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Thursday, September 14, 2017

Set. Focus. JUMP!

Lately I've been taking note of instances in my daily routine that have been placed there for me to remember to just do my best in any given situation.  If it makes me feel happy, confident, challenged, empowered...LET'S DO IT!

I actually ran across this comment I had saved probably almost a year ago now by Shaun T (celebrity fitness trainer), which came as about my fourth reminder in this lesson.

Shaun's message:

STUFF JUST GOT REAL: Love me or hate me im bout to go IN!!!  I was just reading through some of your comments and I came across something very discouraging and I need to address something.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that will try to discourage you from achieving your goals. The biggest issue I have with this is that most often the people that are making you feel "LESS THAN" are the PEOPLE that closest ones to you. Don't let anyone stop you from trying to achieve a personal goal! Whether you reach a goal or not its about the process. And your process, if you embrace it, will teach you so many lessons about YOU! and THAT is priceless!  That takes me to another subject that I see far to often in the comment threads and conversation. "Doing it for other people!" I DO NOT CARE what your body looks like unless you FEEL GOOD IN IT! YOU have to feel good for you. The heck with people! People don't breathe for you. People don't sweat for you and they damn sure don't exercise FOR YOU!  DO YOU-LIVE IN YOU-AND...  JUST BE YOU!!!!!!!!! -Shaun T

SO POWERFUL!

Then there's this guy, Chris Downing, my current trainer, who instructed me to jump, followed by him demonstrating A JUMP (see below)!  Wholly smajolies!   I'm never sure if I should just retreat, clap, curse or what.  Haha!!  It's very humbling for me as someone who takes pride in my natural athleticism.  But I'll never be the best, I just have to strive to be MY BEST.  So I set myself, focus, and JUMP!  Maybe someday I'll even get a short video or photo to display next to this one of Chris.  :D  I'm coming for you, Dude, and I know you'll be cheering me on the entire time!



My friend, Desi, has been an excellent example of this lesson for me as well.  Just the other day she posted in our Summer Accountability group a snap shot of a run she had completed.  She exceeded her expectations, and I guarantee you if she decides her running time is something she wants to improve on, it will happen. I am so inspired by her dedication to self-improvement!  ENJOY your 5K next week Desi!!!


It's not always as easy as "set, focus, jump" for me though.  I've allowed the "I just don't fit in" feelings to push me backwards instead of challenging me to go forward more often than I'd care to admit.

I was once in a Life Group with gals who were comfortable praying, in the practice of daily quiet time, knew the Bible, memorized verses, had attended Bible College, and made church and serving a priority.  Obviously all things I strive for, and excellent attributes to have, but I allowed the Devil to make me feel uncomfortable, feel less-than, and I slowly removed myself from the situation, instead of communicating and asking for guidance, which I 100% know EVERY one of them would have extended, had they known.

Thankfully, I'm getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to get where I want to be in life.

Feel free to share your related stories in the comments!

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

RV Life School Plans

I don't blog enough.

I know this because every blog I do write starts with some kind of line just like the one above.

It blame it on the perfectionism tendencies in my personality, which I continue to get nearly giddy about every time I get pulled in to a study on personality traits.

The current series I've been listening to, and Matt even got into—he actually tuned me in to —is by Ashley Logsdon, the first seven episodes of her podcast "Mama Says Namaste."

It's especially fun for us, as she and her husband live in a travel trailer and unschool their kids, which is very relatable for us.

Living in an RV and unschooling.

We got living in an RV down, and love love love it!  Maybe even more so than we ever could've anticipated.  Hayden has a movie titled, "All Creatures Big and Small."  In the movie, there's a father and son "Nestrian" who head to Noah's Ark to stay safe during the flood.  They've been roaming land for awhile, but they just couldn't find a place to call home—a place where they felt they belonged. At the end, as the father jumps in the water to rescue his son who he fears is drowning, they realize they are breathing underwater...THEIR TRUE HOME!

THIS is how I feel about our home on wheels.

I don't know that I ever shared, but we became members of an online community, "Full-Time Families," and we were the 1500th member!!  Kind of fun (we got a fun mailbox number as we set out as nomads as well.)  If you weren't already aware or not quite catching that drift, I'm a bit of a numbers nerd.

But I digress.

Although everyone's story and reason is a little bit different, it's certainly a lifestyle being lived by many. It also amazes me how many of our friends and family have at some point given thought to full-time RVing.  We're [still] advocates after almost 7 months.

Obviously the question of schooling was one we addressed from the beginning discussions we had about full-time RVing.  Homeschool would be the logical answer.  I always wanted to be a teacher...here's my chance without the hours and dollars of the degree.

But how does that work with wanting to be a perfectionist, Kayla?

Ooph. Good question.

I'm relying a lot on the fact of how we felt full-time RVing would be a good fit for our family, despite the "what ifs," and we've found it to be a GREAT fit!  We've discussed it a lot, and feel unschooling will be a good fit for our family, our goals, and our lifestyle, and we will remain hopeful in making the right decision again.

I feel I could go on and on about both our RV life and future intentions with Hayden's education, but it is late, so I will leave you with this thought...

"Parenthood is not a competition to see who has the smartest kids, the cleanest house, the healthiest dinners, or the nicest clothes...Parenthood is YOUR journey with YOUR children."  -author unknown

Monday, August 21, 2017

Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales
told to Mom by Hayden Kvacik
08-21-2017

"When I was a little boy, I saw a toy, and I brought it home. You were there and you picked me up and squished me."

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"When we got this camper, I checked out this bed and the couch, and dad tried the bed, and you tried the bed, and we all fell asleep.  The End."

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The Base of My Confidence


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I’ve been thinking a lot the last few months about our previous lake season.
There are days/nights that I am ashamed of.

I ask myself, “Why?”

One of the reasons that always comes up is because I see how happy Matt is when I am quote-on-quote happy and let loose.
But what if I’m not happy.

Choosing a bikini and being sociable (introvert probs), He sees “confidence.”
I see the opposite.

I want to have a nice physique for Matt, yes.
But only for Matt (and me).

I want my confidence to be in Christ.
To be modest.
And pure.

I want my confidence to be in being a wife.
Who looks and feels good for her husband to enhance our PRIVATE time together.
Who respects other wives and their marriages/husbands.

I want my confidence to be in being a mom.
Who is setting a good example for her child.
Who is playing, enjoying, and making memories in these oh so precious formative years.

I want my confidence to be in being a health and fitness coach.
Who is consistently modeling a healthy lifestyle through my God-given physical strength and my persistence in overcoming my struggles with food.

So why did I drink an entire summer and make poor decision after poor decision…
It was much more than the in-the-moment goal to have a good time.

It was to feel a sense of confidence.
But I lacked the clarity (and/or flat out ignored the signs) of my hearts desires and true confidence I seek as listed above. 

Here’s to a year of knowing better!
The beginning of a lifetime
of being true to myself.

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**These comments are based solely on the author's personal struggles.**