Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Where Did Summer Go??

I cannot believe it is already August 16th!  It feels like just last week I was finishing up my classes and starting to work full time and now it's already time to start really preparing for school and making the schedule change at work back to part-time.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed these last few days.  I finally got my textbooks ordered after putting it off for the past two weeks.  And it just hit me today that I haven't filled out a form for my financial aid that will allow me to count my one class from the local two-year campus towards my full-time student status at the four-year campus my other credits are coming from.  Yeah, it's a bit confusing so maybe I should explain my schooling situation in another post?

This weekend after spending Saturday morning running errands, lounging around Saturday afternoon, and spending the whole day up north on Sunday I realized that I only have three more weekends where I can do that kind of stuff.  Starting September 6th I'll have homework to fill my weekends instead of fun with the family.

Realizing all of these things makes me feel the need to set a plan in place for these last three weeks of summer; not only to enjoy these last three weeks but to prepare myself for another semester at school.

Here it is...
  1. START WORKING OUT!!! - I've been saying this all year, I need to start working out on a consistent basis again!  Ever since my breakup back in October I've had a non-existent workout routine.  I have so many reasons to workout but I haven't been doing anything.  A) My doctor wants to see me lose weight B) I am taking a gym class this semester and want to start building a base so I don't look completely out of shape at the start of the class C) I want to lose weight for myself! Now is the time to start a new habit.
  2. Complete missing financial aid form - I need to get this done to ensure I will not be asked to return any of my financial aid money for not being a full-time student.  I didn't even realize I hadn't done this until today and it is honestly stressing me out to feel like I am unprepared for this semester to start.  Tonight I will be emailing the financial aid office at my school and my program advisor to get the ball rolling so I can cross this off my to-do list by the end of the week.
  3. Cut back on Mountain Dew (again) - I'm not going to lie, Mountain Dew is my go-to drink when I'm stressed or tired at work.  Once again I have a few reasons for wanting to cut back on my Mountain Dew consumption. A) My doctor has advised that it will help with my weight loss (I knew this already) B) My dentist has advised that my teeth are showing signs of decalcification (sp?) from all of the Mountain Dew I am drinking and doesn't want to see it get any worse. C) I want to stop drinking as much as I do because of the above reasons!  I struggle with the mental aspect of cutting back on Mountain Dew.  I haven't suffered from a headache as a result of not drinking Mountain Dew for quite some time now so the only thing stopping me is myself.
Working on #1 and #3 are going to be tough but I know I need and want to accomplish both!  There is no time to start working on these things than the present.  I will not wait for school to start, it starts today!

I want to make goals for this semester, one for every aspect of my life I want to work on; fitness, nutrition, and school.  Becca, a fellow blogger (check out her blog!), sets goals for herself and then achieves them!  I want to not only set goals for myself but achieve them, if not surpass them.  Becca truly inspires me with her dedication and motivation to go after what she wants.  I follow her blog quite closely simply because reading about what she's doing with her life makes me want to be like her.  I don't want to be Becca, I just want to be Amy with Becca-like qualities I guess you could say.  I'm not sure if that makes any sense to you but it makes sense to me.  So Becca, thank you for sharing your life through your blog - the good, the bad, and the ugly - you are making a difference in my life by simply sharing who you are.

That's all for today folks.  Posts are just a brewing in my head so now I just need to take the time to get them on to paper! (So to speak)

Answer me this...

Is there someone you look up to/want to be like when it comes to your life?  As I mentioned above Becca is definitely someone I look up to and find inspiration from.

2 comments:

Claire Beeks said...

Amy-
This is a great post! It's so great that you see your goals, struggles and all that goes along with those things!
Question: How often are you looking at strengths? I love your blog title "country strong" and you need to be JUST THAT! Strong!
If I could offer a little advice related to the mountain dew and working out...have you adopted the "all or nothing" mentality that some of us fall victim to? It's OK to have mountain dew. Try telling yourself this! It's OK to not workout, relax, or to workout. It's all our CHOICE. Sometimes I too feel like we HAVE to do something but do we really? I think mentally when we "let go" of that "HAVE TO" thinking it's more natural and happens on it's own. If I was trying to eliminate or add something to my life...I would start with a weekend reward. No mountain dew all week? Have a few on the weekend! No mountain dew all day? Have one the next day. It's whatever works for you! I'm going to do a post on goals, and how to formulate them ASAP so keep checking!
XOXO

Amy @ Living N Learning said...

@Claire - Thank you so so so much for the advice. I definitely need to work on applying that advice to my life. I struggle more than I succeed right now and it is definitely because things are all or nothing for me right now. I am going to be incorporating your advice into a blog post so be on the lookout for that! I am looking forward to your post on goals!!