Life Changing

The day started off just like any other day.  I slept later than I had planned to.  Went to the gym for some lifting and sprints. Got gas in the car. Came home and checked the mail.  I slipped the little key into the box to open the door to find one measly piece of mail.  Well, wouldn't you know, that one piece of mail was what I had been waiting for. 

You see, about two months ago I submitted a couple of applications for the Masters of Social Work program to the University of Minnesota and St. Catherines.  The U of M has done all of their correspondence via e-mail but St. Kates has been very prompt via snail mail.  And me, well, I have been patiently waiting to here yea or neigh ( is that how you spell that?) from either.  Anywho, I have tentatively planned in my head different things I could possibly do this summer and fall depending on which school I was accepted to...if any.  The program at St. Kates starts this summer and the program at the U of M starts in the fall. 

So back to this afternoon.  I reached into the mailbox and there was a letter from St. Kates....and it was a big envelope!!!  I remember from the undergrad applications that a big envelope meant good news...who knew if the same rang true for grad school?!  

Well, after careful review of my application, they are excited to welcome me to the Master of Social Work program at St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas for the 2011-2012 academic year!!!!  I have been accepted as a degree-seeking student in the Advanced-1 year option of the program. 

Now here is the kicker.  According to the U of M, I will not find out if I have been accepted to their program until mid to late March.  Well, I have to put a $100 deposit down by the 16th and have an orientation scheduled for the 19th of March for St. Kates.  Lame.  Seriously, don't you think they could coordinate a little better considering the schools are probably 15-20 minutes from each other and save everyone a little money!

To be perfectly honest I do not know which school I would prefer to go to.  They each have their pros and cons...and who knows maybe I won't get accepted to the U of M.  So for right now I am just going to be excited that I have been accepted to a program and start thinking about how to become a student again...EEeek!

 Big Envelope.



Big Smile.

Please disregard the disaster I call my room.  Some things never change!

XoXo,

     NMO

The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY!

Well, here goes nothing!

Eeek!  Wow, the scary thing is I didn't even realize how large I had become.  Real classy, I know.  Nothing like posing with a cake at your top weight!

Not quite bikini body but getting there. 

As of right now my goal is 155 lbs. but that may change depending what 155 lbs. looks like on my body.  I am very sore today.  Every trainer loves to hear that.  I am scheduled for a run today and am hoping I won't get a side ache.  The last two runs I did I got a horrible right side ache.  Not fun!  I am totally focused right now and don't need a stupid side ache getting in the way if my success.  Thus is life. 

XoXo,

     NMO

Hello World

So, many moons ago I started a blog.  That is about where the blog ended too.  I figured I am not eloquent, I'm not crafty, what am I trying to prove?  Well, I have mulled over these thoughts the last couple of years and have made some changes in my life and now I am ready to share.  Let me clarify.  When I say share...I really mean whine, celebrate victories, talk about how life sucks, and mostly to help keep myself accountable. 

Over the last two years I have lost around 50 lbs. (YEA Me!)  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.  I love food and am a very picky eater.  I don't even know if I know what a vegetable is?  Ok, so maybe that is a little extreme but you get the point.  I didn't use any fad diets or supplements.  I did it the honest to goodness way.  I ate smaller portions and moved my body more.  I found out quickly that if I wasn't eating as much, I had to make my food choices count so that I could remain fuller longer.  Then I reached a plateau.  Probably not a plateau in the true definition but a plateau in my definition.  I was exercising 6x a week.  I started letting my eating habits slip, cause of course I justified that I was exercising all the time so I could eat all the time too.  Wrong!  Ok, so that isn't wrong if you want to maintain.  I didn't want to maintain.  I wanted to continue to lose weight.  It is kind of addicting, I'm not gonna lie! So that brings me to today. 

On Februrary 3rd, I started the weight watchers plus online program.  So far I have lost 7 lbs.  I also had received some Lifetime dollars that could be used for personal training sessions at Lifetime, of course.  I set up my appointments and prayed that the trainer I would get would "get me" ( I am not always the best at verbalizing my thoughts).  That they would be able to motivate me.  That they would be able to help me on my journey.  It is my personal opinion that if you have a crappy trainer you will gain nothing.  Good news.  I like my trainer.  Her name is Nikki and she has conviced me that I want to run a 10K.  WHAT?!  UHHH! That's what I said!  She believes in me and said of course we will have you do a 5K before that but you have to have something you are training for.  Makes sense, right?

Today she helped me set up what a week of workouts would look like along with a strength routine for runners, so basically muscle endurance.  It looks very doable on paper.  I may not be able to walk tomorrow but that is a minor detail!  I will check in with her weekly to make sure I am not dying and will have a session with her once a month to tweak things as I progress.  OOoooh, progress, I like the sound of that!  I am shooting for the 10K by the end of the summer, so Sept/Oct...and will probably do the 5K when she tells me to.  I am really great at following orders...and I only called her Satan ONCE this morning.  So all and all I think this will work out just fine.  And you lovely peeps get to join me on my journey!  Aren't you excited?!  I am!!!  Will you please remind me that in a couple of weeks when I am ready to quit?....Thanks! 

Alright, tomorrow I will post a pic of me at my top weight...glamorous I know... and the lovely self timed pic I took the first day I started WWplus online, so basically a current pic.  Please.  Hold your excitement! 

XoXo, 

     NMO