Slow Down and Enjoy Life.

8/6/2017

To all who have been following me on Instagram, I took a much-needed vacation to Oregon, with my sister, my best friend Valerie since college (2011), and her boyfriend Juan. When we first arrived to Oregon (Eugene), we separated because my sister and I went to go explore our former college in Corvallis, Oregon. Before leaving to Corvallis, we took a pit stop at the pre trail. So many runners are excited to run on the pre trail and seeing the University of Eugene, but my heart wasn’t as full as I was hoping for. So, we left and started our way down to Corvallis; home of the Beavers while listening to Jesus Culture on the radio. The music was so powerful especially looking out the window looking at God's beauty. O how I missed you Oregon!

While approaching Corvallis, the memories of this small college town brought back so many emotions. I cried, smiled and laughed. Reuniting at my first college campus kept me grounded and reminded me of the blessings and of all the good and bad things that shaped who I am today. Reminiscing of my journey brought me joy. The things we did at Corvallis were biked for 3.5 hours, roamed around Oregon State University and strolled through some of the trails that we use to run on. We ate at my favorite place called café yum , followed by dessert at extreme yogurt that we were addicted to when living here at Corvallis. It was such a special day and filled with so many wonderful new memories. My heart felt full. Corvallis, Oregon is so beautiful. Quiet and peaceful, just like how I remembered it. The fresh air rejuvenated my energy to be positive and full of light. Meeting new people everywhere we went. The people there were so kind to us that we couldn’t help but smile. Our smiles were so contagious that where ever we looked we would laugh and others would join in.

The next day, we ran at our favorite old stomping grounds, Avery Park to Willamette Park. It was remarkable how we somewhat remembered the trails. We had a decision to choose: left or right at a dead-end street. I ended up choosing left. I listened to my gut feeling. I let my intuition and heart lead the way. I felt God’s peace on that trail while running which is why I realized that God is with me wherever I go. Closing my eyes on some sections of the run, I felt HIS voice. I have fallen in love all over again with distance running and doing what I love the most.

Later that day, my sister and I went to meet up my best friend, Valerie and her boyfriend at Portland, Oregon. I am someone that is filled by time spent with the ones I love. We encourage each other to be better. We are runners whom believe in the unknown and dream big to excel on this sport called running. As we spoke about running, our conversations grew deeper to life on what scares us, our weaknesses, strengths, and what we want to pursue in life. Through this adventure, we ran on the Michael Johnson track. This track is seen on YouTube, flotrack videos and magazines. Running around and around the track was such a dream come true. Later that day, we had great entertainment by watching a live soccer match against, The Blazers go up against the visiting LA Galaxy team.

I am gracious with my time spent with friends, to embark in a new season with a full moon in sight to remind us all that a new chapter begins. I choose to focus on the good and smile more. I look forward to this season of working hard, training, racing, meeting new people, and cherishing every moment of life. Because often, I am too focused on the past and future that I might miss the present. My story is being written by God and I don’t want to miss what he beholds.