today i learned

today i learned that when you think you have everything covered and a back up plan...god will throw you a curve ball and smile.

i was suppose to be on the 7am flight this morning get in by 10 and then partake in a little day time drinking with mt, yoda, b and yazmine. clearly that did not happen since now i am not flying out till thursday. ~things could be worse~

i also learned that i have awesome insurance. why you ask...well i went to pearl vision to reschedule my eye exam (which was suppose to be tomorrow in nyc) they took me right away. my eyes are a.o.k. the lovely young lady tells me my insurance is great that i can get a pair of sunglasses for probably nothing. how is that you ask..well my insurance covers $120 bucks of any glasses and well hello ray ban. now i am a proud owner of these ray bans the cost...only 15 bucks..thank you mr. insurance.


my boss is great,instead of taking vacation she arranged it so that i can work from our downtown office...double score my gym is right across the street.

i have learned that i loved my mommy she is always there for not just me (her favorite) but my two brothers and my sister. she is an amazing women and i am very blessed to have her as my momma.

this is my aunt queta, my grams, myself and my momma.

if i dont get back on this....happy new year propospero ano nuevo!!

<3 MM

90's R&B Music

have i told you how much i love 90's r&b music? well i do. i love listening to the aol 90's r&b station all day long. i can sway from side to side everyday all day. what happened to all these groups? where did the good baby making, sweet loving music go? didn't any of these youngsters learn from all of these amazing artist...i question that everyday. dont get me wrong there are some good artist but nothing like back in the day....


i remember when i used to make my famous "love tapes" well i thought they were pretty good and famous...lol

now lets take it back with....
112 (cupid), tony! toni!tone! (its our anniversary), xscape (let's kick it), maxwell (sumthin sumthin), tlc (red light special), shai (comforter) , jodaci (feenin), mary j. (real love), keith sweat (twisted), aaliyah (back & forth), tamia (so into you), arron hall (i miss you), boyz II men (its so hard to say goodbye in spanish) and mariah carey (if it's over)

i can totally keep going but i am at work so i will stop here.

have a great Friday people.

Thoughts

What are your first thoughts when you see the following:


Here are mine: The moment you think you shouldn't...that's when you should! Why not right? What do you have to lose? I bet you its not that big of a loss.




Plans are never fun, it is always better to go with the wind.




For the rest of the year and next I will be following this mantra the most. Why be negative nothing good comes from it. If you are around me and I hear you start ranting and raving about negative stuff I will have to tell you to "Build that Bridge and Get Over It".

You want to see changes, start by making them. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Holiday!!

XOXO
MM

New York, where dreams become reality.

Hey All!!

I have been thinking about how I could sum up this years marathon and as I tried to write I could not get it together. So instead of writing I thought I would show you through pictures.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words so here it goes!















I have tried and tried to save this picture correctly but it's just not working out for me. This is my favorite t-shirt from the NYC Marathon that I bought...


Incase you dont want to strain your neck this is what it says:

bang, cross the verrazano easily, crusin'through brooklyn, over to greenpoint, boom, i'm 1/2 way done already, no problem, pulaski bridge into queens, but i'm the queen tgoday, the east river, you look marvelous, queensboro, i got this, i love you manhanttan, bronx for a hot minute, harlem, wish i could stay, through central park, i can see it, damn, i can make it there. i just did. see ya next year NYC. Run faster.

Brought to you by New Balance...HOTNESS!!

Thank you for all your support and yes I am enjoying my break! :)

Thank you!

Hey All!! I promise a post is coming soon where I will try to recap my marathon experience!

But before I do that I want to take this time to thank all of NY who came out, cheered, clapped, scream and high fived us.

Also Thank you thank you to all of my TFK peeps for 2009
Bricar
Little D
Jess
Huggy Bear
Lauren
Jesse
Yogi-Becky


Also a huge thanks to Sofi for jumping in and keeping us entertained,
B Aponte BB Aponte!
Mr and Mrs. NYC Fins
Katie
Phil
Mr.Clark Kent
Yoda
MT
G-Man
and of course my lovely B!!

I love you all and you all made this experience an amazing one! Here is a picture of V and I at the finish line with an amazing woman from TFK!

Two days left...

Only two days left till the most amazing day in the world for a runner.

Tonight I will be picking up my bib and I am super excited about that. Last night I enjoyed a little run on the West Side Highway with Ryan Hall, Bart Yasso and 70 of their closest friends and guess who else was there...ME!!

Here is a picture at the end of the night...and shall I say....Ryan is sexy! That little smile/smirck so attractive. I know I know who would of thought but I guess it can happen. No worries Sara Hall I was just admiring your view ;).


Also I was able to get both Bart and Ryan, to sign my TFK Singlet (I know running nerd) as Ryan signed it he said wow, "Paula Radcliff, I'm in great company". Now I only need to get Kara Goucher, Meb, Hallie and Dana to sign my TFK singlet.

Love you all!! Have a great day!!

5 DAYS!!!!!

Holy cow!!
Well hello there Mr. Five days till I begin that AWESOME journey through NYC’s 5 boroughs put my body some grueling couple of hours, and be part of one of the most amazing sporting events in the world.

Marathon Sunday Game Plan:
I run in the middle of the road and will
be wearing the TFK Jersey NEON green **Please do not tell me if I am running (get it) late :)** feel free to come to CPW/70th St-.


Otherwise, we will be enjoying some celebratory cervezas at Johnny Foxes (2nd btwn 80/81st)- I would say 4:30-5pm-til I pass out. So come on by!!

For those who will not be in NYC-
Check this link after Nov 1 to download the marathon tracker apps or pay the $2.99 to txt track me
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/athlete_alert.htm
my race # 40524

**If you cant be at the marathon but still want to send me your support follow this link
http://supportyourmarathoner.com/

Thank you to everyone for all the support you have given me on my third marathon in a little over one year. Clearly I have lost it because as my doctor told me...."elites only do one a year what makes you so special" and to answer his question it was me being naive. Oh well lesson has been learned and I will be sticking to my one marathon a year. With that said I have already signed up for my next marathon.....drum roll please..........Berlin!!! Who wants in??
Again thank you so much for everything you all are amazing. I cannot wait to take on this great city with 39,999 other runners!

Still interested in donating?? Follow this link: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

I'm bad, I'm bad you know it...not really but I have been bad about this blog :(

Hi Bloggers!!
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego, ok not her but me Miss. Marathon Madrigal??

Clearly I have not been updating this blog, to those few souls that read it...sorry about that.
With traveling to California, Champaign, my last 20 miler and work in between it has been just un poco loco.

Overall I have been super happy and super blessed. This past weekend I was at my homecoming and I saw people I had not seen in years. I thought about them before I saw them how would I react what would I do would things be the same? The answer to my questions were all different but I noticed something, that I am so happy and love where I am that nothing else mattered. I was with my girls and we had the best time! Oh and PS Illini beat Indiana!


So I was thinking what to write about.....so as I was roaming around in blogger planet, I found a fill in the blank and so I decided to do it. :) Have a great Wednesday!! :)

1. I am a tough cookie, that wears her heart on my sleeve and loves everything about being in love, falling in love and loving...currently I am not in a relationship but the idea of being one makes me so excited for the future.....hee hee

2. I wish for happiness for all my friends and family. I know that might sound corney but i do...for reals.

3. I like uhmmm cheese, running and traveling. I am super excited because I will be going to Berlin next September and I will be running the marathon too! I knock out two things at once..sweet!

4. I can hardly wait for Nov 7th!! Whoot Whoot NYC Marathon here I come are you ready for me and all my TFKer's!! Everyone should totally do a marathon they are amazing!



5. I hope you know that no matter what although I might get mad I would forgive you.

6. I think love is amazing and everyone should totally be in love.

7. I was thinking holy crap 10 days till the Marathon!!! Aye Dios Mio!!! This day is going to come and go before I know it, and that makes me a little sad...I have to make sure I enjoy the whole day and those leading up to it.




One more thing next week is CARB WEEK!!! I swear the fact that I get this excited about Carbs is a clear reason why I have to keep running...;)

I saw this video and I like it :)

I'm In!

Are you?

Make sure you watch Nov 7th as the world comes to watch 40,000 runner's run through Five Boroughs, over Five Bridges and end up in the best park in the world..Central Park.

Come and watch the most amazing sporting event out there where I and the rest of the clan are the stars!!

I CANNOT WAIT for Marathon Sunday.

I got it!!

What you ask? Well the Asics ad's of course!! As I was reading my Runner's world magazine today on the train I saw it and just like last year's I LOVE IT!!


Ready?
Set?
GO!!
Here it is!!


26.2 Steps to shedding your doubts (doesn't it give you tingles?)

Mile:
1. Start running.
2. Keep running.
3. Don't worry, the race isn't all bridges.
4. Don't look at your watch.
5. Keep the faith.
6. Hydrate.
7. Remember, you paid good money to run.
8. Enjoy the Bishop Laughlin band.
9. Find a running partner.
10. Make sure your running partner isn't an elite runner.
11. Savor the downhill leg.
12. Dont eat blintzes while you run.
13. You're halfway home, woohoo!
14. Pace yourself.
15. Enjoy the Manhanttan skyline.
16. Feed off the raucous crowd.
17. Ignore your aching legs.
18. Watch out for banana peels.
19. Don't stop for pizza.
20. Stop thinking about pizza.
21. Imagine all the calories you've burned.
22. Don't window shop.
23. Visualize the finish line.
24. Take in the Central Park scenery.
25. Listen to the cheers from the finish line.
26.2 Stop running, you did it.

I will add imagines as I find them on line ;0).

One last thing I want to give all my TFK peeps that ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday on 10-10-10 a huge round of appluse. It was hot but they did and had some amazing times!!

Sarah M.
Jessica D.
E-Nice.
Little D.
Henry
Sondra

NYC Marathon we are up next...let's get this party started!!

Two in one day!!

Check out ASics Ad for NYC Marathon...go through the whole interactive map...AMAZING!!

http://www.asicsamerica.com/nycm/map.htm
The marathon course offers runners and spectators an amazing taste of New York's culture and history, but also poses some challenges for marathoners. Click on the blinking mile markers to find out more about that portion of the race. ASICS Athletes Deena Kastor and Ryan Hall provide some insight into what to expect from the course.

To advance the map, use the mini navigation map in the upper left corner and drag the 'highlighted' area to the new mile markers.


As I keep finding these Ad's I will keep posting them...I hope your enjoying them as much if not more than I am!!

32 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes and 30 seconds to go!!

Did Miss. Marathon Madrigal Show up on Saturday?

Are you wondering if Miss. Marathon Madrigal showed up on Saturday?

Well the answer is YES, Hell Yeah she did!! This past weekend I took part in Greta's Gallop a half marathon in Central Park, and we can say she came and ripped up the course, a hard course two loops of the Central park. (yes, twice around those Harlem Hills) in 2:18 (which is my best thus far in CP), that is also the same time Vane and I had in Philly and Philly is flat and an easy course. I guess you can say we both got our Running MoJo Back!!

I felt no pain...not in my knees, my hips nothing. I did feel the love, my love for running has come back to me!

Vane and I have added one thing to our running routine now...T-Shirt TIME!!! What is T-Shirt time you ask, we say this if one of thinks we are getting a little too serious and there are other reasons but you have to be there to really feel T-SHIRT TIME!! Thank you Vinny and Pauly!!


What was different this time around you ask, well I went into it with my new outlook and like Meb told us, I had a fun, actually I had the most amazing time! Now I cannot wait for the marathon Sunday it is going to be truly AMAZING!!!

This morning I received this quote from Runner's World and it hits home on a day like today: "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tell you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go tto far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon Champ.

My will is back and so is Marathon Madrigal!! :)

Run when smiling :)

As much as I want you to be over, I really don't want November to come.

As much as I want to stop running... I actually don't. I am finally starting to remember why I love this sport so much.

As much as I want Nov 7th to come and go, in reality I don't. I don't want this day to come because I wait for it for 11 months and in a couple of hours its over just like that.


Last year, Nov 1st, was an amazing day for me. My mommy was here to see me run the NYC Marathon. Lissy and the Buddha surprised the heck out of me at George's thanks to B Aponte (they made me cry). I had the most amazing time training for this run. Gina my Awesome big trooped it out to Brooklyn from Long Island on Marathon Sunday (peeps from NY do not do that) with my two little nephews. Having my girls MT, Tiff and of course my Kermit all over the city with my mom cheering for me, running up and down stairs taking train after train to try to catch me in Brooklyn, they missed me at mile 18 (they were eating so i guess that's ok...lol) but they finally caught me at mile 23...I will never, ever be able to thank you for all you ladies did. Having Krystal run with me at mile 22 was great and can we talk about my AMAZING posters?? My sisters, my friends and my mom were here to watch me run the most amazing race ever! Friends, family and NYC I will never, ever be able to tell you how much you meant to me on that day.


I love to run, I do.Yes, my body is tired, but I this is what I love to do. I love going on a long run, either alone or with Vane and company. I love the way I feel after a long run with the sweat dripping down my face, having my tired body screaming THANK YOU, I needed that. The love I have for the sport of running is something that I cannot explain unless you are a runner. There is an instant gratification you get from putting on your sneakers and heading out for a 6 to 20 mile run. The twitch in your leg that is telling you, oh maybe you went too far but then your heart screams: Nope! You're good, keep your head up and keep going... you got this. I love to run. I love the feeling of euphoria I get when I go a little faster or run a little longer than I have. This sport is amazing and I am glad that I have fallen back in love with it.

And the Marathon.... well, that my friends, is a whole other level of euphoria that unless you have run the NYC Marathon, I cannot even get you to that level.

I love the friendships I have made over a year. I cannot imagine my life without any of my TFK peeps in my life today.

This past year I have questioned myself. I have doubted myself... but I have to remember the important things. This is my FAVORITE run ever!! Why have I been doubting myself? I mean I am not winning the marathon, I will leave that to the pro's like Meb or Haile. I need to remember how much fun I had last year and go with it. I need to remember those amazing Asics ad's that I loved....Hello NY, Goodbye Old Me. Hello Queens, Goodbye Doubt! Where is Miss Marathon Madrigal?? I am not sure, but all I need to know is that on Nov 7th she better show up! Actually, I am going to give her till Saturday when TFK will be running Greta's Gallop, a lovely Half marathon in Central Park, which means Harlem Hills twice. I can do this. I know I can, and I will. I need to stop with the self doubt and just enjoy the one thing I love, and I mean LOVE to do....run!

And now as I do it all over again, I cannot tell you how excited I am. Nothing will ever compare to last year because being a Marathon Virgin and debuting in New York is something like flying your first flight in first class premier, or eating the most amazing food ever for the first time. I truly cannot explain to you how amazing this race is. I know now that this year's marathon will be amazing. I am going to stop trying to compare it to last years because it will never compete and that's ok. This training season was a tough one on me, but I know that I am going to have an amazing run and it will be awesome!! I will smile more and think less, I will run with my heart and not worry about my legs or feet, I will let the great people of NYC carry me from Staten Island to Brooklyn to Queens over the 59th street Bridge up to the Bronx into Harlem and back to my home turf Central Park. No matter what the clock says on Nov 7th, I know that as long as I cross that finish line with a smile on my face, that is all that is going to matter, because this is an Empire State of Mind.



Thank you to my coaches who without them I would not be here! Coach B, Niel, Sid, Asteria and Skinny Vinny!

How much do I love Asics's Ad Team?

Check out their amazing site!! Nov 7th, I am ready to go!


http://www.asicsmarathon.com/en/im_start.html


SECONDS TURN INTO AN ETERNITY: THE LAST MOMENTS BEFORE THE START. ON YOUR MARK!

TO NEW YORK!



The race is over, the winners have declared. It was a tough contest and to be the first one always needs a bit of luck. We congratulate the winners and wish them joy with their prices. Keep on running!

WE HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO YOUR VOICES...



...and the intensely personal thoughts that have been passing through your heads throughout this 42,195 kilometre long course. We shall be immortalising the most impressive of these thoughts on the ASICS Marathon Site at the appropriate kilometre stages. What’s it like to be in the thronging start? At the 35 kilometre wall? When you finally see the finishing line appearing on the horizon? We have already received the first of your impressions ... throughout the course, enthusiastic runners have revealed how this Olympic distance really feels.

THE INTERNET MARATHON



For the first time, you can take part in a marathon and understand what goes through a runner’s mind - at home, online, in front of your screen. It’s definitely the toughest distance on the World Wide Web.

Guess who I met last night??

Last night I went to our TFK practice tired and sleepy, in a way I didn't want to be there. But man oh man, am I glad I did go though. Why you ask? Last night while we ran on the Bridel Path with Coach Sid, we saw Meb Keflezighi, lasts year's NYC marathon champ!

We looped us three times, and when we got to Engineer's Gate on our second loop he was there! Coach Sid and Asteria stopped and said a quick hello and we all got to shake his hand and say hi as well. He is such a nice man and has a very welcoming smile. As we got ready to start again he tells us, "have fun out there".

Meb, thank you. Thank you for being the amazing person you are. Because of the four words you said last night changed the way I looked at this past weekend's Philly Half. You are an amazing person and amazing runner. I cannot wait to see you again on Nov 7th!

A great friend of mine we will call her Huggy Bear, sent an email to a couple of last with Nike Ad she saw. I thought it was great and I wanted to share it with you also:
“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.

You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior.

You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer’s tan.

You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it. You decided to be woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer. For 25 years, you ran. And we ran with you. How much farther will we go? As far as you will.”

Oh yeah, here I am.

Like anything or anyone else I encountered a challenge...a running challenge. With the help of my friends (love you guys), my coaches (Skinny V, Sid, Asteria, Coach B and Neil) and with my new favorite book of all time, Born to Run, I worked my way though it. It was a hard battle but I did it, I fell back in love with running, its a sport you have to love. I feel that running humbles you, breaks you down but then on a random whim you either PR at a race or you run longer than you ever have. Its an amazing sport and for those that love it the way a runner loves it you can appreciate the love/hate relationship you have with it.

Thankfully I didn't quit and I was reminded why I love the sport and how it has changed me and has made me. I know that the book changed the way I look at the sport here are some amazing quotes from the book:

"Your body becomes so familiar with the cradle-rocking rhythm that you almost forget you’re moving. [Eventually,] you break through to that soft, half-levitating flow. You have to listen closely to the sound of your own breathing; be aware of how much sweat is beading on your back; make sure to treat yourself to cool water and a salty snack and ask yourself honestly and often, exactly how you feel. What could be more sensual than paying exquisite attention to your own body? "

"That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they’d never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind’s first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain"


"You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running. "
"Strictly by accident, Scott stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner’s arsenal: Instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well you’re not afraid of it anymore.”

last but not least, " Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running"




Holy Wow!


Sorry I haven't been around for almost a month! I cant believe it has been that long. Well the good news is that I haven't been around because yes, I took that week off. I did however pick up this great book titled "Born to Run". I cannot believe that this book moved me the way that it did. I realized I needed a break and now, well, now I am over it.

"Light, Easy...Smooth". That's from Born to Run, and I kept telling myself that as I ran my 20 miler. Yes, you read correctly I ran 20 miles last Saturday. It was an amazing run and my favorite course Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park City all the way up the West Side Drive to the George Washington Bridge and back to 72nd and the West Side. It was a great run and I finished feeling great!

Vane and I ran the whole thing on our own. This was a training run, not a race, and we both wanted to feel good afterwards.


"Light, Easy...Smooth". That's from Born to Run and I keep telling myself that as I ran my 20 miler. Yes, you read correctly I ran 20 miles last Saturday. It was an amazing run and my favorite course Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park City all the way up the West Side Drive to the George Washington Bridge and back to 72nd and the West Side. It was a great run and I finished feeling great!
Vane and I ran the whole thing on our own this was a training run not a race and we both wanted to feel good afterwards.


This weekend I was Philly to do the Philly Half, a flat course. I loved Philly it was so nice there and the people super nice...and the food oh the food!! Insert picture of my very first REAL Philly Cheesesteak from PATS!



On another great and positive note...do you know what time it is?? It's Football time!! Yes, it is that amazing time of year again. Man do I love Football! I prefer College Football, but I also love my NFL teams, in particular the Bears. Uhmm yeah can we not talk about the win on Sunday.

Who is my college team you ask?
Well I love my Fighting Illini....and I will leave it there.
Other teams I root for are:
Bama
Wisconsin
Gators
I will throw in LSU in the loop as well.

As I said this weekend I will be in Philly (First time) rolling with Vane and Kevin and I cannot wait to see what will come out of this weekend.





PS...Question have you donated? Please do if you haven't!
http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

Love/Hate

I am currently on hiatus from one of my favorite activities...running. Why? Simple, I just don't want to do it anymore. Right now I am at the "hate" part of the relationship and in order to get it together, I am taking a break. No running, thinking about running or the lack of running. I am cutting running out of my life starting today and ending Saturday.


By next Saturday I hope to miss it so much that I cant wait to put on my new sneakers. I want to fall and I want to fall hard in love with running. I want to miss it and feel the freedom I used to feel when I ran. No more breaking down, No more saying I cant, No more tears! Only tears of joy for this sport. I will get past this running block I have created for myself...I will. MIND OVER MATTER.

I know I will run on Nov 7th, but I want to feel strong and in love with it.

Till I love it again, my running shoes are officially on break.

Okay, I admit it, I was one of the hundred if not thousands of women that went to see "Eat Love Pray" Friday when it came out. The tremendous trio (Vane, Blondie and I) decided to see the movie together, but only after enjoying some great pizza, I personally wanted to have my own "love affair with my pizza" and we did. I love pizza and like the Blondie said "I don't know what I would do without pizza or cheeseburgers", AMEN and true story to that.

So what does a women in her early 30's think about this movie, on a side note I did try to read the book a while ago and I thought it sucked I could not get through the damm thing to save my life. But I really loved the movie more than the book. I knew we were in for it when the three of us started tearing up through the previews. I thought great, what the hell did I get myself into. My personal review of the movie is I give it two Marathon thumbs up. I enjoyed Julia (yes, we are on a first name basis) a lot and I thought she did an amazing job playing Liz Gilbert. As I watched the movie I thought to myself wow, Liz was not happy being married, she had everything she thought she wanted and just like that she realized she was living someone else's life. Someone else's dream and not her own. The only problem was she didn't know how to get out. What is she to do? She asks for help from the man upstairs, a simple sign (uhm how many times have you done that? I know I have many times over) something, anything. I believe that there are signs everywhere and it really is up to you if you want to / are ready to see them. As of lately, I myself have been in a "is this really what I want for my life" kind of mood. I have some of the same thoughts Liz Gilbert had going on in my own mind. Am I where I am suppose to be? Should I be in NYC? Should I leave? Where is my Javier Bardem ? One of my favorite lines his character says is "you don't need a man, you need a champion" (damm that Penelope is a lucky chick), am I happy or am I just living a life I thought I wanted when I was 23?

For me this movie was amazing because it makes you think. Think about your life and what you really want. Yes, Liz, left her husband and he felt betrayed and hurt but why stay in a loveless marriage? Is that fair to either of them? Yes, she took off for a year away from family and friends and everything she knew I personally think that takes a lot of courage. I know there was a time when I was afraid to leave because I might miss out on something or someone, now I take every opportunity I can to go away just to make sure that I live my life. I think that was the point Liz was trying to make. This is her life. This plan might not work for you but it worked for her, because she did it for herself. When everyone told her not to go and that she was crazy she went anyway and made the change. How many times have we been scared to change because we don't know what is out there? Ever since my cousin passed away at the age of 18 I have made a pact to live my life to the fullest no matter what. Life is way to short to try to plan it out perfectly. You spend so much time planning your life, that in the midst of it, life winds up passing you by. Someone once told me: "Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relieve the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to the realization that if I worry about what might have been, I will ignore what is...learning to live for today." From now on, I plan on living by that mantra. Living for today, and living for myself. What is in the past isn't changeable, you can't sit there and wonder how your life would have turned out if you went left instead of right. We all make decisions in the moment because they are what is right for us in that very moment. The only time it becomes the wrong decision is when we feel trapped by it and can't move on past it.

So in retrospect, I have decided that I am going to make a change. Not to sure what it is but I am making moves here and there. To end this post, in the movie the medicine man Ketut said to Liz, "to lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life", so sometimes when things don't make sense and everything seems out of whack that's when your the most balanced. Well that was my interpretation and at the end of the day that's what is important. My interpretation.