Way Back Wednesday: "At 19, Everything is Possible and Tomorrow Looks Friendly."

19 years ago today, I was born in Desert Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. I don't remember anything about that day (obviously!) except what my parents have told me--it was at the beginning of the 1992 Summer Olympics (held in Barcelona), my mom was in labor for about 36 hours before I was delivered by C-section and it was super-hot, in the 110s.

In those 19 years, I've accomplished a lot, been through a lot, probably more than I'd have ever imagined. As a little girl, I thought my life as a teenager would be carefree and easy, just like on TV shows. On my birthday every year, I dug into my cake without caring about how many calories or fat were in it. I just enjoyed the moment and didn't worry about what would happen to me in the next year. A lot has changed since then, but I'm still that innocent, fun-loving little girl at heart.

To celebrate, I decided to share 19 moments that have happened over the years that were important to me, shaped me as a person or were just fun.

[Age 1]: I learned to talk at 9 months (and haven't stopped since ;) )


8 months old (sorry about the bad photo quality--I had to take a picture of a picture!)

[Age 2]: We moved to Colorado Springs from Arizona.

14 months old

[Age 3]: I started taking dance classes--and didn't stop until I was 15!

[Age 4]: Preschool. My mom wanted to hold me back, because I was younger than most of the other kids and not as socially-mature, but my dad persuaded her to let me start kindergarten.

First dance recital

 [Age 5]: Kindergarten. On the first day, I marched off into class and didn't look back! I wish school was that easy again...

[Age 6]: I got my first think-it-through (an elementary school discipline thing) and it made me so upset that I lied to my parents (for the first time ever, I think!) about it.

[Age 7]: I started second grade at a new elementary school.



Easter! I always loved digging into my basket and devouring the candy (especially Jelly Bellies)

  [Age 8]: I met my (former) best friend, Jenna. We were inseperable until high school.

[Age 9]: I fractured my right ankle and had to be in a cast (glow-in-the-dark!) for a couple of months. I was in karate and acro dance at the time, but we never figured out exactly how I broke it. I was just disappointed that I didn't get to use crutches LOL!

[Age 10]: I started playing soccer with the YMCA in the fall (my team was the Golden Buffaloes).




I remember many camping trips when I was younger


[Age 11]: I got my ears pierced for my 11th birthday, but six months later, one of of them got infected and I ended up having to go to urgent care to get it taken out! Needless to say, I never got anything pierced after that!

[Age 12]: I started playing the tenor saxophone for my middle school band and jazz band. Yes, I used to be a band geek!

[Age 13]: I celebrated my 13th birthday with a sleepover and mall scavenger hunt with some of my friends.

[Age 14]: I started high school.




I also started a fashion blog (this was one of my first pictures for it)

 [Age 15]: I got my driver's permit, quit dance and joined the Yearbook staff.

Family vacay

[Age 16]: I got my license (and later, started recovering from my eating disorder).

[Age 17]: I graduated high school in May.



Graduation night!


[Age 18]: I started (and got through) my first year of college.

[Age 19]: Nothing yet--but I'm starting my sophomore year, I'm living on my own...who knows what may happen!



Ready to take on the world (at almost 19)!

What is one of your favorite birthday memories?

Fave Five Friday #4

**Sorry about this edition of Fave Five Friday being so late (hey, it's still Friday, though!). I spent the whole day at a waterpark with my family and had a blast! I also haven't done a FFF in awhile, so I thought, why not?**

1. Cars 2


Mater is soooooo adorable :)

2. Starbucks


Ignore random dude in the background!

3. Double rainbows


Took this waiting in traffic yesterday

4. Waterparks


I went on this EXACT ride!

5. Early birthday cards


Even better if they have a cute doggy on the front (not my card, for the record)

What was one of your favorite things this week?





I Suck At Moderation

Hi guys, sorry I've been MIA over here lately. I could say it's because I'm really busy or because I'm having lots of fun (both true) but the real reason is because I've been having such a hard time coming up with a topic to post on. But today I finally have one, and it's about moderation.


On the Today Show this morning, there was this little bit about how everything in moderation is really good for you. I wasn't really watching it, but my mom started talking to me and my sister (I have a feeling she was talking more to me...) about this thing she saw about this woman whose doctor told her that she could eat everything she wanted to, only in small portions, to lose weight. Apparently, it worked for her. Then I started thinking about how moderation and I do not get along. At all. I mean, having an eating disorder, by definition, is the opposite of moderation. For me, it means restriction, avoiding foods I deem unhealthy and feeling like I have to exercise every single day.


I feel like moderation is something that works for some people, but not for me! That is probably another stupid lie ED is feeding me, but that's how I feel. I think that if I eat some ice cream, or real French fries--even in a normal, or small amount--that I will become HUGE and I'll love the food so much that I'll have it on a regular basis, and that would be bad. Logically, that's probably not true, but I've become so attached to eating as healthily as possible that it's really hard to let it go. Honestly, I don't think anything's wrong with the way I eat now but some people might view it as restrictive. I eat organic whenever possible and I look for foods that give me a lot of bang for my nutritional buck--things like rolled oats, fruits & veggies, unsweetened soy milk, sprouted grain tortillas, Pure bars, beans and almond butter. None of those things are bad at all, but the problem is that I cut out other things to make room for those things. For instance, now I refuse to drink cow's milk (even skim) or eat corn tortillas, just because at one point I deemed those "less than healthy". There's nothing wrong with eating healthy, as long as it doesn't go too far. It did for me, and now I still struggle with orthorexia. However, I have to admit that eating healthy actually does make me feel a lot better, but I wish I could do it in a way that's balanced, not restrictive.






Fruit is great, but you shouldn't eliminate other things to eat it

 I've talked about my recent addiction to exercise. Everyone knows that being active is a good thing, but what about if you can't go a day without it? What if you feel guilty for only working out for 45 minutes when you could have gone at least an hour? What if you feel like you have to exercise in order to eat a normal amount? That's when I think exercise has become an unhealthy obsession. I'd like moderation in this area of my life too.






I'd like to workout when I want to

 Basically, right now I really suck at moderation. I'm so much better with not restricting the amount I eat (though I still deal with that, too) but I'm having such a hard time letting go of my rigid food rules and exercise schedule.


Do you "suck" at moderation, too?

Vacation Recap!

Thank you all again SO much for your responses to this post. I never would have guessed six months ago when I first started this blog that anyone would ever read it, let alone comment. You are all amazing, never forget that :)

Today, instead of my usual Fave Five Friday, I'll be sharing a photo recap of my vacation to Estes Park, Colorado! My family and I have been going there every summer for as long as I can remember and it's one of our favorite in-state destinations. Estes Park is a cute little touristy town, but it isn't lame and boring. It's only a few miles from Rocky Mountain National Park (home to the famous Longs Peak) and the town itself has tons of shops, restaurants and outdoor activities.

This was our first time going to EP for the 4th of July and man, was it crowded! It's usually pretty busy on the weekends but this year it was crazy. It was almost impossible to find parking, so we got a lot of walking in ;) But it was cool being there for the 4th, because we actually got to see fireworks. If we'd stayed at home, there wouldn't have been any fireworks nearby because of a fire ban. So it was totally worth all the crowds and stupid out-of-state drivers!




Hummus pizza (vegan)



The pool!

 

Model status (just kidding!)

 

 

Santa likes to drink apparently...



Strawberry froyo in a handmade marshmallow-flavored waffle cone



Lake Estes



My dad--King of the Rock!

Sunshine veggie burger with jalapenos



Chilling by the pool



Fourth of July fireworks

 


Awkward wolf sculpture in a store front



A restaurant that serves cereal?! My kinda place :)



Rainy mountains



Pool time with my sistah



Hugh Jass salad: lettuce, Craisins, strawbs, sliced almonds, raspberry vinaigrette

 


Peace out, USA!



Lawn Lake alluvial fan



Legit license plate purse

What is your favorite thing about vacations?




Fave Five Friday #3

Let me just say--thank you ALL for your amazing, thoughtful comments on my last post. I am so thankful for your suggestions and I will hopefully be able to implement them. I know it'll be hard, but I don't want to turn to another ED behavior to deal with my thoughts and feelings.

Now it's time for the next installment of Fave Five Friday! I love doing this postive post at the end of the week because it gets me excited for the weekend. This weekend, I have a little more to be excited about, though. Update to come next week :)

1. Tennis


Please ignore how goofy I look...this photo was (obviously) taken 3 years ago! Sooooo old!

2. Summer Fresh Salads


I tried Panera's strawberry poppyseed salad the other day and it's now my favorite one from there

 3. Music Blasting in the Car



You should have seen me and my sister the other day... ;)

4. Taking a Walk in the Forest


I'm so lucky to live in a forested area!


5. My Strawberry Plant Growing



See the tiny (green) strawberry and the flower? I'm so proud of my little plant!




What was the best part of your week?