it's very simple; just do it.

Here's a novel idea for everyone to adopt: "Just Do It!" -Nike

really, this is such a simple thing to do, but we are (for lack of other describing words that aren't coming to mind..) lazy americans.
i find myself saying "i need to workout, go to work, go to the store, go to the bank, clean my room, organize my desk, do laundry blah blah blah.."
and then i sit around and do nothing. But in reality, doing these things are extremely simple. hop in the car and go! the hardest part of doing stuff is literally stepping out the door.
to get started with something, all we need to do is to Just Do It.
i try to remember this every day. I usually set goals for stuff i need to do each day, i make a mental list of things i need to accomplish. Sometimes it's "go to the beach and surf all day" and other days it's "clean my room and get to work" it's not hard to do.
i think part of our problem is that most Americans with jobs have hours that they work. They have zero choice in this matter. if you're scheduled to show up at 10am and leave at 5pm, you're at work for that time period. When you have no choice in whether you go to school or work  or not, it's not hard to get out and just do it.
but i have a job where i go in when i want for however long i want. That freedom is nice, but i can also spot my own laziness extremely quickly.
so i've adopted "just do it".
Set a small list of goals and things you want to accomplish within a day (not a week! that allows too much time) and then JUST DO IT. bam. and when you're done with that list, you can go have fun and enjoy yourself. it's no big deal ;) 

graduation 2012

oh man...yesterday i graduated high school. the past 12 years of my 18 years on this earth i've worked for this hard and diligently 5-6, and at times 7 days a week at all hours of the day and night. I've had tons of cram nights that i stay up til ridiculous hours of the morning studying for exams, and plenty of tests i didnt study for. I've had late papers that "my dog ate" and plenty of stressful tears shed over the years.
haha i remember back in like first or second grade i was doing school work one afternoon in the "school room" (which is now my room, ironically) and i was trying to get done with a worksheet before Reading Rainbow came on tv because i really wanted to watch it. It was a hard worksheet at the time, but i worked through it with the encouraging words of my Mom and my older sisters, and got done just in time to watch my show.
There was one semester in fourth grade that i got up at 6am to get my school done early so i could help my mom in the garden.
There were PLENTY of times that i did all of my school work in the car on the way to events and field trips. Going to "Girls Club" with Corrie, April, Bethany and Happy. Coming out to the table for classes my Mom was teaching that i was a part of.
Going to swim meets that consisted of munching on chocolate chip cookies, swimming all day and smelling sunscreen. Laughing the whole breakstroke event that i swam because my parents and sisters were at the other end of the pool yelling...which was really funny.
going to horse lessons with Mrs. Jane and riding Abby and meeting my first horse.
The day that Mom told me that we were getting Topper and the excitement i had when Corrie and i woke up the following morning and went to the barn to see my first big crush: my horse.
riding down the road with Carina and Christina when it started POURING down rain. We got back to the barn soaked and freezing.
waking up at 5am on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays in the summer time to go feed and groom my horse before it got too hot and begging Mom to give me a few minutes to ride bareback before we left. I used to hurry to groom the three horses so i could beat her cleaning up the stalls so id have 5 minutes to ride.
Horsecamp. Must i say more?
going to Latvia. the Jr high small group where we ate the childrens ministry's candy. Hillary saying that it was bathingsuit season and we'd better watch our diets. walking. dancing. being scared in the hostel in Riga. plane rides....
going to Colorado and South Dakota. climbing the Ninja route!!! sleeping on the edge of a mountain in the snow. not feeling my toe for months after. puking a lot. that kitchen at the Rez where i spent a LOT of time....
2010..going to Tennessee. meeting people that would literally change my life forever. OHMYGOSH Mrs. Brookin's class! learning to surf.
2011, getting ready to be a senior. going to Regionals and being .01 seconds off of going to State. the cold cold meets and the really hot ones. and SURF CAMPS!!!! i loved EPIC's surf camps so much and every one that was even minutely involved. seeing the sunrise on the beach every morning.
and now 2012. Stephen stepped into my life. finishing classes and here i am. graduated.
im reminded of how quickly life passes us by. life just happens and we decide how we want our lives to be. and this scares me now because i am eighteen, im an adult and now im graduated from high school. so my life is mine now. My parents have done their job. now it's my turn to decide how i want my life to go. and that's the scary part....
but with God right here with me helping to decide and guiding me along the right path, i dont have to fear. It makes me nervous, especially right now that it's just all happened so quickly, but i dont have to be afraid of life. life is a good thing. time is good. i want to use my life and my time wisely. i want to set goals for myself. i want to succeed in all of this and i want to hear God say "well done, My good and faithful servant" at the end of my time. I'd love for Him to say it even while im here to encourage me...but we'll see about that ;)
so, dear graduates, congrats. this is your life, you have free will. i hope and pray you follow God and choose to honor Him in all your ways. I know i neeeeeed His help. i dont want to even attempt to do this without Him.
so that's all i have to say. it's scary, but it's not. the end.