Wild Whiskey Willow: Year in Review

Hi Everyone! As this year is quickly drawing to a close, I thought now would be a good time to take a quick look back on Wild Whiskey Willow's last year.

"Wild Whiskey Willow" started off as a nickname for me. Jokingly, a name to use should I ever find find myself in a place where I would need to become a stripper :) (I have to attribute that to my good friends Jacqueline & Emily). Those jokes aside, "Wild Whiskey Willow" has turned into much more than that. It has become the name of who I always wanted to be, the places I always wanted to go, and the lifestyle I always wanted to have: spontaneous, adventurous, positive & in the moment.

After years & years of wanting to move to Colorado & never taking the leap (due to fear, finances, and a not-right-for-me boyfriend), I finally took the risk last September. The decision was a long-time coming. I had spent years talking to EVERYONE about how I wanted to move to Colorado. I would especially complain to my good friend, Potts. Almost every Sunday for quite some time, Potts & I would chat on the phone about life. Finally one day he blatantly said to me that he was tired of hearing it. That he had listened to my rants for far too long, and to call him when I "ACTUALLY move to Colorado." Click.

Silence.

Sh*t.

That clarifying moment was all I needed to light a fire under my a**. Within weeks I had put in my 2 weeks notice at work, packed up my car with only $2000 saved (I'd secretly been saving for a year: for travel & my first 2 months rent) and convinced my dad to spontaneously drive across the country with me. I only had 2 friends in Colorado, no job lined up, but thankfully did have a place to stay. As luck would have it, 2 days after I put in my 2 weeks notice at my current job on the east coast, they offered me a full-time position to work-from-home, remotely, in Colorado. What?!! Yes!!! (My acceptance was later followed by some dumbfounded, exuberant cursing :)

I spent 2 months in Colorado Springs but all along my destination was always Crested Butte; a town I fell absolutely, head-over-heels, in love with a year prior on a random solo snowboarding trip. The long-awaited (by many) & much needed breakup between my long-distance boyfriend & I, occurred a few weeks later. Two weeks after that- Hello Crested Butte!

It's been an amazing, wild, unexpectedly, perfect ride. I moved to CB and within a day, met the love of my life (Hi Shamus!), and countless other outgoing and like-minded people. I live in a town where we chase the sun, lose track of time, turn strangers into friends, and where a hug or friendly wave hello is never far away. A place where the old, the young, the long-time locals & the new kids in town, come together to live and love, in what we believe to be, Paradise.

Hope you all had as fantastic of a year as I did- and if you didn't.... what are you gonna do next year to change it? Life is short & it is here to be enjoyed.

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,

      Listen to the DON’TS

      Listen to the SHOULDN’TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT’S

      Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me-

      Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be

-Shel Silverstein

wei-wu-wei, 

-WWW

Luck be a Katie

I can't tell you the number of times in my life I've been told, "You're so lucky!" or "Everything always works out for you!" or "You could fall in a pile of sh*t and come up smelling like roses!" These statements may often be right. But the way people look at it is wrong.

Let me explain. I'm not lucky by chance, I'm lucky by choice. I'm not lucky because the Universe spun a wheel one day and magically landed upon my name stating "Katie, from this day forth you shall go on living forever in luck." I'm lucky because I choose to be.

Luck isn't a matter of chance, it’s a matter of open-mindedness, positivity & taking risks without fear of failure. Like they say, if you never try, you’ll never succeed. Cliche I know, but so very true. This doesn't mean you won’t have some (or many!) failures along the way. Luck isn't a random win, luck isn't a lottery drawing, luck is a special moment when all the things you've been tripping over are suddenly stacking up in your favor. Or you suddenly realize that all the sad or crazy or weird things that may have occurred in the past led you precisely to this exact lucky moment. And you weirdly become grateful for those moments you once cursed.

Luck is a state of mind. Sure I'm "lucky" and that's what a lot of you see when you see me. My adventures, my friends, my love, my family, my home, my job. But it's because I choose to focus on these awesome things that I am lucky. I have plenty of bad days, plenty of bad mornings, plenty of annoying things happen to me and around me. But it's because I don't advertise those things, I don't remember those things, and I definitely don't use those things as excuses, that I am able to appear to be so "lucky." 

Luck is a decision. Luck is a choice. Luck is a way of life. Luck doesn't mean I get what I want all the time. It means I focus on the times when I do get what I want and then slowly the universe starts to notice and delivers more of it....and more... And More... AND MORE!! 

So next time you look at someone and think, "Must be nice to be lucky like them." Remember, it is nice. And it is your choice to do the same. 

-WWW 

"In the long run, the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip." - Daniel L. Reardon

No I can't lose 10 lbs in 22 days

Just as a quick follow-up, I did not lose 10 lbs before my trip. I did not run three times a week nor did I drink water or eat low carb. And that's all ok. Yes my shirts may be a little too tight and my jeans might rub into my muffin top but I quickly realized that being skinny and looking good isn't what was going to make me have fun in Vegas. It was the amazing people I was with. So I'm not sure who I thought I'd try to impress by dropping 10 lbs, because it surely wasn't them.

7 weeks of ski conditioning classes start on Oct. 1st. Maybe with a group of people it will be a little easier to get motivated. And if not, that's ok too.

-WWW

Can I Lose 10 lbs in 22 days? Stay tuned to find out....

Ok so the long-awaited Utah/Vegas trip is right around the corner. I had ALL summer to start eating right, lose weight (ideally 15 lbs), & exercise. Did I? NO. I drank, I ate, and I explored (but not with too much intensity). In recent weeks I did get in a few bike rides and some good hikes but nothing too crazy. But now we are down to the wire. I'm still about 15 lbs overweight (I don't have a scale, I can just feel what weight I am. Spent several years in college having to be a certain weight for the rowing team so you get to know your body's weight pretty well at any given time). Anyway, I don't fit into my bikini, or any of my shorts or jeans, and my shirts are all a little tight around the edges to say the least.

So it's do or die time- either start eating really really differently & exercising... or end up poolside in Vegas in a too-tight bikini with a muffin top all around the middle. That being said, I think I'm up for the challenge.

Here's the steps I plan to take:
1. Run at least 3 miles, 3 x's a week (did one 3 mile run yesterday)
2. The only thing I am allowed to drink is WATER (or club soda), nothing else. (success for 2 days- oh besides coffee)
3. No carbs, No sugar (ok so I had a handful of delicious blue corn tortilla chips last night, but you get the point).

I think that should all do the trick.... but can I muster up the discipline to follow thru? I've done crazier things....we'll see...

wei-wu-wei,
WWW

Thank you Frank Turner

"Cuz love is free and life is cheap and as long as I've got me a place to sleep, some clothes on my back and some food to eat, then I can't ask for anything more..." - Frank Turner

This is a song lyric that often helps me remember to just chill out, relax, and stop stressing about life. Recently my job has been crazy- some things have gone wrong, little mistakes were made by myself and by others working for me and I've been pretty stressed to say the least. But ya know what? In the grand scheme of things my job has very little to do with me. It could stay or it could leave, and I'd still be me. I'd still have the same family and friends who love me dearly and I'd still be pretty damn blessed. So if I mess up, or things don't go how I planned, whether with my job, or my boyfriend, or my finances, or my day... It will all be OK.

Because as long as I have a place to sleep, some clothes on my back and some food to eat, then I can't ask for anything more.

wei-wu-wei,
WWW

If Ever I Stray

Weekly Goals.... FAIL

So 2 wks ago I put a set of weekly goals in place in hopes it would spark some motivation in my life. However I only completed 1 out of 3 of them that first week. I did clean out the box of sh*t next to my dresser so that was a success. I didn't make it to the library or go on any hikes though (whyamIsolazy?). We did try to go on a 2.5 hr hike one day but as we started up the trail, a bang of thunder and a strike of lightening right over our heads had us running back to the car instantly.

However that week I had also decided to write down 3 things a day that I was grateful for- to stave off negative thoughts that so eagerly enter my mind all the time. Doing this was very helpful mentally. The first 2 days I'd do it right away in the morning but then as the week got busier I'd forget about it until later in the day. It helped though because as I was drowning in a very aggravating and busy week at work, it was when my stress was highest that I'd remember to think of 3 things I'm thankful for, thus calming me down, clearing my head and bringing me back to the reality that everything is ok.. 

Even just writing down 3 goals I think was motivating, even though I only did one of them. The next week I didn't write down any goals but felt more motivated than I ever have been. This past week, I went on three 2-hour hikes (of varying difficulties & all to places I hadn't hiked yet). I also went on a 2 hour mountain bike ride on the Lower Loop trail, and finally after years of wanting to try rock-climbing, I finally did on Sunday! It was absolutely terrifying, and very difficult, but fear tends to be my motivation. So hopefully the patient,  kind friends who took me climbing with them this weekend will be willing to let me tag along with them again!

Had to take a pic at the end of my awesome bike ride

Corey climbing up top, Chad belaying

Our Tuesday Evening

Weighing in...

During the time I spent daydreaming of moving to Colorado- I had big dreams and expectations. I was certain I would get out here, get healthier, lose weight, gain strength, bag peaks & get lost over & over again the wilderness. And while I may appear to be seemingly active to friends back home, I'm actually quite lazy and have grown a bit lazier since moving to Colorado.  I blame it on the drinking & working from home... It's hard to get up and motivated each day when the only thing you have to do is crawl out of bed in your pj's and walk into the other room and stare zombie-eyed at your laptop screen. I don't even have to make my own coffee... my hard-working boyfriend is up at 5:30am every day for work and makes sure there's hot coffee waiting for me by the time I wake up at 7am. I live the life eh? While this may seem like the life to most people and of course I can not and will not complain, it doesn't do much for my well-being, my state-of-mind or my laziness. 

Since moving to Colorado I have gained 20 lbs (5 of which was lost in the past couple weeks....impending trip to Vegas has helped with that one). I also found out at a recent doctor visit that my blood pressure is too high for my age (pre-hypertension...what?!) and the eye doctor told me my "eye pressure" is high...I didn't even know what that meant and then she said something about Glaucoma. Awesome. 

So not only has my health declined since moving to Colorado, but my motivation has declined along with it. What's up with that? That's not me.... That's not the girl who used to get up before work and go run 3 miles everyday. That's not the girl who would walk/bike everywhere in walking/biking distance. That's not the girl who used to do crew races & a marathon & several other running/obstacle courses. 

I didn't know anyone when I moved here, so instead of doing something healthy like joining a local club or introducing myself to people at a coffee shop or library, I went to bars. And while this helped immensely for my social life- it didn't do much for my gut or my next-day's activities. So as someone recently interested in self-improvement I've decided to try something new this week; to hopefully help my laziness & my health. I've decided to make 3 goals for the week (3 goals which do not cost money). I'm starting off small- I don't want to make big goals that you and I both know I won't carry out. They may seem small or cheesy but my hope is that with little goals being accomplished, I'll naturally set and complete bigger goals down the road. On top of all this, I've decided to write down 3 things a day I'm thankful for just to keep my mind in a positive place. It's also a good exercise that once you get in the habit of doing- you will naturally look for the good things all around you all the time, instead of always seeing/feeling the negative. 

"Thoughts attract things, so pick the good ones."-Mike Dooley

Let's see what I can do & I'll let you know if it helps my mental/physical state throughout the week. Anyone like to join me? :)

Goals: 

1. Go for at least 2 one-hour+ hikes

2. Go get the 2nd Hunger Games book from the library. 

3. Clean out the box full of sh*t I have next to my dresser. 

Thankful for: 

1. Living in a place where everyday I'm in awe at the beauty around me 

2. All the friends I've made so quickly in my new town

3. coffee, coffee, coffee

What are you thankful for? 


wei-wu-wei, 
WWW