I was born in Ohio and raised in Michigan, upstate New York,
and Washington. I’ve also lived in Arizona, Oregon, and France. I like to put
down roots, but they are never so far deep that I can’t pull them up.
I was normal-sized as a kid, but puberty did not treat me
well. I put on weight and developed earlier than my classmates. I was ashamed
of my body and ashamed of myself, and I had no one to show me my worthiness.
I really branched out in college, a place where I felt the
world and its wealth of knowledge was truly at my fingertips. I took every type
of dance class available, I traveled while studying in Europe, and I dedicated
myself to getting the best grades possible.
After college, I spent a little more time abroad, then came
home and found a job. I stayed in this job for five years, which was four years
too many given how horrible my boss was and how not fulfilling the work was. When
things went from bad to worse, I pulled myself together and found a much better
job, which allowed me to focus on what matters most to me in life.
During my years at my horrible job, I managed to lose (and
keep off) sixty pounds and I became a vegetarian. I also took up one of my
passions, belly dancing. Being active is a big part of my life, and I love
trying new things.
Hi Rachel! How fun to find your blog! It sounds like you're doing fine and I'm really looking forward to read your posts!
ReplyDeleteLove
Ina
finaina.se
Thank you so much Ina! :)
DeleteYou are beautiful! Thank you for creating a blog to put a little positive energy back into a world working hard to eat positivity. It always amazed me that you were able to stay in that position for five years.
ReplyDeleteCheers to better things! I can't wait to read you blog-a-day posts!
Thank you so much, Katie! I have big ideas and plans for this blog :)
ReplyDeleteRachel, I had no idea about your weight loss! You look to me like you've always been such a tiny lady!! Thank you for sharing that part of you. I too lost a large amount of weight, about 10 years ago, and it is something I still have to think about every single day. Belly dance was a huge part of that weight loss, and of course the running doesn't hurt either. :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, where in Ohio were you born? I was raised in Zanesville!
When you go through such a major change, it really is part of who you are, and it's so easy to forget that people who did not know me "before" have no idea about how I used to be. I'm like you - bellydancing and running are what really helped with my weight loss. I intend to do a post about it in the future, given what a huge part of my life it is.
DeleteI was born in Ohio and most of my relatives still live there. It's funny, I seem to have met quite a few Ohioans on this side of the country!
Hey Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI am just now coming across your blog! I'm also doing Jenni's Challenge! What a wonderful way to kick off your blog! :)
Reading your story of your life made me go: whoa! Because we're actually pretty similar!!!
Like:
- I am a resident of Michigan and my boyfriend is from Upstate NY
- I have lived abroad in France twice (a semester of study abroad and then a year teaching english)
- Weight issues as a teen / body issues
- Branching out in college
- Unfulfilling jobs
- Losing about 50 or so pounds & I'm a pescetarian
So yes, I think I just found a new blog to follow. I definitely will be hanging out here a lot, haha! :) Don't mind me if I stalk your archives and comment on everything, haha!
--Erika
http://www.chimerikal.com
Very interesting story! So cool that you found a new job after being unhappy at the old one. I've grown less and less satisfied with my current job but just got another one and put in my two weeks last week! Scared and excited for the new one!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have gone up and down with my weight, and was vegetarian and vegan for 13 years. I have learned so much about digestion, blood sugar, all that, and healthy attitudes from these ladies http://balancedbites.com/ and highly recommend their podcast! Another really good one (here's one about body image) is this one http://thepaleoview.podbean.com/2013/04/25/episode-36-body-image/) Good luck with everything!
Good for you on the new job and good luck! I'll have to check out those podcasts when I get a chance.
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