Ok, it's time to start treating our bodies like we're 25...

I had a lot of time to sit and think yesterday. That's sometimes a good thing, sometimes not, but it always makes me want to write.

I got bamboozled into taking a R.I.P.P.E.D class last night. I went to a Relief Society activity having been promised a "fun, light workout" but it was not that. I'm sure I looked pretty sad by the end of it since my butt was thoroughly whipped, but I made it. And I really didn't hate it either. I've also started taking Zumba classes. I average only about twice a week, but it beats sitting on the couch watching Criminal Minds. It's no secret Ian and I have put on quite a bit of weight since we've been married. I take most of the responsibility, since I like to eat crap. Ian likes it too, but it seems like he's much better at resisting than I am. I kind of had a meltdown the other night and we decided it was time to quit making excuses and make some changes.

I decided to pick some motivational pictures out.

Here's some before pictures:

On one of our camping trips this summer.

We're both thinner than we were here, I just love Ian's face in this one.
This guy loves me.

Here's the goal pictures:

I think I weighed about 160 here.

This guy is smokin' hot. 

I think a lot of my new found motivation comes from my dad's efforts the past couple years. I can hardly believe the difference:

This was at my wedding almost 3 1/2 years ago.

One of his FB friends uploaded this a few days ago.
Bud's not even gonna recognize him when he gets home.

I know the 2nd one's not the best quality, but I was trying to find something recent since it seems like someone posts a picture of him and then he loses more weight. We talked about it a little last night when I told him I went to that class, and he told me about how much he's noticed his strength improve and he likes getting sore because it means he's getting stronger. I love my dad no matter what shape or size he is, but it's been fun to brag about him and watch the people who haven't seen him in awhile look at him in amazement. He's pretty much a big deal. :)

So here's some things I've learned so far:

1. My craving for sweets after every meal is mostly habitual. If I don't indulge it, it goes away and I don't really miss it.

2. If it is one of those days where I just need a brownie and no one gets hurt, one will do. I don't need or really even want more than that.

3. I enjoy working out. It's that whole "energy of activation" thing. If I can get motivated enough to get moving, it's no big deal.

4. It's 90% mental. I've learned that our minds and bodies don't like to be out of sync. If I tell myself that I want to eat healthy and I want to go to the gym, I usually do it.

5. Like most people, my mind confuses hunger and thirst all the time. I need to drink water first and then, if I still feel hungry, eat something.

I would say it's all pretty basic, and it's sad that it's taken me this long to start taking it seriously, but I guess better now when I can still do it pretty easily.

Waitin' On This For Awhile Now...

It's high time for me to NOT look at those pictures from my last post anymore. Eeesh!

The title of this is a quote from one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, Imagine Dragons. I have followed these guys since they played to small crowds at The Velour in Provo, and every success they have just makes my heart happy for them. They just released the music video this week:



I was thinking about this as it came on Pandora today. I registered for my first semester of nursing school yesterday and I was humbled as I looked at the classes to reflect on just how far I've come. I say over and over again how I knew when I started this that it wouldn't turn out how I thought it would. I'm just not sure I realized how different it really would be. I'm so incredibly grateful for this process, both the "payin' my dues to the dirt" and the feeling of being "on top of the world" (ey!)

I can't even convey my excitement that the holiday season is upon us again. It's my favorite time of year. I joke with Ian whenever I see Christmas commercials or decorations before Thanksgiving. I point to it and say, "Christmas craaaap!" The other day he answered, "What are you talking about? You love Christmas more than anyone I know." It's true. I love everything about Christmas. I love the music; I love shopping for (or making) the perfect gift for each member of my family; I love the Christmas casserole we eat for breakfast every Christmas morning; I love that I still get jammies on Christmas Eve, and I especially love the quiet moments I have to reflect on why we celebrate the season in the first place. I've never been able to sleep on Christmas eve. I'm a kid on Christmas and I get to experience the pure joy of it all.

Hi, my name is Cori, and I am a Trypophobic.

I have always had this weird thing with holes. Every once in awhile something will catch my eye and give me the heebie jeebies, but at the same time I'm not able to stop looking at it. It's not any holes it seems; they have to be little and somewhat random. For instance, I have this little basket on my kitchen table with little decorative Styrofoam (maybe? I don't know what they are) balls in it. I bought it in a package and it originally came with Lotus Blossoms. Ya know (gulp) these things:

Ew! Ew! Ew! It makes my skin crawl and makes me itchy all over. My mom suggested I just hide them at the bottom of the basket, but just the thought that they were there was too much. I had to toss them.

I remember one year when we went to see the lights at Temple Square, we went in to the Assembly Hall to warm up and this caught my attention:

See those little, are they horns? I don't even know but they bugged me so bad. I have to make a conscious effort not to look in that direction every time I go back there. 

I was sure I had to be the only person with this weird thing. Talk about irrational fears. Today however, I learned that there's a name for it: Trypophobia. From what I've read, it's not an official phobia that can be diagnosed, like Hydrophobia or Arachnophobia, but a lot of people seem to have it. I wonder if there are support groups out there...

Oh, and I'm pretty sure I won't be looking at this post again.

Because I don't want to study...

I have a Pathophysiology test on Tuesday. I have two more chapters and a study guide to go through, but I'm just not up for it right now. My professor is a doctor, and seems to be very knowledgeable on the subjects he teaches, but he's also one of those "if it has a face or a mother, don't eat it" type of people. Not that there's anything wrong with vegetarianism, but he's a stereotypical vegetarian, and I'm over it. Ya know, just the typical, "vaccines don't really prevent the disease, they just lessen the effects" and our food is "contaminated" with antibiotics garbage. Vomit. The class is mostly just review. I suppose that's a good thing, and a credit to my Anatomy and Physiology instructors at SLCC, but I'm at the point now where I'm just trying to push through these last few weeks.

Wow, that was a little whiny... Moving on.

One of the prompts from Striped Giraffe Stories that I missed before was "Write about a test or exam that you had to take that was critical and life changing." I realized I never really wrote about the Kaplan. Every nursing program seems to have a different entrance exam so I think most people end up taking a few. I took the HESI and the Kaplan. The HESI was pretty easy I thought. I got a 91%. Unfortunately the rest of my grades weren't what they should've been, so I needed to take the Kaplan for Dixie's program. I needed at least a 75% to apply and the range of students who had been accepted the semester before was 75-91%. I was out of my mind nervous about it (Ask Ian. I was a friggin' basket case). I usually don't have test anxiety, but I definitely did on this one. I even had a dream the night before that I got a 74%, just one point too low. But I shook it off and took the test anyway. I felt so relieved with an 85% when it was all over.

The problem I think I discovered during that test is the reading. It's so much harder to read and try to absorb information from a computer screen rather than something in print. I felt myself having a hard time concentrating. But I must've done better than I thought at the time, because the score got me in. And now I never have to worry about entrance exams again. Yay!

Google will take over the world

The writing prompt today was, "Google search your own name.Write about the search result that is the closest to your name but isn't you."

Well, first I discovered that I am most definitely on the grid. I even found a profile that I didn't do... Hmmm...

The only thing I found that wasn't connected to me was some names on Ancestry.com. One I was looking at had seven children and the youngest was born in 1879 and Corinne died in 1882. I'm so glad I didn't live in that era.

Ian's name is far more interesting. Apparently there's an Ian Harwell in Arizona that owns a brewery. He was named one of the most "beerfluential" people in AZ.

He looks like a good guy, right?

Good news

Who is the first person you tell when something good happens to you?

Ian is usually the first person I share good news with. He usually tells me good news (like his pending promotion next week. Yay!) and I have to tell him to tell everyone else. If for some reason I can't tell Ian, like he's at work or something, then I usually call my sister or my mom.

Speaking of good news, or rather things in the news that are good, have you read this? This sweet boy who is battling Leukemia gets to be "Batkid" for the day in San Francisco. I wish I could go be one of the volunteers. How cool is Make-A-Wish? I love it.

Out my window

The blog post from Striped Giraffe Stories today is, "What's outside your window?" Whenever I think of this, I always remember our awesome apartment in Corpus Christi. It was on the 3rd floor and you could see Oso Bay from our balcony. Ian and I would go out there almost every night and breathe in the sea breeze. I don't think I realized how good we had it... Anyway, I posted this photo to Facebook the other day from looking out into the back yard:

The storm that gave Salt Lake its first snow fall of the year had moved in and it was a perfectly crisp, chilly fall day. Today, the sun is out but that same golden tree is losing its leaves out back. I'm having to remind myself that it's getting colder. It is November after all. October is perfect weather in St. George, and it's kind of sad to see that go away for awhile. At least the sun stays around. I suppose I can't ask for much more than that.

NoBloPoMo

Apparently November is "blog post month". Who knew?

My cousin has a blog that's all about writing prompts. You can find it here if you're interested. I thought it would be a good opportunity to write. Today's prompt is: What is your strongest sense?

Ya know, like these senses. I had to think about this one for awhile. Lately it's been my sense of smell. I don't know what it is (not pregnancy, don't get any ideas) but my sniffer seems to pick up everything lately. Ian made empanadas for dinner on Saturday night and I picked up the onion smell from upstairs on the opposite side of the house. I guess onion is kind of a bad example since it's such a strong smell, but there are others that I can't think of.