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1 week down...

two weeks into the semester...one week into aaron being gone.  ugh!  this week has actually been a rather productive one.  i have found a new place i enjoy going to get work done...panera.  thank you!  a nice hot tea and a booth and i'm ready to go.  i thought at first it might not work as i am easily distracted while working, but i feel i have gotten far more done there than i would ever get done in this dreaded apartment!  there is no room for work to be done in this place...ha! 

i have been able to keep myself in check with aaron gone...sunday sucked like no other...the rest of the week has been pretty good.  had a slide momentarily one night...but back on track!  i walk in the apartment and the first thing i notice is the pair of shoes that he couldn't stand to part with at boot camp.  this prompted us to make a very quick stop at goodwill on our way to the recruiter's office on sunday.  these shoes are so old...and he realizes this, but he just couldn't find it in him to part with them.  i like this about aaron!  :)  i may get old..but maybe he won't want to part with me either!  haha  fingers crossed! 

my running has gone right into the gutter this month...i jacked my foot up at the beginning of the month...i have taken time off and each time i try to go back it is not healed.  saw our trainer...possible sprain of a joint in the foot.  she is also a little skeptical of a possible stress fracture.  this would = one pissed off girl!  while i'm not sure about my running a marathon plans...i still like the possibility of being able to go outside and run when i want to!  

while this hasn't been the best week...there have been certain bright spots.  i am thankful for that otherwise it could have quite possibly ranked as the worst year ever!  it's time to begin accepting who i am and what i can offer and go with it.  i am not the smartest, the prettiest, best writer, coach, etc.  but i know what i can do and i will do those things to the best of my ability.  i have high hopes that the next 14 weeks will fly by and the work that i turn in will be sufficient enough to allow me to graduate with my degree.  if not, i suppose i am back at square one.....and then i'll simply figure it out from there.  so it goes:) 

last semester begins...

it's the first day of my last semester of grad school!  i am pretty excited for this...and my schedule just keeps getting better each class i visit! :)  haha  i am not exactly motivated to do all the work that will be required of me over the next 16 weeks, but i know i will just suck it up and do it.  i received the syllabi today for my two major classes...one won't be too bad, the other one is going to require a lot of writing on top of my 20 page paper that i have to write this semester.  i haven't been reading like i should...it's hard to sit down and read these papers when they are not the most exciting!  and then to put it all in a paper format and use citations, etc. makes me cringe!!!!  i am not a fan of writing...i am not good at it.  and i know when i submit it, it's going to get ripped to shreds and become his writing.  so why again do i have to write it?! lol  any suggestions on ways to compile a ton of research and then write it all down logically...i would love!

with the beginning of the spring semester, comes the beginning of my final softball season at YSU.  i am not sure how i feel about this yet.  i enjoy coaching softball...but i don't LOVE it.  i definitely don't think this is my true calling in life.  i don't think i have the tenacity to be a college coach.  that is definitely something i have learned about myself over the last year and a half.  i don't think it's the end of the world if they don't do exactly as i say...and maybe that's good...but here it's not so good.  i still expect great things from the girls, but i also realize that not a single one of them is going to make a living playing this sport.  so why act like the world ends when they don't always succeed??  school is most important...that's the reality of the issue.  they are here to get an education and become productive citizens!  i hope i've taught them something while i'm here, whether it's softball related or not, i could care less.  i hope they have learned how to be a better person in general and how to be confident and keep yourself going when it's not always easy.  I hope they have learned that more than anything else i could have taught them!

thanks to the gasoline spill in wellington, i have found a path i think i will pursue after my upcoming graduation! (i get to apply for graduation...exciting!!!)  EPA.  they offer a 2 year program for graduates to help jump start their careers in a business like the EPA.  i think i'll still study up for my personal training and strength and conditioning tests, because i'll probably know pretty quickly whether or not i get accepted into the program.  that way i'll have a plan b.  PLAN A: EPA  PLAN B: PERSONAL TRAINER/STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH


sounds good to me! :)  haha  so now that i've spent time wasting time to read...i think i'll read! :)  eeek!  sleeping in til whenever tomorrow though...gonna love every minute of it! :)  have a good one guys!!

vacation...

last day of my vacation....boo!!!  i am truly enjoying my time in illinois this week with aaron as we visit his brother's family before he ships off to the navy.  we had some beautiful weather while we were here...which made for a great day to go on a bike ride!  this also brought to my attention something about myself...i want to live in a place where outdoor activities are encouraged...with an awesome bike/running path winding through a city!  i want to live in a place where i can ride my bike to work or walk there...and not be afraid of getting mugged on my way!

i always find it funny the times where you realize little tiny things about yourself.  here i am on vacation...enjoying myself...and picking up silly little things about what i want in the city where i decide to end up!

few pictures from vacay....

 on our bike ride, we saw 9 mute swans which was awesome!!  especially because they don't normally live in illinois...according to the field guide, they are locally found in the northeast!  not in illinois!  what?! :)

 rockin the shades!

just got a good deck of cards workout in again today.  pushups, situps, burpees, lunges, 20 leg levers, and 20 squat jumps.  working on losing body fat...weighed in today at 141.6...down from 144 when i started on jan 1! :)  and i find myself eating healthier as well...both a big plus!

not missing my job one bit either...i think that means it must not be my true calling.  one semester left...and then i'll get to decide what i want to do next in this crazy journey i am on! :)  i have no idea where i am going...and i have no idea what i'm going to do...but i'll find it eventually...i have time...next week i'll be back on my normal schedule which means more time to try and sort through it! :)  have a good snow covered day!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2012!  I am excited for this upcoming year...I think there will definitely be lots of good things to come! :)  I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but Christmas was wonderful and I have had an exceptional break visiting with family and spending tons of time with Aaron!

My New Year was equally fantastic...good company as always!  So now it's resolution time.  I have a couple and feel like I could probably actually write upwards of 10!  But I don't want to put too much on my plate to try and change for 2012! So let's begin:
     1.  Cut my sugar intake!  When I make the trip back to Wellington, I go nuts on candy...mainly because it's readily available at mom and dad's.  Far too available!  I don't want to try and deprive myself of something entirely, but rather keep my hand out of the candy jar every waking moment when in town.  I don't buy it when I'm at school (minus Handel's ice cream...which I am extremely disciplined at surprisingly) so this is really a resolution that pertains to Wellington! :)
      2.  Workout 4-6 times a week.  I don't need to do a ton every day, but I need to do something!  This is pretty self-explanatory! :)
      3.  Lose body fat.  Starting January 3rd, I am going to begin keeping a food journal and I'm going to work on getting a very sensible and smart diet in place.  I know this will not happen overnight, and will be tough at first as I am on a strictly limited budget in terms of food.  But it is possible.  (I don't know my percentage now, but I will work on finding that out and then would like to lose around 5%)
     4.  Run a marathon!  I will do this at some point in 2012 I hope!!!  Considering the Cleveland half in May to use as my halfway marker, but we'll see! :)
    5.  Procrastinate less!  I often times find myself procrastinating on my school work and now that I'm in my last semester (hopefully for a very long time!) I would like to really work on not doing it so much!  I have to write a paper (20 pages) and I hope to have a majority of that finished by the time April rolls around!
   6.  Blog more...and add more pictures!!!  I enjoy the release of writing it down, and now I just need to be better about taking pictures of what's going on and then uploading them! :)

Please share with me your resolutions...I always love to hear what people want to work towards in the next year!  I wish everyone a wonderful 2012 and hope to hear from you all! :)

time is winding down...

2011 is drawing to a close...which also means my time with a certain special someone is also winding down.  We have just about a month left to go.  He leaves January 23rd.  I don't think I'm ready...he's totally ready!  As  each day passes, I realize a little more how much things will change and how hard it will all be.  It's difficult to think about as well as talk about, but I know the rewards of this can be incredible!  I am so excited for Aaron to start this journey and I don't think I've probably every told him that.  (I should probably do that huh?!)  He is an extremely smart and strong person and I can't think of a challenge that would be better suited for him.  Mentally being challenged every day is something I think he wants more than anything...and this will for sure be a mental challenge each and every day.  I want to be the "cheerleader", as I told my uncle this past weekend.  I am ready to be his cheerleader for the next 2 years, or whatever it may take.  Am I ready to not see his face every day, or not hear his voice every day?  No...but I think I can deal with that as it comes.  I am excited to receive letters in the mail and send him letters.  We did this for a short period of time while he was in Madison, WI for school and opening the mail every day to look for a letter was exciting!

When I think about what we are about to go through, I think of my grandparents.  My grandparents never met before they started talking.  My grandfather was at camp to enter World War II and a buddy of his (who I believe happened to be married to someone in my grandmother's family) was writing to someone and offered up my grandmother's name for him to write to.  (I could be a little off on details...but I know this is damn close!)  He started writing and my grandmother wrote back.  This is how their relationship began and blossomed from there on.  They were married for over 50 years and happy!  I have read some of these letters as my grandmother kept every single one she received from my grandfather, and she also has some that he kept from her.  It's an incredible story and I'm so glad that she kept the letters.  It's astonishing! :)  I can't help but think of that when I think of Aaron leaving and what we're about to go through.  Is it to this extreme?  No, but it still has it's own excitement! :)

I may not be ready for this...but if I want to keep what I have...I better get ready!  Every day I look for some type of inspiration or motivation that will show me how to be ready...I will need it every single day that he is gone.  I am excited at what could possibly come in 2 or 3 years...the potential to go somewhere with an amazing person.  Any suggestions on great ways to make a long distance relationship work would be much appreciated! :)  I'm looking at a long 2-3 years!!!

Til next time...:)

Early resolutions...

New years is just a few short weeks away...and surprisingly I've already been thinking of my resolutions!  I have really only made one in the past...and I actually stuck to it.  It was about 3 years ago I think, I made a resolution to run 3-5 times a week...and I stuck to it for 5 months! :)  ha  So my goal this year is to make some resolutions and actually stick to them for 12 months!  Lofty...but I can do it!

I'll wait for New Year's to get a little closer before I reveal my resolutions...I am going with more than 1!  I challenge you to do the same though.  Pick a resolution whether it's something to do with working out, saving money, reading more, eating healthier, spending more time with certain people, avoiding procrastination, or to write in a daily journal...just pick something and make it realistic! I get frustrated when I see or hear of people who make these lofty goals, when in all reality, they are virtually unattainable.  Will you actually work at something you know you can't attain?  No!  No one in their right mind will work towards something that is unattainable.  Give yourself room to adjust to all of the crazy things that life throws at you.  Running 3-5 times a week...that allowed me to run as few as 3 times a week or up to 5..so if one week was just jammed pack with stuff...I only had to find 3 days worth of time to go out for a run.  And I didn't put a specification on how far I had to run.  Just telling yourself to go run and actually doing it is so much better than saying oh I have to go run 9 miles today.  That's a daunting task I just put ahead of myself.  Leave yourself room to adjust!!!!

I'd love for you to share those resolutions with me! :)  And I hope to keep updated with your progress as we go! One of mine may have something to do with adding some pictures to this lovely blog...words are boring all the time!!  Who wants pictures?! :)  haha  Have a good one everybody!