Day 37: Revenge of the Nerds

I hope everyone is enjoying their day. I have a day off from school, as I only go to school 3 days a week, so I've been hanging around the house studying for my exam on Wednesday. I am really enjoying my chemistry class thus far and I'm hoping for a decent grade on the test.

I have been thinking about what I want to do with my degree. Since the fiancé and I are getting married in a little over a year, we've been making rudimentary plans about what we will be doing after we get married, namely how my schooling will look. Bryan graduates in November, but I have been looking at various aspects of biology and chemistry and I have switched from Microbiology to Biochemistry to Marine Biology and so on and so forth. It's been really hard to narrow it down to one field because I'm such a geek about all kinds of different types of science. I have narrowed it down to Biochemistry and Microbiology at the moment with a leaning toward the biochemistry side. There are not a lot of straight biochem jobs in the StL area but there are a lot that will take a biochem degree. So, my schooling will probably be that I finish up either a biology or chemistry AA degree at SCC, I haven't really decided which yet. I will go to UMSL for my Chem/Biochem BS and Mizzou in Columbia, MO for my biochem PhD. The whole program will take me around 8 years to finish from this point.

It will be nice to get these basic courses out of the way. I went to an advisor in the Biology department at another school and explained to her my situation, that I was coming from Memphis as an English major. She basically said that I was wasting my time trying to earn a science degree if I had come from the humanities department, and why didn't I try something simpler? Ooh man, the quickest way to light a fire under my butt is to tell me I can't do something. I didn't pass the first time, because I was basically told to go straight from an English degree to General Bio I, with no refresher courses in chemistry or math! I never would have listened to anyone who told me to do that now. I hadn't taken any Algebra or Geometry courses since the 11th grade, and I hadn't taken Chemistry in 7 years either. So, if you're doing a Biology/Chemistry degree, get the basic courses out of the way first!! You'll thank me later. :-) And now I'm aceing chemistry and would have aced Biology if I wouldn't have had all the problems at the end of the semester. Who's laughing now, Biology advisor? :-)

Anyhoo, vicarious vengeance aside, I am excited that I will get the opportunity to do that again. It would be weird to finish a degree with no drama at all involved in the getting thereof. Because of severe reactions to various meds I had been put on (more about that in previous entries, if you want to know), I missed a lot of school and had to retake several courses because of it. Hopefully now though the worst of it is behind me and I'll actually be able to graduate with honors and get my life back on track.

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I apologize for a completely off-topic post, but I will update you on some fitness-related stuff as well. I did C25K Week 3 Day 1 (I usually run every day and spend 3 days on a "week") and I did fairly well. I have to say I was a bit nervous about that one because I hadn't run over 3.0 mph doing 3 consecutive minutes in a long time. I got in there and did it anyway, and it was tough! I was sweating fairly profusely and although it wasn't unbearable by any means, it was definitely more than what I was used to. It should be super fun though when the weather cools down to get back out on the track, I miss running outside! (However, I'm not sure I miss almost falling over from the heat, lol.)

The usual shot, day 25/50. Halfway done!

 

You know you love my shirt. C'mon, admit it! Lol

 

 

I guess I will get going, I gotta head to Wally World and find a new pair of running shorts that aren't bright pink, lol. :-D I hope everyone has a fantastic day, and I hope you'll be blessed! :-)



Day 19: Ch-ch-changes

First of all, love that song! :-)

I have been noticing some changes. Today I ran 15 consecutive minutes and was actually running longer than anyone else in the gym! They were doing running/walking intervals and I was powering away on that run like a total beast. That felt so awesome. I used to be the chica not even going above 3.0 on the treadmill. I watched everyone else run and I wanted to do it so bad. Now, I'm slower than them but leaving them in the dust as far as time.

I have been opening my mind to religion as well. I have not had good experiences with churches because I am SO different than most of the people there, I am very matter-of-fact and I ask a lot of questions which sometimes gets on people's nerves. Besides, I have struggled with a number of sins in the past that are too personal to share and I was always embarrassed to come to church because I was afraid someone would find out and be judgmental towards me. Because of that, I built up walls and pushed people away in church so they wouldn't see my sins. Silly logic, I know, but when you're scared you do some dumb stuff.

I have a Joyce Meyer obsession. I have mentioned it in previous entries and it still holds true. I'm not like hanging out in Fenton trying to find her or anything, but I do watch her show every morning and read some of her books. There is this series she has done that literally took 3 times before I could watch it all the way through because it was so hard to wrap my head around. It was about deception and compromise, a very meaty sermon indeed. That wasn't really the part that got me. She says towards the end of the first part of the sermon, "Listen, God can give you a better life than the one you're living now." It's ironic, because right now I think I have a great life and an awesome thing going for me. I thought, "I could have an even better life WITH God? I have a great life now, and that must mean with God it will be even more awesome!" Naivety, yes, but get over it. We all have our catalysts.

So, with that in mind I am putting a different bend on this website. Since Vegan365 is going the way of the dodo bird (sorry, all of you that are fans, it is going down later this afternoon), I am changing the name of the site. It will be called: Girl on Fire: From Underdog to Beastmode. I'm so excited about the name change and the lifestyle change and I'm excited to share it with you!

I hope all of you have a blessed day and enjoy life!

Day 16: School Daze

Morning everyone!

Survived my first day of school yesterday. It was actually quite a bit less traumatic than I thought it would be, both psychologically and food-wise. I thought it was going to be a huge adjustment since I hadn't even thought about school for three or four months, but I seemed to fit right in and was able to take notes. I was also okay for eating, I only ate a little and got full fast.

I seem to be plateaued at 216 again. I really do need to step up my game a bit because I had a busy weekend and I think I tend to gain weight over the weekends. My fiancé and I are becoming more active though which is a great thing. We do a lot of walking and such and we will be doing a 5K later on in September. :-) It will be the second of that run that I have done, and my fiancé's first of this one, though we did the Race for the Cure last July. It is an untimed race but I hope to beat my PR this next year and even run it.

I also hope to run for five minutes continually soon. That is my next goal. I ran for about 3 minutes the other day and got a bit tired after that. I want to eventually get to the point where I'm running all 20 minutes. And then I will add more! I want to be able to run a 5K, and eventually a 10K. I have a very awesome friend that regularly runs marathons and did a few ultramarathons recently; I would love to do that. My ultimate goal is to do a full triathlon. My fantasy and not-very-realistic goal is to be able to do an Ironman tri someday, but I don't know if that will actually happen. But first, to do the 5-minute run, lol. :-)

Welp, it's to the gym with me, and then to hang out with my best friend. Have a great day all and enjoy the weather!

Day 14: One, Two, Skip A Few...

Hey guys!

I skipped a day or two since I have been busy! My fiancé and I spent the entire weekend together, we went to Castlewood and walked the mile trail. I got some angry spots on my feet and sand in my shoes but we had an awesome time. The next day we went out to eat and watched Courageous at home since my feet were still sore. By today my feet had healed up so we walked along the riverfront at Festival of the Little Hills. We had a great time and hung out at Picasso's as well, which is my favorite place to hang out on Main St besides Jake's on Main (AKA the Life is Good shop). We went there as well.

So, needless to say, the weekend has been very busy. And tomorrow I start school at college taking my very first class towards my Biology degree. I haven't decided if I want to go into Marine Biology or Microbiology yet, but either one sounds great to me. If I got a Microbiology degree I could work at Monsanto or a biopharmaceutical company, and if I was a Marine Biologist I could work at an aquarium or go sailing on the ocean. That sounds a lot more exciting than dealing with people, lol. I am by nature a researcher and not into customer service, so a type of degree where interaction with people would be minimal sounds utterly fantastic to me. :-D

Speaking of school, I'm not sure how it will go with food. I love the food at my college, which is mostly unhealthy stuff. They also have lots of events at the college with free food and drink (served in Frisbees, no less) and food trucks from time to time. So I will have to keep a tight reign on what goes into my mouth. Thankfully the BMR Bliss helps with the really wonky cravings (I don't usually eat sweets or really salty food) and keeps my appetite to a minimum.

I hope everyone has a great night! I will be nervous about school but I know all will be well.

Day 10: I did it!

Today has been a good day. I stepped on the scale this morning and was happy to see I was at exactly 216, which is 15 lbs gone FINALLY. I have been hovering around 217-219 for awhile and now I'm so excited to finally see 216. I have not been 216 since living at my fiancé's house over a year ago.

I have also started running at the gym. I have joked in the past that you could get me to run by stealing my box of donuts and driving off with it, and I would run after you trying to get them back, but I am no longer ravenous for chocolate donuts or anything like that. In fact, I went to Steak and Shake with my best friend and literally could not finish a $3 meal. WTF? When I went to Steak and Shake before, I would eat the entire meal AND get ice cream afterwards AND possibly a bag of candy later. I just can't imagine doing that these days. I would feel completely gross. :-P

Ever since I changed my lifestyle, my world has totally changed. It's like I can't imagine doing the things I used to do, at least not favorably. Clothes are starting to fit in sizes I haven't worn before. I actually am taking an interest in clothes and other things. I even put on some makeup, which is something I don't normally do. :-) My whole life has changed for the better, and it just keeps getting better.

My fiancé finished his last quarter of culinary school today! He is going on to an externship at a really fancy restaurant, and I am one proud fiancée. He still loves his job after being there at least three months (he was shadowing there and now he is an extern) and is learning the menu quite well. I will be doing my first practicum in veterinary technology next semester, and I couldn't be more excited. I loved working as a groomer, and I assume this will be similar. :-)

I hope everyone has a great day!