Yea for a Masters!

I had my first official meeting with my FS-boo advisor yesterday. She and I worked out a grand plan to get me finished with the classes part of things by Summer of next year. After that with any luck I will get a teaching job that will also count toward my "Student Teaching" experience. Some of the perks of the program that I wasn't aware of inlcude the fact that I will be ESOL certified and my Reading Endorsement will be complete. Though the Reading Endorsement thing isn't widely accepted outside of FL, many other states will see it as a desirable credit, if not a credentialed specialization. Some of my classes will be taken at the Undergraduate level while still counting toward the Masters degree! This means my student loans will be significantly lower than I had originally planned.

Following my meeting with the advisor, I felt energized and excited to be really going back to school (again). For some reason it felt more like a chore at UCF. Maybe because the classes were online in Orlando. Meeting in actual lecture halls with teachers and other students seems to signify actually being in school for me.

Things are shaping up even more in PCB.

exhaustion

Work has been kicking my butt lately. It's been awhile since I've worked random hours and random days off. It isn't quite the teaching job I am hoping to one day fill, but in its own ways it can be very rewarding. I've been moving around to different areas - Electronics (an area in which I know nothing!), Presentation Team (they clean and reset all the areas of the store, one painfully dirty section at a time), and other various things.

This week I've worked a 5am shift, a 6am shift and an 8am shift so far and I am beyond sleepy. Though I think instead of taking a nap today, I might try to unwind with a walk on the beach. Ryan's at work and the mess of the apartment is too frustrating to deal with today. I just hope it doesn't rain...

Funfetti

Who can feel guilty about reading a girly book in bed while enjoying a spoonful of funfetti vanilla frosting (okay two+ spoonfuls)?

Certainly not I!

Dollars and sense

Ever since Ryan's mom (Happy Birthday!!) introduced me to the world of coupons, I've been dying to get that really good deal. I've been working on holding on to coupons and checking out sales yielding small successes here and there. CVS seems to be the place to really get some good deals, but their products are not exactly items that we frequently need. I've had my eye on the Dove Skin Vitalizer thing, but it just didn't seem right to spend $13 to try a product for fun.

CVS is having an unadvertised sale according to Southern Savers and there's now a $3.50 coupon. Here's how the pros do it (bear in mind I am no pro, just having fun saving the dolla dolla bills):

Total before sales and coupons: $13.90
Total out of pocket: $0.54
Total savings: 96%

Now that's a deal that makes sense.


In other news, I have officially been "promoted" at Target. Now don't get too excited. It's a lateral move, but still a step in the right direction. I will be in charge of the cosmetics section of the store. The new position has been referred to as Cosmetics Team Captain - me being the only person on the cosmetics team. I'll take it! The key fact to note is that this change in position basically guarantees I am no longer a seasonal employee. Thank God!

honestly.

There's no honesty like my mother's honesty. She will be the first to (ruthlessly) tell me when I have lost/gained weight, when I look pale or when I'm being cranky. It can be exhausting and sometimes prevent me from visiting home. The past 2 weeks I have been feeling anxious about this weekend because I am going home for Easter. I've been laying out by the pool every chance I get because I know I've gained some weight, but I'll be damned if she tells me I look pale. Especially considering I live so close to the beach now.

Work has been kicking my butt. I work all kinds of hours, usually staying later than my scheduled shift. I'm very much enjoying the change of pace, but am having trouble with the lack of a steady or predictable routine. When my day is crazy and meals are unplanned, we go out to eat and it isn't usually healthy. I have tried and tried to get back on weight watchers, but the same motivators are no longer sufficient to keep me on track. Ryan is also very stressed from his job and going out to dinner has always been a great stress reliever for us. If he suggests going out to eat, I'm there. If I'm not in the mood to cook, he's starting the car and we're headed for the nearest restaurant.
We can't keep up like this. The scale is becoming The Enemy and I have no one but myself to blame. Therefore, I've created a new system of motivation to eliminate stress-eating/endless weght gain and support (controlled) retail therapy. My new goal is to lose 15 lbs (9 to get back to where I was and 6 to get where I want to be). If When the goal is achieved, I am buying myself a new phone. I've always been conservative when it comes to phones, always choosing something simple and relatively inexpensive. The razor felt like a fancy phone to me, and it's just your basic flip phone. I'm leaning towards an iPhone. Or maybe a blackberry pearl.

In the meantime, the little weight losses must be celebrated each week also. There are a few things I've been wanting to purchase but have been holding back. This week, if I can drop 2 lbs, I'm buying a purse. I know it seems rather vain and perhaps irresponsible to buy myself presents to celebrate weight loss. The old motivators - my pants are getting to tight, I hate looking in the mirror, my mom, it's bathing suit season - just aren't cutting it. For the last 2 days, the new motivation is working. If I can just get past the first painful week, I think I will achieve my goal.

Wish me luck...

5:00 am

Yes that's right. 5:00am. I am going to work. I do not believe it should be legal to schedule a person to work before the coffee shops sell coffee. Just a thought.

chicken con broccoli anyone?

So among my small circle of friends, there is a lot of teasing about the fact that when it comes to food, I am very predictable. For about 5 years in a row, we celebrated my birthday at Olive Garden and I always ordered the garlic chicken con broccoli. What can I say? I really enjoy it. It's a healthier option and I know I will always enjoy it. You can overcook a steak, or salmon can be too dry. Pork can be too tough and lamb is just not my slice of meat. Chicken and broccoli just works for me.
Well, it gets worse. Whatever restaurant we go to I order some variant of chicken with broccoli. And if the entree doesn't come with broccoli, I add it or if it comes with seasonal veggies, I request to only have broccoli. Every once in a while I branch out and order different things. I've recently begun to enjoy a nice steak (with broccoli - can't branch out too far). And Bonefish makes an amazing pork tenderloin. But when it comes down to it, I go for my favorite.
AND NOW! I can make it at home. Realsimple.com sends out recipe emails once a week or so. Last week, Broccoli Alfredo came up and I decided to go for it (and add chicken). My friends. I am pretty pleased with this recipe, more than just because it is my staple entree. I can actually make it. Let's be real here. History has shown us, we know my cooking skills are not so great.

All by myself, I cooked up some Chicken con Broccoli! It looks good, it tastes good, it smells good - I may never have to go to Olive Garden again...

Moving Mayhem

I have moved many, many times in the years since I first left my parents house. It was mostly within Gainesville and roughly the same sized apartments. Leaving Gainesville meant going from a 3/3 to a 2/2 in Orlando. We downsized a lot. It felt good to clean out some of the things that we don't use and it was very entertaining to have out stuff magically disappear from beside the dumpster in a matter of hours.

The move to Panama City Beach seemed daunting because of the six hour drive. For a frequent mover like me, collecting boxes, recruiting my parents and packing quickly are not terribly scary anymore. Only in my dreams would a move involve actual movers and moving truck drivers. Well, folks, my boyfriend and his fancy company hired a company to get our goods from Orlando to PCB in 2 days flat. The majority of the packing was done by myself and Ryan in the early stages of the move. Boxes were stacked high and the apartment was in a general state of chaos.

In the midst of it all, Ryan found ways to keep things light-hearted and romantic. He constantly gave me little hugs and kisses and reassuring reminders that someway, somehow we'd get through the move happily.

On Monday afternoon, we drove down to Orlando to get the rest of the apartment packed. We were exhausted physically and mentally by the time we hit the sack that night around 2:00am. We had more packing to do, but exhaustion prevailed. The movers were scheduled to arrive sometime between 8-10am so we planned to be up and packing around 7am. I have never used a moving company before so I had no idea what to expect. At about 9 a knock on the door announced the arrival of the movers (a.k.a - our new best friends). 2 guys would haul the loot into the truck and 1 lady would do the rest of our packing for us. They told us the best thing for us to do is grab a cup of coffee and sit down somewhere out of the way. All of the miscellaneous knick knacks would be swept into boxes without any help from me or Ryan. Who knew about this amazing thing? I always operate under the mindset that if I can do it myself, why pay for it? Why? Why? Movers and their amazing skills make me rethink my position.

We decided to leave them to their work. We went all around town wrapping up our last minute errands and taking one last trip to Ikea (duh!). When we got back the apartment was completely empty. Shocking. Wonderful. Effortless. Love it. Tuesday we checked out of the apartment without difficulty. That night we were only lucky enough to get about 5 hours of sleep before we had to drive out to the apartment to meet the movers. Once again, they came through and did all the work. They put things where we directed, insisting all the while that we not help at all. Fine by me.

Our lives in a moving truck:

Before the storm:

After the truck exploded:

I'm very excited about the apartment. Once all the boxes were crammed into the space, my heart began to sink a little as the space seemed smaller and smaller. As we sort through the boxes and uncover the rooms, I feel less and less claustrophobic.

And finally, a growing stack of empty boxes: (don't worry we'll be taking them to the local recycling place!)