change of any sort, requires courage

***just a warning. this is a pretty flippin' cheesy blog post. i couldn't really avoid the cheese. so i'm providing an apology in advance***

my cousin.

Alanna Hoffman.

is da bomb.

[kris, lana and i.]

in July of 2006, on our annual backpacking trip, we sat around the camp fire talking about things we wanted to do with and in our life.

we talked about our dreams, places we wanted to travel, books we wanted to read, and the many different personal goals we wanted to set for ourselves.

i wanted to teach myself to draw.

i wanted to travel to New York.

i wanted to become more self motivated.

i wanted to be able to make priorities and stick to them.

as of now, almost 5 years later, i am sad to say that i have hardly accomplished any of the goals i had set. lana on the other hand has done so much with her life.

she's traveled to israel.

she's traveled to el salvador.

she's traveled to china.

she's done exceptional in school.

she's succeeded in becoming a great guitar player.

she's trained for 5k and gone on bike trips.

she's read a bazillion fabulous books.

she's gotten into yoga.

she conquered surfing while in cali last summer.

this woman is unstoppable. any dream she has she puts into action.

i am so amazed with her passion for life.

i want to have alanna's passion for life.

i don't want to allow laziness to get in the way of living my life.

[what better thing to do than sit on my computer and make lists

of the things i someday wish to accomplish...]

i want to travel, backpacking through different countries to see how different people live. i don't want to be a "tourist". i want to see the real country. i want to become familiar with different cultures. i find it fascinating how differently we all live on this same planet.

Thailand.

i have heard so much about this country. you can find places to stay for as low as $5 a night. great meals are usually found for less than $1. one of my friends from byuh bought a plane ticket to thailand and is sightseeing for five weeks. he doesn't have any plans except riding an elephant. he's just going to thailand. people like him and lana inspire me to be more adventurous. dreams like this don't have to be "just dreams" anymore. i've started a savings account for all my traveling funds. thailand will happen.

past traveling dreams to become a reality;

south africa

ireland

greece.

england.

australia.

the philippines.

i'm going to make yet another list.

this list will fall into the category of a goals list. i've been reading over my many many many list of goals that i have made over the past couple years. so much of them are still incomplete. the majority of my lists are incomplete. its time, as obama would say, for a change. maybe if more people know about a few of my goals i might be a little more motivated to make them happen.

this list of goals is specific for my summer.

1. find more opportunities to volunteer

2. stick with blogging and journaling - for more than a week

3. run a marathon

4. live healthier (eat, sleep etc)

5. get in better shape

6. get a job

7. be more willing to help around the house

8. be more appreciative of my family

9. plan some eventful sibling trips (ferry rides, bike rides)

10. take lots of pictures.

my "summer" vacation starts in less than 3 weeks. lets see if i can put all of these into action. expect some blogs about them if i am successful.