New Goals

Looks like I never blogged about goals for 2012 so here's my early list for 2013.

Health

• I don't feel like I need to drop anymore pounds, but I would like to tone up a bit more. 
• I would also like to actually run an entire 5K and maybe towards the end of the year attempt a 10K?
• I struggle with this every year, but really Shirley, DRINK MORE WATER everyday! Compared to before, I actually drink a lot less soda as well as consuming a lot less desserts and junk food. Just need to keep this going.

School

• By the end of 2013, I should be 80% completed with my graduate school program. My goal will be to do so with a high GPA! 
• Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in some kind of HCC class about website design, Excel, or another useful computer skill

Quotes to live by this year (these are my goals for my family, friends, and anyone else that will be in my life this year):

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter" - E.E. Cummings

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" - Plato

Oh I forgot! My brother has inspired me to learn the guitar again. If I get pretty good, I want to buy myself a pretty guitar! 

Here we go with my sporadic check-ins! Less than an hour ago, I found out that I officially got A's this semester. I was a bit worried about one class, but it all seemed to work out just fine. Time to pummel through the rest of the semesters. 

As with any year, there were such tough events that we've had to deal with. Through one of the books I read in my grad school class, I've learned that you can't bank your happiness and confidence on whether or not things play out the way you want them to. Instead, you need to focus on the fact that you have been brave enough to put yourself out there and attempt your goals. These are my values. 

2012 Christmas shopping in Houston

Why can't I do it all?

Goal one:
Achieve a 38min. chiptime for the 5K on November 3rd
I just looked back at my Firefly Run time that I completed this past March. My chiptime was 45:26 - that means I just need to run faster than 14min/mile and I should be good to beat this time!

According to the C25K program, I just need to complete the following to finish a 5K:
1) 5 min walk, jog 22 minutes 09/17
2) 5 min walk, jog 25 minutes 09/18 or 09/20
3) 5 min walk, jog 25 minutes 09/22 or 09/23
4) 5 min walk, jog 25 minutes
5) 5 min walk, jog 28 minutes
6) 5 min walk, jog 28 minutes
7) 5 min walk, jog 28 minutes
8) 5 min walk, jog 30 minutes
9) 5 min walk, jog 30 minutes
10) 5 min walk, jog 30 minutes

Goal two:
Earn an A in both of my graduate school courses
I think I mentioned before that it took some getting used to, but I'm starting to get a hang of the readings and class participation. We're going to have an event on Friday and Saturday which I'm interested to go to meet some of my peers! Putting a face to the name would be nice.

Goal three:
Save money
I'm not going to put an exact price point on this since money is always awkward to talk about or post. I'm already starting to get all my expenses sorted out and stashing money in my savings accounts.

Big Day

Today's kind of a big deal because my other two siblings and I are all enrolled in school today. My brother and sister are on their way to completing their bachelor's degrees and I'm going to begin my master's program in just a few days! The reading already seems like it'll be a lot, but I feel ready for it. I need to find a great getaway study spot just in case I can't focus at home. 

I'm off to Austin tomorrow to hang out with Alex and hopefully get to see a couple of people. I hope so much that I can move to that city next year. Fingers crossed! 

Advance

One of the biggest things I struggle with is my want to advance and challenge myself with a new experience. I'm so eager to move onto something different even if I love what I currently have. My goals for this semester is to maintain a really organized college room and to get straight A's in both of the courses that I'll be taking for UH. That would be splendid!

Good news: I just checked the status of my laptop and it's already being returned to the Galleria location! That was fast. Tomorrow I also get my new yoga mat and Hunger Games Blu-Ray disc. Yay!

Austin

Just returned from our trip to Austin to help the brother move into his new apartment. During my years in college, I've always lived around that complex and thought it was so nice but it's actually pretty cramped! Regardless, I know him and his roommate are going to make it a cool place to live at and it should be cleaner now that he's rooming with a girl. On Saturday, we thought our kayaking plans were going to get rained out but luckily it stopped once we got into town and had a late lunch. Once my mom got to take a power nap, we were off to Barton Springs! Aiden completely chickened out once he put on the life jacket and grabbed an oar. Finally we persuaded him to get in the kayak with Shannon and I but that proved to be pretty difficult. It was still a really fun thing to do with the family and my mom loved it!

Recover

Okay, so I wasn't able to visit the gym since the yoga class on Wednesday even though I intended on attending at least one more Zumba class this week. On Thursday morning, I felt like I had a fever and my entire body felt sore. On top of that, my skin was so sensitive and definitely had an infection in the throat/ears. After taking some antibiotics, I finally feel like I'm coming back and I really do need my energy if I'm going to last in Austin for the next two days. We're helping my brother move into his new place on Sunday so we at least have tomorrow to hang out and check out places in Austin. If we get there at a decent time, we're going to try to go kayaking. That reminds me, I need to pack my hat and sunscreen!

"There is nothing more attractive then confidence, once you see your beauty, everyone else will too"
Just a little pick me up since I'm feel a little low today.

Yoga

I must say, I'm making such a use out of my new gym membership! It's so much better now that I like the gym that's closer to the Galleria as opposed to the one near my house. However, it's nice to be able to bounce between both gyms according to their class schedules. I went with Michael to a yoga class tonight and it really kicked my ass. It's so hard to hold your balance but you have to or you'll just fall over! We'll see how my body feels in the morning. I'd like to hit up another Zumba class :)

I only have a couple more weekdays of freedom before I start working. Hooray! I already have so many plans that I'd love to dive into, especially with the new adviser that's going to be present.

Can't wait for the Hunger Games DVD to come out this weekend!

Waiting Game

I thought the interview went pretty well and I had a chance to meet the head honcho of the foundation. Now I just wait for a response from them and to be honest it's killing me a little bit. I don't like it when things are uncertain and this is definitely one of those moments. Pros for staying at the other position

- I'll have more flexibility in my schedule and how I plan things
- I already know a lot of the admissions reps that will be serving the campus
- I'll get to proctor the SAT / ACT every month to earn more money
- I'll have enough time to finish my UH classes
- More flexibility to move to another city afterwards

Tomorrow morning I'm still going to go turn in the papers for the district, unless I just so happen to get a good word from the other school tonight.

Waiting is the worst!

“There are no failures. Just experiences and your reactions to them.” ~Tom Krause

Tomorrow will determine all sorts of things for the entire next year. There are pros to both opportunities and I can't wait to see what unfolds! I'll also be starting my classes soon.

My small thanks today goes to Emily who always helps me figure out my thoughts. TCAC 4 LYF.

Whoa

My oh my have things changed in the last 24 hours! Now I know that I have a secured position with the district for my previous job but I'm still going to go to the interview for this new position. Right now I'm feeling all sorts of anxious.

"Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens." - Epictetus
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." - Elbert Hubbard

Made a far drive through the rain to get to the Kemah area tonight. It was so worth it because I had a chance to see these lovely ladies. We shared funny and distressing stories, dilemmas, updates, pizza, and dessert. This a reminder to myself that I'm never alone - there's such fabulous people to contact even if they're a drive or a flight away. 

Balance

I got a call back for the interview from Thursday and it's down to one other person and me! How? Either way, I've been fully digesting the position and its responsibilities and I know that it can be done. I have faith in myself! When and if I snag a job, I want to make sure that I keep myself well balanced. I want to continue to be able to go to the gym and visit friends out of town. This picture from Michelle's wedding will always keep me smiling:

Just look at how happy we are :) TCAC FOREVER.

Zumba!

I tried out my first Zumba class today! Clearly the gym near my house hasn't changed by much so the equipment is still old. However, the class was so much fun and kicked my butt! I want to go again tomorrow morning before my interview. Oh by the way, I just e-mailed the principal of my old school to see what's going on with the position I was going to fill. Sigh, I have NO idea what's going to happen in two weeks to two months. I'm excited about the adviser girls to come home this weekend though! Can't wait to see them :)

Be Great

From my conversation with Alex, we each chose three things that we would love to be great at. His priorities are: cooking, web mastering, and fitness. I decided to go with: cooking, running, and Spanish. The beauty behind these goals is that we already kicked off some experience with them and why can't we be straight up awesome at each of those? I'm going to try to make lunch/dinner tomorrow after I get back from 24. Tomorrow I'm trying Zumba for the very first time - not too sure how I'll hold up but I'm excited.

Today's interview went pretty well but I believe the sample lesson plan in the evening tripped me up a bit more. One more interview Thursday. I will keep my head up!

ESL Position?

I got a call a couple weeks ago about interviewing for a charter school near my house. This will be for an elementary ESL position but on Tuesday they want a short lesson plan for any subject in third grade. I'm kind of nervous but excited at the same time. With anyone, this limbo period is can be so nerve-wrenching. Someone give me a chance, please!

Daily Blessings

As I'm onto my last weekday alone at Alex's, I'm slowly cleaning up our clothes and I find that he has a drawer with my clothes in there. Surprisingly, he hasn't said a word about it but occasionally he always knows where my clothes are. Anyways, I just thought it was so sweet! I hope that I can be a more patient person like him.

Olympics in Plano

I've had such a good time watching the Olympics this year! During the day while Alex is at work, they've been showing the events like volleyball and kayaking. At night, they really show the good ones including gymnastics and swimming. It was so epic when the women's gymnastics won gold last night! Also go Phelps for beating the most decorated athlete. I'm also rooting for the women's beach volleyball team. Whoo!!

End

I left the Austin College campus today. I'm so glad that I met so many amazing people that I can't wait to continue to keep in touch with. I now have a reason to visit North Carolina and Ohio! Now I'm going to spend a week in Plano, hopefully spending my days watching the Olympics, filling out job applications, and taking my teacher certification class. It's pretty exciting.

Bug Trip

I volunteered to drive for the Anthropology class yesterday as they attended a field trip with the bugs class. Sure, I didn't end up catching or touching anything too scary but just the fact that I would go out to somewhere I wasn't comfortable with was enough for me. It was fun to see how brave the kids were and how much they knew about bug catching and different insects. Scariest part? When we were nearly ready to head back to campus, I saw a little red insect in the grass I was sitting next to. Thinking it was a lady bug, I took a closer look and saw that it was a black and red striped ant that was almost an inch long! One of the students said it was a red velvet ant and told us that it was extremely poisonous. An Anthropology kid was brave enough to catch it in her killing jar.

Wait, update: I just read up on the "ant" and it's actually not an ant but instead it's a wingless wasp. Maybe it's not poisonous but it looks like it'd still hurt a lot if you got stung. I would not be a happy camper if yesterday was my second wasp attack :(

I had a great day off yesterday! On Friday night, we went out to J Black for Tim's birthday. To no surprise, I was so exhausted after I passed out in the car and immediately when we got home too. The next day we went to get a replacement bulb since my brake lights went out. Thanks to Alex's dad, we (or he more than I) now know how to switch brake lights on our own. Then we went to watch the Amazing Spiderman with his parents. Afterwards, we cooked chicken lettuce wraps and spring rolls. Cooking is pretty exhausting but it was still fun and delicious. I think we're on a roll.

Job update: I've applied to about five jobs outside of Education in both Houston and Dallas. Still playing the waiting game.

August

I'm so thankful that I have something steady during the month of July. I'm currently waiting for a phone call from the district to see if I'll have a contract to sign soon or if they haven't even put in my paperwork. So far no word.

I would be okay moving to Dallas soon. We'll see how everything works out. So glad that I get the next couple days off from work but working this summer in Sherman really isn't bad. It's actually pretty fun and everyone is so chill!

Learning how to pick myself up.
One day I'll get to go swimming and have a picnic. Waiting.

Grad School

I hit my next little graduate school speed bump. Apparently I have a hold on my account from when I was admitted as an undergraduate student in 2007. I still remember when I was choosing which college I was going to attend - should I stay home and attend the UH or should I leave for three and a half hours away? Between those years, a lot had happened, including my freshmen year when my mom was diagnosed with Diabetes.

Okay, I'm rambling. My next point is that I'm having a hard time deciding what my next career move should be. I have requested an exception to take an online class since the end of the week class would be difficult for me to attend. Hopefully this goes through and I do intend to make the most out of my courses.

Term 1 with the students is about to end. The "prom night" will be taking place tomorrow evening and I think I will re-wear my green dress!

McAllen Wedding

Michelle's wedding was so beautiful! I'm glad that I was able to get over to McAllen for the first time and experience this special day with two of the most amazing people I know. As an added bonus, I got to laugh and dance with the advisers - there will never be a group like them. 

The days in Sherman are getting better. Luckily, Andrew and my mom are coming to visit sometime in July and I get to go home in exactly one week. Then of course I'll spend another 4th of July with Alex. Although I only get one day off a week, I got to spend Friday night and all of Saturday with him. He grilled some steaks, bell peppers, and made the delicious feta cheese with butter pasta. We watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones and shopped at the Galleria in Dallas.  

Lists

I'm finally settled into Sherman, TX to be part of this amazing summer program! I know, I've been here over a week but it really does take me that long to start feeling even the tiniest bit comfortable. My suitcase has yet to be unpacked and maybe I've been putting it off just so it feels like I have something to do but I haven't found any time to actually do it! Okay, tonight I'm going to try to clean up some of the clothes and brainstorm on how to actually get a wedding outfit together before the McAllen shannigans this weekend!
Musts on my to-do:

• Paint my nails
• Put my clothes up
• Watch movies and shows I've been putting off

Such fun obligations! 

Mother's Day

My family never celebrates events on the right days or the right times but I love how flexible we all are so that we can make things work out better. Tonight, my sister and I took my mom to Sur La Table for a Tapas, Paella, and Flan cooking class. Had I not been so tired, I think that I would have been a little more perky and excited. All in all, it was a great success and now I know how to make four new dishes! I really need to try making new stuff so that I will at least know a few dishes off the top of my head if I ever moved out on my own again.

Earlier this morning, I was in the Woodlands celebrating with the boyfriend's family for their special occasions. I'm surrounded by great people! The next few months are going to be a change of pace from what I'm used to - working for Duke in the summer, a couple weddings out of town, and not going to be with my seniors of 2012 anymore. Life is moving forward, that's for sure!

Decision Day

Done, done, done. From an insider's perspective, it was such a hectic event and that's no surprise since I'm going to say that we had over 300 students attend. I'm completely exhausted. The seniors this year have been so fun and interesting and downright crazy. So many of them have such sweet hearts and I'm positive they'll achieve BIG things in their near future!

Skinny Jeans

For a good year or so, I've been really unhappy about the way I fit and look in skinny jeans. Well, even regular jeans and pants were BLAH. But since working out for a couple weeks, I even fit into my size 1 skinny jeans and they're comfortable! I am now convinced, working out is something that has to be consistent. Everyday I do a different kind of exercise - whether it be the JM videos, Youtube Pilates exercises, or my usual run. Sometimes I take snippets of all the above and do my favorite exercises from each one.

I'm now in Dallas and got to "sleep in" till 8:30! Although it's not the same as how I used to sleep in till 11, this has been a great 7 hours of sleep and I can't wait to enjoy my weekend.

To Workout or Not To Workout

As much as I act like it's no big deal when the students have to go get their one, two, or FOUR missing shots from the nurse, my Meningitis shot today is making my arm super sore. Yes kids, it sucks and I now sympathize with you! Since today was supposed to be a no-run day, I'm just going to go out in the awesome weather and power walk/jog. Push ups and planks just aren't happening today.

On the brighter side, I am now one step closer to becoming a graduate student at the University of Houston. I seriously can't wait to start learning more about the issues that colleges face and what's being done about it.

I've also decided to stay at my current job (part-time) for the next year! Since I'm already getting to see more and more juniors, it's actually making me excited that I will get to work them this coming fall. Now I just have to get this Decision Day stuff set and I'll be good to go until May --  so exciting! :)