I like to run, I like, I like to run!

I remember when I was little, I went on a trip to Surfside Water Park with my church. All the other kids raced towards the mile high stairs, rushing to be the first ones down the slides at the top. In my head, I pictured them inside the enclosed slides choking from the water, and praying to get off. I remember standing at the bottom with my mother, watching as kids shot out the bottom disappearing into a tub of water. They'd swim back to the surface laughing with excitement,while I stood with inter-tube in hand... preparing to board the lazy river. I remember when we had about 10 minutes left before we had to leave, I faced my fears and climbed the dreadful steps to the top. After a couple failed attempts, I slowly eased myself down one of the curvy slides. I'm not sure if I made the decision on my own, or if I accidentally fell. However, the slide was AMAZING! I remember being so upset that I missed out on all the fun for the whole first part of the trip. I had wasted all my time drifting down the river, and getting sunburned.


As an adult, I can now compare this feeling to running. Don't get me wrong, I still would love to slide down one of those water coasters, and I would probably enjoy it just as much as I did when I was eight. However, right now... I think of those water slides as the ability to be a runner. All my life... I've hated running. As a kid in elementary school, I was the one who always came in last during the mile. Running terrified me. The only thing I saw with running was... soreness... exhaustion... and total no fun. However, in December I started running with my aunt. I still hated running... for probably the first two weeks. I could only jog about five feet before panting and giving up. However, I've been running for about a month now... and I can honestly say that I LOVE it! In fact, I get disappointed when I don't run, because it feels so GREAT! I LOVE running through the wind... it always reminds me of how Pocahontas must have felt when she was singing on that cliff. So FREE!!! I LOVE running when there is a car blocking the sidewalk... and I have to leap around it... kind of like a super hero. I LOVE running when I dash as fast as I can... and realize I actually went pretty far. It's such a relaxing hobby, that I'm so glad I've found. Hopefully I'll stay with it... but if I ever drift... I can come back to this post and remind myself of how much I like to run.

Cutting the calories..

I'm not the only one making healthier lifestyle choices...

THAT WAS THEN

THIS IS NOW

Low Fat Milk-Bones (only 5 calories each)

Keepin' it light in 2012

Dear AUM...

I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You are scum between my toes. 
Love, Amanda

Do you see the picture above? It is a picture of the books I ordered to start classes next week at AUM. The only problem is... I just dropped my classes. To say I am a little upset would be a complete understatement, but to understand my anger... I'll have to fill you in. I decided to get my master's at AUM as a reading specialist. My joke of an adviser told me that if I pursued the degree, I would be eligible for a teacher grant (which would pay for the majority of my schooling). I was stoked... and totally on board! And things even got better! She said that because my GPA was so high, I could go straight into the master's program without taking the MAT until my first semester. I later learned that this labeled me as a provisional student. It sounded like a plan to me! I could go ahead and get going with classes, and take the MAT sometime my first semester. Well... I called AUM's financial aid to make sure everything was set, and they informed me that I was not eligible for the teach grant because it's not available to provisional students. They told me I could try to apply my second semester, but that I probably wouldn't get it since it wasn't the beginning of the year. They said I should probably talk to my adviser. So I called her. I asked her about it... and she said... "Oh yea... I guess it does say that." And I asked what we could do. And she said there was nothing left to do. I gave a very frustrated "Ookkkaaayyy"... and she said very cheerfully.. "Ok, bye!" and hung up.

Are you kidding me!?! I was typing so fast trying to pull up my AUM account that I kept hitting the wrong keys. I went straight into webster... and dropped... my classes! I am completely finished with AUM. I am not giving them any more of my money. Boo you AUM!!! BOO YOU!!!

So it looks like I have some decisions to make.... West Alabama with the rest of my crew... or travel to receive a gifted degree. Whatever I decide... I can promise you that it won't be from AUM. Who wants to be called a warhawk anyways....

Goodbye 2011... Hello 2012!

Big plans for 2012!

Ladies and gentlemen let the 2012 year begin! And may the odds be ever in my favor... Bring it on 2012!  This year I am volunteering to be thrown back into the hunger games at AUM. I will be fighting others for high grades, cheap books on Amazon, and the seat in the back of the classroom. I'm sure I will face many challenges, like unknown holds to my account (which has already happened), get dropped from a couple classes for no reason at all, and earn a few extra student loans. But despite it all, in just one year (and probably an extra semester) I will have the honor of making more money  obtaining my master's degree as a reading specialist. I am super excited about attending AUM this year as a mockingjay "warhawk." I'm taking two classes back-to-back, which will make for tiring long days.... but hopefully it will be worth it in the end! Maybe I'll wear my hair in a braid and carry a bow and arrow for my first class. Can't wait...

I have also began jogging. I even bought shoes to fit my new hobby, so that means it's serious (because these things were ridiculously funny-looking expensive). My aunt and I are jogging about five days a week. We started last week, and my legs have been so sore that I try to make it throughout the day without squatting down for any reason... ever. She's pretty hardcore, and I doubt she'll let me back out much, so that's probably a good thing. She likes to race by Dairy Queen ::sigh::, do lunges up mountains hills, and jog at a speed that makes me pant.  Sometimes I just walk really fast with my arms in jogging mode, thinking maybe I'll fool her. Then when she looks my way, I start jogging again. She told me that chewing gum helps while running, so I probably need to stock up on gum because I could use all the help I can get. We also do this thing where you run as fast as you can to a mailbox, and then walk to next one... like a cycle. It's not too bad if you're athletic like me. You should see me zoom the five feet to the next mailbox. And just for fun, yesterday we ran up a boat ramp. On a positive note, I have already lost 3 pounds, which is pretty awesome... except I just ate some cookies and probably gained them back (don't tell my aunt).  Just 15 more pounds to go, and I'll be doing pretty good! My aunt said that's no big deal, and I'll be there in no time. She's already lost 22 pounds since September. We shall see what happens! Our next jogging adventure is tomorrow. Did you know it is going to be like 25 flippin' degrees?!? But we don't care... because we're hardcore... and I have new shoes... but maybe I'll chew an extra piece of gum just in case....

Wanna Play Catch-up!?

So I haven't blogged in quite some time (and even though I have open house in 1 hour)... I decided now would be the perfect time to catch everyone up on how things are going. I closed on my house (finally!) and had to sign a zillion papers (now I know how celebrities feel). Dad and little brother placed down floors in the master bedroom and closet. Some family came and helped me slap a coat of paint on some of the walls (if only that was as easy as it sounds). My cousin is uprooting my backyard as we speak (he is the best!). The bug man is stopping by in the A.M. (so long, spiders!). I got a remote to my garage and can enter through the car, whoo-hoo! (it's like I have super powers!). I haven't moved in quite yet, or atleast not all of me. I've got to have it sprayed (first priority), and I've got to snab a hot water heater (for cheap!) before it will be livable. And throw my bedroom suite into the trunk of my car... and I'm good to go! I pray I'm in by next weekend... 


Now to go meet the new kiddos! Let's do this!!!

Floors...spiders... and creepers... oh my!

The parents woke me up early at 9:00 this morning to inform me that Lowe's was having a store-wide sale. They told me that the sale included a style of hardwood laminate flooring that matched the one already in my house. (I should probably fill you in by sharing that there are hardwood laminate floors in the den, but the bedrooms all have dirt capturing carpet). Mom and Dad know how I feel about sales (especially considering I have a 10% off coupon), so I rolled out of bed, threw myself together, and drove to meet them at my pending home for a personal color match check. The parents were waiting for me inside with an opened box of planks, that they purchased for me to review. I snapped a couple planks together on top of the carpet, tilted my head from side to side, knelt down like a ninja, and finally decided that the colors did indeed match. Before leaving the house to purchase the flooring, I shared my last night's Lifetime Movie experience with my dad. Lifetime Movies always involve a little love, murder, deception, and basically a bunch of crazy people. The movie I watched last night involved this man who snuck into this woman's garage every night, and hid in her attic. He drugged her while she was asleep... and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. I opened the door to my garage and pointed out the attic entrance, while asking dad if there was any way to fill it with cement. Daddy wasn't paying me much attention, and instead he was walking around the garage pointing out bugs to freak me out. As he was inspecting the surroundings, I heard him say "uh-oh" (Daddy never says "uh-oh"). I now regret even asking him what was wrong in the first place. No... there wasn't a crazy man trying to sneak into the garage... but this was just about as horrible! Daddy found... a... black widow spider on the garage door railing! I thought I was going to pass out right there (I would post a picture of it on here... but I don't want to see it each time I look at my blog). So my lesson for today, thanks to Lifetime Network and spiders, is... garages may not be as safe as you think ::sigh::.

First things on the move-in checklist: bug man and padlocks.... and a tornado shelter...

"It's Closing Time..."

                           

See that faint light at the end of the tunnel? Wanna know what it is?
 IT'S ME CLOSING ON A HOUSE! 
And it only took 25 years!

Start the count-down! Only 6 more days! WHOOP! WHOOP!