Down South Mushing: Built by miles

10/10/2026

Emotions are weird. This has been a year of just trying to tread water but we are doing this. We are surviving and trying to thrive. Keep pushing even when times are hard.

10/08/2026

95.2 POUNDS DOWN! 🖤

When I started this journey in April 2025 at 285 pounds, I never imagined just how much my life would change.

I’m officially down 95.2 pounds. That is absolutely insane to me!But this journey has been anything but perfect.

There have been setbacks. There have been weeks when I didn’t run, days when I didn’t count calories, and months when life felt like it was throwing everything it possibly could at me.

I’ve dealt with grief, stress, exhaustion, and plenty of moments when my own mind was my biggest enemy.

There were times when I felt like I was failing because I wasn’t actively losing weight. Times when I looked in the mirror and couldn’t see the progress everyone else could.

But at the end of the day, I NEVER GAVE UP.

I might have slowed down. I might have taken a break. I might have fallen off the wagon a time or two, but I never stopped believing that I could do this.

Honestly though the weight isn’t even the biggest accomplishment.

It’s the confidence I’ve gained. The miles I’ve run. The goals I’ve accomplished.

It’s learning that I am capable of doing hard things, even when my mind tells me otherwise.

I still have goals. I still have days when I struggle with what I see in the mirror. I still have moments when I question myself.

But I am learning to love the person I am becoming while appreciating the person who had the courage to start.

If you’re struggling with your own journey, please remember that progress doesn’t have to be perfect.

You can have bad days. You can take breaks. You can struggle. You can start over as many times as you need. Just never give up.

Just don’t give up on yourself.

Because one day you’re going to look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

The girl who started this journey at 285 pounds had no idea what she was capable of. But the one standing here today is determined to find out just how far she can go!

10/06/2026

10/04/2026

Sometimes life is hard.

Sometimes everything feels like too much, your mind won’t shut off, and you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Those are the moments when I find myself turning to them. Being in nature and just existing with them.

They don’t know what happened. They don’t know what I’m worried about or why I’m having a hard day. They don’t need an explanation.

They just know I’m there.

And somehow, for a few minutes, that’s enough.

Life is still waiting when I get back up. The problems haven’t magically disappeared. But my heart feels a little lighter, my mind is a little quieter, and I remember that not everything in life has to be figured out right this second.

These dogs have carried me through some of the hardest seasons of my life without ever knowing they were doing it. Sometimes it’s sitting in the woods with your dog, taking a moment to breathe, and remembering you don’t have to carry everything at once. 🖤

10/01/2026

Us dog people really are gluttons for punishment, but I wouldn’t change the pain I feel for anything.

The pain is a reminder that you were here. That you existed. That you were loved so deeply that losing you left a hole that could never completely be filled.

The day the ones still here leave isn’t a day I look forward to, but knowing that day will eventually come will never stop me from loving them with everything I have now. I will always cherish the time we get together.

These dogs have healed me in a way no one else ever could. They have made my heart whole with their unconditional love and simply by being there through every version of me.

To the ones who are gone, you took a piece of my heart with you.

To the ones still here, I know one day you will too.

But I would rather sacrifice a piece of my heart every single time than go through this life having never known any of you.

So maybe we are gluttons for punishment. Maybe we willingly sign ourselves up for one of the greatest heartbreaks we’ll ever experience. But what a privilege it is to love something enough to hurt this much when they’re gone.

I’d choose you again. Every dog. Every heartbreak. Every lifetime. 🖤

09/27/2026

Never stop chasing your dreams. You might have setbacks, but never give up. As long as you are trying, you are winning. You truly only fail when you give up.

Your journey isn’t going to be perfect. There will be days when you feel unstoppable and days when you question why you even started. There will be setbacks, detours, bad days, and moments when your goals feel so damn far away.

Keep going anyway.

You don’t have to be the fastest. You don’t have to be the strongest. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to keep showing up.

Take the small wins. Celebrate the progress that nobody else sees. Give yourself grace when life gets hard, and remember that taking a step back doesn’t erase all the steps you’ve already taken forward.

I’m still chasing goals. I’m still learning. I’m still growing. And there are plenty of things I haven’t accomplished yet.

But when I look at the life I’m building, the adventures I’m having, and these dogs standing beside me through it all, I realize I’m already living pieces of the life I once dreamed about.

So dream big. Chase the crazy goals. Do the things that scare you. Fall down, get back up, and keep moving forward.

You don’t have to have arrived to be proud of how far you’ve come. 🖤