Break Time!

I took both of my finals yesterday to be finished with school. Now, I have a 5 week break! Time went by really fast this semester. Only one more semester and I will be thrown to the real world. Little life updates:

1. The end of the 3rd challenge is next Friday. One more week to give it my all, and I well let you know the results.

2. I think I have officially decided to run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Dallas on March 14 (anyone want to join). I went to run today, only planning on doing like 3 miles, when I was kindly notified (by the bootcamp instructor) that I would be running 6 miles. I actually survived 6 miles!! As part of my training, I may run a 10 K in Dallas on Jan. 9, the snowman run I believe it's called. More details later.

3. When I think I have made a decision, plans change. I wanted to stay in Lubbock, but due to recent issues with a hospital here, there are very few nursing jobs available. How do you get a BSN and can't find a job? Well, thats the issue in Lubbock, so I will officially be looking for other jobs in DFW area and Tyler/Longview while I'm home and maybe even Houston (if I have a room there...)

4. I am working this weekend. Then I will go to Dallas to see Kristi and I will actually make it to the Beauty dinner. It will be so nice to finally meet some of the women who keep me going with my weight loss AND I will finally meet the Beast/Tanna!! Then I will be headed home for the holidays!

I did it!

I got on the scale this morning fearing what I was about to see. Well, somehow, I have lost weight!! I have now met my goal, for the first time, during challenge 3. And not only that, I am considered to be in the normal BMI range. Yes, I'm right on the edge, but I made it in there. This is history. I don't think I have been considered a "normal" weight in years. I of course had to take a picture (like my wii person haha). I have to continue to at least maintain my weight and ultimately reach my final weight goal...10 more lbs. to go.

Thanksgiving

I got a week long break at home for Thanksgiving! I really enjoyed being home and getting to see my family. I was able to relax some and have fun, except with the worry of writing a paper and having two tests this week (I just took one). I had Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday with one grandmother. Then Thursday I started eating at 11AM and ate the entire day I felt like. Then yesterday, I stopped at Rhondas and had another Thanksgiving dinner before driving back to Lubbock. So, needless to say, I ate a lot, and a lot of bad foods. Good news, I worked out every single day, including Thanksgiving day. Maybe this will balance it all out. I have yet to weigh myself, simply from fear, but if I remember I will weigh in the morning and assess the damage done. I have three weeks to meet my goal, and I do intend on meeting my goal this challenge!

New York, New York

At this time a year ago, I was preparing to go to New York to visit Kristi. I went and stayed with her for about a week, and we had ourselves quite an adventure. We experienced some cold weather, driving in a "blizzard", sleeping in the car during the "blizzard", trip to Canada (and 50 cents to get back to U.S.), trip to New York City, the subways, staying in the "ghetto" (yep, I'm cheap), Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, sandwiches and margarita night, the Rockettes, and much more. It was a great trip, and hopefully I will make it back to New York before she leaves, or we will get to go on a nice graduation trip soon!

New clothes!

Kristi was nice enough to send me a package of new clothes. I got some nice shirts and 2 new pairs of jeans!!! I was SO excited to get this in the mail, and I have been recently wearing my new clothes. For the first time in a long time, probably since high school, I wore a size 10 jeans yesterday. I was wearing a 14 when the challenge started. Here is a picture, not the greatest, but I am wearing one of my new outfits. Thanks Kristi for being such a great friend!! I LOVE the clothes!


And here is a picture taken the weekend before the challenge began.

Dr. Pepper

Hi, my name is Erin, I am a Dr. Pepper addict. I have done so good this challenge with sodas until about a week ago. Since then, I have had sodas, mainly Dr. Pepper, daily. And not just a sip or a can, but large, free refills at the coffee shop sodas. I had some today. I keep saying, tomorrow I'll stop. I have to stop. I have a goal to reach!!

I have gotten back into my workout kick recently. I am loving my turbo jam workouts, and I have been going to the gym for running and even did some weights today. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill today. I have been running on the treadmill recently to help with my speed. I can run 3 miles, but I go super slow. Today I did 3 miles in 36 minutes. My next goal is to run 4 miles at one time. Hopefully that will happen soon :)

I have 2 lbs to lose to reach my goal for the 3rd challenge. I really want to lose those 2 pounds this week before I go home for the holidays!

Love

Today is national To Write Love on Her Arms day. To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

Thankfulness

Stop. Take a moment and thank God for all the blessings in your life. I had to do that today. I am so often reminded that I take many things for granted. I am healthy and don't have a real worry in the world. Pray for those in need.

New Moon

I have read all of the Twilight books and loved them! At first, I was not interested in the books because I'm not much into vampires. But everyone kept telling me I should read them, and I finally did and couldn't put the books down! Now I am waiting for the 2nd movie, New Moon, to come out. I'm ready! I got to watch the 1st movie in New York at midnight on the release day with Kristi. This movie may have to wait a few days, and midnight is not an option seeing how I have to be at clinicals at 6am this year. Here is the movie trailer, watch it, and get excited with me!

Wii need a break!

Last Wednesday I had a big test. Rhonda and I attempted to write a paper that night afterwards, but decided to play wii instead. I have not really played my wii in a very long time. I use it once a week to weigh in, and that is about it. It was fun to just relax for a little while and play some games. I used to be addicted to guitar hero, but now that I own it I rarely play it.


I'm counting down until Thanksgiving break. I was so calm and relaxed and not stressed at the beginning of the semester. These last few weeks have been horrible though. I have to write 3 papers and a group paper, 2 more tests, some quizes here and there, and 2 finals. I hope that is all! Then I will be all done for the semester.

Softball update: We had a game last Thursday. Went ready to play and the other team did not show up, so we won! HA We played a really good team last night and won!! It was a close game, and absolutely no thanks to me, we came through in the end. I currently have a black and blue shin on both my legs (one from playing catcher and catching the ball with my leg instead of the glove and the other from who knows what) and my butt is black and blue from attempting to slide like a week ago. It still hurts to sit. Sorry, probably TMI! There are 2 more games to make it through and then the championship.

Grad School?

Today, I registered for my last semester of college. That is really weird to say. I don't feel like it has been 4 years since I graduated. I have been pretty die hard about not going to grad school right away due to money and being tired of school, but the closer I get to the end, the more worried I get about being in the "real world". I have really been thinking about grad school lately. I'm just afraid that if I don't stay in school, I will never go back. I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do at this point, but I would eventually like to get my master's and possibly nurse practitioner.

Great Day!

What do nursing students do on the weekend...well today Rhonda and I started iv's on each other.

Then we went to day break for some studying, but we were obsessed with checking our email every 5 minutes because the list of students who made the ER/ICU class was to be posted today. We both got in!!! I was so nervous and excited to check the email, but now I am sooo relieved and looking forward to the class.

Then I went and jogged 3 miles without stopping. I nearly quit after 1 mile, but Rhonda pushed me.

Eating: A Chore

Remember when I said I don't really eat anymore? I think I figured out why. Today, I was at work, and during my 30 minute lunch break, I was able to consume my sandwich. I eat soooo slow. I used to be a speed eater, then got really sick for a few months, had surgery, and pretty much feared eating (because I spent 4+ months of my life vomiting) When I try to eat fast and keep up with other people, I feel miserable. Here is how slow I eat: Once when I went home, I went to Chili's with my family. I ordered the mini-burgers, the one with 4 mini burgers. I was working on the first burger when everyone else was done. Anyways, I don't really know what to do about this issue. I need to schedule a few hours into my life just to eat I guess!

Turbo Jam

At the beginning of challenge 3, I really wanted to buy this. I love the turbo kick boxing class at tech, but the class does not fit into my schedule well, so I wanted to buy this so I could do turbo jam all the time at any time. Kristi told me to wait a week, and really think about whether I really wanted to spend the money on this. I waited for over a month and could not stop thinking about it, so I finally ordered it. I also thought it would be beneficial during the winter months since I won't be working outside as much. I have worked out with the videos a few times and I am loving it. I even use the weighted gloves I got as a bonus gift. I feel legit when I work out with them HA. I'll let you know if I have any good results from this. I have been doing ok exercise wise lately, but my eating is still out of control. I either over eat way too much, or I don't eat at all. I have had a relapse of the Dr. Pepper addiction. And I have found myself skipping many meals lately, because I don't feel like eating anything I have or I just don't feel hungry. This is obviously not healthy, so I am working on it!

Day Break

I used to have to study locked up in my room or the library in complete silence. Not sure what happened, but now I live at the coffee shop. I go to Day Break way too often to get studying done and just to hang out sometimes. I am currently sitting in Day Break blogging too! This is a typical activity for me and Rhonda. This picture is from Wednesday morning when we got to the coffee shop at 7 AM to study for our test that day.

Acute Care

When I first started nursing school, I was not completely sure which direction to take. After working and clinical experience, I have fallen in love with the ICU. I like the acute care of it all, kinda crazy, but I love it! I have been in the surgical ICU and pedi ICU. I would like to go to MICU, BICU, and CICU, but who knows if I will get the chance. Next semester there is an ER/ICU elective available, which I really want to do, but bad news is that only 15 students can take the class. A little over 50 students have signed up to take the class. We had to get letters of reccomendation and the teacher will eventually choose the 15. So, I am praying that I get in the class because I really want to work in the ICU when I graduate, and this class will give me a good start on this. I should know next week whether I make it in the class or not. Until then, please pray!

Softball

November is National Blog Month, so I am attempting to post daily this month. Too bad my life is not that entertaining, but I will try to do this anyways. Rhonda is a softball all-star basically, and she plays on a co-ed intramural team at Tech. I started going to the games last semester and then eventually got roped into playing because I was always there and an extra player is usually needed.

I played softball for 8 years when I was younger. I haven't played for ten years. I have to use my student id to borrow a glove because I don't even own one, nor do I have cleats. The very first time I played, I made contact with the ball, and I thought my shoulder was going to fall off. I usually play catcher, and don't have to do much. Today, I had to play in the outfield. I actually caught a ball!! I need to work on my hitting though. I make contact, but it doesn't get very far!

Our team, the Hooligans, are in the play-offs. I will let you know how this goes!

Charity? I'll take it!

Weight loss = new clothes. Except I hate to spend money!! So, since the challenge started in April I have lost around 16 lbs, and I am wearing the same pants and clothes. I have bought nothing new. #1 reason I'm a broke college student #2 I could really care less that my pants are loose. When they fall off, maybe I'll be concerned. I told my mom about this issue in hopes of some new clothes, her response "you have a job, go buy some pants" Yes, I hate being an adult! People in class keep making comments about my baggy jeans, and one girl (who constantly complains about my baggy jeans) today said "you need new clothes, I have some old jeans that will probably fit you (a size lower than what I have now)and she said I could have them! How pitiful that people are tired of my baggy clothes that they will donate some clothes to me. But if they are free, I would be more than happy to have them! Hopefully they will fit, and then I will have some "new" pants!!

Game Day/Halloween

Every Saturday, I have the bright idea that I am going to study and catch up with life, such as sleeping in and working out. But then I usually either work or find "better" ways to spend my time, such as going to the Tech football games or watching the game on t.v. This Saturday, I wasn't going to go to the game after Tech got killed by A&M (which shouldn't have happened) and I just knew it would be the same beating all over again with KU, so why go, etc. I was going to be productive, get up early and work out and study. I slept in, went tailgating, ate too much, and went to the game. So much for plans. But on the bright side, Tech won!!

Afterwards, I got a little bit of study time in, and then I went to Nightmare on 19th street with Rhonda. This was a complete adrenaline rush/heart attack waiting to happen. Why did I do this to myself? I don't know. My heart rate was too fast for too long. Does that count as a workout? Here is the type of characters we encountered while waiting in line...it was worse inside...

Bootcamp, Aggie Run, & Richard Simmons

Cold weather has moved into Lubbock, so bootcamp has unfortunately been cancelled until the spring. We tried to find an indoor facility to hold the camp, but had no luck. Our last camp was last Tuesday, and since then, I have felt completely unmotivated to workout. I feel like I went into a workout depression once camp was cancelled.

Some of our bootcamp members met up on Saturday for the "Ambush the Aggie Run" It was either a 2 mile or 4 mile run. I had planned to run the 4 miles (which would be the longest in my life) but considering I hadn't worked out all week, I ate very bad, pretty sure I didn't have water on Friday, etc. I stopped at the 2 miles. I was bummed and then Marcia (the bootcamp coach) got on me for quitting. I realized the importance of steady training and taking care of your body (eating right and water)




Then it was rumored that Richard Simmons would be teaching a class at the Rec today. I didn't want to believe it since I had seen no annoucements about it etc. But I also didn't want to miss Richard Simmons if he was really going to be in Lubbock. I'm not sure how this got started, but word got out, because there were tons of people waiting for the Richard Simmons class. Turns out, the teacher dressed up as Richard Simmons. I was pretty bummed, but I stayed and at least worked out.

Do a lil dance!

I used to not be bothered by weighing in. I didn't put much thought into it, just got on the scale. My scale by the way is my wii fit. I do not have a real scale. The wii weighs you and then makes a sad little noise when you gain weight, and tells me, you are overweight (Based on BMI).

Well, a long time ago, for the first weigh in for the 1st challenge, I didn't get the results I wanted and I surely cried about it. Thats what the cheat card is referring to. Since then, I hate weighing in. I'm afraid to step on the scale. It usally isn't nice to me.

Like usual, I was dreading the scale on Friday. I was up at 4:30 AM for clinicals(gotta love nursing school) and I get on the scale. I wait for the wii to make its little sad noise, but it didn't. I lost weight. 3 lbs this week. This is my highest weight loss in one week ever, and I surely celebrated by doing a little dance on the scale! HA And my BMI is 25.3 now. I am almost out of the overweight category. Woo hoo! I am slowly getting there.

Struggling

After 7 weeks of this challenge, I feel like I have hit a wall. I started so strong this challenge and did everything the right way, and did not lie about my cheats, etc. This week, it all came crashing down. To start things off, I decided my water bottle needed a nice wash in the dish washer. Apparently, it was not dish washer friendly, so I lost my water bottle and have not done good water wise this week. I finally got a new one and got back on track today. Then I completely lost all self-control when it comes to eating. I have had way too many cheats this week. Actually, I think I have had the equivalent (or more...too afraid to actually look) cheats this week than I have had in the past 6 weeks. Why? I wish I knew. I used to say sugar is my drug of choice...withdrawals finally kicking in? It was a rough week, and each time I cheated, I felt bad and knew I shouldn't be eating whatever it was, but I just couldn't stop. This sounds ridiculous...but you get the point.

Exercise wise. I have stayed strong. Maybe too strong? For 7 weeks I have worked out 6-7 times a week (Ok..one week I only had 4 days) I just felt dead this week, but I made myself workout because when I stop, I usually stop for a few weeks. Finally on Saturday, I decided to sleep in, rather than run another 5 K. I just couldn't do it. My body definitely needed the rest.

We usually have boot camp on Sundays, but today it was cold and misting. Instead, I went to the gym with Rhonda and my boot camp instructor. DON'T EVER go work out with the boot camp instructor (aka someone at a completely different level than you) HA, I'm sure it was for my own good, and probably to make up for my awful week, but I really thought I was going to die. She had me running a mile, then on the treadmill on the highest incline RUNNING, then rowing, and running some more, and abs. I was praying, for my LIFE, because I really didn't think I was gonna be walking out of that gym. Again, I survived, I just need to be pushed. Hopefully I will have a better week. Week 8 here I come!

5K-Race for the Cure

I ran in the Race for the Cure today in Lubbock. I was thinking about all the Dallas beauties running!! I have walked a 5K before, but never jog/ran one. My goal this year was to run it. Before I started the challenge, I believe I ran one mile once in my life, and I thought I was going to die doing it. Finally, I had to get my mental game going, and I have been training ever since. I had Jillian (biggest loser) mentality for today...complete the race or die trying. Well, I finished the race, and felt great!

My bootcamp coach found me during the race and kept me going. She was yelling at me the entire way, by yelling I mean encouraging, it was a good thing, everyone was staring and laughing at us, but that's ok. A 5k is not a big deal to most, but it was for me, because I never ever thought I would be able to run one! During the last stretch, we played "the passing game". Marcia said you get a point for every person you pass. So, needless to say, I finished strong. Another bootcamp person ran the last stretch with me to push me too, I like how we truly encourage each other and have grown closer through bootcamp. I'm starting to realize I can do things, just took a little pushing to get there.

"The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail." Psalms 37:23

Diabetes Walk

Two more of my cheat cards:


My dad was diagnosed with diabetes a little over a year ago. He is overweight and we are just alike when it comes to eating bad food and not working out. When I was younger, I would say "well dad eats it" and that made it ok. After being in nursing school, I have definitely been more health conscious and after learning about diabetes I really went after my dad about his diagnosis. He does not want to listen to anybody about needing to eat right, exercising, etc. which really concerns me. So, instead of lecturing him, I thought maybe being an example and actually putting my words into actions might have a better effect.

Saturday, I went to the Diabetes 5K Walk in Lubbock. I have gone before, but this time it actually meant something to me.



So my family history is not very good, especially if I'm overweight. This is definitely motivating for me to lose weight. Saturday I got my blood pressure and blood sugar checked.

Fasting blood glucose: 81
Blood pressure: 104/78

I am thrilled with these results! I wish I knew what these were before the challenge, probably much higher. Maybe not, but I know losing weight definitely helps.

Weight loss since challenge #1: 13 lbs!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34

I haven't read this verse in a long time it seems, and I read it today and was reminded to get rid of all my worries. Within the past few weeks, I have started stressing over getting a job when I graduate, which is yes in about 8 months (240 days to be exact). On monday I was looking for jobs/internships in Lubbock, Dallas, Tyler, and Longview. My biggest worry is figuring out where I am going to be once I graduate. I am going to try not to worry about things, especially things so far away. I must trust in the future God has planned for me.

I only wanted a drink of water!

This morning I go to fill up my water container, and I have been buying these 2.5 gallon things of water so I don't go through so many water bottles.

This is what happens when I use water bottles...they end up lying around everywhere, all over my apartment, my car, my back pack, etc.

So, I go to open up this water jug, and somehow I pulled the entire cap off, and water starts spilling everywhere. Here is the result...

My First Triathlon!

I WATCHED my first triathlon today, and it was very motivating to get in shape. Rhonda (a beauty/one of my accountability partners) participated, and this was her first tri. I went and cheered her on, and she did great!


This is one of my cheat cards and running a marathon is also on my bucket list. After watching the triathlon, I definitely want to do one. It will be a long time from now and after much training, but I will do it. I am starting very slow, and my first test will be the Race for the Cure on October 3, a 5K. My goal is to run it without stopping!


This is me with Rhonda after the race. She did amazing for her first triathlon! And now she is gonna be kicking my butt into shape (she just texted me "Next year u will be doing it") Hopefully!

Surviving Boot Camp

I have been to boot camp twice now, and I am loving it! It is a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it!

Here is Marcia giving us some words of encouragement!


We are working so hard!


Staying strong!

Insanity

One of my old roommates is a hard core athlete. She does triathlons and all that stuff. Her and another guy decided to create a boot camp because she wants to be a personal trainer. It is called Insanity Boot Camp. The camp meets twice a week, and we are on teams. Each team gets points for how much they work out. So, I now have two accountability groups to keep me on track. They started a few weeks ago, but I was too afraid to do it, but Rhonda (a beauty) talked me into it and we went together. Here are some pictures of the trainers, I call them Bob and Jillian, but they are Matt and Marcia. They were taking pictures of us, so I should have some not so flattering pictures of me working out soon.

I'm a cheater...

I finally got a cheat. I got some frozen custard from Sheridan's and it was totally worth it! I had been thinking about it for many days and decided to wait until after weigh in, so I have a week to work it off!

Today was the first Texas Tech football game. I love football!! We went tailgating before the game, and I told myself I could use a cheat because it's week 2 and I had only used the one. But, I resisted. There wasn't too much temptation, but on a normal day, in my life before Tanna, I probably would have had at least 3 cookies and a brownie. That sounds soo gross now to say. But it's unfortunately true. Tech won 38-13 but our team has a lot of work to do to keep up with the Big 12 teams.

Skype

I can see and hear Kristi now on my computer!! It feels like we're back in Lubbock together! Ha, I knew my web cam would come in handy one day!

No means No!

This is something that Kristi always says and it rubbed off on me, so I know No means No. I think I want to be successful this challenge so much that I am afraid to cheat. I don't want to not cheat then go crazy in a few weeks and eat a whole cake. Who knows what I would do? But I also don't want to cheat because I don't want to realize what I'm missing. I am currently not having big cravings for sweets, but the idea of something sweet sounds good. I'm going to hold out a little longer because everytime I plan a cheat something usually comes up, so we shall see.

Also, with weekly weigh ins it is hard to cheat. Last challenge, I did the whole eat whatever I want for a week then work out like crazy for weigh in week and would loose what all I gained the week before. So, I am glad we have weekly weigh ins so I can't mess around and I have to be more accountable.

8 days down
0 cheats
10+ temptations
6 workouts
576+ oz of water

School starts tommorow...Anxiety started today

I think I have chronic anxiety when it relates to school. I put so much pressure on myself to make A's and I have always done this to myself for some reason, so I get super stressed when it comes to school. We even have a joke "What do you call a nurse that makes all C's...a nurse" (I know that's really bad, but we sure say it) I was looking at the syllabus for some of my classes and writing it in my planner, and I'm already stressed just looking at it. I keep telling myself I've survived 3 years of college and 1 of those was nursing school, so I can do this. But I'm still freaking. I have about 9 months till graduation. (Someone said 264 days) The countdown begins.

Oh, the Temptation!

Today was my first big challenge and struggle with sweets. You can take away fried foods and it doesn't bother me. But take away my sweets, and I don't know what to do, which is why I struggle so much with the challenge. I go into work today, and apparently the floor I work on is having a bake sale (must have missed that memo...seem to miss most of them) So, I am staring at brownies with icing, cookies of all kinds, and rice krispy treats, and all day long I am walking by them. I even eat lunch with a brownie right in front of me. I resisted! I drank my water, and resisted.

Little tidbit of water and nursing. Today, I really wanted to start an i.v. on myself and hook up a bag of normal saline so that I wouldn't have to drink water. Pretty sad, i know, but I did think it, how much easier that would be. I would never do that, FYI.

Tonight, I went to this BBQ/Campfire/hang out. It was kinda a back to school party. I ate a cheese burger with mustard only. Yes, I have changed from mayonaise to mustard. There were way too many sweets there. Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, cake, etc. I resisted. Then, we were sitting around the campfire and people started making smores. Challenge #1 I lost control with smores and ate like 10 smores in one week or something crazy like that. So, I was thinking can I eat two and call it one cheat, etc. All the rationalizing I do. I finally decided a smore was not worth a cheat to me. I resisted. I sat and held the chocolate for people (I love chocolate!) and didn't eat any.

I survived another day!

Strength

I found this Bible verse, and I thought it was really good for the challenge. Tanna has said that you can not do this alone, you need God's help. I definitely need God's help for this.

Last night I went to Paradigm, this is a worship service for college students every Thursday night. It was absolutely amazing. It is usually at FBC, but it was at the Allen Theater on campus last night to get new students to come. The theater was completely packed. It was nice to go and worship and pray about the challenge, upcoming school year, and life. I've been doing a lot of praying about what I should do with my life once I graduate. Where to go and what to do?? It is all in God's hands at this point.

What Would the Beast do???

The rest of my cheats were not placed in any order. I simply picked up all my cards and threw them together. This one happened to be #2, and it fits quite well. The beast, aka Tanna, started the challenge and she keeps us going strong. I don't think a day has gone by when I put some food in my mouth or say NO that I don't think of Tanna. It may be feeling guilty for using a cheat or overeating, or it may be Tanna would be so proud, I ate a salad or said no to that ice cream. So, I made this cheat to remind me to think about the beast and make the right choice.

Tanna, I am so thankful to have come across the challenge. I'm sure I'm one of your frustrating beauties because I don't always follow the rules, but I'm TRYING!! I really appreciate you sticking with us and constantly motivating us through emails. Not sure what I would do without you!

Cheats

This is my cheat booklet. It is on a key chain and ready to go! I plan on making a post for all 25 cheats I made and why I made them. I put this on top to remind me of the goal I set for myself this challenge. I have yet to meet my goal, so I really want to this time around. I also hate failing at things. So I want to give it my all!

It is day 2 and so far the challenge has been going great. I haven't had any cravings, but I realized I have to watch myself. I went into work last night, and I love the people I work with, but I feel like all they do is eat!! Every day there is a party for something! Which is great, unless you are trying to lose weight. So, I walk into the lounge and there is a big bowl of candy, bag of chips, cookies, etc. I instantly walked up to get a piece of candy, and then suddenly remembered NO, the challenge! I ate some strawberries and was just content. Watching nurses eat really makes me sick. If you asked me in high school the #1 reason I didn't want to be a nurse, I would have answered "They are all fat". Well, they aren't all overweight, but a good majority are. I worked the night shift and these nurses drank coke after coke and energy drinks and candy and they eat a full meal around midnight. I don't work many nights so I try to keep my schedule as much as possible. I ate dinner before I went to work, drank water all night, and had a granola bar around midnight, and I was just fine. I don't want to fall into these bad eating habits I see at work!! How am I supposed to educate a patient and tell them what to eat if I'm obese? I want to be an example for others...which will come later on another card.

Challenge #3

Challenge #3 begins today! I am ready this time. I have learned what works and what doesn't and basically I know just listen to the Beast and it'll be ok. I get pretty stubborn and like to do things my own way, but obviously my way of living and eating is not productive for weight loss. Challenge #1 was 6 weeks and I stuck with it and saw results. Challenge #2 was 12 weeks and I did what I wanted and didn't have much results. I lost less than during challenge 1 and had double the time! So, I am getting back on track. This time, I made cheat cards. Last challenge I couldn't keep up with them and ate way too many. So now I have cards to keep count and maybe even help me say no. They are filled with goals and reasons why I'm doing the challenge.

This is Kristi, a fellow beauty, and GREAT friend! These are our cheat cards!


This is our before picture with our challenge shirts, which I love!


I will try to stay updated more often and let you know how the challenge is going!

New Quote

"The only difference between successful people and others, is not the lack of strength, is not the lack of knowledge, but rather the lack of will"

I went walking today on campus, and I noticed this quote engraved into one of the buildings on campus. I have walked by this building hundreds of times since I started school here three years ago, and I never even knew there was a quote there. If I did, I didn't read it, or I didn't remember it. I noticed it right when I began walking, and I thought it was an amazing quote and fit with my weight loss goals. I have to have the will to lose weight to be successful. I can't say that I had the will when I first started this challenge.

I remember Kristi telling me about the challenge, and I was so excited and of course wanting to lose weight. I emailed Tanna to get things started and she didn't reply. She didn't get my email. In a way, I was glad. I gave up before I even started. All I was thinking was that I can still eat ice cream! Needless to say, finally got in touch with Tanna and got in the challenge. I think my first reaction was "Oh shit" (sorry for language, but it's the truth) For the first time I was trying to lose weight, but I was accountable to others. I couldn't just give up like I have always done when it comes to weight loss.

So, I have definitely struggled with the challenge, but I have stuck with it. I can't say I've done everything perfect, but I've done more than I ever have before. AND I'm sticking with it. I walked 3 miles today. My goal is to be able to jog the 5K in October (hopefully with all the beauties)

I have the strength, the knowledge, AND THE WILL TO LOSE WEIGHT!

Dreams

It has been a crazy week. We were supposed to have a test on Monday, but there were technology issues, so the test was moved to Wednesday. This was fine except that the next test was on Thursday (today). Needless to say, I got probably 10 hours of sleep in the past two nights. I took my test this morning, and then class was cancelled today! So I got home and went to sleep at 10:30 and woke up at 2:30. Then I ate lunch and wached t.v. for a little while. I fell asleep sometime during Oprah, surprising I know! Got back up around 6:30. So I definitely caught back up on my sleep today! Just hope I can go to sleep tonight. I laughed really hard about one of the dreams I had. I was eating a bag of animal cookies and had a whole container of icing that I was dipping them into. (Again, this was just a dream!) I feel like my body is having sugar withdrawals so now I'm dreaming about eating sweets! HAHA I dont' know. I wish we knew what our dreams meant. Are they a sign of our true desires? Is there any significance to them at all? Just wish we knew what they meant.

Do I need to use a cheat for dreaming about eating cookies with icing, a whole bag of cookies with a whole container of icing?! I was thinking when I woke up: there goes all my cheats! But thankfully, it was all a dream. Eating sweets in my dream could be a great thing, if that was the only place I would eat them!

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

We had guest speakers in class yesterday, and one asked this question. My first thought was go to medical school and be a doctor. I guess ever since I was little I wanted to work in the medical field, but the thought of doing two more years of undergrad, going through the process to get in med school, 4 years of med school, plus 4 year residency, uhhh that just seems soooo long. I still think about it and seeing as how i'm young and single and don't know what to do with my life, maybe I should do just that!

So this morning I got up to weigh myself. I was super excited because I went ALL out this week. Worked out daily, even got up at 6 AM. I ate probably 4 salads for meals this week and for those of you who don't know, I HATE vegetables. At least I used too. I am getting so much better and somewhat enjoy certain things. I probably ate 0 salads until age 20, no lie. I ate my fruits, drank all my water, all that good stuff. So, I weigh myself and lost 0.4 lbs since last weigh in, just enough to piss me off. I was so angry and wanted to cry. I immediately thought about this quote, and I was thinking if only I didn't fail at weight loss. I haven't failed yet because I haven't quit, but I wish I was more successful faster! I definitely need to learn patience and perseverence.

What I have learned/accomplished in 12 weeks since first challenge began:

1. I enjoy working out. It is a stress reliever for me and I feel so much better afterwards
2. I don't eat out every single day.
3. I think about what I put into my body
4. I like salads, tried broccoli and loved it, and I ate carrots, onions, tried
bell peppers, so expanding my vegetable horizon
5. I have had Sheridans (ice cream) twice. I used to have it 4-5 times a week,
again no lie.
6. I rarely drink sodas and usually if I do I will drink diet. I used to have about
as much as a large sonic drink very frequently, nearly daily
7. I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
8. No longer drink sweet tea, just regular tea and it is just as good
9. I don't drink the super bad drinks daily at the coffee shop anymore (like mocha
frappes, etc.) just plain coffee occasionally
10. Fried foods make me feel so bad when I eat them now so I stay away as much as
possible!
11. I could potentially help others change their lifes. People have noticed my
changes and want to know what I am doing so they can loose weight too. I want to be an example for others.

One Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest

We watched this movie for psych class. It was definitely interesting and thankfully the treatments they used in the past are no longer used today. This movie and all the stories I hear make me fearful of clinicals. I'm going to the Big Spring State Hospital so we shall see.

~My Best Friend Kristi~

So, I left out of my break the weekend Kristi came to visit me. She notified me of this, and I told her I would dedicate a post just to her. So here it goes. Kristi and her sister flew into Lubbock at 8:30 AM on the Friday I had my final exam for OB. I went to the airport as soon as I got done and picked them up. Kristi and I were placed to live together randomly my sophmore year at Tech. It turned out great and we have become close friends since! It was nice to reunite back in Lubbock. So while she was here we did some shoppping, eating, and swimming at the leisure pool. Then we got crazy and decided to drive back to dallas at 5 AM on Sunday morning! On my way back through Dallas, I stopped by and we went shopping at DOTS. Hopefully I will get to see her soon!

P.S. Kristi, I told you I would post this with title and all so I do expect tears!

Short Break and Back to Work

I had a week off from nursing school and got to go back home to see my family. I take it very easy while I'm there:

1. Visited with my family (spent 5 hours just talking to my grandma!)
2. Met up with some old friends (New coffee shop was just built and it was amazing and got to see lots of people)
3. Caught up on missed tv shows (My mom is nice enough to tivo them for me)
4. Read a book for fun!! (has rarely happened since college began)
5. We went camping (in an RV) which consisted of reading, watching movies, hiking, and swimming in the lake.
6. Took my dog running, swimming, and played fetch(I like to think he really enjoys me being home, he is about one year old and has way too much energy and could run all day non stop!)
7. Spent 4th of July with friends and watched fireworks
8. Went to the movies with my mom and watched The Proposal
9. Took my little cousins to the movies to see Ice Age 3
10. Did not eat so good, but maintained my workouts.

Bad news of going home. Seems like I am "cursed" The last 3 times I have gone home one of our dogs has died. We used to have 7 dogs which was crazy I know. But we are a dog family and treat them like family and 2 are MY babies! It has been really hard losing them so close together and so many at once. Even though we aren't having good luck right now, we got a new dog, a 5 month old yellow lab named Henry. So, hopefully all our dogs will be fine for a while.

Tommorrow I start my second summer semester: psychiatric nursing. We shall see how it goes. I will be very busy for the next two weeks but will try to post more often!

Nursing Update

Yesterday I finished my 4 week OB class! I really loved it and now don't know what direction I want to go with my life in regards to working. This video was a medication project we had to complete. It's pretty silly, but we had a drug that we wanted the class to learn because typically commercials are easy to remember. I think I will always remember making this video. It was SO fun and maybe one day I'll have the bloopers on here!



The seniors just graduated, and they are currently taking the NCLEX. I've heard of a few that failed and it makes me so nervous. To go through two years of nursing school and then not being able to pass the NCLEX. Ugh, I can't even imagine how that feels. I know you can retake it, but it still makes me crazy nervous! I guess I shouldn't stress over that yet. I still have another year, but I am the queen of worry and stress!!

So, I have been trying to get a nurse tech job for like the past month. I have been looking and most places weren't really hiring and I feel like I'm not the best candidate for the job. I worked at a movie theater during high school, and I currently have a job in childcare at FBC, but for the most part I have no REAL work experience and no nursing experience. So I was getting really discouraged and feeling like I was getting no where with nursing even though all you hear is "well you'll have a job". Well, I finally got a call this week and interviewed and got a job!!! I will be on an Ortho/Medical/Surgical floor. Hopefully I will get to see a variety of cases so I can learn lots! I'm pretty excited to begin and I will let you know how it goes!

The new challenge in my life: balance. I am trying to figure out how to balance God, family, school, friends, and health.

Leisure Pool

This is the new Texas Tech leisure pool. It cost a grand total of 9 million dollars. Great way to spend money right? So my freshman year we had the option to vote for or against the leisure pool. I voted against it. I would prefer a scholarship to further my education rather than spending millions on a pool, but that's just me! I still think it was a waste of money and a college campus does not need a leisure pool. But everyone's argument "all the other big 12 school's have one". So needless to say, the vote passed and the pool opened this summer. I finally went yesterday despite my arguments against it. It was a nice way to relax. Everytime I floated around the lazy river I thought about how my GPA is dropping another point! Overall, it was a good relaxing experience!!

Edit: I went back to the pool today. I even took a nursing book to attempt to study to make me feel better about being there. Studying didn't happen, but I had a great time. We even got in the lap pool and had some relay races to push ourselves. It was a nice little workout. Sad news...I got really sun burnt!

TURBO TIME

Here is a video of turbo time, a short segment from the cardio boxing class at Tech. This is my favorite workout class at Tech, and the teacher is great. He has SOOO much energy, and he acts like this for the whole hour class. It keeps me going! I also love Zumba, Step, Cardio Circuit, and Abs. This is the room where all the classes are. I am lucky to have such a great gym to go to for my workout needs.

100 Things

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!


1.Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland (World) 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept in an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitchhiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse (solar) 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language. 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chicken pox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a lawsuit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Read an entire book in one day.


I still have lots of things to do in my lifetime!!

Shop till You Drop!

I hate shopping simply because I do not have the money to buy things. One more year in college and hopefully that will be fixed to some extent. But, I still do not like to spend money on crap I don't need. I've been thinking about buying some stuff for a while and finally went out yesterday and bought it. I got new running shoes and an Ipod to listen to while exercising.

I know, I'm like 5 years behind everybody else. I always am! I've been told about Oasics shoes for a while now and finally got some. I'll let you know how they turn out. Then I got an Ipod Nano that I am trying to figure out. I couldn't even figure out how to turn the thing off! I don't know how I was born in the technology era because I definitely do not know how to work things. Speaking of technology, I was going to call the internet people today because my internet hasn't been working. Of course I turned the computer on and it worked today!! So exciting, yet FRUSTRATING!

I babysat two girls today, ages 5 and 7. I tried to keep them outside as much as possible because they are kids and need it, and I need exercise, but it was sooo hot! We managed to jump on the trampoline for a while. I ended up rubbing skin off my toes and they were bleeding. Don't really know how I managed that. Then we were playing hide and seek, and I was running away from them and completely busted it. I fell. I blamed it on the new shoes. But, I'm really just clumsy I guess. So I have a skinned up knee. All this to basically say, I did not feel 21 today.

Sorry this is such a long post, but I rarely have access to the internet (hopefully mine will keep working) so I don't get to update often. I had OB clinicals this week and loved it!! When I was little, I wanted to be the "doctor that delivers babys", then I wanted to be a NICU nurse, then a pediatric nurse, then a geriatric nurse haha. So, basically I don't know what I want to be, but I started off wanting to work with children. I felt like it would be too hard for me to deal emotionally with the loss of children, so thats why I moved away from that particular field. However, my first day of clinical I had to deal with a patient who lost her baby at 14 weeks. I just wanted to sit there and cry. I had to be strong for her, and hopefully I somewhat helped being there for her. That's all I can hope for. I was faced with the one thing I didn't want to experience, but I survived. The next day I got to see a birth and mom and baby were perfectly healthy and it was all wonderful! I LOVED the experience and could definitely see myself being a labor and delivery nurse, NICU nurse, or pediatric nurse or anywhere in between. Who knows, maybe one day I will be the "doctor who delivers babys" or maybe a certified nurse midwife (that sounds a lot better than going back to medical school!)

Fast Forward

I feel like my life is moving soooo fast right now. I am in a 12 day OB course plus 2days of clinicals. I like the thought that class will be basically over next Thursday, but I wish we got more clinical experience and I'm not sure how much of this information I am going to retain that I crammed in my head!

The second challenge started this Monday. So far I have been doing good. No cheats used yet! I have to work on my time management to fit workouts into my day! That has been my biggest struggle this week.



This is a picture from last weekend. I went to Carly's lake house (THANKS Carly!!!) and had a nice relaxing weekend. We spent time on the lake and of course I burned! It was nice to get to hang out with our Lubbock crew, it has been a long time since then.

House/Dog Sitter

Yep that's me! I'm house and dog sitting this weekend for my cousin. I'm keeping up with a great dane and a little dog, not sure what she is really. The house is standing and I have two dogs accounted for. Just have to make it one more day.

I weighed myself today. Did not have a successful week despite all the workouts I put in. It just really discourages me, and makes me wonder why go through all this when I'm not losing any weight. The first thing I wanted to do...eat ice cream. I am an emotional eater. I also eat when I'm bored. This is what I need to overcome. It has been easier from doing the challenge for a month now. I'm just going to keep going and hopefully will see results soon. I have come across some old pictures this week of me quite a few pounds lighter. It reminded me of why I am doing the challenge and showed me what I want to get back to.

Up a creek, without a paddle!

Yesterday my family decided to go out on the lake and go tubing for a while. I haven't been tubing since last year and it was tough! It takes a lot of upper body strength and it wore me out! But I had fun. Then we were driving around, and the boat stopped. We ran out of gas! We sat out on the lake until my uncle could come rescue us!

When I go out to the lake, I usually wear a boys swim suit for bottoms. I know, I know, my mom hates it too! She commented about it, and I told her the usual, I'm fat. I cover up my body with large clothing, large swimsuits, anything too large. After this, I thought well why don't I try on the women's board shorts I got last year that did not fit me (way too tight!)They actually fit!! So for the first time in a long time, I wore WOMENS board shorts to the lake. Next summer (maybe even by the end of this summer) I'll be wearing a bikini. Just wait!

I have been working out like crazy this past week. Or I at least stepped it up from what I was doing. Hopefully I will see some results soon! I was very discouraged in the beginning of the challenge. I wasn't seeing the results I wanted even though I gave up the food I basically live on. In four weeks, I'm seeing that this really is a lifestyle change. I'm loosing the weight in a healthy manner and feel good! I haven't had anything fried in nearly four weeks! AMAZING! I am still struggling with sweets. My four cheats: ice cream, brownie, cheesecake, chocolate cake. As I sit here typing this, I see the jar of M&Ms. I wanted some so bad. I even thought if I just had a few nobody would know. But I resisted yet again thanks to my fellow beauties! Hopefully I can stay this strong after the challenge!

FYI: I currently do not have a computer. I am working on that. I have to borrow one when I can. Hopefully I wil get my own computer soon and add pictures and fix this blog up!

First Timer

Hello Everybody! I am new to this whole blogging thing...I have been told for a while now that I should start a blog, and as I sit stranded at my aunt's house I decided that maybe I should start one. Hopefully I can get everything set up soon and get it all figured out! A little bit about me...I am about to start my senior year at Texas Tech University HSCATP School of Nursing (yes, that is way to many words and I always have to sign all of them) One of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog is because of a challenge I am in. It is a 42 day weight loss challenge with no fried foods, sweets, lots of water and exercise. I have been following this for 3 weeks now and still hanging in there. The challenge will probably extend much longer for me because I need a lifestyle change!