Moving!

So first of all, I don't know if it's because I'm working full time in a preschool, but I just am sick all the freaking time!! I finally got my voice back and my congestion has started to clear up and over the weekend I got some kind of 24 hour (hopefully) stomach bug. I didn't sleep a wink Saturday night and Monday night was the first day I've been able to eat anything since Saturday afternoon. I had a little bit of a panic attack thing Sunday morning. I was sitting with Josh and I started crying because I was so frustrated about my crazy schedule and being sick all the time and I was just exhausted. Anyway, so I was really upset but I had to keep reminding myself that I would be ok and I started taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself and it really worked. :] I was so proud of myself because usually in the heat of something (like being upset and whatnot) I forget to apply my practices.
Anyway, I'm feeling much better now! AND March 17th Josh and I are moving into our beautiful new apartment! :] It has a den and 2 sets of french doors and a washer and dryer!!! I'm so excited. Finally the benefit of working my ass off at my new job! Anyway, I'm out of things to say, so I hope to hear from you all soon!

On the Mend

Hey all,

I'm feeling so much better, praise the Lord!  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers :)  I'm back in the swing of things and I feel as though I've caught my second wind much needed to get me through until spring break!  And David, I am with you on the procrastination thing!  The good news is I feel I have been getting progressively better at planning on my time during the week better so I don't save everything for the weekend.  When I do that, I don't ever get a break to see friends or just hang with Josh.  I have been doing really well with all my practices and I really am proud of myself (especially for making time to work out).  I am going to that career lunch thing tomorrow (Are any of you guys going to that?) And I don't know what to expect but I hope it goes well because I have NO idea what I want to do when I graduate, EEK!

We should definitely schedule a group yoga session soon.  Any ideas of days/times that might work?

Love,

Lindsey

Better Time Management

Hola chicas! First of all, how do you guys put space in between your lines??? Hitting the "enter" button does not do it when I actually submit my post even though it shows up as I'm writing it. grrr :( This crazy Virginia weather is making a lot of my friends sick and I'm trying to stay healthy by avoiding them a little. Lindsey, feel better! I always remember to take an extra layer of clothing with me because when I leave my room it is 60 degrees but when I get back it might be in the 30s already. Rather be safe than sorry! So far I have been able to avoid sickness (knock on wood) and I continue to try my best doing so. Having a 4.5 day weekend is very nice but at the same time I find putting away all my work for the last moment still. I feel like I can work better under pressure, therefore procrastinating is my good friend. I need to improve my time management because it can backfire later in life when I'm out in the real world. That's all I have for now, hope you guys are doing great!

Without a Voice

So, this week has been so crazy. Monday I started coughing occasionally and it progressively got more regular and worse. Tuesday I basically had no voice. And today is the first day I've come anywhere close to having a normal voice. It's been so incredibly frustrating. Especially since I couldn't really call in sick to work. I worked a 45 hour week and had to use a bell just to get the kids attention. I don't think I'll ever take my voice for granted again!! So aside from that, I skipped my Wednesday class because of my voice issue (shame on me too). However, things are really looking up! Today Josh and I applied for a new apartment and it's definitely an upgrade from what we have now! It has a den and a washer and dryer! I'm so excited! (keep your fingers crossed for me!) I also had my orientation for the Philadelphia trip I'm going on with GMU to work with inner-city youth over Spring Break! AND my little brother is coming from New York to stay with us for a week! I have a lot of great things to look forward to in the coming weeks. However, I'm doing my best to stay present and just appreciate what is going on in my life now. For example, right now I am appreciating the fact that I can talk almost normally for the first time this week.
I tried out the "Stop, Drop, & Breath" practice this week. I found it somewhat helpful. The difficult thing for me is that I'm ALWAYS on the run. I work 9+ hour days not including my classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. I almost never have time to stop drop and breath. I mostly did it in the evening when I was home, but it doesn't seem to be different really from other meditations I've done without the stopping and dropping. I don't know, maybe I just didn't fully understand the concept.
Anyway, I've been hoping to run into you guys also! It's been nice seeing Ariel in our class on Mondays (although not this week.. lol), but I miss Lindsey and David. We still haven't done any kind of get together and I can't believe it! It's just crazy how fast time flies when you're busy! (and boy are we ever!) Well, this week has really snuck up on me and I have a lot of catching up to do this evening (finishing up the other assignments for the module). I look forward to reading you guys' posts next module!

Sick but Pushing Through

Hey all,

This week has been really hard because I have a throat and ear infection but miraculously I have been able to get all my work done, prayed every night, and worked out 3 times this week (woohoo!) My workout today was stretching and some calming yoga poses which may not seem like much but it has really helped me to feel better and get rid of some of that achey/sick feeling. I found this great video online: Yoga Poses for Headcold in case any of you guys get sick (I hope not!)  Unfortunately, I didn't get to hang out with my 2 year old friend, Reese today because I did not want to get her sick but I think it was definitely the right decision.  Things are going well with school and I am hoping I can get my work done this weekend but it's SO hard to be motivated to read and assert brain power when you feel yucky!  Hope you all avoid this sickness that is going around!

Love,

Lindsey

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hi everyone! Hope you girls are doing great and school is treating you well so far! I gave an interesting title to my post because I have 2 weeks until my CAA Conference Championship meet, the meet I've been training for ALL year! We just started this thing called "tapering" which is one of the most crucial things in the whole season. This is when we take off a lot of work load and now we only swim 3-4000 yards a practice instead of 6000. BIG difference, trust me. We love this time and we're all getting super excited for the meet itself. But enough swimming for now. School has been pretty difficult, I'm about to take my first German exam in an hour and I'm ready! I still have a lot of work to do for all of my classes, but so far I have been able to manage it all (knock on wood). I believe the second part of the semester (after spring break) will be a lot different as I have to go to companies to interview them (yes, I'm doing the interview with them). As of now, I'm still doing my breathing meditations a couple times a week before I go to bed and I do find them helpful. It lets me relax and reflect on myself for a few minutes, and then I'm ready to go to bed. I wish I randomly ran into you guys on campus, but I guess we have different schedules. Keep up the good work, and it will be spring break before you know it!

Choosing Balance

Hey guys,

Thanks for the encouragement, I am trying to get better about planning ahead and not saving everything to the very last minute (which is my M.O.).  I am still drowning in assignments but I have refused to let it run my life.  I have been intentionally taking one night a week off and just relaxing even though there is always some more work I could be doing, I am committed to getting through this last semester somewhat balanced.  I am still doing great with spending time with children once a week.  Also, praying before bed has been really meaningful and calming for me.  This practice helps me to actively cast my burdens on the Lord and I am miraculously able to rest well at night.  Working out 3 times a week has been a struggle because I have not been feeling well and last week I volunteered at events surrounding the National Prayer Breakfast so I had absolutely no time and/or energy to.  However, today, even though I have 2 papers to write before tomorrow, Josh and I went for a long, adventurous run throughout back neighborhoods behind ours and found an awesome playground at the highest point overlooking the golf course, the pond, and the houses.  It was so fun and SO great to get some fresh air in my lungs.  I was hesitant at first because I am already feeling like I may be getting sick and didn't want to make it worse but I am so glad I went and am really going to make an effort to work out two more times before the end of this week : D  The moral of the story is that when I choose to take a break from studying and work out, I am always so glad I did! So I need to remind myself of this and choose to be balanced!

Settling in and dancing it out

Hey guys! So I hope things are going well for all of you! I'm finally getting into the swing of things with my school and I'm finding it easier to find time for my practices. One thing I've brought in to my routine of trying to be more healthy is that I've started dancing it out on my own. I try to pick one or two songs each night and just dance it out. It's amazing. I can be silly and have fun and not worry about looking stupid. Although Josh teases me about my awesome dance moves... but I think I'm awesome.
Still trying to be more intentional in my relationships and I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I'm trying to keep up with my family and Josh and I have been trying to spend time every night just talking instead of watching TV or whatnot. Which goes along with my limiting TV, which is also going pretty ok. I mean I work 9+ hour days and have night classes 2 nights a week. Soo.. I pretty much don't have a whole heck of a lot of time for watching TV.
Also! I got to see Ariel Monday in our class that we have together so that was awesome! Yay! We need to arrange our yoga sessions! I'm gonna go for now! I look forward to reading you guys's posts this module!

Where did January Go?

Hello Ladies! How are classes going for everyone? Lindsey, are you able to manage your 21 credits? That sounds like a lot but I know you can do it! Just take a couple deep breaths and you will be fine! Ariel, you will find some time. Patience will help you through this semester. You got this!!! So my 12 credit semester isn't going as smoothly as I was hoping. I get SO much homework in all of my classes and I'm having some issues with finding time as well. I need to work on my time management skills for sure. I've been trying to meditate on a daily basis (even though it's only for a few minutes a day) and I think I'm doing a good job with it. It is nice to slow down and take a couple of deep breaths and not think about what I have to do. Hope all of you are doing well (health wise and school wise) and I hope to see you ladies soon!

Things are Heating Up

Hey guys okay so things have gotten scary busy! I am kind of freaking out! I don't know if there are enough hour in the day/night to do all my reading my classes require let alone the reflective essays each week.  I believe that I can do it if I work hard but it is so much easier said than done!  Every minute I'm not in class, I'm reading or writing and one can only do that for so many hours on end! I am not complaining but I really am surprised at how much work it is turning out to be :/

All that to say, I know these meditation practices are going to be really important for me to stick to in order to keep my sanity and try to enjoy my last semester a little.  I am still doing great with spending time with kids and praying but I have not gotten to work out 3 full times this week.  In the future I am going to try writing work out times into my schedule and see if that helps with the mindset of "I could either work out for an hour or finish a ton of reading in an hour" and this week admittedly reading has been the priority.  I really hope things slow down or I at least get in the flow of my nutso schedule! Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated! Miss you guys!