Week In Review; 1/25-1/31

Week In Review; 1/25-1/31

Training:

• Running–  12.8 miles for the week.  Wednesday–   3.2 miles @ 10:30 pace.  Treadmill. Just a nice easy jog/run.  The run itself was great but I had to go to the LA Fitness by my parents house and I hate it there!  Friday– 2 miles @ 10:28 pace. Treadmill.  Same story as Wednesday.  Sunday– 7.6 miles @  11:07 pace.  Outside!!!  First outside run in what feels like forever.  It was cold (18degrees with wind chill of 6degrees kind of cold) but I didn’t even care, it was wonderful!  Cold…but wonderful!
• Biking- 30 minutes on the stationary bike Saturday.  I kind of half-assed this; I read my USAT magazine and just pedaled along @ about a 13.5 avg/mile.  Lame. 
• Strength training– Lifted 15 minutes Wednesday and 25 minutes Saturday.  Focused on lower back and shoulders.
• Cross training– Elliptical- 15 minutes on Wednesday and 20 minutes on Saturday.
• Abs challenge– 450 for the week.  Not perfect, but a vast improvement from last week.

Weekly High: Running outside this morning.  I almost ran inside but one of my goals for the year was to take on the cold and this was a good opportunity.  It was such a challenge between the cold, snow and slush and I am so proud of myself for getting it done! Sometime this week, there will be a full post with photos about today’s run!

Weekly Low:  Still struggling to get into a schedule now that I am back home.  No spin class again, I missed pilates and I am not cross training as much as I had hoped. 

Notes:

• I am toying with the idea of driving to my old gym that I was in love with just because I know I will be happier there.  It is a 25 minute drive from my parents but it might be worth it considering how much I hate the one by their house.  I mean, I will deal with it when I am rushed for time or if I just want to swim some laps, but for hard-core indoor workouts I might begin traveling a bit. 
• Can you believe January is over already- holy cow time flies!!  I am so excited for my trip to Florida in 3 weeks and for my first half-marathon of 2010!!

Life:

• My Tri team had its annual expo today and it was a HUGE success!!!  So many people came out and we had a lot of great vendors there as well.  I feel so lucky to be part of something so positive in the triathlon world!  And being there talking with all my teammates makes me even more excited for my season to begin!
• I am officially out of the old apartment (and now I have BNL playing in my head) after doing the final cleaning this weekend.  It is an adjustment for sure, but things are going well. 

Three things I am grateful for this week:

1. Ice Packs at work- pretty convenient that I work in a school where the nurse can supply me with ice packs for my legs when I come to work right from a run!  Pretty much I just sit at my desk with ice packs tied around my legs.  I should take a photo sometime because this is something I know all your runners can appreciate.
2. Full nights sleep- I am getting full nights sleep again since I don’t have a crazy lady awake all night living above me!!  I get to bed at a decent time, sleep through the night and I feel less-stressed and much more energized! 
3. Warmth- With the sub-freezing temps I am once again reminded how lucky I am for the small things, like a heated home.  There are many people without places to live and/or without heat.  I know shelters/churches/hospitals etc do what they can to ensure saftey for those in the elements but it saddens me that anyone has to live such a way.  I am so very grateful that I am afforded a warm home with a warm bed.

Quote of the week:  “Running: No half times, no time outs, no substitutions. It must be the only true sport.”

Friendships & Blogging

Over the course of the last few weeks I have had some very interesting conversations with people about blogging.  It occurred to me that blogging is so much more like real life than I even thought. 

In real life I have great friends, good friends, acquaintances and people I just know. 

• My great friends are my true few; the ones I count on for everything and that can count on me in return.  These are the people I need in my life- most whom have been around for many years and have seen me through good and bad.   They are the friendships I put the most effort into and the people I keep in contact on an almost daily basis through some form of communication.  And if I don’t talk to them or see them, that is okay too because these are people I never have to wonder about because I know where we stand. 
• My good friends are those I have a great time with when I see them but that I don’t see as often.  However, it doesn’t matter how often I see them, when I do, we always pick up right where we left off no matter how much time has gone by. 
• My acquaintances are those people who I say are my friends but that I really only see when they are with other people or on special occasions like birthdays.  I genuinely like these people and enjoy their company but they aren’t those I get together with one on one.
• The people I just know are those whom I like, but aren’t really my friends.  They might be on my Facebook but generally they aren’t people I get together with unless it is a random event where we both know the same person.  And even then our communication usually consists of a hello, how are you and goodbye.  This group is mostly a mix of old co-workers and high school acquaintances. 

Blogging, in a many ways, is a lot like these friendships.  There are the blogs I love and read daily, the blogs I really like and try to read daily and the blogs I like but I only randomly read now and then.

• The blogs I love and read daily have their own folder on my reader and are the first I hit on when I sign into google.  I have come to look forward to their next posts and count on them for advice in all different areas of tri’s/running/nutrition and life in general.  These are the people I feel like I have built connections with over the last year and have come to know outside of the blog world either by email, fb or phone. 
• The blogs I really like and try to read daily are those that I really enjoy reading but either are new to me or have authors that do not blog often.  While these blogs are not my first priority, I do read all entries even if it takes me some time to get to them.
• Blogs I like but I only randomly read now and then are blogs I usually read if the title strikes me or if I have found my way there through another blogger.  For the most part, blogs I start out reading only now and then becomes ones I end up reading more often as I get to “know” the writer.

I have to admit, I have become slightly picky about the blogs I read daily.  I really want to know who I am blogging with; when I talk about the blogs I read I like to mention their names and talk about who they are, not just what there blog is about. 

Does that make sense? 

When I first started blogging I quickly found out that, like in real life, not everyone is going to be interested what I have to say.  And not everyone cares that you commented them or asked them a question.  And you know what, I am totally okay with that!  I would rather have ten faithful readers who leave thoughtful comments than four-hundred readers who aren’t really reading.  It is why, in turn, I only have about 75 blogs in my reader- I don’ t want to feel overwhelmed with material and I want to be able to thoughtfully comment on those blogs I do read.  

How do you decide which blogs you read?  What matters to you when it comes to choosing the blogs your read?

With all of that said, I want my readers to know that I appreciate you all, especially when you leave super supportive and positive comments on posts like this one from the other day.  All of your words meant a lot to me and made me really happy with my decision to share that part of my life with you.  As I have said many times before, the support from all of you is one of my favorite things about having a blog 🙂

What do you love most about blogging? 

If you are a new reader and haven’t said hello, please let me know you are here (of course lurking is okay too…we have all done it) so I can say hi.  I love visiting new blogs 🙂

P.S.–> TGIF; hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

Random Stuff and My Perfect Day

I only have time for a quick post today-

-First things first…welcome to my new readers!  I noticed my traffic increasing and I have had a few new commentors ♥.   I will be around to your blogs to say hello and look forward to following your journeys.  Thanks for stopping by to follow mine!

-My 200th Post and One-Year Blogversary are both fast approaching!  I had no idea when I started this blog that I would “meet” so many wonderful people.  Blogging is an amazing support system and also a huge part of my life as writer. 

-In other good news, it seems Blogger/Blogspot has stopped acting up, although I am not convinced it won’t happen again.  For now though, I am back to commenting!  I know, you missed me!  

-Yesterday, Lacey posted about her perfect day and asked readers to write about theirs!  Personally I love this and I invite you all to do the same as well 🙂

Here’s my perfect weekday:

8am- Wake up

8am-9am- Putz around the house (make coffee, hop online, listen the news….etc) and have breakfast.

9am-10:30am- Morning workout.  I prefer to work-out in the mornings so this would be the most perfect part of my perfect day!

10:30am-11am- Shower and get ready for the day.

11am-12pm- Lunch. Preferably with a friend somewhere like Panera or outside cafe.

12pm-3:30pm- Working…but at the perfect job (to go along with my perfect day) which would be  working for an organization I truly believe in, such as Back On My Feet, St. Judes or Doorways For Women. 

3:30pm-4:15pm- Catch a quick nap.  I love naps!!!

4:15pm-7pm- Dinner with family or friends and/or some type of activity.  In the perfect day I would have time for extra activities like seeing my cousins sports games or visiting with friends who live a distance from me. 

7pm-8pm- Errands and such other things that need to get done.

8pm-11pm- Relax, have a glass of wine, read, go online, watch TV and get my stuff ready for the next day.

11pm- Bedtime.

So what is your perfect day like?

A Moment Of Pride & Three Things Tuesday

Before I get to my Three Things Tuesday, I have to give myself a pat on the back…

…I have been completely smoke-free for one year–> not one cigarette!!!! 

I began smoking very young (I had a super cool boyfriend who smoked so I jumped on the stupidity bandwagon) and even though I had tried to quit many times in the past, it was always for someone else.  In late 2007, I couldn’t take it anymore and made the decision to quit.  This was right around the time I started to get healthy, and running while smoking just wasn’t working (duh, right?!?).  But making the decision and the actual act of quitting are two different things.  I took very small steps…slowly reducing the amount I was smoking until I felt ready.  In March of 2008 I “quit”.  I put that in quotes becuase, while I did okay, I still smoked if I went out with my friends who also smoked.  It wasn’t often, but the point was to stop completely and I hadn’t.  I knew I could not continue in the sports of running and triathlon unless I quit for good.  And I knew I was a phony if I was promoting healthy living while secretly smoking.  So in January 2009, I quit 100% and for good.  And it was the best decision I ever made.  Obviously, my health and my work-outs improved greatly but my whole life has changed too.  I know “never to say never” but honestly, I never see myself smoking ever again!!!!

(I thought long and hard before writing this, because honestly, the fact that I was a smoker is not something I am proud of.  In fact, because I hid it from most people in my life, I really can’t celebrate it with the excitement I feel at this huge accomplishment.  Thank you for letting me share it with all of you!)

Honestly, after writing that, I am not feeling very wordy and/or creative.  Therefore, instead of trying to come up with something witty and genius and failing, I am just going to point you in the direction of some great websites.   

Cake Wrecks- Sometimes, these cakes are so ridiculous, I find myself cracking up at my desk.  And I mean the kind of loud-cant-stop-belly laughing.  Seriously…do not look at this website at work if you aren’t allowed to be on other sites.  You will laugh out loud.

Wise Bread- This site is awesome, especially for those looking to save money.  And who isn’t looking to save money, right?  It is full of advice on how to save, including tips on the best days/times to shop at specific stores.  And they also have a page totally dedicated to deals and coupons! 

Post Secret- This site has gotten pretty popular in the last year or so but I still love it.  It started as one guy collecting postcards from people with their secrets on them.  Now he travels doing speaking events and he has published a few books.  I have been tyring to see one of his events for over two years but he sells out quick.

Blogger/Blogspot Comment Issues

Onelittletrigirl is frustrated!!!!

Is anyone else having problems with comments.  For the last 24 hours or so, every time I comment a Blogger/Blogspot blog, it says my domain name is wrong.  In addition, if I attempt it more than once, a gadrillion screens start popping up and I have to re-start my entire computer.  WTF!!!!  I know lately a few people have been having issues with Blogger/Blogspot so I was just wondering if this is among them. 

For the record, I am still reading, but for now it seems I won’t be able to comment any Blogger blogs. 😦

Week In Review- 1/18-1/24

Week In Review; 1/11-1/17

Training:

Running- 9.2 miles for the week. Wednesday: 3.1 miles on treadmill @ 10:10 pace.  Really good run!  I was a little worried about my shins but I got through the whole run problem free.  Saturday: 6.2 miles on treadmill @ 10:34 pace.  This was Casey’s “virtual 10k” which was perfect because I had a six mile run planned anyway.  I planned to run it outside but had already packed all my outside gear (RoadID, bottles, fanny pack…etc) so on the treadmill it was.  I won’t lie, the run was tough- hard to focus the first two miles or so…too much on my mind with everything I knew I had to get done.  But in the end, I ran the miles and felt great for doing so!

Biking- I got nothing.

Strength training- 30 minutes of at home pilates and uh…does moving count?

Abs challenge- 200 for the week. FAIL!

Cross training- 15 minutes on Elliptical, Wednesday morning.  Still boring…still trying.

Weekly High: I ran 6.2 miles on a treadmill.  Up to that point, I had never run more than 5 miles on the treadmill.  I knew it would be boring and tough to get through, but I did it and I was really proud of myself.

Weekly Low: I just couldn’t manage my time this week.  I spent so much time packing and moving that there simply wasn’t enough time to get in more gym time.  I hate using time as an excuse but I really have no other reason.  I hate having so little to show for the week.

Notes:

• I am writing this from my parents house.  I am home again.
• I have a feeling, that while I am transitioning, my work-outs will suffer. I feel that as long as I get my runs in and some form of cross-training every week, I will bounce back just fine when I am settled.

Life: Last night I went out for my best friends birthday celebration.  I had originally had other plans and was going to miss out, but those plans changed so I was able to make it.  I was bummed about my original plans but really happy I could make it out for Jessica’s birthday.  We have known each other since we were little girls and get closer with every year. She is a friend, that I know will be a friend for life.  Here is a photo from the night:

Three things I am grateful for this week:

1. Help. I received so much help this week from family and friends and I appreciated it more than I could ever put into words.  Moving is exhausting and definitely not something that can be done alone.  I am so thankful for all the help I had with this transition.
2. My Parents.  This is not the ideal situation for me but I am fully aware that it is not the ideal situation for them either.  I feel incredibly lucky that they are so supportive of me.
3. My Tuesday night class.  It is everything I had hoped and more.  I love it and cannot wait for every Tuesday of the next 15 weeks! 
   

Quote of the week: “If babies held the same tendency toward self-criticism as adults, they might never learn to walk or talk. Can you imagine infants stomping, ‘Aarggh! Screwed up again!’ Fortunately, babies are free of self-criticism. They just keep practicing.”

Me?? A Beautiful Blogger!

Lara over at SaturdayMmorningZen nominated me for the beautiful blogger award 🙂  Thanks!

As part of winning, I am supposed to tell you seven random things about myself:

1. I had my appendix out when I was six.
2. I am afraid of heights but I don’t let it stop me: I have both sky-dived and bungee jumped.
3. I love “dude movies” way more than “chick flicks” and I hate watching movies in a theater.
4. I like to drink, but I hate to be drunk.
5. My dream car is an Audi A4 convertible.  I don’t imagine I will ever be able to justify the purchase (unless I hit a HUGE lottery) but a girl can have dreams, right?!?!
6. If I could change anything about myself, I would make myself taller.
7. I drove straight through from Florida to NJ when I was 19- I had stayed there for three months and was so excited to get home I just couldn’t stop to stay overnight.  It took 22.5 hours and I slept for almost a day when I got home!

I also have to tag seven more people:

1. Lindsay @ Chasing the Kenyans
2. Jill @ Jill Will Run
3. Shelly @ Its Just One Foot in Front of the Other
4. Jenn @ Running Sane
5. Carolyn @ 26.2 Princess
6. Ulyana @ Shaped By Running
7. Fran @ Dutch Girl Gets Healthy
   

If you have already done this, my apologies!!

Living Happy

The following is a list of things that a friend of mine, CGI race director Michele, placed in her recent newsletter.  These are her tips for living happy and I must say, I agree.  I added my own thoughts after each one.

1. Forget about the material things – I take pride in the fact that I do not care about brand names or material items.  My TV is from 1995, my phone is from 2007 and I do much of my shopping at Target and Kohls.  I drive a nice car, I dress well and I live happy.  I have never much cared about the latest and greatest items and I don’t believe in having more than I need.  Plus, I would prefer to spend my money on making memories (trips, nights out with friends…etc) and not expensive material items.

2. Eat less and exercise more – This is the answer.  So often people are looking for some magic trick, some easy way to get fit and be healthy.  Well, here it is.  I am living proof.

3. Want love…then be lovable – I have my faults like everyone else but I believe I am a genuinely good person.  There is little I wouldn’t do for someone and I give more than I take.  I try to surround myself with people who are lovable as well 🙂

4. Do something FUN each day – I try to live a fun, adventurous and exiting life but I often forget about fun in the every day as it gets lost among my stresses.  I need to pay more attention to the FUN and less attention to the not fun!

5. Be grateful –I have this one nailed.  Of course there are things I want for but I know that in the big picture I am so very lucky for what I have in my life.  I have amazing parents, a great extended family, friends who love me for me, a secure job, an education, my health and my freedom.  It is not always a great life, but it is a good life!

6. Learn something new each day – I think this happens to each of us every day whether we realize it or not.  The trick is, to be more aware.  I love to learn and I know I constantly am learning but I need to broaden my awareness when it comes to all the new things I experience each day.

7. Try something new- This is something I am getting better at as I get older.  I used to be very predictable and afraid of any change, but I have really opened my eyes to new ideas and experiences.  I really credit being on my own for much of this, but also my love of triathlon and running.  It has brought so much to my life that I would have missed out on if I had been to afraid to try.

8. Talk less, listen more- I will admit fully that I struggle with this daily.  I need to work on listening more.  And it’s more than that really…I need to work on slowing down.  I tend to be moving so fast that I don’t always fully focus on what someone is saying.  Multi-tasking is a wonderful thing but when someone is talking it is important to listen fully.  Never know what you might miss if you aren’t 100% listening!

9. Live with the glass half full- I used to be a very negative person, always looking at the glass half empty.  I still struggle with always seeing it as full, but I have gotten much better at looking at the bright side.  Hell, most of the time I am happy to have a cup that isn’t smashed all over the floor!

10. NEVER give up on your dreams- I truly believe in the beauty of my dreams and know that I can achieve whatever I set my mind too.  Cliche or not, I know that I have as much chance as anyone to make a difference in the world and I fully intend to do so one day!

What are some of your tips for living happy?

2010 Race Calendar

Ok…so here it is…my tentative 2010 race schedule 🙂  Bout time I get on with posting it…you know, before the season actually starts!  I know it looks like a lot (and I guess it is in comparison to 2009) but I like to constantly have events to look forward to.  Many of the road races are discounted for early reg, one was half price because I attend RU and I am not paying for a single one of the tri’s (perk to volunteering for the past two years) so financially it is not as bad as it may initially look.  What it comes down to is this: I want to do as much as I can while I still can.  I have nothing holding me back (not married, no kids) and I am healthy (knock on wood).  Seize the day, right?!?

February 21- 1/2 Marathon; Jacksonville, Florida. The 26.2 with Donna or as I like to think of it, The 13.1 with Morgan!  I am so excited for this trip.  Morgan and I have so much fun stuff planned- country line-dancing, shopping, lunch with Robin, a dinner show, more shopping, road trip to Jacksonville, the expo, some more shopping, the race of course and the road trip back to Orlando!  We are totally planning to just have fun with this race…pink tu-tu’s, pink and red knee socks, big pink hair bows…you get the idea.  It is going to be a photo extravaganza!

March 21- 1/2 Marathon; Virginia Beach, Virginia.  The Shamrock. I am running this race with three friends of mine from high school, Michele, Colleen and Monique.  It is St. Patty’s weekend so of course it’s go green or go home!!!  Originally I was going to race this “just for fun” but the more I think about it, the more I think I want to go for a PR.  I will probably mull this over until the actual race day, going solely based on how I feel leading up to the race.

April 18- 1/2 Marathon; New Brunswick, New Jersey.  CGI UNITE 13.1. This is my first “A” race of the season.  This race is being held on the Rutgers Campus and is the inaugural 1/2 marathon in what will be a new series next year for CGI.  If you have been following my blog you know that I love CGI and that my Tri Team supports them 100%.  So many of my friends and teammates are doing this race, plus it is RU where I attend school so I am super excited!

May 2*- 10 miler; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Broad Street Run. This is the run to run if you are a runner!  First of all…10 miles is my favorite distance and second the course is awesome.  Last year it was pouring rain and freezing cold and it was still a fun time.  Last year there were 26,000 runners…they don’t cap and it gets bigger every year so I can only imagine what 2010 will bring to Broad Street.

May 23- Olympic Relay Tri; Poconos, Pennsylvania.  Black Bear. This is another race put on by CGI.  I am going to be the swimmer, my teammate Kurt will bike and my teammate Brian will run.  This will be my first Olympic distance swim AND my first swim in a wetsuit.  Relay’s are all about fun and I cannot wait.  Now we just need a good team name!

June 5*- 8K; Moorestown, New Jersey.  Scott Coffee Memorial Run. The first year I ran this race I struggled big time!  It was my first “big” race and I was still such a beginner.  It was 100 degrees and I knew nothing about Body Glide at the time.  I was a hot, blistery, disgusting mess.  But, in 2009 I went back to the course ready!  And I killed it.  🙂  This is a race that I just have to run!

July 11*- Sprint Triathlon; Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  Philly Women’s Triathlon. Here’s a shock…it’s run by CGI!  I think I will forever regret not making this my first ever tri.  It really is the best race around for women and even better for first-timers.  Last year it was turned into a duathlon because of weather, so I am super looking forward to finally getting to race this!  It is my triathlon “A” race.

July 17- Relay Race; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  BomF 20 in 24. A co-worker of mine who has practically run her whole life asked if I wanted to get together a group from work and run this race.  This is cool for two reasons: it is something I get to do with work friends and it is the charity that I support.  I was thrilled that she thought of me and I am really excited for this event.  It is a 5 person relay at 8.4 miles each.  There are also two other events, the Pajama run and the Ultra.  Awesome people like Denise do the Ultra and I look forward to cheering her along.  A few of my teammates will also be doing the Ultra so I will be there to cheer them on as well 🙂

July 25- Olympic Triathlon; Mercer County Park, New Jersey.  NJ State Triathlon.  Oh, whatta ya know…another CGI triathlon!  This will be my very first Olympic Distance race and I am super excited for the new challenge.  As always, I know the bike (24miles) is going to be the toughest for me but I am determined to succeed.

August 1*- Sprint Triathlon; Belmar Beach, New Jersey.  Belmar Tri for Autism. I did this race last year and loved it.  It was the first time I did an ocean swim and despite my apprehensions, I really enjoyed it.  The bike was a little boring but the scenery throughout the whole bike/run makes up for it.  Can’t beat a race on the beach!  Oh, and they had real bathrooms (read: not porta potty’s)!!!  The goal for this race is just to PR for the course.

August 21- Sprint Triathlon; Wildwood, New Jersey.  Tri the Wildwoods.  I have really wanted to do this race for two years.  The first year I decided against it because it was only a week after my first tri and last year the weather was awful and I didn’t make the trip down.  This year I am hoping it is a different story and I can finally race this course.  I ❤ Wildwood!!!

September 19*- 1/2 Marathon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Rock N Roll Philadelphia. This race will always be the Philadelphia Distance Run as far as I am concerned but RnR took over this year!  It is also my other “A” race.  I came so close to PR’ing this last year and walked away feeling a little disappointed.  I fully expect to have a PR before this race but this is my race to race in 2010.

October 16*- 1/2 Marathon; Baltimore, Maryland.  Baltimore Running Festival.  This beast of a race (ie: hills!!!) and I are going to go at it again in 2010.  Even though the course was tough for me, this was one of the best races.  It was well-organized, fun and had some of the best spectators.  I can’t wait to go back for more!!

November 21*- 1/2 Marathon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Philadelphia Marathon Series. This is my race.  I really love this race.  As long as I am running, I will be participating in this race.  I still hope for this to be my first full marathon when I am ready to take on the challenge.

December 5- 1/2 Marathon; Las Vegas, Nevada. Rock N Roll Las Vegas. I have never been to Vegas and I want to go oh-so-badly.  I am not much of a gambler or drinker so what better excuse than to run their half marathon!?!?!   Oh bloggies…you just wait.  There will be some details coming about this from me and a certain redhead 😉

*Races I completed in 2009

The only concern I have about this schedule is the intensity of it and staying injury free.  I have so many races within weeks of each other (especially in July with 4 race weekends in a row) and while I have an idea of which races I am going to choose to “race” and which ones I am going to be conservative about, I know I need to go into this with a good plan.  Here’s the thing…I am still working on the plan and I am kind of clueless. 

Questions:

Thinking in terms of recovery (and avoiding injury) how should I train in between events?

Do you race back to back weeks?  What are your best injury prevention tips (besides the obvious resting, icing and massaging)?

Most importantly, are any of you bloggies out there doing any of these races???  I would love love love to add bloggy meet-ups to my race weekends 🙂

Three Things Tuesday

PiF 500++ Mile Club: I love this…love it!  If you don’t know about the PiF 500++ club yet, check it out here.  Being a part of this, makes me want to run/bike even more.  And I am already looking forward to all the money I am going to be able to donate at the end of the year.  I decided to give myself another addiction join DailyMile in addition to keeping my records on my other log.  I am going to use DailyMile for running, biking and swimming only, whereas my other log has all my training work-outs.  So, if you are on DailyMile, friend me 🙂  And bear with me while I learn the ropes!

Moving:  Sunday I officially move out of my apartment and back into my parents house.  I am struggling with this for many reasons- it is far from my work, my school and of course, it is difficult to get used to the idea of being home again in general.  But I do feel lucky to have a roof over my head.  And the big upside is, I will get to save some serious money while looking for the perfect place for me.  This past year has been hell, living at my apartment was absolutely horrible due to my neighbor, so even if I don’t love the idea of moving home I am THRILLED to be out of that hell hole.

School: Tonight is the night- back at RU. I am really looking forward to this class (unlike my Thursday night class) because it my elective: Magazine Writing.  Basically we will be putting together portfolios throughout the semester.  My dream job would be to work (either write or edit) for a magazine and I have been wanting to freelance forever, so this is huge for me.  I really hope this is the push I need to get my work out there.  And I hope the class doesn’t disappoint.

As promised here, photos of my 500+ mile club savings jar!

The Penguin says: I’m Slow. I Know. Get Over It!  My favorite!