Super Successful So Far!!!

Things have been going great this week! :)

I actually made it to Swim Club tonight! It felt AMAZING!!! So much better this year than when I first tried to join...they actually had separate lanes based on your level...it was great! I managed to greatly improve on my butterfly stroke! :) So pumped!

Ate pretty well today too: cereal in the morning, Chick-fil-A for lunch, and stir-fry leftovers (thanks Jesse!) and finished off the night by having some fresh-baked cookies (compliments of Amanda; thank youuuu!!!) and got to clean the spoon and the bowl of the excess cookie dough ;) It was definitely a nice reward after getting back from a tiring workout! So I deserved it haha but the best part is that I didn't over-indulge! Just enough sweetness to enjoy it ;)

But it was definitely a busy day today! Had my Miss UCF 2012 audition this morning haha TOTALLY not what I expected...I thought it was just a school pageant, but it was not...it's like legit Miss America style! You'd have a sign a 2-year contract if you won and make appearances and stuff like that...totally not into that seriousness lol
Then I had to attend the RSO orientation; same information as last year haha but it was only an hour so it wasn't bad! I was entertained during my lunch because outside of the GameStop on campus there were some people doing a dancing game on the Kinect...super cool!

Other than that, I came home, chilled with Buddy (we watched Ghost Whisperer...Love you Jennifer Love!) and then did some reading and headed to Swim Club! I was SUPER tempted to leave after I signed the paperwork...but I forced myself to stay, and I'm glad that I did! Starting off easy and building through the semester; exactly what I was looking for! :)

Found out that I'll be working Mondays and Wednesdays in Dr. Worthy's Lab from 9a-3p...I've got my orientation shift next Wednesday! :) I'm so pumped! Things with CogSciLab are still going great; I'm loving every minute of it! And the first meeting for ACAT lab is tomorrow, but it's during my Tropical Ecology class, so I'll probably miss most of it :(

Anyway, like I keep saying...it's gonna be a busy semester, but it's gonna be amazing! :)

Conservation club social tomorrow night! Our first event of the year!!! WOOHOO!
Bought a reusable cup today at Chick-Fil-A in the spirit of going green ;) Plus, it was only like $5 and you get $0.99 refills on campus! SWEET!!!

Oh Tuesdays...

WOW...Tuesdays are definitely draining...

This morning I had my Depo shot,
then I had Mammalogy,
then I had Spanish II,
then I had Tropical Ecology...
THEN I had about 30 minutes to eat and get to work...
NOW I am going to sleep!!!

But overall, it was a good day! :)
I sold 4 classes today at work (one puppy class, and three rollovers to intermediate classes from my graduating Beginner class tonight!!!)
I am TOTALLY into the material that we're learning in Mammalogy too! And Spanish was a little better...she only called on me once haha
Tropical Ecology is sorta boring so far...but I think I just need to start reading and taking my own notes; the professor is sorta bland, so he's hard to listen to!

But anyway; today was my day off from working out! I think I may switch it up and go to the 6:15am spin class tomorrow morning instead of Swim Club at night and then take it easy for the rest of the week!

Okay so don't laugh...but I have an audition for Miss UCF 2012 tomorrow morning! And I'm also filling out an application for Homecoming Queen...I know, I know, it's silly...but I figure it's my last year so why not try! :) What's the worst that can happen; they say no? haha!

Anyway, just found out I'll be working in Dr. Worthy's lab from 9am-3pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, so that should be fun! Then I'll be in the ACAT lab on Fridays running experiments :)

This is already such an AWESOME semester!!!
:)

Start of Week Two!

This past weekend was absolutely spectacular!!! :) Jesse was in town and surprised me with a bouquet of orange roses, I got a box of chocolate-covered strawberries from my parents, Jesse made me a delicious dinner after work on Friday, we went to 50 Brews Saturday night to watch some football and play some pool, and then we got to have Buddy's graduation ceremony for his Advanced class on Sunday!!! :)

 Happy Graduation Buddy!!!

Beautiful Flowers from Jesse Smith!

 Buddy's Graduation Present! ;)

Things have already been pretty busy, but I'm so ready for it and so excited for everything that is going on! All of the labs I'm involved in, upcoming meetings and events for KMWC, training for a triathlon, and all of the classes that I'm taking (well...all of them are enjoyable except Spanish! "Solamente en Espanol por favor!")

Anyway, I'm starting to train for a mini-triathlon starting this Wednesday by going to Swim Club from 7p-9p, then attending a 30 minute 6:15am spin class on Friday morning, then taking Buddy for a job on either Sunday or Monday while I'm visiting my parents for Labor Day weekend!
So I will jog for 3.1 miles once a week, attend Swim Club either Wednesday nights or Sunday afternoons, and attending a spin class once a week! That's the plan :)

I'm trying to take better care of myself for this semester since I know I'm going to be tested with everything I have going on in my life, and I think being healthier, maintaining a better schedule (earlier mornings, earlier nights), and keeping on top of my studies will help me in the long run! I will be applying a lot of material from my Behavior Modification class to accomplish some of these tasks ;)


Anyway, I'm just so thankful for everything in my life!!!
And I can't wait to see what the future holds :)

Successful Starts! :)

So I'm officially moved out of the old place and into the new place, and it has been nothing but smooth sailing so far!!!

I definitely think the old apartment held some bad energy...so it's nice to have a brand new fresh start! :)

School started yesterday for me, and my first classes were very successful! Mammalogy is going to be a lot of work, but I am LOVING the class material! Spanish II is going to be annoying...but Tropical Ecology is going to be a very interesting class to; we actually get to make and present research proposals! Physiological Psychology is going to be a little time consuming (a lot of reading...) but I think Neurobiology will help me out with some of the material! At least that class was good for something ;)

Other than that, I actually traded my Psychology of Career Development class for a class called Behavioral Modifications! I'm excited for this class material too; it's all about going more in depth with different training methods to, well, modify behavior! Hahaha
I also ended up getting ANOTHER research assistant position! This one counts for class credit and I have applied for it every semester since last year! So now I am involved as an undergraduate research assistant in:
-the Cognitive Sciences Lab
-the Physiological Ecology and Bioenergetics Lab
-and now, the Applied Cognition and Technology (ACAT) Lab!!!
(Thanks to Dr. Fiore, Dr. Worthy, and Dr. Chin for all of these amazing opportunities!)

So 19 credit hours, 3 research assistant positions, and a part-time job later...I am more excited for this semester than any other semester I've ever had!!! I know it is going to be a lot of work, but I know that I am going to love every minute of it :) There may be times that I struggle, but I feel that this is going to be the best preparation for me to get into the grad school program of my dreams and one day be able to conduct my own research!

Great things are happening, and I have to admit...that this is the happiest I have been in a very, very long time, and I have a ton of people to thank for that :)
I am feeling back to my old self, doing things that I love, studying material that is actually interesting to me, and not feeling as lethargic and fatigued as I have been the past year since I got back from San Diego. I went to a meeting for Swim Club tonight, so I will probably be doing that on Wednesday nights and Sundays, and then I will definitely be doing IM volleyball this semester :)

Other than that, things are falling into place even better than I could have asked for! I am so incredibly thankful for it too :)

I am feeling nice and tired from today; so much excitement and I didn't even take a nap today! :)
Food choices for me today were EXCELLENT and I'm feeling great!

Breakfast: Egg White, Spinach, and Feta Omelet!

Snack: Banana and Mango Smoothie!

Gonna finish off the rest of the week on this high note for sure!!! :)

FINALLY MOVED OUT!!!

Well, the deed is done...I am officially out of the old apartment and into the new one! It is SO nice here!!! Buddy and I LOVE it so much!!! He gets a nice lake to walk around and ducks to watch for his entertainment, and I get to enjoy the amazing workout room here along with the other amenities!

I'm still getting settled into the new apartment, but it's almost complete! There's just a few more things I need to put away :)
But my new room is so nice and my bathroom is HUGE! Absolutely love it here :) Can't say that enough!

So I have not worked out for days, because moving has been enough of a workout for me! Three flights of stairs...? Yeah, carrying boxes and bags counts for my cardio and strength for the day! ;)

Today is the first official day of the Fall 2011 semester! Luckily, I only have Tuesday/Thursday classes now :) That worked out GREAT!!!
So here's the new schedule:
Mammalogy
Spanish II
Tropical Ecology and Conservation
Physiological Psychology (online)
Psychology of Career Development (online)

So this semester is going to be a busy one...but I'm SO excited for it!
I am...
*the President of Knights for Marine and Wildlife Conservation
*an undergraduate research assistant for the Cognitive Sciences Lab
*an undergraduate research assistant for the Physiological Ecology and Bioenergetics Lab
*a part-time Pet Trainer at PetSmart
*a member of Psi Chi
*a member of UCF Best Buddies (and hopefully Buddy can be this year too!)

WOW! That makes me tired just looking at all of that stuff, but like I said...I am SO ready for this semester!
It's too bad that my summer break consisted of moving, but I'll deal :)

Anyway, I'm super tired from all of this craziness, so I'm gonna squeeze in a quick nap before I continue cleaning/organizing my new room and start getting things ready for my classes tomorrow!!! :)

YAY!

FREEDOM!!!

It's finally here! No more school for 2 weeks :) I'll still have work, but no studying for a while!

I worked today and then Buddy and I went home on a 30 min walk/jog and then showered, made a banana and mango smoothie and then I started laundry. After that it was time for Moscato, facial, nails, and the Phineas & Ferb movie! :) I love regressing back to childhood!
Anyway, I have a really good feeling about the month of August :) I think a change in scenery will be a good thing! I think this apartment has negative energy for me as far as everything that has happened here...it will be nice to open a new chapter in a new place with new friends! I know Buddy and Heidi are going to have a blast together and I'm pretty sure Amanda and I are going to get along great!!! :)

And a new school year begins on the 22nd and I'll be an RA for CogSciLab, and I'll only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I'll be working Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays...which means I'll have Sundays and Mondays as my weekends!

I think I'm going to try to do my Jillian Michael's DVD tomorrow morning, but no promises! I'm on vacation so I might just wait to start when school starts back up! ;) I'll be packing a lot so that will be a workout in itself haha

Well, I'm pooped and so is Buddy (he's actually snoring while his head is resting on my arm hahaha we'll have to do more before bedtime runs i guess!!!

Almost Free!!!

Hello again!

I am another step closer to FINALLY enjoying my summer vacation! I will be going home Saturday night to spend time with my family :) I'll be back on Tuesday to work and start packing to move!!!

Today I took my Spanish final and I think it went pretty well! :) I just gotta take my online Clinical Psych final and then I will be done! Also...I got asked to stay on as an RA for CogSciLab!!! I'm pretty pumped about that still :) Check me out here: My name on the CogSciLab people page!
There's also a chance that I'll be working with Dr. Worthy in his marine mammal lab...I might get to grind up fishies and do isotopic readings...hooray!!! Hahaha
Although it's probably going to be a ton of work, I am SUPER excited for this next semester! I'll only have classes Tuesdays and Thursdays...the first time EVER!

My class schedule is:
Mammalogy from 11:30a-1:20p
Spanish II from 1:30p-2:45p
Tropical Ecology and Conservation from 3:00p-4:15p


I'm still making small steps before my giant leap into fall semester when I WILL keep a steady workout schedule, make A's and B's in all of my classes, and manage to contribute my excellence to the labs and conservation club!

I bought my first set of EcoTools by Alicia Silverstone today!

 

I also made spinach, mango, and mesquite-lime chicken for dinner! :) Had rotini and crab alfredo for lunch...om nom nom!

I'll be starting to pack once I get back...but I FINALLY found my DVD remote so I can do my Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred! I'm super pumped!!! I actually signed up for her website membership too..it's a pretty great site! I think once I save all of the recipes and workouts I want I'll cancel the membership :-P

I'll keep you posted on how things go! :)

Ugh...FINALS!!!

So I finally got up off my booty and made myself a nice, wholesome meal instead of getting fast food, having cereal, or having restaurant leftovers! :)
Here it is:

I wish I could start reading Dolphin Diaries, but I PROMISED myself that it would be my vacation present to myself once I completely finish with Spanish and Clinical Psychology...so I've got ONE MORE DAY!!!
Buddy has been SO patient with me lately, that he is going to go to daycare tomorrow to swim and play and have fun all day!
I've got my Spanish final at 8:30am, then I'll be doing my clinical psych final online, and finally I will be going to CogSciLab for a meeting...that means I get to wear my new business clothes!!! ;)
Then I'll meet up with Amanda to sign the papers and make it official to start moving in! Buddy and Heidi are going to have a crazy fun time together!

Getting back on track a little bit at a time...it will be easier once I finally get to spend some time relaxing (...and packing) and I think a new setting will be just the thing I need to kick me into gear!