My [Exciting] January Update!

Hey, y'all! A lot has happened since the last time I wrote on this thing. Lots of super exciting things are taking off and going on in this little life of mine. First, I started my yoga teacher training last Friday and I am so excited about this new little journey I have started down. Second, I "launched" a little photography biz and I am super stoked at how well it is going and so soon! I had my first official shoot this past Wednesday and gosh, it was such a blast and I have received a great response on everything! My next shoot is for a sweet friend of mine, Emily Rabin, who is a musician/artist/songwriter. I'm so super pumped! Third, this past Tuesday I was hired to coach gymnastics at SCATS Gymnastics Academy and I couldn't be more thrilled. This past week has been a blast and I definitely had forgotten how much I just love coaching! Fourth, I just found out that I will be doing the CrossFit Gymnastics Cert in two weeks up in LA!! AHHHHHHHHH! I'm SO excited, if you couldn't tell. ;) Fifth, Rylee was asked to do some modeling for Billabong and had her photo shoot for the Fall 2011 Catalog a couple weeks ago! It was a precious, a blast, and so unexpected! She whispered in my ear half way through, "Mommy, can I do this forever?" Haha:) Sixth, I feel so blessed to have made some really great and amazing friends here in my new California home and I seriously would NOT be able to do any of these things without them. Thanks, y'all and Happy Friday! :)

Here's some of the photos from the Wednesday's shoot at the Huntington Beach Pier with Melinda and Vivian... Enjoy! :) Oh, and check out my Facebook page for more info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Zapoli-Photography/195404127140184

The Other Side of Fear = Freedom.

What a fun weekend! Friday night was "Game Night" at a friend's house in Newport Beach. We played Mad Gab, which is insanely hilarious, Apples to Apples, and [adult] Pictionary... ;) So much fun! The next morning I got up and wodded it up at crossfit, did some yoga, watched the game, hung out with some great friends at a super cool Asian fondue place on Main Street, walked home, listened to a super sweet friend/neighbor play guitar and sing [above^^^], and played some serious cards. ;) Sunday, I got to do a little surfing and then went and saw "How Do You Know"...I think my expectations were a little too high, but it was still cute. I don't think I'd tell anyone to go rush out and see it, though. I still love both, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson, just not the movie so much. I also got some super fun news today! Rylee was asked to do some modeling for Billabong! Yay, Go Rylee! :)

This morning I did a little crossfit at CrossFit Marina and this time my [rx] was legit. Woo hoo! We did 3 rounds for time: 400m run, 30 overhead squats [55#], and 21 pull-ups. I finished at 18:31 and was pumped to get to finally put an rx by my time. Finally!!!! I'm finally feeling like I'm getting everything I once lost back again...slowly, but surely. It feels good.


So... I did it. Yep, I finally made myself go back out and surf once again and it couldn't have felt any better. Let me explain... I have been surfing since I was about 15, but I am still getting used to the waves here rather than what I am used to in Surfside Beach, Texas... Nice clean sets of beautiful non-intimidating baby waves. The last time I went out here I basically got destroyed and carried way far down the beach and then was spit out by the ocean on the sand. I was slightly freaked out at the ocean, to say the least, after that happened so I made myself go back out that same day so my fear wouldn't win, although, ever since that day my fear has won... Until yesterday, that is. I got my wetsuit and booties on, waxed up my 6 foot Dakine fish, walked down to the beach, found a spot, and got back into the 55 degree water. I had a great time and was able to catch almost everything I went for which felt oh, so good. I'm still not free of my lovely fear, but it has subsided some, for sure... AND I still absolutely [hate] paddling out... Hoping crossfit will help me there!!!! ;)

“...the other side of every fear is freedom.”
Marilyn Ferguson

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it”

“Do what you are afraid to do”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”
Dale Carnegie

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
Mark Twain

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Mind Over Matter.

The first week to my year has started off beautifully. I am pleased to say, I have managed to make it in to crossfit everyday, with exception of Monday, when I did some yoga. Oh yeah, baby. It is amazing how much stronger I am feeling since I first stepped back into this whole thing, also known as crossfit, following my little back injury. I believe my first official day back was sometime around Thanksgiving. Boy, was I weak!!! I still am compared to where I once was, but I am encouraged, to say the least, with my progress. I was lucky to be able to workout when I traveled back home to Texas at my old crossfit home, Atomic Crossfit. Gosh, I miss that place and the most wonderful people that fill it. It was so good to be back there where it all started for me the first week in August 2009.


I think I had forgotten how mentally tough this sport is...which is what initially drew me to the whole idea. That is one of my favorite things about crossfit... how you're not only and obviously challenged physically, but definitely mentally as well. Strength is strength, but if you don't have the mental toughness to push yourself through times when everything in your body is screaming at you to quit, your physical strength means absolutely nothing. One of my favorite quotes that I remember a track coach at my high school would always repeat to his athletes was, "Mind over matter!" I never ran track, but I did competitive gymnastics for most of my life and then high school competitive cheerleading where we did a ton of running and conditioning out by where the track team practiced everyday. Many times we were actually mistaken for the track team... Ha! I always secretly loved when that would happen. :)









[high school senior picture]

I am also pleased to say, I have managed to stay paleo for the most part this week with exception of a few pieces of mint chocolates I had left over from Christmas. Here are some of my meals I have had this week...



So, yesterday I did "Murph"-a mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and another mile run for time. I was completely set on doing it Rx'd, but was totally clueless of the fact that in order to make it Rx'd one must wear a 20 pound vest for the entire duration of the wod. I thought I was doing it Rx'd and thought that when the coach asked me before we started if I wanted to wear the lovely vest that she was funny and I think I actually laughed and said something like, "Oh, I'll save that for next time!" I decided I didn't want to be a complete over achiever this morning and that I would just stick to what was prescribed. Baahahaha... Well, I was so wrong, but oh well! I'm so ready to re-do this whole thing the right way... some fine day in the future. Right now I'll just be happy I lived to see another wod! ;)

I am also super happy to announce that I have already begun to tackle some of the stuff on my goal list for TwentyEleven! Yay! We already have a group forming to do the Warrior Dash/Mud Run thing in April, I am about to put a deposit down for my yoga certification that begins super soon, and I have stayed consistent so far with paleo and crossfit. Woo Hooo! :)


I hope y'all are having a fabulous start to 2011!

Happy TwentyEleven!

Hey, friends! We had a great trip home to Texas for Christmas. It was so much fun seeing our awesome families and some of the "bestest" friends a girl could have. TwentyTen was a crazy, but super fun year for me, to say the least. I finished basketball season dancing for the Rockets, made the big decision to move across the country, and a bunch of other stuff in between. Yes, there have been ups and a few downs, but it has been mostly all ups and if there was ever a down it was usually not hard to turn it right back into an up! ;) This next year I am hopeful and excited for what lies ahead. I have so many things I want to do and accomplish and I can't wait to begin! Honestly, it is a slightly scary thing for me to put these things out there for you all to read and critique, but I guess I shouldn't really worry about that now, should I? ;)

Here are some of the things on my list for the next year:

1. Get my Level 1 CrossFit Cert. [and soon after get my gymnastics and nutrition cert., etc.].
2. Get my yoga certification.
3. Begin coaching/teaching again, but this time for crossfit and yoga.
   
4. Compete in more than one Fitness America Competition and hopefully at least one international competition.
   
5. Stay Paleo! [or at least most of the time] ;)
6. Consistently let crossfit kick my butt.
   
7. Go surfing 1-2x a week, hopefully more.
8. Go scuba diving, rock climbing, or hiking at least once a month.
   
9. Keep dancing, taking classes, and growing...and possibly do some more auditions.
   
10. Do a warrior dash/mud run thing.
11. Learn to snowboard.
12. Draw and paint more often.
    
13. Be the best mom, friend, sister, daughter, niece, cousin, grand daughter, person, etc. I can be.

Here is a random list of stuff I just wanna do! :)

1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. Take a road trip to Vegas and/or Napa
   
3. Stop on the side of the road at night and watch the stars
4. Go to a shooting range
5. Take a trip to somewhere I have never been... preferably an island ;)
6. And just continue to stay happy and content with who I am and what I have...and to never stop loving life, pressing on, and giving all my heart in everything I do. I pray I will remember this even when sometimes for a moment life may seem like it just plain sucks... I will remember how blessed I am and will remind myself that everything is temporary and all things shall pass.

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” -James Dean

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” -Anonymous

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

Happy New Year's Eve!!! :)

Christmas Parties and Airplanes.

The past few days have been super action packed full of packing for our Texas trip, Christmas shopping, Rylee's gymnastics [she took 3 makeups this week for the classes she will be missing plus her regular class...she got her dream for a week- To go to gymnastics everyday!;)], and helping get ready for Rylee's Christmas party at school. Yesterday I dropped Rylee off at school, picked up pictures I had taken of the kids in her class, cut the photos out, made 30 picture frame ornaments for the party, ran to Michael's, picked up more supplies, put a basket together for Rylee's teacher, made goodie bags for 30 kids for Rylee to give out, took Rylee to gymnastics, went to Crossfit, baked more cookies at Rylee's friend's house while both mommies worked on the class yearbook page, went home, washed clothes, packed, and finally went to bed by a little after 2am. Party! ;)

Today was Rylee's big Christmas party at school and it was a success! All the kids and parents had so much fun. As soon as we left school we were en route to the airport. A sweet friend of mine was the brave taxi driver and she did awesome driving us there not once, but twice for that matter in all of about 2 hours...in the rain. We were about half way there when I realized that I had left something super important... probably the most important thing next to Rylee at home sitting nice and cozy on the end of my bed... My money! I'm so awesome. We had a super unexpected and definitely unwanted adventure, but we still made it with time to spare... Woo hoo!

Rylee has been talking about taking this trip since school started. Let's just say, she was way SUPER excited and at the same time was a little concerned about the whole flying thing. Last year I went skydiving for my very first time and fell in love, but it slightly freaked Rylee out thinking she would have to do the same thing. I tried explaining to her that this wouldn't be the kind of plane you jump out of [hopefully;)], but she was having a hard time in her mind figuring out how we would get down... In her head the pilot would just say something like, "Okay, all going to Houston it's your turn to go and out we would go!" After much reassurance her anxiety soon turned to full on excitement and she couldn't wait to take off. I think she thought she was on a roller coaster because when we went to take off she yelled at me to put my hands up! She makes me laugh... a lot. This morning while we were getting ready for school she said that when she grows up she doesn't want to wear make up because she thinks she's already "pretty cute without it"... You have NO idea how much that made me smile, laugh, and feel so proud! I hope she always feels that way about herself and I plan to do my very best to keep it that way! :)