Hiya!

Hi there! I have missed you guys! Is the semester over yet for a reunion? Clinicals are going. I am bored in the most of the time. But, I guess that is the problem with having experience going into a field like this.

This past weekend, we went to a wedding. We had a pretty good time. The wedding was nice, just some things that we both agreed there were a lot of things that we would change. I included a couple of pics. :)



And I absolutely loved my dress! Phoenix picked it out. Wasn't the original one we picked out that was all black with lots of "bling" on it, but this one was just as gorgeous! I told him that since we have this nice fancy dress, that he has to find places for me to wear it! :)

Hope everyone is doing well! 206 more days until graduation!!!!! (Had to put that in there!)

Name that rhythm!

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updating, but as you all know, school is hard work! I have studied more than I have in a long time. But I am actually keeping up with the work! I think that I am going to enjoy this semester.

Something that is not being enjoyable about the semester is the girl I carpool with. We have grown apart since last semester. Problem is, she was my support system when I didn't have Phoenix, but he has become my support system now, and that kind of leaves her out of the picture. I have also discovered that we have pretty much nothing in common besides school. There are so many things that our viewpoints are so totally different, and not that that is a problem, but she doesn't even consider my viewpoint. It has gotten to where even talking about grocery shopping is stressful! I am so looking forward to moving so I don't have to carpool with her. And yes, I could just not carpool with her, but it saves me gas money every other week. So, worth it for the financial part, but not for the stressful part. :( I just don't know what to do. We even differ on parts of school. Thing is, I don't think she realizes how it stresses me (which is a good thing since we sit next to each other). It's just frustrating.

This week is my first test in Adult II, so hopefully it will go well. I have been studying like crazy for it, so I feel like I am prepared. We shall see! I hope everyone is doing well, and I miss you guys!

I Miss My Life

Well...it is that time again! The beginning of a new semester! I have 3 clinicals this semester. Pediatrics, Adult II (Focus on critical care), and crazy people (AKA mental health). It will be an interesting semester. People are already complaining about this and that. I am not thrilled about some things that are going to happen this semester, but nothing I can do about it. I am going to TRY not to complain...that much. So far, I have managed to stay on top of things. Even though I have a 3 day weekend, I am going to spend as much as I can doing some school work. Maybe I will even take my books to the pool to study. :)

I have my pediatric clinical at Scottish Rite. Adult at Parkland. Psych at Millwood (which is all the way in ARLINGTON! UGH!)

I am actually really happy about the clinical at Parkland. Our instructor is giving us a TON of freedom! I am able to go into a patient's room and give them medication without him or a nurse present. That is a big deal! Granted, we have to fulfill other requirements too, but still, yay for autonomy!

Since I have a Saturday clinical....ick right?....I won't be able to attend the free Crossfit WOD's. :( This really has me sad, because I was looking forward to it. But, what am I to do? Have to get through school. I will probably start my elliptical work beginning this weekend. Need to have notes to read before I can do it!

Hope to see you guys sometime!

VACAY!

Since I am in triage doing nothing....I figured I would update you with my vacation! :)

Friday, we went to Turner Falls in Davis, Oklahoma. It was so pretty there! We went hiking and then played in the Falls. I liked trying to find the cave. There were two ways to get in. One by crawling on your abdomen or going down rocks. I chose the rock way. I did not feel like getting covered in dirt, especially when I was already covered in sweat. I was very proud of Phoenix. He does not like going in water where he can't see the floor or he doesn't know what is in the water. So, I was very proud that he went in the water. He is never going to let me live in down that he did that, but that's ok. :) Oh, and there was this GIGANTIC hill that we had to climb to begin looking for the cave. Yeah....it was not the easiest one, but since we are crossfitters...well, it still sucked, but it was manageable!

After we left Turner Falls, we went to the town of Duncan (this is the closest place that had a hotel chain where we were able to get a free night). We went to this bistro called Peyton's Place, which the food was not very good. Phoenix found a hair in his food! Gross! We had planned for this to have been a fun date night......but as it turns out, there is NOTHING to do in Duncan! So, we decided to go to Wal-Mart, buy a movie and ice cream, and have date night in our hotel room. We ended up getting IRobot. Turned out to be a pretty decent movie! Ok, well, there was something to do in Duncan. We could have gone to the Casino, but I just bought a cute new shirt, and we didn't want to leave there smelling like smoke.

Saturday, we went to Wynnewood to go to the Exotic Animal Memorial Park! This was sooo much fun! It is kind of like a zoo, but they rescue animals. They have over 1400 big cats there! Some have been rescued from circuses, zoos, or other animal sanctuaries. We were able to walk around and look at everything. We paid the extra bit to go back to the back for a personal tour. At the end of the tour, we got to play with a baby tiger!!! Six (tiger's name) is 18 days old! He was the cutest thing ever! I did not want to let him down! We got to play with him for about 30 minutes and take pictures! Cubs can only be handled by direct human contact until they are about 12 weeks old. After that, they aren't supposed to be treated like "pets" and you aren't allowed to touch them. (Or at least that is what our tour guide said!)

It was such a great first vacation! I look forward to many more!

Trauma Drama!

Well, as I sit here in the Trauma Pod (aka Trauma Drama), I figured I would sit down and write a quick blog.

Now, usually, there is Drama in the Trauma Pod (hence the reason I have so lovingly called this area, Trauma Drama), but Friday, I had some drama in Meadows (the fast track part of the ER where they see sprained ankles and colds, easy stuff). So, I am sitting at my computer, minding my own business, when some lady comes up and is like, "I am the mother of the patient in room #, and I looked at the computer and he does not have 'Cold Like Symptoms'. He has ........(lists off his symptoms). Needless to say, she was not happy. I responded to her and was like, ok, I will let the nurse know. She didn't seem to like that answer, but then went back to her room. (Oh, and did I mention that her son was like 30 something?) She comes back out a few minutes later, and wanted to know is she could speak to him again. So, I asked her, "Who is he?" in my helpful voice (Since I have 3 men working up in that area at that time, I really didn't know who "he" was. And I wanted to make sure that I got the right person.) She was like "I don't know his name, he didn't tell me." So, I told her that I would go and check and tell "him" to come back and speak with her. I went back and talked the doctor who was on the phone, and let him know that she wanted to speak with "him" again. I go back to the patient's mother, and updated her on what I did. And she asked who he was, and I said, "Oh, it was Dr. So & So." Then she was all rude and was like "See, you knew who he was the entire time". Grr...people just frustrate me. But oh no, it doesn't end there! After I brought back a new patient, she is at the front desk asking for the Chief of Staff's number (which we don't know), and everyone's supervisor (the nurse let her know that she will have the clinical supervisor come up and visit with her). She then asks the nurse for the name of the "blonde girl who sat at that computer's name" (meaning me). Then she turns around and looks at me, and is like "What is your name?" So, of course, I give it to her.

Anyway, the clinical supervisor comes up and speaks to her, and apparently the woman was upset because she thought that EVERYONE was rude to her and that we were not taking her son seriously because they have medicare. Ug. People just irritate me! Even though she will complain against me (I am guessing because I asked who "he" was....), I won't get in trouble. I got to tell my side of the story, the clinical supervisor wrote up the incident, and she was like, don't worry, I know you don't have attitude so you aren't in trouble. I don't care that people complain, I just don't like it when I didn't do anything wrong. Also, I don't want this to look bad since I want them to hire me. But my supervisor told me not to worry, so I am not. I just have to remember to not ask people "Who is he?" LOL.

Yesterday, we did our weekly errands and I got a really cute haircut. I hope to get some pictures posted soon. :) I also think that I will soon be starting a cooking blog since everyone keeps asking for my recipes. Phoenix and I are working out all the details. But I will keep everyone updated. :)

Well, time for my day to begin in "Trauma Drama"! :)

Ok, here is a REAL update!

Sorry for the quick updates. Truth is, I haven't been in the writing mood recently. I would come on here to start, and then would be like I don't feel like it. But I feel like it today!

So, since the CHL, I have pretty much been doing the same thing I have been doing all summer. Working, tanning, reading, cooking, cleaning, and other everyday stuff! Carrie and I had a girls' pool day, and it was fun! She finally got to try some of my home cooked goodies, and loved them. :) I wish that our nursing class would have come up with the idea to do a cookbook for a fundraiser. That would have been sweet. People could have submitted recipes that don't take too long to make, and everyone could have really benefited, but oh well. They didn't. (This is what happens when I don't get elected Secretary...just saying! LOL).

I am ALMOST finished with Atlas Shrugged. Just about 200 pages to go. But I have been also finished Dear John and My Sister's Keeper. Both great books. I needed something to do while I was at work in TRIAGE (did I ever mention how much I hate triage?). But yes, in two weeks, I was able to finish two books. Yay! Now to just finish Atlas before school starts.

As you know, my biological father (the one who lives in Oklahoma) has not been too crazy about me dating Phoenix (only because Phoenix is an atheist). Well, a few weeks ago, I got a 7 page letter from him in response to my facebook posting. Long story short, he says that he can not support my relationship with Phoenix, and that he prays for me every night. He also had several low blows about my mom, and just how can I claim to be a moral person if I don't go to church? I mean, if we want to get into the subject of morality here, I wasn't the one buying my 15 year old brother tobacco and alcohol. Or I wasn't the one who when my brother chased me around the house with knives turned a blind eye to it all. I have never claimed to be perfect, but I am trying my best to live my life in a moral way. I am going to be responding to his letter, and I will be sending Atlas Shrugged with the letter. It has been ranked (depending on which list you look at, I was referred to a USA Today posting) the second most influential book. (The Bible was number 1). Well, for a philosophy such as objectivism (still trying to come up with my own definition) to be such a horrible thing, why is this book so popular? So, like I said, I will be mailing my letter with this book, in hopes that he will read it and try to understand the morals and principles that he (and the ones that I am agreeing with) live our lives by.

This past weekend, we bought my motorcycle gear! I love my jacket! It fits like it is a second skin. I am so glad that when I wear the jacket, I no longer look like a linebacker! My helmet won't be in until the end of the month since the style I want is very popular. My gloves should be in this week or early next. But I have my jacket and my awesome shoes! :) Phoenix and I have matching shoes. Except his have a red stripe, and mine have a white strip. It is so cute! Yes yes...I know. We are disgustingly cute. But we are okay with being "That couple". LOL. I will post pics when I have all my gear on. It was funny, Phoenix told me that my equipment is officially better than his! Hehe...that's because I have good taste! I also think that since I don't have a bike, he is going to slowly let me ride his a bit. But since the bike is his baby, it is taking a while. And that's ok. So far, he has agreed to let me sit on the bike. Baby steps. But before you know it, I will be riding around the parking lot!

Plans for this week are hopefully to go look at new apartments in Las Colinas. I think I have already found the one I want, we just need to go see it in person, and put a deposit down! Will update you guys when I have further information!

OK....enough for now. Time to make another new recipe!

Boom some more!

Phoenix and I finished our Concealed Handgun License class last night! We took the 10 hour classroom session on Saturday, and then took our qualifier last night. It was very exciting! We are sending the paper work in tomorrow and then we are fully qualified to carry a gun! :) I know, not the most feminine thing, but who ever thought of me as the girliest of girls?

Other than that, I am just enjoying the last month off of school. I am ALMOST finished with Atlas Shrugged! Fantastic book! :) I am working a few days a week, and then work on trying out new recipes. I made a carrot cake from scratch yesterday, and I was quite impressed! Tonight, I am trying out lasagna for the first time! Wish me luck! :)

BOOM!

Well, this past week has been fun! I got my motorcycle license on Wednesday from DPS! I only missed two on the test. Not bad. I will take it. :)

Had two fun shifts at work. I got to do my first NG tube (which is where I stick up a tube down a patient's nose, and it goes into their stomach to decompress the stomach). It was soooo easy! My nurse was like, this is not the norm. Usually the patient gags, or throws up. But this guy was so understanding about the whole procedure. Made for a good experience. Oh, and then a different patient wrote on a comment card what a good job I did, and how sweet and nice that I was. :) Those things count! They look at those when raises are being handed out.

Saturday, we saw Inception. Seriously, go see it. It was amazingly awesome! :) Don't want to say too much in case you haven't seen it, but it worth the money.

Sunday: Fun fun fun! My stepdad bought some Tannerite (which is a small explosive) and we put them in some stuffed animals, and well....we blew them up. :) We had so much fun! Just the look of excitement on my stepdad's face, was worth everything. We will be geting out concealed hand gun licenses on the 31st, so more gun shooting for us!

Vroom Vroooom Vrooom

So, if you haven't been on facebook in a few weeks, you would have missed the part where I was going to take a motorcycle class! Well, that class was this past weekend, and it was fun! So, I will give the shortened version of my weekend.

Friday:
I first walk into class, and some guy is like, "Are you Amy Reid?". I was like...."yes....let me guess, I am the only girl in the class?". Yep. I was the only girl, with 9 guys. If I was single, I would have REALLY liked my odds! Hehe. Anyway, the teacher tells me to sit at the table with Dean. So, I did. Later, another guy named John sat down with us. We watched some video, and then we were assigned questions to look up in the book, and then we read the answers out loud. No biggie right now.

Saturday:
Day began at 0700! They introduced us to our bikes, and we got to sit on them first. (And enjoyed some nice drizzle and humidity.) We eventually got to turn the bike on....exciting! However, I have never driven a standard vehicle in my life, so this whole clutch and shift thing....brand new. I probably stalled the bike at least 30 times on Saturday. We had to Power Walk (basically you walk the bike while it is in first gear) the bike for about a quarter of a mile. (Now, also remember that my bike weighs about 300 pounds.) So, that took FOREVER and a day. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally got to ride! It was so much easier than I thought. I loved it. Even though I was only going like 5 mph. Still fun! We started adding on more skills. I started weaving in and out of cones, and taking turns, and leaning with my turns. During one of the exercises, I had a question so I went to stop the bike, grabbed the front brake way too hard when my tire was turned, and fell off the bike and broke part of the bike handle. Yep...I broke the bike. (Funny thing is, I kept joking around with Phoenix that I was going to fall, break the bike, and die. He kept saying that I wouldn't, that I would be fantastic). Well, I didn't die, but I did fall and break part of the bike's handle bar. Oops. Well, I was so embarrassed. That was the worst part. I wasn't hurt, but just the embarrassment was horrible. After that, the guys were all being so sweet and telling me the stories of their first crashes. Made me feel a little better. The last exercise of the day was doing two U-turns in a row. I hated that! I was so horrible at it. :( But I started to get better at the end. After that, we broke for lunch and then had a couple more hours of class to get through, and then had to take the writing portion of the class. My table passed with 100s. It was a pretty easy test, but it was good for some encouragement. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and laid on the couch for a few hours. Riding takes a lot out of you!

Sunday:
Back to "The Range" (that's what they call the area where we practice in) at 0700. Such a beautiful day already. No rain clouds in sight, had a great breeze. It was going to be a good day. Started the day off with turns and cornering. OH, and we had to ride over "obstacles", i.e. a 2x4 plank. That was fun! I got to lead that exercise. You have to come off of the seat a little bit and use your legs as shock absorbers. I did this exercise perfectly. Maybe riding horses when I was little finally paid off for something! We ended the day by taking a riding test. (You have to pass both the written and the riding to get your certificate in order for you to go to DPS to take another writing test to get your license).

There were a few skills on the test. The first one we did was the two U-turns in a row. F*ck! I hate this skill. After the U-turns you have to swerve to avoid an obstacle going at least 15 mph (doesn't sound like much, but it feels like a lot when you first start out). I was the last one to go for every skill. I did my U-turns without crossing the lines of the box or putting my foot down (which was perfect) and get out of my swerve and all the guys clap for me. :) Next skill.....quick stop. Damn those stops! I "anticipated" the stop (which you weren't supposed to do), so I had to do it again. I thought I did well. I didn't fall or anything, and I remembered to downshift to first like I was supposed to. Now, for the last skill. Cornering. I felt pretty comfortable with corning. The first corner we had to take was a 90 degree one, then you had a 130 degree corner. The point was to be able to adjust your speed before going into the turn. Oh, and for this part you had to make it under 3 seconds for the 130 degree turn. I went for my attempt, and I got called over halfway through my turn. Uh oh. :( Well, I didn't understand where the cones were set up. Which is ok, because I wasn't the first. It was confusing how they had the cones lined up. And they were like, it's ok, you could fail this and still pass (They saw how upset I was.) That was nice, but I still wanted to do well. So, I went back and proceeded along the correct path. And then I went to park my bike.

Everyone in my class passed! And then they read aloud our scores. Only one guy got a perfect score of 0 (they counted deductions as points, and you had to get under 21 to pass). Preston (one of the coaches) finally gets to me. He is going through each skill. Perfect on the U-turns, perfect on the swerve, perfect on the quick stop breaking, 3 points off on the turn because I took 19 hundreths of a second too long. (You were supposed to take it in under 3 seconds, but I took it in 3.19. Oh well. And I got the second best score!! Kind of funny, the person with the least experience got almost the highest score. I have good technique! Dean and John said that they were wanting me to do well more than they were worried about themselves doing well. They were so happy for me. :)

Everyone keeps asking me what kind of bike I want to get. I really have no idea. I don't even know when we will get me a bike. Phoenix is going to outfit me in all new gear once I get the license. He has also said that if we can find a good deal on a bike, he will buy it, and I can pay him back when I graduate and get a job and start making money on a consistent basis. Which is pretty cool, but I am a little cautious about that. A bike could be about $4K, so it will be something that we discuss. But, don't you worry! I will get my own bike soon! :) And will be practicing A LOT on it before I even get on the highway!

Facebook Blog

Hey everyone. Interesting past few days. I have posted a HUGE note on my facebook page trying to get the world up to speed about a few things. Since I went into detail there, I won't bore you guys with it here. But I feel so much better getting those things off of my chest. And I just wanted to thank you guys for adding value to my life! Love you!

Holiday weekend!

Weekly update! :)

This week has felt like it went on and on! And it seems like last Monday was so long ago, I can barely remember what I did. Maybe I am getting old at 25. Oh well.

Phoenix had Friday and Monday off, but of course, I worked both days. That's fine, he needed the time off to relax.

Saturday: We just did our weekly grocery shopping trip. We had made plans to go to Kaboom town, but of course...the weather wanted to rain. So instead, we had a nice quiet evening at home. I made homemade fajitas, shared a vanilla fruit tart from La Madeline, and watched James Bond (he picked out the movie...of course).

Sunday: Where to begin with this day? For our friends BBQ, I was supposed to bring a fruit and a dessert, which of course was going to be my awesome banana split cake. Well, I go to get the fruit prepared and sliced, and the kiwi's aren't ripe nor are the peaches. Grr...so frustrating. I finish the fruit salad, and then go to make the banana split cake. This time, I was trying to make it healthier, so I was going to use fat free cream cheese. Yeah....that didn't work out so well. Instead of being creamy and yummy, it was chunky. Word to the wise, never use fat free cream cheese and powdered sugar. The result is not yummy and creamy. Phoenix saved the day, and went to the store and bought me the reduced fat kind, which turned out beautifully. When we got to our friends' house, turns out, they burned the ribs. So, it wasn't just me that had a bad cooking day yesterday. The food was yummy, and I had a few glasses of homemade sangria...yum. And then some pool time. We tried to all go out to a firework show, but couldn't find one in the area online. So, we left, and I was kinda disappointed that I wouldn't get to see fireworks this year, but driving home we saw some go off in the distance. So, I pulled into a school parking lot, and we went and sat on some bleachers and watched the end of the show. A great end to an interesting holiday weekend. And then I get home, and pass out. :)

And so today begins another week. I only have to work one day this week, and then have the rest of the week to clean my old place. Friday begins my motorcycle lessons! :) And then I plan on next week going home to Greenville during the day, get my car inspected and pass my written test for my motorcycle license! Then....it is new jacket and helmet time! Can't wait! :) Hope everyone has a great week!

A New Week

This past Saturday, we had totally made plans to go to Crossfit. But he didn't get home until 1:30 in the morning, and was too tired. So, I was like, I am going to go work out. I went to LA Fitness near our place because it was close and I had a list a mile long that I had to do. I went to a kickboxing cardio class. Yeah....that will be the last time I ever go to one of those classes. It was horribly boring. I don't know what would make me think that I would have a good time. I sometimes question what goes on in my head. OH well. LESSON LEARNED!

This past week has been and up and down week. We had a bump in the relationship. Wouldn't even really call it a fight. Something had been bothering him, and he just didn't know how to express it. So, instead of telling me what was wrong, he bottled it all up inside. I hate it when guys do that. Why can't they be more like us? Anyway, his problem was that I was "not the typical body type he goes for". Which, well, fuck. That means more dieting for me. I am glad at least he realizes how far I have come. I am doing the best I can, and by no means am I a cow. So, I see tons more salad in my future. The good thing is, he did say that he will still come to crossfit with me to help motivate me. And of course, after he gets all of this off his chest, it seems like our relationship is so much better. :)

Well, it is off to work in a bit. Hope everyone has a great week!

I'd Rather Hurt Than Feel Nothing At All....

This week has been fun...I think. LOL. It has been a long week. Worked 30 hours at the hospital this week. Ended up hurting my wrist pushing tubs of lard (Ok, not really tubs of lard but patients that weighed between 400 & 500 pounds!) So, doing the workout today was kinda tough.

The WOD was a variation of Fight Gone Bad in North Park Mall. I thought it was a lot of fun doing a workout in the mall. Not something that we get to do everyday. There were 8 stations:

Row
Plank
Mountain Climbers
Kettlebell Swings
Air Squats
Sit ups
Burpees
Rest

We did each station twice. Somehow, I got confused in the heat and ended up skipping a row. Oh well. Still had fun, and I think I got a good workout. The Mountain Climbers and Burpees killed my wrist. I am not much of a complainer about pain, so I don't mind that. It just really hurt when you have to support all your weight on your wrists. Oh well. I have my wrist in an ACE wrap (Phoenix helped).

Oddly enough, I missed having Phoenix there with me. And yes, I understand that we live together, and see each other every day (well, the few hours he is home at night after work). But with him there, I push myself just a little harder because I want him to be impressed with all I can do with Crossfit. Not that you ladies don't push me as well, you do. I don't know. Guess I just like having him around. :)

It was of course great seeing you again Carrie! We will need pool time too! Jamie, you are looking great! Good job on the In House Challenge! Thank you ladies for always being there for me! I am so lucky to have such great friends! (And Lindsey, if you are reading this too, you are awesome! We will be back to Deep soon!)

School's Out For the Summer!!!!

Well, it has been a while since my last post. Sorry about that guys. Not that I haven't wanted to post, just haven't had much to say. I missed Crossfit last Saturday because I had to work in the morning. And I feel like I am getting a workout with all of this moving that I am doing. Going up and down my three flights of stairs, and then going up another set of stairs when I get to Phoenix's place. Granted, I realize it is not the same. But it will have to do for now.

Today I went to yoga. Yay yoga! I have missed it over the past few weeks. I always mean to go, but then one thing or another gets in the way. I really want to go to Crossfit tomorrow, but I am not thinking that I am going to make it. Phoenix and I are both working on Sunday. He has a another project that is supposed to go live a week from Monday. And the team is not where they need to be. So, he will need to relax a bit on Sunday before he starts a 6 day work week with 10-12 hour shifts. Then he is leaving Friday to go back home to Michigan for his sister's graduation. He had originally planned to go back on the bike, but it just won't work out. So, instead of us doing our errands on Sunday like we normally do, we will be doing them on Saturday.

Oh, we set a date for me to go back to Michigan to meet his parents and family. His little brother Sam recently got engaged, and his parents are throwing an engagement party in August, and so we will be going. Yay! I am wicked nervous. Granted, I know they will love me, but I can still be a little nervous.

On a different note, I am planning on going to the CFDC mall workout. It just seems like fun to go do a crossfit workout in the mall. Anyone else going so I am not all alone? :) Hope everyone has been having a good week and you are enjoying this nice weather and getting some pool time in!

Busy Busy weekend

I am sorry to report that I didn't make it to the Crossfit Deep WOD this past Saturday. We were running a bit late, and by the time we actually made it to Deep, there was no more parking, and we didn't have any money to pay for parking. So, we drove all the way down there for nothing. :( I was very sad to have missed the WOD, so upset, that I actually cried. I look forward to this every weekend, and was disappointed to have missed it. After a few minutes, I got over it, and had to get ready for game night!

Game night was awesome! Carrie gets along great with Phoenix already, but I was little nervous about everyone coming together since there were 2 new couples that Carrie and Kason haven't met yet. But everyone got along great! Carrie made this fantastic Tres Leches cake, and Scott baked two cherry pies. Yum! If you haven't seen the pics from game night, they are on my facebook.

Sunday, we went to the zoo, and it was fun! I love seeing all the animals. While it is fun, I have an internal struggle with the fun of seeing all these great animals, and the saddness that they are being caged and not having the free area to run around. It's a very fun internal struggle. I like that it makes me think. I know, I am weird like that.

Oh, in other news, in case you didn't know, I am moving in with Phoenix. Yep. I know that it hasn't been that long, but with my lease ending next month, figured it was a good time. And it is an easy transition. I have less than 2 months now, and I get to move stuff gradually so neither one of us gets too overwhelmed. Oh, and yesterday, he told me that he loved me for the very first time. Not trying to get all "high school girl" like, but he's the best thing (minus crossfit of course! LOL!) that has happened to me in a while. Right now, I don't think anything could bring me down from this high! :)

Another one in the books!

Another semester ended last week. I wish that I was able to do better, but I passed all my classes with good grades, but my 4.0 went bye bye. :( Oh well. I am much better balanced this time around, that making a couple B's, well, that can be the price to pay to be happy.

WOD for 5-15-10 at Crossfit Deep:
Every 3rd minute for 15 minutes
Run 200m
Burpees
Air Squats

This WOD was done with a partner. One person does burpees with the other does air squats. Phoenix was my partner (like you were going to guess otherwise?). There were 5 rounds total. I told him that I would do 3 rounds of burpees and he could do only 2 rounds. He still gets really sore after the workouts, so I was just trying to make him less miserable so he keeps coming. He did really well. He got 100 reps total, while I only managed to squeak out 78 (but to my defense, I did have to do 3 rounds of burpees and he got to do more of the easy air squats).

Then after the WOD, we took showers at the box. (Deep has REALLY nice showers! They even have soap and shampoo!) And then went to see my parents for my birthday. It was a great birthday weekend. Way too much food that didn't even resemble anything close to Paleo. Oh well.

Started Maymester on Monday. This class is over next Friday, so it shouldn't be too bad. Other than that....getting ready for GAME NIGHT!!!

I Can See Clearly Now....

Well, today is the end of the Spring 2010 Semester. I passed all my classes. And honestly, this is the worst I have ever done. Made it out with 3 B's and 2 A's. But yay! I passed! I am so glad this semester is over. It really was the semester from hell! I begin Maymester on Monday (Which happens to be my birthday, so not looking forward to going to school on my birthday, oh well). I am taking my elective, which will be Spanish For Health Care Professionals. Granted, it will be useful, just don't want to take it. Hopefully it won't be that bad.

So, this past Saturday, we all went to CrossFit Deep. :) It was a really FUN workout! We did tabata box jumps, kettle bell swings, and tire flips. We did this in 3 teams. I got total 169 reps between box jumps and Kettle bell swings. Not bad, but my team was unable to pull out the win. But still lots of fun! Hopefully the one on Saturday will be just as fun!!

Better Late Than Never?

Ok, so this past Saturday Phoenix and I went to CFDC. Carrie wanted us to come with her so, we did. I swear, burpees follow this girl around! Both times we have worked out with her, the workouts involved burpees. But anyway...on to the WOD.

WOD
10 minutes:
5 burpees on the minute
wall balls

There were a TON of people at CFDC. Phoenix and I ended up doing dumbbell thrusters (so did Carrie and her partner). Well, burpees pretty much kill me. I did all 50 of the freaking burpees, but only managed to get 30 thrusters. (Phoenix only got 22...hehe I beat him). Totally felt the soreness in the arms 2 days later. Even though, I hate them...still a love-hate relationship. Wait, no, I lie. There is no love when it comes to burpees. Just a hate relationship. Worked a little bit on pullups without a band. Still only able to get about halfway up, but for not having worked on pullups since last year, I am pleased with that. And Phoenix really likes CrossFit Deep a lot better, so it looks like that is where we will be going! :)

This week has been hell week at school. Had two finals on Monday, a regular test yesterday, and then a HESI practice test today. And then two finals next week. The week after that starts Maymester. Ug. I have to go to school on my birthday. How depressing is that? Grrr.... Oh well.

Well, off to test and work. I am so ready for the WOD on Saturday!!!!

Ready Set Shoot!

Another workout at Crossfit Deep this past Saturday. I am loving getting back into the Crossfit regimen again. Sarah and David were unable to make it this past weekend, but Phoenix and I still went. And Carrie came! It was great working out with her again. This was a fun WOD, granted, I am weird so I thought it was fun, yet exhausting!

WOD:
3 rounds with 1 minute at each station:
SDHP with kettlebells
Burpees (Ok...not so much fun)
Jumping Air Squats (Did some regular air squats, Eric said that if we were tired to do regular air squats to get more reps in)
Ab Mat Sit Ups
Rest

I ended up getting 205 reps total. My strengths were the sit ups and the SDHP. I used the 26# KB for the SDHP. Another lift that I have greatly missed. It was great that Eric and Koy FINALLY came back! I am really happy that Koy was there. When we were doing the SDHP, Koy helped Phoenix with his technique, which we really didn't get that help when Koy wasn't there. Eric also motivated us on the burpess and jumping squats. I realize that when all the coaches aren't there it is more difficult to help everyone with their form, so it was wonderful to have that critique again.

Phoenix still isn't 100% sold on CrossFit, but I am thinking that if I keep bringing him, he will come around. I am just happy that he comes, even if it is just for me. I think his score was 175ish. When we were finally able to start breathing again, we went to Cafe Brazil for breakfast/lunch. I had some yummy crepe with chicken and spinch and also tried part of Carrie's Egg Sandwich, which was quite yummy too! Then, we HAD to introduce Carrie to our latest obsession...YOGURTLAND! Seriously....one of the best things to come around in who knows how long. Phoenix and I have made it our mission to convert all of our friends to the wonderfulness of Yogurtland. So far, we are 3 for 3! After our mini crossfit reunion....I think we all need to go to Yogurtland....any takers?

Getting back into the swing of things

Today was our second Crossfit workout. (And by our, I mean the 4 of us). This was a pretty fun, and tiring WOD. We partnered up in teams of two, and then had to complete:

400m run
Air Squats
300m run
Push Ups
200m run
Kettle Bell Swings
100m run
Wall Balls

Each run and a movement had a time frame associated with it. After you and your partner ran the 400m, then you had the rest of 5 mintues to do Air Squats. The push ups was 4 minutes, kettlebell swings 3 minutes, and wall balls for the remainer of the 2 minutes. This was more fun than it sounds. I partnered with Sarah (David's wife). I debated on partnering with her or with Phoenix. I probably would have gotten a better workout with Phoenix (Sarah is not the best runner, and she had to walk for some of it...a lot more than I would have). The thing is, you couldn't start the movement until you both finished the run. So, I went a lot slower than I should have, but I didn't want to leave Sarah all by herself. I really want them to enjoy Crossfit, so, I chose to jog in place and wait for her to catch up to me. It also doesn't help that I am almost a foot taller than her, and I have much longer strides. Which is why it probably would have worked out better my partnering with Phoenix since we are both so much taller than Sarah and David...but oh well. :) I still had a great time. On the other three runs, I actually did run faster than her, I had to get some kind of workout in.

Hopefully they won't be so sore tomorrow, but we are having such a good time coming to CrossFit Deep! So, the plan is to come next week!

Oh....and Lindsey....so great seeing you!!!! I am so glad that you got to meet Phoenix!

I have missed this pain!

Hey everyone! I must say, that I have truely missed this type of pain. On Saturday, I took Phoenix and his two friends (Sarah and David) to experience the love of Crossfit. We went to Crossfit Deep (was hoping to see Koy and Lindsey, but they were probably taking a rest day). We did a really fun team workout. There was a 12 minute clock, and we had 3 different activities to do with a built in rest. One person would run, the other would rest, then wall ball, and then Kettlebell swings (I really did miss the KB swings!). The way the WOD was scored was you kept track of how many your team did for the KB and wall balls. Now, since I have been out of the crossfit style workout for a bit, I went lighter than I normally would have. I only used the 6# Wall ball, and the 18# KB. The run wasn't that bad. It was only 200m.

I think we scored around 391 or something like that. Not a fantastic score, but I was so proud of my people. One, they actually came to a crossfit workout. Two, they finished their first workout. And Three, they did not puke. Granted, they said that they felt like puking, but hey....who doesn't feel that way after crossfit sometimes? Sarah and Phoenix really enjoyed it, and I think that we will start becomming regulars at the free Saturday workout. I still don't have the money to commit to it sadly. :( However, I am very grateful for the free workouts and that Sarah wants to do it once a week with me. So, woo hoo for starting to become more regular! Granted, this means that I will have to give up my Saturday yoga....but I think I can live with that!

Personal life update: Phoenix was interviewing for a job in North Carolina, which would have made me depressed if he got it, however.....he was offered a job at this company in Irving. He is pretty sure that he is going to take it, which makes me very happy! The whole North Carolina thing has been looming over us, which has not let us become more serious or "official", so this should make things easier for us, and I can finally stop worrying if he is going to leave. Both jobs are a great opportunity for him, but the one in Irving just means that he doesn't have to move, which all of us like.

Diet after WOD yesterday: Well, thankfully, the 4 of us are pretty health conscious. (Granted, Phoenix and I still love the bad carbs...but we try to limit them.) We all went to Sarah and Davids, and had yummy scrambled eggs with chives and some kind of cheese. And Sarah made us some type of "paleo pancakes". (Sarah is actually doing the Paleo diet....she is already a crossfitter, just didn't know it yet). Anyway, the pancakes...wow....so good. I will have to get the recipe and post it. They were made with almond flour, ricotta cheese (not sure if that is actually paleo or not, but it worked), lemon, and an egg. (maybe there were more ingredients...I was in charge of making the eggs.) We topped them with strawberries and sugar free syrup. Yum.

Ok, all this talk about food is making me hungry! Guess I better go and wake Phoenix up and cook breakfast. We are PLANNING on coming to this Saturday's WOD...so, hopefully, we can repeat this amazing soreness all over again!

A much needed update!

Hey everyone! Well, I hope all is well with you guys! Just a brief update. School still sucks. I hate it. Some days, the only thing that keeps me going is the big picture for when I get out of school.

Weight loss update: Almost 30 pounds. BMI is 23!

Boy update: The guy I was seeing in January...no more. Turned out to be a flake. New guy....is amazing. Someone who is the complete opposite of me, which is kinda fun. We have been dating for a month, and I like how things are going. Oddly enough, he met my mom after the third date....it's a funny story....remind me to tell you about it one day.

I am thinking we need to have a get together sometime soon!

Exhausted!

Well, weight loss for this week didn't go well. Lost only a pound. But, a pound is a pound!

On another note. I had a great first date with a new guy yesterday. He is so sweet, and I could really like him, but will have to see. We met at a coffee shop, then went to Gloria's, and then back to his place. He went and got this coconut pineapple ice cream, and fed it to me. And then of course some talking and maybe some making out. :)

He is an aerospace engineer. Which is different than I am used to, being that he is not in the medical field. But we seem to really hit it off, and he wants to see me again. :) Only bad thing is, he lives in Arlington. Which it isn't a bad drive. So, hopefully, we will see how it goes!

I survived!

First week of nursing school is over and done! Wow...so much work and it is just the first week. My friend Talia and I are trying to get ahead in our 3 online classes, which isn't very easy. But we are doing our best!

I did yoga yesterday, which was really nice. Helped relax me before I wrote two papers for two different classes. And then I have another blog post to do tonight when I get off of work.

Weight loss and diet has been going well. Weighed in this morning and I have lost another 6.82 pounds. :) My original weight loss goal was 20 pounds, but if I can get to 30, I think that I will be healthy. Not that I was "fat" before, but I needed to lose a few more pounds. Overall, I am really happy with the Medifast. I don't know if I will ever go completely off of Medifast, but may keep with the bars and stuff because they have all the protien and nutrients you need. Which is the only reason I am okay with doing this.

Current Weight: 81.5kg

6 Days In

So, I am 6 days into the diet and I already weighed in. You are supposed to weigh in once a week, well, my weigh in day tomorrow is going to be spent at careflite, so I went ahead and weighed in a day early. Once I get into my routine, weigh in will be either Friday or Saturday, depending on where I work. I am wanting to use the same scale, which is one at work that I know should be accurate. So, in 6 days, I lost 2.2kg, which is 4.84 pounds. Not bad for 6 days.

Oh, and on another note, I am still sore from that workout on Saturday. I will probably be going back to him on Saturday. Or actually go to the yoga class that I wanted to go to. :)

Current weight: 84.6 kg

Orientation is over!

So, all last week, I had orientation. Sitting through people talk about "The Promise" and our mission, values, and all that good stuff. Then had modules and computer training Thursday and Friday, which is kinda funny if you think about it. I have been using this computer program since it came to Dallas, so I could practically teach the class. But I still had to go through it. Friday, I got to spend half the day on the ER floor. My first patient....grr...was a "Code Brown" (And I am not talking about the real code brown when there is a bomb/bomb threat). Not exactly how I wanted to start off my first time on the floor. I tried to do 3 different blood sticks, and missed every one. So, needless to say....my first day was not what I wanted. Oh, and how can I forget the morbidly obese person that I had to walk to the restroom, and then, she took her gown off and I had to hold it. Now, if you have never seen a morbidly obese person naked....it's not a pretty sight. I would have thrown up, but that would not have been polite.

We had to do a module on being sensitive to people who are obese (I am not talking about needing to lose 5-10 pounds). I can put on the best face in the world in person, but I always wonder how people let themselves get like that. Just makes me want to work harder on my diet.

Speaking of diet, things are going well. Will weigh on Tuesday to see about how much I have lost. We are supposed to weigh ourselves once a week. I started on Wednesday, but will have to adjust that until I get into a schedule with school and work. I haven't noticed a difference since the decreased caloric intake started. The oatmeal is really filling. I am having problems eating all 5 medifast meals in one day. I have yet to get that accomplished. Yesterday, I only ate 2 1/2. I tried the eggs, but I just can't eat eggs. I can do egg whites, but not the yolks. So, that is where the half came in. I will try to stomach them again next time, but it takes some work!

Day 1 of New Diet

OK...so day one...not as hard as I thought. Maybe it was because when I looked in the mirror this morning, all I saw was this fat cow in teal scrubs (Let me tell you....teal is not my color).

I had my first Medifast meal of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal. Actually, wasn't half bad. I was surprised. Now, with Medifast, you are supposed to eat every 2 hours because each meal is around 100 calories. But that oatmeal was so filling that I didn't eat until 11:45ish. So, I am already behind. Had a Medifast strawberry shake for lunch, which would have been much better if I had put it in a blender and mixed some ice with it. It was just too runny. Had a Medifast lemon bar around 4ish. Then had my Lean and Green meal around 7ish. I will do better tomorrow about eating all 5 Medifast meals and my Lean and Green. Hardest part is going into the cafeteria and smelling all the yumminess, and knowing that I can't have it for a while. And when I do get to have it, portions will be cut even smaller than I have done over the past year.

Starting weight: 86.8 kg

New Year!

So sorry for not posting in a while. Holidays can get busy. This week, is yet another busy week! I have been doing orientation for Texas Health Presby Dallas yesterday and today. Tomorrow is another fun filled day of orientation, but more specific for my position and skills check offs.

Tomorrow, is another big day for me as well. I begin my new diet tomorrow. I have been doing fairly well with eating healthy and working out, but I feel like I have hit a plateau and need some kind of jump start to get back on track. I swore I would never do this, but a moment of weakness came over, and I am trying Medifast. Yeah, I know that it is probably not the best thing for me to do, but I need something to get me motivated, and pulling off pounds quickly is something that I want.

Medifast operates by you consuming very few calories a day. I think it is around 800-1000. Yeah...that's not a lot. You eat 5 Medifast meals a day, and then eat a "green" meal with some lean meat. I have read all the labels, and these meals are loaded with protein, fiber, and lots of vitamins. So, all I am cutting out is the calories. I figured I would try this for a month, and then see where I am.

I ate my last "meal" tonight. I will miss the bread. That sandwich was soooo yummy. And of course, the yummy baked potato soup. MMM....will miss that stuff. But I want my body to look like how I feel. And well...this is what I choose to do. I will be trying to post more about my progress.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year!