First Semester Grades!!!!!!!

Well it is official folks. Semester One is OVER. Thank goodness!! I survived it.

GRADES:
Intro to Communications: A-
Community Psych 101: A
Community Psych Lab: S (pass or fail)
Psych 116: C
Psych 270: C
Math 193: C- (Worked my tail off for this one. Spent 6 hours in the lab every week!!!!!)

Well folks that is all she wrote...... now onto Human Biology next semester. (math and science are going to kill me before this is over!!!! OR at least my GPA)

Tomorrow a new chapter in my life begins!!!!

That is right folks, tomorrow is day one of finishing my bachelors degree. I have decided to go back and do psychology with specific classes in Children's Psychology. To say the least I am excited, scared, nervous, freaking out and every other emotion on the scale. I was able to print my psych 270 syllabus this morning, my only online class this semester and to say the least I am nervous. It is a social psychology class so I am really excited for it, however, there will be a LOT of reading and small papers.
On a side note except for my oldest, younger brother and his wife, all the rest of us are in classes this fall. Pretty scary huh?
Saint Cloud State, here I come whether I am ready or not!!

This post is for you Ashley..... A day in my NEW LIFE

A few weeks ago Ashley asked me to post what I do in a day for working out and eating so here goes:

Below are a couple of days of my "food journal":
day 1:
WW Chocolate muffin
2 mozz string cheese sticks
chef's salad with ff ranch dressing (on the side)
fruit (strawberries, pineapple, melon)
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Weight Watchers Ice Cream Bar

2 33.8 oz Sams Club Clear American Wild Cherry Water
3 cans of Diet Coke

day 2:
WW Chocolate muffin
WW bagel with turkey and cheese
vanilla yogurt waffle cone
Five Guys Jr Hamburger
Five Guys french fries (about 1/4 of an order)

2 33.8 oz Sams Club Clear American Wild Cherry water
3 cans of Diet Coke

Working Out:
90 minutes a day using the NuStep (a stationary bike that you push the foot pedals instead of pedaling)

30 minute swim (occasionally 1-2 times a week)

50-100 ab crunches

3 lb dumb bell arm workout

There it is in a nutshell. For me the secret was getting my metabolism to kick in. I think that it is safe to say that it has. I am feeling great and am LOVING the fact that I am fitting into clothes that are in the BACK of my closet.

Month 1 Weight Loss and Inches Report!!

So today marks the 1st month of working out and watching what I eat. Below are the results:

Weight Loss: 32 pounds

Inches Lost:

Chest: -5
Stomach: -4
Waist: -9
Thighs: -3

ALL IN ALL: I am EXSTATIC. Month 1 was awesome. here is to month 2. WOO HOO!!!!

3 weeks a gazillion to go......

Well I am three weeks into my workout routine and as those of you facebookers know it is going really GOOD. A day in the life of Mandy looks like..... sleep, eat, workout, eat, work, eat, some down time and the routine starts all over again.

I am down 22 pounds and am doing 90 minutes of cardio 6 days a week. I am also taking some awesome one a day vitamins and am watching what I eat. (And YES I am eating.)

I hope all is well with all of you!!!!

MN Trip!!

Well mom and I have survived the last two weeks. To say the least we have had some good days and obviously some not so good days. Grandma's funeral was last Thursday and it was harder than I imagined it would be. For like two seconds I thought about being the strong "oldest" granddaughter but as soon as we walked into the funeral home it hit and to say the least it was a ROUGH DAY. But I know that grandma is in a happier and better place and she is healthy and enjoying a wonderful reunion with family members that have left us prior. We did have some fun times. It was nice that all of my siblings were here and all spouses sans DW. We enjoyed a nice family dinner at Pizza Barn a wonderful and marvelous little pizza joint in our home town. We got some good pics including the one that I just added to my blog. That would be my brother/Soldier Matt who is serving in the Army in Iraq. We all agreed that it was good to see each other we just wish it could have been for a happier occasion. Mom and I head back to VA tomorrow and i am excited to go "home". back to my own bed and my own routine although it was important for us to come home and be able to honor my grandmother. The other downer that we have dealt with in the past couple of weeks is that my grandpa Ronnie (my grandma who just passed husband) had a massive stroke and spent time down in Abbott and Sister Kinney in the Minneapolis area. He has been moved to a skilled nursing facility where my cousin works and hopefully is on the road to recovery. It has been a good trip all things considered and it was very enjoyable to see the many family members that we have seen and that were able to celebrate grandma's life. Although my poor sister Jessie has decided that she will NEVER sit next to me at a funeral again. I think the fact that she lost feeling in her right hand for a while (as I was "holding" okay "squeezing" her hand during the service) was the deal breaker for this. I am excited to be going back to VA and back to my workout and working routine.

I LOVE and MISS you already GRAM!!!

My grandma Audrey passed away this afternoon around 5:00 pm. As most of you know I LOVE my gram with all my heart and soul. She has had some pretty major health problems and we almost lost her last month. But (as her doctor said) she is a tough old bird, and went on to say you don't have years left with her but months. Well almost a month later her tired, ill ridden body decided it was enough. She was with family when she passed and for this I am grateful. My mom, uncle (who is an over the road truck driver), and I knew that when we left last month there was a good chance we would never see her again in this life time. We are all just surprised that it was so quick.
I LOVE YOU GRAM and I will miss you terribly but I know you are up in heaven ejoying the long awaited reunion with grandma and grandpa k, Mandy, Minnie and many others. I know that they are rejoicing that you have joined them. I will always keep you close to my heart.

Face Book Question

Not to age myself but my 15 year class reunion was last sept, and now a LOT of my class mates are on face book and suggested I join. Ok no problem. But NOW here is my dilemna. I went to two high schools, I attended Princeton Senior High in Princeton MN my freshman year and Chaska High School in Chaska MN for my soph through senior year. In Princeton growing up and more so in middle school I had a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR crush on a boy we will call "C". While last night I posted on face book "why does money have to be s stressful". Out of the blue C face book im'd me and we talked for like an hour. Now mind you growing up he wasn't always so nice to me. SO I was like ok it took 18 years but now I am ok to talk too. Don't get me wrong it was really really good to talk to him and catch up but it is okay to say it was just odd......

Random Monday thoughts.....

So here I am sitting at my desk. On hold with an insurance company watching the clock. Not a good sign since I have about 2 1/2 hours of work left for today. Here is a random question: why do medical insurance companies never seem to have enough csrs on staff so the "provider's office" aka ME have to wait on hold forever? Oh well at least I get stuff done while I am on hold. Thank the Lord for speaker phone right? As I sit on hold I am looking around my "office" okay it is really half of my bedroom thinking dang I have only been working for a week and a half and my desk is already MESSY. I hate disorganization when it comes to my office. I am also thinking it is looking a little germie in here and as most of you know I so CAN NOT handle germies. My cousin's husband posted a pic of their 18 month old laying on the floor in a store looking under the dressing room door at his mom. My first thought was dang that is a cute pic although it was quickly over run by the second thought of all of those germies their son was laying in. I don't think I have had enough Diet Coke today. Boy Ashley I sure could go for a gallon again like that day at KFC on the way to SF. I have already had a bottle and a half of water. SO maybe lack of caffeine is my problem..... Who knows? Right?

You reading correctly, I moved AGAIN

I know I know I can NEVER stay in one place for very long. Actually drum roll....... I got a part time job doing medical billing remotely. SO because of space issues and volume issues at my aunt's in Zimmerman, I moved back to VA with mom and David. I work for Medical Professional Services out of N VA and was actually able to meet up with my boss on tuesday afternoon. Thankfully we met in Fredericksburg as DC was closed to outside traffic due to President Obama's inauguration. Tomorrow marks my 4th day and I am LOVING every minute of it.
Now that I am at the computer ALL of the time.... okay 6 hours a day..... I will post more often.

Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year...

It is hard to believe that it is 2009 already. The holiday season flew by and before I knew it, it has been a month since my last blog. December was filled with family visits, making fun stuff, and enjoying the wonderful Christmas season. My mom flew back to CA after visiting Jess, DW, and their dogs Kady and Wallace in Estonia. She embarked on the LONG drive to the arctic weather in MN. She made it to Southern MN and thanks to a bad winter storm she was rear-ended by a Fed Ex semi truck driver who helped her rear end an SUV. Thankfully she was not injured although her car was not so lucky and has been totalled out by the insurance company. After resting for the night she finally made it to us the sunday before Christmas. Her husband David flew in and we had a great Christmas with extended family and a nice quiet Christmas day with mom, David and I at my sister Sherene's house. December was filled with fun activities such as: crocheting, sewing, food, food and more food. Which brings me to new years resolution number 1: weight watchers here I come. Other new years resolutions are: work on building my pandas customer base, exercise, drink more WATER (but the DIET COKE always seems to win out), and planning a fun road trip. As soon as I can figure it out I will post pics but I am having ISSUES......