The master's degree is well underway, and realistically, is half-way complete! So far, I have taken 15 hours (3 last fall, 6 in the spring and 6 the first summer session) and I am currently taking 5 more this summer session. I will finish this summer session on August 10th and will have a few weeks before classes begin i nthe fall. As of right now, I am planning to take 9 hours in the fall (6 directed study hours with two different professors and 3 hours as an acutal class). If all goes well in the fall, and I am able to complete the hours while being a full time teacher, taking care of Jack and training for my half-marathon, I plan to take 9 hours in the spring (all 9 hours would be actual classes). This would allow me to graudate with my master's in May of 2011! The benefit of doing this, is that I would get to enjoy an entire summer with no classes before beginning my PhD. :) I like the idea, but we will see how it goes.
On the half-marathon front, I am still trying to add my 4th mile. It is tough, but I feel like it will happen soon. The Austin Half-Marathon will be on February 20th and that is now my goal. Surely, I will be able to run 13.1 miles by February, right? I'm hoping so! My plan is to be ready to run that half-marathon and potentially another one during the spring, just to show myself that I can do it. I feel like it will be inspiring to my students as well, and a great way for me to show them how I challenge myself too. They need to see that.
Jack has mastered an adorable new trick! When I say "up", he now stands up on his back legs and "claps" his front paws together. It is absolutely precious! :)
-Tracey
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Fitness Breakthrough
One of my major goals for 2010 has been to become more in shape and healthier. I have never been over-weight or suffered health problems because of my health habits, but I realized that I could make significant improvements if I tried. I decided earlier in the year that it would be "fun" to train for a half-marathon. It actually turned out to be quite challenging and difficult. That is what influenced me to begin working out with a trainer, in addition to my running routine. More recently, I have started trying to eat more healthy as well. I have not made huge changes to my diet, just small things that make the meals I eat more healthy. My favorite new healthy dish is now whole-wheat spaghetti pasta, with spaghetti sauce and turkey meatballs. Delicious!
Anyway, I'm about to finish up my first 12-week challenge with my trainer and I've been wondering if I have really accomplished what I want in those 12 weeks. I can now run a 5K successfully and am working on adding the 4th mile to my run. I was considering measuring myself, weighing myself and figuring out my body mass index to see if I have lost inches, weight and fat during the past 12-weeks. Today, I got my answer without having to do any of those things.
Prior to this summer, the most stressful activity for me to engage in was jeans/pants shopping. They (the stores) just don't seem to make jeans that are in my size, and I've rarely been pleased with my purchases. My biggest nemesis has been skinny jeans. I think they are so cute and have always wanted to be able to wear them. Ha ha ha. I am a thin girl, but I have curves and skinny jeans just aren't made for girls with my shape. Well, today, I went jean shopping to buy a new pair of straight leg jeans (that look really good on me). As I went to pick up those jeans, I saw the skinny jeans staring me down. They were calling me. I thought to myself, "there is no use getting yourself stressed out, so just walk away," but something in me picked up the skinny jeans and took them to the dressing room. Now, usually the problem begins when I try to put my leg into them and can only get the jeans half-way up my thigh. Today, my entire leg easily went into the jeans and I could pull them up. I dreaded trying to button them, but low-and-behold, they buttoned and zipped! THEY FIT! Not only did they fit, but they looked great! :) Needless to say, they were purchased.
I no longer feel the need to weigh or measure myself. I have seen the results I wanted all along. The skinny jeans represent that my body has changed drastically in the past 12 weeks. Not only that, I feel and look great. Yay for fitness success!
-Tracey
Anyway, I'm about to finish up my first 12-week challenge with my trainer and I've been wondering if I have really accomplished what I want in those 12 weeks. I can now run a 5K successfully and am working on adding the 4th mile to my run. I was considering measuring myself, weighing myself and figuring out my body mass index to see if I have lost inches, weight and fat during the past 12-weeks. Today, I got my answer without having to do any of those things.
Prior to this summer, the most stressful activity for me to engage in was jeans/pants shopping. They (the stores) just don't seem to make jeans that are in my size, and I've rarely been pleased with my purchases. My biggest nemesis has been skinny jeans. I think they are so cute and have always wanted to be able to wear them. Ha ha ha. I am a thin girl, but I have curves and skinny jeans just aren't made for girls with my shape. Well, today, I went jean shopping to buy a new pair of straight leg jeans (that look really good on me). As I went to pick up those jeans, I saw the skinny jeans staring me down. They were calling me. I thought to myself, "there is no use getting yourself stressed out, so just walk away," but something in me picked up the skinny jeans and took them to the dressing room. Now, usually the problem begins when I try to put my leg into them and can only get the jeans half-way up my thigh. Today, my entire leg easily went into the jeans and I could pull them up. I dreaded trying to button them, but low-and-behold, they buttoned and zipped! THEY FIT! Not only did they fit, but they looked great! :) Needless to say, they were purchased.
I no longer feel the need to weigh or measure myself. I have seen the results I wanted all along. The skinny jeans represent that my body has changed drastically in the past 12 weeks. Not only that, I feel and look great. Yay for fitness success!
-Tracey
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July Updates (of all sorts)
It has been a few weeks since my last post, so I have updates galore that follow no rhythm or pattern. :)
Life is going spectacularly! Yesterday, I actually found myself saying, "what have I done to deserve to get everything I want?" I believe this sums up what is happening in my life lately. I have the most amazing friends and family anyone could ask for. These people are with me through thick and thin and keep me grounded, Together, we share laughs and love that keep life fun and interesting. Jack has been an amazing blessing and addition to my life. He brings so much joy and comfort to my life and I could not imagine not having him around. Graduate school has taken some great leaps. I am currently working with a classmate to write and publish an article about the benefits of using cell phones in the classroom. This will be our first published work and we are so excited to be working on it. I am also working on a research project that is studying 8th-graders readiness for high school. I will work on this project until its completion sometime at the beginning of the spring semester. Also, I am 15 hours into my master's and have maintained my 4.0 GPR! :)
In addition to everything above, I have a GREAT job! I have already had the opportunity to talk with many of my mentors for next year and feel like I am completely in the right place. This job is not necessarily the one I wanted, but like my Aunt once told me, "what is best for us is not always what we want." I truly believe God has placed me in this school, with these kiddos for a reason. I'm ready to spend the next year figuring out those reasons. I am hoping to get into my classroom soon so I can start decorating and making it look like me! :) Finally, the school board just approved a pay raise, so I will be making a little bit more money than I initially anticipated. While money is obviously not the reason I am a teacher (teacher salaries are posted on school websites), I am thankful for the extra bit of money.
Finally, I found out yesterday that I get to continue my workouts with Brad. I need to change the days I go workout at his place and the days I requested were full, so there was a possibility I wasn't going to get to continue with this. However, God had another plan, and I will be able to continue working out! I need the motivation and encouragement that Brad offers and I always feel so good after I work out. This definitely needed to continue to be part of my life. I have begun decorating the house and am loving it! A friend gave me some nice kitchen stuff and candle holders, plus I've invested in a few wall decors. I am in love with everything in my house and like that it is starting to feel like MY home! :)
Finally, since my summer school courses have calmed down a little bit, I have been able to get some quality reading time in. I began the summer with a HUGE reading list that I hoped would be accomplished by the end of the summer. However, once I began my Summer I classes, I realized this was not going to happen. It wasn't until those classes were completed that I have been able to find time to read for my own fun again. Here is a list of what I have been able to read over the summer thus far.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collines
Stoner by John Williams
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka
Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
the Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Behind the Bedroom Wall by Laura E. Williams
Beatrice and Virgil by Yahn Martel
My summer has been quite different from what I originally expected it to be, but nonetheless, it has been spectacular!
Tracey
Life is going spectacularly! Yesterday, I actually found myself saying, "what have I done to deserve to get everything I want?" I believe this sums up what is happening in my life lately. I have the most amazing friends and family anyone could ask for. These people are with me through thick and thin and keep me grounded, Together, we share laughs and love that keep life fun and interesting. Jack has been an amazing blessing and addition to my life. He brings so much joy and comfort to my life and I could not imagine not having him around. Graduate school has taken some great leaps. I am currently working with a classmate to write and publish an article about the benefits of using cell phones in the classroom. This will be our first published work and we are so excited to be working on it. I am also working on a research project that is studying 8th-graders readiness for high school. I will work on this project until its completion sometime at the beginning of the spring semester. Also, I am 15 hours into my master's and have maintained my 4.0 GPR! :)
In addition to everything above, I have a GREAT job! I have already had the opportunity to talk with many of my mentors for next year and feel like I am completely in the right place. This job is not necessarily the one I wanted, but like my Aunt once told me, "what is best for us is not always what we want." I truly believe God has placed me in this school, with these kiddos for a reason. I'm ready to spend the next year figuring out those reasons. I am hoping to get into my classroom soon so I can start decorating and making it look like me! :) Finally, the school board just approved a pay raise, so I will be making a little bit more money than I initially anticipated. While money is obviously not the reason I am a teacher (teacher salaries are posted on school websites), I am thankful for the extra bit of money.
Finally, I found out yesterday that I get to continue my workouts with Brad. I need to change the days I go workout at his place and the days I requested were full, so there was a possibility I wasn't going to get to continue with this. However, God had another plan, and I will be able to continue working out! I need the motivation and encouragement that Brad offers and I always feel so good after I work out. This definitely needed to continue to be part of my life. I have begun decorating the house and am loving it! A friend gave me some nice kitchen stuff and candle holders, plus I've invested in a few wall decors. I am in love with everything in my house and like that it is starting to feel like MY home! :)
Finally, since my summer school courses have calmed down a little bit, I have been able to get some quality reading time in. I began the summer with a HUGE reading list that I hoped would be accomplished by the end of the summer. However, once I began my Summer I classes, I realized this was not going to happen. It wasn't until those classes were completed that I have been able to find time to read for my own fun again. Here is a list of what I have been able to read over the summer thus far.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collines
Stoner by John Williams
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka
Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
the Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Behind the Bedroom Wall by Laura E. Williams
Beatrice and Virgil by Yahn Martel
My summer has been quite different from what I originally expected it to be, but nonetheless, it has been spectacular!
Tracey
Proud Mama of a Graduate
A few weeks ago, Jack graduated from his beginner puppy class. :) I am very proud of him and what he was able to accomplish in just eight weeks. I adopted Jack on March 6th, at which time he was two pounds and was completely untrained. On June 30th, when he graduated, he was eight pounds and could do nine commands plus he is potty trained! Jack will be six months old on July 19th and we will begin intermediate puppy training next weekend. I am eager and excited to teach him some new commands.
More importantly, Jack's training has prepared him to be a very good dog. Last week, I traveled to New Mexico for my cousin's wedding, so I left Jack with my Aunt and Grandma. I was a little worried at how he would act around new people for almost a week. Even though he knew them, I didn't know if he would act properly or cause trouble. Turns out, he was a great dog while I was gone. He did not misbehave and he was very easy to handle. This makes me even more proud than his success at graduating from puppy class!
Tracey
Tracey
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