The summer I moved back home after college, I decided to keep track of all the books I read. Nerdy, I know, but its come in handy and I like having a list handy when I go to recommend books to friends (I've got two in particular that I'm always swapping books with.) Anyhoo, here is the list from the past 12 months, beginning November 2011!
**November 2011**
"Allison Hewitt is Trapped: A Zombie Novel" by Madeleine Roux
**December 2011**
"Seriously...I'm Kidding" by Ellen Degeneres
**February 2012**
"Midnight and the Meaning of Love" by Sister Souljah
"Breaking Dawn" by Stephanie Meyer
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
**March 2012**
"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
"The Vow" by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter
**April 2012**
"The Fame Game" by Lauren Conrad
**May 2012**
"Devoted" by Hillary Duff
**June 2012**
"Trust Me I'm Dr. Ozzy" by Ozzy Osbourne
**July 2012**
"50 Shades of Grey" by EL James
"Kiss the Dead" by Laurel K. Hamilton
"50 Shades Darker" by EL James
"50 Shades Freed" by EL James
**September 2012**
"Streetsmart" by Nicholas Coleridge
**October 2012**
"My Sister"s Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult
All in all, a pretty slow year for reading. I have a stak of 10 books next to my bed that are a daily reminder I should be reading more, I just didn't have the time this year! Oh well. If any of you have questions, please let me know! I'm always happy to give a book recommendation....<3
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Happy August 1st!
I always say I'm going to write in here more often...and of course four months roll by and here I am saying it again. I can honestly say SO MUCH has happened since the last time I wrote. The last time, I had just completed another mud run...the Warrior Dash. And I had two more lined up, the Earth Day Eco Run in Ventura and the Color Run in Irvine, as well as one scheduled for May....the Hero Rush.
Well, the Eco Run was my first run with the lovely Jennie Hannon. It was strictly 5k, no mud or obstacles, so a little different than I was used to. That happened to be around the time it was raining quite a bit, so we were a little nervous we would get rained out, but no. Aside from the biting wind, it was actually a lovely day. Freezing, but lovely. We stayed together and I made a new friend. And I also got the lowest bib number I think I'll ever have, so that was actually pretty awesome.
Then, two weeks later, I completed the Color Run in Irvine. This was interesting and also strictly a 5k, but with a fun twist....there were 5 color stations throughout the race where we were bombarded by people throwing colored flour at us, so we started with nice white shirts and ended as colorful messes! That one was actually really fun and interesting. At the end there was a big color party where we all opened a package of the stuff and ended up in a huge cloud of...well colored flour! Haha, very fun.
So the goal I had in mind with all these races was to do a 10k by the end of summer and a half-marathon by the end of the year. I never really stick to a training schedule and since we had been doing so well with at least one 5k a month, I really thought a half-marathon was going to happen. Well, as many of you may know, April was an eventful month for me. At the end of the month, I went to Stagecoach for the second time. Honestly, I should not have fought so hard to go. It just felt like everything was an obstacle, from buying the ticket, to getting time off work, to getting a ride there and back. It just felt like such a struggle and in hindsight, I think the universe, or God, was trying to tell me, "Hey, maybe this isn't such a great idea after all." Wellthe second night there, I woke in the middle of the night to use the facilities, since I have the bladder of a two-year-old, and well, had a bit of an accident. No, not that kind. I was sleeping in the upper bunk of an RV and had to climb down a ladder. My right foot touched the first step, my left foot touched the second, and then somehow I missed the third. Realistically, it shouldn't have been that bad. That's four, maybe 5 feet from the floor. But in such cramped conditions, I slid down the ladder, lost my balance, and the folding table broke my fall. My first thought was, "OMG I BROKE MY NECK!" But quickly realized this was not the case. I took a few seconds to mentally assess the damage. The table was most definitely broken, but I could wiggle my toes, my fingers, move my arms, and all that. So, feeling incredibly stupid, I start to pick myself up and WHAM! Shooting pain from lower back all the way up to my shoulder. Gingerly, I shuffled into the bathroom where I noticed some blood on my toe. I cleaned it up as best as I could in the middle of the night, wrapped a paper towel around it, and went back to bed. At that point, really, there wasn't much I could do.
I awake the next morning and immediately know there's something wrong. I lift my head up to peek at my foot and the pain from the night before intensified and shot all the way down to my foot. The paper towel I had wrapped my foot in was soaked in blood and stuck to my foot. I somehow managed to climb back down the ladder and it looked like some low-budget horror film. Blood all over the floor in a trail to the bathroom, with the table having seen much better days. I really should have taken a picture but I was so embarrassed, I cleaned up my foot then cleaned up the blood! I went to a first aid station, got some anti-septic wipes and bandaids and just left it. I was limping all day because I couldn't put weight on it and I definitely knew I tore something in my back. Sitting was fine but sitting down or getting back up was excruciatingly painful. When i got home, my mom pointed out that my foot was swollen and I noticed a massive bruise cutting straight across my spine in my lower back. I think I was just embarrassed at the whole situation, so I opted not to make a bigger deal about it and refused to go to the doctor. I went to work the next day instead....in slippers....because my foot was too swollen to put a normal shoe on....
I realized halfway through the day that there was no way I could go on, so I left a little early to go straight to Urgent Care. I was informed that I had needed stitches, but apparently you're not supposed to wait nearly 48 hours to get those, so he had the nurse clean it really well and used some surgical tape to keep it closed. He gave me a foot x-ray but said nothing was broken, I had just bruised a bone. My regular doctor told me I had just torn a muscle in my back (really? JUST torn a muscle....ugh) and that everything would heal in time, I just had to take it easy. Fast forward to 5 weeks later and I was STILL wearing shoes that were a size too big (to accommodate the swollen foot). The 5-6 week mark I finally graduated to normal FLAT shoes (I am famous for my heels at work, so this was still heartbreaking for me.)
I did run that race in May, and was actually very proud of myself. I did have to push myself a little, but I'm terrified of having a back injury haunt me for the rest of my life, so I've taken it very slowly. And about 3 weeks ago I was finally able to put on those heels I love so much! I'm still alternating between flats and heels every couple of days, because my foot still has a tendency to swell up, but its getting much better. My back aches if I don't stretch it daily, but the muscle spasms have finally stopped, so I can live with a little stretching. Once I completed that race, I gave myself the go-ahead to exercise again. It sucks, because I had dropped about 10 pounds before Stagecoach and in the past 3 months I gained it all back because I completely stopped exercising. So definitely need to get back on track with that. To help me out, I've started wearing my Bodybugg again. I'm ready to get fit and healthy again and that thing helps keep me in check.
I also signed up for my very first half-marathon!!!! Ahhhhh, I'm so excited and scared at the same time. I'm doing it alone, which kind of sucks but I've got people helping me train and I know I've got a big support system cheering me on. It's the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland, which I thought was an appropriate place to have my first attempt at 13.1 miles. I don't have to officially start training until September 2nd, but since I was so inactive for so long, I've really been trying to train since July 1st. The past two weeks have been really great so far. I've been averaging two runs a week and now that its August I'll start doing 3 runs a week. My goal is to run 40 miles this month (I started this past Sunday, July 29th) and so far I'm at 6! Seems small but I'm all about the small victories right now, especially considering that's more than I've run in one week since before my accident! So any encouragement you guys have got, be sure to send my way! I'm always looking for a running partner too, so feel free to volunteer =).
Also signed up this week for my first 10k! With a team!!! Its the Gladiator Rock'n'Run, which is fitting since that was our first mud run. Only makes sense it should be our first 10k mud run! So far its just Andrea and I, the usual in these races. But a co-worker of mine has been really eager to do a mud run, so he's supposed to sign up and a friend of mine who has done a half-marathon but also wanted to try a mud run is supposed to sign up as well. That's in October, so watch out guys! I'm back on track and really eager to cross these runs off my bucket list!
Well, the Eco Run was my first run with the lovely Jennie Hannon. It was strictly 5k, no mud or obstacles, so a little different than I was used to. That happened to be around the time it was raining quite a bit, so we were a little nervous we would get rained out, but no. Aside from the biting wind, it was actually a lovely day. Freezing, but lovely. We stayed together and I made a new friend. And I also got the lowest bib number I think I'll ever have, so that was actually pretty awesome.
Then, two weeks later, I completed the Color Run in Irvine. This was interesting and also strictly a 5k, but with a fun twist....there were 5 color stations throughout the race where we were bombarded by people throwing colored flour at us, so we started with nice white shirts and ended as colorful messes! That one was actually really fun and interesting. At the end there was a big color party where we all opened a package of the stuff and ended up in a huge cloud of...well colored flour! Haha, very fun.
So the goal I had in mind with all these races was to do a 10k by the end of summer and a half-marathon by the end of the year. I never really stick to a training schedule and since we had been doing so well with at least one 5k a month, I really thought a half-marathon was going to happen. Well, as many of you may know, April was an eventful month for me. At the end of the month, I went to Stagecoach for the second time. Honestly, I should not have fought so hard to go. It just felt like everything was an obstacle, from buying the ticket, to getting time off work, to getting a ride there and back. It just felt like such a struggle and in hindsight, I think the universe, or God, was trying to tell me, "Hey, maybe this isn't such a great idea after all." Wellthe second night there, I woke in the middle of the night to use the facilities, since I have the bladder of a two-year-old, and well, had a bit of an accident. No, not that kind. I was sleeping in the upper bunk of an RV and had to climb down a ladder. My right foot touched the first step, my left foot touched the second, and then somehow I missed the third. Realistically, it shouldn't have been that bad. That's four, maybe 5 feet from the floor. But in such cramped conditions, I slid down the ladder, lost my balance, and the folding table broke my fall. My first thought was, "OMG I BROKE MY NECK!" But quickly realized this was not the case. I took a few seconds to mentally assess the damage. The table was most definitely broken, but I could wiggle my toes, my fingers, move my arms, and all that. So, feeling incredibly stupid, I start to pick myself up and WHAM! Shooting pain from lower back all the way up to my shoulder. Gingerly, I shuffled into the bathroom where I noticed some blood on my toe. I cleaned it up as best as I could in the middle of the night, wrapped a paper towel around it, and went back to bed. At that point, really, there wasn't much I could do.
I awake the next morning and immediately know there's something wrong. I lift my head up to peek at my foot and the pain from the night before intensified and shot all the way down to my foot. The paper towel I had wrapped my foot in was soaked in blood and stuck to my foot. I somehow managed to climb back down the ladder and it looked like some low-budget horror film. Blood all over the floor in a trail to the bathroom, with the table having seen much better days. I really should have taken a picture but I was so embarrassed, I cleaned up my foot then cleaned up the blood! I went to a first aid station, got some anti-septic wipes and bandaids and just left it. I was limping all day because I couldn't put weight on it and I definitely knew I tore something in my back. Sitting was fine but sitting down or getting back up was excruciatingly painful. When i got home, my mom pointed out that my foot was swollen and I noticed a massive bruise cutting straight across my spine in my lower back. I think I was just embarrassed at the whole situation, so I opted not to make a bigger deal about it and refused to go to the doctor. I went to work the next day instead....in slippers....because my foot was too swollen to put a normal shoe on....
I realized halfway through the day that there was no way I could go on, so I left a little early to go straight to Urgent Care. I was informed that I had needed stitches, but apparently you're not supposed to wait nearly 48 hours to get those, so he had the nurse clean it really well and used some surgical tape to keep it closed. He gave me a foot x-ray but said nothing was broken, I had just bruised a bone. My regular doctor told me I had just torn a muscle in my back (really? JUST torn a muscle....ugh) and that everything would heal in time, I just had to take it easy. Fast forward to 5 weeks later and I was STILL wearing shoes that were a size too big (to accommodate the swollen foot). The 5-6 week mark I finally graduated to normal FLAT shoes (I am famous for my heels at work, so this was still heartbreaking for me.)
I did run that race in May, and was actually very proud of myself. I did have to push myself a little, but I'm terrified of having a back injury haunt me for the rest of my life, so I've taken it very slowly. And about 3 weeks ago I was finally able to put on those heels I love so much! I'm still alternating between flats and heels every couple of days, because my foot still has a tendency to swell up, but its getting much better. My back aches if I don't stretch it daily, but the muscle spasms have finally stopped, so I can live with a little stretching. Once I completed that race, I gave myself the go-ahead to exercise again. It sucks, because I had dropped about 10 pounds before Stagecoach and in the past 3 months I gained it all back because I completely stopped exercising. So definitely need to get back on track with that. To help me out, I've started wearing my Bodybugg again. I'm ready to get fit and healthy again and that thing helps keep me in check.
I also signed up for my very first half-marathon!!!! Ahhhhh, I'm so excited and scared at the same time. I'm doing it alone, which kind of sucks but I've got people helping me train and I know I've got a big support system cheering me on. It's the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland, which I thought was an appropriate place to have my first attempt at 13.1 miles. I don't have to officially start training until September 2nd, but since I was so inactive for so long, I've really been trying to train since July 1st. The past two weeks have been really great so far. I've been averaging two runs a week and now that its August I'll start doing 3 runs a week. My goal is to run 40 miles this month (I started this past Sunday, July 29th) and so far I'm at 6! Seems small but I'm all about the small victories right now, especially considering that's more than I've run in one week since before my accident! So any encouragement you guys have got, be sure to send my way! I'm always looking for a running partner too, so feel free to volunteer =).
Also signed up this week for my first 10k! With a team!!! Its the Gladiator Rock'n'Run, which is fitting since that was our first mud run. Only makes sense it should be our first 10k mud run! So far its just Andrea and I, the usual in these races. But a co-worker of mine has been really eager to do a mud run, so he's supposed to sign up and a friend of mine who has done a half-marathon but also wanted to try a mud run is supposed to sign up as well. That's in October, so watch out guys! I'm back on track and really eager to cross these runs off my bucket list!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Happy Spring!
Its been so long since my last blog post! I really need to write more often. Where ti begin? My birthday resolutions totally didn't stick. I said I wanted to take more pictures and keep in touch with people better and instead I fell off the face of the earth! Work is so amazing and I am really enjoying it. It takes me out of my comfort zone and while its definitely not easy, I wouldn't want to do anything else right now.
I had my first race in months yesterday and man, I was so proud of myself! I haven't gotten much exercise lately, what with the rain (lame excuse, I know, I just really enjoy being outdoors and get more motivated when its sunny) so I was really nervous I was going to do awful. It was the Warrior Dash and involved just a few too many walls. I am definitely way too sore today but I feel so accomplished because I ran the majority of it! I walked less than I normally do. I have two more 5k races this month, and signed up today for one in May! This month I'm doing the Earth Day Eco-fest in Ventura with the lovely Jennie! Our first race together! I'm also doing the Color Run in Irvine. Very excited to get moving again! So, on the earlier note of birthday resolutions I've decided to make a new goal for myself effective immediately....I want to run one race a month for the rest of the year. I want to eventually do a marathon and barely making it through 5k races once every few months is never gonna get me there! So I will do one a month and keep improving if I can. Hopefully by September I will feel comfortable with a 10k and I'll work my way up from there. If anyone wants to join the fun let me know! The races are cheaper if there's a team and we can make cute costumes!!
School is going well, just kind of hard to balance my time. Having a set schedule makes it a little easier but also means I don't have much of a social life. So I need to manage my time better in the future. I'm working on it, but old habits die hard. =(
I got the new iPad and am loving it!!! In fact, I'm typing this blog on it! I do about 90% of my homework on it, which is awesome cuz the iPad is much easier to tote around than my laptop. I was a little bummed because I had to start my Tiny Tower all over again, but now I have two Tiny Towers and that is kind of fun! Also, Tricia got me hooked on Temple Run and Draw Something, which are so much more fun to play on Prince Mo (my iPad's name) than on Maurice II (my iPhone, yes I am a nerd).
All right guys, I'm going to try to make a point to update this every Sunday. There are a lot of mini goals I have for myself and things I want to do, and writing them on here keeps me accountable to them and hopefully I can get some feedback too. Hope you all are doing well! Any fun plans for Easter?
I had my first race in months yesterday and man, I was so proud of myself! I haven't gotten much exercise lately, what with the rain (lame excuse, I know, I just really enjoy being outdoors and get more motivated when its sunny) so I was really nervous I was going to do awful. It was the Warrior Dash and involved just a few too many walls. I am definitely way too sore today but I feel so accomplished because I ran the majority of it! I walked less than I normally do. I have two more 5k races this month, and signed up today for one in May! This month I'm doing the Earth Day Eco-fest in Ventura with the lovely Jennie! Our first race together! I'm also doing the Color Run in Irvine. Very excited to get moving again! So, on the earlier note of birthday resolutions I've decided to make a new goal for myself effective immediately....I want to run one race a month for the rest of the year. I want to eventually do a marathon and barely making it through 5k races once every few months is never gonna get me there! So I will do one a month and keep improving if I can. Hopefully by September I will feel comfortable with a 10k and I'll work my way up from there. If anyone wants to join the fun let me know! The races are cheaper if there's a team and we can make cute costumes!!
School is going well, just kind of hard to balance my time. Having a set schedule makes it a little easier but also means I don't have much of a social life. So I need to manage my time better in the future. I'm working on it, but old habits die hard. =(
I got the new iPad and am loving it!!! In fact, I'm typing this blog on it! I do about 90% of my homework on it, which is awesome cuz the iPad is much easier to tote around than my laptop. I was a little bummed because I had to start my Tiny Tower all over again, but now I have two Tiny Towers and that is kind of fun! Also, Tricia got me hooked on Temple Run and Draw Something, which are so much more fun to play on Prince Mo (my iPad's name) than on Maurice II (my iPhone, yes I am a nerd).
All right guys, I'm going to try to make a point to update this every Sunday. There are a lot of mini goals I have for myself and things I want to do, and writing them on here keeps me accountable to them and hopefully I can get some feedback too. Hope you all are doing well! Any fun plans for Easter?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Happy New Year (3 Weeks Later)
Well hello there!! I hope all of you have been enjoying your new year! I certainly have. Its been awhile since I last wrote because I'm always so busy all the time. It feels like I do nothing all the time, but when I sat down to prepare to write this, I realized I've done a lot.
I spent the first day of the new year in bed sick! I think I had a sinus infection and I was miserable! Not a great way to start the new year, that's for sure.
As for New Year's Resolutions, I never make them. I do, however, make Birthday Resolutions for myself and have been doing so for a few years now. Just a way to make sure I do things I want to do and grow as a person. Now, if you know me well, you know that my birthday is 5 days before the new year, so I realize it goes along with normal resolutions, but hey, I'll call it what I like, haha.
I try not to make vague or outlandish resolutions either, and the past two years I've tried to set small goals to make sure I keep the resolutions. Last year, I wanted to go to more concerts so I set a goal of one concert every two months, just to make sure I had something I could measure the goal by. I believe I did not quite reach that goal, but I did go to more concerts than I had in years past, which was the real goal.
This year, my 25th goal is to take more pictures and keep in touch with people better. The idea behind the taking more pictures thing is that I want to scrapbook again. I haven't done it in years and I truly loved doing it, so I want to get started again. The only problem is, I don't take as many pictures as I used to. I used to have a camera practically glued to my hand, and nowadays, even with my beautiful camera, I just don't take as many pictures.
As for keeping in touch with people better, well, I'm getting older, and as my friends are getting married, having babies, and living farther and farther away, I've realized that I need to work to keep in contact with the people I care about.
Now for those of you who don't already know, I started a new job in October. I am the Pharmacy Technician Externship Coordinator for American Career College. Basically I place students in pharmacies so they can finish their program and get their diploma. The ultimate goal is to get them hired, so I do a lot of work helping the students with resumes, interviewing techniques, etc. I really enjoy it so far. My students can be frustrating at times, but my job is to help them, so that's what I do. And when they call me to let me know they got hired, well, that kind of makes it all worth it. =)
I have also begun wearing a Bodybugg. For those of you who don't know, its this device that you wear on your arm and it measures the amount of calories you burn every day. I need to get serious about losing weight, so in addition, I'm doing Weight Watchers again. So far, its been a little slow, but the scale has definitely been going down, so I'm really happy about that. I started walking on my lunch too, so I figure every little bit helps. I haven't noticed any major changes yet, but I know it'll come, and as long as I'm getting healthier then its all worth it.
I hope all of you are doing well and are sticking to your resolutions!! Have a great weekend!
I spent the first day of the new year in bed sick! I think I had a sinus infection and I was miserable! Not a great way to start the new year, that's for sure.
As for New Year's Resolutions, I never make them. I do, however, make Birthday Resolutions for myself and have been doing so for a few years now. Just a way to make sure I do things I want to do and grow as a person. Now, if you know me well, you know that my birthday is 5 days before the new year, so I realize it goes along with normal resolutions, but hey, I'll call it what I like, haha.
I try not to make vague or outlandish resolutions either, and the past two years I've tried to set small goals to make sure I keep the resolutions. Last year, I wanted to go to more concerts so I set a goal of one concert every two months, just to make sure I had something I could measure the goal by. I believe I did not quite reach that goal, but I did go to more concerts than I had in years past, which was the real goal.
This year, my 25th goal is to take more pictures and keep in touch with people better. The idea behind the taking more pictures thing is that I want to scrapbook again. I haven't done it in years and I truly loved doing it, so I want to get started again. The only problem is, I don't take as many pictures as I used to. I used to have a camera practically glued to my hand, and nowadays, even with my beautiful camera, I just don't take as many pictures.
As for keeping in touch with people better, well, I'm getting older, and as my friends are getting married, having babies, and living farther and farther away, I've realized that I need to work to keep in contact with the people I care about.
Now for those of you who don't already know, I started a new job in October. I am the Pharmacy Technician Externship Coordinator for American Career College. Basically I place students in pharmacies so they can finish their program and get their diploma. The ultimate goal is to get them hired, so I do a lot of work helping the students with resumes, interviewing techniques, etc. I really enjoy it so far. My students can be frustrating at times, but my job is to help them, so that's what I do. And when they call me to let me know they got hired, well, that kind of makes it all worth it. =)
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| Happy Birthday to Me! <3 |
I hope all of you are doing well and are sticking to your resolutions!! Have a great weekend!
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