Healthy Eating

Well it's been almost a week of close monitoring of what I'm eating.  I've been doing pretty well at keeping track of the calories I'm eating using My Fitness Pal!  And I'm doing my best to keep what I eat within my daily calorie allowance!  For the past couple days I've also been making it my goal to drink 8 cups of water a day, which is what is suggested by many nutritionists and doctors.  I've noticed this is making me have to go the bathroom A LOT!  I used to not visit the bathroom but a few times a day, but now I feel like I'm running in that direction every hour or so!  I'm hoping all this will help me look better and feel better about myself!

I've done really well at attending Jazzercise class every week, and I find myself really looking forward to going and getting in a good workout!  I'm also starting to get the hang of the routines and feel like I don't look so silly and clumsy doing the moves anymore!

After class last Saturday, I made a trip to Publix to get some good produce and healthier food.  I used to do almost all of my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, but their produce selection doesn't seem to match up and the prices at Publix for their healthier foods are pretty good.  There aren't many choices of grocery stores really close to my house, so I'm planning to make a weekly trip to Publix after Jazzercise class, which is near a Publix store!

I have been doing a little experimenting with adding more fruits and vegetable into my diet.  I've started drinking 100% Grapefruit juice and using more fresh produce when I cook.  Here is a picture of a yummy lunch I tried out on Monday:

It's 1 cup of whole wheat rotini, a 1/2 cup each of zucchini and squash, 1/2 cup marinara/lean ground beef sauce, and 8 oz of Grapefruit juice!  It was so easy make and extremely delicious!

Here's hoping I can keep up my good work and stick to eating better!

~Emily

Getting a Feel for It

So after my last post, I found My Fitness Pal, an online food and exercise tracker.  I've been using it to track everything I eat since Monday.  I did pretty well Monday and Tuesday keeping within my allotted daily caloric intake, but I didn't do so well yesterday.  I know there are going to be days that I "fall of the wagon," but I can't let those days get me down and I'm trying harder today!  I know it's going to take some time to get myself used to not just eating anything I want.  I'm getting a feel for it though!

I don't have anything going on this afternoon until Jazzercise class, so to keep myself from digging into everything in my house, I have been finding some activities to keep myself occupied.  I clipped the dog's toenails and cleaned out her ears.  We also had a bit of play-time outside!  I've done some laundry and even vacuumed the house.  I feel good about the hard work I'm putting in to keep my mind off food!

Yesterday, I had my yearly doctor's appointment (the girly one).  Everything seemed to check out okay, but my blood pressure was a bit high.  I always get nervous when I go to the doctor, mostly because I only go once a year to this particular doctor.  This elevates my blood pressure, but I'm not sure it should be this high at my age, so I've been looking into other ways to lower it beside getting put on medication.  I'm hoping the exercise and working to eat better will help with this!

It has been great to be back at work with the students this week!  I feel like my students and I are really getting involved in what we're reading!  And the students seem to be really excelling!

We have been struggling with one teacher, whose students we work with.  She doesn't seem to see us as professionals and talks down to us, that is when we actually do communicate at all.  I know every person has their own way of doing things and as they say "march to the beat of their own drum," but the lack of collaboration and communication with us and other teachers is very frustrating.  We have tried many ways of approaching her and dealing with her with no change.  I hope things will get better for our sake as well as the sake of the students!

Hoping for a great weekend to come and more hard work ahead!

~Emily

Time to Try Harder

After struggling to put my jeans on last night to go out and not feeling very good about myself in my own clothes, I've decided that just doing the exercise is not cutting it!  I think it's time to really start focusing on all the things I'm eating!  I seem to eat much more when I'm not busy and I don't really think too much about the mindless eating.  

I think it's time for me to start keeping track of what I'm eating.  To do this I'm going to use a calorie tracker online and maybe even keep a food journal that I can write down what I eat when I'm not near a computer.  Today, I want to just keep track of how many calories I'm eating on average to see what a good daily calorie goal would be for me!

Another thing that may help with the mindless eating is for me to go out and take a walk or do something productive when I feel the urge to eat out of boredom.  I really think this will keep my mind off the food and hopefully get some productive things done as well!

I'm really hoping cutting back and keeping track of my daily calorie intake will really help me start to feel and look better!

It's definitely time to try harder!!!

~Emily

Weekend Happenings

Well the snow/ice are almost gone.  I can't believe that there is still some on the ground a week later!  That never happens around here.  Usually it disappears the next day.

Anyways...
My weekend turned out to be a bit more eventful than I originally thought it might be!  On Friday, I took Rosey down to the Riverwalk for nice long walk to get her out of the house and some exercise for us both!  I was surprised by all the snow still lingering around the path and the ice that was still on the path and bridges (Rosey almost made me slip a few times!).  That night, I went out for dinner to San Jose!  Yay for some Mexican (it was my choice)!  Can't say that was the best food choice, but it was certainly yummy!  After dinner, I started watching Modern Family from the beginning...I really enjoy this show!

Saturday started with Jazzercise class!  During class, one of my best friends Lacy asked me to grab dinner with her...Finally we could get together and celebrate her Birthday!  We had a great time and meal at Copper River!  I did pretty good by ordering a salad and soup, and it's always good to get out with a great friend!

I didn't make it to church on Sunday morning because Mallory was taking care of her mother after her recent surgery and I don't feel very comfortable going by myself, but I did take some time to connect with God.  I decided to take Rosey down the Riverwalk again for another long walk.  There were many people out there, probably because the weather was much nicer!  I think Rosey had a good time mingling with some of the other dogs out there!  I got together with some friends for trivia late last night at Wild Wings.  We try to go whenever we have a Monday off because it doesn't start until around 11pm and goes on for a couple hours.  We really have a great time every time we go!!!

Today I'm enjoying my last day off, and plan on going to Jazzercise tonight!  I'm actually really looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow!  I've missed my students and the work we've been doing!

Here's hoping for a great week ahead!

~Emily

The Meltdown

Well after many days of snow and ice, the meltdown is almost complete!  Everything was pretty much melted on Wednesday, but after driving to Mom's house that night in Lexington, I found that many places were still dealing with much more that needed to melt!  Here are some pictures around my house on Wednesday:

Yes those are Christmas lights still hanging on my house! LOL!

They were taken down yesterday though!!!  Yay me!

Yesterday, I went back to work.  The students still have off until Tuesday, but us teachers had to go in for in-service.  We had a professional development on teaching vocabulary.  Not extremely exciting, but I learned some new things that I can try when we go back next week!  No work today because I don't usually work on Fridays, and no work Monday because of MLK day!  So I have a long weekend ahead of me and no real plans!  After getting three extra days off this week, I'm no so sure a long uneventful weekend will be that great...I may be super bored!

I finally made it back to Jazzercise after many days of it being cancelled due to the weather!  We had class last night and it felt good to sweat!  Even though I did pretty well doing two workouts at home when I couldn't go to class!  Since I was stuck at home for so many days, I didn't do so well at eating because I eat so much more when I'm just sitting around bored, but hopefully I'll do better when my schedule goes back to normal!

The temperatures are supposed to warm back up this weekend, so here's hoping everything will continue melting and all will go back to normal!

~Emily

Snow Days

Well, the snow started falling around midnight Monday morning, so this is what we woke up to:

Rosey really enjoyed running around in it and trying her best to eat it all up!

Around 4:30pm yesterday, they went ahead and cancelled school for today because the snow was going to turn to ice as the temperature dropped.  So I spent another day at home today, but the roads have started to clear up.  I enjoyed getting out a little bit ago to eat at Ruby Tuesdays!  Here's a few pics I took today of the ice:

And Rosey eating the ice:

It has started melting some, but the temperature is supposed to drop pretty low again tonight, so school has been cancelled again!  We were only supposed to have a 3 day school week as it is with Thursday and Friday as in-service days, so now the students get a whole week off!  And Monday is a holiday as well!  Won't be digging it as much when we have to make all of this up, but I've been enjoying getting to sleep in and lay around!

I did do a P90x workout last night since Jazzercise class was cancelled!  It kicked my butt...I'm so sore today!  Going to try to motivate myself to do other workout tomorrow before heading to Mom's for dinner!

Yay for snow/ice days!!!  Especially in SC!

~Emily

My Weekend

Well my weekend was a pretty busy, but definitely fun one!  I started it off with a night out on a second date!  He came to pick me up, then we went to Outback for dinner.  After dinner, he took me to his friends' house to meet them and their daughter.  They were very nice, and we had fun playing some games on their PS3!

Yesterday morning I woke up early to go to Jazzercise class, which I am very proud of myself for getting up out of bed on my usual day to sleep in!  After lunch and getting myself ready I headed to Dad's house, so we could head up to Charlotte to see my stepmom and about 300 other ladies perform a Jazzercise routine at halftime of the Charlotte Bobcats game.  We drove up and met up with some friends and family for dinner before the game. Then, we had to walk down to the arena...it was FREEZING especially with the wind!  I'm not a big basketball fan, so the game was rather boring, but I had a so much fun spending time with my dad!  He is so awesome, and we seem to always have a good time when we're together!  I was also great to spend some time with LuAnne's side of the family since they came to watch as well!

At halftime, the ladies took their positions (they filled up the entire floor) and gave a wonderful performance!  Some of the ladies I take class with said I should join in the next time they do another performance like this.  Not sure if that will actually happen...but we'll see!
Here's a picture of the side of the floor LuAnne and her group were on:

After not getting home from Charlotte until about 2am, I was happy with myself for getting up and going to church this morning!  We heard a great sermon about why Jesus was baptized, and I feel that my being baptized is what has made me always feel a relationship with God.  It hasn't always been the closest or best relationship, but a relationship none the less.  I know He has always been in my life, and I look forward to continuing to build on the relationship!

Today is one of my best friend's brithday!  Lacy turns 25 today!  I would have loved to have spent some time with her to celebrate her special day, but due to the fact that she now lives and teaches in Aiken, we didn't have a chance to get together to celebrate :(  Hopefully, we can get together soon!

The rest of my day today has involved me being very lazy!  I took a long nap and have been laying in bed for most of the afternoon!  Usually I would love to be out and about, but after a long week of work and feeling like I've been very busy, I'm really enjoying my lazy Sunday!

Looks like snow tomorrow!  Still waiting to see if school will be cancelled (I'm hoping for just a delay so no make-up day will occur), but I know Rosey and I will enjoy the snow either way!

~Emily

A Night at Mom's

Yesterday started off in a rush because I didn't want to pull myself out of bed, but once getting out the door and off to work, my day went better.  After work, I came home, ate lunch, then decided to get on the Wii fit and do some exercises.  I was on there for over an hour!  My sister came home from a trip to the mountains during this time, and then she got on a did a few activities!  We had fun playing on the Wii together!

On most Wednesday nights I go to my mom's house for dinner to spend time with her and my brother!  My sister usually has school on those nights, but since she's on break right now she was able to go with me last night.  My mom has a dog and a big back yard, so I always bring Rosey with me so she can run around and play with Cody.  They have a blast together!  By the end of the night, this is usually what they end up doing...

Last night we watched Sex & the City 2 with Mom.  Last week when we went for dinner we watched the first movie, introducing Mom to Sex & the City because she's never watched any of it before.  She seemed to really enjoy these movies!

Today, work was rather light because 3 of our classes were doing some testing during our meeting times, so we had some time to do some conferencing and planning.  We are going to work tomorrow even though we usually don't work on Fridays.  We are going to use this time to continue organizing the book room and complete some tasks we don't often have time to do!

Looking forward to another Jazzercise class tonight!

~Emily

Winterguard

So today was our first Winterguard practice of the new year, and it didn't start off too well.  The captain and leader of our group has not lived up to her commitment contract by missing multiple practices before Christmas break.  She has also not been 100% about being a part of the group this season, which broke my heart.  So it was best to let her go :(

Let me give you the background so this will make more sense...
Winterguard consists of a group of high schoolers that perform to music on a tarp-like floor inside of a gym using dance, flags, rifles, and sabres.  The group competes throughout the state against other groups of this type.  This is my second winter season working with the group, but this year is a bit different.  Due to a lack of funds, we are unable to travel and compete.  But to compensate for the students' sake, we have decided to put on a stage show with some of the same components without the cost of traveling.  Some of the students and parents, along with myself, were upset about missing out on competitions, but there is no way around the lack of funds, so we're making the best of our situation.

After dealing with this issue, we spoke to the rest of the group and they seemed to understand and take the news very maturely.  We appointed and new captain and continued on with a productive practice.  I'm hoping this decision will turn out making the group as a whole much better!

Now I just have to get down to work putting the show together!!!

~Emily

Jazzercise

Tonight was my first night of Jazzercise class!  I have been once before with my sister and stepmom, but tonight I joined and plan to attend 3-4 times a week!  My friend Mallory also joined tonight, so we can go together when our schedules permit!  My stepmom has been doing these classes for months now and she looks GREAT!  I'm hoping to have some of the same results and feel better about myself!

Today was also my first day back at school after a lovely 2 week break for Christmas.  It was hard to pull myself out of bed this morning, but I enjoyed being back with the kids and getting down to work!  After work, I went grocery shopping and stocked up on some healthy food.  Then, I headed to see my friend Jessica and my Goddaughter Rilee.  I haven't seen them since Christmas, so I was excited to see all of Rilee's new toys!

Well that's all for now!

~Emily

Great Start to the New Year

Looks as though 2011 is already starting to bring new things into my life!  Last night I went out on a date!  It was only the first date, but I feel like it went very well!  We'll see what comes of this and I'll keep you updated on the progress!

I also have taken a step in my quest to become closer to God.  I went to church today and enjoyed a great sermon!  I plan to make it next Sunday, too!  My friend Mallory was there as well and we made some plans to start doing some Jazzercise classes together!

I'm happy to see that 2011 is starting the way I wanted, and I'm excited to see what else is in store!

~Emily

Bring on 2011

I'm hoping 2011 brings great things in my life, so I'm starting this blog to hopefully capture all the greatness for me to reflect on in the future!

I don't really like to make New Year's Resolutions because every year I have trouble keeping them, so this year there are some things I would like to accomplish, but I just want to see them as goals to reach either in this coming year or whenever they may happen!

The first and most important goal I am setting for myself is to get in shape.  With that, I hope to shed some pounds and feel more comfortable about my body, but I want to do this in a healthy way with proper diet (no fad diets or diet pills) and plenty of exercise!  I plan to achieve this goal by eating less processed foods, more fruits and veggies, and by joining an exercise class or two!  Now the reason I don't consider this a New Year's Resolution is because I've tried to already start working towards my goal.  I have been taking my dog, Rosey, to walk at The Riverwalk.  I have really enjoyed going down there!  I also got a Wii and Wii Fit that I have been using as a fun way to motivate myself to play while also working on toning parts of my body!  The Wii Fit also helps me keep track of the work I've done and how my body is changing!  So bring on the sweat and hard work as I strive to get in shape!

The next goal I'm setting is to work to find a full-time job.  I love my current position, but after doing it for two years, I really need to push myself more to get classroom experience and move into a more professional role. With that, I also need to start preparing myself for grad school.  I know I want to go back and get my Master's, but I've been struggling to decide what I would like to study.  The first thing to get myself on the right track is to take the GRE and apply, so that's what I must start doing to work to achieve this goal!  So bring on the resumes and applications as I work to get a full-time job and get back to school!

I want to also better myself spiritually.  I've always had my own connection and relationship with God, but I would like to strengthen this relationship and feel like I'm leading my life in a more Godly way!  To achieve this goal I want to start attending church more regularly and push myself to continue reading the Bible and finish it in a timely manner.  With that, I hope to also become a better friend, daughter, sister, and mother (to my 4-legged child).  So bring on the hymns and reflection as I strive to build my relationship with the Lord!

My last goal (for now) is to put myself out there more to hopefully be lucky in love.  I'm ready to settle down and find someone to share my life with, but I have not been having the best of luck in the past few years.  Recently I joined an online dating site in hopes that trying something new will get different results.  As of right now, I haven't had too much luck, but here's hoping 2011 and beyond will bring the luck I've been looking for and the man of my dreams!  So bring on the first dates and first kisses (hopefully) as I strive to be lucky in love!

Along with all these goals I have set for myself, I want to try Project 365 this year to help keep a sort of photo journal of 2011.  This includes taking a photo every day of the year and posting it with the date and a comment of what that day involved through the picture!  Hope I can keep up with it and create and wonderful photo journal of 2011!  I also hope I'll be willing to keep up with this blog.  I've tried starting blogs for the past few years and then end up not having anything to say, so I just give up on it.  Here's hoping I can focus on my goals and update this blog with how my journey is progressing!

Happy New Year to all!  And may you all reach goals right along with me!

~Emily