Inspire Me Healthy

Instead of Awkward & Awesome Thursday, I decided to link up for Inspire Me Healthy.  

Honesty time...Several years ago, my Doctor told me I couldn't have caffeine, so I immediately stopped drinking it.  I went just over 2 years without drinking pop. After my heart surgery in December, I decided I was safe to start drinking it again. Little did I know, that meant the weight would start piling on.  Don't get me wrong, I've never been overweight, but I've always had curves.  Recently, I noticed those curves had been getting bigger.  I weighed myself a few weeks ago and realized that I was at my heaviest weight EVER. I immediately decided to fix this problem. 

My solution?  Join Weight Watchers. I have no problem with working out, in fact, I work out multiple times a week, but that's by no means a quick fix. I knew Weight Watchers worked because my brother and sister-in-law had both lost a lot of weight on it.  

I have now been on Weight Watchers for almost two weeks. The results haven't been immediate, but I have lost about 3 pounds so far! Three pounds might not seem like a lot, but I can definitely tell a difference!  

Weight Watchers hasn't been difficult. The hardest part is remembering to track your food. You can still eat anything you want (which is what I love), as long as you do so in correct proportions.  I had no idea I was eating such large proportions; it has definitely been an eye opener!  I now realize that if I had kept my habits up, my butt would be looking like Kim K's in NO time.  

I still have quite a ways to go before I get to my goal weight, but I like that I'm doing it the healthy way--no cheater shakes or pills.



P.S. Don't forget to come back and link-up for Two Truths & a Lie next Tuesday!


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The Do's and Don'ts of Grad School

Lindsay recently asked me if I had any tips for newbie MBA students, so I decided to make a post out of my answer. I'm no grad school expert, by any means, but I did pretty dang well in grad school (if I do say so myself) considering I was a full-time student, foster-mom, and worked 40+ hours per week.   Here are a few of my do's and don'ts:
Do write EVERYTHING down. Planners are your best friend. Write every assignment down and check it off your to-do list once it is complete. I found myself getting overwhelmed when I would look at the syllabus, so I chose to do this on a weekly basis-every Sunday I would sit down and write my to-dos for the week. 
Don't expect yourself to remember everything. After you fail an assignment or discussion board because you "forgot," you will learn to prioritize. 
Do take a break. I made it a point to close my computer and watch a movie when I found myself getting overwhelmed. 
Don't waste your time reading every word on every page of the endlessly boring textbook. I'm all for learning; but odds are, if you were smart enough to get into grad school, you're smart enough to know that there are chapter summaries at the end of every chapter. If there isn't a chapter summary, skim read the chapter and get the general gist of the chapter.  I found that most of the information was applications of things I learned in undergrad. 
Do beg/borrow/steal your textbooks. (kidding...kind of)
Don't EVER pay full price for your textbooks, there are plenty of budget friendly options; I borrowed my textbooks, purchased used copies off ebay, or purchased International Editions. Also, wait until you see the syllabus before you purchase your book--often times you won't even need it. I probably only bought 4 books throughout my entire MBA program.
Do take a deep breath and know that the end is near.
Don't forget to reward yourself for good work--if you ace the class, go buy yourself something nice.
Do remind yourself that you are accomplished.  Whether you have a 4.0 or a 2.5, you are already ahead of the large majority of the population.  Not everyone can make it to grad school--let's be real, not everyone can make it through undergrad.  YOU did, and for that, you are awesome! 
Don't forget to blog. It's a great release. I got more support from my blogger friends than I did from my "real-life" friends. 

If you are questioning whether or not to apply to grad school, DO it! Despite the sleepless nights, the seemingly endless student debt, and the lack of social life, it is so worth it.  You won't regret it. 
As my Papaw always said, "the one thing that nobody can take away from you is your education." 

August Blog Hop, Part Two

You should take a moment out of your busy weekend to go check out these lovely ladies:

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If you're interested in swapping buttons for the month of September, leave a comment or send me an email! I'd love to swap with you!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD

Outtakes from Graduation...I ended up with a lot of these...

These shoes. While they are cute, they are definitely not practical for a graduation ceremony.  When I saw these shoes, I thought to myself "how in the world is she going to make it across the stage without falling?"  Turns out she made it across the stage just fine, it's the stairs that she had problems with. hehehehehehe

Going outside to check our chicken coop for eggs, only to find this little chick running around.  I dubbed him/her* "Chickadee."  We ended up having to feed this little chick out of a medicine dropper to keep it from dying on us. 

A few days later, we found ANOTHER chick! Apparently chickens like to multiply...who knew?  I dubbed the second chick, "Chicklet."

*After a quick google search, I learned that it is extremely difficult to determine the gender of a baby chick.  Apparently the chickens can be cross/trans gender due to hormonal imbalances. Awkward, I know. 

AWESOME
I have my MBA! Woot woot!

And a ring to prove it!

I decided that I deserved a reward for all of my hard work, so I upgraded my diamond for this beautiful rock. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to get a good picture of it...

Why can't my hair look this awesome every day?

Oh that's right, because I'm too lazy to fix it every day...

I have been looking for a sign for my niece's room, but couldn't find one that I liked, so I decided to make one.  I bought a canvas (actually I bought a two-pack, in case I messed up), covered it in material, used a Cricut machine to cut out my letters on contact paper, then I spray painted the canvas, and peeled the letters off.  

I think it turned out pretty good!  

My, Myself & I Link-Up

Linking up with these lovely ladies today

1.  What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?   Move to NYC and work in the corporate world
2.  If you only had 6 months to live, what would you do with that time? I would TRAVEL the world and get everything marked off of my bucket list
3.  If a front page article was written on you, what would the title be?  Hmm... Small Town Girl, Big City Dreams
4.  What is your biggest pet peeve? There is no way I could narrow it down to just one...ignorance, immaturity, people who leave cabinet doors open, people who never answer their phones, poor grammar, slow walkers,...
5.  What is your favorite chick flick movie? Classic chick flick: Gone with the Wind New-ish chick flick: probably The Proposal or Something Borrowed

Sunday Confessions

Linking up with Alyx for Sunday Confessions

I confess that I might be a little materialistic, in the sense that I like to buy myself nice things.  I work hard for my money, if I want to spend it on a Coach purse or some jewelry, that's okay! Right...?

I confess that I was slightly terrified I'd trip and fall on my face yesterday at Graduation. 

I confess that I'm not a fan of rain because it does ugly things to my hair and makes me feel icky. I know I should be "praying for rain" like every other Southern person, but I just can't bring myself to do it. 

I confess that I don't like sharing intimate details of my life with people. Shocking, considering I'm a blogger, right?  Don't get me wrong, I like talking about myself (and will gladly answer any question candidly), but I'm not one of those people who is just going to tell a stranger my life story.  I live by the philosophy of "don't ask, don't tell."

For instance, many of my coworkers JUST now realized that I'm a foster mom, despite all of the pictures of them in my office. Maybe they thought I was one of those weird people who leaves the stock photos in frames...or maybe they thought I was a creeper who had tons of pictures of random little kids...I guess I will never know...

I confess that I love flying and traveling but HATE layovers. 

Finally, I confess that I suck at water sports.  Who knew water skiing would be so hard? Let's be real here, snow skiing isn't that hard!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD
G going around asking people if they like "old men." G: "Nana, do you like old men?" Me: "No, I don't." G: "Meme likes old men." Me: "Yes, Meme does like old men!" G: "Nana, why you not like old men?" hahahahahaha. Big thanks to her toy for teaching her the song "this old man."

Don't you just love it when grocery bags give your wrists hickeys?

There's really no need for me to point out the awkwardness that is Miley's hair, so I won't bother. 
Sending an email from the wrong account. Please tell me I'm not the only person who accidentally responds to work emails on her blog email address.  So much for my secret identity...

AWESOME

Genghis Grill. This is THE best restaurant ever. You pay by the bowl, so you can fill it as full as you want to and live off of it for days. I made 4 meals out of one $10 bowl. The only downside is that the bowl they give you to fill is a metal bowl...slightly reminiscent of a dog food bowl. 

Getting paid to make a poster. 

We got an email from our boss that she was giving us 20 minutes to create a country, a slogan, and a flag. My country was Lanaland...I was going for the comedic factor with my flag. Too bad I lost : (

I graduate this Saturday. Let me reiterate that, I GRADUATE THIS SATURDAY! I feel so relieved to  finally be done with grad school.
And the most awesome thing of all...this post. I seriously love this girl!

August Blog Hop, Part One

When you need a break from work today, go check out these lovely ladies: (you know you want to)
If you're interested in swapping buttons for the month of September, let me know! 

Two Truths and a Lie Reveal

Hey y'all!   In case you didn't know, IT'S THE WEEKEND!
For me, that means finishing up starting a final project and studying pretending to study for my finals.  I hope your weekend is every bit as exciting as mine!
Back to the matter at hand... It's time to reveal the answer to my Two Truths and a Lie post!
1. I had scarlet fever when I was little. TRUE.  The doctors were completely shocked to learn that I had full blown scarlet fever. You know, the thing where you have such a high fever your skin starts peeling...kind of like a horrible sunburn? I still remember my brothers ripping pieces of my skin off (gross, I know).
2. I broke my wrist in Junior High.  LIE. I have never broken a bone *knock on wood* that I know of! 
3.  My jugular has been punctured.  TRUE.  When I had my heart surgery, they put catheters through arteries in my groin, as well as my through my jugular.  When I woke up from being sedated, they proceeded to pull that catheter out of my jugular! I felt every inch of it. The thought still makes me cringe!! You'd think they would have been nice enough to remove ALL of the catheters in my body prior to waking me up...
Thanks to those of you who participated in the link-up!  Don't forget, you can link up for Two Truths and a Lie on the first Tuesday of every month!

Now, for your viewing pleasure... Sorry, I couldn't resist! This song just makes me want to dance!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD
Coworker: "Do you have a dad? I never hear you talk about him." Me: "No." Coworker: "Did he die?" Me: "No. He's dead to me though." Coworker: "WHAT?" Me: "I haven't spoken to him in 8 years. Besides, I don't need him. Both parental roles are filled." Coworker: "Your mom and your Heavenly Father?" Me: "Well, I was simply implying that my mom has always filled both roles, but I guess that works too." WTF? Why would someone ask me that? 

Running my fingers through my hair and finding this:

Why yes, that is a horrendous knot that pulled out a good chunk of my hair.

Oh the perks having long hair... 

The lady at Sonic who pointed out that my mint colored nails matched my sweater. 

Thanks captain obvious, that wasn't planned at all.

Walking into a coffee table in the middle of the night and waking up to a massive bruise the next day.  Just call me Grace.

AWESOME

I have one more week until I am finished with my MBA. You read that right, ONE more week! I graduate next Saturday!! That is, if I finish the three term papers and two finals standing in my way...

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (not the death light--the end of homework light) and knowing that I will have free time in the near future. I don't even remember what that's like.  Although then I won't have an excuse not to scrapbook pictures from a year ago or go to the gym....

Now you should be awesome and go read the post below this one and guess what I'm lying about.  The link-up is open until Saturday, so if you want to link-up, you still have plenty of time!

Two Truths and a Lie Tuesday Link-Up

It's the first Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means... it's Two Truths and a Lie Tuesday!!
If you haven't participated before, I really encourage you to link up with Mallory and me.  You can discover interesting facts about bloggers you already know, plus it's a great way to meet new bloggers! Not to mention you can learn which bloggers you do NOT want to play poker against ; )
Just grab a button, write your post, and link up! 
1.  I had scarlet fever when I was little 2.  I broke my wrist in Junior High 3. My jugular has been punctured
Which do you think is the lie?
</center><center><a href="http://lanachristine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa470/aduffle/twotruthsandalie.jpg" width="200" height="200" border="0" /></a>   Make sure you follow these links and guess what other people are lying about:

Oh how I love summer...

Guess whose air conditioner broke and is currently melting her boobs off in Oklahoma? That's right, this girl!
The inside of my house is currently hotter than the outside (and has been for the last 3 days).  Did I mention it's 110+ outside?
And to top it off, apparently DISH TV doesn't work when it's this hot. Who knew? Need proof?  Here ya go...

I know I sound like a spoiled brat, but seriously, how did people survive without air conditioning?  Plus in the olden days they wore corsets and big heavy dresses. Oh HELL no!

And in case you're wondering, yes, my boobs are actually sweating.  Gross, I know.

Who needs a diet when you can just sweat your fat off?

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD
One of my coworkers catching "walking phenomenon."  (he meant to say walking pneumonia) Gotta love autocorrect.  Poor thing's never gonna live that one down...
Stuffing a pizza bite into my mouth right before the owner of the company walks in to my office with a new client he wants to introduce to me.  To make matters worse, it was scolding hot and resulted in a burn on the roof of my mouth because I ate it so fast.  In my defense, it was during my lunch break!
Getting an email from facebook with a confirmation code to finish setting up my account. This is only awkward because I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR FACEBOOK. Some troll stole my email address!  So I logged in, changed her password and security questions, and deleted her facebook. Teach her to screw with me! I'd assume it's some random hacker sitting in Taiwan, but I wasn't taking any chances...
Having a "getting to know you" conversation with a random stranger on a plane. WTF?! Leave me alone. Were my headphones not enough of a sign that I didn't want to talk to you?
Fugly, hungover, flight attendants with 6 inch nails who ask you not once, but twice, what color toenail polish you have on. 
The Denver Airport. Why was I never told that it was like 4 miles long and that making it to your next flight was nearly impossible?  Running down the terminal, while doing a potty dance and stripping off my layers, is not something I care to do again.  

AWESOME
Signing my first client! Woot woot!
My amazing new office. It's so big, I really don't know what to do with it.
Not getting a gazillion facebook notifications from people I never talk to saying "happy birthday."  When you don't have your birthday posted for everyone to see, you find out who your true friends are real quick! haha. Did I mention I've successfully gone without facebook for like two months now?
My surprise birthday card that mom hid in the bottom of my suitcase for me to find while I was in Phoenix. I seriously cried. 
Linking up for Two Truths and a Lie! Don't forget it's next Tuesday! </center><center><a href="http://lanachristine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa470/aduffle/twotruthsandalie.jpg" width="200" height="200" border="0" /></a>