24 weeks

I have 24 weeks of school left! OMG!  I need the strength to get through it! Just 5 more months... I can do this (and stay on the Dean's List *knock on wood*)

It wasn't a fluke!

Yesterday I ran 4 miles again! I beat my best (and only) time of 49 minutes and finished in 46! I am going to try and run 4 miles about 3-4 days a week and hopefully I can get to a 10 minute mile before I attempt to run a 10k in May/June! Oh and this was all after a full body weight workout!  *Pats myself on back*

I CAN RUN!

Holy crap I can run! Not fast, not slow but nevertheless I can run!  Friday at work I started thinking that today would be the day that I would run 4 miles.  Why? Who the hell knows, but I just decided it was gonna happen and that was it!  Have I ever run 4 miles before? Nope! I've never even run 3! But I was actually excited about going to the gym on a Friday night (for some reason, Friday is mentally the hardest for me to get to the gym) and I was ready to push myself once I got there.  I ran at a 1.0 incline (because no road is ever compltely flat) and started out at 5.0 miles per hour.  I was doing really good a little over 2 miles into my run and I couldn't believe that I had never pushed myself beyond my comfort zone.

My endorphines were just rushing through me and I was feeling amazing.  My pace was good but the last half mile I pushed myslef a little harder and increased my speed to 6.5! I saw the treadmill monitor reach 4 miles and I was so unbelievably proud of myself!  I ran it in 49 minutes, so about a 12 minute a mile pace.  I've never run that far before and I always thought I couldnt run.  So now its time to keep pushing myself.  Today I'm gonna try and run it in less than 49 minutes, maybe 46!  And I'm gonna start training for a 10k (6.2 miles) and see how well I do =)

Chocolate Chip Belgium Waffles

I really love to cook, but what I love more is cooking for my loved ones.  We have had a professional Belgium waffle maker in our house for almost 4 years and it was never used!  Last week I decided to pull it out and make breakfast for my family.  My mom and dad work very hard and either one of them (usually my mom) cooks dinner every night so I thought I could make a good breakfast for them on their one day off.  They turned out really good and were a big hit!  So this Sunday, I woke up with a sweet tooth and planned on making breakfast again for the family.  I LOVE chocolate chip pancakes but the one thing I do not like about them is how soggy they get with the whipped cream, so I decide to try waffles instead!  Plus Luis really wanted some too =)  I am not a cook from a recipe type girl at all.  I learned to cook from my grandmother and mother who never use measuring cups or recipes.  They have this ability to be able to just know what the meal they are cooking needs by tasting and smelling it and it is something that I am slowly being able to do. So don't expect a recipe in this blog! lol!

My waffles started out with just a basic batter recipe.  I mixed Bisquick, eggs and milk together until it had a good consistancy, not too thick and not too liquidy.  I wasn't sure if I should add the chocolate chips to the batter or just add them to the waffles after I poured the batter so I just added them on top.  Next time I make them, I might try them in the batter.  If anyone knows which way is best please let me know =)

Here is my beautiful waffle maker!  I really love this thing!

This is some of the ingredients I used... pretty self explanatory =)

I just poured all the batter in.  I tried to do it evenly so the waffles don't have any missing pieces, but not too full so it doesn't overflow out of the waffle maker

Then I just sprinkled a handful of chocolate chips on top of the batter

The finished product!

I topped them with some whipped cream and a couple extra chocolate chips.  I was surprised how yummy they were!  They definitely didn't get soggy the way pancakes do and I think it was because the waffles are crispy on the outside.

Luis gave them them 2 thumbs up!  I'm thinking next time, I'll try them with blueberries and a mixed berry sauce on top!

The Last Injury of 2009

The year wouldn't be complete without some kind of injury from Luis' training.  The other day he came home with a cut on his lip from biting himself while training.  Apparently he was training without his mouthpiece in (he already got scolded for this) and he bit himself.  But it wasn't until he got home that we realized he had bitten entirely through his lip!  The cut on the inside went clear through to the outside and this is what it looked like when he got home.

Its healing pretty good now and no stitches were needed =)

Stitches from the Heart

Its time to give back!  I initially had thought about starting my own non-profit organization but to be honest I had no idea where to start and when I did start researching it, I felt completely overwhelmed.  My Aunt Gaby emailed me regarding a charity organization called Stitches from the Heart.  Based out of Santa Monica, Stitches from the Heart is an organization started by Kathy Silverton.  After hearing about premature babies going home from hospitals with very little, Kathy started knitting booties, blankets and hats to donate to hospitals.
Stitches from the Heart is now celebrating its 4th anniversary and has 12,000+ volunteers and has donated over half a million items to over 1,088 hospitals and charities around the country!  When I read about this amazing charity I knew I had to be a part of it!  Luis was born premature,  weighing just 3 lbs, and his parents were so incredibly poor so this charity definitely hits close to home for me.  I could only imagine how grateful his parents would have been for someone to give them a knitted blanket or hat handmade with love for a perfect stranger.  I cannot wait to start and I am looking forward to making someones first trip home with their baby a happy and warm one!

If anyone is interested in helping you can contact Stitches from the Heart through their website http://www.stitchesfromtheheart.org/.  Even if you don't crochet or knit, you can still contribute some way so I encourage you all to check out the website!

New Years Resolutions

I love New Years!  Its a fresh start and an excuse to get reorganized and rejuvenated about life!  Last year was the first year that I can remember where I actually kept a New Years Resolution (which was to lose 30 lbs).  I have several resolutions for 2010 and I'm hoping to at least keep most of them:

1. Lose the last 20 lbs!

2. Not sweat the small stuff.  I have a tendency to get my feelings hurt about insignificant things and/or the way people treat me.  I'm thinking that I should start letting some of that roll off my back and not let it bother me =)

3. Contribute to Stitches from the Heart (a blog about this is coming!)

4. Make more time for my friends.  I am such a routine kinda person that I get stuck doing the same thing everyday and before I even realize it, it has been months since seeing my friends!

5. I will also gossip less and I will not gossip about people when I hear they are gossiping about me.  It kinda goes back to resolution #2.  If people wanna talk about me thats great!  I'm glad to provide them with some entertainment =) but I will not lower myself to anyone else's level by speaking badly of people.  If I don't have something nice to say, I won't say anything at all!

I'm sure there are many other things that I could work on, but I think the list I have is pretty good.  I'm looking forward to being able to cross all these off my list!

Happy New Year!