These Days…

 

...I am finally seeing the end in sight. After two hardcore weeks of writing and studying, the end is near. It felt as if my to-do list was so long but as I began to cross off assignments and submit my work, I could see the finish line. Currently, I have one final left. It’s a take-home exam consisting of a 1,500-word opinion essay, due Monday night. Once that is completed, I will have finished my last assignment of my college career!

...I am no longer doubting graduation. I have spent the last 4 months preparing myself for the worst: not graduating. It started with being in the wrong lab for my Spanish class and having to submit paperwork to get it changed. There were questions of passing Spanish. And then I began to worry that a major article I submitted would make my professor doubt my abilities as a writer, saying I haven’t learned enough in the past two years and couldn’t graduate. All worries were unfounded. I will pass all my classes and I will graduate.

...I find myself in awe of what will happen 9 days from now. Graduation. From college. It feels so surreal, since I was so close to graduation before, and it’s finally happening. I will have a Bachelor’s degree. It’s an amazing, amazing accomplishment. And I am so proud of myself.

...I am one of the few people chosen for the second round of interviews for a very special company I badly want to work for. The job is perfect for me, allowing me to utilize my degree as well as challenge myself, both personally and professionally. On Monday, I will shadow an employee at said company all day to get a feel for my responsibilities and the people I will be working with. I’m very interested in what Monday will bring!

...I am getting back into the swing of exercise after a long break. With my schedule, there just wasn’t time to fit in exercise and I found out how much I missed it. Yesterday, I went for my first run in a long time and it felt awesome to break a sweat!

...My Friday nights have turned into one of the best nights of my week: Bible study. My grandparents, two of the most knowledgeable people about faith I know, are helping my mom and I to understand who God is and what His promises are better. I am learning so much from this. I’m usually afraid to speak up in other Bible studies, for fear I’ll look incredibly stupid and naive. I don’t feel this way when I ask my grandma questions a girl who has been attending church since she was a baby should know. These nights are priceless.

...I feel so blessed when I think about blog friends. It’s been such a blessing to see how many of you are rooting for me and cheering me on with this whole job situation. Sometimes, I wonder if I should have waited until I knew whether or not I got the job, but then I know how fun it will be to go back through my Twitter feed and see what an amazing week this has been for me. Even if I don’t get the job, it was still worth it. And I have to give a huge shout-out to a girl I consider a best friend, Sam, who has been cheering me on since the beginning, calming my fears about finding a job and being excited for me about this opportunity. Everyone needs a friend like her.

...I can’t help but imagine life as a full-time employee, making a paycheck that will be a lot more than I’m making now (just a smidge over minimum wage, and I’m only working 20 hours a week). I’m imagining actually supporting myself and not having to come to my mom for every little purchase. But no, I have not (I REPEAT NOT) looked at websites to buy a car. Absolutely not. I would not do that to myself. Gosh. Why would you even think that?!

photo credit

A Facelift

You will want to click out of your readers for this one. My blog redesign is done! Ashley did such an amazing job with designing and putting up with all the mess I was giving her. (Seriously. I was like the Design Client From Hell at certain points.)

I cannot recommend this girl enough. She knows her design stuff, she’s affordable, and willing to try out anything you want. The process is long and detailed, making sure you are getting the design you want.

And even during my bad moments (like the time I said I might want to go back to a two-column layout after she had worked with the three-column layout for weeks. Luckily, I came to my senses before any damage was done.), she was super sweet and willing to do whatever I wanted.

Please, please check her out if you want a new blog design! She also does headers, invitations, business cards, etc.

In other news, I am up to my eyeballs in homework and finals. I have a Spanish final on Wednesday, the final draft of my short story due Thursday, and an intense take-home final due on May 2. On top of all that, I’m applying to jobs, which is a long and arduous process. I have a lot I want to blog about, but no time to do it.

But I’m graduating two weeks from tomorrow. And I’m so stinkin’ excited about my future, I can barely stand it.

Tell me, what’s going on in your lives?

Ten on Tuesday (Vol. 32)

1. If you work, do you drive to work or take public transportation?
I drive. The bus system in our area is not too good and I’m a little leery of using it at 6am in the morning.
2. How often do you get your hair cut? Do you go to the same person every time?
Usually, every 8 weeks although I tried to make my appointment later this time around so I wouldn’t have terrible hair at my graduation. Only… I forgot which day I had originally set my appointment for. Yesterday, while going through my receipts, I realized my appointment had been last Saturday. I am dying to get my hair done because it’s a) too long and b) my roots are growing like crazy so I’m so mad at myself for writing down the wrong date! Luckily, I was able to get one in two weeks but I have no idea what state my hair will be in by then.
To answer the second question, yes. I’ve been going to my same stylist since I was in 10th grade. I’ve tried other people at the salon, but nobody is as good as she is!
3. Do you read the newspaper? If so, a hard copy or the online version?
I don’t. I make a terrible journalism student but news just doesn’t interest me. It should. I know it should. But hey, I follow Breaking News and journalists on Twitter. They give me all the news I need.
4. What is the best book you have read this year?
Water For Elephants was such a great read. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. But, I have to say, The Truth About Forever (review to come!) was an incredibly, awesome read as well. In fact, I’m still really sad that I finished it so fast and the characters in the story are no longer a part of my everyday life. I haven’t felt that way about characters in a long time. (And, by the way, Sarah Dessen? SHE’S AMAZING! Why has it taken so long for me to discover her?)
5. What is the best movie you have seen this year?
Um. I haven’t seen any movies this year. How sad is that?! I do have plans to see Soul Surfer, Something Borrowed, and Water for Elephants, though! If I see all three of those in theaters, I think I will have hit the total I saw last year in theaters. I find it very hard to fork over money for movie tickets and tend to forget about renting movies when we have a DVR chock full of shows to watch.
6. Do you tend to crave sweet or salty foods?
Usually, sweet. I have a major sweet tooth. Rarely do I crave salty things, although it happens every once in a while.
7. Do you eat breakfast every day? If so, what do you have?
I am really bad at eating breakfast. I’m trying to get better at it but it’s hard when you start work at 6:30am and are basically running nonstop until after 10am. Right now, I’m trying to eat some fruit in the morning and then a granola bar/string cheese for a mid-morning snack (around 10am). Usually, it fills me up which is surprising since nothing has ever seemed to keep me full until lunch.
8. If you celebrate Easter, what Easter treat/candy are you most looking forward to?
Ah…the hollow Easter bunny! I told my mom I didn’t want an Easter basket this year, just a big chocolate bunny and some Robin Eggs. Chocolate bunnies are the best. (I should also mention that I eat a chocolate-covered Peep a few times a week now. Such a yummy treat!)
9. How late is “sleeping in” to you?
Ugh, lately? 9am which I am NOT OK with! Sleeping in for me is at least 10am, but my internal clock has me up by 8-8:30 most weekends now. Bummer.
10. Where are you going on your next vacation?
CAYMAN ISLANDS AND COZUMEL, MEXICO! I AM SOOO EXCITED! 38 days!
picture credit

Race Recap: Athleta IronGirl 5K

Today was the day I was supposed to run my first half-marathon. It was a race I was not totally prepared for and shouldn’t have signed up for in the first place. After a bout with shingles, I dropped down to the 5K and I must say, it’s probably one of the better decisions I’ve made this year. I felt nothing but relief and happiness with my decision, even while witnessing all the half runners getting ready for their race. Maybe one day I’ll be ready to tackle a half-marathon but not just yet.
So today was the day. Last year, I participated in the IronGirl 5K while my mom did the 15K. I haven’t been running much lately. Right now, I’m focusing on running short distances (like 1 mile short) and I’m going to slowly work my way up from there. I’m no longer putting a time limit on how far I should be running by a certain point. By taking that pressure off, running has become less of a stress-inducer and more of a stress-reliever.

My goal was just to beat last year’s time of 44:54 and I had a secret goal of PR-ing. The fact that I hadn’t been running much didn’t make me positive this would happen. So, at the very least, I wanted to run as much as I could.
I’m not quite sure of my times, but I do know I finished my first mile in about 11 minutes, give or take a few seconds. I don’t run 11-minute miles. Right now, I’m just shooting to run a mile in 12 minutes, so this is big for me.
I took a few walking breaks during the race. I took a 3-minute break after I ran the first mile, a short 1-minute break during the water station, and then another 3-minute break after I ran the second mile. Around Mile 2, my side began cramping up, right around my ribcage. I have such a problem with side cramps while running and haven’t found anything to help them. Usually, taking big gulps of breath and massaging the area helps a little. Luckily, I hit 2 miles and took a walking break before the pain got too bad and was just determined to finish this race. I desperately wanted to PR.

When my last mile started, I took it at a super slow pace. I didn’t want to go out too fast and have the cramping flare up again or get too tired to finish the race running. And while I swear that last mile was more like 4 miles than 1.1, I pushed through it and pushed myself to finish strong. This was actually one of the first races where I had to push myself to keep going. My mom left me in the dust about half a mile in and it was all up to me this time.
I crossed the finish line in 41:07, with a pace of 13:17. I took 1 minute, 7 seconds off my previous PR.

Umm…AMAZING! I was so incredibly proud of myself for getting another PR, especially since I haven’t been running much. I think by taking the pressure off me to run a certain distance at a certain pace by a certain time, I’ve grown to like running a little bit more. (I’m still not sure I want to say I love it.) I think I took on too much too soon and it burned me out.
IronGirl is a race you must do if you can. They have them all over the U.S. and it’s just such a fun atmosphere to be a part in. It’s all women of all age groups and fitness levels. The event was well organized and the energy is electric. As soon as I got over my pre-race jitters, I became excited to run this race and push myself, surrounded by women doing the same thing.
And I have to give a special shout-out to Katy whom I met last night! Awesome blogger, awesome girl, and a crazy-fast runner. I think I had just passed the Mile 1 marker when I saw her on the other side, closing in on Mile 2. Yeah. She’s fast. (And she placed 4th in our age group…while I placed 121st, ha.)
Oh, and a shout-out to my mom, who crushed her previous PR by 5 minutes. Incredible.

April

I have high hopes for April. By the end of this month, I will have one more assignment due (a one-question essay final) until graduation. It feels surreal. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. For my professors to tell me I didn’t learn enough to graduate with this degree. It happened before, so I’m on pins and needles, hoping it won’t happen for a second time.

April marks a month of preparing for life after college, taking my health seriously (I mean it, this time!), and organizing my life from the inside out. It’s sure to be a busy month, but I can’t wait to dig in to all it has in store for me!

For once, I managed to accomplish all the goals I set last month. I didn’t make them too hard, as I was dealing with shingles and trying to figure out why I ended up with them so my goals were to heal and cope with stress, as well as preparing to read my short story aloud. I did heal, even though there were days it felt like my blisters were never going to go away. And I have taken some steps to help with my stress levels: to-do lists, making school a priority, knowing when I need to relax, and taking long walks when I feel overwhelmed. So far, so good. As for my short story? Well, you all know how that went!

For April, though, I have some very specific goals to accomplish:

• Complete the IronGirl 5K. I’m still not sure how I’m going to feel on race day, knowing I should be running the half-marathon. But every time I think of the race, it feels so good to know I just need to accomplish 3.1 miles, not 13.1. Ideally, I’d like to PR but my running hasn’t been up to par these last few weeks so I’m just hoping to run a good majority of it.
  
  
• Keep school the priority. I have two exams, a slew of blogs and quizzes, a portfolio website, and a short story standing between me and graduation. I want to give my full focus and attention to school and finishing strong and luckily, the workload isn’t too insane. As long as I keep on top of everything, it should be a smooth month, school-wise.
  
  
• Clean up my resume and begin applying to jobs. I had to submit a resume for my capstone course and it was pretty rough, to say the least. Luckily, some awesome resume rock stars looked it over and gave me lots of pointers. Since then, I haven’t done much with it but I do want to spruce it up to make it more presentable. Also, happening this month: applying to jobs. I’m excited to see what’s out there, but not fooling myself that I’m going to find something quickly. I’m prepared to search for 3 months before I’ll let discouragement set in.
  
  
• Start meal planning and limit trips to the grocery store. My mom and I are terrible at meal planning. We usually end up at the store 4-5 times a week because we only buy for a few days. In the past, we have tried to become better at planning our meals throughout the week but we always fall off the horse. We end up spending 3x as much in groceries because we’re poor planners. Plus, this gives us an opportunity to try out new recipes as we usually just resort to the same stuff every week. (Any good websites for meal planning?)
  
  
• Take Dutch on longer walks. Since we live in an apartment, Dutch gets a short little walk a few times a day. But even at age 9, he’s an active little guy and I know how much he enjoys our longer walks - even if they do make him incredibly tired for the rest of the day. I want to get better at taking him on longer walks throughout the week, at least 1-2 miles, because I want him to stay active and it makes him so happy.

 

What are you most excited about in April?

March Wrap-Up

March was about recovering, school assignments, and taking risks. Since my word for 2011 is risk, I’m actually very pleased with how this month has panned out for me. There were still many other opportunities to put myself out there that I didn’t seize, but it’s a work in progress.

March was welcomed in while I was on the tail-end of my shingles virus, finally starting to feel like myself again (and starting to put on clothes and not cringing every time they rubbed against my blisters). It was an odd way to welcome in the month, but not as odd as the last day of March, in which my area got hit with torrential downpour and tornadoes. Luckily, the tornadoes happened west of me but I heard stories of roofs being ripped off houses, trees uprooted, and fences falling down in neighborhoods and streets I am very familiar with. Tornadoes are not common where I live, so it was definitely a wild day!

But let’s recap March, shall we?

• A photo shoot. I met up with someone who is quickly becoming a great friend to me to take professional, graduation pictures. I’ve never before done a photo shoot and Emily was the best at making me feeling comfortable and taking some pretty fantastic pictures. Anyone who is my friend on Facebook can see the whole slew of them. It was really hard choosing my favorites and the ones to put in my graduation announcements!
  
• Reading my short story aloud. Although I’ve always wanted to be a fiction writer, I’ve never thought about the process of writing, editing, and having people critique your story. At first, I thought it would be hard for me to take criticism. I tend to take any kind of criticism, even helpful criticism, to heart and for people to critique my writing? I was just hoping it didn’t turn me into a ball of tears. I wanted to be strong enough to take it as it is: a way to make my story better and stronger. And I did that. I took criticism from blog readers (and lots of compliments!) and from my classmates. I read my story aloud, even as my heart beat a million miles a minute and my face burned through it all. I didn’t fall apart. The world didn’t end. I have one more reading to complete, but since I’ve already shown myself I can get through this, I know I can do it again.
  
• A struggle for weight loss. This month was not my month for weight loss. I went up and down on the losing/gaining spectrum, settling in at 2 pounds lost this month, 8 pounds total. But since I was dealing with shingles and an influx of school assignments, I’m taking the positives I’ve developed this month and running with them: I’ve begun to limit my soda intake, I’ve stuck with the program even when it feels incredibly hard and I’m not motivated, and I’m still at a loss. Two pounds is two pounds.
  
• Prioritizing my life, once again. I can easily get so caught up in things that don’t matter. Right now, my most important focus lays in school and weight loss, as well as making sure I don’t burn myself out. Usually, the first thing to fall when I get busy and need to prioritize my life is blogging but this time around, I’ve begun to see how much blogging means to me and I need to have a place to write daily. What I realized, during a long walk one day, is how I’m letting Twitter take over my life most days. I’m constantly connected to it, always scrolling through my feed, making sure I catch every important tweet and conversation happening. There’s a lot more I could say about this, but I’ll leave it at this: I needed to break away from being constantly connected to Twitter and I will say I’ve done a pretty good job at leaving my TweetDeck application and Ubersocial app closed lately. And the world hasn’t ended.
  
• A new gadget. My Kindle arrived last week and it was love at first sight. I’m already wondering why it took me so long to jump on the e-reader bandwagon, because it’s such an amazing little gadget. AMAZING!