missgendale's Journal

So, I've been thinking about getting a tattoo. For the longest time (since middle school... gosh, that was 7 years ago!) I wanted to get three stars. Just black outlines of stars, nothing filled in or fancy. I wanted three of them: one the size of my thumb print, one the size of my middle finger print, and the last the size of my pinky finger print. They would symbolize me and my two little sisters. They would be in an arch with the biggest on top, the the left, and the others going clockwise (because they were born later... in time). I've drawn this tattoo MANY times, contemplating where to put it. I'm really bad with pain, so I couldn't put it on my foot like I'd wanted. And then the "tramp-stamp" became WAY too popular, so I knew I couldn't get it on my hip because I'd look like I was just doing it for the fad, nothing else (AND if/when I ever get pregnant, that sucker's gonna stretch like no tomorrow!). And just about everywhere else I wanted it, it would look very unprofessional, or hurt like the dickens.

UNTIL, last night I was talking to my boyfriend about it all. He said, "Stars have really run their course, you know..." Not that I was getting stars to fall into the fad, but I realized that's what it TOTALLY looked like! I was originally getting stars because the Bible says Christians should shine in this world like stars in the night. I live in the city, so I don't see stars too often, but one time on a church retreat, I went to the mountains and there were MILLIONS of stars. I thought it was really cool how symbolic it all was.

BUT, then last night I thought of something else to symbolize me and my sisters. Something much more meaningful and much more personal! When my mom would pack me and my sisters lunches, write us notes, etc. she would always draw a heart next to my name, a star next to my sister Austin's, and a flower next to my sister Lexie's. So that's what I'm going to get. As TEENY as possible, I'm going to get the outlines of a heart, a star, and a flower probably on my ankle. I'm very excited, but I'm going to let this sit for a while. I'm gonna put it on the back-burner and stew it over until I raise the money, so I know that it's what I want for sure. 

I'm pretty excited. :)  

Add Comment

I just posted a bunch of new photos, so let me know what you think of them! :D

I still need to get some pictures of my hamsters and my fishy up there, though. 

3 Comments | Add Comment

I just want everyone out there in CC-Land know that I feel amazing! I dyed my hair, so of course I think I look good (hahaha!) and I totally accomplished one of my goals for MARCH!

That's right, I demolished 100 crunches in one sitting! I was so proud. :')

I've been pretty good at doing the fitness classes at the gym too! I'm going to one right now. I'm working on lower body, then abs, then some cardio on my own before I head home and work on homework (blech, homework!). 

I ate a whole wheat wrap with ham and roast beef, an apple, a pear, and a few crackers today. I've got some carrots for after the gym and then I think I'm going out to dinner with my friends. I'll be sure to get a chicken dish with a salad or something (mmmm, sounds sooo good!) 

I feel good, I look good, and I'm workin' it! I'm going to go try some assisted chin-ups and dips (only 54 lbs assisted, ooooh! tehehe!) and try to ge tto 25 reps per set (only 2 sets though. I'm not Arnold-sized yet!)

So, on that note, I'm gonna haul my heavy backpack across campus, do my little workouts, kick butt, take names, and make good choices. :) I wish you all the same!

Add Comment

Okay... I feel amazing. But I've made a few changes to how I'm going about this whole "long term goal" thing.

For starters, I'm not counting my calories. I figure, I'll keep eating healthy, especially now that I know more about nutrition and what to watch out for. I have all the tools I need, but I need to be smart about how I go about my eating. So I figure I'll concentrate on other things like...

I'll start concentrating more on gaining muscle. That's what I really want, anyways. I really want some definition and to get my body in the best shape it can possibly be in for the pageant. I'm so excited about it, and I want to make it the best ever!

So the new plan is: keep up the strength training, and keep eating healthily, but stop counting calories. I know roughly where I should be and I know when I'm eating too much, not enough, etc. I figure, I'll work on my muscles first, then for the last 2 months before the pageant, I'll start counting again to get the little bit of fluff I may have left off. :) I'm so excited for this whole process. I'm already seeing results, and I can't wait to get to my goals! :)

Wish me luck!

2 Comments | Add Comment

So, in high school I was very much a Republican. Hard-core republican. Now I'm a libertarian. I took this really long quiz about what I believe in and all that jazz and it told me that I'm a Libertarian. I just think it's kind of funny that I can go from so very grounded in one thing to very grounded in another and not really realize it.

I guess if I was to reconsider all my views, college would be the place to do it. As opposed to ignorant pigheadedness in my own beliefs being enforced on everyone else, I know that I could never make blanket statements as to what is right for everyone. My boyfriend helped me with this a lot. (No, he didn't drag me off my podium or anything, or make me weaker.) He likes playing Devil's Advocate. He always asked me questions about what I believed in, and when I couldn't answer him in anything but, "I don't know... just because," I knew I had to rethink things through. 

I think I'm pretty happy with where I am now though. I've thought everything I could out and straightened everything out (political beliefs- wise) and I feel a lot better knowing where I stand on certain issues. I feel good. Even though I know my parents wouldn't bee too terribly happy about my Voter's Registration Card right now. (My dad's REALLY conservative, and my mom's pretty conservative... though she's more libertarian that she'd like to admit!)

But this is my life. One of the major lessons I've been struggling to learn these past 2 years is that this is my life, not my parents. While they're there to guide me, they really can't tell me what to do all the time. I need to make my own choices.

Hmm... interesting metaphor... (didja catch it? tehe!) 

3 Comments | Add Comment

I'm very excited for my order from Hi-Health to arrive! I bought some new protein shake mix (I'm VERY excited to have some more of that in my diet!!! yumyumyum!), some Omega- 3 Fish Oil tablets, and this cool soap!  

The Omega- 3 will definitely help me out this year, I believe. I'm going to try to not cut my hair all year long (oy ve...) before the pageant. That's going to be really tough for me, but I know it will be amazing in the end. But I have to make sure I can take care of my hair well enough so it doesn't get gross at the ends or anything. The Omega-3 helps with that. It helps your hair stay healthy, smooth, and strong (as well as nails!), so I know 'll have some great locks for the big day!

The soap I got I hope is just as wonderful. It's "Kiss My Face Olive and Aloe Soap". It's all natural, and has like 6 ingredients. All of which I can pronounce! I'm very excited. I have a very sensitive face, so I know this will be good for it!

Add Comment

Who'd have thought?! This wimpy little white girl... HAS BICEPS!!! They're not very big, but they're strong. Okay, maybe not VERY strong, but when you feel them they're hard! :)

I bought a membership to "Sun Devil Fit" at the gym on campus and now I have access to all the fitness classes I could ever take! I took "Strength" on Thursday. That was sooo good. We used little weights and worked out tris, bis, abs, quads, glutes, quads, just about everything. I knew it was a good class when I was exhausted and though, "How much more of this can I do?!" and looked at the clock... it had only been 10 minutes... of a 60 minute class! 

I rested on Friday... kinda. I went to the mall with my boyfriend and walked around a lot, so light exercise, I guess.

Then yesterday I went to "Hard Core" (a half hour ab class) followed by "Cardio Kickboxing" (another hour...). We did all sorts of cool workouts and it felt so great to be working out on a Saturday morning (if you count 10:30 still morning).

Then, after that I went to the caffeteria (notorious for not having healthy food... I know!), but I made really good choices! I had a spinach salad with 1/4 cup mandarin oranges, 1/4 cup peaches, and broccoli, 2 slices whole grain bread dipped in a very delicious veggie soup, half a hamburger patty, a 1/2 slice of French toast dipped in peanut butter, and one scrambled egg. I had very small servings of everything, so I got a lot of variety. It was really good! Topped that off with a 1/2 glass of orange juice and called it good! :) Oh yeah, then I stuffed my bag with pears, apples, oranges, and bananas! I'd already paid to get in, so I never see the harm in taking a few fruit with me.

My next class is tonight. It's "Cardio Kickboxing" and "Hard Core" again... I'm very excited! I get the same instructor as from Thursday. She's my favorite! If I'm feeling up for it, I may also stay for the Hip-Hop class afterwards... hmmm. :)

Add Comment

I just gargled 1/3 of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 4-5 shakes of cayenne pepper. It tastes pretty gross, but if you swish sugar water over your tongue and lips, it gets rid of the taste, while leaving the mixture on your throat to work its sour-spicy magic! I'm just kicking myself for not trying this earlier!

If my boyfriend had tried this three days ago, I may not have been in this situation myself! If he still feels sick tonight, I'm gonna make him try this. It's TOO GOOD!
Honestly, if you've got a sore throat, try it!!!

1 Comment | Add Comment

Ugh. I HATE being sick. I feel so lazy, just laying around and sleeping all day. I want to get up, go to the gym, and exercise. But I'm afraid I'd pass out on the walk getting there.

I think it's kind of funny (from n outsider's view) because my boyfriend's sick too, so we're trying to help each other out, but we look like two blind people helping the other find the way. Maybe I should write that into a script or a cartoon or something, that'd be very funny.

Sadly, right now, it took a while to see the humor of it.

Right now it feels like a foot is standing on my collar bone and sternum. There's a lot of pressure there and Shaun says it's probably from lying down- nothing gets to "drain"... ew.  All I know is that it really hurts to take a deep breath. :(

I don't have a fever, just a really bad cough and scratchy throat. My sinuses get all stuffed throughout the day. Body aches and inability do sing in my lovely falsetto voice (had to throw that in). I guess it could be worse. Usually when I get sick, it's less of a "cold/head" thing, it's more of a "flu/stomach" thing. I'll have to admit though, the stomach thing usually only lasts a day or so and then is just gone. This cold seems to be holding on for dear life. 

I was feeling pretty well last night. I was talking and laughing and having a good old time. And the boyfriend was at 90% he said, just a tiny scratch of the throat. We watched Terminator 2 (I'd never seen it and Shaun's been all crazy about watching it to get the sour taste that was "The Sarah Connor Chronicals" out of his mouth). After that, we snuggled on the couch for a bit (always enjoyable) and watched some Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (pretty much the best show ever). We ended up going to bed a bit later than we'd hoped (around 1), but we were feeling good and having a grand old time, so it was okay.

Then last night happened. I took some Nyquil and was all set for a lovely night of completely passed-out sleep. I woke up at 4 when my boyfriend said he was cold. No, that's not right. He was trembling so hard, he woke me up. He said he was cold and his hands were freezing. I gave him some long sleeved, long pant...ed, flannel jammies to put on and grabbed some socks. I gave him some NyQuil and a big fleece blanky to bundle up with and threw the comforter over the now-round Shaun. It was one of those nights where I'd settle in for bed, take off my glasses and try to stop coughing and Shaun would say, "Can I have some water?" or "I'm sorry my hands are so cold, but can I warm them up on your back?" or "I'm still cold." Of course, it wasn't until he'd already made a cozy warm spot on the bed I remembered that the quickest way to raise or lower body temperature is to throw the person into the shower! I ran the shower and warmed it up to Jacuzzi heat (a bit too warm once you touch it, but it gradually feels amazing). I told him he should get in and warm up, but NOT get his hair wet. He was worried that after he got out, he'd be colder than before. I explained that if he dried off very well and bundled up again before he left the bathroom, he wouldn't be cold. In the end, he didn't go for it, and just stayed in bed. I finally got to sleep again at around 5:30.

This morning my alarm went off at 7:30. I had to be out of the hose by 8:11 if I wanted to catch the bus. I got up, brushed my teeth, pulled my hair into a pony-tail and threw on a tee shirt and jeans. I put my little frozen lunch in my backpack and was all set and ready to leave. I felt awful, but I have three classes today and didn't want to miss any more school than I had to (I'd already missed yesterday's Econ class and Italian class). Today I missed Public Speaking and Italian (again). Hopefully I'll feel up to going to my late class (American Government, 5:30-8:30 pm). 

I'm exhausted. I just walked from the kitchen to the living room. this is pathetic. I hope I get better soon. :-( 

Add Comment

I hate being sick. My eating goes all sorts of crazy and I just feel awful. I was feeling it last night, but my cold hit me today with a vengeance.

Today, my diet's consisted of: oatmeal with cinnamon, 1 Zinc tablet, 1 Vitamin C tablet, 2 DayQuil, and water water water. I'm really hungry though. I think I'll eat some minestrone soup. Maybe that'll help me feel better. :(

1 Comment | Add Comment