Hey All!!

Today I got all set for my weight loss challenge.  If you are interested in checking out my progress I will update the "Challenge Log" page with all that information.  

I believe that I am truly ready to get this weight off.  I have worked out everyday this week and am excited to workout more.  I went to the grocery store today to get my food for the week.  I will be working on that day by day.  My first goal is to limit take out to once a week.  We will see how that goes.  I have also decided to limit after 9pm snacks to fruit only.  I picked up some bananas and apples to help with that.  Tonight I was SO close to just grabbing a bag of chips.  But I grabbed a banana instead.  Progress.  

This post will be short since it's pretty late and I have to get up early for a friend's wedding.  I'm really excited about this event and can't wait to share it with you tomorrow.  

Anyway.  Till tomorrow....

Hey all!!

A couple days ago, I was doing some random surfing and decided that I needed to beef up my Chrome.  So, I pulled up the Chrome Web Store to see what kind of apps they have.  They have a lot of the apps you would find on your Android or iPhone like Angry Birds or TweetDeck.  But one app that I found to be interesting was the Weight Loss Wars app.  It's an app that connects you with a community of people who create and participate in weight loss challenges.  The challenges can be either private or public.  What an interesting concept.  Especially if you're like me and you're pretty much working out alone.  

It was really easy to register on the site and everything seems pretty straight forward.  You can either create your own challenges or you can join challenges that may or may not have a fee required.  In your profile you can journal your progress.  You can also submit and collect recipes.  There are also different calculators to help you figure out your BMI or calorie intake.  

I was checking out the different public challenges and there is one in particular that I have been keeping my eye on.  When I first found it there were 8 days until start date.  Now there is only 1 day.  The fee to join the challenge is $30 and you get a share of the big pot if you lose 10% of your body weight in the disclosed time frame.  It's just a little over 3 months.  

I keep thinking that it would be a good idea.  But I also have my doubts.  I do like competition though and I don't like to lose.  This may be exactly what I need to get my butt back into gear.  I have worked out everyday this week so far.  And I was already working out on a pretty regular basis. 

You know what?  I'm going to do it.  Why not?  What have I got to lose?

OK.  Yeah, I'm doing it.  I will blog my progress in the Challenge Log page.  I think this will be good.  Now, if anyone is actually reading this, your encouragement with comments will be greatly appreciated.  :D  I will get it all set up in the morning.  I will weigh in and take my "before" pics (oh my).  I'll also set up my calendar to remind me of weigh ins and I will set up a countdown.  

I think this will be fun.  I will still continue my Shape Challenge as well.  I actually really need to kick that into gear.

So, I'll let you know how it all sets up tomorrow.  Till then!!!

Hey everyone!!

So, if you noticed there is an actual title to this blog rather than just what day it is.  I have come to the conclusion that maybe I should blog about something specific each day instead of telling you what I did that day.  I'm thinking that maybe my days aren't really as interesting as I first imagined.  :D

Today I got my first pair of contacts.  Yes, I am thirty years old and have not worn contacts until literally today.  And I must say, "WHY HAVEN'T I DONE THIS SOONER?!?!?!"  As soon as the doctor put them in my eyes I was completely amazed.  I could see with no problems at all.  No trying to adjust any nose pads or making sure I was secure behind the ears.  Nor did I experience any weird feelings in my eyes or headaches.  I have been wearing glasses since fourth grade.  Heck, I have been wearing my last pair of glasses for the past seven years!  

As you can probably tell, this change is a long time coming.  And they are amazing!  I rode my bike to campus today and when I turned to look behind me I had complete peripheral vision.  While I was working out, I was able to do exercises that required me to learn forward without having to make sure to catch my glasses before they slide off my nose.  I don't have to push up my glasses to face (although I catch myself doing it still).  I can wear sunglasses!!!  I haven't ever bought sunglasses because I'm really blind.  But now I can get some.  I think I will shop for some tomorrow.  I'm super psyched!  :D

Because of wearing contacts I decided that I should start wearing eye makeup.  So, I put some on.  But now, I'm thinking that I should go get my eyebrows arched.  They grow a little weird and they are kind of thin.  Since, I wore glasses I just kind of ignored them.  But now I'm very aware of them.  Getting those fixed tomorrow.  And, instead of studying, I decided to try out my new hot comb and try out straightening my hair.  Let's just say it was an adventure and that I should either keep practicing or just hire a professional.  

All in all today was a pretty adventurous day for me.  You're probably thinking, that's so pathetic.  But as you get to know me, you'll see that I'm very easily excitable.  This I cannot help.  I take lots of pleasure in the little things in life.  

Only thing left is once I get off work, hopefully I'll be able to get these out for bed.  I guess we'll see how that goes.

Till tomorrow....

Today has been quite uneventful.  Went to lab.  Didn't make it to the gym in time for class, so I ran in the neighborhood.  Man, street running is much more challenging than track running.  I ran/walked 1.19 miles, according to my "Find Your Route" app.  I like this app.  It creates a route for you depending on how many miles/km you set.  It will also give you audio directions on top of you music while you run.  I really like this feature of the app.  My only thing was that I didn't look at the route before the run to get an idea of where I was going.  So, I just ran and got confused when it said, "wrong way".  I will definitely try the app again tomorrow.

Today in Sociology, we had a guest speaker talk about Ozark Food Harvest.  It was a very good and inspirational talk.  It really made me want to see what I can do to help this organization.  We have to do a community project for my class anyway, so I may see what I can do for the Food Harvest with this project.

After class, I made my way to the Student Union.  I was STARVING!!!  I haven't been feeling well and figured that I could use some food.  I picked up some Chinese but still did not feel very well.  I think I may be getting a cold.  Most of the kids in my lab have runny noses and little coughs.  Yuck!  I sat around in the Union until my SGA (Student Government Association) meeting.  This meeting was interesting.  We talked about the plus/minus grading system and what can be done to change it.  We will vote on this resolution next week.  I was glad that the meeting was not too long.  Sometimes these meetings can go very long.

Once the meeting was over I decided to just go home.  I was going to go to the library to study, but I was really not feeling well.  So I went home and took a nap.  

Now, I am at work.  Still feeling miserable.  Eating Halls and will pick up some cold/allergy medicine on my way home.  Hopefully, this does not develop into something super gross.

Till tomorrow....

Hey Everyone!!

I know it's been a couple of days.  Well, I usually try to blog while I am at work and Thursday night I went to Katy's Bachelorette Party (part 1).  Also, this weekend was President's Day so I went to St. Louis to chill with family and friends.  So, unfortunately, I kept forgetting to let ya'll know what all was going on.  Well lets recap....

Thursday.  Totally regular day with classes and a work out that kicked my butt.  Thursday night Lindsey, Katy, and I went out to celebrate Katy's last weekend as a single woman.  I'm gonna say it... WE GOT WASTED!!!  It was college night at Bubbles and the special was 2 for $1.50 wells.  Bad idea.  We drank cranberry vodkas all night.  I had about 8.  After Bubbles we went across the alley to Zan.  Another bad idea.  When I'm drunk I love to dance.  With anyone.  This guy stopped me as I was crossing the dance floor and we started to dance.  Let's just say that from this point on, I don't remember much.  I actually blacked out.  Never happened before ever.  Lindsey came on the floor to tell me that she was taking Katy outside.  I was like "OK!"  My dance partner asks if we can talk outside, since it's so loud, and I'm like "sure."  When we get out there he keeps walking and next thing I know we are in his truck headed to my house.  We have to stop multiple times for me to vomit... gross.  I was totally messed up that night.  We got to my house, Lindsey and Katy get me out the car.  That is all I remember.  Lindsey tells me later that "we got you in the house and you just plopped in your bed.  We had to move you onto your side and get you a waste basket to throw up in.  You kept saying you were sorry.  Like every couple seconds."  I only remember waking up later on that night wanting to brush my teeth and drink some water.  The night was a complete blur.  I will have to get all the detail from Lindsey and Katy and share later.

Friday.  Woke up with a hangover.  First ever.  I'm sure you don't believe me, but let me say, I do get drunk at times.  But Thursday night was the drunkest ever.  And I had to make up a lab at the Child Development Center.  Such a bad idea.  I couldn't run with the kids outside for fear that I would start vomiting.  Inside, it was a little bit better.  I looked for the kids that were doing the least and hung out with them.  After lab, I went home, ate some lunch, then packed up my car and headed to St. Louis.  Once I got to my parents house, I took a nap.  I woke up to Fernando calling to see if I wanted to hang out.  We met up and had dinner at the City Diner on Grand.  Afterwards, I headed home and crashed.

Saturday.  Totally slept in.  Picked up Marissa and Lorna and headed to Chesterfield Mall.  We just walked around.  I ran into my sista Stephanie at Victoria Secrets and we chatted for a bit.  I miss her a lot.  She was my party buddy while she was at school.  After the mall, we headed to Applebee's for some eats.  I just ate an appetizer since I knew I was meeting Fernando for dinner.  I met with Fernando after dropping my friends off and we made our way to the southside to see about Mardi Gras.  By the time we got there it was pretty much all closed up.  We decided to check out the Landing and once we got close we realized where everyone had gone.  The Landing.  It took us a little while to find parking but once we did we had the perfect spot.  We parked facing an alley that led to Big Daddy's.  For a while we just sat in the car just watching people stumble around making up the conversations they were having.  Then I got hungry for pancakes.  So we left for Uncle Bill's Pancake House.  We sat there and ate for quite a while.  Whenever I go there it never seems to be just an eat and leave.  The service was great.  And I highly recommend going if you've never been.

Sunday.  I slept in.  Showered.  Then packed up the car.  I was heading out when I figured that since it was still early I would go ahead and get the much needed final new tire put on the car.  The wait?  2 hours.  OK.  Since there was a shopping center, I walked around a bit, got some lunch, then went back to the tire place to watch some TV and try to do some studying.  As I was getting restless, I realized that the car was done.  Yes!  Hopped in and headed back to Springfield.  

As you can see a lot did go on this weekend.  I'm sorry that I could not go into great detail for fear that this post would be too long.  And since it is SO long I will say "See Ya!'

Hey all!

Today has been quite an interesting day.  To start off I didn't really get out of bed until 11am.  My alarm went off at 8am but I just kept hitting snooze.  Hey, it was gray and raining.  It was perfect sleeping weather.  Anyway, after finally getting up, I showered and met up with my adviser for some lunch and chat about Gamma Sig. 

Since I just woke up I had no particular preferences and she suggested Thai.  Well, let me say I was super psyched because I have never had Thai food before.  I know, freakin' deprived.  We went to Thai Pepper, this cute little restaurant near campus.  We both ordered the Pad Thai spicy.  And boy was it good.  It was super good.  I wish I had thought to take a picture of it.  Amazing.  Anyway.  We just chatted about what was going on with the sorority and other random things that are going on in our lives.  After a lovely lunch, we headed back to campus. 

After departing my adviser, I went to the library to finish up an assignment for my evening Psychology class.  I would have normally done this at home, but my lap top is acting crazy.  While there my crush arrived.  Yes, I have a crush.  And let me say, he is SO hot.  I didn't initially see him.  He saw me first and came up to say hi.  Like I can't even remember like how I ended up with his hand in mine.  I guess we did a handshake or something?  Who knows.  All I know is that it seemed to linger.  But it could be just because I like him it just seemed linger.  Since I was sitting I was just looking up at him, like, wow you are so sexy.  But I have to snap out of it.  First off, he's too young.  Second, he's my brother's friend.  Crushes suck.  Anyway, I let him know that I had dropped off some cake at my brother's house and that he should go and have some.  He said he would and left. 

Once I was finished with my assignment I headed over to the gym to work out.  I really just wanted to run and it was still kind of raining so I thought I would just use the treadmill.  Bad idea.  Once I got there it seemed that everyone had decided to workout at the same time.  All the treadmills were taken, and they pretty much had just gotten there so the wait would be a while.  So, I went into the cycle room and jumped on a bike.  I think I was on for like 15ish minutes before I became completely bored.  I was getting warm but I did not want to be there.  I then decided to just go ahead and run the track outside.  Stop being a pussy and just run in the rain.  Who cares. 

Well once I get outside it was no longer raining.  Awesome.  So I make my way to the track and start running.  I did pretty good.  I ran 1.5 miles.  Well most of it.  I probably walked .25 of it off and on.  I was really proud of myself.  What I was not happy with was the app I was using.  I want to eventually run for an hour non stop.  But the app I was using wouldn't let me pick my music.  It just played what it wanted.  Then, at the times were I was supposed to walk (but didn't) the music stopped playing.  First, I am going to find another app.  Second, I'm going to try running in the neighborhood.  The track is starting to get boring itself.  I need things to run towards and new scenery. 

After my run, I headed home for a quick shower and get ready for class.  Here is where things kind of start to go a little out of it for me.  First I lose my keys.  I have no idea where they are.  All I know is that I had them at the gym and now I do not.  Guess what.  I have no spares.  It's my house key, my mom's house key, and the car key.  Since I ride to class with my roommate anyway, I ask her if on the way back we can stop at the gym so I can check if they are there.  Then we head to class. 

Now, this psychology class is about death and dying.  And let me say that our Professor is, well, interesting for a lack of a better word.  I can't even really explain how she is.  All I can say is that the "bitch is crazy".  Like crazy crazy.  I wish I could just video tape her or something so I could show you how crazy she is.  Like it just wouldn't make sense if I explained it here.  I'll have to find a way.  I need to share her crazy.

After class we head home first stopping at the gym.  I walk in the first floor and ask if they found any keys.  Nope, no one has seen any.  I go ahead and go to the second floor, where the gym actually is, and they do not have the keys either.  Now, I am freaking out.  All I keep thinking is that I will have to call a locksmith for the car.  I have to find the keys.  Where could they possibly be.  Are they by the track?  Well, it's too dark to check.  I will have to wait until tomorrow.

We get home and our other roommate, Katy, and her fiance, Mike, have made dinner for everyone.  I don't know what it was called but it was delicious.  We ate and chatted and then cleaned up the kitchen.  I head to my room to get ready for work and I look through my bag again to see if my keys are there.  Nothing.  Then, I get a phone call.  It's Juli.  "Tina?  Are you on your way to the meeting?"

"Holy crap!!  I totally forgot!!"  I had an executive board meeting and I was late.  I wasn't even on my way there.  I had completely forgotten that I evenhad a meeting.  I haven't missed a meeting in a LONG time.  Like I don't even remember the last meeting I missed.  It may have been last year!  Or later.  Remember, that I am the President of the sorority.  How could I have forgotten a meeting?  Juli assures me that the meeting is pretty much over and not to worry about coming.  No one had anything really major to talk about.  I can take a look at the minutes when Devon emails them.  I apologize and hang up. 

I am completely out of it.  Like I can't believe that I lost my keys AND forgot a meeting.  To anyone who knows me, this is not me at all. 

So, I start to pack my bag with some homework.  I set my bag on my computer chair and bump it as I walk out the room to head to the kitchen.  In the kitchen, I grab some raisins and fruit snacks and walk back in my room.  "You've got to be kidding me!!!"  I said this loud enough for the whole house to ask me "what's wrong?"  I found my keys.  They were in the side mesh pocket of my school bag.  The same bag that I had been carrying all day.  The same bag that I had opened and closed over and over again looking for the keys. 

I was done.  I couldn't believe the end of day I was having.  I don't even think that I am really stressed out at all.  My class load isn't bad and I'm only in two organizations this semester.  I think I need this coming weekend to let my brain be on vacation.  I think I need to go out tomorrow night, for my roommates bachelorette party and get wasted.  I told my friends, at work, that maybe I need to start taking vitamins or something.  This all just seems unacceptable to me.

But you know what?  The day is over.  Hopefully, I won't screw up as royally tomorrow.

Hello Everybody!

Today was supposed to be a lazy day.  It snowed.  I'm not really a fan of snow.  Mostly because I'm not a fan of the cold.  I see snow, I know it's cold outside.  When do I like snow?  In pictures.  That's it.

I initially had no intention of even leaving the house, except to come to work.  I didn't even go to class today.  It wasn't cancelled from what I could tell, but I didn't want to go outside.  Not a very good example to set, but hey, I haven't missed a class until today.  What got me outside, you ask?  My phone.

I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I have been having issues with my phone.  Since Friday, my phone would periodically not accept any phone calls or text messages for hours.  Then I would get flooded with them.  I couldn't even dial out sometimes.  So, to the Sprint store I went.

I told them my issues and gave them the phone.  They said "about 2 hours" and I said "fine."  I walked out the store and headed to Best Buy to walk around.  I wasn't really looking for anything, I just didn't know where else to go.  I guess I could have went to the mall but there are WAY too many temptations there.

After Best Buy, I went to Aldi's to pick up some cheese.  I absolutely adore Aldi's.  Their food is cheap and super fresh.  No, they do not have name brand stuff, well sometimes they do.  But their brand, to me, tastes just as good if not better.  Everything is so fresh there because they don't over stock too much.  And since so many people come to shop there they are always setting out new food.  I don't let anyone down talk Aldi's.

Anyway, I went back to the Sprint store and they told me that my phone was "not sending or receiving signals from any of the towers."

"What?!"

"Yes.  The phone's frequencies were bad."

"Nice."  So, they gave me a new phone.   Thank goodness for insurance.

I headed home and decided that I would watch some lectures from my iCourse (telecourse) and get some studying done.  I hooked my laptop up to the TV, got my notebooks, glass of water, sharpened pencils, and sat on the couch.  I pulled up iTunes to watch my lecture and.... no video just PDF transcripts of the video.  You've got to be kidding me.  I turn on Hulu Plus and watch an episode of "Grimm".  So much for studying.

After "Grimm" Lindsey called me to see if I wanted to get some Steak n' Shake for dinner.  Sold!  Put on my boots and sweatshirt and was ready to go.  I ordered the chili cheese dog with cheese fries and a chocolate covered strawberry shake.  As you can tell, I am definitely NOT on a diet.  Although, Ireally should do something better about the way I eat.

"I'm going to the library."  Is what I told Lindsey when she dropped my off back at the house.  "Right after my nap."  Is what I said after she left.  I was super tired after eating all that food.  I know sleeping is not the thing to do but man.  I was tired.  I overslept by an hour but still had time to get set before coming to work.

At least at work, I have been productive.  I printed out the transcripts and I found the lectures and have been downloading them.  I printed out PowerPoint slides for other classes and submitted my assignment that was due today, for the class I skipped.  I checked email.  Ate a snack, strawberry Greek yogurt.  And now, I'm working on this post.

Tomorrow, I will be ready to be productive and get some studying done.  Promise?  Nope, can't promise.

Till another day....