Change is good!!!

Well I just came back from my trip to Boston,  I hope to get some pictures up here soon!    Now, I am back at home and I am ready for my new adventure.     I had been trying to figure out my plan of action all summer, and instead of listening to mother and going to speak to an advisor at one of the Universities here in San Antonio, I of course waited until the last minute.    So here it goes!!!!   I went to go speak to an academic advisor and found out that I only have 24 hours left to finish a degree in Biology with a neuroscience concentration.   Now I know there isn't a whole lot to do with a degree in Biology, however I am hoping that it will give me an extra boost for when I apply to some other programs.     Of course I came home, told my mother about it and she said you see, if you had talked to them sooner then you could have gotten things done sooner ha ha  :)        Well my mom and I did come up with a plan, I am going to continue working for the school district but drop my employment down to 75%, pick up some home health clients the make up the difference money wise, and then take one class to get myself started.        It is going to be a crazy and hectic semester for me, but I am determined to set my goals and get it done!    Now somewhere between all this I need to figure out how I am going to fit in exercise, and of course eating better.    I have tried all summer to get myself on track in terms of eating and I just can't seem to get it together.   I am happy to say that I did monitor my self today and did a good job with eating healthier and I even went for a walk!!!!!       I hope that know that I have come up with some sort of plan for my career, that now I can try and focus on the other very important thing in my life... My health!!!!!       I have discovered that in terms of exercise that I felt healthiest when I was running and monitoring my food.  Of course I realize this was also before I had my thyroid removed so naturally I would feel healthier with my thyroid then I do without it.         I have also discovered that while I have benefited from boot camp in terms of stamina it just hasn't done for me what running did.   I don't get that feeling of euphoria after boot camp like  I did when I was running, and I am just not getting the same "thinking time" as I did when I was running.    My plan had originally been to do boot camp and go running on my off days, but that just didn't work out b/c boot camp was wearing me out.      Don't get me wrong I think boot camp is an excellent form of exercise, but I think I need to go back to my old routine.    Running, eating better, and giving myself that time of reflections that I so loved when I would run!      So here's to hoping from some changes some new habits, some old habits, and hopefully a new and improved me :)     
How about any of you???  Are you trying anything new as we start the school year??  

Spain!!!!

Once again,  I have been busy so I hadn't had a chance to post some pictures from Spain.    I finally downloaded the pictures.     Here are some of the pictures from my travels to Spain.     I loved visiting Spain and was lucky enough to get a chance to travel there 2 summers in a row.      Well next year be a 3rd visit???  I hope so,  I hope I also get a chance to go back to Italy some day, as well as France and London! 
  
Before we got to Spain we had a stop in Boston. It was my mom's Bday so we celebrated by having Crab cakes and Salad!!!! It was yummy!!!

 

We landed in Madrid, and we to a restaurant we discovered last year across from out Hotel.  El Rincon!!!!   I had a ham and cheese bocadilla!!!  I love those things.  We were very tired but we just had to keep on going!!!    The coffee was very helpful!

My friends' husband told me to go check out the soccer stadium.  El Bernabeu. Spain is very big into soccer this is where the Real Madrid team plays!!         

My dad and I taking a picture with a picture of the  Real Madrid team!!!    I wish it had been the actual players.

 I love the way the street's look at night.  This is at one of the plaza's   

This was the best cannelloni I have ever had in Sevilla Spain!!!!     It was so delicious, I wanted to save it, but of course I had to eat it.

One of the church's in Sevilla Spain.     I love the contrast of colors.

We took a trip to a town called Carmona!! It was very beautiful all the building are white with yellow/gold trim.  I have never been to Greece but I imagine it would look something like this.

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This is one of the coins from the city of Carmona.    

 I had a chance to take Flamenco lessons. No this is not a picture of me, but this is one of the many flamceno shows I got to see.  Many places do not allow you to take pictures of the dancers. However, we were able to take pictures at the Museo de Flamenco of the performers.

One of the many beautiful places in Spain. 

 This is in Sevilla Spain, across from the University.   I just love how the eat outside and everything is so relaxed!      Of course if we tried to eat like this in Texas we would probably melt.

These are two of my favorite dishes!  Patatas Aleoli, and Shrimp aleoli.  (I think that was what the shrimp was called).   The potatoes are so not health but I just absolutely love them, which is so odd because I am not a fan of potato salad.  The shrimp was so good,  similar to shrimp scampi the left over butter was good enough to dip your bread in!   





Of course I have many more pictures,   I just shared some of the main ones!      I think if I had to I could live in Spain, despite the very high unemployment rate, the way of life there is just so relaxed.

Decisions, Decisions??

Well I am back from Spain!!! I hope to be blogging about that soon!   But first things first!!!  I have had work on my mind.  I know of all things to be thinking about work!!!  Seriously, I am supposed to be on summer vacation and all I can think about it work work work.  Not so much the work that I have to do more along the lines of what should I do about work??   I have been considering some options, one of which includes leaving the school system and working in a clinic, I love the idea of working in a clinic, but I am not thrilled with the hours of the clinic.      I love my ability to travel in the summer's and have my time off during the holidays, none of that which I can get if I work in a clinic.      So, I am at a crossroads, do I try out the clinic assuming the job does come available so that I can get new expereinces,  or do I stick with the school setting, and focus on getting into a PhD program which is my ultimate goal?????         I know that if I stay in the schools setting, I will have more "off" time to focus on studying the GRE and apply to different programs.     However, I also know that working in the clinic may give me some experiences amd the chance to work in a different setting, thus hopefully increasing my knowledge, which could also be helpful for applying for a PhD.        Ugh...this is such a random posts, but I just needed to get this out on paper, well in this case cyberpaper :)   I have tried to do a Pro's and Con's chart but it hasn't helped much.      I guess only time will tell!

Ouch I can hardly stand up!

Well this was a great week in terms of working out for me!!!    I am now so sore, that it hurts for me to stand up!  However,  I do believe all my hard work paid off.  I believe I managed to shed about 2 lbs this week.    My cousin is in town from Colorado for the summer, and her and I got on a crazy workout routine.      Here is what our week looked like:

Monday: 5:30 am bootcamp
Tuesday:   went for a bike ride in the neighborhood
Wednesday: 7:00 am bootcamp (this was a tough one but a fun one, there where only for of us that showed up that day, and he had us race against each other at different stations!    I came in 3rd but  I was glad I survived)
Thursday:  went for a walk at 7:00 in the outdoor mall we have
Friday:  5:30 am bootcamp



I am happy to report also that  I did have enough energy to get me through my week!   I am a little low today but I think it's because I basically worked myself out like a crazy person.   My ankle does still act up sometimes, but it is getting better with time.
   In terms of eating I did pretty good, I could have done better!  I did do a great job of having nutritional shakes every morning except one.   So my goal next week is to keep up the workout, but be a little better about nutrition when it comes to lunch and dinner!     I know I need to eat more veggies, and eat leaner overall.     I also want to get a book, and try to eliminate some of the gluten that I eat.     Because I have Hashimotos and even though I don't have a thyroid, I will still have issues with Hashimotos.      So, I have heard some people say that it helps them when they cut out gluten.     Knowing myself I don't know if  I can completly give up gluten, but I am willing to take baby steps and try it just to see if I get any results!      Have any of you tried to reduce your gluten intake??       I have tried to make gluten free cookies, and I thought they tasted good, but my mother didn't like them.        

I hope everyone is doing well!    Happy Friday, and remember that exercise is key!

Schools out for Summer and I need to get in control!!!

Geez well I was hoping I would have more time to blog, but the end of this school year has been crazy!      Friday is my official last day of work, and then it will be summer time.   There are so many things I want to do!!!  First off I completely missed the sign-up for half-marathon training,  not sure I want to do the half-marathon again but I need to get to running again.  I think there is still time to sign up, so maybe this weekend I will attempt to do some walking/running.     I must and I mean I absolutely must focus on losing weight and eating better.  I was doing pretty good, but this month has been so crazy that I have been totally off target.  I haven't been counting calories or anything.. bad bad bad.     I bought a new bike and I have ridden it a couple of times, but not like I want to so I hope to do more of that!!!!        Of course,  I must travel over the summer otherwise it just wouldn't be a "true summer" for me, so  I am going to go back to Spain in June, and I am going to Boston in August!!!!  I am so excited I have never been to Boston, and I hear there are so many things to see and do!! 

I think my primary goal for the summer should be to really focus on getting back on track in terms of weight loss,   I feel that I have just let things get out of control, and ever since I sprained my ankle I have become somewhat of a couch potato!!!    My cousin will be coming in from Colorado, so we have plans to exercise, and eat better!!  I can't wait until she gets here because I need someone to be on me about this!!!           No more couch potato for me,  I must and I will not lose sight of my weight loss goal!!       Of course, I do have one little problem,   my thyroid dosage may or may not be enough.  I recently added a medication and I am hoping that it doesn't interfere with my dosage.    So I am hoping that I can at least get some blood work done again before I leave to Spain.         I also hope that since it will be summer time, I will have more time to blog which I truly believe helps me, because even if no one is reading it, I still believe that if  I can post about the activities and food intake I am partaking in then I must be accountable to the blog world!  

I came across this picture on pintrest, and I think it pretty much sums up what I need to do!  Oh and I love that it's a butterfly,   being that I have no thyroid and a thyroid is in the shape of a butterfly. This just really spoke to me!  

The Circle of Life.

Well after 12 long years, one of my dogs died yesterday.   She was a great dog, and was so good about warning us of incoming rain.     Ironically, yesterday after she died it rained so hard, that the electricity even went out.    It was as it was her final message to us,  remember me when it rains!    My parents were out of town, on their way home from one of my cousins' graudations.   I had noticed that she had stopped eating, and drinking water.   It seemed like she was wanting to go in the backyard, but I could not let her.  She was very weak, and my other dog is pregnant with puppies so  I couldn't let them be near each other.   Talk about the circle of life!  I am very sad, about my dogs passing, however I am thankful that I have two of her sons.     One of them was very close to her still, as she still treated him like her baby.    I wasn't sure how he would react knowing that his mama was gone, he seemed sad, but it also seemed that he knew it was coming.      It was a rough night for me, but luckily I had some family and friends who kept checking in on me and two of my friends encouraged me to get out of the house until my parents got her so we could put her in a box.       In the end,  though what I have realized is that I am  left with two of her sons, and her grandbabies.    The female dog that is pregnant is going to have puppies from one of her sons!        She will live on in them, and the circle of life will continue.     So on that note,  Conchita I hope you are running around and jumping around in doggie heaven!

It's been way to long!!!

Geez,  I have been so bombarded at work that I haven't had a chance to blog about anything.     I have had some interesting things come up.      My ankle is still not back to the best condition so I haven't been able to get back to running, so instead I came up with this crazy idea that I needed to buy a new and better bicycle!!!  I came up with the idea after going with my dad to the Diabetes Expo, they are having a ride in May called the Tour De Cure.   I was told that they were going to have a one mile bike ride, and I figured hey I want to do that,  and I need a new bike.  Ha Ha what a perfect excuse to buy something new.     Well,   I have to say that bicycle shopping is so complicated.   I feel like I am buying a car, test drive this, test drive that!! This one has disc brakes, this one has linear breaks. Do you want a hybrid, road, mountain bike.. ugh it's so confusing.     I am testing out another one tomorrow and I hope to make a decision from there!   I can't wait to get my bike!! I am so excited!               

On top of my crazy desire to buy a bicycle, I also decided to sign up as a consultant for a Organic Skincare Company.     I was very hesitant, and wasn't going to do it, but then I decided you know what I am trying to become a healthier person so why not sign up, even if no one buys it and it only benefits me.   Well, I have to say I haven't made much money off of it, and honestly it doesn't really bother me, because I am trying to do something better for myself by using less toxic skin care.     


As for weight loss I somehow miraculously managed to lose 5lbs in one week. That is a miracle in my thyroidless world.   Unfortunately this week is Fiesta, for those of you who have never heard of Fiesta it is this city-wide 2 week long party and of course it is all about eating, and having fun and being out and about.   Fiesta week is one of the reasons why I love San Antonio, Tx it's something very unique to our city!!  As a matter of fact, it is such a big tradition that on Friday, all the schools shut down, some  business shut down and there is a big parade downtown!!      

Ha Ha, I am sorry this post is so scattered, I guess it just goes to show you how my thinking has been lately scattered!!