Quitting is easy.

I first met Coach Boyd when I was about 15 and playing for OIRC during the summer season. I have honestly never met anyone with the same intensity as her. She won't stand for anything less than excellence in practice and  certainly not during a game. 

When I was 17 she invited me to go Ireland to play rugby with Ashbury College. Not only was the team on a three year OFSAA championship winning streak, but I was going to travel and play in Ireland!!

We played some games, went to some pubs, and saw everything that Ireland had to offer. 

There was one moment that felt like it was a scene from a movie. It was right before a game, the weather was awful and rainy, and Boyd was off in the distance leaning on an old wooden fence with her back to us. She screamed for us to go over to her and as we got closer we realized she looked as though she had been crying. 

"Look where you're standing" 

We looked past the rain and fog, there was a drop right after the fence. We were playing rugby on a cliff. Now I can't remember the speech she told well enough to quote her, but not one girl was left with dry eyes afterwards.

When I found out she would be coaching the Algonquin team, I was excited and terrified. Excited because I knew we wouldn't lose a game, but I will always be a little terrified of her intensity. Practices started 2 weeks ago, and it's been unbelievably amazing so far! Intense and hard, but still so much fun. I can't believe how much I missed hearing her yell FRANCO at me (she prefers calling people by their last name).

Today was an especially hard practice of tackling and fitness. Push ups, burpees, and tons of core work.

"I'm about to get cheesy" she said as we were doing core work. 

I knew right then that it was going to be another moment that felt like a movie scene.

"There's a quote the marines use 'Pain is weakness leaving the body' and it's true. You wont get stronger if it doesn't hurt. 

You can always give up.

You can quit.

Quitting is easy, quitting is always an option.

Humber, Seneca, and every other college is sitting on their asses watching TV right now, but look at where you are right now.

When you feel pain, when you hurt, you become a better rugby player, a better sister, friend, daughter, or anything. You become a better, stronger person.

November twelfth at 3pm. That's when the season is over, because the championship game is at 1pm. I know I'll be there, because we're sure as hell not going to lose a game, but you wont be there if you quit. 

On November twelfth at 3pm, when you drink your 'juice' or go for a victory lap around the field, it will be because you didn't give up. You didn't quit."

I really want to

Get rich, so I can buy everyone in the world a pair of shoes, and maybe a jacket as well.

I want a baby girl.

Not now, but when I'm married and absolutely in love.
I want to name her something pretty, like Lily, Rose, or Ella.
I want to play dress up with her, sing with her, and play sports with her.
I want her to live and learn, to love and be heartbroken.
I want to teach her how to do her makeup and look natural.
I want her to play sports and be healthy.
My daughter will have a 50% chance of having PKD.
I will drag her to the doctor for testing every two years.
She will have to drink more water than her bladder can handle.
She will hate it.
We will fight for our cause.
She wont take life for granted.
She will be beautiful.

Polycystic Kidney Disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases. It affects an estimated 1 in 500 people, including newborns, children and adults regardless of sex, age, race or ethnic origin.

A normal kidney is the size of a human fist and weighs about a third of a pound. However, with the presence of PKD, cysts develop in both kidneys. When many cysts develop, the kidneys can increase in both size and weight, sometimes weighing many pounds each. There may be just a few cysts or many, and the cysts may range in size from a pinhead to the size of a grapefruit.

There is no cure for PKD.

http://www.canadahelps.org/gp/13951

The battle against addiction

Now I'm a pretty healthy girl, I don't smoke and I hardly ever drink.
My addiction is caffeine. I've watched myself grow dependent on it to a point of extremes. I work at a very popular coffee chain, where caffeine is the solution to all of life's problems. On a day with a full 8 hour shift, I have caught myself drinking over 6 cups of coffee. Yowzers.
I decided that a three day weekend was a good time to start my detox from caffeine. I started on the Saturday and found myself not really being myself for the weekend (although it was still a really good weekend). I`m on the fifth day right now and I`m noticing that I`m slowly becoming my cheerful self, without coffee!!
They say it takes 2 weeks to fully get over a caffeine addiction, so I`m really hoping I can stick to this!

My friends have talent.

Three posts in one day? Whaaaa
My best friend Rebekah has been making headbands for a little while now, and I must say, she's getting pretty damn good!
She calls her company Balthazar and Eliza, and her headbands are all vintage inspired. I bought two headbands this weekend, one of them was a custom request.

For the girls who think it isn't worth it to work out

I passed a soccer game on my run and was asked by some cute guys to join in. Seriously girls, start running!

An update on the 'Summer Bucket List'

Ah the infamous bucket list!

Right now, I have done 6 out of 16, and with only a few weeks left of summer, I'm in action mode!

Here is what I have done so far:

2. Run 10km

- I didn't really specify how I was going to do this, but I cheated a little and did a little speed walking for 2 minutes after the 6 km mark. I would still call it a success though. I get so bored when I run.

4. Ride a motorcycle

- I just did this one on Saturday actually! My best friend had asked a friend of hers who has a bike, and he was kind enough to give me a ride. He didn't really give me any instructions so it made for a terrifying first ride, but it helped that he was cute. We had just been swimming, so my bikini top left 2 wet boob marks on the back of his shirt while he was in a grocery store. Unless he's reading this he will probably never know why we were laughing at him.

8. Run on the canal

- I did this as soon as it got warm outside! I ran for about 35 minutes and probably looked crazy because I had a smile on my face for most of the duration. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was and how easy the run was. Too perfect.

9. Swim in Jill's pool

- We talked about it every summer, and every time we set a date it would rain, or something would happen. This year I've been twice! One of the days it was 46 degrees with humidity, so I was very thankful!

11. Get another tattoo

- So I really cheated on this one. I have to pay for a lot of expensive things this summer, so I opted for a henna tattoo of an owl. On my way home, Jill and I found one of those mini water parks where you press a button and water comes out of fun objects (I'm so descriptive huh?). Water + Henna = Smudged henna. Fail.

12. Rugby Rugby Rugby

- Playing with Irish and Algonquin. NBD.

So much left, but I'm hopeful!