Hmmm…

Welp, I thought I was better. But I’m beginning to think that was a premature assumption…yeah. Last night the boy and I went to see Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D…which by the way was pretty awesome :) I felt fine minus a little tightness in my chest, which the doc said was going to stick around a few days. I ended up staying awake until close to 1am, then finally went to lay in bed. Apparently laying down caused shortness of breath again, and I started freaking out. I just couldn’t take a deep breath and well, that’s scary feeling. I woke up my mom and told her…we talked for a while…I was shaking…contemplated going to the ER again, but we waited to see if I felt any better. I gradually was able to breathe better, although I’m sitting here typing this having not slept a wink and my chest is still pretty tight. I don’t think this would be constituted as an “emergency” though since I am able to breathe…even though I can only take a deep breath every couple of breaths. But I’m better…and waiting until 8am to go to the doctor. No ER for me today…once was plenty. Hope we can get this straightened out…don’t need things like this at the very end of the semester!!!

-xoxo

Dreary Sunday

I had planned for today to be my long run for the week…until I woke up to a rainy day. I thought I might could get out and run before the heavy rain moved in, but no such luck! As soon as I walked out the door, it started pouring. So I walked directly to the clubhouse gym to run on the treadmill. I knew going in that there was no way I was going to do double-digit mileage on the treadmill…I get soooo bored! So I compromised and ran a fast 5k, walked a mile on 10% incline, and then did a half-hour on the elliptical on the highest level…still a really good workout, even without putting in the miles. I guess I’ll go on a long run one afternoon at the beginning of this week…Tuesday might be good since I get out of class by 1:45pm. Ah this rain/ice/snow/dreary weather really dampers my mood! I need some sunshine…and warm weather, maybe? ;)

So I have gotten a lot done over this weekend, and today I finished up returning and buying textbooks…hopefully I’ve gotten everything I need by now! Last night I was looking at assignments for my Health & Nutrition class that I just registered for, and I am actually really, really excited for this class! I even did a few of the Extra Credit assignments already, because I thought they were interesting! I read the assigned readings from our text this morning and almost couldn’t stop reading. Again…I should’ve been a dietician! ha ha :)

I’m a big fan of Panera Bread…whenever my mom and I go shopping or we’re near a Panera, we make sure we have lunch there. I just love their soups and salads…and fresh coffee to go with it! There happens to be two Paneras near my college, one is right off campus and the other is about 6 miles away. I’ve been craving it since I’ve been back at school, but I’ve resisted going because it would probably become a habit! Anyways, there happens to be an Au Bon Pain on my college campus, which is very similar to Panera. ABP is even included on our mealplans, so I went there today instead of giving in to my Panera addiction! I got Low-Fat French Onion Soup (it didn’t have bread and cheese on it) and a Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad….and it was surprisingly really good! Since I have a whole Commuter Student Meal-Plan to use by the end of the semester, maybe I’ll start going to ABP more often. I have been cooking at the townhouse a lot, so I haven’t really eaten on campus until today. But I have always had a problem spending all of my mealplan money, so maybe I should (not?) cook so much. I think most people like the convenience of having a meal-plan, but I would honestly rather cook. Does anyone else prefer cooking over having someone prepare food for you?

INdependent

This past Fall semester was glorious. Why? Well for one, I was commuting to ODU from home, and I lived with my family & saw my boyfriend every day…I was spoiled. But the other reason was, I took only Political Science classes (which is my major). No French classes, no other electives, nothing. Just PSCI. It was fab! I enjoyed going to class every day, and I was always excited to learn new things. Fast forward to Spring 2010…the present…and I have been feeling bummed since classes began on Tuesday. In order to complete the minor that I chose (French), I still have to complete two 3000-level French classes. The thing is, I’ve really lost the desire to take French anymore. For a while now, I’ve dreaded going to any French class (I’ve been taking French since middle school, over 7 years) and I’m just always swamped with work in my French classes. Which means I don’t get to enjoy my other classes and I feel constantly stressed! So I have been thinking about what I REALLY want, especially since its my last semester of college…and I decided I would drop my minor and just take a few classes that genuinely interest me. So I signed up for a Food & Nutrition class…which I went to today for the first time, and it is right up my alley! I should’ve gone to school to be a nutritionist/dietician! But I love my Poli Sci as well ;) I also am force-adding (it’s overfilled!) a Personal Training/Fitness Instructor course which will prepare me for the ACE examination…which is what I’ve wanted to do for so long now. I want to work in a gym (during the summer, while in law school, etc.) and possibly teach group exercise classes, spinning, etc. So I finally feel happy about this semester, for the most part. I have confirmed that I have met graduation requirements, so I can breathe a little more…and now I have 3 Poli Sci courses, 2 Health/Fitness courses, and 1 English course focusing on…Harry Potter…haha…yes it’s an easy and fun class :) So that relieves a substantial amount of stress for me, and I can focus on the things I love most…Politics, Health & Fitness, and reading! ;)

Speaking of de-stressing, I am going to a 90-minute hot yoga class tomorrow…my college town just got a Hot Yoga studio which is really exciting. I had so much fun when I went to a class around home a few weekends ago. I also got to drive out today (thankfully the ice is mostly melted!) and I joined a gym that’s literally a mile or so from my townhouse, and right near campus. The on-campus gym is just WAY too crowded, and now with living off campus, its a terrible time trying to find a place to park. So I figured it would be worth my while to check out a different gym! I did 45 min. of cardio/strength training and then a Spin class. It was so-so…I much prefer my gym at home, but this will have to do for a few months!

I love to cook, but I’m actually a much better baker than anything. I tend to stray away from cooking meats for fear of under-cooking/over-cooking/handling raw meat. But I can make really good lean turkey burgers, and I actually prefer handling ground turkey rather than chicken. But I went to the grocery store after I left the gym, and there was boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale…and I actually bought two packs! I even went back to the townhouse and cut up the chicken and made a stir-fry with a little EVOO and some spices. It was really great…I’m getting the hang of cooking for myself! I also had some raw carrot chips and mushrooms with some plain hummus…delish!

So I think I just wrote a novel…oops! That’s probably more than anyone wanted to read, so I’ll go back to watching 50 First Dates and finishing my glass of wine ;)

-xoxo

Lots to be thankful for!

Woke up this morning at 6:30 to run in the VA Beach Turkey Trot 10k…it’s a good race and everyone is really nice–the runners, the volunteers, the spectators. It’s not too long of a distance, but its long enough to feel like you burned off part of the Thanksgiving dinner you’re about to partake in! :) My lovely Mama and Daddy went with me to the race, then I got my Starbucks coffee fix (it’s a bad expensive habit!) and did a little shopping for Christmas decorations. Speaking of decorations, we decorated almost the whole house yesterday…only things left are wreaths on the windows, a live tree with old-fashioned decorations for the dining room, and of course lots and lots of holiday baking! One of my favorite pastimes :)

Right now, I’m about to go have a wonderful dinner with my favorite family members…I love spending time with alllll my family (and I have a LOT of family!). I was thinking about things I am thankful for, and I have quite a lot. Here’s a few that are most important:

1) All of my favorite people–my parents, especially! All of my family, my beyond amazing boyfriend, and my best friends and everyone else who makes my life so special :)

2) A warm, safe house to come home to every day…so many people are without, and I just wish I could do more to help them avoid homelessness.

3) The jobs that my parents currently have…they have stable careers which is a blessing considering how many people have lost their jobs. I have numerous relatives and family friends who have lost their jobs in the past few months, so I know its a terrible feeling.

4) Being able to attend college, and earn my degree in 6 more months. Let’s face it, college is expensive, and its not easy for my family to afford it either but they know an education is priceless and definitely worth the $$$…and worth the time for me!

5) Being healthy and having the ability to run, which is my favorite thing to do. I seriously don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t run. It really helps create a balance in my life, like yoga does for some people. Running the 10k this morning made me realize how thankful I am!

6)Finally, I couldn’t skip one thing I’m always thankful for…Starbucks! Yes it’s sounds bad, diva-ish maybe? But I appreciate a nice strong cup of coffee every single day, and it helps me get through my day and stay caffeinated throughout the day. Caffeine addict?!

These shoes inspire me to run everyday :)

-xoxo