Somehow, I'm 35. Shouldn't be surprising. I celebrate my birthday for a whole month every year, it's not like this one just crept up on me. I've made a mantra out of embracing every day and living life to the fullest, being open to opportunities and running (and eating) all over the world. I've raised my hand to take on more and chased down promotions and PRs.
But every so often, I'm still amazed that this is where I am. That I can love my life this much. That I can be this happy.
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Two weeks ago we moved to Japan, indefinitely. A country neither Erik or I had ever visited. It seems crazy to most people but, as strange as it sounds, this fact didn't even phase our decision.
There were of course some things that we talked through, like the cultural differences in the work place that may be challenging, or the cost of living (rent likely doubling for less space) and that life would be a bit more restrictive for our puppy. Our biggest concern had actually nothing to do with Japan itself but with the distance between ourselves and our families and good friends. It feels really good to be in W1D5 of 2018 and have already checked off a step toward one goal. I changed the title of my blog/site (welcome!), launched a market place with my coaching offerings (let me know if you would like to work with me!) and kicked off a matching FB page to further share my love of running, eating really good food and traveling. All on January 1st! I gave myself a quick pat on the back but now it’s back to work. Continuous improvement of each of these will be necessary – and maintaining them is where the hard work really falls – so please keep me accountable and let me know what you think and where I can improve!
Shit. It's been 6 months since I've even looked at this blog. It's been on my mind... I should write about this, or that seems to be something I should work out over my keyboard on this platform. But I didn't. In all honesty, writing has just seemed exhausting. Sitting down with a purpose and actually focusing on what I wanted to say was too much.
"Eliza, I can't believe it's been 90 days already. I've set up some time for us to recap."
- my boss I can't believe it either. I was dreading the end of April. The end of the month I had planned for and wrapped my head around months before: my first 300+ mile month. Yes - 300 miles running. That was the goal. As the month came to a close yesterday, I knew I would start seeing the Insta posts with monthly mileage and that mine was going to be 0.
I made a goal at the beginning of the year to blog every week.
I've sucked at meeting this goal. So it's time to make up for it! I'm committing to, at the very least, write every day - and frequently post - throughout the month of May. A lot has happened in the last 6 weeks and I know how therapeutic it is to write it down, mull it over, and share it. Actually doing it is always the challenge as I don't always do what's best for me. Work in progress, always. Watch this space. XO This year, per usual, I celebrated my birthday all month. I moved to a new city. Started a new job. Traveled to London for work. Had a pretty epic trip to New Orleans. Ran 100 miles. Celebrated my 6 month wedding anniversary. And adopted a rescue puppy. (Also, by the time I'm posting this, I'm two weeks post birthday month which I suppose is to be expected with how busy life has suddenly become.)
Aside from the running - which I'm grateful has become part of my daily life - I had no clue that my 33rd year was going to be so transformative and fulfilling. My love of running was a love that developed over time. Very slowly over time. And actually started with a fight and a severe dislike.
Six months of marriage. Wow.
In some ways, it feels like six minutes. In other ways, six years. It all felt like many of the best seconds of our relationship. I did it. For the first time since I started drinking (early college) I took a month off from consuming any alcohol. I didn't love it. I'm glad that my other upcoming goals I'm looking to accomplish involve adding something to my life instead of taking away.
Here's the thing: I don't think drinking alcohol is bad. I actually think having a glass of red wine is kinda good for you. But I think over consumption - as with anything - is when issues start. Four years ago today, my step-dad took his final breaths in the living room of my family home, while being held by my mom. As a smoker for more than 40 years, he experienced many breathing problems over the years and - well after he finally kicked those stupid cigarettes to the curb - he eventually developed COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which took his life.
With a new year comes the desire for something - sometimes anything - new in your life. This is where resolutions come from. The desire to make a change and to feel something different than you've felt for the past few months.
"Trump is going to win."
We were having a technology free dinner with family when Erik returned from the kitchen and delivered this news. Probably the most chilling words someone has ever spoken to me that immediately inflicted a stabbing pain to my body from head to toe. A wave of nausea followed by stinging tears. I will never forget that moment. When you're young, and still believe in Santa, you can't wait for Christmas morning. You are up in the middle of the night with excitement, unable to hold yourself back from peeking under the tree. As you get older, first discovering the truth that it wasn't a fat man who wields reindeer dropping off gifts, the need to rush starts to subside. And when you are older still, you realize there is a lot more to the holiday season - that it's a marathon - and there are exciting parts and energy needed at different stages throughout.
Iceland. It might as well be another planet. It's the most unique place I've ever visited in terms of landscape. Glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, geysers, geothermal pools, lagoons, SO many waterfalls... It was also expensive AF. But we weren't there for the restaurant scene so eating carrots from a bag while road tripping was fine by us.
The purpose of adding Barcelona and subsequently Andorra to our honeymoon tour was simply an aspect of cost and convenience. We were flying into Italy and out of Iceland a month later. In between, we knew we wanted to spend some time in Greece. So we needed to figure out the most cost effective way to get from Greece to Iceland and it turns out 5 days flying into and back out of Barcelona was the way to do that. Andorra - a small mountain country that is located on the boarder of Spain and France - was an inexpensive three hour bus ride from Barcelona so we figured, why not? Just adding to that country count! (45 for me, in case you were wondering.)
The second* country on our Honeymoon Tour was Greece. We are using this time we have to travel to explore places we haven't been, or that have been on our "list" for quite a while; and that uniquely blue water viewed over a landscape dotted with little white buildings was calling. I also thought the land of hummus was calling, but now understand that I have been duped by Americanized Greek food because this is definitely not a staple. The eggplant salads made up for it though.
I'm not one to back down from a challenge. And I tend to create them for myself - even when they're not necessary. We were five days into our honeymoon adventure - five of thirteen we were spending in Italy - and realized we'd had pasta everyday. So why not keep that streak going... for eight more days? Once that idea was planted, there was no turning back. I'm happy to say we made it! I'm certain a few pounds heavier, but happy.
For as long as I can remember - I wanted to go to the Cinque Terre. Probably since I first saw a picture of those breathtaking little villages overlooking the sea. It looked like the most romantic place in the world. So it wasn't even a conversation that Erik and I needed to have when planning our Honeymoon: we would be staying in the Cinque Terre. I never thought, however, that I would run the connector trail between them.
Years ago, I had conceptions of what I thought travel (and love, and life in general) should look like. Travel was something you planned for over months and even years. It was budgeted for and structured and it fit nicely into the standard cadence: meet a guy in high school / college, get a job, get married, go on a week long honeymoon, buy a house, continue the 9-5 life, have a kid, take a week long vacation to somewhere new every couple years, probably have another kid, continue the 9-5 life, maybe take a big trip for our 15 year anniversary (without the kids? should we?!)... And I firmly believed that Italy should be a place to travel with someone that you love - it would be perfect for that week long honeymoon someday. Even as this perceived cadence of the right way to do life dropped away from my reality, I was still holding strong on Italy.
It's funny, how one choice leads to an opportunity for another, and that series of choices creates your path. These choices define your journey. There are countless choices that have lead you to exactly where you are, right now. And when you make that decision to marry the person you do - looking back at all the choices made to get you to that point can suddenly seem monumental.
The choice to say "I do" to this man, however, was also the easiest choice I've ever made. |
AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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