Thrown off - round two

Another day off to a less than perfect start! Boo! I love my brother, I really do, but his chaos is just a bit too much for me right now. Other than leaving his things scattered everywhere he has been up early to get things done for Kylie (she's over here now). Mornings are me time. The only time of the day when I feel sane and can accomplish things. I haven't done yoga in days and it's killing  me.


I haven't taken my pictures for my Photoshop class tonight mainly because I'm not sure what I want to take pictures of. It's for a "multiplicity" assignment. Your wouldn't think it would be that hard, which it's not. It's just putting forth the effort. I just need to do it now and then I'll feel better and not have it hanging over my head.


Luckily I was able to hit the gym last night, which usually helps me calm my mind - or at least distract me. I was surprised by how far/much I was able to jog considering Saturday I was just alternating walk/jogging every 1:30. I guess I had a lot of steam to blow off... Still felt really anxious after though...

Walk	5
Jog	7:30
Walk	2:30
Jog	2:30
Walk	2:30
Jog	2:30
Walk	2:30
Jog	2:30
Walk	2:30
Walk	5
	35 min total
20 min walk	15 min jog
	2.71 miles

I had a "screening" interview for a job at a gym cafe. It sounded pretty wonderful, a lot better than my current job. Then I thought about it. Mainly the distance. It is at least 17 miles from home. I'd be driving a lot more which means more time and gas $$$ for about the same pay that I am currently making. Boo! So I decided to pass on the opportunity. There are several other jobs that I've applied to that are more geared towards my interests and closer to home that I'm holding out for. Their application deadlines were yesterday or are coming up soon so cross your fingers that I get good news soon!

Here's what I'm I'm working on in my "free" time:

My Supplemental Reading


Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

- Psalm 23:6

Thrown off.

Ahhh! It's time for me to get ready for work and I'm so not close to ready!

I was trying to get to bed early last night but I decided to take my Photoshop exam after I got back from Advanced Photoshop last night (yay, I passed!). Then I wasn't super tired so I read for a little bit - I'm getting to that part of the book where it's hard to put down (see what book I'm reading on the previous post!)

So I slept in this morning which is super unusual for me. I guess my body needed the rest but now my "routine" is thrown off. No time for yoga this morning aka tragedy! My goal is to go to the gym and try round #2 of "running". I want to feel ambitious... I don't have any major plans for the evening besides taking a few pictures for my Photoshop assignment we are working on tomorrow and helping my brother get little gifts together for his girlfriend's birthday tomorrow. What would he do without me?!

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. 

– Psalm 37: 7-9

Playing "Catch Up"

Here we are again. The start of a new week. Hesitant to let go of the weekend, as it always seems to go by too fast. When I woke up this morning I did not know what day it was. For a few minutes I thought it was Saturday and my mind was filled with ease. But I quickly realized that no, unfortunately it is Monday.

It was another low-key weekend for me. My best friend came over after she got off work on Friday and we chatted and watch a disk of Gilmore Girls: Season 2. Somehow watching that show always makes me feel better.

I got up fairly early for a Saturday to get some odds and ends done on the computer and around the house. My parents went to pick my brother up from the airport. He had been in NYC with his girlfriend and her family all week. It had been a very stressful and drama-filled week for him. Her mother acts like a child - I'm not kidding. She is very insecure and tries to sabotage her daughter & my brother's relationship. Apparently she threw tantrums every day, in public, yelling obscenities at her mother (Ms. Deborah - who is my 55 year old best friend). I feel really bad that they had such a miserable time in NYC. I've never been and am dying  to go! Good to have them back home but I'm sick of hearing about the drama related to the trip!

I feel like the day was a waste overall. I did some yoga/Pilates/light arm weights in the morning but recalling the rest of the day is a blur. I did go to the gym and actually ran on the treadmill. I've ran a 5K before and my goal has been to get back into running (eventually marathons, but that's a long way off!). I started following a this plan. I ended up going for a total of 35 minutes: 23.5 min walk/11.5 min jog. Not bad for my first attempt after who knows how long!

My kitty, Boomer, loves Yoga too!

We went out to eat as a family to one of our favorite, local Tex-Mex restaurants that had just relocated to a larger facility. Dad and I shared chicken fajitas, which were good, but nothing special. I was not a fan of their new location. It was very open and it's high ceilings made it very noisy. I guess they still have some kinks to work out, but I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

Sunday (yesterday) we went to church as a family and then went to have lunch at Olive Garden with my mom's Aunt, Mick, who we usually visit with every other month or so to celebrate birthday's, graduations, Father's Day, etc. I had an unsweetened ice tea, their house salad, and the kid's portion cheese ravioli (just the right size and so yummy). It's nice to visit with her, but it seems like we talk about the same things every time we are together...

I had the Children's Portion - 4 Ravioli's with Marinara Sauce

Ms. Deborah, my brother and I went to the mall in the afternoon to shop for his girlfriend, Kylie's birthday presents (her birthday is Wednesday). It was fun to get out of the house because I've been feeling down lately and didn't want to sit around and mope. I guess I shouldn't have  been too surprised that the conversation was mainly focused on how crazy Kylie's mom is/NYC trip. Lately it seems like my family's world revolves around Andrew and Kylie.

Me jealous? Maybe just a little. I mean, I'm really stressed/confused about what to do at this point in my life. Whenever I express my concerns to my family and friends I feel like they brush me off saying "oh, you'll be fine" or "you're young, you have time to figure it out." I do realize that I don't have to have it all figured out right now. I'd just feel better if I had more direction...

I did get a "job screening" call yesterday and will have to go into a face-to-face interview if things go well (will find out later today). I am excited about this potential opportunity, but the job is farther away, which means more gas. I am still waiting to hear back from several other places I've applied to that have application deadlines ending in about a week. I'm kinda holding out for one of those since they'd potentially be better overall, but there's always that "what if" they don't call me back and I miss out on this opportunity?! UGH!

Sunday Night Movie

 

Currently Reading...

Future:
Right now I am bouncing back and forth between Teaching (Special Education) and Occupational Therapy. I am working on some pro/con, comparison lists to help me have facts, fears, interests written down on paper - helps clear my head and make thoughts seem more "rational."

If you read this, BLESS YOU!

For the Lord will be your confidence 

And will keep your foot from being caught.

- Proverbs 3:26

Perseverance

The past few days haven't been going too well, but I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. My headache/nausea was so  bad on Monday that I ended up not going to class. I stayed home and filled out more job applications instead. I'm so sick of them. I've decided that they just need to create one universal application. It would make things easier, so much easier.

Yesterday I was feeling a bit better but still anxious about going to work. It was kinda a slow day but I made it through - somehow?! Perseverance! 


I opted for a quiet night at home. I was wanting to do yoga/Pilates or go bike at the gym but my body was not into it at all. I ended up getting to bed a bit earlier - which is what my mind and body need - rest! I still don't feel completely rested though... hmph! 


One of the good things that happened yesterday was coming home to the sweet smell of what was cooking in the crock-pot. Let me tell you, it smelled and tasted amazing!

Slow-Cooker Pineapple Chicken
Based off of this recipe:

The Before - I ended up leaving out the cornstarch

The After

After I finish this post I am going to attempt some yoga/Pilates. My body has been craving it my muscles are so tight. Then it's the usual work and class! Fun, fun fun... Last day of InDesign and I really need to pay attention since it's the last class!

Now The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
- Psalm 138:8

Back to Reality

Is it really Monday morning?! I'm not really looking forward to this week (as usual). Work is going to be very slow today because our doctors will both be in surgery. Luckily I get to leave early, but it's to go to class (last week of InDesign)...

I don't know what was wrong with me Saturday, I was so quick-tempered - it wasn't one of my best days to say the least. My best friend and I went to the mall to get some summer shopping done. She was hungry so we chatted at a restaurant for awhile. But she  got a call from one of out other friends who was having an emergency and had to leave right away. My mom and brother were also at the mall so I got a ride home with them but no shopping for me though.

My dad decided on The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We got there a bit later than we planned and had to wait a little bit, but we were seated in a little side room so it was kinda private - very nice! Dad got a slice of strawberry cheesecake to-go and we had dessert at Yogurtland on the way home. (Vanilla wafer froyo is so yummy and I'm usually a "chocolate girl")

Fresh Vegetable Salad - had Chicken with mine

I felt so nauseous all day yesterday. It started in the morning. I went to church with my dad while my mom went to church earlier with my brother to see him off to his NYC trip. I tried to rest in the car on the way home but that didn't seem to help much. It's common for my stomach to be upset from time to time but lately it has been consistently achy. I made some tea when I got home. I found this tea a few months ago. It's really strong but it works wonders, I swear it can work wonders for me.

I had a light lunch, read, took a nap, and went grocery shopping for my mom (I know she really appreciates it when I go to the store for her). But along while I was out being "mini mom" my stomach started hurting again... I rested and me and momma did some quick shopping (see below). Mom and dad went to a movie but since I wasn't feeling well I had dinner, went on a short walk, sipped some more tea while watching a movie (I want Jane's house!!!).

Shopping

• Old Navy blue, white, & silver flip flops
• Old Navy khaki shirt
• Basketball shorts (from Khol's)

This Week(end)

Yay for the weekend! For some reason this week has gone by really fast and really slow...

I finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and loved it! It's a pretty lengthy book but I got through it in a few days. It was hard to put down! It has really inspired me to be more patient and trusting with others and God (something I'm working on)

Last night I did a bit of shopping for my dad for Father's Day. He's such a hard person to buy for, but I eventually settled on a light blue/gray 100% cotton shirt to keep him cool this summer. Black is his "signature color" even in the heat - he makes no sense.

When I got back home Momma and I watched Tangled! Made me re-live all of my "princess" days growing up!



Things I've learned/accomplished this week:

• Stationary bikes + magazines make workouts go much faster
• my 3-legged cat freaks out when I do yoga/Pilates - he stares & meows at me like "what in the world are you doing, crazy lady!!!"
• I'm a pretty good cook - with the help of a crock-pot!
• I made BBQ chicken and Chicken Stir-fry for dinner this week (heated the chicken in the crock-pot while I was at work and added it to the rice and veggies when we were ready to eat). I also made black bean, corn, and tomato tacos - healthy, yummy, and quick!
• Just the thought of quitting my job makes me so much happier - but filling out endless job applications isn't that fun! (hopefully worth it, though)
• Took(and passed) 2 out of 5 of my tests for my graphic design certification

Coming up this weekend:

• Pilates at the gym
• Shopping with my bestie - I'm looking for gray/navy and white flip-flops and/or sandals, a hat, shorts, and maybe a tunic
• Dinner out with the family for Father's Day. I'm not sure where yet, but my brother will be leaving for NYC tomorrow (soooo jealous) so we are going to celebrate a bit early!
• Bookworm time!

Any Father's Day plans? What did you get your dad?

Happy Weekend-ing! :)

Present

Here's a good article about how to being more present in your life! It's something I've been working on myself. Enjoy & Happy Thursday! :)

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/enlightened-living/201106/5-steps-being-present

Seeking Inspiration

This is what I'm doing instead of paying attention in InDesign...



Thought of the Day:  

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Early Tuesday

Got off to an early start this morning. I was wake before 6 and couldn't go back to sleep... I checked the news and e-mail on my phone and made my way downstairs. I made a parfait for breakfast (plain yogurt, cinnamon, Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal, and peanut butter) and some tea and took my book out to the back yard. It felt surprisingly nice outside! Apparently in order to enjoy the good 'ole outdoors in the summer I must stay inside between the hours of 8:30 am - 8:30 pm. Sure does put a damper on my "outdoorsy-loving" self. Hmph!

Since I had a bit more time before work than I normally do I went to the gym to try to get some exercise since I don't get much of a chance to on Mondays and Wednesdays. I was only planning on riding the bike for 20-30 min, but I stayed on for 45! GO ME! Distractions help! Thank you magazines :)

After talking some more about how much I loathe my current job my mom actually suggested that I give my 2 weeks and try finding something I'd enjoy better (I think she finally sees how it drains me emotionally and physically). Right now I don't know what I want to do. Just putting out a few random applications to stores I like... Not a permanent fix, but we both think that if I'm happier in general everything else will fall into place - more motivation to "find myself." Just the thought of quitting this job makes me feel so much better!!!

"I Love... Mondays"

So this is my first "I love... Mondays" post where I'd post a few things that I'm lovin' - into at the moment.

 

This scrub is great! My skin is prone to redness and this really seems to help. It is gentle enough not to irritate my skin and leaves my face feeling fresh. Plus it smells really yummy!

My brother's girlfriend's grandma (Ms. Deb) packs these for them whenever they go on a trip or are going to be out-and-about. I always snag a few. This was the first time I've had the orange mango. I've had the lemon one a few times before, but I think this one is tastier. Light, crisp, and refreshing. 

I've been developing quite the green thumb lately. Here are just a few of my herbs (basil and dill) grown from seeds. My sunflowers aren't doing so hot so I put them outside in hopes that they will perk up a bit. I hope they can handle all this heat!

It's Getting Hot in Here

OMG, I hate the heat and it's only the beginning of June. It's going to be a long summer... It pretty much sucks all of my energy and makes me cranky - boo!

I have been so anxious today, just thinking about the coming week. Nothing really special is going on that would add to my stress level. Maybe that's it, the monotony of it all. How I'm still very unhappy at my job, then have to drive through traffic to sit through a class that I don't enjoy for three hours, then coming home super tired/hungry and not having motivation to get anything else done. Add that with the whole "what am I going to do for the rest of my life" thing and yeah, not the happiest "camper" in the world.

After church my parents and I swung by Half-Price Books. I tried to see if there were any books about Occupational Therapy that could give be better insight into the profession. I ended up leaving feeling more overwhelmed as I glanced through almost all of the sections on the store because nothing just "seems right." I know that I don't have to have everything figured out right now but some direction would be nice to ease my mind a bit.

Tomorrow I am going to start "I love... Mondays." I will list 3-5 things that I've recently discovered and/or am enjoying now! Just thought it would be fun and help me focus on the positives!

Tonight the Mavs are playing so I'm definitely planning on watching the game! I'm going to try and multi-task and work on one of my crocheted hats at the same time, I really want to get a "stock" of them ready to sell. Before the game starts I want to try to get some reading done since there are several potential good books I've checked out recently sitting on my nightstand. Here's the one I started today -->

Getting Back on Track

Hello, World. I'm back!

Stella's Fish Cafe - Minneapolis, MN

It has been awhile since I've done a "real post." I was out of town visiting family and friends in the Twin Cities and then came back home to my brother's graduation and party. All of which were a huge success! Then I kinda had to hit the ground running with work and classes -boo!

Minneapolis Institute of the Arts

It really hasn't been a "bad" week, I'd just prefer to be on vacation again. I was pretty busy with things to do everyday while I was gone so I didn't come home feeling completely rested (coming back to a house filled with relatives and graduation festivities didn't help)!

Lake Harriet - Minneapolis, MN

Mind - Still been quite anxious over the whole "what am I going to do with my life" thing. I've always been interested in occupational therapy since high school (it's what I wanted to do when I started college), but the science courses discouraged me as I am NOT a science-minded person. I swear I study, and study and nothing "sticks." I do know that psychology(my major), relationship, and developmental issues have always intrigued me. I'm just not sure what I want to do with those interest. I hate office jobs, monotony, and I know that I am too empathetic to be a counselor. I made an excel sheet of several OT schools I'm interested (I love lists) so that helps me compare what options are out there. I just feel like there is something that is holding me back from going through with the OT track, but I can't pin-point what that is. I think I'm going to look into family/development grad programs and see if something jumps out at me. I've thought briefly of being a child-life specialist so maybe I'll just do a bit more research...

Body - I've gotten into a pretty good routine of doing yoga or pilates before work in the morning and taking walks on the evenings I don't have my classes. I did go to the gym this am for the first time in weeks. I started on the treadmill but something was wrong with it. Seriously. It was making all these screeching noises so I took it as a sign to change to the bike. I have to be careful not to overdo my exercise since my blood pressure was so low (had a check up Wednesday) and I'm still not well rested. I have been trying to add more strength training - adding those muscles - and I've been sore the past few days. But hey, something must be working, right?

Soul - I've been  praying more. When I wake up and before bed. I'm really trying to focus on having faith that I will figure all of this "future stuff" out. Reflecting is always a good way to start and end the day in my opinion. It's becoming more natural. Yoga also helps me feel more "centered". It's like a win-win.

Happy Weekend-ing!

"He's Off to a Great Start!"

Pictures from my brother's graduation party!