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First Things First, She’s the Realist!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by HurricaneAmanda

Greetings from Paris!

Congrats to my beautiful friend and fitness photographer extraordinaire Natalie Minh for 2014 Best of Los Angeles Award in Photography. Worth me dusting off the ol’ bloggy blog!

Natalie is behind the infamous “American flag bikini” photo shoot. She brings out my best! Bisous!

photo by Natalie Minh

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Posted in Beauty, BEAUTY, Fitness, Fitness Modeling / OtherTagged fitness model, Natalie Minh, photography

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2 thoughts on “First Things First, She’s the Realist!”

Natalie Minh says:

October 20, 2014 at 5:26 PM

AWWWWEEE YOU DA BEST babe!!! Love you for thinking of me, looking forward to seeing you again once you’re stateside and catching up on some awesome life stories! ❤ ❤ ❤ xxx

Reply
1. aburrill says:
  
  October 21, 2014 at 2:31 AM
  
  I’ll be back soon – and I have friends in Texas! xoxo MUAH!
  
  Reply

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Denali Summit, Spring 2018

May 22nd, 2018

The Curious Compass expedition was a success!

Working on the reading but I sure can talk. Usually about sports, food, wine and mountains.

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photo: Natalie Minh

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This post is my #VeteransDay moral obligation. My truth can set others free. While we celebrate our veterans, let’s also consider those who continue to serve in personal battles. I don’t share this stuff often: Those I’m trying to help are not here, I don’t think, but maybe you know them. It pains me to share the negative experience I had with walking away from a successful military career with an undiagnosed brain injury, a physical injury, and into four bogus mental health diagnosis and a generous supply of psychiatric medications. I didn’t have the capacity to understand the gravity of what was happening. The epidemic veterans with unseen injuries face is two fold: First, those with prolonged struggles are rarely addressing the underlying cause of their duress, and second, the holding pattern of medication is dangerous, and for many, becomes the long term “solution.” Anti-depressant side effects and withdrawal are fueling the veteran suicide epidemic, AND (listen, athletes) they are being linked to bodily harm - pain and physical breakdown. I was in search of help for longer than the six years I served. What ultimately saved me was a second traumatic brain injury and leaving the VA system for neural rewiring, treatment for chronic post concussive syndrome, SSRI taper, and my many surgeries, in the private sector. $$$. Worth it. Please, if you take psychiatric medications, seek or continue therapy and consider responsibly tapering from these drugs. Our bodies are designed to heal. When our nervous systems adjust to huge life stressors, we can become stuck. Therapy helps discontinue the internal systems that once protected us, but are no longer necessary. Reading the link in my bio may be triggering. The grittiest chick you know almost gave up - and it had nothing to do with brain injury - my real underlying problem. I was almost broken by a system that defaults to labeling and medicating veterans. Thank god I came out the other end and can repurpose that personal hell for the greater good - while training, exploring and taking care of my neurological needs. ✊🏼Shout out to @nyulangone and @getheadstrong for getting me through the homestretch.

Two, if by sea. What a joyous vague memory to serve with my sister when our tours overlapped in San Diego, and meet cute, in front of a van, down by the pier. Two great American references for you. 😉 We thank you, #America, for welcoming our immigrant mother. And for the costly private undergraduate educations. Sara even got a dope husband out of it! Happy #VeteransDay to all who have served! This photo, 2004 or 2005 (before or after you got impaled on deployment?), is brought to you by the disposable camera I kept in my car! #navy #gonavy #vets #veterans #happyveteransday #fuzzymemories #sail #sailors #imsailing #boatsandhoes #jointhenavyseeiraq #sacrifice #fashionsacrifice

Late 2003. My rescue swimmer class started with 55 men and one woman 😉 and eight of us graduated. That guy, “C,” was my swim buddy from the start, and that shivering beanpole was being groomed to overcome much bigger things than just “freezing,” or “dragging freezing people while freezing” or “doing triage IN THE WATER on freezing people while freezing” etc. People would quit or fail and swim buddies were rearranged but not us, we made it all the way through together. Until then, I only knew I was strong physically. I only knew the “edge” through running and rowing. In 2003 I caught a glimpse of what I’m really made of and knowing it was in there set me up to handle everything else. My veteran experience was, until recently, absolute shit, but I would not trade 2002-2008 for anything. (They must have had someone take photos because they sensed a woman was going to graduate. No one took phots back then. Regardless, I’m happy to have it. I’m going to show it to my girl in her little pink tutu and make sure she understands, “YOU CAN DO BOTH.”) #VeteransDay #Navy #GoNavy #RescueSwimmer #SoOthersMayLive

#EXTRA ... Añejo. 😉 . . . Making, tasting and strolling in the magical town of #Tequila. Exploring places and learning about different cultures is a true happy place for me, can you tell? Thanks @kerees5 & @kelsycc for the 📷s, @mattlanning for the hospitality and expertise and #Mexico for the inspiration to continue living loud, proud and full of flavor.

#🐴 Had the pleasure of attending and learning about #Charrería (Mexican rodeo), a #UNESCO designated “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” UNESCO buildings, neighborhoods and natural formations abound, but rarely does a “way of life” earn the title. This sport survived Spanish invasion and the Mexican Revolution and is stronger, and prouder, than ever. This #Charro, Jorge, and Pinto the #horse ensured my safety as I continue with my excruciating mandatory rest. #GiddyUp #🇲🇽 #Guadalajara #Mexico #MexicanCulture #VivaLaMexico

Sorry not sorry for the “me as a sassy #Catrina” overload. NOT SMILING is so hard! . . .#RBF #DayOfTheDead #VisitGuadalajara #Tlaquepaque #Mexico #💃🏻 #🇲🇽 #💀

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