St. Patty's Prediction Run and a few goals...

This weekend was an interesting one. When I got home from work Friday night, my Princess was already to go out. We went to the mall looking for some fun accessories to wear in the 5k on Saturday. Needless to say, we were not very successful since everyone else was doing the same thing or had beat us to the stores. Then we went and ate at our favorite restaurant, Sake Cafe! Lately we've gotten a bit adventurous and tried different things. I found out that I really love Uzukuri! So yummy! After dinner, we went home and got ready to go out on the town.

Then we made our way downtown for a friends birthday. It was a pretty good time hanging out with some women for a change. After hanging with them for a bit, we made our way to a different bar to see some of the guys from Princess's squadron. By that time it was after 12 and we had to get up early to run a 5k so we went home.

I did not realize how much I had drank Friday night until I was trying to wake up Saturday morning. Omg it was brutal, but we made it downtown for the McGuire's St Pattys Prediction 5k! Having not trained at all, I definitely have to say that it went pretty well. Princess stayed with me the whole time and we finished in 34:47. Went over our predicted time of 33:32 but I'm pretty proud of myself since I only walked about 4 blocks out of 3.1 miles!

After the race there was complimentary stew, rootbeer, IRISH WAKES AND BEER for all participants! Thinking we needed to get our moneys worth (which we didn't even have to pay or entry fee, but w/e), we indulged in way too many Irish Wakes and too much beer. Knowing that that we could not drive home once they party was over, we walked over to Hopjacks for some of their delicious black and bleu pizza. I wish I could eat that pizza every day. By the time we got home, I did NOT feel too well and eventually found myself spending Saturday afternoon/night in bed, not getting up til about midnight when I decided to watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.

This morning I got up and cooked an amazing breakfast. I made bacon, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and my favorite breakfast food EVER crepes. I had not made crepes since I was in high school but I thought it sounded like an excellent idea. I found a recipe online and they turned out wonderful. I am eating the leftover ones for breakfast tomorrow!

Anyways, my successful race on Saturday really motivated me to continue running and actually train for a real 5k and 10k. I registered for the Fiesta of Five Flags 5k at the end of April and am looking for a 10k to run in May. The next goal is a half marathon in July. Hopefully I can find one around here before it is time to move. My other goal – which I have had for some time now – is to get down to 135lbs. I have begun losing some weight and am currently at 148...so 13lbs. If I am successful, I would not mind losing another 10. Then I would be the size I was as a freshman in college. I am going to make an attempt to keep excellent track of my training, but as most people know, I am terrible at keeping my blog up to date. Anyways, training starts tomorrow with a 20 minute run :)

I also recently decided that I wanted to go back to school. I enjoy my job but I do not think I could make law a career. I cannot sit in an office for an extended period of time. It is far too depressing and I feel I need to be in an environment that is not only challenging but would allow me to interact with and people overcome challenges. Wow that line totally ripped of Lakeviews mission statement – I guess I have heard it too many times. Anyways, I am planning to go back to Iowa State for pre-reqs and then I will apply to a few occupational therapy schools. I'm gonna have to get a 4.0 both semesters as well as an excellent score on the GRE but I know I can do it!

Thats What I'm Doin These Days...

Well its February 2^nd already and I cannot believe it! Seems like time is flying. I guess I am so busy that sometimes I feel like I don't have time to think! The holidays were great. We went back to the Midwest and saw our families – I got the two best Christmas presents ever! This being one of them:

We named him Apollo and he is the greatest dog ever!

Also, I recently found out that my dad was accepted to go on the transplant list. Luckily he is the only one for his blood type and the doctors believe that a donor will come up within 30 days! As nerve-wracking as it is, I'm so I ecstatic! Soooo every day that goes by, I wait for a phone call from my parents to tell me to head to the airport...

Other than that I have started a new job at a law firm. I really, really enjoy it. There for awhile I was having a hard time adjusting but I definitely prefer it to working in a psychiatric hospital. Don't get me wrong, I MISS the excitement of working at the hospital, but I'm pretty sure I'm happy with only working there occasionally. It gets to be too much when you're there for 50 hours a week. One definitely starts to wonder if she is going crazy herself.

I'm so excited for spring/summer! The Hangout Music Festival released their lineup yesterday and needless to say it is pretty damn stellar! SOOOOO stoked for Widespread Panic and Umphrey's McGee!!! I have seen Umphreys a few times and loved every second of every show. Even better, the lineup is so awesome that I've got some friends talking about coming down.

My new years resolution? Lose weight/lifestyle change! I was doing really well there for awhile. I'm too cheap to get a gym membership but I did pay $55 for a Jillian Michael's membership and I tell you what her circuits definitely hurt! I was eating really well and working out regularly until last week. Then I went to Bootcamp with a girl from work and hurt my ankle – not sure how but I was having trouble walking and going up and down stairs for a few days. I haven't worked out for a week and I've been eating like crap. It doesn't help that things are tight til I get my tax refund/next paycheck – NEXT WEEK! Grrrr...I cannot even go buy groceries so we have to make do with whats in the fridge unless my Princes decides he wants to go to the store and pick something up.

Oh yeah, and since I will have to stay here to fulfill my contract with AmeriCorps, I have had a recent fear of becoming homeless. Since I have a fairly small budget and don't know anyone looking for a roommate, I got brave and got on Craigslist! Last weekend I went and looked at my first place. I was so impressed that I haven't even looked anywhere else. The price is definitely reasonable – includes a private beach and I can have my dog there. Too good to be true. So this week I'm working on getting a financial reference from a previous landlord – which shouldn't be too difficult. Then, I will be using half of my tax money to make a deposit. Woohoo!!! Can't wait!!

Oh and my Bible verse of that day from Google – so perfect for me these day:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Update

Sooooo....its be awhile once again.  So much has been going on!  I have been working a lot at the psych hospital so that has definitely kept me busy.  Recently I was offered a full-time position so of course I took it.  I love the flexibility of being PRN...basically work whenever I want to but since they are re-doing some of the scheduling stuff it would no longer be a guaranteed amount of hours.  So, in order to be safe I accepted the full-time position to work 2nd shift -- which will work a lot better for my sleep habits as much as I love working 1st shift since it is busier.  Also, my Princess got jets so we are in Pensacola for another year or so...and then we go somewhere else.

And the other exciting part....I was offered a position with AmeriCorps Financial Services! I will only be working quarter time but its an opportunity to try something new as well as explore an area in which I may be interested in...particularly prior to applying for law school.  Not to mention....it will look great on the ol' resume!  If I like it a lot...I may go back to school for that but we will see.  I'm actually in Kansas this work for some training.  Today was kind of long, especially since our flight left at 6am which meant getting up at 4am.  When we got here we had to go to the site and we were there until 7 so I'm pretty tired.  I think I am going to do some crunches or something, call Princess, and get some sleep.  But yeah just a real quick update and I will try to do so regularly!

Wow!  It's been awhile since I've posted anything!  I started my new job at the psychiatric hospital and I LOVE IT!  It has kept me very busy though and there for awhile I was working quite a bit of overtime.  I will also get some OT this week but not like I was lately.  I have  to be very careful what I say about work because of privacy issues so I can't say a lot.  All I have to say is that it is definitely an interesting job and does not get boring!

I'm still kind of adjusting to being back in Florida and to Matt's irregular schedule of him being constantly busy for awhile and then suddenly having nothing to do.  Since our schedules conflict so much we didn't see much of eachother for awhile and it was almost like we were just roommates.  Now he's home a lot that it almost drives me crazy. 

We finally got to go out the other night with some of his friends.  One of them brought his girlfriend who recently moved here and she also brought a girl she met recently.  I think the two of us are going to hang out soon and have a girls night.  I can't wait!  The guys sang a few karaoke songs that night...including "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys.  The best part was that the screen wasn't working and yet they knew all the words!  Girls weren't the only once listening to BSB back in the day!


Anyways, thats about all thats going on in my life right now.  Still waiting on some news regarding my dad's condition and hopefully we'll know more by the end of the week!

Weekend Recap

What a weekend!

I actually got to have Friday and Saturday off this week . . . which probably won't be happening again until I go back to Iowa and who knows when that will be.  Friday I went shopping for some new clothes for my new job.  I didn't buy any clothes but managed to come home with a few things we need for the kitchen as I left nearly everything I had in college with my parents since I only brought down here what could fit in my car and Matt didn't have much.  While I was trying to go to a beauty supply store I managed to get lost in an area of the city that I am unfamiliar with and appeared to be somewhat dangerous.  So, I just went home instead of trying to find the store!

When Princess got home, we decided to eat at Cactus Flower for the first time.  One of his friends told him that it was way better than Vallarta's because CF is "California Style Mexican".  We ordered their wine margaritas and I had enchiladas verde con camarones while Matt had the other "classic" enchiladas with chicken.  Honestly, I didn't really care for the food -- especially for the price which was a bit expensive for Mexican food.  $15 for enchiladas?! I'll take my $7 enchiladas from Vallarta's any time! At least the wine margaritas were AWESOME!  Then, while we were trying to figure out what to do with our Friday night we went to one of the local "dive" bars that we had heard good things about.  It didn't really seem like much of a dive bar to me -- in fact I really liked it, but I prefer places like that.  Especially when its an older crowd and blaring insanely loud music.  I like to be able to sit down and have a conversation with whoever I'm with without having to scream so the other person(s) can hear me.  Eventually we went over to a friend's place and just kinda hung out for a couple hours. 

Saturday morning we started looking for a new place that would be closer to where I work since it will probably take me over an hour to get to work from where we currently live.  The first few places were ok but nothing really stood out to me.  Then we got to the last place.  We both LOVED it!  Its a condo on the water and absolutely gorgeous with a great view.  However, its only slightly closer to my new job since its right by the front gate rather than the back gate -- but it will still save me 15-20 minutes driving time.  The parking is also poor -- and Princess has a nice car that he loves more than most things in life so that is also a concern.  We are looking at another condo tomorrow night.  I never saw the ad online but Matt says they are really nice as well, and in a more desirable location for me -- also with a spa across the street!

We spent the rest of the afternoon changing the tires on Matt's car -- well...he changed them.  I watched and looked up recipes on my phone.  I found a pretty tasty spinach artichoke dip that I made for dinner that night along with some zucchini and rib-eyes we picked up at a butcher shoppe we had never tried.  Our meal was DELICIOUS!  Growing up in Iowa, my family had steaks frequently since it was so accessible.  But there really is a different in beef that has been corn-fed and beef that was grass-fed, and with those cows that were allowed to freely graze in a pasture the meat is much better!  Sooooo much better actually that I only want that from now on!  After dinner I baked some brownies and we also had wine n cheese later in the night for a snack.  Matt and I also decided to try to relive our college years by playing beer pong.  I actually used wine which definitely was NOT a good idea since I had to work Sunday morning!

Work was work as usual.  I forgot what I was like to work a Sunday lunch in the south though.  While most restaurants get a church crowd, its seems to be even more so down here since religion seems to be a bigger part of people's lives here.  My tables were asking me to pray with them!  That had never happened to me before, but it actually made me feel a lot better since I was kind of having a bad day (not because of the hangover).  It also reminded me that I need to do more praying and try to find a church down here which I set out in my day zero plan.  After work I came home and just relaxed for the evening.  Matt had to do some stuff for work so I got some alone time and was in bed at like 8:30.  That was def a good thing since I had to get up today at 5:30 and am NOT a morning person.  It was worth it though -- I think I am really going to enjoy my new job!

Thursday 5

5 things that have made you..

Happy

Giddy

Grateful

Joyful

Gleeful

 

1.  Getting a new job!  I interviewed in February -- the day of my dad's heart attack -- and I called them back two months later and they still wanted to offer me a job!  I took my drug test yesterday, now we are just waiting for it and a background check to come back.  I'm not worried about either since I don't do drugs and have never been arrested!

 

2.  Work being busy!  Its currently the slow season at my current waitressing job since people are going down to the beach restaurants more.  However, it seems to be the bad tippers that are going elsewhere because I have been getting at least 15% on the majority of checks :)  Last night I got $20 TWICE on $70 checks

 

3.  Being back in Florida with Matt.  We have had a great frist week back with each other and had a lot of fun!  Love him!

 

4.  Mom & Dad's health!  Our family really is blessed -- mom's cancer is in remission and my dad is still here with us!

 

5.  3 rolls of sushi for $11.  Yes I am serious and no I didn't get it at the grocery store.  This sushi is high quality from a Japanese restaurant we found.  I went in today for their lunch special even though Matt n I usually go on the weekends I wasn't feeling well last time so I went and picked some up today.  Soooooo wonderful! 

YES!!!

I got a phone call from the HR dept of a place I interviewed with the day my dad had his heart attack.  Since I was away for such a long period of time I figured that the company would have filled the position(s) and no longer be interested but I called them back yesterday anyways.  Today they called me back and offered me the job!  I have to go do paperwork tomorrow and probably take a drug test.  Then orientation is on Monday!  However, even though I will be working full-time I'm not going to be making nearly enough to offset quitting the Lob so I will still have to work a few shifts/week there.  I was hoping to be able to quit but oh well.  Its not like I have anything to do down here anyways, especially since I don't know many people.

I just hope to be able to have my weekends open so I can spend them with Matt.  It gets a little difficult during the week not seeing him and then having to work all weekend while he doesn't have to work.  This fall things will pick up for him though and he will hardly be home from what I understand.  However, I've also caught on to the fact that Matt prepares me for the absolute worst and this usually aren't that bad.  Welcome to the Navy -- I have to tell myself that pretty often.  They always throw things at you when you least expect it and when its very inconvenient.  Just the way it is though.

Anyways, I better get ready for a night at the Lob.  Since I am dirt poor from not working for two months!