My first full week at my new job started today! I spent it at human resources to attend a sales training meeting with Tom Ryan. He is a master of selling! I can't wait to learn more from him in February. Today he discussed the automotive industry, greetings ("No one will buy a car from you if they think you're a creep."), identifying needs, product presentation, demo drives, trial closes, closes, tension in relationships, how to handle objections, and many other topics. Sales training was rich with useful information. When we were given an hour for lunch, three other sales people (Mohammed, Eddy, and Meagan) from Classic Mazda introduced themselves and invited me to lunch with them. It was great getting advice from them and getting to know a few of my new co-workers. I'm off tomorrow and then I work Wednesday through Saturday at Classic Mazda to work on getting Mazda certified.
I'm in the middle of writing my 10-K report. I've got eight pages and I'm sure by the time I'm finished I'll have about 18. I have a meeting with my professor tomorrow after class so that he can give me some feedback on what I have for my report so far. Hopefully, I'm heading in the right direction because the 10-K report is due in a week. I've been working my butt off because I want to have it finished Thursday night so that I won't have to work on it while Taylor's here this weekend. Since I'll be working while she's here I want to be able to spend non working hours hanging with her, not writing a report. I can dream can't I?
Monday, January 26, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
I Am Blessed!
When I decided last year to take only one class in the Spring so that I would have time to practice interview skills, sharpen my resume, and job hunt, I never dreamed I would have a new job in January. I honestly anticipated still job hunting well after graduation. I didn't land just any job, I landed a job that has everything I wanted in my first "real world" job after college. I wanted a company that would be willing to invest in me. They're investing their time and resources to train me in their industry and it's fantastic! I wanted a company that I would have potential to be promoted within to grow with the company and they certainly seem to have that potential. I wanted a company that offered great benefits and after 90 days, I will have access to their great benefits. I wanted to work somewhere I could make a difference and help people and I will have the opportunity to do just that. Dare I say that I've never been this excited about anything before. I am blessed
Now, looking back at how all of the pieces fell perfectly together, it seems crazy. I am beyond excited to see what this year has in store for me. If only I could look through binoculars into the future to see what my future holds...
Now, looking back at how all of the pieces fell perfectly together, it seems crazy. I am beyond excited to see what this year has in store for me. If only I could look through binoculars into the future to see what my future holds...
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Get to Know Me... Again
Below are a few answers to some questions to get to know me better.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is being stuck where I am right now in terms of school, work, living arrangements, and health issues because I want to graduate, climb a corporate ladder, own my own home, and be completely healthy 95% of the time.
What would you change about yourself if you could?
I would change my view on love and marriage.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Currently my proudest accomplishment is finishing Dopey's Challenge, but soon my proudest accomplishment will be graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from UCF.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Living in my own home, driving a sporty new car, working as a Finance and Insurance Manager for Mazda with sights of a promotion to Sales Manager, and saving for a potential big move across the country.
What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Although I've been skydiving twice, hot air ballooning, parasailing, and ran a few marathons the most daring thing I've ever done was go to college. I'm in my graduating semester and I still think that going to college takes courage and bravery.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Maggie Grace or Jennifer Lawrence
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is being stuck where I am right now in terms of school, work, living arrangements, and health issues because I want to graduate, climb a corporate ladder, own my own home, and be completely healthy 95% of the time.
What would you change about yourself if you could?
I would change my view on love and marriage.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Currently my proudest accomplishment is finishing Dopey's Challenge, but soon my proudest accomplishment will be graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from UCF.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Living in my own home, driving a sporty new car, working as a Finance and Insurance Manager for Mazda with sights of a promotion to Sales Manager, and saving for a potential big move across the country.
What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Although I've been skydiving twice, hot air ballooning, parasailing, and ran a few marathons the most daring thing I've ever done was go to college. I'm in my graduating semester and I still think that going to college takes courage and bravery.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Maggie Grace or Jennifer Lawrence
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Chase the Change You Want To See
After asking my friend Brittany to blog about why change scares her and reading her post, I figured I'll blog about the other side of the coin, my side isn't scary. Let me start by saying that before I read Britt's blog I didn't think I encountered too many changes. However, now I see that I over look a lot of the changes in my life without giving it a second thought. I don't over think things. I like to paint my nails a different color every week. Whenever I have the chance to change my running route, I take it! Trying new places and things excites me. My health changes pretty frequently, but I expect it and accept it. For the past six years, I've had a new school schedule every semester with new material, new professors, new classmates.
I think the biggest change in my life is happening right now with me getting a new job. This change excites me! Sure, I may have some nervous jitters, but I'm not afraid of it. I wanted this, so I chased the change I wanted to see. Perhaps I'm optimistic in that I believe I can control most of the changes in my life without letting them control me.
I recognize that not all change is good. When Steve Jobs got fired from Apple, he went on to create Pixar. Being fired from Apple seems like the worst thing that could happen to the founder of the company, but Mr. Jobs made the best of it and didn't let it stop him from chasing his dreams.
I wrote a poem many years ago titled: Chance to Chase:
Quitting isn't a bad thing
If it gets us closer to our dreams
Might be hard to turn the page
If we never take the chance to chase
But if we chase the change we want to see
We might get the chance to chase our dreams
Strangely enough, I use this poem as a rule of thumb when deciding to quit. I've thought about quitting school many times when health issues bogged me down, but quitting would not get me closer to my dreams so I always decided to stick with it. When deciding to quit my current job and take the job with Mazda, I quit because I believe the job with Mazda will get me closer to my dreams.
I think the biggest change in my life is happening right now with me getting a new job. This change excites me! Sure, I may have some nervous jitters, but I'm not afraid of it. I wanted this, so I chased the change I wanted to see. Perhaps I'm optimistic in that I believe I can control most of the changes in my life without letting them control me.
I recognize that not all change is good. When Steve Jobs got fired from Apple, he went on to create Pixar. Being fired from Apple seems like the worst thing that could happen to the founder of the company, but Mr. Jobs made the best of it and didn't let it stop him from chasing his dreams.
I wrote a poem many years ago titled: Chance to Chase:
Quitting isn't a bad thing
If it gets us closer to our dreams
Might be hard to turn the page
If we never take the chance to chase
But if we chase the change we want to see
We might get the chance to chase our dreams
Strangely enough, I use this poem as a rule of thumb when deciding to quit. I've thought about quitting school many times when health issues bogged me down, but quitting would not get me closer to my dreams so I always decided to stick with it. When deciding to quit my current job and take the job with Mazda, I quit because I believe the job with Mazda will get me closer to my dreams.
Friday, January 16, 2015
My Final Chapter at UCF
I'm only taking one class this semester, Strategic Management, also known as, Capstone. The lecture part of the course is live streaming, which means I could attend class live or I could watch it online because it's recorded. I watch the hour and fifteen minute lecture every week online. The midterm and final exams are based on material covered in lecture, mostly from the book and other sources of material. The exams will be taken in the testing lab. The lab part of the course is a face to face class. The lab is where I'll be quizzed every week about what was covered in the lecture. The lab instructor will go over strategic case studies and my five member team will take turns with other teams solving different strategic dilemmas. The lab meets once a week for an hour and twenty minutes.
The class is setup like a corporation. The guy giving the lecture calls himself the CEO of Applied Strategy Incorporated. Class is called training meetings. My lab instructor is my SBU (Strategic Business Unit) manager. My fellow classmates and myself are the employees. We get paid in the form of grades, "grade income". Quizzes are called Interviews, etc...
Throughout the semester there will be 3 big projects on top of the exams and quizzes: 10-K Integration Project, Industry Analysis, and a Strategic Analysis. The theme this semester is the retail grocery industry. The 10-K Integration project is an individual project. Each member of my team had to select a different one of eight retail grocery companies that were approved by our CEO. I'll be doing my 10-K report on Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. A 10-K is an annual report publicly traded companies file with the Security Exchange and Commission (SEC). I will be digging into the business analysis section of the 10-K, and then apply what I discover there to the industry analysis and strategic analysis frameworks developed in the training meetings(class). My 10-K project will be a 15 page analysis. It's due February 3rd.
The Industry Analysis project is a team project, where each team represents a consulting firm. My team will use our 5 different 10-K projects on different companies in the retail grocery industry to write a 15-20 page industry analysis and give a 12 minute presentation about the industry. The goal is to conduct a competitive analysis of the retail grocery industry.
The Strategic Analysis project is also a team project. My consulting team will prepare a strategic analysis on Winn Dixie. This will also be both a 15-20 page paper and a 12 minute presentation. All teams will examine the same firm, and will address the same general strategic issue. The goal is to provide a strategic recommendation for the firm.
There are about 25 different lab sections for the course and each lab instructor gets to select one team from their lab to enter The Great Capstone Case Competition, which is the culminating event for this class and for my experience at the UCF College of Business. After hearing each team in the SBU labs present their strategic analysis, each SBU manager will choose one team from his/her SBU lab to advance to the semi-finals of The Great Capstone Case Competition. The SBU managers will be looking for teams that can think strategically and also work well together as a consulting team, and deliver a rigorous, competent presentation of those ideas. The selected teams from across Capstone SBU labs will be seeded into several semi-final groups, and each team in each group will deliver their presentation to a panel of judges, comprised of experts, including members of the UCF Executive MBA program, UCF Business faculty, and/or executives from Winn Dixie. The judges will pick a winner from each semifinalist group to advance to the finals. Teams that advance to the finals will receive awards for their efforts. The finals will be judged by a panel comprised of faculty experts, industry experts representing the Dean's Advisory Council, members of the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame, The Wall Street Journal, and/or Winn Dixie.
My team is in it to win The Great Capstone Case Competition. I'm excited to work hard with my team throughout the semester in hopes of making it to the semi-finals and moving on to win in the final round. This class isn't like anything I've ever taken before. It's intense and complicated and I love it! Hoping for a successful semester!
PS: I was nominated by my team to be our team leader! These days when I look in the mirror, I see someone that has grown so much confidence since the first semester at Valencia back in 2009.
The class is setup like a corporation. The guy giving the lecture calls himself the CEO of Applied Strategy Incorporated. Class is called training meetings. My lab instructor is my SBU (Strategic Business Unit) manager. My fellow classmates and myself are the employees. We get paid in the form of grades, "grade income". Quizzes are called Interviews, etc...
Throughout the semester there will be 3 big projects on top of the exams and quizzes: 10-K Integration Project, Industry Analysis, and a Strategic Analysis. The theme this semester is the retail grocery industry. The 10-K Integration project is an individual project. Each member of my team had to select a different one of eight retail grocery companies that were approved by our CEO. I'll be doing my 10-K report on Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. A 10-K is an annual report publicly traded companies file with the Security Exchange and Commission (SEC). I will be digging into the business analysis section of the 10-K, and then apply what I discover there to the industry analysis and strategic analysis frameworks developed in the training meetings(class). My 10-K project will be a 15 page analysis. It's due February 3rd.
The Industry Analysis project is a team project, where each team represents a consulting firm. My team will use our 5 different 10-K projects on different companies in the retail grocery industry to write a 15-20 page industry analysis and give a 12 minute presentation about the industry. The goal is to conduct a competitive analysis of the retail grocery industry.
The Strategic Analysis project is also a team project. My consulting team will prepare a strategic analysis on Winn Dixie. This will also be both a 15-20 page paper and a 12 minute presentation. All teams will examine the same firm, and will address the same general strategic issue. The goal is to provide a strategic recommendation for the firm.
There are about 25 different lab sections for the course and each lab instructor gets to select one team from their lab to enter The Great Capstone Case Competition, which is the culminating event for this class and for my experience at the UCF College of Business. After hearing each team in the SBU labs present their strategic analysis, each SBU manager will choose one team from his/her SBU lab to advance to the semi-finals of The Great Capstone Case Competition. The SBU managers will be looking for teams that can think strategically and also work well together as a consulting team, and deliver a rigorous, competent presentation of those ideas. The selected teams from across Capstone SBU labs will be seeded into several semi-final groups, and each team in each group will deliver their presentation to a panel of judges, comprised of experts, including members of the UCF Executive MBA program, UCF Business faculty, and/or executives from Winn Dixie. The judges will pick a winner from each semifinalist group to advance to the finals. Teams that advance to the finals will receive awards for their efforts. The finals will be judged by a panel comprised of faculty experts, industry experts representing the Dean's Advisory Council, members of the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame, The Wall Street Journal, and/or Winn Dixie.
My team is in it to win The Great Capstone Case Competition. I'm excited to work hard with my team throughout the semester in hopes of making it to the semi-finals and moving on to win in the final round. This class isn't like anything I've ever taken before. It's intense and complicated and I love it! Hoping for a successful semester!
PS: I was nominated by my team to be our team leader! These days when I look in the mirror, I see someone that has grown so much confidence since the first semester at Valencia back in 2009.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
New Beginnings
Last semester, I began submitting my resume to job openings that interested me on Knightlink. Right away I got a bite from Jackson Wealth Management, LLC. They requested an interview within a few days of me submitting my resume. I told my mom about it and she recognized the name of the company right away. Our old neighbor got a job with the company after he graduated UCF with a finance degree and my mom remembered his parents telling her how horrible the company was to their employees. So, I told the person recruiting me thanks for the opportunity, but I am currently seeking another opportunity. I secretly wanted to at least take the interview to practice my interview skills, but after hearing about the company from my old neighbor, I didn't even think I'd learn anything from the interview.
I heard back from a couple of other companies, but they were looking for recent graduates and requested that I submit my resume again once I graduate in May. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't hear back from all the companies I submitted my resume to. However, I didn't let it stop me from searching Knightlink for new opportunities every other week.
I submitted my resume to Classic Mazda on Knightlink for two different positions on Thursday. December 11th, 2014. One was for a Sales Specialist / Management Trainee and the other position was for a Financial Services Representative. I received an email from the General Manager at Classic Mazda requesting me to come in for an interview on Friday, December 26th, 2014. I used Veronica's computer in Texas to reply to let the GM know that I was currently out of town, but would like the opportunity to schedule an interview for the following week. Through being sick I managed to set up the interview for Friday, January 2nd in the afternoon.
On the 2nd, it took a team effort to prepare me for the interview. My sisters dressed me, and did my hair and makeup so that I would still have energy for the interview since I was still recovering from being sick and wore a depend to the interview because I still didn't completely trust my bowels again. Yes, I went to the interview in a diaper. The interview with the GM went fantastic. We had a great conversation of where I'm at with school and what I'm looking for in this job, which is a challenging career with opportunity for growth. The GM explained the whole operations and I got a really clear picture of the company, which is a company I can totally rally behind and see myself becoming a part of its family. He explained the opportunities of the two positions and asked which one I wanted. I chose the sales position even though it's less pay because that is where I can better learn the industry with plenty of room for growth within the company. The GM made it clear that if I get the job in sales, as long as I work hard, work efficiently, and do my job well I have a chance to move to the finance department... Perhaps right after I graduate. At the end of the interview he requested that I fill out an online job app and he would send my file to HR for a second interview. He also said that I have a great personality.
HR called me Monday, January 5th to set up my second interview, which I scheduled for Friday, January 9th. I filled out paperwork and took a 60 question survey, and then I waited to be called back for the interview. The interview went splendidly! Typical interview questions about weaknesses and strengths. The lady I interviewed with also took my paperwork from my first interview and made copies of required documents that I brought with me. After the interview, I had to write free response explanations to some of my survey answers. I returned it to the front desk where I picked up my pre-employment drug test papers and went to Centra Care. I peed in a cup and brought a receipt of my visit to CentreCare back to HR. HR then had to review my file, run a background check, and get my drug test results before calling me to let me know their hiring decision.
I got a call this evening from Classic Mazda to let me know that I got the job! This makes me SOOOOO happy! I'll start January 26th, but until then I'm going to try to schedule my orientation and training lessons during my days off so that I can hit the ground running when the 26th rolls around. This opportunity excites me greatly! I can't really put into words the way I felt when I got that phone call. It's like my future is right before my very eyes.
I heard back from a couple of other companies, but they were looking for recent graduates and requested that I submit my resume again once I graduate in May. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't hear back from all the companies I submitted my resume to. However, I didn't let it stop me from searching Knightlink for new opportunities every other week.
I submitted my resume to Classic Mazda on Knightlink for two different positions on Thursday. December 11th, 2014. One was for a Sales Specialist / Management Trainee and the other position was for a Financial Services Representative. I received an email from the General Manager at Classic Mazda requesting me to come in for an interview on Friday, December 26th, 2014. I used Veronica's computer in Texas to reply to let the GM know that I was currently out of town, but would like the opportunity to schedule an interview for the following week. Through being sick I managed to set up the interview for Friday, January 2nd in the afternoon.
On the 2nd, it took a team effort to prepare me for the interview. My sisters dressed me, and did my hair and makeup so that I would still have energy for the interview since I was still recovering from being sick and wore a depend to the interview because I still didn't completely trust my bowels again. Yes, I went to the interview in a diaper. The interview with the GM went fantastic. We had a great conversation of where I'm at with school and what I'm looking for in this job, which is a challenging career with opportunity for growth. The GM explained the whole operations and I got a really clear picture of the company, which is a company I can totally rally behind and see myself becoming a part of its family. He explained the opportunities of the two positions and asked which one I wanted. I chose the sales position even though it's less pay because that is where I can better learn the industry with plenty of room for growth within the company. The GM made it clear that if I get the job in sales, as long as I work hard, work efficiently, and do my job well I have a chance to move to the finance department... Perhaps right after I graduate. At the end of the interview he requested that I fill out an online job app and he would send my file to HR for a second interview. He also said that I have a great personality.
HR called me Monday, January 5th to set up my second interview, which I scheduled for Friday, January 9th. I filled out paperwork and took a 60 question survey, and then I waited to be called back for the interview. The interview went splendidly! Typical interview questions about weaknesses and strengths. The lady I interviewed with also took my paperwork from my first interview and made copies of required documents that I brought with me. After the interview, I had to write free response explanations to some of my survey answers. I returned it to the front desk where I picked up my pre-employment drug test papers and went to Centra Care. I peed in a cup and brought a receipt of my visit to CentreCare back to HR. HR then had to review my file, run a background check, and get my drug test results before calling me to let me know their hiring decision.
I got a call this evening from Classic Mazda to let me know that I got the job! This makes me SOOOOO happy! I'll start January 26th, but until then I'm going to try to schedule my orientation and training lessons during my days off so that I can hit the ground running when the 26th rolls around. This opportunity excites me greatly! I can't really put into words the way I felt when I got that phone call. It's like my future is right before my very eyes.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
The Texas Incident
... Continued
Once I began vomiting in the early morning on Saturday, December 27th my stomach kept telling me I had to poop every hour, but I could not find relief. I sat on the toilet and vomited in the trash can. That's how I spent most of the day on Saturday when I wasn't lying in bed with a heat pad on my belly. Veronica convinced me to call my parents and tell them what was going on. I didn't want to freak them out, so I tried to down play how horrible I really felt. My mom immediately offered to drive to come pick me up, but I thought I could wait it out and be better by my flight Monday morning. I was wrong!
Saturday night came around and the vomiting had stopped, but I still couldn't poop. I decided to take three pills of Veronica's mom's laxatives in hopes that my belly could find some relief. Sunday morning around 7am I began vomiting again. At this point, I hadn't eaten anything since Friday night, so it was just liquid coming up. I didn't sleep for more than an hour at a time before my body was waking me up because it thought I had to go to the bathroom, but I couldn't get anything out. Around 9am on Sunday I was finally able to poop. At first, beautiful turds filled the toilet; however, each time I went running to the bathroom my bowel movements became looser and looser until I could no longer control them. I pooped my pants twice because I couldn't make it to the bathroom fast enough. I wasn't even embarrassed. Just disappointed with my body. I called my parents at 11:45am Texas time to ask my mom to come get me because I knew I couldn't fly on a plane while having uncontrollable diarrhea and vomiting my brains out.
My mom and Kim left to come get me and I tried to gain some control of my pipes. I spent most of the day sitting on the toilet to avoid more messes. We had family friends visiting Houston that were kind enough to meet my friend Veronica halfway between Houston and Austin to pick me up so that my mom would have a shorter drive. Veronica was a life saver. She packed my bags and got me ready for the car ride. We left Veronica's house at 4pm and I arrived at the Tous' hotel in Houston by 8pm. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, I didn't vomit nor poo my pants. I was grateful the Tous had a suite and they gave me my own bathroom close to a bed. The last time I vomited was at Veronica's house. At this point, I was still shitting every few hours, but I hadn't had a mess since Veronica's house.
At 3am, mom and Kim arrived at the hotel. I put on the depends my mom brought as well as some comfy clothes. We thanked the Tous and left. While walking out of the hotel I could smell the staff cooking the continental breakfast, which made me dry heave and gag once I got outside. I slept in the car the best I could even though bumpy roads made my stomach uneasy. We stopped at most of the rest stops along I-10 East (when the GPS said I-10 East, I swear she was saying "I titties."). Mom and Kim alternated driving and resting. We made a pit stop at the Russo's, our friends in Alabama. We got there around 11:30am. They fed me crackers and ginger ale. I showered and took bath, which I followed with a two hour nap. It was nice to finally see them after 20 years. I want to visit them again when I'm healthy because they are so much fun! We left the Russo's around 4pm.
After leaving the Russo's, we went through a Chick-fil-a drive-thru. We pulled over in a Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot to eat. I took two bites of soup and then I shit myself in the backseat of the car. Thankfully, the adult diaper did its job and contained the mess. Mom went in with me to BB&B to help me clean up my mess and put on a clean diaper. My mom is a trooper! Once that was cleaned up we hit the road because I gave up on eating anything until I got home. Mom and Kim drove through the night making a few pit stops for me before we finally made it home early morning on Tuesday, December 30th.
I'm so very thankful to everyone that helped to get me home and everyone that took care of me when I struggled to care for myself. I'm grateful for all my friends that prayed for me. I'm crying just thinking about how much I am loved and cared for. Although I grieve for my independence during times like this, time has proven that I will get back up and find it again.
I lost 18 pounds during this whole ordeal. I dropped to 132lbs and I seem to be stuck there. When I look at my naked body in the mirror I see an extremely thin and toned physique that most women would envy. However, I feel very weak. I want to regain my strength and weight because this body image to me is one of illness, not health. While I'm stuck listening to how lucky I am that I can lose weight so easily and listening to everyone's new year's resolution to lose weight I am secretly fuming inside.
Once I began vomiting in the early morning on Saturday, December 27th my stomach kept telling me I had to poop every hour, but I could not find relief. I sat on the toilet and vomited in the trash can. That's how I spent most of the day on Saturday when I wasn't lying in bed with a heat pad on my belly. Veronica convinced me to call my parents and tell them what was going on. I didn't want to freak them out, so I tried to down play how horrible I really felt. My mom immediately offered to drive to come pick me up, but I thought I could wait it out and be better by my flight Monday morning. I was wrong!
Saturday night came around and the vomiting had stopped, but I still couldn't poop. I decided to take three pills of Veronica's mom's laxatives in hopes that my belly could find some relief. Sunday morning around 7am I began vomiting again. At this point, I hadn't eaten anything since Friday night, so it was just liquid coming up. I didn't sleep for more than an hour at a time before my body was waking me up because it thought I had to go to the bathroom, but I couldn't get anything out. Around 9am on Sunday I was finally able to poop. At first, beautiful turds filled the toilet; however, each time I went running to the bathroom my bowel movements became looser and looser until I could no longer control them. I pooped my pants twice because I couldn't make it to the bathroom fast enough. I wasn't even embarrassed. Just disappointed with my body. I called my parents at 11:45am Texas time to ask my mom to come get me because I knew I couldn't fly on a plane while having uncontrollable diarrhea and vomiting my brains out.
My mom and Kim left to come get me and I tried to gain some control of my pipes. I spent most of the day sitting on the toilet to avoid more messes. We had family friends visiting Houston that were kind enough to meet my friend Veronica halfway between Houston and Austin to pick me up so that my mom would have a shorter drive. Veronica was a life saver. She packed my bags and got me ready for the car ride. We left Veronica's house at 4pm and I arrived at the Tous' hotel in Houston by 8pm. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, I didn't vomit nor poo my pants. I was grateful the Tous had a suite and they gave me my own bathroom close to a bed. The last time I vomited was at Veronica's house. At this point, I was still shitting every few hours, but I hadn't had a mess since Veronica's house.
At 3am, mom and Kim arrived at the hotel. I put on the depends my mom brought as well as some comfy clothes. We thanked the Tous and left. While walking out of the hotel I could smell the staff cooking the continental breakfast, which made me dry heave and gag once I got outside. I slept in the car the best I could even though bumpy roads made my stomach uneasy. We stopped at most of the rest stops along I-10 East (when the GPS said I-10 East, I swear she was saying "I titties."). Mom and Kim alternated driving and resting. We made a pit stop at the Russo's, our friends in Alabama. We got there around 11:30am. They fed me crackers and ginger ale. I showered and took bath, which I followed with a two hour nap. It was nice to finally see them after 20 years. I want to visit them again when I'm healthy because they are so much fun! We left the Russo's around 4pm.
After leaving the Russo's, we went through a Chick-fil-a drive-thru. We pulled over in a Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot to eat. I took two bites of soup and then I shit myself in the backseat of the car. Thankfully, the adult diaper did its job and contained the mess. Mom went in with me to BB&B to help me clean up my mess and put on a clean diaper. My mom is a trooper! Once that was cleaned up we hit the road because I gave up on eating anything until I got home. Mom and Kim drove through the night making a few pit stops for me before we finally made it home early morning on Tuesday, December 30th.
I'm so very thankful to everyone that helped to get me home and everyone that took care of me when I struggled to care for myself. I'm grateful for all my friends that prayed for me. I'm crying just thinking about how much I am loved and cared for. Although I grieve for my independence during times like this, time has proven that I will get back up and find it again.
I lost 18 pounds during this whole ordeal. I dropped to 132lbs and I seem to be stuck there. When I look at my naked body in the mirror I see an extremely thin and toned physique that most women would envy. However, I feel very weak. I want to regain my strength and weight because this body image to me is one of illness, not health. While I'm stuck listening to how lucky I am that I can lose weight so easily and listening to everyone's new year's resolution to lose weight I am secretly fuming inside.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Christmas with Veronica
I arrived in Austin at lunch time on Christmas Eve. As soon as Veronica and her mom picked me up from the airport we headed to get some amazing Texas BBQ for lunch. We shared a delicious portion of tender brisket, smoked chicken, and juicy sausage links. It was absolutely wonderful! Following lunch we explored a gas station called Buckees. It had over 30 gas pumps and inside it was like an enormous Wawa. We walked around tried a sample of pecan pie. YUM! On the way to Veroncia's house, we stopped at a little pecan store on the side of the road because there was a huge squirrel outside that I wanted my picture with. Inside I bought underpants bandages. "Dress your wounds with tighty-whities!"
Once we got home, we got ready to go celebrate Christmas with Veronica's extended family. I think I met over 30 people at her cousin's house. The food was awesome! Plus, it was great to meet so many people in her family. On the way home, we stopped by a huge Christmas tree made of lights. We twirled under tree at midnight, which was magical! By the time we got back home, I was exhausted, but I gave Veronica her gifts before we went to bed.
On Christmas, we went to Ihop for breakfast and then we explored Austin. It was perfect because the streets were empty! We had the city to ourselves. We even went on a little hike.
The day after Christmas, we relaxed at the house in the morning before getting some more Texas BBQ for lunch. After lunch, we went wine tasting at a place called Water 2 Wine. We bought some wine of our own and a bottle to share at our painting with a twist later that night. After wine tasting we went back home to relax before going to paint. The painting with a twist was so much fun! The instructor was great and funny. "If you make a mistake, drink some more wine until you like it."
We went to In-N-Out on our way home, which was fun because Veronica had never been before. By the time we got home, I was tired and went to bed.
3am Saturday, December 27th I woke up vomiting.... to be continued.
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| A pic of the three of us after we filled up on BBQ! |
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| Squirrel! |
Once we got home, we got ready to go celebrate Christmas with Veronica's extended family. I think I met over 30 people at her cousin's house. The food was awesome! Plus, it was great to meet so many people in her family. On the way home, we stopped by a huge Christmas tree made of lights. We twirled under tree at midnight, which was magical! By the time we got back home, I was exhausted, but I gave Veronica her gifts before we went to bed.
On Christmas, we went to Ihop for breakfast and then we explored Austin. It was perfect because the streets were empty! We had the city to ourselves. We even went on a little hike.
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| Austin, Texas |
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| The view from our hike |
After we finished exploring, we stopped by a family friend's house to drop off gifts and celebrate Christmas. When we returned home, we watched my favorite Christmas movie 'Surviving Christmas' before going to bed.
The day after Christmas, we relaxed at the house in the morning before getting some more Texas BBQ for lunch. After lunch, we went wine tasting at a place called Water 2 Wine. We bought some wine of our own and a bottle to share at our painting with a twist later that night. After wine tasting we went back home to relax before going to paint. The painting with a twist was so much fun! The instructor was great and funny. "If you make a mistake, drink some more wine until you like it."
We went to In-N-Out on our way home, which was fun because Veronica had never been before. By the time we got home, I was tired and went to bed.
3am Saturday, December 27th I woke up vomiting.... to be continued.
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