[day 132-142: simple]

this is how i've felt about life lately...

pretty simple...right?

[day 124-131: lifeguards]

cool thing, lifeguards.
not only can we appreciate the ones from
baywatch,
running in their bright red swimming suits
across the beach,
or the ones at our local pools.

i'm talking about a different kind of lifeguard.
a better one!

last week, i was texted a quote that has stuck with me,
"when you feel like you're drowning in life's situations,
remember, your lifeguard walks on water."
i heard it again today in a talk, and i absolutely love it.

it was a good reminder for me that
i've always got people on my team,
ya know?

even when i feel like i'm drowning.

it reminded me of not only my eternal lifeguard,
but of my dad.

today, being father's day,
i want to talk about my dad.
being the only girl,
i get to be daddy's girl.
forever.
[which is so great]

my dad is the most
amazing,
hard working,
loving,
responsible,
thoughtful,
driven
man i have ever met.

he is respectful, and honorable,
and has shown me through example
the way i should be treated
by my own prince charming someday.
he loves my mom, me and my brothers
unconditionally.
and eventually, i want a husband that
can be to my children what my dad has been to me.

dad, i will always be your little girl,
no matter how old i get,
where i go,
what i do,
or who i marry,

i will be your little girl forever.

thank you for everything dad.
you are a constant in my life.
you are one of my [many] lifeguards.
i love you with all of my heart.

happy father's day everyone!

[day 116-123: guess who's back]

i'm backkk!
did you miss me?!
[at this point people are saying "ha, no"]

regardless,
i have returned from one of the
[best]
vacations i've ever had.

jake [the 16yr old brother]
and i [the 19yr old sister]
have successfully
driven ourselves
to
and
from
california,
posted on the beach,
frolicked through six flags,
and had the time of our lives.

currently,
we are both starting to peel a bit from our
[excessive]
sun exposure.
my freckles are present,
and i feel like summer is finally here!

this vacation is something that i will
[never]
forget.

jake [though you don't read this blog]
this is a shout out to you.
thanks for wanting to go with me,
and thanks for being such a
big [little] brother.
you are an amazing person and i truly enjoyed
every second
of our little trip.

here's to new adventures
and summer time.

whoohoo!

[day 114-115: pumped]

i. am. PUMPED.
right now.

in about five hours,
my little brother and i will
be departing on our very
first
road trip.

to california.
better yet,
to six flags.
and the beach.
and trader joes.

whoopwhoop!

i am not writing to brag about
my vacation.

i am writing to say that i am
so completely and absolutely
[pumped]
to be able to go with my
little brother
on a vacation.

it's going to be a blast.

see you in a week, amigos

[day 111-114: fighters]

tonight, i watched "the express"
my mom had raved about this movie for about
half of
forever,
and i had never seen it.

i now understand why she raved about this movie.

football player ernie davis is one of the
most
driven athletes i have ever seen.
he pushed himself to the limit every time,
and more than anything, he had a
love
for the game he played.

he ran,
tackled,
jumped,
juked,
stiff-armed,
and out maneuvered
almost every obstacle
that came his way
because of the love of a game.

however, this talented individual
had to change his focus when he was
22 years old.

he fought cancer at 22.
he fought leukemia at 22.

and that drive that allowed him to
become the first african-american to
ever
win the heisman trophy
kept him fighting until
may 18th, 1963.

he was an amazing athlete.
even better, he was an honorable individual off the field.
he began as a fighter and ended as a fighter.

and he reminded me of someone.
her name is brittany tom.

her began her fight with leukemia at age 7.
and kept her fighting spirit
until she lost her life at age 10.
i miss that girl...
she was as feisty as they came!
when i would visit her in the hospital,
we'd just chill like we did when we were home.
she'd crack the jokes,
i'd lose at game cube,
and life was pretty great.

we were best friends.
and she was such an example to me.
and still is!
she was a fighter.
just like ernie davis.

this is just a [little] shout out
to all of those who know a
fighter in their lives...
make sure they know you love them
yeah??

there are fighters everywhere.
people are always fighting their own battles,
just remember to love, give, learn,
and keep moving forward.
be a fighter.

[day 106-110: blink]

it's crazy how some things can change in the
[blink]
of an eye.
literally.

like when you're watching traffic
or a sunset
or the ocean
or even your life.
maybe it's somebody else's life.

today, i learned of an incident
where a child was hit by a car, and lost his life.
that is something that happened
in a [blink]

and that one [blink]
completely changed the lives of that family
forever.

last night, i heard the story of a head-on collision
that killed two and seriously injured another...
that happened in a [blink]

my heart and prayers go out to all of those
whose lives have been affected by these sad stories.
i can't even imagine.

seriously, think about how short a [blink] is.
according to google, one blink is about
150 milliseconds.

that's basically nothing.

there are a lot of happy things that happen
in 150 milliseconds though.

babies are brought to our world,
high schoolers graduate,
and life goes on.

there are a lot of 150 milliseconds in every day...
[according to google, there are 86,400,000]

hopefully i am making good use of all of those.
sheesh.