"Passion is pushing yourself when no one else is around."

It’s only the 3rd week in 2013 and major changes are already happening! Monday was Martin Luther King day and where some people had the day off I spent the day traveling in New Hampshire for work! One of my favorite quotes from MLK was: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Sometimes we struggle with seeing the bigger picture in life even when it may lead us to our dreams. When trying to reach a goal, the only thing holding you back is yourself and the only solution is YOURSELF! We are all a little afraid to take that first leap toward achieving our dreams but you are your biggest setback and your attitude is what will give you the strength to persevere. After a long day on the road I received the most exciting news in my young adulthood on my way home. Cynthia and I have been on the house hunt for a few weeks now and we received the call from our realtor that the seller had agreed to our offer! We are ecstatic! As of Tuesday morning around 9 AM we are officially UNDER CONTRACT! Buying a house is one of the biggest steps you take and I am so lucky to have such an amazing person to share this process with! We are praying everything goes smoothly and are trying to acquire some things little by little. Luckily we have lots of family and friends who are willing to chip in and help us with a majority of it! We feel truly grateful to have people like that in our lives willing to help us begin our home owning on the right foot! We will definitely keep everyone posted with the progress and would appreciate all the positive energy sent our way throughout the process! :) Once I finally arrived home I had so much excitement and energy built up I decided the best way to calm some of my nerves was to jump on the bike for 40 minutes and do some circuit training with 10 lb weights. Since the bike targets the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles I put together a few exercises for my biceps, shoulders, abs and butt. I did 3 sets of 12 repetitions of: bicep curls & shoulder press, triceps extension, squats into calf raises, knee to chest with hands on a medicine ball and plank with rotation to each side plank. By the time I finished I was whipped and ready for bed!

Tuesday was another day of travel, but I’m beginning to enjoy the ride to over the New Hampshire bridge! Sometimes that gives me just the right amount of me time I need! I decided to go to yoga that evening and it happened to be a fundamental class. I have been practicing hot yoga for 2 years now and like anything in life it never hurts to go back to the basics. Sometimes we get too caught up in a routine that we pass by so many small things that we learn to take for granted. By taking the time to slow things down and re teach ourselves that we don’t always need to be in a ruse we are exposed to things we never even realized in the past. The ability to slow things down can challenge us in ways that make us grow. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” are one of my favorite quotes because life is supposed to challenge and move us in different directions, thus ultimately allowing us to find our own destiny. I do believe everything happens for a reason, but I believe we all have the ability to control our destination. After yoga class I went over to Jennifer Wescott’s (Murph) for the Wine night with Cynthia and my sister, Mikayla! Murph showed us all her new furniture from IKEA! I can’t wait to make a trip once we are moved into our new house! We had so much fun we have decided to make wine night a more regular thing! We already have next month planned to do it at my sister’s house and my Dad has offered to drive us our and pick us up! Best Dad Ever!

Wednesday morning I went to Casco Bay Crossfit with my sister! I had gone a few years ago to stay in shape for soccer at SJC and I really enjoyed the workouts. Crossfit is used as a strength and conditioning program for many police academies, tactical operation teams, military special operation units, martial artists and many other elite and professional athletes worldwide. The idea behind it is that fitness is broad, general and inclusive. It is designed for all levels of experience and is very adaptable to every body type. Some of the Crossfit lingo can be quite confusing but one of the words commonly used is “WOD” that stands for the “Workout of the Day.” (For more FAQ refer to http://www.crossfit.ccom/cf-info/faq.html#General0 )

Wednesday’s workout started with stretching and ROM exercises. Then we continued into ladder drills. We probably went through 10 different exercises and set up for out WOD. The WOD consisted of 20 push press’s and 40 double under’s with a jump rope. Every WOD is timed and your name is time are written on the white board for everyone to see giving others numbers to compete against! The idea behind time increases the intensity for the workout. After that was complete we all grabbed some water and did what is called “The After Party.” This consisted of 3 sets of 15 fly’s. Upon completion we all did some stretching and chatting the workout! I HAD A BLAST! I really loved the excitement and accountability everyone has in accomplishing there own personal best! It is a GREAT workout and pushes you to give your all! I could really see myself getting in to Crossfit – FOR SURE! Anyone who is interested should definitely Check Out Crossfit Casco Bay! This is my sister hard at work! She is such a hard worker and has always been such a huge role model in my life!

When I left my house it was 1 degree! So cold and crisp! After meetings all afternoon we all went out to dinner and got to unwind a bit and get to know each other and I truly feel so lucky about this career move and am proud to be a part of this amazing company!

The best part of leaving the house in the dark is getting to view the sunrise on the way to work! I love this more than anything. It is my favorite part of the day! Thursday was spent traveling & learning so much! I am starting to get excited to finally be out in front of my own customers on my own! Once I got home Cynthia had a crazy day at work so we decided to treat ourselves to a yummy dinner! We decided to make Greek Pizza! So we headed to Hannaford and made the most delicious dinner, making us both feel satisfied!

Yes I made her pose! ;) She's such a good sport!

And our final product! Pam and Pete were our testers and Loved it!

Finally Friday began with a shake and trip to Portsmouth for a Team Rally (Meeting) until 2! After I headed back to the branch to get some work done and then home to bust out a great workout before heading to Bethel with Cynthia for the weekend with my family!

Good Morning from Bethel! Mom and I spent the morning playing checkers by the fire!

Then Cynthia, Mom, Dad & I went for a great snowshoe! Such a beautiful crisp day, and so many memories made! I am one lucky girl!

We went to the Tavern for Happy Hour and Appetizers!

And came back to relax and Dad gave mom a pedicure! What a good husband! Haha! Cutest thing ever!

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis

Monday started off feeling like Spring time! It got up to 60 degrees and I found myself driving around Downtown Portsmouth with my windows down! It was my first time in the area and I have to say I would love to go back! I am still in training for my new job, but I am learning so much each and every day! After work I went home to enjoy the sunshine by going for a 4.5 mile run outside! I don't know what inspired me, but I completed it in 36 minutes. After kind of a roller coaster week with putting in offers in trying to purchase our first house I think I had a little built up stress that I was able to release on this perfect January - 60 degree - run! "Exercise is good for your mind, body, and soul." - Susie Michelle Cortright

Tuesday was another busy day with work and I spent the day again in the Portsmouth area! After work I came home and used my new trainer that my road bike hooks right into and sits upstairs in what I call my: Homemade Gym! I road for 45 minutes and did a series of different lifting exercise for abs and arms. For example I did 10 reps of hammer curls superset with 10 pushups while balancing my shins on an exercise ball. I did 3 sets of theses. This engages your entire core along with your shoulders, back and gluteus. After this energizing workout I went to the USM basketball game to watch one of my best friends continue their undefeated streak. It was really nice to see Nicole and spend some quality time with my Dad. After the game we went over to Stockhouse for wing night and to catch up a little bit because I have been so busy with starting my new job and continuing the house hunt!

Wednesday morning started off nice and snowy! It took me a half hour to get to the branch for work and it is less than 10 miles from my house. It sure is a beautiful sight as the snow falls before it gets all dirty! There is something so calming about a gorgeous snowfall! I got up early to get in my workout. I started by doing some of my Physical Therapy exercises for the plantar fasciitis in both my feet, then I used my foam roller to loosen up my muscles and I hopped on the treadmill for a half hour run! Before heading to work I am still continuing to make a protein smoothie every morning for breakfast! Today I made one with strawberries, blueberries & banana! Yum! As I was finishing up my day at work I was taking a virtual class and the teacher asked us to state where we live and it was really neat to know people from all over the U.S. were on the line learning as I was. The best part was the teacher asked me if I made a mistake when I said Portland, Maine and meant Portland, Oregon! HAHA!

Thursday was another busy day at the branch! I woke up to the sunshine and the snow resting so gently on the trees! What a beautiful sight! We find our happiness in the smallest places sometimes! I spent the morning at the branch shadowing the people working at the desk and on the phones to get to know what they do and how the branch works! It is amazing how experienced all of the people that work there are! They have all been with the company for a minimum of 9 years! Pretty amazing when you think about all of the knowledge that they have and I look forward to working closely with them to pick their brains!  I got to spend the afternoon doing work from home and got to spend some quality time with my sister! We both have such busy schedules we like to make time at least once a week to catch up! We ended up doing work together until 8:30 at night! It’s the best feeling knowing she’s not just my sister, but she’s my best friend!

Friday I was able to again work from home taking more virtual classes and continuing to learn more about my new Company! In between classes I got in a nice 30 minute bike and 30 minute run from my Homemade Gym, again! Once my classes were finished we packed up the car and Cynthia and I headed to Bethel for the weekend where my parents have a timeshare for the next 2 weeks! We love going up there to spend quality family time playing games, snowshoeing, xc-skiing and enjoying the winter season! We didn’t get up until 7:30 but we cooked a yummy taco dinner for my parents once we arrived and spent the night sitting around the fire doing a puzzle and having lots of laughs!

Saturday we woke up to a light snow and we headed out for a 90 minute snowshoe with my girls! When we came back dad had made eggs and bacon! YUM!

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, playing cribbage, watching movies and we even walked down to the bar at The Bethel Inn to have a beverage while watching some hockey! By the time we got back we had a delicious chili for dinner and the games began! We started with Spoons!

Then we moved on to JENGA!

And we ended the night with some pool down at the Inn!

Sunday was definitely a day of rest! We had a relaxing morning reading the paper, challenging each other to the Sudoku and more card games! Cynthia and I headed home around 12 to take a nap and get ready for the Football games! I took today off from exercise and am excited for the week ahead! Sometimes a day off can give your body just what it needs to push that much further.Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been and look at what can be! Remember to work hard this week and keep pushing yourself! I’m sure your weeks are probably as jam packed as mine are, but it’s all about the decisions we make that assist us in reaching our goals - physically, mentally and emotionally. NOTHING WILL WORK UNLESS YOU DO! Don’t expect someone else to go out and reach your goals for you. I promise you every step you take toward your dreams will be worth your while!

A week of firsts!

What a busy week it has been! I started my new job on Monday and spent a majority of my week traveling to and from Portsmouth! I got my company car and phone and am officially one of those dorks carrying around 2 phones!

I did a lot of biking this week on my new bike trainer that I got from my parents for Christmas! I have a homemade gym at the house I have been using every morning before work. I have been alternating what I do with running, yoga, walking, biking and lifting weights! Another part of my healthy new year is making a shake with the magic bullet I also got for Christmas for one meal a day!

Friday night I spent it at my parents with my aunt WINE-ding down!

Saturday I spent finally running outside doing my favorite 4 mile loop and then I went to Greener Postures Yoga for an hour of hot vinyasa flow! Exercise is such a great therapy and stress reliever for me. I have really learned to love yoga because it is so nice to exercise but in a peaceful and relaxing way. Inhale what you need, and exhales out all that you do not need to carry with you. I recommend everyone to try it at least once!

Saturday night we went to our first Red Claw’s game with a few friends!

Sunday morning Cynthia gathered all of her Patriots shirts and handed them out to her parents and me to wear all day long! Then Jennifer Wescott and her sons Peter and Jack came over to watch the game! Yes, this is my FIRST year cheering for the Patriots because I am a true Giants fan! ... I guess there is a first time for everything! ;)

That about sums up my week! Keep working hard everyone and remember every day is one step closer to reaching your goals! :)

Welcome

Welcome to my FIRST blog! The New Year has opened my eyes to all the wonderful things that lay ahead in 2013! With a long list of New Year goals I have made for myself I figured the best way to hold myself accountable would be to make it public knowledge! Throughout my posts I will be sharing different goals of mine and the process I will go through in achieving them! Also, I will be highlighting special events that occur in my life as the year progresses.

To begin Last year was a big year in many ways for me! In May of 2012 I graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine. This is My Dad, Me, My Mom & Sister Mikayla.

Since Graduation I have had 5 very DIFFERENT (personal trainer, rehab aide, assistant manager in retail, management trainee, sales associate) jobs up until this point! Tomorrow 01/07/2012 I begin my 6th (and hopefully this one will be a good fit) job! For the record I was not fired from any of my prior jobs they just were not a good fit for me. But, the way I look at it is that they have all brought me closer to where I am supposed to be. I am definitely one of those people that believe everything happens for a reason and every step we take makes us a little bit more aware of where we are headed. On New Year's Day a few of my family members were crazy enough to participate in the 2013 Lobster Dip. For those of you who aren’t sure what that is it is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics where people raise money to jump into the Ocean on New Year’s morning! This is the second year my Father has done it and both years he has said he would never do it again, but we all know it wouldn’t take much convincing to get him in for another year for such a powerful cause. Left to Righ is: Jennifer Wescott, My sister who we call Roo, My dad, Our friends Kate and Maggie, and Cynthia Wescott

This shot makes me laugh. My dad is still in the water (you can't miss him with the Uncle Sam hat), and my sister Roo is reaching for him to help him. Jennifer Wescott (Murph) is the only smart one who is already bundled in her towel to the right and Cynthia is running for warmth! These 4 crazies went in and under not once, but 3 times! So proud of them all, but not jealous! I was cold and I was dressed in layers! To conclude my first post I wanted to share with you my first goal of 2013. I plan to complete 12 races in 12 months. I am no limiting them all to be road races, but hope to include some cycling and triathlons. This past Sunday I ran the Westbrook WinterWest. It was my first road race since being injured after my half marathon last summer! It was a 5K that I ran in 26:56 and received an award for the 5th place female! Although, not my best time I felt pretty accomplished for it being just the start of this wonderful year of fitness I have planned for myself! Here I am with my winnings, bib and holding up the #1 to represent only 11 to go! :)

Thank You for Visiting! Katelyn