* 2147Miles.com *

This weekend was all about growing up for me. Although I spent a majority of it trying to understand myself and the people around me, I think it was an important weekend in my life so far.
I'm changing, the world around me is changing, & I'm not going to lie, change is scary. My cousins are growing up, one of them is about to graduate. I'm moving away soon. But, once you get over the fear, you start to cherish life & think about things a little differently.
Many of you were wondering where I disappeared to this weekend, because I didn't get to socialize much. Well, I started my weekend in St. Maries baking cookies & lazing around. I ended my weekend in Spokane with my mother's side of the family. I was told many great stories & did my very best to take everything in.
I watched a series of events unfold &, as each one did, I laughed to myself. Everything about my family.... what's not to love? My aunts taking photos of us roasting marsh mellows to make my cousins back home jealous, Grandma's at the end of the fire with smoke blowing into her face, Grandpa's telling her, "I will trade you places!" But no. "I can handle it," she says, but her expression says otherwise; right before she closes her eyes & covers her mouth. Because Grandma cannot see, her marsh mellow catches fire. "John! John!" she yells to her brother as she begins to swing the marsh mellow around on the stick. "What did I do?" he asks. LOL - This is about the time that they tell him, as always, that everything is his fault. After all, it's his house, it's his fire pit. :) Ahhh - I cannot get enough of that family.
With that said, my little words of wisdom to you are to do everything you can to cherish the moments that you have with your family. You never know how things will be in 5 years, 10 years... You just dont know how much things will change. The more you remember & cherish today, the more memories you will have to look back on later. Don't let the fear of change stop you. Don't let the thought that everything will stay the same stop you either. And, finally, don't let yourself regret. Life's too short for any of these things.
A.E.C.

There will be days when you do something you regret. Sometimes you'll think to yourself, Um... Okay? Why in the heck did I do that?!
Although your intentions were good, you may have gone about the situation in a wrong way & you will have to face the consequences. Face them with all that you have, & remember that you are only human.
With that said, know that you've learned from your mistake, & finally move on.
Life is all about trial & error.
This does fade into my blog Without Risk, There Is No Reward. Many of you may be thinking, well, without risk there is no pain or regret... etc. But I would rather spend my life taking risks, risking possible regret, & know that I tried to make a difference in my life, than sit around & wonder what might have been. - **Something to think about.**

A.E.C.

When I got off work today, I was completely inspired. My goal for this weekend was to get my website to it's full potential... And what did I find? Even with my site under construction, I've gotten the most views I've ever gotten.
At 138 views this evening, I find myself in tears.
I'm not a big baby or anything, it's just that I truly feel like I am inspiring people out there, and this is one of the many things I want to do in my life.
With that said, I must say that these past few weeks have truly made me soak up my belief that anything - ANYTHING - is possible if you just believe. To make everyone understand, I would compare this strong believe to prayers. Prayers work because you believe. You put your heart and soul into something you truly believe and this is what makes anything possible.
No matter what you want in this world - anything is possible. Each time I say this, I get an image in my mind of the Wright brothers and their plane.
Don't let anyone hold you back from your dreams ~ especially your greatest weakness.... yourself.
Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. Don't hesitate to comment about thoughts, ideas, or questions about my website. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

A.E.C.

As the saying goes, Without Risk, There Is No Reward.
I believe this to no end. I also believe that you must open yourself to opportunity. My goal list, thus far, has allowed me to open myself to all of the wonderful opportunities that this planet has to offer. I am taking risks, facing my fears, and having the most fun I've had in my entire life! Somehow, it seems, that this all began with my Dream Book... that lead to this website... that will one day lead to an amazing singing career in Nashville, TN.

A few of you were wondering a bit about my week...

Monday, I landed in Los Angeles completely exhausted, and was taken to Laguna Beach. Energized after lunch, we shopped, and then continued Santa Margarita, California where I took a shot at skateboarding (GOAL). :) THANK YOU Jeremy & Kyle!
**FYI I LOVED IT THERE.... And part of me wasn't ready to come home.... THANK YOU Julie!! :)**

Tuesday we headed out for Jay Leno.. I KNOW!.. Amanda Seyfried, Chef Guy Fieri, & Luke Brian were guests. It was a wonderful show, and I plan to return one day very soon!
After the shows early recording, we continued through Hollywood to find the Wax Museum (GOAL).... And stumbled upon a MOVIE PREMIER for Amanda Seyfried's Letters To Juliet movie. Um... Yeah - I KNOW! After taking as many photos as freakin' possible (GOAL), we walked around meeting the wonderful wax celebrities and ended up eating late that night in the Kodak Theatre Mall, RIGHT next door to where they host the Oscars.... Wow. It was a late night... but it couldn't have been a better Tuesday.... IN MY LIFE.

Wednesday: Heading out for the Craig Ferguson show, we got a slight late start... and ended up in the wrong line... LOL. Go figure that they'd be filming American Idol around the corner... at CBS Studios??? We were confused too. A little bummed, we headed up towards the Playboy Mansion (GOAL) where Julie proceeded to tell me A TON about other celebrities who own homes in the area....
And found ourselves face to face with a movie being shot RIGHT AHEAD on a truck trailor with a Farari on the back. No clue what movie or show... but it was AWESOME. LOL
The Playboy Mansion was beautiful from the outside, but just incase Heff is reading.... I'm really curious about the rest of it. Hehe. Oh - And I'm sorry that we took a photo infront of your gates... we noticed the cameras but couldn't resist.
Finally, we headed to Venice Beach where they were preparing for an interesting MTV skating event. We shopped along the beach, and I got my psalm read. (GOAL) Haha. LOL It was SOOOOO Much Fun.

Thursday: Alright - Big Surprise - Julie took me to the auditions for Rock of the Ages in Hollywood. Although I was unable to audition due to a time limit (and type-casting), it was still an AWESOME experience. I love people watching, and she helped me pull together a great headshot. THANK YOU Julie! :)
Sadly, after eating at the amazing Johnny Rockets, we headed towards the airport where I said goodbye to LA, and hello to the clouds in Salt Lake City, and finally a beautiful sunset in Spokane. :) I MISS LA! LOL

Photos? They are in the gallery. :)
Take some risks to open yourself up to opportunity. Trust me, you won't regret it!

A.E.C.

Today's all been a wonderful blur. Since I stepped off the plane in the John Wayne Airport, there's been excitement in the air... Starting with an alarm in the terminal. At first, being the typical tourist, I assumed everything was alright. No one had moved. Is this normal? No. It was the fire alarm... and everyone was just sitting in their seats still, ready for their flight. Wierd.
We headed to Laguna Beach, where we had a wonderful lunch over looking the ocean. Jealous? :) I know!
There were great stores, nice people, and breath-taking views all around. HAPPINESS!
Julie took me to some of her favorite secluded spots including Moss Cove & Badlands Park. Both beautiful locations for relaxation and views, views views!
Finally, we started on my goals when her son helped me to learn skateboarding. :) Not bad! (Photos are available in my photo gallery!)
I will write tomorrow! Xo

A.E.C.

Happy Mothers Day Everyone!
It's hailing really hard here, raining slightly, and the sun just peaked out from behind the clouds. :) Aww Spring!
We spent this morning eating Orange & Cinnamon roles, watching old home movies from when my mom was little. Sadly, the video's don't have sound, but she really enjoyed it. After the hail stops, we may head over and check out our brand new house that's being built. :) She's excited about that too.
I hope everyone is enjoying their Mother's Day. Don't forget to check back this week. :) I'm headed to LA at 5am tomorrow to spend time with my mom's friend. We're going to kick some bucket list butt!!!! So, there will be a lot of changes coming soon.

A.E.C.

Last night, I had a dream that brought me clear back to high school. In this dream, I was spending time with friends who didn't bother with drama. We were kids who just wanted to have fun. When we were mad at each other, we talked about it, got over it, and moved on - as friends.
I caught myself wishing that things were that simple today. Wishing we still had the movie nights, that no one held grudges, that our groups were still together. Although I love my life now, to no end, and although I do not wish to go back to high school, I was dreaming about that feeling. Dreaming about what it would be like if drama hadn't interrupted the world we had back then.
Waking from this dream, I remembered that there are those who, once they discover drama, thrive on it. And from there, there's no turning back... they're changed. Then, for another quick second I pictured the awkwardness of the inevitable 10 year reunion... And I laughed at myself.
Who will we be then? And, if the grudge still holds after 3 years, will it still be there after 10?

A.E.C.

I wanted to take a moment and send a shout out to everyone in Nashville dealing with this horrible flood. My prayers are with you.
I've posted a couple of photos for those of you who've not seen what's happened. If you are interested in seeing bigger images, they are available in my photo gallery.
Many historical items in the basement of the Grand Ole' Opry have been ruined. LP Field is full of several feet of water, and the streets of Nashville are flooded more than two blocks.
I truly hope CMA Fest will go on, my prayers are going out to everyone who's facing this devastation. If any of you, by chance, are looking to help, please see www.NashvilleRedCross.org

A.E.C.

Most of my goals seem out of this world, some of them are simple, but scare me, and there are very few that I could go out and accomplish tomorrow. These daunting tasks push me further and further each day.
I woke up Sunday morning & sat there for a few moments wondering, Can I do this? But, as soon as I got there I knew that this was going to be good. My friends and I walked nearly 8 miles, and, to me, it almost felt symbolic. Each mile seemed longer than the previous mile. Each step grew a little bit more difficult. But, in the end, it was one of the best accomplishments so far.
I need to hand it to Brittany & Ashley. Thank you so much for coming with me, and taking the time to look through my goals. :) I'm so thankful to have friends like you. I couldn't have done it without you. And there's no way I would've had more fun.
Thank you to everyone who's been so supportive. You have no idea how much it means to me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
A.E.C.