New Trainer

Remember when I told you about my trainer drama/saga here? Well today was the first day with my new trainer, Mr. Nick Trubee. I got there early, was a little nervous, and a little excited. I haven't been in the gym for almost 2 weeks and was ready to get back into the routine and sweat again.

I didn't go to the Johnson Center much in undergrad because it is just so big. I prefer to workout in a smaller gym and not be surrounded by so many people. The Johnson Center is a little intimidating to me simply because there are just so many people and at this time of year it is packed. As my first real time to train here, I felt a little green and sorta like a freshman all over again.

When I made my way to the front desk, I asked for a lock because I had to store my keys and member card. Y'all I thought I was back in the halls of Graves Co. High. It took me a FOREVER to get my lock undone and then I had to walk past man-pit. Man-pit is the weight area and there are so many guys down there. I hate man-pit because it is mainly meatheads who have big arms and a tiny brain lifting weights. They sit on the benches, watch ESPN, and drink their gallon of water. Please.

Once I got through man-pit, I found Nick. We hit it off immediately and I can't wait to start training with him. He gave me a thorough health assessment complete with blood pressure check, weight/height, BMI, skin folds, flexibilty test, heart rate monitoring, a push-up test (I did 30 thank you very much!), and a strength test. We went over my results and overall I am healthy and everything is in the right range. Now, there are things we can most certiantly work on but overall, I got a good report.

In between each test, Nick and I chit chatted. He and I share quite a bit in common: 25, engaged, in long distance relationships,and have dated our fiances for a long time. We talked wedding: anything from colors, to honeymoon, to proposal. But we didn't just talk wedding, we also talked seriously about my health goals, his training methods, his thoughts on food, etc. Overall, I feel like Nick is a legit trainer and will help push me further along. Our first training session is tomorrow and I am anxious to get started.

In the words of Bubba Sparxxx, get it right, get it tight!!!

Joyful

Last night I did the nasty cry, over the phone, and poor Jace had to hear every sniffle in my sob. Last night I was fed up with law school. I hate the transition back into the semester and have a mini-breakdown each semester. I also had a breakdown in July, which has become an annual thing. July to me means that summer is almost over and school will start back up. When school starts back up it means we have to go weeks and weeks without seeing one another. I realize I have these tantrums and I am not happy about it. It takes me about a solid day to get over them and sweet Jace just listens to me and lets me get it all out. I will regain my humor and happy go lucky self soon but for the time being I will most likely be a complete pill and be in a bad mood.

The breakdown occurs for many reasons. I get tired of being apart. I get tired of Jace living in the library or as Andrew Smith calls it, "Jace's perch". I get tired of Jace being under pressure. I get tired of not having fun with my best friend. I get tired of seeing people post pictures of themselves on Facebook having fun with their friends. I get tired of seeing couples around campus. See, I just get mad at everyone and everything. It is no one's fault. It is just me being jealous, a little bored, a little lonely, and a pinch of sadness.

However, my spirits were lifted today when I read "tis so Sweet". I don't know Megan or Russ but I have followed their adoption story. Megan is a standout Christian and really motivated me today. Her post was on being joyful even when we don't feel like it. Well last night I didn't feel joyful at all. However, after reading her post today I realized I should be joyful that Jace is in law school. I should be joyful that I have a fiance that lets me cry and just listens. I should be joyful that I have found the one whom my souls loves (Song of Solomon 3:4). I should be joyful because in 9 short months, all of this stress will decrease.

What are you joyful for today?

Trainer Saga/Drama

Y'all the trainer saga/drama has finally ended. Let me tell you all about it...

Danny had to leave me because he got a job with a gym in Winchester. I am so happy for Danny because he can take on so many more clients and make more money. Who doesn't want to make more money? My last training session with Danny was on Sunday and I worked hard, didn't complain, and did as I was told. He said he would talk with some of the other trainers at the Underground and see if they could take me on as a trainee. I thought we had someone lined up and then the bomb dropped.

Danny texted me Monday night and said that the Underground will no longer let students train. I have no clue why and so I had to figure out Plan B. There is a gym available for faculty and staff at UK but it doesn't have trainers. Now, I need a trainer. I need the trainer for accountability and because I know they will push me harder than I will push myself. There are many days that I just want to go straight home from work, I am tired, I am in a blah mood and I can hear the couch calling my name. But instead, I go to the gym. I go because I have paid money for a training session and someone is waiting for me. And I have also found out through Danny and Rob that my trainer becomes a friend and somewhat of a therapist for me. I like to think that I am killing two birds with one stone: therapy and gym time.

This week I trekked over to the Johnson Center (the JC)  and inquired about their personal trainers. They told me to fill out a form and they would get in contact with me when they found someone. I have to train after work and this seemed to be a problem, until today! I heard from my new trainer, Nick Trubee, that we are scheduled for next week! Thank goodness we can start next week because I have had fun on my almost two weeks off. Next Tuesday, I have to come in an do an initial assessment. Doesn't that sound scary? All I can think of are burpees. I loathe burpees.

I will let you know how it goes and if I survive.

Have a good weekend everyone!

New Friend

Y'all I have a deep, deep love for animals. I love almost all animals and am particularly fond of my two girls: pup and Big.

43 lbs of love

The Notorious BIG

Lilly--RIP

Little Momma--RIP

I have 3 in Heaven, RIP Lilly, Lady, and Little Momma.

I love animals so much that I told Jace he could propose with a kitty with a collar that says, "will you marry us?" I was going to call her Marry (get it?). Needless to say, the kitty proposal didn't happen and I am still waiting for a sweet little kitty. Well I think I finally got her! Yesterday I was doing the dishes and I saw two cats on our carport. With wet soapy hands, I went outside to see how friendly they were. There was a big, grey, male cat and then this sweet little black and white cat. She was precious. I thought after the initial sighting, she would make her way back to her home or make the rounds through the neighborhood.

So tonight, I was doing dishes and she was back! I think I have a new friend now. Little kitty is skinny as a rail and I am determined to fatten her up. I brought out a little dish of milk for her and she drank just a little. She purrs and seems happy as a lark. I sure hope the Teak is ok with all of this. When I suggest that we need a pet she tells me to play with the neighborhood animals. I have befriended the little dog behind our house, named him Rusty (who is really a girl), and fattened her butt up! She knows to sit beside the fence and I will come and pet her. Trained like a true dog, I tell you!

Poor Jace knows about my deep love and realizes that we will eventually have a zoo. I have told Jace repeatedly that as soon as we get out of the apartment living stage and are ready to become homeowners that I am getting a kitty and he is getting a grill. In addition to kitties, I want an English Bulldog and his name will be UK (pronounced ook) just like the bulldogs from UGA. Jace wants a Golden Retriever and his name will be Murray, for Jace's Alma mater. Maybe a chocolate lab too. Then sometimes I have a wild hair and want a miniature pot belly pig. Actually I want two. Their names will be DeWayne and Priscilla. When I think about my pot belly pigs I laugh. Can you imagine me calling my piggies home, standing on my back porch, in my thick country accent? It would sound like DaaaWaynnnneeee!!! Makes me laugh. Jace just rolls his eyes.

I will let you know if my new little friend sticks around.

Food!

I need an apron and let me explain why...

Yesterday Liz emailed me and wanted to know if I could have dinner with her. I could and we decided to meet up at a local Mexican restaurant. We had dinner and a margarita and got caught up on life. It was a lovely meal and we were there for at least two hours catching up. Sometime during the conversation, I looked up and here came two friends and former Ag. Ambassadors. Then two more walked in. All of us girls were Ag. Ambassadors and I don't know the last time we were all together. Since Liz and I were done with our meal, we paid our check, moved to their table, and ordered another round of margaritas. We laughed all night long and I was in the Mexican restaurant for 4 hours. Needless to say it was a great Monday night.

After everyone had gone home, Liz gave me a cutting board and the Pioneer Woman's latest cookbook as an engagement gift. So sweet. I was so thankful for the cutting board because we don't have one and Jace thinks a paper towel is a cutting board. I flipped through the cookbook today and my mouth was watering. Ree took pictures of each step and it is very user friendly. After flipping through the book, I decided I need a Kitchenaid mixer, lots of lemons, limes, butter, different types of vinegar (red, white, balsamic, rice), and probably an apron. I also need a honkin' kitchen with marble counter tops and a farmer's sink.

I love reading cookbooks and Taste of Home magazine. Mom and Teak take Taste of Home and I told myself I would start taking it as soon as I became a wife. Now that doesn't mean I will make all the scrumptious food but I sure do like looking at it. Now, I am not a cook, a baker, a fryer, flour sifter, or griller. However, I love food. I love it fried, baked, cooked, sauteed, raw, grilled, marinated, broiled, smothered, and most importantly made with love. I pray that my skills in the kitchen improve not only for my sake but for Jace's. I think this cookbook will help me and it has inspired me to get in the kitchen more. But let's not forget the traumatic episode when I burned rice. How does one even do that? It resulted in tears in the kitchen and nice long hug from Jace who then suggested we go get something from town. And we did. It was delicious. Not even pup ate my rice.

I say all this to let the world know I am motivated to cook, bake, fry, and put lots of love in my food. Please pray with me as I go on this journey. More importantly pray for Jace!

3L

Today Jace starts his last year at Mississippi College. He is a 3L and I have mixed emotions about it.

I am unbelievably proud of him and his accomplishments. He is so driven and all his hard work is beginning to pay off. I try to stay humble about it all, but some days I want to shout from the rooftops of how proud I am of him, how great he is doing, and where we are headed.

I am also a little nervous. This isn't our first rodeo, so we know the pressure he will be under and the strain it puts on our relationship. We know there will be late nights at the library and groggy phone calls. We know he will live in his "perch" on the 2nd floor and read until his eyes hurt. We also know the LLM application process is about to begin. 

I am also a little sad. Sad because this is his last year in MS. I never thought we would fall in love with Jackson or meet so many wonderful people like we have. It has become a second home to me and nothing is better than touching down in Jackson, feeling the warm sun, driving down a brown road, and smelling pine trees. The friends Jace has made have also become my friends. They are all wonderful people who have a great sense of humor, are intelligent, driven, and will make fine attorneys.

Both Jace and I are also ready. We are ready to get this year going. In nine short months, he will graduate and then life will really start happening. Last night we ended our phone call with "let's do this". We are both so ready to be together and to live every day together. So, I want these nine months to fly by but at the same time I want them to last a little bit longer. I want the year to last a little bit longer so we can soak up MS more and spend more time with our friends. See, mixed emotions.

To all the 3Ls who started their last first day of school, congratulations!

Pie! Oh My!

Today was pie day! Apple, cherry, peanut butter, chocolate, lemon, lemon/orange, coconut, coconut/oatmeal, fruit medley, peach, butterscotch, black walnut, tomato pie, and so much more. Those are just a few of pies I taste tested today at the State Fair. We got started at 9 AM with the apple pies and I started off strong. I was taking generous bites at the beginning of the day but by the end of the day I was forcing the fork into my mouth. Here is how everything went down...down my throat that is!

I was in the culinary wing of the Convention Center and there were tables and tables and tables of food. Breads, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, wedding cakes, jams, pies, pizza, and anything else you could bake up. Tables are covered with butcher paper and are numbered for the culinary category. Once all the entries in the category are organized, we could begin cutting. We would cut a generous portion of pie, lay it on the table and all taste test from it. After taste testing all entries, we would then determine the top 3.

Now some pies are better than others. You have to remember that these pies were probably made this weekend. I say that because on one apple pie there was a little mold. We didn't eat that pie needless to say. Some pies are not fully cooked and are runny. Others have burnt toppings. Some are bland. Others are thick. Some crusts are hard. You see, not all pies are made the same and that is what I had to judge today.

By lunch I was sick of pies. So when they needed me to judge pizza pies I was excited to taste something a little more savory. An FCS agent and I cut a piece from each pizza, heated it up in a toaster oven, and then judged. We had probably 20 pizzas which was nothing compared to the number of fruit and cream pies we had to judge.

After we got through the pizza pies, the official state fair culinary guy passed around a lunch ticket for everyone. I looked at it and wanted to laugh. How was I supposed to eat lunch? I had been eating since 9 AM! So during my lunch break, I passed Freddy Farm Bureau, walked through the elephant ear and tasty dog stands, and made my way to Cloverville and caught up with the District 7 agents. After getting caught up, I thought I was done. Nope...we had to finish up 10 more pies. We placed our ranks and I grabbed my bag, now I was ready to head home. Just a second. How could we forget the pot pies and calzones! 5 pot pies and 3 calzones later, we were finished.

Overall it was a great day. There are many wonderful bakers in this state. But please don't ask me over for pie anytime soon!