Happy 3-year trail-a-versary for the @trailpirates aka me and @wooodysan.

It feels as we had left for the Pacific Crest Trail yesterday. We are grateful we have each other to remind one another of missing a piece of memory. It can get sad when we both forget a detail or two and it will continue to happen as time passes, which is what we accepted.

The trail shaped us, and we have an unspeakable bond. It taught us the value of thinking ourselves as a team and never think we are alone. We have each other, and together we will overcome anything – but we have to work together, be positive, and always move forward. I couldn’t be thankful for everything who I am now and who we are now.

I wasn’t sure how this blog-post was going to flow, it’s challenging to put all my thoughts down. Therefore I thought to post a list of everything I am grateful and list of accomplishments because sometimes you don’t recognize it until you make a list. Shout-out to Brene Brown for being such an inspiration.

Gratitude List from Post-PCT:

❤️Built stronger relationships with my family & friends
💚Lost and maintained my weight
🏋🏽‍♀️I’m in in the fittest shape in my life
🍷Stopped drinking alcohol, two years strong being sober. Rarely I drink like 3-4x a year.
🔥Risked my career and abandoned the city life
💙Moved to an amazing small beach town
💛Population under 300k
🎣Live one block from the beach
🚴🏽‍♀️Found a cool job that is a 5-mile bike ride along the coast
🚶🏾‍♀️Work one block from the beach
💙Mental health is not an issue
😎I am the most strong & confident w/ the weight room
💦Got a side job w/ Nuun, and Nuun is the bomb.com for everything hydration. It saved me on the PCT multiples times especially in the desert, and it’s eco-friendly! Will never stop repping that amazing company.
✨Free from debt aside from student loans
😻Gained a furball who loves the outdoors
🗯️Writing more, which is one of my loves
📓Picked up reading. Over 40 read books too, special thanks to audibles!
😍More in love with Stephen 💙

Now back onto our learnings from the Pacific Crest Trail:

One of the most challenging aspects after the trail is dealing with outside of our little bubble. When we face reality we must take what we have learned and apply it to our everyday life. It sounds a lot more difficult than you would think.

Climbing a mountain, walking 25 miles, and crossing the steam is a difficult feat but it is a physical challenge with a reward. In the real-word, these obstacles may appear differently like a work mistake, car trouble, bike flat, etc.  We have be positive and not let these trivial things impede our lives. The worst of it is there is no physical reward or high-fives or congratulations for every accomplishment. We have to remind ourselves we will see, reap all the rewards, and know we will appreciate it in a few years. And it’s ok!

It’s been an amazing journey. Looking back and reflecting has made us appreciate and cherish everything along the way. Glad we can look back with big ole smiles on our faces and continue walking forward one step at a time – together. There’s only one direction for success, and it’s going forward.

There might not be a state line symbolizing our triumphs and success, and that is life. Thankfully we have each other and we will remind each other of our feats and take any victory and celebrate it.

Lastly, I want to write down. Recording any tidbit of videos and writing mini summaries was the best decision I made.  We experience all the emotions looking back at our photos, videos, and going on hikes. It felt like it was the other day and it makes me fall in love with Stephen all over again. It makes us count our blessings, which I couldn’t be more thankful.