Slummin' it since Saturday :)

So Saturday was the Central Florida Invitational!!!

It was definitely fun! ...but I've got a lot of work to do hahaha

So...it totally looks like I came in first in my heat...right? haha well, I was definitely LAST! I was the swimmer that everyone was like "Aww look at that poor girl...everyone's done and waiting on her to finish" lol! I didn't care though, it was a personal achievement for me! Now I have a time to compare the upcoming November meet too, so as long as I improve I'll be happy :) It's cool to be part of a team again too!

I also have the Triathlon Challenge starting this MONDAY, October 3rd! I will have one month to do 112 miles of biking, 2.4 miles of swimming, and 26.2 miles of running at the gym...boo-yea!!! This will be one of my busiest months ever, but I know it's going to be a good month too :) Starting tomorrow I am waking up by 6:30am every weekday, getting a workout in, and then continuing with my regular schedule. I've given myself a break the past few days to regroup and start getting on track for the upcoming month with planning, cleaning, and studying! I am hoping to do the Marineland Triathlon Sprint sometime next summer :)

OH! And I got called to have an interview on Thursday for the Homecoming Court!!! It would be SO amazing to be in the running for Homecoming Queen at UCF! It would definitely make my senior year :) It would be one of the highlights of my LIFE if I actually ended up winning! Haha but I definitely won't get my hopes up for that...I haven't even had my interview yet! So I'm really super nervous about it...agh!!

Anyway, that's pretty much the update so far...as far as Buddy goes, he had his shots updates yesterday and he was such a good boy! :) My brave little toaster! He is plenty healthy and the vet says I've been doing a great job taking care of him!!! I can't believe I've almost had Buddy for a  year already! So crazy how time flies :)

6:35 am FTW!!!

I managed to do it again! I am SO proud of myself!!!

Buddy and I got up, I got ready to take him on a run, and we walked around the lake twice for a warm-up. We jogged 2.1 miles in 21 minutes...10 minute mile time!!! Pretty proud of myself for that too ;)
We did stop and take 2 breathers so that Buddy could meet his first horses! He was super nervous at first haha but the horses were right up at the fence-line and once I held my hand up to them, Buddy relaxed a bit and then was stretching SOOO far to sniff them, but he didn't want to get too close haha he kept hiding behind me...so funny! But he did really well for meeting such huge animals for the first time! :)

Last night I went to swim club for a bit, but we were really only practicing dives (which I don't think I've ever done before...so nerve-racking!!!) and then I came home and did some homework!

Also, I had a SUPER GOOD breakfast today too! Yet another reason that I like waking up a little earlier now :)
Check it out: Scrambled eggs & egg whites, apple-maple-flavored chicken sausage, and strawberries & raspberries!!! Absolutely delish! Go ahead...be jealous! ;)

Anyway, things have been going so well lately! I'm definitely feeling SO good with eating better and exercising more :)
Reasons I've liked getting up earlier rather than sleeping in super late:
-I get to make awesome breakfast
-I get to do some homework/reading before class/lab
-I get time to look decent instead of going to class in my PJs
-I get quality time with Buds!
-I get to have more time in the day
-I sleep SO good at night on days that I wake up early!
-Buddy sleeps SO good on days that I take him for a jog!
-I get time to make my lunch before I go to class/lab instead of making it the night before
-I actually don't feel as tired as the day goes on :)
-Sometimes I get to justify a nap in the afternoon (when I actually get some time in the afternoon!)

haha overall, I've been pretty happy with the change! There are days that I just need the extra sleep because I went to bed later, but at least I'm not sleeping in until 10 or 11 like I used to! Now it's more like 9:00a is sleep in time :)

Last night at the oyster meeting was SUCH a great success too!!! I'm so proud of how well KMWC has been doing this year :)

*Satisfied*

I was awake, up, and out of bed before 7am...WHOA!

I really can't believe I did it...I actually got up and started getting ready to take Buddy on a run at 6:45 this morning! That gave me time to put in my contacts, get my iPod ready, and put my shoes on and take a warm-up walk with Buddy before we got started jogging at 7am!
My stats were: My pedometer: Today covered 2.1 mi in 25 min and burned 188 Cals

Not bad considering Buddy had to poop TWICE while we were running! lol Silly dog...but he has been SO happy with the early morning jogs :) AND so tired...which makes me very happy too!!!

 Also...I got an 86% on my Mammalogy exam! Whoop whoop!!! My straight A's for this semester may not be as hard as I thought :) Just gotta time manage and make sure I stick to my study plans! I have an Ecology exam next Tuesday...yikes! There's a ton of info for that class so I gotta get started ASAP!

The first PEBL meeting was today and there was SO much that I learned! With a lot of the graduate students going through their dissertations and proposal defenses, it's definitely eye-opening to see the process that I will have to go through someday! I have to admit...it's pretty exciting though :) As stressful as it will likely be, I'm excited to be doing my own research someday! To even be doing research now is crazy!!! :)

I love it though and I'm SO excited to see where this new-found element of mine leads me!
YAY!!! 

Good Weekend!

Things were good this weekend!
Had work yesterday from 10-6p, then came home, ate, did Day 2 Level 1 of Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred (it was a little easier this time!)
Today was very relaxing! Took it easy this morning, did some reading in bed, got the Phase II Application for the RAMP program completed! So hopefully the funding won't be far behind :) My project is going to be wonderful! The title is "Feeding Ecology of Bottlenose Dolphins in Choctawhatchee and Pensacola Bays"

Pretty exciting stuff, right?!? :) I'm SO pumped!

I've got my first swim meet this Saturday and I'm SO nervous!!! I mean, I don't expect to do well anyway, but I'm still super nervous!!! I got a new swim suit (it's purple!), goggles, and a practice swim cap so I don't always have to use my UCF one :)

Other than that, I found the secret to getting motivated to study Spanish...and that is listening to a Spanish station on the radio! Rumba 100.3 was the choice of the day (thanks Dayma!) and I got my flashcards and some studying done :) I still have to do physio psych and study for my behavioral modification quizzes tomorrow, so I better get back to the books! :)

Looking forward to another productive week!

WOW...Long, Productive Day!

Woke up at 7am, took Buddy on a jog and covered 2.5 mi in 32 min and burned 227 Calories!

Pretty successful, I'd say! :) After that I showered and ate breakfast, then went to see Dr. Worthy to talk about my research project...I'M SO EXCITED!!! It is a wonderful feeling knowing that I am actually going to receive some extra money for doing undergraduate research :) Hallelujah!

After that I came home and worked on my Spanish homework and did some reading, then took a break to watch Ghost Whisperer and eat lunch, then went back on campus to turn in my application for Homecoming Court!!! I'm really keeping my fingers crossed :) I would LOVE the chance to represent UCF and KMWC!

Then I came back home, did some more reading/homework and went to work...had a puppy class start tonight and they are SOOO cute!!! :) Buddy did REALLY well today too...I think I have to take him on longer jogs more often hahaha

Anyway, I'm going to grab a little something to eat before bed and then hit the pillows!
UCF has an away game tomorrow...GO KNIGHTS!!!

PS: I also created a Race for the Cure team: The Knights for Mammary Conservation!
If you're interested in joining...PLEASE DO! :) 
http://centralflorida.info-komen.org/goto/knights4mamcon

  

Super Success!!! :)

SOOOO many things going on lately! GOOD things...GREAT THINGS!!! :)

First off, I have been doing much better than I expected with waking up early, getting exercise, and eating healthy!

Monday and Tuesday I had the day off from exercise because I had a mammalogy exam to study for, but I was eating really well during those times! I've been keeping super busy with school, work, and research...and I love it!!!
Felt like I got a solid B on my Mam-exam (I'm hoping!)
Yesterday I had Kashi waffles for breakfast, a strawberry fields salad for lunch, and Amanda's homemade chili (SUPER GOOD by the way roomie!!! Thanks!) and Kashi pesto pasta primavera for dinner! Then I treated myself with Back to Nature cookies for dessert because I went to swim club :) for practically the entire time! A full hour and 45 minutes!!! SWEET! I'm getting nervous for the Central Florida Invitational...but I'm excited!

Anyway, I also found out that I am going to get paid as a research assistant for Dr. Worthy and be able to write up my own research from the data, make a poster, get my paper published, AND present at the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE) in spring!!! SO PUMPED!
So now I have a volunteer research position for CogSciLab, a paid position for PEBL, and a school credit position for ACAT lab! How does THAT look for my resume for grad school?! ;)

Basically I'm just thankful for everything that has happened for me this year, I have the best parents, best friends, best boyfriend, best "son," best roommate, and best opportunities going on! :) I have been feeling better than ever lately, and I think this is just the beginning.

These pictures just make me SO happy :)

Yep...I'm totally making him a pumpkin for Halloween this year :)
He's been SUCH a good boy! I love that I have the best doggie ever...he makes me so happy!!!

Busy Weekend! :)

Wow, so there was A LOT going on this weekend! The majority of it was work :( Friday and Saturday...but anyway, down to the nitty-gritty...
After I got off from work on Saturday I had SO much fun!!! Jesse and I went with Amanda and Sam to the Whirl-and-Twirl for some swing dancing! SO AWESOME!!! I loved the classic music, and that the steps weren't toooo terribly hard to catch on to...at times hahaha depending on the dancing partner you had! Jesse and I have great dance-floor chemistry :) Except when I smack him in the face with my arm on the left-spin...(sorry babe!) BUT...then we started whipping out some of the fancy moves; we were actually able to do one of the classic moves where the guy swings the girl on both sides! SO much fun!!! Then we all went downtown to Ember where there was this fantastic DJ (shout-out to Rybar!!!) hahaha ;) and there was delicious BBQ chicken flatbread, and Pitbull's "Give Me Everything," and (yes) Jesse and I whipped out some fabulous swing dancing moves on the dance floor ;) hahaha!!! It was such a blast!

Then this morning Jesse made breakfast and my parents came into town for UCF Family Weekend! My last one :( so emotional! Haha even though they're only 2 hours away, I still miss them BUNCHES! So we went to the UCF gym and I went to swim practice for about 50-60 min and we worked on flip turns! I made pretty decent progress since it was the first time I had tried it :) Then my parents and I went to the UCF Volleyball game vs. FAU...loved it! It makes me miss playing SO much...even though I was never anywhere near as good as the girls on those teams, I just miss the sport :) Can not WAIT for IM volleyball (The conSERVERS!)

Food today was very good too! Started off with Jesse's famous egg scrambler with spinach, ham, turkey, and cheese; then I had a hot dog at the volleyball game; half of a HUGE sandwich at Smokey Bones (and some onion rings!); and for dessert I had Greek yogurt, with honey mixed in and strawberries, blackberries, and Back to Nature's "Apple and Blueberry Granola"...DELICIOUS! :)

Now, it is time for me to catch some zzzz's...so far so good for this fabulous fall semester!
Let's keep it up for this week too :)
(first Mammalogy exam on Tuesday..yikes! Wish me luck!)

TGIF!

Had a pretty good Friday :)

Got to sleep in a bit! Enjoyed some gooooood food today (leftovers, yum!)

Watched Ghost Whisperer and Spongebob and Phineas & Ferb...yes I know that I am in college and I still watch Disney and Nickelodeon shows hahaha

THEN I did the Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred DVD for the first time...TOTALLY kicked my booty, but I loved it! I still worked up a sweat without thinking that I am going to die halfway through it haha it makes me wanna stick with it that way :)

Anyway, Jesse is here now and we've got a fun weekend ahead (and some homework...but I'll manage!)
Update later this weekend! :)

Pretty Good Day Overall!

Started off by sleeping in today (mammalogy was cancelled!) then went to Spanish and took my Tropical Ecology Quiz...feel pretty good about it! Had to leave class a little early though to go to the ACAT lab meeting, which went really well too! It's neat to actually be on a team where they are going through the planning process and such for the experiments!

So after that, I ended up going for a swim! All on my own!!! I am pretty darn proud of myself :) haha but I NEED to start practicing more because I'm registered for the Central Florida Invitational now! It will be my first swim meet since I was in 2nd grade lol oh boy! But I'm excited (and SUPER nervous...) for it! Only 2 weeks away on Sept. 24th! I swam for a bout 40 minutes, pretty easy, I just needed to get SOME workout time in for the week; Labor day really threw me off haha

But anyway, ate well again today! Cereal and milk for breakfast, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese for lunch, Sunchips and an apple with peanut butter for a snack, and finally, a warm spinach/tomato/mushroom/avocado salad with white wine dressing and crab alfredo for dinner! DELISH!!! Mom got me hooked on the show "CHOPPED" on the food channel...so I'm digging into my inner creative chef! haha

Now back to reading/studying and then it's bedtime :) gonna start waking up between 6-7 every morning to get some studying in! Gotta make a schedule that's more conducive to studying because every day is so busy lately!

Labor Day Vacay!

So I definitely didn't keep up with eating well and exercising over Labor day hahaha but it's just so tempting to be home with the parents and splurge and relax! :)

Anyway, I had my first day of PEB Lab! As nerdy as this sounds...pulverizing freeze-dried fish and labeling the samples was pretty awesome!!! The time went by really fast, but then I realized that I forgot my lunch and left a little bit early to eat, and grab the key for the meeting tonight from Frank...
WHICH (by the way) the meeting was fantastic!!! We had about 30 people show up! So excited!!! Next time we will have more pizza and we will have a guest speaker or an activity prepared haha

No swim club for me tonight, I gotta get in study mode for my tropical ecology class tomorrow...first quiz of the semester!

I think I'll end up doing Power Yoga tomorrow night...but we'll see...it's starting to be crunch time already! Mammalogy exam and TropEco Research Proposal on Tuesday...and parent's weekend is this weekend, and so is Amanda's (my roomie) birthday! Gotta make sure I get some work done so I can enjoy the fun too :)

I'll post once I accomplish something besides eating better haha