Posted a video and asked what I needed to do different and everyone said helmet, so I listened - and I spent the night painting so it will match my personality!
I might add more, but this is what I came up with so far🥰
PLEASE be gentle, lol.
I know the video quality isn't great. I didn't put my phone in a good position and I kept going out of frame so you can't see any of my turns, but I know that my posture is off bc I felt unsteady.
I want to get into rhythm skating, but I can basically only get around the rink. This was my first time skating outside, so the crevices in the ground were new for me and I think that contributed to my shakiness.
I wanna do drills and try and practice fun stuff, but it all feels hard and I am kind of discouraged when I look back at this, bc I was feeling more confident at the rink than outside, but I can tell I have a loooong way to go.
I want to get more confident skating outside, because the rink hours and my availability don't always line up - plus, I know I need to practice stuff before I bring it there anyway.
Advice and words of encouragement are appreciated!
Edit: thank you all for the sound advice! It seems like I need to work on my stagger, and invest in a helmet the most. And lots of repetition/practice! I appreciate all the kind words, y'all are the best. <3
I didn't really know what to expect going into it tbh. I knew it would probably challenge me, but it was enlightening as to how far I have to go lol.
I got skates recently, and have been to the rink maybe 6 times. I used to rollerblade when I was in high school, and have gone to the roller rink maybe twice in adulthood before I picked it back up again these last few weeks.
Now I'm 30, plus size, and trying to break out of being so sedentary. Tricking my brain by doing something fun as exercise has totally been working, but every time it is a major workout and I have to take frequent breaks throughout the session.
In the lesson today we did all kinds of things - one leg balances, lunges, edge work, learning the toe stop (harder bc I already have jam plugs in), learning how to get up off the ground, bubbles, agility drills, crab walk (i think), squatting while skating, going backwards (very very early stages) and bunny hops. There might be more, but that's already a lot to fit into one hour haha.
These are all things that are building blocks that will set me up to do more rhythm skating down the line, which is my goal. But I would totally be lying if I said it wasn't a little discouraging at how difficult it was/how out of shape I actually am.
I KNOW it'll get better over time, and I know the more I show up the easier it'll get since I am still in the beginning of my journey. But I could barely get up off the ground bc my muscles aren't used to being used so much rn. It's hard!
If y'all have any drill suggestions I can do at home to build up the muscles outside of the rink, that would be awesome. I feel pretty good about basic laps around the rink, but I don't do much more than that besides bubbles. I wanna dance bc I love the music so much, and I want to vibe!
Any tips and words of encouragement are appreciated <3
This is Fran!
Fran was the kitty who spent the longest time in the shelter. Multiple foster homes, a returned adoption, and lots of instability for a sweet baby who just wanted a place to call home.
I knew from the beginning that she would need a lot of love and patience, and saying that we struggled is an understatement. There was a lot of fear-based aggression, and it took months and some kitty Xanax for her to finally start to acclimate. I almost thought I wouldn't be able to make it, but with the support of the shelter and all their resources and desire to see her thrive, we've come out the other side and I am so grateful!
Fran is now the ultimate baby, who loves to yap her little heart out, and has finally found her center.
Second photo is the first time she snuggled with me. Took her 20 minutes to finally get up against me, but the fact we went from so much fear to voluntary snuggles is just a dream come true.
I love my little void🖤
There's still so much more to be done - i put all the little stuff i need sorted in the office for a different day, because I just needed to get it functional.
I'm pretty proud of this progress though! I feel like I'll sleep a lot better tonight. Not perfect, but a major step in the right direction.
Thanks for all the inspo y'all!
Getting a new journal is THE BEST feeling.
Pristine.
Beautiful.
What on earth could I ever write that would be *worthy* of christening the first page in this new journaling adventure?
Well.... i struggled with that for a long time.
Maybe a decade ago, I started simply writing "free the first page" on the first page of every single journal and it quite literally set me free.
Its almost like the permission I need to make it mine. To be messy and human in all the rest of the pages, but to have something crisp and clean and unmarred by any potential mistakes or hiccups right at the beginning REALLY scratched that perfectionism itch.
Its so simple. Just four little words - no overthinking, just grace and gratitude for this new space to express my heart.
Highly recommend to anyone who feels similarly.
I got new skates! And then I bought a second pair of the outdoor version so I could have a mismatched pair for inside and out lol.
I went with the VNLA Parfait skates in blue for indoor initially, and then realized I wanted to skate outdoors too, but I KNOW if I have to change my wheels every time I want to do one or the other it'll be a barrier for me wanting to do either... so I got the outdoor version in the coral/pink color!
I then just swapped the wheels on the same foot of each color to have one blue and one pink skate for each pair.
I ended up choosing this style specifically for the aluminum plates, bc I am maybe 250ish lbs, and them being wide foot friendly kind of goes along side that.
I'm excited that I've been skating again! It feels like I am tricking my brain into exercising, because it feels fun and I love music, so its easy to want to roll around to it (and eventually work up the skills for rhythm skating).
Yay! Skates!
It's been 200 days without cannabis, which is about two and a half weeks past 6 months, and I am honestly so grateful I pushed through. All the withdrawals, all the irritation, all of the anxiety - it was all worth it for the blessings it has brought to my life.
For reference, I am a musician who spent a lot more time dreaming than doing. I had so much restless energy in the beginning, and I didn't know what to do with it - so I bought a new guitar, and ACTUALLY dedicated my free time to playing.
Instead of wasting all my time at home lounging around, I started to do the things that fulfilled me that I was too lazy to do before. I took up music lessons, and started playing open mics. It eventually got to the point where I applied for my first paid gig, actually got accepted, and had my debut performance under my new artistic persona last month.
It got harder to ignore my dissatisfaction over not pursuing my goals and dreams, and it became so overwhelming that I just HAD to do something about it. I now have been writing more, taking better care of myself, and being more intentional about the way I live.
I didn't have a reason to care before. It was easier to numb out than it was to try and peel myself up off the couch to actually do something that benefitted me in the long term. From basic maintenance, to those bigger aspirations.
My story might not look the same as yours, but I just know that I wouldn't have gotten to this point at this specific time in my life if I didn't quit. I know I would have gotten there eventually, but taking action instead of just sitting in the loss of not smoking really made the biggest difference.
Proud of y'all who have quit, and I'm rooting for those who are still in the thick of it. You can do it!
It's worth it.
Hi y'all!
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Title kind of says it all, but I am looking for the best completed series and/or stand alone books that may or may not be the most popular, but are total 5 star reads.
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Here's some titles I really enjoyed:
- Throne of Glass
- Crowns of Nyaxia (not finished, but I didn't know I'd get so attached RIP)
- Daughter of No Worlds
- The Bridge Kingdom!!! (I can't stop thinking about this series)
- From Blood & Ash (also not finished, and the reason why I will only read complete series now lol)
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I know many of those are super popular, but this is why I liked them:
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- enemies to lovers
- high fantasy (I want to escape, I don't enjoy urban)
- not academic
- I felt like the writing was good, and I was engaged the whole time. There were obvious tropes, but the stories had plot twists that kept me guessing.
- I like slow stories - I HATE rushing. I'd rather read a thousand pages and 8 books than a quick hit. I want a THICC plot lol.
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I am newer to reading, but ever since I got my kindle, I've been reading nonstop.
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Series I've read but were only just ok:
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- Plated Prisoner
- Artifacts of Ouranos
- The Saga of the Unfated
- Legends of Thezzmar (DNF on book two - which is rare for me)
- The Bargainer (DNF on book one)
- Kindred's Curse
- Quicksilver
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A lot of those I read all the way through because I was curious, but I can't even really remember what happens in most of them bc for me they were mostly only 3 stars.
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Idk if that is all too vague, but I am pretty open and just need help weeding through all the incomplete series to find the real good ones!
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TYIA
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