Workouts?

If you haven't noticed I have been slacking in the workout department lately.  I wasn't feeling the greatest with my cold and I decided to wait to start the new 30 day challenge this week.  Monday I decided to skip my workout in order to study because I thought I had a test Thursday and still had some reading and note taking to do (I found out Tuesday it was pushed back to next Thursday).  Then Tuesday I came home after class and was too tired to do anything.  Brad has been home sick with a fever, so I put together a simple chicken soup for him, snuggled for a half hour and then went to bed early. Last night I came home and planned on studying, but I watched a movie with Brad and did a little review. See a pattern here?  LAZY!  Actually, it was quite nice to take a little break from studying to enjoy some quality time with my honey.

Since I have been a little lazy/sick/busy and it is the beginning of March, I decided that I would wait to start the February challenge on Monday.  I know I am a month behind, but this way I won't have to wait for them to post the new workouts and I can plan my weeks accordingly.  I am still going to incorporate the P90X legs and arms into my workouts on the weekends and will start that this weekend.  I have been pretty lazy about that as well, so I really need to step up my game.  It's hard for me to want to workout when I am in classes because I feel guilty and think I need to use that time for studying, but the truth is, working out will help with my studies and make me feel better.  Plus they are short and intense and there really is no excuse to skip. 

Next week I am also challenging myself to go a whole week without sugar and to cut back on carbs. I have been slacking in the diet department lately as well, so I need to get back on track.  I don't eat a lot of sugary items to begin with, but I want to challenge myself to really pay attention to the things I do eat and to make better choices. The bad part is, I'm starting this just about the time for the Girl Scout cookies we ordered from my sister get here. :o(  I will have to hide some in the freezer for later.  :D

Catching up

Things have been a little hectic lately and I haven't been in my old routine the past few days.  I missed the High Five for Friday and I don't remember much about last week to post anything now!  I do remember that I finished my anatomy lab practical and got an A!  woo hoo!  I have a microbiology exam on Thursday, anatomy quiz on Friday and the exam next Wednesday, and then a microbiology lab exam next Thursday.  I am going to be busy busy busy studying this upcoming weekend. 

This weekend was nice and relaxing even though I wasn't feeling well.  Friday and Saturday we hung out and of course I studied quite a bit.  I managed to make some really good banana bread, and tried a home made sloppy joe recipe that turned out awesome!  There were sooooo good!  I found it on allrecipes.com and added a couple of the suggestions found in the comment section - vinegar and chili powder.  The recipe calls for only a 1/2 pound of beef so I had to quadruple the amounts, but I basically just added the ingredients to taste.  I also browned the beef with onions and black pepper and i I had it, I would have added green pepper to the mix. 

 Sunday was the big day of house hunting.  First we took Brad to look at the house in South Hutch and even though we like it, there are still some things we don't like.  We then went to the other house that we both really liked from the pictures. The description of the house is not very accurate, and the pictures make it look a lot nicer than it really is -it needs a lot of work.  Apparently the guy built it himself making a lot of mistakes and not finishing quite a bit of stuff.  The basement wasn't completely gutted and there was mold present.  There is no way the house would get approved for a loan, but with all the little things that would need to be done and who knows what mistakes he made building the place, I wouldn't want to buy it even if we had cash.  I wouldn't mind fixing the place up if would have been built right to start with, but it is pretty much a mess.  We have been discussing finding a lot and building a house, then we can have what we want and not have to worry about fixing anything up.  The problem there is finding a lot that is in an ideal location.  Until then, the hunt continues!

Newsletter

Our receptionist and HR lady put together a monthly newsletter that highlights some history of the Foundation and features an employee interview.  This month is my turn.  I thought it would be fun to post the interview Q & A and my photo that I submitted.  Enjoy!

1.     Where were you born/are you from? 

      I was born in Havre, Montana and grew up in the very small town of Roy, Montana.  I moved to Malta, Montana the middle of my sophomore year and that is where I graduated from.

2.     Tell me about your family.

      I am the oldest of 4.  I have a full sister, Jessica -25 , who has two children and lives in Bowman, North Dakota, along with my half-sister Jamie- 19, my half-brother Ty –22 and my mom, Nita.  My other half-sister Angel -22 lives in Montana and was married last summer. My dad, Dennis, lives in a small town in Illinois. I have been married to Brad for three and a half years and have a stepson, Bowdrie, who will be 12 in April.

3.      Where have you lived? Which place is your favorite and why?

       I have lived in Roy and Malta, Montana, Los Lunas, New Mexico, Tucson, Arizona and Hutchinson, Kansas.  Tucson is my favorite place because I loved the weather and the atmosphere.  It really IS a dry heat!  My favorite time of the year was monsoon season, where every afternoon between the months of July and September it would just pour rain.  Rain in the desert is probably one of the most amazing things to watch. The other reason is Eegees- the best sub sandwich shop EVER!    

4.      What is your favorite hobby/pastime?  I love to crochet, it’s very calming for me and I love creating new things. My favorite thing to crochet is an afghan.  I love blankets and there is just something cozy about crocheting an afghan, especially in the winter.

5.     What is your favorite book/movie? 

      This changes depending on my mood, but I would say any book by Stephen King.  I love how descriptive he gets even though it can make the book a little boring,  I love how he can solidify a picture in my mind so it’s like I’m watching a movie, that and I love a good creepy storyline.

6.     Did you have a job as a teenager? 

      I briefly worked as a waitress at The Mustang restaurant and bowling alley my junior year. 

 

7.     Who or what influenced you to choose your career path? 

      I would have to say my stepmother, Tess, had a big influence.  I remember a conversation we had, and at the time I was in middle school or a freshman in high school and wanted to go to law school.  She told me that she could see me doing big things, like stand in front of Congress debating an issue.  Even though I have changed career paths and now pursuing medicine, I always think back to that time and push myself to do something meaningful.

8.      What do you like best about your current position? My favorite part is the people I work with and the things we accomplish as a team.  It’s nice to know the work I am doing is making a difference in someone’s life.  

 9.      What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?

      My interview to KU Medical School.  Even though I was not accepted, it taught me a bit about myself and perseverance. That experience really made me think about my life and what direction I want to go moving forward, and to me that was rewarding.  

10.    If you didn’t have to work what would you be doing? 

        I would go to school full time.  I love learning!

 

 

February 30 Day Challenge!

It's another month and time for another challenge!  I really need to start these things at the beginning of each month.  :o)  Here is the fit test on Bodyrock.tv:  



They are adding in a diet challenge portion as well and I hope to stick to it as much as possible. This is the area I could really use some improvement on and know that if I actually stuck to it I would see a big difference.

I started this on Monday, but didn't get around to posting it until today.  My numbers were a little below my fit test for the last challenge, but it has been a week since I really did anything.  I think a little cold virus has snuck up on me and I didn't really feel like working out last night after class.  I decided to take it easy and went to bed early.  I will be doing this workout tonight though:



This routine is a pyramid routine where you start at 10 reps for each exercise, then move down to 9 reps, then 8, etc.  I haven't decided if I want to make up a workout since I missed Tuesday's, or just stick with this one for tonight and make it up this weekend.  I don't want to tire myself out and end up feeling worse, so I might just stick to one workout tonight. 

Weekend Update

This weekend was quiet and full of studying.  Brad stayed out on the road and worked all weekend, so I had the house and the books all to myself.  I really missed spending time with him, but since we are trying to buy a house and he was down for a week, it was something that had to be done.  He is a very hard worker and I love that he is willing to do what needs to be done when it would be so easy to come home and relax. 
I have a quiz today and a lab practical tomorrow, both in anatomy and I feel ok about them.  The quizzes aren't too hard, and I really hope I know enough for the practical.  It's so hard to know what it will be like until I'm there and either sinking or floating, but I have been going over everything we have learned up to this point and I think I'll be fine.  I'll just be glad when tomorrow morning is over.  :o)

I went and looked at a house this weekend, and absolutely love it.  It is a lot bigger than the pictures make it look and there is only a few things I would change, but it's just cosmetic stuff.  While I was talking with our real estate agent, she gave me some more listings and there IT was.  Our DREAM house, and perfectly priced.  I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one, and I am not going to say much more about it until I find out if we even stand a chance to get it.  - It's gorgeous!!

My Target boots finally arrived this weekend and I was so excited I had to try them on, and of course my pants were too long. I have been meaning to hem them for some time, and these boots were my inspiration.  I used the tutorial from Do it Yourself Divas blog and they turned out perfect! I should have taken pictures... maybe I will do that tonight when I get home.  I had to hem about five pairs.  :o)

High Five for Friday

It's Friday!

My favorite things from this week:

1. My Valentine's Day flowers.  I have the bestest husband ever.

2. A night of (brief) relaxation.  I took Tuesday night off from studying and watched Pitch Black - it was marvelous. 

3. I have an appointment to look at a house tomorrow.  I really like it from the pictures, but there are a few cosmetic things I would change.  The basement needs to be finished, but I already have so many ideas for it!  Brad is not real crazy about it because it is in town, but right now it is the only house on the market that I like and is in the areas we are looking at.  We are not in a hurry and it's only been on the market a couple of months, so if it sells before we decide if we like it or not, then so be it.

4. Surprising my sister - I bought her a small gift and sent it to her this week and it arrived at just the right time and made her day.  I don't get to spoil my sisters and brother like I used to, so I was happy to know that my silly little gift was perfect for her. 

5.  It's Friday!  Need I say more?

Swamped

I was bad and skipped Tuesday's workout - but I was tired from studying so much over the past couple of weeks, so I took a break.  I did do the workout last night - and it was killer!  I have a late class tonight so I will have another rest day.  I do plan to workout this weekend and will hopefully make up for my laziness.  :o/

I found out yesterday we are going to have a quiz in anatomy over muscles on Monday, which adds to the lab practical on Tuesday.  I have quite a bit of studying to do for the practical as we just went over the joints on Tuesday, but the rest will hopefully be review. I have finished reading the chapter for the quiz, but still have to condense my 13 pages of notes to one page, which my get a little tricky.  We started a new chapter in microbiology, microscopy and staining, and I will need to read and take notes over that as well.  Boy, I have a full weekend ahead of me! I can't believe that spring break is only a month away!