Saturday, May 1, 2010

Summer is right around the corner, so what am I doing? Making goals.

Being the very goal-oriented person that I am, I have decided it will be nice to make a list of goals to accomplish this summer. I have been thinking about this for a while and have decided on the best set of goals to go after. By the time August comes around, I will be an even happier and healthier person.

First of all, I will be taking 12 (twelve) hours of graduate courses this summer. That's four classes total! I will be quite busy with the work, but I am very excited. Taking these classes will ensure that I will graduate next August with my M.Ed. :) Hooray!

Secondly, I will be conducting some of my own research beginning this summer. I will be working with a few professors at the university. The details of the research are still in progress, but I am excited to learn about the process and gain some useful knowledge for the future. During the Fall, I will be able to continue working on my research project (for credit!) and will gain more insight into the process. (I know this is very nerdy, but for me, it is perfect and fun!)

Thirdly, Jack is being enrolled in a puppy training course offered by PetSmart. I have decided that it will be a good way for him to socialize while learning some basic obedience tasks. It will be a good way for me to learn how better to train him as well. We are both ready and Jack will do great. He has already begun learning commands like "sit", "fetch", "come" and "stay". He does not always respond and treats only sometimes encourage him. However, we are working on it every day and he is improving. He is also improving on his leash training. He gets a walk almost every day and every day he does a better job of following and letting me guide him on the leash. Potty training is also going very well. Now, he goes to the door and asks to go outside when he needs to go potty. Again, he is not perfect. He only asks about 90% of the time. He LOVES to be outside, so sometimes he asks to go outside just to play or chew on sticks.

I have also learned a valuable lesson thanks to my roommate. I have bought toys for Jack and he has been given toys from other family members. He plays with them just fine. However, yesterday, my roommate gave him a plastic water bottle to chew on and he LOVES it! He has been playing with it and chewing on it non-stop. The first bottle actually has been replaced and he is now on his second one. I guess I've learned that bottles are betteer (and cheaper) toys for him.

Finally, I will be getting into better shape this summer. I began training for a half-marathon about two months ago. I had to take a week off (which hindered my progress) due to the tonselectomy. I have been working hard (though I can work harder) and am now up to running two miles! That's an improvement. :) While the marathon training is going well, I want to do more to get my body feeling good. I have decided to take on a workout challenge that includes strength and cardio training. The program is small groups working with a personal trainer and the price is very reasonable. The program lasts for 12 weeks and participants workout twice a week together. I'm eager to get started and see how this program helps my marathon training as well as my body feel better.

Besides the above-mentioned goals, I want to spend a lot of time this summer with family and friends, hanging out and enjoying the time off from work. I might even like to take a few trips around the state, to the beach and to visit family. This will be a fun summer and I'm excited for the challenges it brings.

Tracey

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