Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I Love the Snow, it is so beautiful and it makes all the cold weather worth something. It's funny how when it is snowing, I forget about all the things that I don’t like about winter and am just filled with happiness and excitement.

Snow links me back to memories of being a kid, living in Dunedin and on a hill. I remember sliding down the small hill in our back yard. Winters at my grand parents in Central Otago, ice skating outside and going skiing. Spending as long as I could outside in the snow until my fingers and toes were so frozen that I couldn’t feel them. The burning sensation of putting my toes too close to the fire for too long

I love how the snow can re ignite those memories for me and take me back to the awesome happy childhood I had. I’m so thankful for those memories that it sparks. I hope that I never become too grown up to loose my excitement and I hope that I'm never too old to have a snow fight, play in and en joy the snow.

I hope that you all got to enjoy it too : )  

Katie D

Thankful

Maybe it’s due to the fact that I’ve only left the house twice in the last 3 days due to study, so I’m going a little crazy, but Today I am feeling thankful for lots of things.

Even though I’m as nervous as I could possibly be about the exams I have on Thursday and Friday, I’m thankful that the reason I’m so nervous is because what I’m hoping to achieve isn’t just a pass but hopefully the start of my path towards a career that I am so passionate about.

I’m thankful that even though it’s not the nicest day out sitting behind the glass it feels like it’s warm out there too.

I’m thankful that we are only getting closer to summer

I’m thankful for a week with hardly any aftershocks so I can focus on my study

I’m thankful that I got to see my oldest friend who I have known as far back as my memories go in the weekend.

I’m thankful for the friends that make me smile. The friendships that have lasted for some time and the ones which are just beginning to grow.

Today try being thankful for the small things and have an amazing day

Katie D

I like to move it move it

2011 for me so far has been a year of actually doing the things I’ve wanted too for a while. It started with me getting off my bum and getting active again.
Almost 3 years ago now my Dad died really suddenly of a heart attack. It was unexpected and a huge shock to me and my family. It has however made me think a lot more seriously about my health and my lifestyle and about the fact that I want to live the best, healthiest, longest life I can, not just for my own benefit but for the benefit of my future family and loved ones.

According to the Heart Foundation, approximately one in two New Zealanders (that’s half the population!!!)is overweight or obese, and we wonder why cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death (40%) in New Zealand? The worst part? The majority of these deaths are preventable.

So what are two main things we can do to avoid this problem? Get Active and have a Balanced Diet.

I have always loved exercise, I was in multiple sports teams at school and although I was never the best, I just enjoyed being a part of a team, socializing with different people and being active. However after highschool as many of you will know it is harder to fit it in, life gets busy and exercise without even realising it can slip completely off the radar.

I believe life is there to be lived, to have fun and experiences that you look back on with a smile, so I don’t think that means running every morning and never touching a piece of cake again but I’m trying to learn to get the balance right now while I’m young. It took me a good 2 years to actually put my thoughts into action. So I know from experience that it is easier said than done.


So I have implemented a plan to make sure I work out, maybe it will work for you too. I love hanging out with my friends and I hate letting them down so I make a commitment to hang out with them and exercise at the same time. Monday and Thursday is Zumba with Amy and Lauren, Tuesday is pilates or yoga with Shanny and various mornings of the week are runs with Sammie. It’s the longest I’ve ever lasted with consistent (not including in a team) exercise

I think exercise is so important and something that everybody needs in their life. So I encourage you to ask yourself if your doing enough and if the answer if no then get a buddy, someone who can keep you accountable and get moving, you will feel so good about yourself in the long run. There are so many different forms of exercise that I don't believe for a second there isn't something out there to suit everyone.

I have a long way to go with making my lifestyle completely healthy and still I have a lot of goals to reach with my fitness, but maybe this will spark a thought in your head and encourage you to get up and get moving. If you wait around for tomorrow its never going to come so if there is something you want to change about your lifestyle and the way you are living then today is the day to do it.

Katie D

Faith

Stumbled across the picture and it reminded me following on from yesterdays blog, why learning to be patient is important to me. It doesn't mean it's always easy but it means that situations, with some patience will work out the way they are meant too.

Limbo Land

Waiting is horrible... not entirely sure what your waiting for is even worse. This year has been the biggest patience tester ever! And even if I do say so myself I think that I am getting to be more patient and letting the reigns of control and organisation go a little bit

At the moment I am waiting to find out if I am accepted into the Nursing programme that I have applied for and I just want to know! If I get in, I can finally start working towards having a career and a job that I am passionate about and if not I can start figuring out what my next step is.

Just a quick silly blog from me today but for all of you out there like me, feeling like your stuck somewhere you don’t want to be... hold on and be patient.

Whatever it is your waiting for, stay positive and remind yourselves of the reasons why it’s worth the wait.

Katie D

Inspired to be my best Me

I want to tell you quickly about my friend B, B is somebody who I met while I was working in Kentucky. She was in the same village as me along with 4 other counselors so we got to know each other quite well during the 3 months we lived together. Her positive spirit and attitude towards life influenced and challenged me. I gained an amazing friend and role model. I miss her all the time but luckily for me she started writing a blog and through her writing I feel a little closer to her as I read her words, no longer thousands of miles away.


It was B’s blog that prompted me to start one. She always writes with so much honesty and truth. I value the words that she writes and have so much respect for her because of it. Even sometimes when I may have slightly different opinions, her blog sparks thoughts and helps me to ask myself the sometimes hard questions.

I want to try my best to do the same, to be as real and honest as possible in my writing.

The last few weeks I’ve been meaning to write a blog but every time I go to write one my mind is blank. I’ll get a small idea in my head but either can’t expand on it or am not sure If I should. Sometimes I don’t want to write something because I’m worried that I will offend someone or not get my point across clearly, but I realise if this blog is supposed to be an expression of who I am, then it needs to be me speaking truthfully about the things that I believe. I also need to learn that it’s ok for someone to disagree with my opinion or not fully be able to grasp where I am coming from. So from now on be expecting them more frequently. The good, bad and sometimes random tangents of thoughts strung together.


So often I think, I wish I could be better at this, I wish I had done that, I want to be the person who.... etc etc. Instead of always living in a state of shoulda, woulda coulda I think we need to start looking at the people who we respect and admire the most and using them as inspiration to put those thoughts into action. If they can do it, so can we. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should copy people and become something were not, I just think we can draw on other peoples experience and wisdom to help and encourage ourselves.

Among many other awesome things B is a runner and a vegan, she lives a really healthy lifestyle and although I don’t think I could live without my chicken, her way of living is inspiring me to be better and healthier. She’s helped encourage me (with her actions just as much as her words) to start eating healthier and running and in 1 week I have my first ever 10km Race

My Mum inspires me also (whether I tell her that enough or not).One of my first memories is of watching her compete in a Half marathon. She sets herself goals and achieves them, She has a very positive attitude, one of when life knocks you down get back up and keep smiling. Ma has taught me a lot of resilience over the years and always encourages me just to be the best that I can be.

Lastly but most importantly Jesus, he put others before himself and loved unconditionally. I think we could all try taking a leaf out of that book.

Are there things in your life you want to be better at? Well look to the people in your life who inspire you and see what it is that they do. Talk to them ask them, questions and learn from them.

Most importantly, don't live a life of wanting to be somebody else. Start being the person that You want to be, live without regrets and live to your full potential!

Thanks to the many wonderful people in my life who inspire me to be my best.

Katie D


P.s Check out B’s blog @ http://bpositivebfree.blogspot.com/

Walking in the dark

When I was working at a camp in the states my little cabin used to be on the other side of a long wooden bridge. During the day it was a gorgeous bridge surrounded by forest and snuggled right in the middle of a beautiful covering of trees. If you were quiet enough you could quite often spot a deer or other small wildlife wandering underneath and around it. However at night it was like a completely different bridge. A lantern would sometimes be placed on a hook halfway along the bridge but if the lantern wasn’t there you were in complete darkness and could not see from one end of the bridge to the other. The same sounds which in the day were mesmerizing and tranquil at night time seemed discomforting and eerie.
　
Some people refused to walk over that bridge by themselves and to be honest I didn’t blame them. I always tried to play tough and pretend that bridge didn’t phase me but truth be told, if I didn’t have my torch or a lantern, I would get scared. It was when I was in complete darkness that I would start to freak out.
Usually all I needed to do to fix the problem was stop being lazy and go and get a lantern from the dinning hall, (which isn’t far from the bridge) or to wait for somebody to cross with me.

Lately I have realised that I have an issue with feeling like I need to be in control. I say that I believe in God and his plan for my life, the desires and dreams he has placed in my heart, but the moment I feel like something isn’t going according to plan, I start to worry.
For the first 4 weeks after the earthquake I was waiting to find out what was happening with my course and my job. I think for the first time, I truly learnt what it is to be patient and to trust. I had to believe that even though I felt like I was in the dark and had no idea what was going to happen, whether I would still have a job, or if my course would still go ahead, that it would all work out.
Now you may wonder how the bridge relates to what I’m talking about, but the analogy that comes with that story has been a big revelation for me.

Sometimes we get so caught up on thinking that to get somewhere, we have to go a certain way and take a certain amount of time to get there, that we often don’t realise, we are still walking that same route, starting at the same place and finishing at the same destination. It just might look a little different getting there.

One night I didn’t have a lantern with me, but I decided that I wasn’t going to let this bridge freak me out anymore. I confidently held my head up high and instead of running across it, calmly walked from one side to the other, praying in my head and believing that I would get to the other side ok.
I, of course, got to the other side of the bridge and came out of the situation feeling better about myself for not letting worry or fear take over me.Sometimes we spend so long worrying about the little things, fretting over them, losing sleep and moaning about them, instead of just dealing with the problem. Too often we give the problem priority instead of the solution.

Im slowly learning what it is to not need to feel in control and to be able let go.
What are the things in your life that you don’t like feeling in the dark about?

Because maybe sometimes we just need to be prepared to embrace the "darkness" and keep walking.


Katie D

 (the Bridge at camp)