Thanksforgiving

Yes, I am fully aware that I'm only a week late on my obligatory Thanksgiving post. I could just skip over the holiday altogether, but this year I am thankful for so much.
I thought about doing the whole "oh I'm thankful for my family and friends and job and having food to eat", but how about we skip all that? I am thankful for all of those things and I don't even know that I could fully articulate how thankful I really am for all my blessings. However, I have some different, relatively random things that I am also quite thankful for:

• Food Network: What would I do without Chopped, Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef or Cupcake Wars? Just when I thought reality TV couldn't get any better, Food Network reality shows came along. It's also thanks to Food Network that my family's Thanksgivings have become exponentially more delicious.
• The ability to work out: I never thought I could physically achieve what I have. Working out has had such an awesome effect on my mind and body; I am so thankful that I can run and jump and dance and lift weights. Being physically fit and able is something people don't really think about, but I am very grateful that I'm able to work out.
• The Hunger Games: I won't say that The Hunger Games is the next great American novel, but I love this trilogy. I felt tears welling up in my eyes when I first saw the trailer actually (don't judge me). I don't get many opportunities to read because I take classes year round, so I was very happy to discover a fun, enthralling book series for the end of the summer. 
• Starbucks: My love for Starbucks is a gift and a curse. Remember when I said I wasn't going to drink so much Starbucks? That attempt failed. I still love my cinnamon dolce lattes, not every day, but I deserve to indulge once in awhile.
• Movies: I cannot believe that a litle over a year ago I rarely went to the movies. I actually lost count of how many movies I've seen in the past twelve months. It's a great feeling to be able to take a few hours out of the day and not stress out about anything. I could go to the movies every week, if given the opportunity. 
• Leggings: Does this one really need an explanation? We should all be grateful for leggings.

I'm also incredibly thankful for all the people who read my blog, especially through my recent disappearance erratic posting. Writing brightens up my day and helps me to put things in perspective, so I'll always be writing, even when things get crazy.

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Hey! I'm Still Alive!

Whoops. 

I didn't forget about my blog, how could I? However, I also didn't realize how difficult it would be to transition from one stage of my life to another. I have recently had to get used to a new job, new people, a new (tough) commute, all the while preparing for Thanksgiving and foolishly agreeing to work a few more shifts at my old job.

It's been great. No, really, it's been great. I have been super crazy busy, but I have managed to stay on top of my workouts and I feel like I have every opportunity ahead of me. I definitely plan on getting back into my blog. I miss it! However, it's the end of the semester and I have more work to do to pull off my 4.0 goal. So, if you're still reading, I'm coming back!

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From College to the Working World...Literally

Tomorrow I start my new internship! I also start a very long string of work-filled days. Since I agreed to work at my current job Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week I will be working twelve days straight (and we have two work meetings this week - fun!). Today has consequently been spent preparing for what will be a tough, but totally rewarding week.

• I'm getting ready for adult things- packing healthy lunches, waking up at 5:20am to fit in daily workouts, having an extended commute, dressing for a business casual environment (although luckily I saw jeans when I went in for my interview!) and attempting to organize my room and my closet. I'm very excited and I've been reading up on various blogs to see how some of my fellow (way more together) bloggers get through this balancing act.
• Speaking of awesome bloggers, I discovered a great blog yesterday - Life of Blyss. Alyssa is absolutely hilarious and I must say I'm super impressed with how toned her arms are. One of her top posts is her Strapless Dress Arm workout, which I plan to try in the next hour or so. I ran my six miles this morning and I just wasn't feeling an arm workout after a six mile run. I'm not the best at sticking to workouts like this, but I need a good arm workout since Insanity and running don't target my arms as well.
• Winter is coming and I swear I'm going to avoid gaining weight or letting myself go over the holidays. With egg nog sitting in my fridge and my recent pumpkin spice latte recipe discovery, it's not going to be easy. I fell off the wagon a bit last week (I missed two workouts! Ridiculous!), so it's time for me to get into a hardcore schedule. I'm actually going to start logging my workouts, which should help. My tentative schedule for this week is Monday: 3 mile run, Tuesday: Insanity Power and Resistance, Wednesday: 3 mile run, Thursday: Insanity Cardio Recovery, Friday: off, Saturday: RPM cycling class, Sunday: 7 mile run. I need to keep challenging myself, otherwise I just won't feel right. After missing two workouts back to back I just felt weird. I don't want to make missing workouts a habit, otherwise all my hard work will go to waste.

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I Wish I Knew HTML

I really like this template, but saving my changes is proving difficult. So please don't judge me for the obviously incorrect category headings and the un-linked slider images. I think I just need to switch to a different browser, but after a very long day and the end of one journey/the beginning of another in my life (yes, I'm still being dramatic), changing from Firefox to Internet Explorer is just too much. I'll fix it, I promise. I actually plan on keeping this template - all the fruits and the green make it A+ in my book.

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It's My Time

WeHeartIt

I am totally commemorating the beginning of this post by listening to "It's My Time" from the Black Swan soundtrack and, with that dramatic introduction, I have an announcement to make. I got the job! I am so very excited and semi-overwhelmed with how quickly this all happen - I applied last Tuesday night and I got the call today around 4ish. The timing couldn't have been more perfect though, so I am super relieved. I have to warn everyone though: the blogging may be very inconsistent next week and the following week. Getting adjusted to a new schedule is going to be exciting, but also crazy. I also need to kick it into high gear and figure out how I'm going to fit in workouts. I've put off getting up before 6am to workout since I can't get past the thought that I'm often at work until 9:30pm (waking up at 5:30am just seems too extreme). Now though I'll be getting home around 6, but with homework looming in the evening hours I'd rather start my day off with a workout. I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm going to have an almost adult schedule - no nights and weekends! Tomorrow I think I'll attempt to transfer some of my Insanity workouts from my old laptop to this one; I find that Insanity is a good motivator for me to get out of bed because it's such a deep, intense sweaty workout. All that excitement aside, there are two random things I wanted to mention before I forget!

• Has anyone seen the Inside Edition story on Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit? I found the preview intriguing: a guy who previously had a six pack eating like mad to gain a ton of weight. I of course had to stick around and find out why he'd do such a thing. Turns out he's attempting to become a better personal trainer by actually going through an intense weight loss himself. I think psychologically this could really help his relationship with his clients; if they know he has completed something like this, they will trust him more. I could never do it though. It would take an immense amount of effort for me to gain that much weight and I imagine I'd just feel so sick all the time. Plus I have to worry about the negative health side effects - what about cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and the metabolism slowing down?
• This isn't a book review, since I haven't actually read or purchased the book yet, so perhaps it's a bit premature. However, I'm really looking forward to purchasing Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns). I read one of her articles in Glamour magazine and I just fell in love with her writing style - she's engaging, captivating and just seems like the type of person you'd want for your best friend. I find Kaling to be refreshingly honest and of course she's super funny. I can't wait to read this book - it'll be the perfect partner to all my heavy Statistics and Psychology readings.

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