I'm sexy and I know it ...

Not the biggest fan of LMFAO however that music video just cracks me up. It seems to be an underlying theme in my life as of lately too. I don't mean to be arrogant in any way by that statement, I just mean to say that the more I work out the better I feel about myself, the more confidence I have and the sexier I think I am. 

I have been doing pretty awesome with my running as of lately - props go to Tyler for that one - this week we bump up to 9 miles. By no means am I fast. But I am kicking some ass if I do say so myself. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be running that far, at that pace; or simply that far for that matter. I feel so empowered after a good long run. It relieves tons stress and really just clears my head. For an hour and a half the other day I just got to listen to music, think, and embrace all of nature around me; all three of which I rarely have the chance to do so it was incredibly pleasant. 

In addition to my new found love for running I am trying out some new workout things. For starters I had a job interview at Lululemon and part of the interview process was a Crossfit session. Now if you have never checked out Crossfit I would suggest doing so at least once. I have always been super intimidated by the idea of it but it was actually a lot of fun. I was sore as all get out the next day, could barely even move my arms my biceps hurt so bad, but definitely worth it. I  am branching out in terms of yoga as well. I have never really committed to a studio but me and some friends purchased a Groupon for a studio called Cherry Blossom, that if you are ever in the Houston area you should check out. I am also planning on joining a running group to help prepare for some races in the fall that I want to do. Having a group to fall back on and push me will definitely help, since Ty isn't always here every time I go run; motivation is key and I think these ladies will for sure give me that. 

Working out has just sort of become my thing that I love. I feel weird when I don't workout now. Back to the Lululemon interview though ... while I was at the interview the manager talked a lot about how their company really promotes goal setting. I have set goals for myself in the past and continue to do so on a regular basis. However, they are generally things that are either really simple that I know I will accomplish, which removes the fear of failure, or so difficult that I am almost destined to fail before I begin. Today though we were asked what is something we hope to have accomplished by this day in June 2013. I thought about it for a moment and it isn't anything life changing or drastic but my goal is to have run a half marathon, more than one by that point in fact. 

So I have decided to put everything down on my blog so that if anyone actually reads this thing - you can keep me accountable - and I will have it in writing. They are far from now but I just really want to make sure I am prepared so I don't look like a fool. 

1. Holiday Half in Galveston, November 18.
2. Run Girl Half in Houston, December 9.
3. Galveston Half, January 27. 

Oh and I am thinking of doing a round of Insanity again. Just can't get enough Shaun T. 

got a lot of catching up to do ...

It has been FOR EV ER since I last wrote on this thing. Stuff has been super overwhelming with trying to get my life situated. But now that summer is near I am hoping to update more often. In trying to catch up on the craziness that has been my life lately I am going to make this blog probably longer than necessary. Oops. 

Ty and I ran a Warrior Dash over the St. Patricks Day weekend. I couldn't have been more proud of the two of us. He stuck with me the entire time and definitely helped me get through it all. We finished together which was a great feeling so I guess during our adrenaline rush we decided we would take on 6.2 miles. So we signed up for a 10K over the weekend of Easter. And we kicked some butt. For real. He ran the whole thing in under and hour and I was just a few minutes behind him. We are now in the process of training for a half marathon. Next week we are up to 8 miles for our long runs. And I can see both of us progressing. It is an awesome feeling to be getting more in shape and reaching goals we never thought we would together. 

Substitute teaching has basically taken over my life. If I am not up at the high school I am babysitting. Both of which I very much enjoy but golly, am I tired. These next two months are going to be a nice break. Although I am hoping to get some sort of a summer job. Either way teaching is still on my agenda. I am [fingers crossed] going to have some sort of teaching job next year. Who knows how it is going to work out. But as long as I finish my alternative certification stuff I should be golden. It is nuts right now. Trying to understand everything they want from me; every website says something different! Oak Ridge is my ultimate goal though so that is what I am going to keep working towards. 

Easter was a ton of fun. My mom was sick so my dad and I spent the morning at church together without her and skipped all the usual fun festivities to make sure she felt alright. Then later that afternoon I got to spend some time with Tyler's family. They are a blast. There was tons of food, games ... he even got me to play croquet ... and it was just a nice little gathering. I am so blessed to have found such a wonderful guy who has such a warm, welcoming, loving family.

Norah and Claire turned 1 and 2 respectively at the beginning of April. A few weekends later was their party. I couldn't have been more honored to get to help participate in all of that. Those two little girls have my heart. I have been so lucky to get to babysit them and watch them grow up over the past 9 months. They bring such joy to my life! The theme of the party was "thing one and thing two" from Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Everything was done so perfectly and it was a precious celebration for two precious girls. 

I finally got to head back up to my beloved Aggieland for the weekend of Muster. Seeing College Station again kind of brought me back home; I love it there. And I got to see some of my friends who are still going to school which was a nice treat. Muster was amazing as always. I am so proud to be part of the best university in the world. Honoring those of us who have passed in the previous year just shows how much spirit we have and how much we really are a family, not just a school. 

Ty turned 24, WHOOP, and graduated from UTSA with his MS in Psych just a week ago. I am so incredibly proud of him. He has put in a ton of work over the past two years and it is finally all paying off. Sometimes I wonder if he knows how much I look up to him ... he has such a drive and determination to reach his goals and I envy that. He really does inspire me to do more with my life and be better than I am. I mean he is going to get his PhD. That just blows my mind. I don't know how he does it sometimes. 

Tyler's Grandfather passed away on the 8th of May. He had been very sick, for quite some time, so it was a blessing that the Lord finally took him out of his pain. But that doesn't make it any easier. Also, one of my close friends had a brother pass away in March. That was unexpected and incredibly painful. I see God taking the young and the old in so many different situations and I still constantly ask myself why. It never feels like you have had long enough with them and it never hurts any less. 

I have made a few trips to San Antonio since I last wrote. It is nice sometimes to just get away and be by ourselves for a while. He is going to get to keep his apartment over the summer so hopefully we will get a chance to head up there and actually get to look like silly tourists at least once. I really want to go to Sea World and visit the Alamo - cause I don't remember it at all, which is slightly ironic. 

Umm ... I do believe this leaves me pretty caught up. Till next time. 

two kinds of insanity.

Number ONE. 

Insanity that is the workout. Holy moly. It has been kicking my butt. I have been able to see definite progress in myself when it comes to how much easier the workouts seem, my stamina, etc. Granted I am no Shaun T. but there is some progress happening. That sort of thing is awesome and I am definitely proud of myself BUT I wish I could see more of a change in my body. We are on week three now and though I have veered off the diet a little bit, maybe for five or six meals total, I don't see a lot of difference in how I look. I know the change isn't going to be overnight. And I surely am not expecting to drop a ton of weight or be a totally different person after such a short amount of time but come on ... a little change would be some nice motivation. The scale says I have lost six pounds but when I look at myself I look like the same person. Maybe I am just being too critical ... surprise surprise. Is it too much to ask for the Rachel's legs or Tanya's abs though?!  Who knows. After week four maybe I will take a better look, do measurements or something. For now I better just keep getting after it.

Number TWO. 

Insanity that is substitute teaching for second grade. I almost lost my mind today. I don't know how many times I told kids to sit down on their bottoms, turn off their voices, or to turn around and stop talking to their neighbor. Goodness gracious. At one point I literally almost just walked out of the room and left. It was awful. I am definitely not cut out for elementary education. The whole concept of not being able to rely on them to do anything on their own drives me absolutely nuts. Granted I haven't been subbing long and it was my first experience outside of a high school but I am just so used to the students I am around being self sufficient and not needing me to take the whole class to the bathroom, play the quiet game, or stand with them in the lunch line. There were so many points during the day that "sit down and shut up" almost came out of my mouth. Glad it didn't - they don't deserve that but I swear if my kids ever behave the way some of them did today I would be severely embarrassed as a parent. At least now I know not to do that to myself again. Secondary education it is!