Travel the World...

I was doing some early morning newsfeed stalking on Facebook, when I noticed some of the people I know from college are living these awesome, adventurous lives!!  As I'm looking at a girl's pictures from working on a ranch in Colorado, and now she's working in Costa Rica... and stalking my friend Kim's pictures from living in Thailand, I can't help but think that I want to do something like that!

In the past, I have applied for jobs in Europe and Australia, but obviously never heard anything back from them.  I was going to apply for Teach for America, but I decided to stay with my steady job with good insurance while I finished my Masters online.  There is just so much of the world that I want to see, and I want to have my own adventure.

Granted I've had a small adventure, I moved 4 hours away from my family to a place I'd never been before until my job interview.  But at times I can't help but think that this is the time to do something crazy while I don't have anything tying me down.  How fun would it be to just pack everything up and move across country, or better yet move to another country.  I know my parents would cringe because they have a hard enough time with me being 4 hours away from them, but I am dying to do something unpredictable that would be the adventure of a lifetime.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Sometimes I wonder what I would do with my time if I weren't so busy...

I am halfway through with an English Lit and a History of Western Civilization class.  This week is the week of big papers for my classes.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that my parents are coming to visit for the weekend.  I'm so excited to get to spend my mom's birthday with her on Sunday!!

I also looked up my progress online for my degree, and it was such a relief to see that I am 57% done!

It feels like grad school is never ending, but by Jan. 2015 I will be student teaching.  I can make it through this last year of classes!! 

The training begins...

So I officially signed up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon.
You sign up on a website, and they draw names on December 6 to be in the race.  If you are chosen, they charge you the fees and let you know that you're in!  I am so excited and nervous at the same time.

Yesterday was my first official day of training.  I ran 2 miles at a 10 min/mile pace.  Not too shabby since I haven't been running lately.  Today I'm supposed to run 2.5 miles, so I have decided that I am capable of it and it's all in my mind to run that far.  One day at a time...

Hopefully this plan will help me to lose those few extra pounds I'm having such a hard time getting off.  I have decided to start doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and will start that today!  It's now or never!!

We run DC

Do you ever feel like you have the best intentions of doing something, but you just can't seem to get started?

I really want to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC in April, but have yet to really start training for it.  I try to work out every day, but for some reason it is so hard for me to stick to this running plan I found online.

I have the best intentions of doing it and dedicating it to my Great-Aunt Shirley who has just beat breast cancer for the SECOND time, so that is my inspiration for training.  It just seems so hard to actually stick to the training.

I could start the running plan today, but I'm already going straight to a dinner date with my girlfriends after work to the Chinese restaurant! haha I will try my best to go running at the gym when I get back, but we'll see how well that goes!

Does anyone else have problems sticking to goals you want to achieve? I hear it takes 30 days to develop a habit, so I guess I just need to try harder.

Here goes nothing...

Hello All!!

I am in the beginning of a long awaited process of bettering myself...inside and out... so I figured why not blog about it since it's the cool thing to do these days?!

I am going to strive to be the best me I can be, and hopefully I can encourage others to be the best version of themselves, too. 

There are several different areas I am hoping to work on...

Physical: 

I have lost 13 lbs so far this year, and am trying to lose 9 more before the end of the year.  Losing weight/becoming healthier is such a struggle for everyone these days, and senior year of college wasn't too kind to my body.  I pin so many recipes and workouts on Pinterest, you'd think I was the healthiest person ever, but actually putting those pins into action is a whole other story.  

May 2011                        Couple months ago

so embarrassing to even include this on here! 

Spiritual: 

I have kept up with one of my New Years resolutions for 2013.  I have read my Bible every day, and will have read the whole book by the end of the year.  The Bible app on my phone is essential to my day, and I love the different devotionals I have on the app, too. I am a huge fan of Beth Moore (she is southern and very blunt/hilarious) and am hoping to find some time to read some more of her books.  

Mental: 

I have recently been through a situation where an individual said some really cruel things about me and my physical appearance.  I have never met this person or said anything mean to/about them before.  While I cannot control what people say or do, I can control how I let it affect me.  I am going to make it a point to kill everyone with kindness and stick with the Golden Rule.  It is so crucial to have a positive attitude in life, and bringing others down only makes you seem insecure. 

Education:

I am currently in the middle of working on my Masters in Teaching- Elementary Education online.  It is so difficult to balance working full-time, working on my masters, and trying to have a social life.  I can't even imagine how people with kids do it.  

Well, there's an overview.  Hope you enjoy this journey as much as I will!! 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."