Life Ain't All That Bad

You think your life is awesome and good and going really great. And then out of no where something really crappy and hard happens and life kind of sucks for a while, and then all the sudden, life is better than you ever imagined and you have suddenly grown a lot and become a new person. Its the one thing you can count on in life....this cycle of happiness and trials and greater happiness and harder trials. I've definitely been through a few in the past year. But right now life is super awesome :) I'd forgotten how happy I could be! I mean I thought I was happy, but now, I am so happy and just love life! I have so many blessings. It's amazing to know myself again. I definitely lost who I was for a while. I've found myself again.

I haven't written a blog in such a long time because I really just didn't have anything to write about! I'm just living a normal boring life these days. I work at Zion's bank as a teller, which is pretty fun as far as working goes (I just wish I could be rich and play and take adventures and never have to work haha). And besides that I hang out with friends and go running and rock climbing and boating and such. I don't have a lot of pictures to share, but I will put up what I have.

I was inspired to write a blog tonight because I had treatment today. It was a lot of fun. I know it sounds silly, but I think I am going to kind of miss going to the infusion center once or twice a month. I love the nurses there and I love talking to the patients and making people happy when they feel miserable. I brought some candy today because the last few treatments I've gone and just read to myself and haven't visited with people like I used to. So today I brought candy so I could have an excuse to walk around and talk to people. Everyone was excited to have candy or at least excited to have someone come over and smile at them so big and tell them to have a fun awesome day :) One lady come up to me after I'd sat back down and began to cry and told me thank you so much for having such a bright positive attitude and that I really made her day. I loved it. I love things like that. It makes me so happy to see that I can make others happy. I also made a new friend today!! Her name is Tami and she has colon cancer and has been going through treatment for THREE AND A HALF YEARS!!!!!! Oh my gosh. I can't even imagine how draining that would be. It would be so incredibly emotionally and mentally draining not to mention physically. She was so much fun to talk to, I love making chemo friends. We talked about how much different cancer patients view life and how stupid petty things don't matter anymore. She was talking about how she had to deal with drama at work and how it just seemed so ridiculous to her when she was just grateful that she even could come to work. I have definitely become a lot more loving and understanding towards others.

As I was driving home I was admiring the mountains and thinking how much I LOVE our mountains here in Utah. When I get to a lookout point on a trail run, I can't help but stop and take in the view. The top of a mountain I have just climbed is probably one of my favorite places to be/see. The view from a mountain that you have just hiked or climbed or ran is soooo much more gorgeous than a view that you get from driving to a lookout point or something. Even if they are the exact same view, you appreciate the grandeur much more when you have accomplished something to get there. It is the same in life. I appreciate things so much more than I ever have before. I'm glad that God knows what he is doing with me. He definitely has got an amazing plan in store for me. I would never have chosen this path for myself, but I'm glad he knew better than me :) Why is it that parents always know best? 

Some pictures from the Teton mountains in Idaho. We spent a weekend there in July for the Bossard family reunion. I love my family. We are so awesome. We went river rafting, hiking and did a mud run 5k at our family reunion. Way cooler than the average family!

People always ask how I'm feeling. Even now, even seven months out of chemotherapy. No offense, but it seems like a silly question to me. I also don't really like when people tell me "Wow, you look so good!" As if I'm supposed to look like a sick weak person just because I had cancer? I know I know that no one means it like that and I don't really get offended, but I do get tired of hearing that. So....just tell me that you like my hair or just don't comment on how I look :) And if you do, I'll forgive you and know that you just care about me and are happy to see me looking healthy and not like a cancer zombie dead sick person.

But....to answer how I'm feeling since everyone always asks me, I feel great and normal like a normal person. I am not back to 100% myself yet, but I am comparing my 100% to when I was a collegiate athlete, so obviously I still have a way to go. I am still weak, but I've been rock climbing and slowly, very very slowly, I am getting a little stronger. My endurance has vastly improved this last month! I have been doing 9 mile runs about once or twice a week and one day I did a 10.5 mile run at an 8:15/mile pace!!! It was amazing and so fun. I still would like to get faster, but I know it will come in time. My goal is to get back to a 18:30 5k by next year sometime :) I would be sooooo happy if I could do that. On the 24th of July I did the Deseret News 10k. It has been a tradition for me to do it ever year with my dad since I was 12. I've only missed one or two years. Last year I couldn't do it because I was still recovering from surgery. This year I ran it in 42:40 :) I was so happy. I obliterated my goal of 45 minutes. I didn't really know what to expect because I haven't really had a real race since over a year ago. So it was very encouraging and exciting.

Me and my friend Joey Plaskett. It was his first 10k ever and he ran it in 38 minutes! An awesome training partner, he's definitely made me faster and helped me push myself again.

Here's some more pictures from the family reunion. We wore hula skirts and leis for the mud run 5k. It was a great idea. Until we had to swim through a river, jump over fire and army crawl through the mud. Then I was cursing that stupid skirt and how heavy it was all wet and muddy and I couldn't get it off! But it was an awesome race. Plus, I was the first girl to finish so I got this AMAZING trophy straight from Africa! Because the money they raise goes to orphans around the world and the race directors picked up these cool little statues last time they were in Africa helping the orphans. It was definitely the coolest prizes I have ever won.

Inside the cave at the top of the mountain we hiked to. It got pretty narrow and it was FREEZING inside. Like 32 degrees. There was ice. Brrrr.

One of my best friends from camp had to go to MD Anderson in Houston for a scan and possible surgery about a month ago. She was nervous because this is a recurrence of her cancer. I made her a care package and I was so excited to send it :) You know those presents you just can't wait to give people? This was one of those times. I made her a Build-a-Bear and put in her favorite candy and cereal and some things to help pass the time while she was there. She lives in Tennessee so she had to stay at the hospital for a week. Luckily she doesn't have to get surgery! She just has to do chemo for a while.

I love her :) I love all the friends I met there! Such amazing and inspiring people. They know what really matters in life.

So I also decided that I am moving to Thailand next year because guess what?! I will be done with treatment in NOVEMBER!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! I am so happy and excited! I thought I was going to have to stay on treatment until next July and I was super bummed and really really sad. But my doctor said it'd be dumb to stay on it that long because the side effects are worse than the slight minuscule benefit that we might possibly have by staying on it any longer. So that means I will be free soon! My mom says "No you need to stay and work" Why? Why does society say that? I am 23. I have the REST OF MY LIFE to work. Someday I will probably have a family. I will never be single and young again. Why do I have to stay here and work? I don't. I don't have to do what society expects me to. I can have fun adventures right now. And I'm going to. Probably even as recently as a year and a half ago I would have talked about something like this, but I never would have actually been "irresponsible" enough to do it. But I realize now after what I have experienced in life, that a bucket list should be more than a wish list. How many people actually accomplish very much on their bucket list? Probably next to none. I've accomplished a lot. And I fully intend to do more. 

Life is an adventure that is meant to be lived

Adventure: an exciting or unusual experience. A risky undertaking with an uncertain outcome

For my adventures this upcoming month I have planned to do a trail Ragnar race at Snowbasin, spend a week in Lake Powell, do a sprint triathalon and hike King's Peak in two days. 

No more rambling. Go, live your dream! 

(ten points to anyone who knows what that quote is from!)

Year for the Hall of Fame

Yesterday was my birthday!! I turned 23. Since that is Michael Jordan's basketball jersey number, that must mean this is going to be a lucky year...one that will go in the Hall of Fame for greatness. Right? That's at least what I keep telling myself.

 

I didn't actually do a whole lot to celebrate my "Michael Jordan" birthday. But last weekend I went to Las Vegas to visit my Aunt Debbie and my cousins Mackay and Alyssa. It was so much fun! I loved driving down by myself. Just a nice quiet car with me, myself and I. I listened to Inkheart book on CD. The weather was perfect. Not too hot and way better than the weather in Salt Lake. I heard it was pouring rain and freezing. My aunt had all sorts of things planned to keep me busy. I got a desperately needed haircut--I was seriously starting to look like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, I got a super nice pedicure, laid out by the pool, volunteered at a 5k for Dress for Success (a company that helps clothe needy women professionally so they can get a job), read a book, and went out to Lake Las Vegas for a free jazz concert and picnic. It was so nice to get away and have a fun weekend without anything to worry or stress about. My favorite thing was the picnic. I LOVE picnics. It's probably one of my favorite summer activities. Plus it was gorgeous by the lake. It was fun spending time with that side of my family because I don't get to see them all that often. I wish I would have taken more pictures but I kept forgetting :(

I of course remembered to take pictures of the chocolate "pizza" from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory though. It was divine. The "crust" was dark chocolate and the toppings were rice krispies, marshmallows, peanut butter and chocolate chips all covered in white chocolate. To. Die. For. Literally....I probably clogged all my arteries eating it.

I am really liking having short hair. It is fun and spunky and different. I don't know if I'll grow it long again or not.

Yesterday for my birthday I woke up bright and early. At 5:30am to be exact. I wanted to go running before I had to be to work at 7:30. I dragged my dad out of bed to go with me. It was a gorgeous morning. Not cold at all like I thought it would be. I love running.

Unfortunately the flash made me all whited out, but you get the idea

After work I went shopping with my mom for new running shoes. I've been needing some for like 4 months. For dinner my mom made me Thai food! YUM. I love Thai food. It's probably my new favorite type of food. Ever since Thailand that is. We had green curry chicken, vegetable stirfry and the best part...mango sticky rice.

After dinner we went to my brother Caden's band concert at Butler Middle. I was expecting a squeaky eardrum splitting performance but they were incredible!! I enjoyed listening to them, it was great. And of course to top of the night I had cake and blew out a candle :) But I can't tell you what I wished for or else it won't come true!!

Today I went hiking with Cesia. Hiking is my other favorite summer activity. I LOVE hiking and being in the mountains. Koda had fun coming with us too. Like his cute saddle bags?? :)  They're a little big for him, but it worked.

I love summer :) I love the sun and being hot and hiking and picnics and running and mountains and getting in a hot car.

Thanks everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday and made me feel special. Such a simple thing really made my day.

Here's to a fun summer and hopefully a year full of goodness and joy and happy things!

Thailand

I know its been almost a month since my last post. I've had a lot going on. Someday readers I will tell you about it. But not today.

Today you can enjoy these pictures from Thailand! It was the most amazing place I have ever been. I would LOVE to go back there for a year or two and live. I loved everything about it; from the food to the people to the heat and humidity it was all such a great experience. I loved riding the elephants and hiking through the jungles and seeing the humble dwellings of the people. I only got to see monkeys once though :( :( And only from a boat for like 5 minutes. It was extremely disappointing.  But otherwise everything was awesome. We went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

What I missed about America:

• Cold water (especially in Chiang Mai in the jungle)
• Being able to drink from the tap

What I loved about Thailand:

• Our whole family ate dinner and bought drinks for about $6.
• The food was so flavorful and so fresh!
• The people were happy and friendly
• The country was beautiful
• Life was so much simpler
• And a thousand other things

Breakfast on the plane....weird, right?

Um this sticker was on the dvd player in our taxi cab

The cutest little puppy! I wanted to pick him up and love him.

Church! We found an English ward. It was an international ward so there was people from all over the world like Pakistan, India, Thailand, America, Canada, etc.

My new favorite food. Mango Sticky Rice. YUM!

So some of the toilets you had to stand on and squat. It was interesting.

The actual cutest puppy ever! His name was Pumpkin. He was our tour guide's dog in Chiang Mai. I loved him.

The skinniest little rooster I have ever seen.

Water buffalo in the fields

Not a marijuana leaf :( I thought for sure it was when I picked it.

Long, hot day of hiking. We were tired!

Cooking our dinner with fresh everything straight from the gardens that day.

TONS of pictures. It was hard to narrow down which pictures and I obviously didn't do a very good job. But there you have it. If you ever get the chance to travel to Thailand I would highly recommend it.

Till next post! :)