Healthy Me

So, after reading my previous blog entry, I was informed by my mom that its not possible for me to reach either of my goals of becoming a nun or a crazy cat lady. Apparently the fact that I'm not Catholic would prevent me from joining a convent. She also informed me that being at the relatively young age of 26 and owning only one cat precludes me from being known as a crazy cat lady. Damn! All my hopes and dreams shattered. Guess I really do have to look into that ARNP thing now...

In other news, last fall I started the process of (very slowly) trying to improve my overall health. Being a bit more active, watching what I ate just a little more closely. Well 2012 is here baby and its time to kick this plan into high gear! To begin, I've joined Weight Watchers. I've heard of great success with that program, and while I tend to stay close to the days allotted "points" naturally, its been helpful in meal planning for me. I've always eaten relatively well (which I partially contribute to growing up with two vegetarian parents) but the hardest part is coming up with new, creative, relatively easy meal plans (i.e. don't just heat up something from a can or a frozen box, even if it does say Healthy Choice on the outside). So last weekend I sat down and went through 1,000+ dinner ideas on the WW website and printed out around 20 of my favorites. Yes, I'm that picky. So my new goal is to try one new recipe a week and last night was my WW recipe initiation. I picked something relatively simple to start: Beef tip and broccoli stir-fry with parmesan couscous on the side. And I have to say it turned out pretty darn well. And if you didn't know, couscous is officially the easiest side dish I have ever made, with the exception of throwing a bag of frozen food in the microwave. So here is the result of my first venture:

(Nothing too special to look at, 

but it was delicious!)

The harder hill for me to climb in my becoming-more-healthy challenge has always been increasing my activity. I'm not a couch potato by any means, but in my hey day (aka high school, ha) I was dancing and doing aerobic activity 12+ hours a week, easy. So now that I don't have multiple competition dance teams that I'm a part of, I have to initiate the activity on my own. I joined a gym where a few of my friends attend and have begun participating in classes. Group fitness always challenges me more because in the back of my mind I feel like I'm in competition with the rest of the room. I don't necessarily have to "win" but I definitely can't fall behind the middle of the pack. Granted, its still a challenge to get my butt to the gym some days, but getting to group fitness has been wildly more successful than getting on a treadmill to run. Largely because the chances of me ever having any motivation, interest, or enjoyment in the act of just running comes out to exactly zero.

So here we are...in a place of moderate health and fitness, and looking to make significant improvements.  I think its possible...just gotta start with baby steps.

Welcome to 2012

No I didn't die, or have any sort of 'Taken' situation happen to me while I was abroad, though it may seem that way since I haven't been heard from since I was in Europe. The trip was utterly amazing, but the idea of trying to encompass the entire experience in a blog when I returned seemed way too daunting a task. From there I was launched into a month of craziness at work as we transitioned into the 21st century and went from paper charting to being fully computerized which involved constant overtime to compensate for needing more nurses on the floor. This was immediately followed by the holidays, which need no elaboration on why my free time was few and far between and all of a sudden, I find myself at the end of January and severely tardy on my blog. So hi! Please forgive my absence.

2012 has been a year of lessons so far. Which is great because the world is supposed to end in 11 months anyway (unless of course you don't put your entire faith of our existence in the hands of the Mayans) so I may as well learn as much as I can about myself and life while I still have the opportunity. Where to begin?

First, I've learned that it appears I have a never-ending thirst for knowledge. Either that or I'm the most indecisive person ever when it comes to what I want to do with my life. Yes, after being out of school for only about a year and a half, I am yet again thinking about returning to academia. If things keep going this way, by the time I'm 30 I will have spent 9-10 years pursuing higher education and only 3 years working full-time without participating in some sort of class at the same time. Definitely not what I ever thought I'd be doing. But recently I've been heavily considering pursuing my ARNP (Nurse Practitioner for you non-medically minded folk). There's a few programs in the Tampa area that I could pursue part-time, while still working full-time, and be done in 3 years. I basically fell into nursing and am so glad that I did because I really enjoy it, but I've never had a solid plan about what I want to do with my degree. But I've been on the floor for a year and a half now, it'll be 2 years if/when I start classes, and will be 5 years by the time I'm done. I know that I want to continue working in the field but not sure if I want to be on the floor past 5 years. Pursuing this degree will allow me more options in the future, better scheduling opportunities, and of course making twice the paycheck doesn't hurt either. And if I start this year I can achieve my ARNP with a Masters degree instead of pursing a Doctorate in Nursing, which is going to become law in the near future. So its definitely something I've been thinking and praying about recently.

Other things I've learned...disillusionment has been a big theme this year. I am not the girl who thinks she needs a man in her life to be complete or happy. However, I did spend almost all of my time between the ages of 16-24 in one serious relationship or another. So these last two years have been a harsh lesson in independence for me. And while I don't need a man to feel whole, I have definitely realized that I'm happier when I have that person in my life to share the triumphs and tragedies with. So instead of waiting around for him to find me (remember, I'm not the girl who thinks 'things happen for a reason' or 'if its meant to be, it will be'...I'm too cynical for that) I've tried to be proactive in putting myself out there to meet other similar minded people. Granted, I still have a lot of progress to be made in getting myself out of my comfort zone, but thats another story, the point is I'm trying. However, so far every dating situation I've found myself in has not been successful. And by not successful I mean has ended badly. Why is it that guys work so hard to get your attention, to get you to trust them, to make you believe they have good intentions and as soon as they accomplish this they change their minds, decide you're not what they want, get scared of where this is heading, or think you're not worth the risk. If you don't know what you want, if you just want a physical relationship, even if you want to date more than one person...I'm not going to condemn you for any of these things, but just be up front about it! Or even if you do a complete 180 about what you want in the middle of being involved with someone, I completely respect that...if you're up front about it. The only thing I ask for is honesty up-front. But apparently it is unrealistic to expect such behaviors in this day and age. I'm exhausted and heavily considering joining a convent. Or becoming a crazy cat-lady. I'm still undecided.

On the bright side...2012 is looking great for me in terms of friendships. I still have a kick-ass roommate that I adore, my best friend is staying in Tampa long-term, I have a budding relationship with one of my coworkers that I'm super excited about, and I'm just optimistic about expanding my social circle in general. Despite a somewhat shaky beginning, I have high hopes for this year. New Years Eve isn't my favorite holiday just for the party. New beginnings have always been intoxicating for me and I'm finally ready to embrace this one. 2012...here goes nothing!