If you would have asked me a year ago if I ran, I would have told you.”only if someone was chasing me.”  Now a year later, I still would not consider myself a runner, but I do in fact run.

The thing about it is that I really hate running.  It is something that I know that I have to do.  Unlike my husband who likens running to going to church, I still do not get that “runner’s high”.  What I do get is a sense of accomplishment.  I get to set small goals for myself and reach them.  The competitive part of me gets to compete with myself and sometimes I like kicking her ass.

I get to spend an hour or so with myself and my breath.  Running alone with just me and my ipod.  No children, no husband, no fighting, no drama, just me.  Clear head, clear thoughts.

I don’t look like a runner.  I am not graceful.  I am chubby.  I am not fast.  But I am getting there.

I am a geek.  I like gadgets.  The Nike+iPod is the best thing that ever happened to me.  Not only is it a gadget, but is gives me charts and graphs.  The 6th grade math teacher in me loves a graph.  But my favorite part, is when you plug your iPod in, you get to see your person run across the screen.  It really is the little things in life.  I love her.  I love seeing my accomplishments and seeing the goals that I have set being reached.

Isn’t she cute?  Aren’t those lines pretty?

I will not lie to you, running can hurt.  The first mile is always the hardest for me to get through.  I feel like my legs are a hundred pounds and I feel like quitting.  I remind myself that I have given birth without drugs and it was not that big of a deal.  Running a few miles cannot be that bad.  I can make it.

I am reading a book about women that run, mothers in particular.  It is called Run Like a Mother.  The title alone is worth the read.  Whether you are a beginning runner like myself or a marathoner, it is a fun read.  If you want to indoctrinate yourself into the world of running, pick this book up.

I am afraid to run outside.  I stick to the treadmill and I know that I should get out into the great wide open.  But it scares me.

I do not love running, but I love how I feel afterward.  I am calmer, happier, and able to deal with my life better.  My life is good, but sometimes, we all need an escape.  These days mine is more treadmill and less icy cold beers… well, maybe just one.

Why do you run?

© Bree for Bree Hester, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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