Shape it up!

Today I went to my first bootcamp at the Y, and let me tell you, it totally kicked my butt! We started out running around the track, which I am used to... but then we had to run single filed and that's where it got tough for me. I have my own slow pace that I like to run, and I know I need to speed it up some, but the people in my class were just too fast for me! It seemed like they all were in tip top shape and were just doing the bootcamp to keep that up. I liked it though, even though my abs are feeling it right now (you know there has to be some abs under there somewhere!), and I may even go back next week! Thanks Miranda for inspiring me!

I have started to pick up more workouts this week than my usual one or two. I went to zumba on Monday and Thursday, ran at the Y and lifted weights on Tuesday, then I did the bootcamp today (Friday). I may start taking some different classes at the Y, instead of going to the zumba on Mondays. I hope I can keep all this up after I go back to working again.

I have also decided to cut down on my portions during meals, try not to snack late at night, and only drink pop on the weekend. Phil and I have been planning our weekly menus the week before, and making up our shopping list with those meals in mind. This has helped on cutting costs at the store each week.

Here is our new favorite recipe for our crockpot:

Lentils

1 cup dry lentils
1 cup carrots (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup smoked turkey sausages (chopped)
4 cups vegetable broth
Season with salt, pepper, & cumin

Place all ingredients in the crockpot on LOW for 6 hours.

We are addicted to this right now, it is super easy, and before we made it Phil, had never had lentils before! I had never used cumin while cooking and now I love it! So good!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

On The Road

Sorry for the lack of posts after I promised I would be blogging more often. But I have been traveling for my job all over the lovely state of WV! It has been pretty tiring, but my job is slow in my part of the state, so they have been making my team travel to where there is work. I guess I should elaborate on my official job!

About 1 1/2 weeks before Phil & I got married, I accepted a job with a company that travels to schools and cleans/restores the kids' teeth! It is a fun job that makes each week exciting cause I don't know what school I'm going to be at until I get an email with the details the Friday before! I also get to work with children, which can be both fun and tiring. Another tiring part is the traveling and the loading/unloading of the van with all our equipment in it.

I was hired on full-time, but right now I am only part-time cause alot of the counties around where I live haven't hopped on board, and our company has only been in our state since February of this year. Since there hasn't been much work in my part of WV, I am glad they have been sending me places to where there is work, but I also don't like being away from Phil for a week!

I had to leave last Sunday, drive 4 1/2 hours, spend the night in a hotel to work Monday and Tuesday, go home Tuesday, leave again Wednesday, drive 4 1/2 more hours, spend the night again in a hotel to work on Thursday and Friday, then go home Friday after work. Now I am in a hotel as I type this and I am repeating the whole week in different places! I don't know if I will have internet access where I will be this Wed-Fri, but I will try to post again before if I can!

Excuses

So yeah, I know I've taken a VERY long break from the blog so hear is my list of excuses:

• What free time I have is on the weekends, and that is when I actually get to spend time with Phil... so it really isn't free time anymore.
  


• I am tired when I get off work and usually have to take my workout clothes to work with me so I won't have to go home to change beforehand. This doesn't give me the excuse to stay home and not workout. To tell you the truth, I haven't really got online that much at all except to occasionally check emails, job listings, and fb stalk... oh and there was this whole researching caterers thing...
  


• So the so-called wonderful caterer Phil & I thought we had called me once in a 5 month period. He had promised, when we had our tasting, to email me a list of things we had discussed (food, plates, glasses, silverware, etc.) with prices for each. That never happened. Phil went to the restaurant repeatedly and told him I needed that email. Never happened. I got the call about 2 1/2 months ago with a total price, he said he'd email me the breakdown. Never happened. Phil continued to visit him and the last time he said he'd email me that night. Never happened. The next day, I called myself and the guy that answered said he was working on it now and would email me in the next hour. Never happend. It never will now cause we got us a new caterer! I let that charade go on for much longer than I should have, but it is okay now and the new caterer is great! I was just a wee bit stressed about that one!
  


• I had been working for 3 months for a hygienist on maternity leave. The people there loved me (yes, I'm tooting my own horn) and the other hygienist is wanting to go part-time, but for some reason the boss man thinks it will be a lot of work for her to do this, so he is resisting... for now. I have an insider, a mole, who is keeping me informed of these details as they progress. It sure would be nice...
  


• That job ended 7/27, I had last week lined up for another hygienist going on vacation, and now I'm getting ready to start another maternity leave for 6 weeks in an office I never worked before! So that will take me up until around 2 weeks before the wedding! I just pray something comes from all this. I really, really need it!
  


• I am obsessed with watching tv. Yes, I watched The Bachelorette. I figured she'd pick JP, but was really loving Ben. I felt really bad that he was so confident. So yeah, tv/tivo has over ruled my online time. There is also Flipping Out, So You Think You Can Dance, Design Star, True Blood... omg I'm addicted again! I think I had mentioned here that I was not going to let the tv rule me, but sadly(?) it has yet again. Okay, I'm not sad about it! Judge all you want.
  


• I am still planning the wedding! And the closer it gets to the wedding, the more things that need to get done. I feel like I've been pretty well organized, but there are just some things that have to wait until the end.

Future excuses:

• more tv


• more wedding stuff - dress fittings, invitations, hair/makeup trial, meetings with other vendors...


• more work


• more tired


• more stress


• more working out

I apologize in advance to the few followers I have accumulated, and hope you'll bear with me!

And I have a small request: If anyone finds a cute pair of reasonably priced grass/kelly/clover green high heeled shoes for my wedding that are cute and preferably 2 1/2 inches or less, please send me the link/store to find them! It would be appreciated :)

Oh, and the last update to the blog I made wasn't even supposed to be posted cause I had planned to add more to it. Oh well!

Hiatus

Hello friends!

I swear I will be back in full blogging force here sooner or later, but it has been good to take a wee vacation from it here lately! I am getting the hang of my new schedule... going to sleep by midnight every night, waking up at 6:30am to be at work by 8am, getting off work at 4:30pm, then going straight to the Y/Zumba/Phil's house right after work, catching up on my shows, and repeating it all over again! Then I have the weekends of fitting things I can't do during the week and actually getting to spend time with my fiance! I guess I've entered the realm of workdom for the time being, I just hope it can continue!

I have come to the conclusion that I will once more have to rely on TiVo to take of my new shows that are beginning so I can start doing more things throughout the week! haha I just have to finish watching all my finales though! Speaking of finales... I really hated how Grey's and Private Practice left off this season! Aggravating! I hope that The Event and The Biggest Loser will not disappoint this coming week! How are your finales going?

I will also try to catch up on all the Pic-A-Days I have missed. I'm not saying that I will post a picture for all that I haven't showed here lately, but I will skip around and try filling you in on what I have been up to the last couple months!

I've also missed reading many of my favorite blogs, so I apologize to all of you reading this that I haven't been commenting! I will try my hardest to catch up!

XOXO

An Annoyance & Resolve

So Monday night, I was watching The Bachelor on the TV upstairs in our house. It was over, so I was going back downstairs carrying some munchies and my phone in my hands. As I was coming to the last step, I look out the window and get distracted by yet another snowfall when I myself start falling, due to too many steps left when I only thought there was one. I land on my right ankle and down I go. Pain ensues. Crying starts. Stupid snow! My first reaction was to call Phil, I tell him what happens and start sobbing into the phone. He wants to come over, but I don't let him cause it was snowing outside and dark. I tell him I'll call him back.

I am all alone. My parents are away for a week, lovely. Good thing my aunt and uncle live just next door so I call them up. They rush over with their spare key and help me assess the damage. A LOT of swelling. I feel nauseous. They help me to the couch where I prop up my ankle and apply an ice baggy. Oh man it hurts! I told my aunt and uncle I didn't want to go to the hospital and would wait til the next day to see how I felt.

I find out that not having crutches is TERRIBLE! I hopped around the house on my left leg all night, and sometimes crawled on my knees just to get another baggy of ice at 4am. Thank goodness the bathroom is like 5 hops from the bed! This is all on the main floor of my house and my bedroom is in the basement. So I stayed in the guest bedroom. I went to the doc, got some x-rays, it is only a sprain thank goodness, then got the crutches which are pretty bad too but not as bad as none.

The sprain will have many annoyances: pain from both my right ankle and my left thigh from hopping (good thing I've been working out!), not being able to keep up with my running (which I got up to running a mile recently!) and *hopefully* won't interfere with possible job offerings which I'm supposed to find out really soon. This week I also had a "To Do List" of cleaning and running around doing errands, both of which isn't possible cause I can't go up and down stairs and I can't drive my car with my left foot without scaring myself.

Resolve: It had been 2 years since Phil proposed to me. Didn't plan on seeing him this day cause he works, but he took off at lunch to come help me out. He brought me food (I'd only had a banana all day), he got some much needed items for me downstairs out of my bedroom and bathroom - including my toothbrush and books to read, and he actually helped me into the bathtub because I was feeling pretty nasty (hopping around can really work ya out!). This gave me a glimpse into our future when we are old. It was a little awkward but sweet at the same time. But mostly he was there for me for company and hugs. I think he may be off the hook for Valentine's Day :-)

Sorry about the long post on my ankle. It is all I am thinking about since I'm here alone moving from the couch to my bed and to the bathroom. Better posts to come!

Prepping for Black Friday

I'm not one for going shopping on Black Friday - you know, the day after Thanksgiving. But this year I have decided to go along with Phil and his family since it is tradition for them. Last year Phil got his hand stepped on by a woman who tried to take a toy away from him, and the year before that someone repeatedly shoved a shopping cart into his butt. I do not know then why he insists on going... maybe it is because what he looks forward to outweighs the negative. My lists are sorta even so here they are...

What I am looking forward to:

• Doorbusters!
• Sweet deals
• Spending "quaility" time with Phil and his family
• Entertaining scenarios envolving people and a limited number of sale items

What I am NOT looking forward to:

• Long lines
• Feeling claustrophobic
• Seeing the bad in people come out during the time of year where you are supposed to be good!
• Waking up so early, or maybe not even going to sleep at all, mixed with dealing with people

I think that last reason could be the reason why people go insane in the stores on Black Friday. I know I won't be like those people, but I hope I won't be affected by those people too much. Maybe I'll find out that I just have to have the dancing Mickey and I'll run to the front of the line and tackle an elderly woman who is getting it for her grandson... but probably not. I will let you know the details of my shopping adventure after the holiday is over and maybe have a picture or two too!

Do you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving?

Any advice for me?

Week #11

So I'm warning ya now that this was a really boring week and I gotta confess that I took most of these pictures right before I did this post. I've been sick with a cold all week and haven't done too much of anything. I am on the road to recovery now, so hopefully next week will be much more interesting!

Day 71: Halloween Night! This pic was taken on my way back from Phil's house. Today we went and saw the movie "Saw 3D"! We are scary movie fans and this one was pretty gruesome. I think I was looking at Phil's arm during a lot of the movie! Sidenote: Phil's nephew was sick and was around us this weekend, just like when I got sick 2 weeks ago.

Day 72: I started to feel a little yuck today, but didn't think it was anything more than my sinuses. But I did get called in to work this afternoon even though after I got there all my appointments cancelled. I got paid for those 2 1/2 hours I was there charting and standing around though! These are my goggles, the only thing I gotta take with me when I work except for myself.

Day 73: This is when I knew I had a cold. Runny nose and stopped up nose. Drainage down my throat. Headache. Fever. Cough. Yucky feeling.

Day 74: More of the same from the previous day. The computer is my friend.

Day 75: Sick still. Tissues are my friend too.

Day 76: Still sick, but Phil was here to keep me entertained. He took me to get pizza and he wore the cape his grandmother got me last year for Christmas. I told him not to wear it inside. Thank goodness he listened!

Day 77: My snot was green today... sorry for the yucky details, but from this I knew I had an infection. Phil took me to one of those express med type places to see the doc who gave me an antibiotic for my sinus infection.

Hopefully the sick will go away soon! Have a great week people!

The Day I Got In Trouble

The one time I ever remember getting in trouble at school was when I was in kindergarten. My classmates and I were seated at our tables, my table had blue chairs, one had red and the other had yellow. They sorta looked like these...

...well, whichever had the quietest table with their heads down got to go out on the playground first. In my mind, that was all that mattered! The red chair table got to go first... "I can't believe she picked them!" said my 5 year old mind. I was so upset that I slowly eyed the teacher, while still keeping my head down, and stuck my tongue out at her. She saw me! Panic went through every cell in my body. That meant that the yellow chair table got to go next and then finally the blue chair table, my table, but not me!

I was lectured and made to sit on the wall during recess while I watched all my classmates have so much fun. How terrible is that!? My teacher also told my babysitter, who picked me up at the end of the day. I remember begging her not to tell my parents, but that didn't work very well even though she felt sorry for me. Well, it must have taught me a lesson though because I never got in trouble in school from here on out!

No Luck Yet

So I didn't get that job I interviewed with last week (what's wrong with you people for not crossing enough limbs for me!?!? haha j/k), but the dentist did say it was between me and the girl he picked out of 5 people. He also said he gives everyone a 30 trial period so he may still be calling me if she doesn't work out. I'm not above being seconds!

I am sad I didn't get it, but it was good experience and leaves me with some hope! He also said I could use him as a reference anytime. I just feel like I let everyone down, even though they say I don't. I know Phil was wanting me to get this job so badly so we'd have some more money and get an apartment together quicker. And my parents like to analyze and over analyze every situation, so that just aggravates me. My time will come I believe and everything will be great!

I do feel good right now cause I just got finished working out! I'm starting this weightloss program at the Y so I hope that will get me where I want to be for now.

(Picture depicts how I am happy for experience and feel good for burning some calories, and sad I feel like I let people down, have messy hair, and ultimately do not have money. I promise I did not have a stroke.)

Happy Tuesday everyone - I want some soup!

Officially RDH

Just wanted to make a real quick post to say...

I GOT MY DENTAL HYGIENE LICENSE IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!

Now if the oppurtunity arises, I can work and make me some money!

That is all.

Third Time's a Charm!

I've been bad! It's been over a month since I last posted and I am lucky you all haven't left me yet! For that I'm grateful.

I'm going to try and give you a summary of what has happened since I last posted, but I'm sure I'll leave things out and will make more posts on them when I remember.

• After I came home from the beach, it was crazy trying to find a board patient (again)! My friend who I though could do it, couldn't because of work. So, when my parents returned from the beach they helped me sooo much by making calls to friends and even going around town searching. My own dentist even let me use his dental office to screen patients I did find. Luckily I found a patient only 2 days before I had to leave to take my board! Not only did I have to find a patient for the 3rd time, but I also had to travel and take them to South Carolina where the exam was held. I don't know how I could repay my parents, dentist, and board patient for all the help they gave me!
  
• I passed! The third time definately is a charm! I was slightly embarrassed by the whole board fiasco and definately felt like I let my parents, Phil, and myself down by having to take it so many times. I'm just glad it is over and I can move on with my life!
  
• Relaxation - needed this after all the stress!
  
• I now needed to apply for my license since I passed the board. This required getting a physical, 2 letters of recommendation from (preferably) dentists from WV, get a wallet-sized picture of myself, fill out a form, get it notarized, plus write them a $60 check... like they need anymore of my money!
  
• I updated my resume, printed it up, and mailed them out!
  
• Fourth of July Weekend: this weekend was much needed cause I actually finally felt like myself again. After all the stress of boards and being back home again, it was nice to hang out with Phil's family and my own with no stress involved!

Now the waiting begins...

I did get a call this morning from a dentist I sent my resume to for a temporary job today cause her hygienist was out sick. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it since my license has not been sent back to me in the mail. This was promising though, but no $$$ yet!

You can also look over to the books I've read this year (on your left) to see that it has been updated! My friend Jennifer over at Crazy Shenanigans has peaked my interest with the books by Sherryl Woods! I'm into the Chesapeake Shores Novels right now. Check'em out!

Oh and here is the only picture I took while I was in SC for my boards! I took it for Phil, but I'm afraid I gave him a not-so-good idea for his own car...

Thanks for stickin' in there with me for this long process, and for this disjointed post! I will try very hard to update more than I have been!

Happy Memorial Day/lackluster return from the beach

Hey everyone! I just got back last night from the beach with Phil (my parents decided to stay another week). This is why I haven't posted for awhile and I've been trying to catch up on reading all your blogs!

We went to Kure Beach (right next to Carolina Beach) in North Carolina and had a great time! I wasn't sure how good it was going to be, looking back on my last blog post, but it turned out alright. So part 1 of that last post went well, but part 2 is still undecided. I might as well say that I have to find a board patient (again) so I can get my DH license and it is not happening people. I have 11 days until my exam, have one possible candidate but unsure if will work out because of their job. Gotta stay positive on this beautiful day though! Here's a couple pics from my trip:

Litte Richard's BBQ in Yadkinville, NC - soooo goooood!


Pretty peacock from the "zoo" Phil and I went to


Sunrise over the ocean


Mossy rocks on the beach

Up-close view of the funny-looking hairy moss

Kure Beach

I learned as I was riding home yesterday that my bestest friend won Bigger Liar in the WV Liar's Contest at the Vandalia Gathering! I wish I could have been there! This is the first time since he's been competing in this contest that I haven't been there. Here's a pic of a previous year for ya, Golden Shovels and all!

May 2009

So I am back from the beach and there is hardly any food in the house! I should really go to the store but I really don't feel like doing anything at all... vacations are hard work ya know! So last night for dinner I had remnants of Hot Fries and Snack Mix from the road trip and a WW Ice Cream bar in my parent's freezer. Nutritious right? Today I've had a hamburger bun with ketchup, cheese, and turkey pepperoni for my makeshift pizza. Tonight I'm going to have to do much better and most likely get out of the house! Ha!

Have a happy Memorial Day everyone and I hope you get out there and do something, unlike me!

Just venting a bit...

My life seems totally upside down and sideways and longways and slantways and any other way you can think of! Anyway, I really wish I could just start the year over. I would definately take going through the whole last semester of school just if things just went the way I wanted them to. Two months ago everything was perfect to me in my own little world, then it all came crumbling down. This was the time I was looking forward to the most (graduating and going home) and all I am now is confused to what has happened.

I really am being a huge baby over all that is going on. I feel sorry for myself, and I hate that. I am feeling rejected, overwhelmed, and that the world is ganging up on me. I just need to get over it. I need to breathe, stay positive, and know that everything is going to turn out okay.

Thank you for listening, or I guess reading. I just needed to get it out there for now... and that I can't get this stupid nail polish to come off!

BSDH

I am officially a graduate for the last time!

My graduation was held on Satuday, May 15th at 8:30am... too early, I agree! The day before we had our graduation practice at 7:30am and that is what time we had to get there Saturday before graduation. Both were very long and hectic days filled with visits from family, getting a mani/pedi with my roomie for the last time, a pointless banquet with crappy food, packing up the trailer, good-byes to friends (sad), and good-bye to Morganhole (yessssss... finally!).

The week before graduation we had a cookout at my friend Kristen's house. It was great to hang out with my closest DH girls for (almost) the last time before graduation. We ate, played some games, and burned our DH books that we hated the most!

Now to rest up and prepare myself for the rest of my life!

No More Drama Please!

I am getting ready to graduate for the last time ever! Thank goodness for that cause I don't know how much more I can handle! This round of school was especially hard because I had already been through 4 1/2 years of college, had been on a 2 1/2 year break from school, and was in a class with 21 other girls! No boys at all.

I really dislike the drama that can come from so many girls. I have 6 friends that I'm closer to than the rest and there is still drama in that small of a group! I am ready to get away! I am excited to finally leave Morgantown and begin the rest of my life! The sad part really hasn't hit me yet that I am leaving my friends. I figure it'll hit me on graduation day (May 15th) or after I have been home sitting on my butt for a week or two with no friends to hang out with.

I may or may not go to Charleston and back on Wednesday to screen a back-up patient for my board exam. I have not been able to get ahold of this patient so that is still up in the air. My actual board patient that I have had for the last month told me last week that he wasn't sure if he would have to work the Friday of my exam! WTF!? So I offered him money for the time he'd be missing work and he told me he'd let me know Monday. Then I called him back today and he said it was cool and could get out of work that day! He seriously made me hold my breath for the last 4 days! I just hope it will all work out! I guess the offer of money was good enough. I need some good in my life right now in the form of my board patient showing and finally passing this time! Then maybe I can be happy & sad about graduation with no nervousness in the way!

Drama! Drama! Drama! I cannot wait for it to end!

My Worst Break-up Ever

I have been a little preoccupied lately. A very big event happened in my life this past Saturday, and it took up most of my time and thoughts preparing for it: March 13th, 2010 was the fateful day that SRTA broke up with me.

Let me give you a run-down. SRTA stands for Southern Regional Testing Agency. Instead of having a National Clinical Board, someone has decided to divide all the states into their own testing regions, and they even overlap states to make it more confusing. Anyway, I decided to take this test with the mindset that if I ever moved away from West Virginia that it would be somewhere to the warmer South. Like you all know, I was pretty worried about my patient showing up for the test and qualifying. These were my main worries… And here is how my time spent with SRTA was like a relationship:

• A relationship starts off with a hope, just like me preparing for this test and hoping for success for my future career.

• In the beginning of a relationship there is always a little worry that the guy doesn’t like you as much as you like him. This is like my worry that my patient wouldn’t work out.

• In a relationship, there should be butterflies in your stomach whenever you see that special someone, just like I had on my “date” with SRTA that March 13th.

• In a good relationship there are times when there is smooth sailing and everything is happy, as it was when my patient arrived the day of the board exam AND qualified!

• In a relationship there are ups and downs. One such down in my relationship with SRTA was that I had forgot to fill out part of a form, but it was nothing that I couldn’t apologize for and correct. And this had no bearing on my final score.

• At the end of a date in a relationship, there are those butterflies and questions like “Did he think it went as well as I thought it just did?”. This is how I felt after my clinical board.

• There is a time in a relationship where you are comfortable with the situation and who you are with. After I took the clinical part of this exam, I also had to take an electronic portion. I came out of this part thinking it was ridiculously easy.

• In a not-so-good relationship sometimes the person leads you on. Monday morning I checked my SRTA account to find out I had a big ole “PASS” typed out on the screen before me. This just confirmed my previous feelings of comfort.

• In a relationship you can be dumped. This is what SRTA did to me Monday evening when I found out I failed my clinical portion of the exam. My heart was broken.

This is me after I found out SRTA dumped me. Like what I've done with my hair?

• At the end of a relationship you can be sad and sometimes mad at who broke up with you. I was mad! I feel like SRTA lied to me and about me, and also sold me false promises of hope during my time with it. I was also sad because all the hard work I put into the relationship was now null and void. I talked to my girlfriends about this exam and they backed me up like good friends do. There were 6 of us in the same relationship and SRTA broke up with 4 of us and kept its 2 favorites (sort of The Bachelor-ish). We came together and shared our stories after the final rose, I mean after the exam was over. It makes me feel better to know I have people to go through this with me, but that also makes me feel really bad cause I don’t want any of us to fail. We all are good at what we do and can’t help that the judges grading us couldn’t see the same thing. It doesn’t help that I added up my score and found out I got a 74.75%, only 0.25% away from passing. Another girl got the same score, which makes us a little skeptical.

So now it’s time to start a new relationship with a SRTA in a different school. I have to pay another $915 (ridiculous! SRTA is only dating me for my money!) not to mention go through the turmoil of finding another board patient that would be willing to come to WVU to be screened and then be able to go to Bridgemont Community & Technical College in Montgomery, WV on April 30th. And so my life continues to be stressful for at least another couple months, and I feel bad for Phil having to put up with the moods I have during this process. He’s a trooper though, and at least I know he is my everlasting relationship.