I learned the value of patience today. This is something I’ve always struggled with, in the worst way. I would get so impatient with the car in front of me for not driving fast enough, or with the people in line in front of me for taking too long to pay or having lots of questions. It didn’t matter what it was, I would get frustrated and impatient and complain to whomever I was texting or talking to at the moment.

I prayed to God, multiple times over the years, to guide me and provide me with patience. But it never really registered until just recently. And even more so today into this evening. And it didn’t hit me that I had actually showed extreme patience until I was using the restroom waiting for my plane to board.

You see, I’m on my way to Nashville, TN for the Hungry for Hope conferencewith my friend, Kelsey. We left Norfolk about 230 this afternoon and landed in Atlanta around 4. Well, we landed in the midst of a lightening storm (no joke, we could see the flashes as we were landing…it was actually kinda terrifying). So we sat on the plane for 2 hours while the storm raged on. They had closed the entire airport, basically, from any plane going in or out. Our connecting flight had been postponed from 535 to 750 so we had time to grab dinner and get a bit of work done.

As we were waiting, the departure time kept getting pushed further and further back. From 750 to 815 to 845 to 915 to 945 to 955 and finally to 1015. And the gate changed twice in the midst of all that…so twice we had to pack up all our stuff and move to the next gate, only to unpack all our stuff and keep working.

Not once, in this whole endeavor, did I complain. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m exhausted and I expressed that, but there wasn’t any disdain or anger or frustration over the fact that our flight had basically been delayed 5 hours!! We had an amazingly delicious dinner (if you’re ever in concourse B in Atlanta, definitely try Fly Burger. I had their holy guacamole burger with a lettuce bun and sweet potato tator tots…so good!!), and we both got some work done. I was able to work on something that I’ve been putting off for far too long because I didn’t have the time.

And truthfully, I was able to have a little bit of downtime and a nice afternoon with a good friend. How often do we actually get to have that?

And, like I said, it wasn’t until I was using the restroom for the last time before we boarded that I realized how different this experience was for me. I’ve been in this exact situation before and I’ve been frustrated and angry and annoyed and yes, impatient. But today, instead of all that negativity, I was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with a great friend and to accomplish some tasks that needed to be done. It was a nice change.

Sure, I could have gotten upset or irate or angry at the entire situation. But where would that have gotten me? Higher blood pressure, stressed out, probably wouldn’t have gotten any work done. And it’s not the airline’s fault. They can’t control the weather. And in listening to the various Delta employees, they were doing everything they could to get the planes in and get crews there to get people where they needed to go. Listening to others around us was interesting because yup, you guessed it. There were a *lot* of people who were completely unhappy and upset with Delta. Honestly, I’m just happy we arrived safely in Atlanta.

And now it’s 1105 and I’m writing this as we’re flying to Nashville. I’m truly blessed to have the opportunity to be able to make trips like this and to further my education and experiences as a health coach. I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get home!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and realize that not everything is going to go as planned. And that it’s in how you handle it that makes you (or breaks you). I’m happy this experience didn’t break me :-)

With love and wellness,
Whitney

Yup!! You read that right! I am now a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer! I attended the training the weekend of June 6 and 7, 2015, and had such a blast! I learned so much and enjoyed training with the others there taking the training, as well as working with the CF-L1 instructors. I knew where my weaknesses were before this weekend, so it was nice to get the extra help and pointers in those areas.

It’s also interesting because now my “coach’s eye” has come out…or been more honed. I tend to give feedback and help now, even though I’m not technically a coach anywhere. But it’s neat to see how it’s changed my perspective. And it certainly piqued my interest in getting other certifications, as well as (hopefully one day) becoming a coach. I’ve inquired about potentially interning or shadowing at my gym, so cross your fingers I get this opportunity :)

I’m so excited to see what this may hold for me in the future. I’ve wanted to become a personal trainer for awhile now, so this is just one step closer to reaching that goal. It’s also helped me focus more on my form and becoming better and stronger in the movements. It’s made training more fun and focused, which has been amazing. Not that it wasn’t before, but now there’s more purpose.

I don’t even know if I’m making any sense, but I’m excited and wanted to share my thoughts :)

And this past weekend, I participated in the X-Corps Adventure race with three other members from my gym. It’s basically a race full of different events/challenges, along with some questions/challenges to make you think…it puts your brain and body to the test! It was so hot and a lot of work, but it was so much fun!! For some reason, my computer isn’t letting me add any pictures from this weekend, which is too bad because they are pretty funny. We drew tattoos on ourselves and wore fanny packs for the whole workout :)Gotta love it!

Instead, I’ll just leave this little gem here for you because I think it’s cute :P

I hope you’re having an amazing week! Thanks for indulging my excitement!

With love and wellness,

Whitney

So I just got home from a long weekend in Colorado.  Usually, when I travel, I eat out every meal and I end up feeling bloated and awful, even though I choose the best foods and try to stay on track.  But you know how it is…you end up starving and the “good for you” choices end up not looking or sounding good, so you decide “just this once” I’ll eat this or that.  And before you know it, the whole weekend has passed and you’ve had several “cheat” meals.  Then you get home and the struggle is real to get back on track.  We’ve all been there, right?!

But I’m so happy that this time was different!  For you see, my brother and his wife just had beautiful twin girls!  And that whole going out thing became a WHOLE LOT more difficult!  Add in a rambunctious 3 year old and it gets even more difficult!  So we spent our weekend visiting and cooking all our meals at their house.  Which, believe me, was MUCH preferred! So this time, it was super easy to stay on track and enjoy the weekend without feeling awful the whole time!

I also got in a couple bodyweight workouts at the hotel with my nephew.  Usually, I like to try to find a crossfit gym to drop in at, but I knew I wouldn’t have time this trip.  But no worries…the bodyweight workouts I did were enough to get me moving and sweating and feeling the burn!  And it inspired my nephew to get up and get moving too.  His version of butterfly sit-ups looked WAY easier than mine!  Hahahaha.  I could have used this weekend as an excuse to relax and be lazy, but that isn’t me.  Working out is relaxing for me!!  And it didn’t detract from my weekend of visiting family either!  Plus it helps that my family knows how crazy I am without my workouts!! :)

This was a much needed weekend away from some of the things going on in my life.  I needed the time away to reflect on things going on in my life and to focus on the bigger picture.  Because family is really what it’s all about.  I enjoyed my one-on-one time with my nephew so much, and I loved getting to snuggle and cuddle with my nieces…they are such little angels!  God Bless my sister-in-law for being able to handle it all while my brother is away at work!  Plus he is amazing when he gets home and immediately starts helping and pitching in where needed!  It definitely takes a village!!

I came home with a much clearer head and purpose for where my life is going and where it should be.  My focus has been off and unclear for a bit, but I now know where it should be.  That’s such a good feeling to have…knowing that all I had to do was take a step back and away from it all to really help it become clear where I should be focusing.  I’d definitely recommend that for anyone!

I’m excited for being back on track and having set goals that I’m working towards.  I’m even more excited to be back on track with God as my focus.  For too long, I’ve strayed away from Him and I know that He is exactly where I need to be.  I finally feel at peace knowing that He is at the helm of my ship…I hand Him all my anxieties and worries and rest peacefully knowing that whatever is going to happen is exactly what is supposed to.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend, as well!  It’s weird talking about my long weekend while we are heading into another weekend here in a couple days.  But I’m not complaining!  I only have to work two days this week :) Then I have another busy weekend of attending the Crossfit Level 1 Certification training.  I’m so excited to get this training under my belt and get on my way to achieving my goals!

Have a great rest of the week, and enjoy your weekend!

With love and wellness,

Whitney

Ooooh – how could I forget?!?!  Here are some pictures from this weekend!!