10 Things I'm Thankful For

Happy almost Thanksgiving all! Tonight I'll be baking, prepping and getting ready for the busy Turkey day ahead of my family! My cousin Jenni, Aunt Teresa and Mom are starting the day off early with the Tacoma City Turkey Trot. We're doing the 5k walk to help burn off the calories we'll likely consumer tomorrow afternoon! Then it's off to an all day extravaganza at my Aunt's home with the family. Seriously love this time of year for that reason. We'll eat, decorate cookies (family tradition) and watch the Seahawks play. GO HAWKS!!!!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, I wanted to share what I'm thankful for this year! I usually do the daily thankful post on Facebook but I often find myself forgetting to post and it seems like more of a hassle than a reflection.

When I started this blog I wasn't sure what my "niche" was going to be or what I'd write about most but I knew that I wanted it to be a place that was fun and felt "happy". I firmly believe that we're in control of our happiness and that even in the darkest moments there are reasons to smile and be thankful. I value the holidays and although Christmas is my all time favorite, I love Thanksgiving. I mean who wouldn't love a day filled with family, ridiculous amounts of good food and football?

I hope you can all take a few moments during the holidays, amidst all of the chaos and reflect on what you're thankful for. I hope you can unplug and enjoy Thanksgiving with your family or friends and make new memories and traditions!

Here's 10 things I'm thankful for:

1. My Husband. Seriously Scott is an amazing person. He loves every bit of me, even the crazy parts! He supports me on most of my crazy ideas and talks me off the ledge for the others. Scott is seriously the kindest person I know and I hope he knows I'm thankful for him every day, not just during Thanksgiving
2. My Mom. If you know me personally, you know that my Mom is my best friend (other than my hubby). We do everything together, we talk every single day and she knows me better than I know myself. Her strength and character inspire me and I hope to be half of the Mom she is one day!
3. Gunnar. Well you all know how much I love him since I probably talk about him every single day! This little nugget is the center of our family, has more personality than any adult I know and is going to grow up and do great things some day. I'm lucky to be his TeeTee. 
4. My Pops. Dad has always encouraged me to go for my dreams and is definitely where I get my strong willed and tough skinned nature. We have a special bond and still go on Dad/Daughter dates that I cherish! 
5. Family. Lets face it, every family is crazy in their own way, and mine fits in that category but in the best way! We are all very close, most of us get together on a weekly basis and we always have so much fun at holidays and other big events. I always married into a wonderfully close and big family that I'm lucky to be a part of. I wouldn't trade my family for the world! 
6. Friends. I got pretty darn lucky in this category too! My friends are seriously the best and have helped me through tough times and helped me celebrate accomplishments. I'm so thankful for each of my friendships!
7. My Coworkers and Career. My second family would be "Smart Team" I get to work with every day. Our team is made up of people from all different back grounds and experience but we all work great together and learn from each other every day. We have so much fun and through our work at Getting Smart we get to bring impact to education! I LOVE my job and am blessed to have my dream career at 26.
8. My Home. While it is and will likely always be a "work-in-progress", I love that Scott and I have a place to call home that we take pride and make our own! We've made wonderful memories here and sometimes my favorite place to be is in front of the fireplace, watching football and just enjoying a quiet day at home. 
9. Health. As you know I'm working on getting healthier by eating right and working out, but overall I am thankful for my health. I'm not perfect by any means, but this year I've had too many people close to me experience major health issues, so I'm thankful for my small "issues".
10. Blogging. I love having a creative outlet to share my thoughts, recipes and other favorites. The last few weeks I've shared some pretty personal and scary things to make public, but through it I have helped inspire others. It's funny how things work; people say I'm an inspiration, but they're the ones who inspire me! If I can share my story and help one person eat healthier, get moving or just feel more comfortable in their own skin, than it makes every bit of nervousness I feel when I hit "publish" more than worth it!

I hope you and your loved ones have a Happy Thanksgiving!! What are you thankful for this year? And what do you do to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Weight Loss: Proof the Scale Doesn't Matter

Today I'm officially on week 3 of my Fitness by Felicia exercise and nutrition plan. I have loved it so far and appreciate that she agrees this is a lifestyle, not a diet. There is no "one time fix" for my weight and fitness. It is something I'll have to be conscious about and watch for the rest of my life and I'm ok with that! I'm feeling stronger each time I go to the gym, I've conquered my fear of the weight room and most importantly I'm feeling happy with myself again. 

Now about the scale...We hear it all the time-- the number doesn't matter it's all about how you feel. But if you've ever struggled with weight loss or lost weight at all you know it's much easier to say the scale doesn't matter than to actually believe it.

Well, I've been converted to one of those non-scale chicks. No joke, I am done with the scale (almost). I mean I'll always have a scale, but I'm done with this daily or every other day visit to the dreaded scale-monster and I have proof that shows it is NOT about the number we see.

I'd be lying if I said I just woke up this morning and thought - "you know I'm done with the scale". Nope didn't happen like that at all. Here's how it really happened. Last week I texted my cousin Jenni who hosts You vs. You and was beyond discouraged. I had eaten healthy with little to no slip ups and worked my butt of yet the scale wasn't changing! She reminded me to remember how I feel and drink lots of water. I trusted her and left the scale alone and waited impatiently for my Saturday update pictures.

This is extremely scary to post and I'm not proud of the first photo but I'm proud of myself for making the change back to a healthier me. This is a photo collage of me two weeks ago and then this past weekend. Please excuse the smiley faces put over my actual face, my cousin posted this on her page and wanted to keep it anonymous which is great since they look much better than my tired, "lets get this over with" face. Also, I promise to get better with consistent poses!

Do you see the difference in the side view and back? Keep in mind my scale only moved by an ounce or two! This goes to show that building lean muscle and burning fat is what matters, not the number that pops up on the scale.

Ignore the scale people! Remember how you feel when you leave the gym and when you eat healthy. Fuel your body with the nutrients it deserves and get moving!

Wordless Wednesday

I mean seriously, could that kid get any cuter?

Why I Climb

If you've ever been to or driven through down town Seattle you've seen this great big building known as the Columbia Tower. Fun fact, it is the tallest skyscraper in Seattle

There are 69 flights of stairs, 1311 steps, and 788 feet of vertical elevation and every year crazy folks like myself climb up it for the Big Climb. This will be my second year climbing and although it is extremely difficult, it is nothing like daily fight that blood cancer patients and their families go through. I have lost more than one loved one to cancer and this year my Uncle Richard was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia that has forced us all to stare cancer in the face yet again.

I climb for those lost, for those fighting and for those who will some day fight the ugly, nasty and tragic disease that is cancer. I raise money for the climb and every penny that gets donated goes directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which is known as the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. Their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. Those cancers and this mission is very real to me not only because of my family and friends affected, but also because one day I may be facing lymphoma. I have an autoimmune disease that greatly increases my chances of developing lymphoma, so I climb in hopes that myself and many others can rest assured knowing there's a cure.

The climb is an incredible event that I can't describe. If you haven't done one, I highly recommend you try it. Everyone there is climbing to conquer cancer and there is an energy that's unbelievable. My favorite part of the climb is the faces and names they have in each stairwell to remind you why you're climbing. The faces are of those who have lost the fight and those who won or are still fighting. They push you to keep going, plus the view from the top isn't half bad.

My goal this year is to raise $500.00 and I'm 20% of the way there thanks to a generous donation from my Uncle Richard. Yep, the Uncle Richard above who's currently enduring the fight of his life but still donated to the climb. I encourage you to donate what you can. Even if that means missing your daily coffee or weekly dinner date. No donation is too small, whether it's $5 or $500 it is just as needed and appreciated. Cancer is real, it is scary and it takes far too many lives.

Here's a video to give you a look inside what climbing is like:

Weight Loss: Comparing

"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Theodore Roosevelt

It's been almost a month since I shared my weight loss journey and I still get a slight sense of panic when I think about people knowing my story. Where I've come, what I've gained back and where I have left to go. I have no idea why I feel slightly ashamed and embarrassed. Why on earth should or would anyone (even myself) be ashamed of hard work and a bit of a slip up. At the end of the day I am still healthier than I was when I started this journey 7 years ago but lately I've been letting myself spend too much time comparing my journey to others.

Comparing can be an evil thing, it can occupy negative space in your mind and get in the way of your goals. I think we've all been there, you're at the gym working out when next thing you know in walks a girl or even a guy who is super fit and you think "good lord what am I doing here, I can never look like that" or "gosh I wish I looked like that" and then realize how far you have to go. I've done it PLENTY of times and while I'm making a commitment to myself to stop comparing I know I'll do it in the future, it's human and it happens.

What I've started to realize these past few days is that we're all on a different journey and it is just silly to compare your start to someone else's middle or end. We don't know their goals and while it may look like they are super fit, they're likely struggling with their own self doubt and they worked hard to get there.

This self doubt has kept me from the free weight room at my gym for years. Literally I've been a member there for over 3 years and I honestly don't think I had entered that room until this week. I usually stick to the weight machine and leave that room for the "fit people". Again, how dumb am I to think that being in that room means your fit and that those of us who are working to get there are "not aloud".

Thanks to a fitness and nutrition plan I purchased from a fitness coach on Instagram, I was forced to go into the "fit people weight room". The first day was tough, mostly because I was mentaly afraid to go in and spent a lot of time thinking "gosh these people look amazing, I bet they wonder what the hell I'm doing in here". It sucked to feel like that so I vowed on my way home to remember my journey, how far I've come and that I'm doing this for ME and my health which is all that matters. That same evening a dear friend and family member posted this on Facebook, I swear it was like a sign.

So today I spent most of my 80 minute workout in the weight room. I owned it, I was confident and I did the workout I needed to do. It felt AMAZING and it is ridiculous of me to think that anyone else cares what I'm doing in there. I'm certainly not the strongest, but I'm getting stronger each day and you have start somewhere right?

#NailedIt

 So lets end this negative self talk. STOP comparing your body, your fitness, and your abilities to someone else. We all have struggles, we all want to be a better version of ourselves and we all spend far too much time comparing what we have to what someone else has. Embrace what you've got and choose to be happy. Don't you know, happiness isn't size specific!

Wordless Wednesday

My Dream Job...

We've all thought about or planned for our "dream job" and while you may think this blog is going to tell you about where I hope to work or what I hope to be one day, unfortunately it will not. Because fortunately, I already have my dream career. At 26 I'm growing in a career I love and I'm feeling really grateful for that today which urged me to start writing this blog.

I'm coming off what our team likes to call "conference high" and wanting to reflect a bit on my "smart journey". First of all, lets start with the fact that I LOVE my job. I almost feel as though it's strange to call it a "job". In fact it often doesn't feel like work at all, especially as I sit in seat 11D on my way home from #iNACOL14 and think about how fortunate I am to have a career that I love. 

I've always wanted to do work that mattered and brought impact. I also wanted to become a teacher but soon realized I wasn't quite cut out for this, so the next best thing is my work with Getting Smart. I get to help bring impact to kiddos like this one who spoke this week about how online learning has impacted his learning.

Can you imagine being that young and sitting on a panel in front of a huge group of adults? This kid had no fear and was full of pure excitement when talking about his experiences at school. He absolutely LOVES learning and with the work we do, we're helping to bring this passion for learning to more and more students by creating next-generation, digital learning and student centered learning environments.

When I started at Getting Smart I had no idea what was going to come. I knew I was excited to join a dedicated and passionate team of people from all different backgrounds. We all bring a different set of skills and background knowledge to the team and although otherwise we may have never connected, we make a GREAT team. I took a big leap out of my comfort zone when I made the transition to Getting Smart and I've never looked back or thought twice about that decision!

This year I've gone on so many adventures with Getting Smart. We've traveled near and far, here's a list of some of the places I've gone in 2014:

• New York City. Tom was my personal tour guide and while we only had a short 24 hours in the "big apple", I got to see a lot of that giant city. We walked, and walked, and walked some more. Rode the subway, went to the top of Rockefeller Center, peeked at Central Park and froze our butts off walking through time square. It was a great first glance at NYC, and I can't wait to go back as a real tourist!
• Phoenix. The Getting Smart team got to travel down to PHX for a staff retreat. Not all of us work in the Federal Way office so it was awesome to have an opportunity to all be together.
• Austin. The land of all things Queso, Ripolo's Pizza, live music and FUN. The team went down for SXSWedu and we had a blast! I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in chips and queso though. Oh and if you're ever in Austin you have to go to Torchy's Tacos!
• Las Vegas. Twice, in July. Yes, it was as hot as you're thinking. Once for Bb World, then again a little over 7 days later for National Charter Schools Conference. We got to see the area outside of the "strip", have drinks at the Container Park, and most exciting of all we got to have dinner at Giada's restaurant to celebrate Tom's birthday. Believe it or not, the one and only Giada (who is tiny in real life) made an appearance that evening and even touched my shoulder! I know, it's silly to be that excited but I've watched her on Food Network for years people!!
• North Caroline. Where I perfected my southern accent and learned the true meaning of "bless her heart". 
• Palm Springs. Most of our team went down this week for the iNACOL 2014 Blended and Online Learning Symposium. I finally got to meet people I've been working with for quite some time, met new connections, learned a ton and soaked up sunshine in beautiful Palm Springs. I'll be bringing Scott back here for sure, and if you're headed there I'd recommend you stay at the Colony Palms Hotel. Great pick Caroline!

I've got to build relationship with some of the coolest folks in education and learn about the greater options that there are for students when it comes to education. In fact those people I've met give me hope for the future of education and excited to see where we take it in the next few years.

This year I was also encouraged to participate in Advancing Leadership which provides me an opportunity to grow personally and professionally while getting involved in the community I work in. I'm super excited to see where that takes me and how I grow as a leader over the next 8 months.

Slusser Adventures: Montana

Last month Scott and I went on a 12 hour road trip adventure to Bozeman Montana to celebrate our niece Mikayla's 16th birthday. We greatly enjoyed spending time with the family and while it may seem shocking, we loved the road trip. It was so much fun spending time with Scott, just he and I and miles upon miles of Interstate 90.

Our trip started on a Thursday afternoon. I got off work and we hit the road to our first pit stop, Coeur d'Alene. Not much excitement here other than a quick dinner, McDonalds ice cream cones and then to bed so we could get an early start on the road.

Friday morning we got up, grabbed coffee (a definite must) and hit the road. We were on a mission to get to Bozeman! The scenery going through Lake Coeur d'Alene was incredible. We hit it on a foggy, fall morning and it was like something out of a movie! There as hours and miles to go so we killed time but talking about childhood memories, dancing like goofballs to Taylor Swift songs and just enjoying the drive.

Then, this happened...

I've seen hundreds of those "scenic pull off" signs and have never really stopped but always wondered how scenic they really are. Well we decided to do just that and take a small break, stretch our legs and have a mini adventure. We skipped rocks in the river, hiked up a rocky mountainside and made a memories we won't forget.  Most importantly though, we learned that sometimes you have to stray from the plan and be spontaneous. I am such a planner with every day life that stopping and just enjoying a moment "unplanned" was much needed.

You guys may not know this, but my husband is a kick butt rock skipper!

This giant boulder was so cool, smooth like glass and bright red!

View from the top of our hike.

We even found a cave with ashes and remnants of a fire. Apparently we weren't the only spontaneous ones at the "scenic pull off"

Finally, after a few more hours and a quick drive-thru style lunch we made our way to Scott's sister's home. We have 12 total nieces and nephews, and 8 of them were there so you can imagine the ambush that happened when we arrived! They were excited to start the fun weekend ahead, as were we.

There was go-kart races, family dinners, party set up, kick-ball in the dark, horse riding, rodeo games and lots of memories made.

Our nephew Trace, the goofball.

Sunset over Big Sky

 The road trip home was made in one day and minimal stops, we couldn't wait to get home to our pup and our bed! One of the few stops we did make was in Ellensburg, where we picked up 60 pounds of fresh honeycrisp apples. Seriously still dreaming about how delicious those were. Wish Ellensburg wasn't two hours away!

Wordless Wednesday

Goals: November

November is one of my favorite months. Not only because it is part of Fall but because in my mind it officially kicks off the "holidays". And for those of us on a mission to slim down or get healthy, the holidays can be a scary time. I'm confident that I can get through the next 60 or so days and stay on track. I have goals and I'm determined to get there. I will enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and all of the treats in between but I will do it in moderation.

To keep myself focused this month despite work travel, two family Thanksgiving celebrations and a work Thanksgiving celebration I have set a few goals.

1. Lose 5 pounds by December 1st
2. Work out at least 3 days per week with a goal of 5
3. Eat clean 80% off the time
4. Recognize all that I have to be thankful for (more to share on that later)
5. Try 4 new healthy recipes
6. Increase time on stair climber to 25 minutes in order to prepare for Big Climb

I'll check back in at the end of the month and share how I did as well as new goals for December!

What are your goals this month? How do you stay accountable during the holidays?