Dear 2012

I thought I was going to write a letter to 2011, however, I am taking advice from "E" from the Incredibles:

"Never look back darling, it distracts from the now." Edna "E" Mode.

2012 You are all about the NOW. I learned about the now, and the power of living in it in 2011. I learned what it meant to commit to myself, and to my health. I learned what it means to be determined and committed vs attached. In 2011 I fell in love with myself again, which I needed. Now, looking out at a completely open future, there is no telling how awesome the years to come will be.

Proudest accomplishments of 2011:

1. I became committed to health. I started up with Advocare, joined Crossfit, started running again.

2. After several months being single, I opened up to dating again. Managed to be single the entire year which is actually quite the accomplishment. My partner became myself. My friendships. My fun.

3. I survived. In January, mom and I started a business. In June we closed it and our other business. Walking away was a huge challenge but at the same time it ended up being an open ending...and a new beginning for both of us. Mom is moved to Denmark and I am back in school.

4. I went back to school. My degree program is for Health Psychology and my plan is to go to Bastyr in 2012.

5. I went to England/France. During a business trip I managed to combine the trip with a trip to visit longtime friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was amazing.

6. I completed the Curriculum for Living with Landmark Education.

7. Most of all I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. Inside and out. Everything that I have done this year has been for my health, emotionally, physically, nutritionally....everything.

2011 in short: I chose to feel good. I stopped trying to impress other people. I found and am working towards my true passions. I did it.

Sooooo... for 2012. What is in store? Who knows exactly. I am committed to living in the now. I am committed to earning money and helping people transform their health habits through Advocare. I am committed to making serious gains in Crossfit. I am coaching SELP at Landmark in January. I am committed to HAVING FUN!! I am committed to writing more. My hope is that I make it to a place I have never been (maybe New York? maybe somewhere tropical?) Maybe there is love in 2012?

In the area of love, I have good feelings. Who knows what is in store, but the biggest shift within me is "not needing." But I plan on taking some risks, allowing myself to be vulnerable, walk on the edge, play with abandon, choose with no regret, and live like this is all there is...

So 2012, I look forward to all you have for me, whatever it is. Happy New Year!

Love Lina

Lift Big Eat Big: 10 Excuses For Not Exercising & Why They Are Horse...

Lift Big Eat Big: 10 Excuses For Not Exercising & Why They Are Horse...: Ahhh December. The month when everyone plans their New Year's resolutions that will last about 3 days. A lot of resolutions tend to focu...

Hey dude. You're Short.

I know I know... Short girl's shouldn't make fun of short guys. But here is the thing. I am not making fun of short guys. It's the guys who say they are 5'6" on their online dating profile, but when you meet up with them they are 5'2"... if that.

Here is the fact in the online dating world. PEOPLE LIE. Guys do it. Girls do it. It definitely isn't limited to one gender. They lie about anything from height/age/career...etc. They take pictures from snazzy angles to disguise the truth. Not everyone lies...but it's more common than not.

In my experience, I have been lied to on numerous occasions. It doesn't make me any less hopeful that one day I'll end up with an amazing guy... but it definitely gives me some perspective and a bit of a reality check that not everything is as it seems.

Meet match.com dude #1. He wasn't the first person I met from my online dating experience, but he was the first I went on more than one date with. 3 months into dating him, when we are out for drinks, he informs me that he has something to tell me.

"What is it?" I immediately start thinking of all the ugly possibilities here... he is married, or he has 15 children by 10 different ladies or both...Granted the influence of alcohol at the moment assisted in my imagination running wild.

He places his ID in front of me on the table. Then he places another one in front of me.

Really?? I've had at least 2 drinks...my limit on a date typically...and reading tiny numbers and letters on two near identical ID's to comprehend the differences is not something I was able to do.

"Just tell me what it is you need to tell me." My brain hurts just thinking of differentiating these two ID's.

"Well... I wanted to tell you that I am not 28." his facial expression read "please take pity on me."

"I never thought you were 28. Your online dating profile said you were 31." The fact that he didn't even remember how old he had originally SAID he was online didn't seem to resonate yet. "Ok, so how old are you?"

"I'm 43."

Wow. So, it's not that you subtracted 12 years of your existence on your profile, or that you couldn't remember whether you had said 28 or 31....but you made an ID? Interesting.

I won't bore you with the rest of the story...point is: he lied. In the moment, I was relieved that the other crazy stories I had come up with were not in fact the case. But this guy had completely justified his lie to himself and made it seem like it was completely OK.

Match dude #1 is not the only guy who I experienced lying about his age...There have been more...his story just happens to be the most extreme.

Now back to the guy who earned his way to the subject of my blog post. Hey dude. You're short. Nothing wrong with it. I don't hate short guys, but lying about it?? Like I am not going to find out? It's kind of like lying about having or not having eyes, or a head, or all limbs...cause I am sure enough going to find out the first time we meet. Do you think if you get your foot in the door, I'll excuse the lie about the height? Is that the thought process here? There is a huge difference in 5'6" vs 5'2". My favorite pair of heals adds at least 4 inches to my height, so I know what it feels like to see the world at 5'6", and it is a huge difference from 5'2". Even with your thick soled tennis shoes or boots with a little bit of a "man heal" your little white lie about your height is going to be noticeable the first time we meet. The funniest thing about this is that I have met at least 2 guys who have lied about their height online. Both said they were 5'6" and showed up being at least 5'2".

POINT #1 IS (for guys and gals): If you are genuinely trying to meet someone that you would like to possibly begin a friendship/relationship with, don't lie. Don't say you are slender if you aren't. Don't say you are athletic if you aren't. Don't say you are 31 if you aren't. Don't say you are 5'6" if you aren't.

POINT #2 IS: I recommend whenever you feel comfortable, to meet in person in a public place sooner rather than later. Who knows how much time you might be wasting on someone who may or may not be who they represent online. I always recommend daytime meetings too... and tell a couple friends where you are going and what you know about them. SAFETY FIRST!!

That's all folks... for now I pulled my online dating profile. Not because of short dude, but I am certain I will share more about my experiences soon in another post.