Today, with this blog post, I am joining the Declaration of You Blog Lovin' Tour . The Declaration of You! is a new book by Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift , giving readers all the permission they've craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! When I first learned about the book and the blog tour, it seemed like a fun and exciting opportunity to write, to get back to my blog, and to join forces with over 100 other creative bloggers. This week's topic is self-care, which has been a big area of change for me these past couple years. As a mother, a wife, a daughter, an optometrist, a business owner, etc. it has sometimes been too easy to neglect the area of self-care as I made sure everyone else was taken care of first. Now this doesn't mean I wouldn't try, but often I was too tired to do the things I needed, and wanted, for me. But a couple years ago, I learned some life l...

This morning I woke up early for a run around my normal route. But it wasn't so normal today. Friday afternoon, the nature area around which I run, caught on fire. And there was just enough wind and dry vegetation to make the fire a challenge to put out. It took several hours and 180 firefighters to contain the blaze, which damaged 30 acres and five structures. Two of those structures were homes in the small neighborhood that we live, only 0.3 miles away. Needless to say, it was a nerve wracking several hours, wondering what would happen with the fire and our home. Thankfully everything turned out okay for us, but our nerves are a bit frazzled and our world a bit shaken. It was obviously scary for the girls, between the threat of the fire, the huge cloud of smoke in the sky, the smell of smoke at our house, and the policemen blocking entry to our neighborhood. My youngest, Katherine, has an amazing imagination and can use it to worry quite a bit, but on Friday it was her sister, R...

This week's meeting topic at Weight Watchers was about eating on vacation. It seemed of little value at first, because we have no vacations in sight. Maybe a day trip here and there, but nothing more. But as we discussed the issues and strategies, we were asked to remember past vacations and the successes we had. So I immediately thought of our whirlwind trip to Disneyland for New Years this past December. I remembered packing nutritious snacks, and breakfasts, to not only help with food choices but also to save a little money. But more important than that, I remembered how great I felt during that trip. We spent three long days in the parks, but I felt great. I never truly felt tired the way I had remembered past Disneyland trips. I felt like I could walk for days (which we essentially did). I even remember feeling happy and energized as we waited on Main Street for New Year's Eve fireworks at midnight (my two little girls could not say the same; in fact my five year old...

This past weekend was girls' weekend at my house (although my husband might argue that it's girls' weekend every weekend between me, our two daughters, and even our girl dog). My husband was away doing "boy" things, so my mom came to visit so we could do "girl" things. One of the activities, dare I say the highlight of the weekend, was participating in a 5K on Sunday morning. And it wasn't just any 'ol 5K, it was a women's 5K. Perfect! So when I realized the timing of the event, I signed up my team of women: myself, my mom, and my two daughters, Rebecca (age 8) and Katherine (age 5). This 5K was the first for my mom. She's been to a couple of races as a spectator, but never as a participant. And I was excited to have her joining us in the race fun. Equally excited was Katherine (my 5 year old), because this would be her first chip-timed race. Her excitement didn't come from a desire to be fast and timed, because that was by no means ...

Running on Inspiration #29: Only accepting "all-or-nothing" can sometimes mean not even trying. But something is better than nothing, right? Don't let the need to be perfect stop you from starting. It all adds up. It all counts. Especially the "in-between" stuff. Things worth doing don't always come easy. Often these things take constant effort. Both the obvious effort to get it done, but also the effort it takes to remember what it is that you want to get done. What I find myself working to remember is that being perfect is not the goal . And I'm not saying I'm a perfectionist, because I am not. At least not the stereotype I have in my head. I do not have a pristine house (I'm an awful housekeeper) and I'm the first to say "that's good enough," especially when working on a craft project. Yet I do find myself constantly falling into the trap of an "all-or-nothing" way of thinking, which is no different than expecting ...

I happily embellished my photo using the new (and addicting) iPhone app by  A Beautiful Mess "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." ~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I've been sitting on some news for a month now. Last month, on my birthday, I got swept away in a daring moment. I was celebrating another year of life (and what an amazing year it was), watching the inspirational Biggest Loser finale, and processing the early death of an acquaintance. And in that moment, I felt a strong need to recommit to myself, my health, and cherish being alive. And so what does one do in that instance? Well I took a daring leap. I jumped online and signed up to run the California International Marathon again this December. I then quickly questioned my sanity. Needless to say, running 26.2 miles is hard, but all the training that goes into it is even harder. And the further I've gotten from December 2nd, the more afraid I've been to do it again. But I remember feeling the desire to do it again that same day, right after finishing my first marathon. I wanted the chance to do it injury-free, so I could give it my all. And I trusted that crazy "some...

Hmm... So what do I mean by this? Let me explain. It started with a few seemingly unrelated ideas. The first bit came last fall from a conversation I had with Tiffany Han , a wonderfully inspiring life coach. It was brought to my attention that things that I had always thought were inherently true about myself didn't have to be that way. If I wanted to change something, I could. I was the storyteller of my life and I could rewrite the story if I so desired. I had that power. Hmm... Then, last month, I finished watching the 14th season of NBC's the Biggest Loser . I've only watch one other season, but both times I found it incredibly inspiring. And one of the contestants, Jackson , at one point said, "Weight loss is 100% mental. You have to want it more than anything." Now from reading people's comments on Facebook, not everyone embraces this point of view. But I recognized its value. I had seen this in my own weight loss journey, as well as in long distance ...

It's been almost four months since I ran my first marathon, and practically that long since I've written a blog post. I know I never quite finished my marathon story here, but I've found it increasingly difficult to return to it. Just as I took a break from running to recover, I seemed to have also taken an unintentional break from writing and creating, too. I'm now slowly returning to everything. It is not only taking effort to build back up my running, but also my writing and creating. And even though it is challenging, these are all necessary activities for me that I hold dear to my heart. As I add them all back into my life, I'm feeling happier, less lost, and more alive. The marathon was an incredible experience. As I've written before, the weather was crazy and my emotions overflowed. Once I started, the weather remained awful, but my emotions actually calmed. I may have been wet, and a little cold, but I had my music in one ear and I was running. I ...

My first "zentangle" I know I owe you the end to my marathon story, but today I need to interrupt that slow moving story for a visit to the present. Since completing my first marathon last December and losing over 40lbs in the process of training, I've actually felt a little lost. After months of training and "dieting," I had reached my finish line. I had achieved some really big goals and faced some really big challenges and fears. So now what? You'd think "set another goal" followed, but between slowing down my running to heal and the holidays and the unpredictability of life, I was hesitant to push myself into another goal right away. And that was alright at first. I had been working hard and a break was in order. So with mixed emotions, I stopped running for awhile and I enjoyed the holidays with my family. I even snuck in a family trip to Disneyland to ring in the New Year (what better way to celebrate a year filled with incredible accom...

As I mentioned before, in the days leading up to the CIM , I was extremely nervous and emotional. I can't tell you when I did something that scared me so much. I really can't. But I faced that fear. Early that Sunday morning, as the rain and wind beat against the house, I got my stuff together and prepared to start, and hopefully finish, my first marathon. Fortunately, I wasn't alone at the start. My friend Paula (whom I had run several races with during the year, including the NWM half marathon in SF ) was just crazy enough to try a marathon with me. So our beloved husbands dropped us off on that dark, stormy morning, armed with their love and encouragement, as well as our rain ponchos, sports goo, etc.. We were dropped off about a mile from the start and I will say that the weather was crazy awful. As we climbed out of the car, we were immediately greeted by the heavy wind and rain. We pushed towards the growing mass of runners and long lines of port-a-potties (an unfort...

Here I am! I did survive my first marathon on December 2, 2012! I am officially a marathoner! Yay! For those who have been wondering, I am sorry I left you hanging for so, so long. December brought some unexpected distractions and I feel like I'm just realizing its January, even though we're over half way through it. Yikes. Nonetheless, here I am 1-1/2 months later and 26.2 miles further into the amazing journey that is my life. As I left off , I grew increasingly nervous as I got closer to the California International Marathon ( CIM ). Not only had my training not gone as plan due to injury (aka IT Band issues ), but the weather became a huge factor. In past years, the CIM would generally fall on a cool, crisp day, but no such luck for me. It was stormy, wet weather with 30-50 mph winds. I must have checked the weather forecast hundreds of times in the days leading up to it, hoping to see a calmer forecast (and I swear when I went to bed the night before, the forecast was cal...

I've been wanting to write a blog post for a while now, but I just can't seem to settle my thoughts long enough to do it. So please forgive the brevity of this post. It is simply an attempt to reach out and help settle my thoughts. This Sunday will be my very first marathon. 26.2 miles. My training, this journey, began eight months ago when I bravely signed up to run in the CIM . And oh what a journey it has been. In recent months, I've been dealing with setback after setback in my training and it makes me nervous. It makes me nervous when things don't go as planned. I am even a little scared. Excited, too, but mostly scared. But that's okay because I am also open. Open to the experience and open to possibilities. Big things happen when we dare to step outside our comfort zone. Some say that's when magic happens. And running a marathon, possibly in the pouring rain, definitely equates to stepping outside of my comfort zone. So wish me luck as I step up to the s...

I am about to embark on a new adventure and I'm both excited and nervous. I am joining my beloved friend and life coach, Tiffany Han , on a 30 Day Social Media Rehab . For 30 days, I will be unplugging myself from Facebook and reconnecting with myself. My reason for making this commitment is not because I lose hours to Facebook daily (although weekly could be a different story), but because I continue to fall victim to comparison gremlins. Even though I just wrote a blog post about not comparing ourselves because we are all special and different, I still find it difficult to remember this at times. And Facebook just gives me too much material for comparison. In the past, it's mainly been about my creativity and productivity, but at this point I'm also comparing myself as a runner. In training for my first marathon (the CIM , quickly approaching on December 2nd), I've unfortunately learned that training doesn't always go as planned. So I'm feeling under prepare...

It's my final marathon Monday (on Tuesday) and it's time to get to the bottom of this story. I have dragged it out long enough. I almost completed the story last time, but then I was worried about my blog post being too long. I got over that when I shared about my Nike's Women's Half Marathon experience. So today is the day I try to explain why I signed up to run a marathon. It will probably get a little choppy and I might repeat a bit from previous posts, but I promise this blog post will go the distance. It's time to run long. Things changed for me in March. Before that, the thought of running further than a 5K, let alone a marathon, never ever crossed my mind. I even had a couple friends suggest the idea earlier, like training for a 10K or even a half marathon, but I would quickly dismiss it and never give it a second thought. It was crazy talk. But then in March, things started to change. The first thing I remember from March was my run-in with an old classma...

image from Tiffany Han I've been a little off lately. Nothing really major, just little things. Recovering from my ankle injury and getting back on track with my marathon training (Only 39 days from now! Yikes!). Running behind on numerous things like Halloween decorations, birthday planning, and blog writing, etc.. Falling victim to a seemingly insatiable sweet tooth (emotional eating at it's finest). I've been feeling a bit out of sorts. And then yesterday, I happened upon a blog post by my friend/life coach, Tiffany. She shared a list of 13 things she'd like to accomplish before 2013. With so much starting to swirl around in my head, making a list was just what I needed. So I made a list: Keep running 1. Continue my marathon training. I have one more half marathon this Sunday . I also plan on doing strength training at least twice/week (whether its at the gym or at home--no excuses) until the big day. 2. Run my first marathon on December 2nd ( CIM )! C...

I know I missed Marathon Monday this week and I promise I'll get back to the story where I left off last week . But today I am going to skip ahead to tell another story in my marathon training saga. A long story. This past weekend I ran a half marathon at the Nike Women's Marathon (NWM) in San Francisco which was my second half marathon. It was an incredible experience, both the race and the process it took to get there. The NWM is a huge race (25,000 runners) with a huge reputation for a beautiful course, San Francsico hills, and Tiffany's & Co finisher's necklaces handed out by fireman dressed in tuxedos. As big as it is, it can take some work to enter the race. For many of the spots, there's a lottery held early in the year. And I'll be honest, I didn't know this race existed when the lottery occurred. But as I learned more about running, I learned about more races and this one popped up. At first, I was far too intimidated by the thought...

As I've mentioned before, I joined Weight Watchers this past January which led me to finally lose the weight I had struggled with since college. In fact, I lost 42 lbs total and this week I achieved Lifetime status . Before joining Weight Watchers, I had tried countless combinations of diets and workout routines, but I had little long-term success. Nothing seemed to stick. Even doing the Couch to 5K program and running several 5Ks last year didn't help me lose weight. But running did break my previous pattern, since I actually enjoyed it and wanted to continue. But something more would need to happen for me to successfully lose weight. And this year I finally figured out what the extra something was: I needed help. Seems simple enough, right? Well it's taken me years, practically my lifetime, to come to this "simple" realization. Being raised strong and independent, I'm often most comfortable being in control and solving my own problems. But trying to do it...

It's Marathon Monday (continued from here ) Last week's Marathon Monday left off with my decision to join Weight Watchers. Now joining Weight Watchers is a story all it's own and I'll share that, too, but today I'm going to concentrate on the running part of my story. So the new year came and I joined Weight Watchers. With my renewed commitment to losing weight and getting healthy, I started running again. Since it had been awhile, I started the Couch to 5K program again. I progressed through the program more quickly and before I knew it, I was calling myself a runner again. And I was happy to be running, so I shared. I loved sharing my running experience even though, up until this point, I had pretty much been a runner in isolation. I'd share my runs in conversation or on Facebook, but I didn't really know any runners. But sometime in March that started to change. I started meeting other runners. For instance, I remember a chance meeting with an ol...

It's Marathon Monday again and it's time to get back to my story after last week's interruption . You may remember I left off with the Couch to 5K program and getting "hooked" on running. While completing the nine week program, I actually started enjoying running for the sake of running which helped me complete the program and then continue running. After I completed the program at the end of June last year, I decided I should actually find a 5K to run. It had never been my goal in the beginning, but it seemed a natural next step in my journey. So I found a local 5K for a cause near and dear to my heart: my first 5K was the Race for the Arts . It was a wonderful experience, so I decided to run two more, one being a 5K marking the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and the other a 5K to raise money for ovarian cancer (a cause dear to a friend).The races were fun and rewarding, and I really could have done more, but with the holidays approaching we just didn't have t...