My Takeaway from 2013

            For me, 2013 was a year of growth as every year should be. I experienced failure and I got to taste success. I was fortunate enough to cross a couple things off my bucket list, which inspired me to dream bigger dreams. I learned to better enjoy doing things by myself and live with a zest for life. I can testify that the human body is amazing no matter how dysfunctional it can sometimes be.

            At the beginning of January 2013 I experienced failure. In Disney's Goofy challenge, I was picked up by the sweeper van at mile 22 in the marathon for not keeping pace. Disappointed by failure is not a good feeling. It hurts when people remind me of it and question my intentions to try again. Obviously, I could write a book on my excuses for not finishing the race, but I thing the more interesting book to read would be about how I let that failure guide me to success. I think about those 4 miles all the time when I'm training. Even though they haunt me, they inspire me. Rather than letting that failure keep me from running another marathon again, I let it turn into a passion to redeem myself. On December 1st, I finished the Space Coast Marathon!  That finish line was so sweet! It took almost a whole year of hard work to redeem myself! I will take that as a lesson in life. If I want something bad enough, I will keep trying!

             I dare to say the highlight of my year was crossing two things off my bucket list! I ran across the Golden Gate Bridge and I went hot air ballooning. Running across the Golden Gate Bridge has been on my bucket list for a really long time. Probably even longer than I've been in love with running. It always seemed like an unreachable dream. I don't think I ever believed that I would ever cross it off the list.  My trip to Napa took me right through San Fransisco! Every step across that bridge was better than I imagined it would be. The view, the water, the city, the wind, the traffic and the feeling of a dream come true that came over me.  It surpassed my expectations! I ran with my hands in the air while I let out a victorious scream for feeling alive! The hot air balloon ride was amazing too, but to compare the two would be unfair. Just because I don't have the means to accomplish a dream or something on my bucket list now doesn't mean I should dream smaller. This summer taught me to dream big dreams anyway with the hope to pursue them in the future. For instance, I want to cage dive with great white sharks! I have a childhood fear of the ocean and sharks, so this would be huge.

             In the past, I usually thought in order to do anything fun I needed to be doing it with someone else. This year I learned to enjoy doing fun things by myself when nobody was around to join me. I went hot air ballooning by myself and it was followed by a champagne breakfast! If I can't be confident enough to romance myself, how can I expect someone else to. I had the time of my life! Not once did I feel lonely. I found myself enjoying my own company. After all, I'm pretty dang awesome! Plus, when I do things alone, I get to do whatever I want. I'm easy going, but I liked not having to compromise. I also ventured to see movies by myself. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In the future, I want to be brave enough to do more things by myself.  I still love doing things with others, but doing things by myself is quite liberating!

             If you asked me what I thought about the human body in 2012, I would have said it sucks! Since recovering from rock bottom my opinion has changed.  I went from being in debilitating pain to actually being able to function. I've gained back a wicked amount of muscle and sometimes it's easy to forget how far I've come. It's easy to just focus on the bad days and the things that are small in comparison to what I've been through. However, when I look at the bigger picture, the human body is really an amazing thing.  I need to remember this.

I'm not sure what 2014 holds for me, but I do know that I hope it's another year of greatness!

A Craft By the Uncrafty

 

              This project was inspired by a few crafts I saw on Pinterest. One was a black and white striped canvas with a huge red heart made of buttons in the center of the canvas. The other was a Mod Podge photo transfer onto a canvas. I put the two ideas together and made it my own to make as a gift for my bestie as a Christmas, graduation and moving away gift. I'm not naturally crafty, so the fact that it turned out exactly as I hoped it would means that it was pretty easy. The most difficult part of the whole project was waiting for it to dry.

 

          First, I used a sponge brush to paint Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium on the photo side of a the picture I chose.  This is important: I reversed the picture before printing it on a laser printer. After, I had the Mod Podge on the photo, I put it face down on my 8 by 11 canvas. I used an old AAA card to smooth it out to get rid of the air bubbles. It required 24 hours to dry and that was the hard part, waiting. This is our favorite picture together because it's one from around the time we first met. Plus, our smiles don't get any bigger than this. It may have also been the first time I  ever got drunk. Basically, it's special to us.



 

              Second, after the long 24 hours of waiting, I used a sponge and soaked the picture on the canvas in water for two minutes before using the sponge to rub off the paper to reveal the photo. It took a few times of letting it dry and repeating the soaking and rubbing. To my surprise, it WORKED!

        
                Third, since I wanted black and white stripes I used painter's tape to outline my stripes. I used black acrylic paint with a sponge brush to paint the stripes. Next, I removed the tape and painted clear gloss Mod Podge over the entire canvas as a finish after the black had dried of course.  At this point, I couldn't believe that I hadn't messed it up yet.

                 Lastly, I spelled out the title of the song we always jam and dance to in the car that also represents our friendship with fancy stickers, "Stuck Like Glue."  Then, I hot glued matching buttons around the photo as a frame! The buttons symbolize holding us together no matter where life takes us.  This is exactly how I envisioned it before I started! The red one is mine and the pink glittery one is hers.  This is so crafty that I may even start claiming to be crafty.

Off the Chart

 

            If you find the humor in this like I do, then you're certainly my friend. I have two butt doctors, a gastroenterologist and a colorectal specialist. It's completely normal to find charts on the walls like the one below. I call my gastro my poop therapist because I sit on the doctor's table and tell the doctor how my bowels have been. My colorectal specialist just has me fill out paperwork on how my poop has been, and then pulls out the scope to get a look up the ass that produces off the chart crap. This chart is to help me accurately describe my stool to the doctor. Though honestly, I have seen more disgusting things that don't even begin to match the chart in the toilet water before I flush. Hence, off the chart crap. If this is weird for you, be thankful you don't have to deal with stool scales and charts. It was weird for me at first too.  



 

 

 

             Whenever I go to see my P.A., it's always a little odd that he doesn't require too many details about my bowels. Since I see my butt doctors more frequently than I see the P.A. I think I naturally tell him more about my bowels than he wants to know.  The picture below was taped to the cabinet in the room I waited in for my P.A. At first glance I thought it was an off the chart stool scale! Finally, I thought they were beginning to understand that not all of their patients' bowel movements are as nice as the Bristol Stool Scale. Only to read and find out that it's actually skin cancer on the chart, not stool. I told my P.A. and he said he'll never look at skin cancer the same way again and he said that I'm at the wrong doctor for that kind of wall art.

 

 

          

Another Year, Another Semester

           In just about a week my next semester at U.C.F. will be underway. It's difficult to believe that I already have 4 semesters at U.C.F. under my belt. During my previous semesters I only took two classes at a time. That's about to change because this coming semester I'll be taking three classes: Legal and Ethical Environment of Business, Quantitative Business Tools II and Financial Models. One of which will be my first senior level class, Financial Models. I think I'm ready for all of the hard work this semester will require. I just have to square away my financial aid and buy/rent my textbooks.

           After this spring semester, I'll only need six more classes in order to graduate with a bachelor's in finance. I've been going back and forth on whether to graduate in December 2014 or May 2015.  A 2014 graduation means full speed ahead with no time for a break that's longer than a week until graduation. It would take commitment on my part to finish strong and I would have to be willing to put work on the back burner if necessary so that I could really give my best effort in school.  I want to maintain my high grades in case I later decide to apply for graduate school.  A 2015 graduation wouldn't be as intense because I'd be able to spread out the load. The downside would be taking 5 additional months to graduate.

           I have decided against getting an internship. Mostly because of health insurance reasons. At the moment I get my insurance through my job by working full time. I could also get insured through U.C.F. if I take a certain number of credit hours. Most of the internships worthwhile are full time and don't offer insurance to interns. If they do, the insurance costs more than I'd be making at the internship, which leaves me in a predicament. If I'm a full time intern, that means I won't be able to get insurance through my current employer. If I'm a full time intern, I won't be able to maintain the credit hours needed to get insurance through U.C.F.  I've looked at part time internships, but the ones that interest me don't pay enough to pay my bills, medical or otherwise.  On the bright side, by avoiding an internship I'm able to graduate sooner!  If future employers discriminate against me for not having an internship, then I'm going to believe that company isn't right for me.