goodbye nicole

Last Thursday, as you may have read, I attended the Memorial Service of my friend Nicole Laube who was murdered on August 19th. Prior to attending the service I was quite nervous for many reasons. I wasn't sure how I would feel and act, and I hadn't stepped foot inside a church in quite a while. I knew that there would be a lot of praying and singing, and sometimes being in the presence of hundreds of others doing that can make me slightly uncomfortable. Well, I have driven by Southwest Bible Church a billion times and never really knew how big it was until I walked in. Over a 1,000 people attended Nicole's Memorial Service, most of them were family, friends, and acquaintances, but there were also those who heard of her death on the news and felt compelled to come and pay their respects. The media was there as well recording the service.

Mondo turns out couldn't come, I think the whole situation was a little too much for him to handle and so he stayed home with his partner for comfort. Connie and I found a spot among the masses to sit and watch a video montage of home recordings of Nicole and her family through the years of her growing up. We laughed at some, cried at some, smiled at others. Once the church filled up the family made their entrance through a side door and I finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Seeing her family made it so real at that very moment, my friend really is gone. The service began with a prayer which I found oddly comforting but also quite emotional. We than stood up as the band played four songs which many people joined in on singing along. Several family friends took turns sharing stories of Nicole's life, her best friend gave an emotional testament of Nicole and how strong she was, and then her parents took their turn followed by her husband. Because the service was taking place on what would have been Chris and Nicole's 4th Wedding Anniversary, he shared with us the gift that would have been presented to her. It was a memory book of photos that he had put into video with music. It was beautiful. We then ended the service with another message, prayer, and two more songs. In all it took 3 hours, probably the longest service I had ever attended.

As emotional as you can imagine this was, we laughed quite a bit. The stories we heard of Nicole as a child were incredible. The battles she had fought growing up for her life, three of them, and survived stronger each time are miracles. She never wavered, she always smiled and remained positive. People like Nicole are rare, what a gift she was. I left the service wishing I had known more about her before her death. That we had made those plans to get together again. I can sit here and wish for something that will never come to be, but instead I will be grateful for the time I did have and the memories I will always have. It is sad it takes a loss for you to remember how precious life is, and how short it can be for some. I have been making an effort to reconnect and spend time with friends whom I haven't seen or heard from in a while. I don't want to ever regret not having made time for someone I care about. I urge you to do the same.

not ready to say goodbye

In a matter of hours I will have to walk into Southwest Bible Church in Beaverton with my good friends Mondo and Connie, among the many family members and friends who love and miss Nicole Laube. Tonight is her Memorial Service and I find myself unable to really articulate how I feel. I mean I am filled with sadness for her loss, anger for the person who took her from us, and fear of how I will feel when I am in the presence of so many people who are feeling the same way. But how do I really feel? I don't know. I feel so numb. I am still feeling utterly confused that someone murdered my friend. Why? What purpose did anyone have to do that? Things like this and moments like these are what make me lose faith in humanity. We've become a world, mostly a nation, of people who don't care about others anymore. We've taken value out of life, out of family, out of community and we're falling apart at the seams. There is so much ugliness in the world today, so much hatred, greed, and we lack love and compassion. But I won't give in to the majority, I will continue to smile and to love.

Today I have to say goodbye to a friend who was a beautiful mother and wife. I have to witness the sadness and pain in her kids faces. I am going to have to feel everything I have been holding inside. I know I will cry along with everyone else, and I will probably cling onto Mondo's hand and hug Connie. We will get through this just as everyone else will. One breathe at a time, one tear at a time, we're not alone in this. But instead of sulking in anger and sadness, and asking God why this happened, I am going to celebrate Nicole. I am going to remember that her memory needs to live on, for her kids, family, and friends. Nicole may not be here in body anymore, but she is most certainly here in spirit.

Nicole Laube, you are greatly missed but you will NEVER be forgotten. May you rest in peace, may your kids feel your love in their hearts for the rest of their lives, and may your family and friends find comfort and peace. We love you.

4/10/85 - 8/19/14

one on one: day seventeen

I went to bed last night feeling pretty sore and thinking that todays session would just plain suck. Then I woke up and logged in and saw that the WOD for the day was "Fight Gone Bad" which I did once before back in July 2013. I was a little bummed because I would miss this WOD since I have other plans for this evening and figured my session with Joon would entail something else. Will it did not, in fact, as soon as Joon learned I would not be back this evening he said that todays session would be "Fight Gone Bad" and I was both excited and scared. The last time I did this WOD my rep count was 137, mind you I had only been doing CrossFit for about a month and half and it was heavily modified. Today I did the WOD, and not only did I RX it but I PR'd it by 41% and got 193 reps. I can not express how unbelievably surprised and happy I am. Joon gave me a goal of 200 reps and though I was like "sure" in my heart I didn't think I'd get that high. I just wanted to beat my old record. So here is what "Fight Gone Bad" is:

Three Rounds of (1 Minute @ Each Station):
Wall Ball 14#
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) 45#
Box Jumps 20"
Push Presses 45#
Row (for calories)
Rest 1 Minute
(These weights are for women)

I surprised myself with getting 21 wall balls in the first round, I moved without stopping and even got low on my squats (yay!). Joon and I believed the SDHP and push presses would be where I would excel but I found them the hardest part of this WOD. I couldn't do more than 3-5 reps at a time, and I can easily blame it on being sore or tired but I am not exactly sure why it was so hard. This whole thing sucked! I was consistent with my rowing and have definitely gotten more efficient at that. And I didn't do one step-up on the box jumps, I jumped the entire time. I'd say overall I am pretty impressed with myself and glad that Joon had me do this WOD. I know next time I will do more than 200 reps!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day sixteen

I typically have plenty to say but I am at a loss of words right now. This has been somewhat of a trying week and I find myself with little energy to try and find something to share. So I will lead right into what I did in today's session:

Warm-up: 500m Row

Extended Warm-up:

     8 x 20m Skip

     4 x 20m (3) Overhead Walking Lunge + (1) Overhead Squat

Terrible 2's

In 2 minutes complete 2 rounds:

     100m Row (sprint)

     2 Burpees

     2 Slam Balls (20#)

x2 (1st time had 19 seconds left, 2nd time had 26 seconds left)

Rest 5 minutes

50 Elevated Sit-up/Ball Toss

Then,

     5 minute AirFit Cool Down

I am appreciative of Joon's help and have definitely noticed changes in myself. I was pretty proud of myself in completing the Terrible 2's portion within the 2 minute time cap. And that I did all of the lunges with no knee pain. I hope to have more to say in my next posting, until then, be sure you hug your loved ones often!

one on one: day fifteen

Today was my first one on one session since the competition and as promised, Joon took it up a notch. After working with me for several sessions we had the ability to see where I stand when faced with the clock of a competition. We discovered that I am fully capable of pushing myself, that I am strong, and what needs to be worked on. So before todays session went into full swing we redid my Strength/Weakness/Objective list.

My list with Coach Joon's add ons.

The truth is I really loved competing, even if I came in second to last. I know what I really suck at, what needs work, and what I am proficient at. I do have the bug to compete again, when? Well that all depends on someone else (Beth). So my focus is now to work as if everything I do will help me get stronger and better for a future competition. And so this is what we did today:

Warm-up: 800m Row

Extended Warm-up:

     3 x 5 Squat Therapy

     3 x 5/10/15 Russian KB Swing & Goblet Squat (25#)

Jerk Dip 10 x 3 (Heavy)

     Attempted 135#

     Did 95#

3 Rounds:

     100m Row Sprint (All Out)

     Rest 30 Seconds

     10 Front Squats (Unbroken) 55#

     Rest 1 Minute

3 Rounds:

     For 2 minutes do:

     10 DB Snatches (20#, 25#, 25#)

     Then for the remainder of the time do Explosive Step-ups

     Rest 3 Minutes

The jerk dip was hard. I really wanted to go heavy as Joon wanted me too but my wrists weren't having any of it. I have a lot of work to do with my upper body mobility. I focus so much on my hips and legs that I have neglected my shoulders and wrists. It was far too painful with the weight on my wrist. So I cut the weight back and tightened my wrist straps. Though uncomfortable, it became much more bearable. Jerk dips are a strange movement, but they certainly got easier. The row sprints and front squats weren't so bad. I went light with the front squat because the focus was going unbroken. I wanted to give my right knee a chance to really warm-up and my wrists were feeling tired. As for the explosive step-ups, the first round was ok but the next two rounds really sucked. Even with a 3 minute rest period in between each set my quads were hating life. I really tried my best to get "comfortable with uncomfortable."

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

*There is no update on the case of my friends murder so far. After learning of her death yesterday morning, I decided to stay at work to keep myself calm. After work I choose to continue with my normal routine and go workout. It was one of those WODs that you knew you'd be hating it the minute the clock says 3, 2, 1 Go! But I am glad I did it, the entire time I kept Nicole in my thoughts and kept telling her this WOD was for her. I pushed myself to keep moving and to embrace the suck, because she embraced the suck to achieve her body building goals. Once the WOD was over a release of emotions came over me and it felt good to shed some tears. I took all of the pain and sadness I was feeling and channeled it into my movements. A part of me feels that maybe she was there helping me through it. RIP Nicole Laube.

make time

I am dealing with the unfortunate loss of a friend today. Trying to process what I feel and how this could have happened. I do know the one thing that really sticks out to me is "time." Nicole and I went to massage school together, we weren't very close during that time and after we graduated she simply disappeared. But as luck would have it, Facebook brought us back together. I'm thankful that she, two other friends (Connie and Mondo), and I got together this past June and caught up. And I know in the time of loss and pain people will say beautiful words of the deceased because they feel that is the right thing to do. But when I tell you that Nicole is a beautiful person, I truly mean what I am saying. She grew up so much since we last spoke and made so many positive changes in her life. Married, kids, and found body building and loved it. We laughed over drinks remembering the various classmates we had, the ups and downs in the massage world, the new hobbies we all took up, and what our future was to be.

I am sad not only because I lost a friend, but because I wish we had made the plans to get together again quicker. I am sad because I took for granted that we had plenty of time to plan. I am sad because time was stolen from her, her family, her kids. If I were to ever stress anything to you, it will be this, don't wait to call up a friend or family member you haven't seen or heard from. Make the first move. Make plans. Make TIME. Because we truly do not know when our time is up and what a shame to waste what little time we have on unimportant things.

So go hug the ones you love. Smile. Laugh. Love.

RIP: Nicole Laube

summer smash crossfit competition reflection

If you've been keeping up with this blog than you already know that I competed this past Sunday, if not, well now you know. Being my first CrossFit competition you can imagine I went through an array of thoughts and emotions during the process. Naturally I was quite nervous leading up to the day, in fact it didn't really hit me until the day before. The morning of was hard to eat breakfast without feeling nauseous. What I was so nervous about I'm not entirely sure but knowing myself, I was probably more afraid of falling or doing something wrong in front of all the people that would be there watching and cheering us on. Because if you know me, you know that it is quite possible that I would accomplish something like that. And no, nothing of the sort happened. My nerves completely diminished the minute Megan, the gracious lady who put this competition together, went over the standards of the first WOD. Suddenly it was like I was back at CrossFit Stumptown and we were just going over the WOD that we would be embarking on. Oh, and allow me to add that the entire competition took place outside. They had the road closed off for the day and set everything up outside where there would be more room and the people walking by for the Hawthorne Street Fair could stop and watch. I didn't prepare for it being outdoors and working out under the hot sun all day, but it was a new challenge that I was forced to deal with. I competed in the Women's Scaled Division with only five other women. Here is my breakdown of thoughts on each WOD that day.

WOD #1:
     AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
     1 Power Clean 65#
     2 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run (which actually turned out to be 2 back and forth sprints)
     2 Power Clean 65#
     4 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run
     4 Power Clean 65#
     8 Over the Bar Burpee
     200m Run
     ETC ETC.
This WOD was awful. It was awful before I had even started, awful even days prior to the competition. I already knew that this WOD would be the one that I would do the worse in. First of all, running is just not something that comes to me naturally. Sure I can run, but I am not efficient at it. I don't stride well and I don't breathe correctly. This is something Joon and Tony have been working with me on. I'm still a work in progress. Anyhow, adding running AND burpees in the same WOD is like a death sentence for my lungs. I prepared in advanced and made sure to use my inhaler beforehand, and planned on just pacing myself during the run. What I didn't factor in was the HOT weather. The power cleans were of no issue, the weight is light for me and so breezing through those were a piece of cake. The burpees got hard fast with the sun beating down on my and trying to breathe over the hot black mats. In the very first sprint I took off way too fast and burned myself out almost immediately! Rookie mistake #1! Needless to say, I came in last in this event.

WOD #2 & #3:
     Establish 1RM of Overhead Squat in 8 minutes, then rest 2 minutes and in 20 minutes complete:
     500m Row
     10 HRPU (hand release push-ups)
     20 Step-ups on 20" box
     30 KB Swings 25#
     40 Sit-ups
     100 Double Unders OR 300 Singles
     40 Sit-ups
     30 KB Swings 25#
     20 Step-ups
     10 HRPU
Ok let me begin with the overhead squat, my weakest of bar movements. I only established a new 1RM on this four days prior to the competition, from 65# to 95#. My goal was to get 90# on competition day, and maybe shoot for 95#. But as I was warned by Joon, the adrenaline will push you to go all out. And so after nailing 70#, 85#, and 90# I decided to get a little crazy and go for 100#. I failed the first two tries and even called good after that. But when 90 seconds was announced as all that was left, I decided to give it one more go and NAILED it! In a matter of one week I PR'd the OHS by 35#. How does this still surprise me? I have no clue. I placed 4th in WOD #2. The 500m row was a part of the 20 minute time cap but was scored separately. I came in 2nd place with the row at 2:06. For the rest of WOD #3 I came in 5th place and I believe a part of me died out there on the asphalt that day. As much as I dreaded WOD #1, this one pretty much killed me. Rookie mistake #2 is not knowing how to do double unders yet, so I ended up wasting time doing 300 singles. You know what that means? I means I am learning how to do double unders ASAP. The rest of the WOD was hard mostly out of being tired. I'm not accustomed to pushing myself to continuously move without stopping for water or breathing breaks. I came close to not finishing it under the time cap, but I did. Thank goodness!

Final WOD:
     AMRAP in 3 minutes of:
     Shoulder to Overhead 65#
I chose to do push presses as I felt those were more efficient for me at such a light weight. Before beginning this WOD I felt that my shoulders felt pretty good, especially since everyone seemed to be complaining that their shoulders felt tired. But after about a minute of doing push presses I began feeling my shoulders burn like crazy. I pumped out as many push presses as quickly as I could go. I ended up getting 37 reps in 3 minutes. I placed 5th in this event.

Individually I did alright in most events, especially for it being my first time. I went into this competition wanting not to place last but after WOD #1 I came to terms that I would more than likely place last overall. And you know, I was surprisingly ok with this. I mean at least I signed up and knew I was giving my (almost) all. The end result was I placed 5th overall. This was a pleasant ending to my first competition. Now the bigger question is, what did I learn from this experience?

Well, I absolutely learned that I really need to learn to be a more efficient runner. So much so that I will begin taking Tony's running clinic Saturday mornings in September. I learned that I need to learn to do double unders. And the biggest lesson learned is to give myself enough credit. I am strong. I am capable.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

stop lying to yourself

I need to spout something off that has been bugging me lately. There's been a lot of talk about how women (and anyone for that matter) should love themselves the way they are. I do agree with this statement wholly. I think we, women especially, judge ourselves far too much. This is especially true when it comes to body weight. I am most certainly guilty of it. But what really bothers me is how some women are using the "I love myself as I am" statement as an excuse to be fat. This drives me crazy and I just don't understand why. Listen, I'm all for loving yourself as you are. We're all not going to look the same. Not everyone is going to be skinny and even the opposite some can't gain the weight they need/want.

Take myself for an example, I am overweight and I know this. Instead of focusing on losing weight, I focus on my fitness and diet. I workout to get strong, build muscle, and to be able to function normally because that is my desire. I am working on eating healthier because that is needed for myself to perform well in the gym but also because I want to fuel my body appropriately. In taking these steps I will naturally lose fat weight without that being my main focus. But at this very moment I am taking steps to eating healthier but I don't eat completely healthy, and I am not blinded with the notion that I am fully healthy. Being overweight still puts me at risk for all sorts of things.

So while I love who I am and how I look at this very moment, I know that I need to continue to work on my health and fitness so that I can continue to love myself for a very long time. I don't want to be one of those older adults dealing with diabetes, or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, etc etc. So if you are like me and are overweight and are working towards being healthier, good for you! I am proud of you. But if you're standing there saying you love who you are and are overweight stuffing a candy bar in your mouth with a soda in your hand, you aren't fooling anyone. Stop lying to yourself and start actually loving yourself by taking steps to being healthier.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day fourteen (bonus day)

This week of one on one training with Joon is slightly off. Instead of the normal Tuesday/Thursday sessions, we are doing Wednesday/Friday to accommodate my time off to allow my back to get better from my sacroiliac joint issue. But since work was a tad bit slow today, I got off early and had an impromptu session with Joon to help prepare me for my competition this coming Sunday. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by people who want to see me succeed. I don't think I would feel confident enough to even consider competing if I didn't have the support that I at home and CrossFit Stumptown. So this is what we did:

Warm-up: 3 min Row
5 Sets (2 min rest in between each set) of:
     2 Power Cleans (75#)
     4 Athletic Burpees
     10 Cal Airdyne

Sculpting:
     3 x 5-7 Dumbbell Presses
     3 x 5-7 Tricep Extension
     5 x 5 Five Sec Elevated Plank Hold, 1 Push-up

It was a short and sweet session but it sure has me feeling my arms more than I have in a long time. Feels good actually. I surprised myself with the Airdyne today and pushed myself harder towards the end, even when my quads were burning like crazy and I felt tired as hell. I worked really hard on focusing on breathing properly to limit my panic breathing. Give me something heavy to lift and I will probably do it, but ask me to breathe normally and I just can't quite get it done right. Baby steps.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirteen

Today was the first day I worked out since last Friday, we can thank my left sacroiliac joint for that. I have this issue with that area where it likes to get all out of shape and flare up on me. So after doing a lot of KB movements and Deadlifts, and being an idiot and not stretching out afterwards I woke up Saturday morning in awful pain. I couldn't sit or lay comfortable and forget bending or squatting in any way, shape, or form. By Monday I started to feel better and got adjusted, by Tuesday I was functioning better but waited to get back to the gym until today. On the way to CrossFit Stumptown for my session with Joon I found out that the second WOD in the Summer Smash Competition I am participating in this Sunday will be establishing your one rep max in Overhead Squats. UGH! I hate OHS!! Needless to say, this is what we worked on today and guess what? I PR'd!

Warm-up: 2000m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
     3 x 5 Goblet Squat
     3 x 20/10 Isometric Hold Back Extension
     Max Effort Isometric Hold: 27 seconds

Skill + Strength:
     Rack OHS Press Up 7 x 5 (65, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 110#)
     OHS #45 7 x 5
     5 Attempts 1RM OHS (65, 75, 85, 95, 95#)
   
So I went from having a 1RM of 65# from March to a 1RM of 95# today. I owe Joon so much for all his support and help. Between him and Aaron constantly telling me I am stronger than I think I am, I still don't grasp that concept. I am still quite surprised every time I accomplish something so heavy.

I can't wait for Sunday's competition and see how I perform. I am definitely nervous, but super excited about it.

This photo was taken from the competitions Facebook page.

one on one: day twelve

Typically my one on one sessions with Joon are Tuesday and Thursday every week, but this week we moved our Thursday session to Friday (today). This was probably a blessing in disguise actually because I woke up Thursday morning with an awful pain in my right knee. The night before I did a WOD that had lunges and pistol squats in them. Naturally my pistol squats were modified as it was my very first attempt at them, ever. Anyway, I don't know if it was the WOD itself or just a combination of things leading up to Thursday morning that was causing the knee pain. As soon as I made it to work I had to change my shoes as I began to limp slightly. When my boss, a chiropractor, got there I had him take a look at my knee. Now if I have never said this before, I'll say it now, he's an amazing chiropractor and I am so forever grateful not to only work for him but to be his patient. Ok ok, back to my knee, he checked it out and adjusted it. Apparently I managed to get my tibia to rotate medially at the proximal end and the fibula to set back and rotate laterally at the proximal end. Essentially this was a bad thing and most probably the cause of all of my discomfort. Thankfully though the adjustment was enough to help and I was walking like new. I intentionally decided to avoid all lunges and squats for the rest of the day.

So then today arrived and my knee felt great this morning. I felt pretty good, slept well finally and was curious to see what Joon would have me doing. And so this is what I did:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
     Row 6 x 100m (Sprint)
     -30 Seconds Active Rest-

KB Complex (25# for 5 Sets):
     5 Single Arm Swing- Left
     5 Double Arm Swing
     5 Single Arm Swing- Right
     5 KB Snatch- Right
     5 KB Snatch- Left

Work Up to a Heavy Deadlift: PR'd at 235#
Then,
     5 x 2 @ 80% of 1RM

AMRAP in 5 Minutes:
     5 Jump Squats
     10 KB Push Press
     15 Calories Airdyne

Let me just say that getting a PR on my Deadlift was freaking awesome! My last 1RM was 225# that I got last January and when I attempted to lift that again a few weeks ago, I couldn't get passed 195#. The rowing is getting easier too, I think whatever Joon has me doing is actually working. Imagine that! I hate KB but I can do them, I just hate that I always end up with sores and bruises on my wrists and/or shoulders. The airdyne though? I detest and there is absolutely NOTHING Joon can do to change my mind on that. I know it will help with my training but it's an awful piece of machinery!

I end this post with some exciting news, which many of you will already know. Today I officially signed up for my very first official CrossFit competition. I will compete next to many of my CrossFit Stumptown gym mates on the 17th of this month. I am both nervous and excited and am eager to see how I do. Naturally I want to win, but I will be happy not coming in last! :) I will keep you posted on how I do at the competition!

Photo taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day eleven

I woke up this morning feeling very unmotivated and a very full bladder. Needing to pee was really the only thing that helped me crawl out of bed. I may have gone to bed a tad bit too late last night, but compared to other times it wasn't that bad. I feel like I am battling myself to get decent sleep. Maybe I really should focus getting to bed earlier but honestly that is flat out impossible if I still want to go to CrossFit. So I must muscle through this as my schedule will not remain this way forever... thankfully. After last weeks sessions I was curious to see what Joon would throw at me today, and of course we had some skipping, rowing, and the always hated burpees. Here is what I did:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     x2
     50m High Knees
     50m High Skips
     50m Carioca (both ways)
     50m Side Shuffle (both ways, holding 15# bumper plate)

3 x 5:
     Squat Therapy (hands up, hands down, hands up)

5 x 2:
     Spiderman Twist

3 x 10:
     Reverse Hyperextension
     Hyperextension

5 x 3:
     Back Squat @ 135# (no pause or rest within each set)

5 x 2:
     Power Clean Pull
     Hold 5 Seconds in Hang Clean Position
     Hang Clean
(sets 1 & 2 @ 65#, set 3 @ 75#, set 4 @ 85#, and set 5 @ 90#)

10 x 2:
     Power Cleans @ 90#

5 Rounds For Time:
     100m Row
      5 Jump Over Burpees
     (completed in 8 minutes)

I always feel so accomplished after my sessions with Joon. It's not like I never push myself during a regular WOD but somehow he just knows what to get me to do to go further without even realizing it. I play such mental games with myself and it often keeps me from being able to lift a heavier weight that we know I can do. Little by little though I've been pushing through it and doing it, what a great feeling. I am really proud of myself.

There is a competition happening this month at CrossFit Hawthorne and Joon thinks Aaron and I should do it. I don't think Aaron has any interest though I think he should do it! I, on the other hand, am really interested in giving it a go but think a lack of funds will keep me from participating. What a bummer but I am sure there will be others down the road. I'll just keep working on myself so that I will be ready for one when the time comes!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

losing touch

Recently I got a phone call from my grandfathers wife telling me that basically my grandfather isn't very happy with me. I don't blame him actually. He's hurt that I rarely call and stay in touch with him, and when I do reach out I usually have something to complain about. Not going to lie, hearing the truth stung hard but I needed to hear it. This is what I love about her, she gives it to you straight. It's not that I don't love my grandfather or care about him, I do. I miss him immensely actually and think of him quite often. I have no good excuse to give. But this experience made me realize how much I rely on texting and social media to stay connected with family and friends. We always see that article floating around about this very subject, or it mentioned on 60 minutes. The truth is the vast majority of us have lost touch with our loved ones. We rely on status updates to know what's going on in someones life.

So I have been thinking about this all week and this weekend really hit it home for me. You see, I am blessed with having so many wonderful people in my life. But unfortunately, I don't get to see very many of these wonderful people very often. This makes me sad. I realize that for many of these people I truly do not know what is going on in their lives except for what they may post on Instagram, or Facebook, or etc etc. That is when I noticed while glancing at Facebook that many of the ones I care about were out and about doing things within the very same city I live in. They were sharing laughter and making memories and this really hit me hard. I miss them.

Family and friendships are so important. Don't let yourself get lost in cyber world and lose touch with the ones you love. Reach out to someone you haven't seen in a while, make time for them. I know I want to make time for many people in my life!