heat wave

The temperature here in Central Indiana has ben unreal! In the 100s! The kids i nanny for have been stuck inside for the last few days. It's too hot to even go to the pool. We went on Monday and it was miserable. In the meantime, I have been working on a lot of reading skills with Maddie and Trav and letter work with Shawn. We built a fort yesterday and watched movies under it. I also found a theater that does free movies Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays :) Awesome!


The temperature has also made running a little tougher. It's more like the humidity (awful)! In the morning its already 80 or in the mid 80s! Out of the 5 days this week, I ran 3 mornings! I am pretty proud of myself! I also ran about .8 miles without stopping which is huge progress for me! Slowly but surely I am making improvements. It makes me excited about running too.


I didn't this morning... and I have felt guilty all day. that's a good thing!


Also, my friend Jordan gave me the name of a great cookbook  that I can't wait to buy and try out! It's called Hungry Girl. There are a few different books but I think i want to get the 200 under 200! She says the recipes are great and really fill you up. She also says they are easy to make, since i am a horrible cook :) I hope I can improve my cooking skills in the next few months. It's always been something I have wanted to do.

China made me realize i CAN do all the things I have always wanted to do. I'd always wanted to teach in China. I did that! I have always wanted to start running, learn to cook and eat healthier. I'm doing it! 

I'm giving myself a big HOORAY!

i CAN do it & adjusting back to the USA

tuesday
i did it! i got up this morning at 7:30 and I ran (and walked, and breathed heavily, and sweat, ALOT)! i went about 1.5 miles which was on the agenda for today. like i said, i didn't run the entire time, but i know i can work up to it.
actually this morning, i had no clue how far i had gone but i ran/walked for about 25 minutes. this evening i used google maps to determine how far the circle is in my development.
just my luck, starting at my house and going in a complete circle and then ending about a block past my house is ONE MILE! it's perfect!




today
no, i did not run wed or thursday morning but i have valid excuses. 
ok, so there isn't really an excuse. but, wednesday i had to be at work at 7:30 and 5:30 is just TOO early for me to run.
and thursday i had the day off and i won't lie... had too much wine that night and stayed up too late skyping my handsome boyfriend. 7:30 just wasnt going to happen.


this morning, again success. i got up at 7:45 (i have the day off again) and did 2 miles. i mixed walking and running. i felt a little better this morning so i know that with practice and determination it will all work out and i will be running miles in no time. i'm just excited to run one mile without stopping. when i can do that, i know progress has been made!


maybe some of you are wondering how i am adjusting to being back in america? well, i am adjusted just fine. it took me about a week and a few days to not be jet lagged. i am on a normal sleeping pattern now. getting adjusted back to the food (taste wise) was easy! it did upset my stomach for about a week but now i am doing fine. i have even adopted a "healthy eating" plan. no, it's NOT a diet. i am just eating better foods, and staying away from junk food. its making me feel really good throughout the day!
tim & i have adopted "No Fry July". no fries for the month of july.

 it hasn't been too hard, minus when i took the kids i nanny for to Chic-Fil-A and i had to order the fruit cup with my sandwich... lame (yet healthy and tasty).
i hope that i can keep up with my exercise and healthy food choices for life :)


any advice fellow healthy friends for recipes, healthy snacks, running tips, etc? 

running: a new adventure

since my last adventure is now a week and 2 days over, i decided about 2 months before i left that in order to not drive myself crazy, i needed a new goal/adventure once i came back to the states.


something i have always wanted to do (but was too lazy to begin) is train for a mini marathon. i have always admired all of my running friends, and every time i do go for a run i always feel so amazing afterwards. it's a de-stresser for me, i have so much more energy and just an overall good feeling!


step 1: find new tennis shoes. this turned out to not be as hard as i thought. i normally HATE shopping for tennis shoes! i won't lie, the last time i bought a pair of actual athletic shoes was sophomore year of high school for volleyball season. oops.
let me clear something up though, i did buy a pair of tennis shoes 3 years ago but they were more casual. i don't enjoy the "clunky" look of athletic shoes. i guess you can say i am a little bit girly.

i honestly don't even like the look of these. oh well.

step 2: find some type of training schedule because i have no clue what i am doing, and i want to do it right. i used these 2 documents i found off some random running website. we'll see how they pan out.
5k (for dummies)

half marathon (for the "novice")



step 3: first train for a 5K, and do it right! run the whole time!


step 4: (and this is where i have already failed this morning) run. in. the. mornings....
i am by NO means a morning person. as much as i want to be, i don't think it is going to happen. i love the feeling of a beautiful indiana morning. i have ran a few times when i was in college in the morning and again, i LOVED the feelings. my day felt SO much better!
where is my self discipline? my determination?
i know it's in me somewhere? right?


tomorrow is tuesday, i am going to try this again. i'm gonna go ahead and blame it on the 5K PDF i am following. it says don't start till tuesday anyways... :)

america so far

hello america!! :) i've been home for about 3 days now. here are a few things i have observed that i love, noticed or just want to mention:


1. america is so green! when my plane was starting to touch down outside of chicago, i was amazed at all the green grass, trees and bushes! and the sky was "sky blue", not the weird white-ish tan grey with hints of blue was used to. i love seeing the sunshine and breathing clean air.


2. cleanliness of stores, restaurants, houses, etc. on sunday morning i went to target with my mom and first, i was completely overwhelmed. there was just so much to look at! there also wasn't a sole person in the store which was an adjustment. i am used to there being people everywhere. i also kept running into my mom's heels and following her too closely :)


3. jet lag is the WORST! compared to the last 2 days, i am feeling significantly better. but my sleep pattern is all messed up. i wake up every morning at 4am and am awake till 5 or 5:30. then i fall back asleep eventually.


4. i love driving and singing in the car. and the radio. that's all.


5. my feet are CLEAN! for the first time in about 10 months. i got a pedicure today and it made me so happy!


6. HGTV is heaven sent.


7. i love looking in my pantry and fridge. sometimes i just open it and stare for awhile. there are so many choices!


8. i'm not sure if i can handle living at home for the next few months... or year. what's keeping me here currently? my parents and best friends! :)


9. i think i own the world's most comfortable bed. don't try and challenge me.


10. unpacking from living abroad for almost a year is a daunting and basically impossible task...




p.s. chicago o'hare international airport is the worst airport ever! horrible customer service & zero efficiency. after landing in chicago and going through security again with 2 lines open and 300 people, i made my flight with only 5 minutes to spare (after the gate being changed and finding a departure/arrival monitor, at least in concourse K and L, to be nonexistent) i landed in Indy 25 minutes late... and no luggage.