Day 142

I am now 23 years old.

In single Utah girl years, that's like 38.

Today has been a fantastic day. I started it out by eating some of my cheesecake for breakfast. I then did my 6 mile run solo, since Kelsey is out of town today. It was super humid, but the rain was nice enough to let up for awhile.

Then came the presents.

Folks, I try not to be materialistic, but I was pretty darn stoked. My family gave me some new clothes, a new digital camera, new Nikes, and running socks! Here I am, in a picture taken on my new camera, modeling some of my haul.

All of these gifts are exciting to me, but the shoes and socks are of particular importance. When I run, my toes tend to point out a bit. My faithful Asics were designed for someone with the opposite problem. Thus, they could lead to an injury for me and they could very well be contributing to my feet giving out before the rest of me. My new Nikes have more support on the outer part of the foot. From jogging around the house in them a bit, I can already tell a difference in the way that my feet land. As I've already mentioned, the socks should help to get rid of my blisters. So, hopefully now there will be no stopping me. It may seem odd, but I'm going to miss my Asics. They've gotten me to where I am now, which is a far cry from January. They've been there with me through some of the most challenging mental and physical walls I've ever faced. I've done my best to take care of them. I've tried to keep them clean. I've only used them for running.  

But, my oh my, if these new Nikes aren't just sexy beasts.

I'm putting enough miles on my shoes now that their structure is really important. My Asics accompanied me on my run today, and afterwards, I was left with an aching in my knees. I have the sneaking suspicion that my shoes could be the culprit. So, I now retire my Asics. Like many members of the retirement community, they will likely be spending a lot of time in the garden from now on.

Today is also a day of reflection. I am now leaving behind my 22nd year. It was a year of unspeakable lows, and highs that were once unimaginable. 

When I die, I want to be able to say that my 22nd year was the year that I reached my heaviest and most unhealthy point. 

And when I realized how miserable I was, I changed. 

Go ahead and put that on my tombstone.

22

23 (Well, 2 days shy of it)

Those are the same size shirts, they're just covering a different sized girl. 22's shorts don't fit 23 at all. 22 never stood a chance of zipping up the snazzy black ones that 23 is wearing. The second hike was also more strenuous and yet more easily conquered. The first girl was an emotional wreck. 22 had just gotten out of a relationship that she never should have been in. She thought very little of herself. 23 is much, much happier.

So, here's to 23.

I get the feeling it is going to rock pretty hardcore.