A New Beginning

Hello?
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!
True to my word, here I am (even if it is a day late). It's May 4th and I am finally coming up for air after a very intense, all-consuming, ass-busting 5 months of student teaching. I survived (big exhale)....I feel like I should make a t-shirt that says something to that effect. Kind of like the shirts from the 70's from Hershey Park that used to read: "I survived the Sooper Dooper Looper". After all, this entire experience was a bit of a roller coaster ride at times.

I have to say that despite the endless amount of work and late nights and frazzled nerves, I did enjoy my experience tremendously and I do feel that I have absolutely, with a doubt, made the right second career choice for me. I just need to pray that the job market turns around and they start HIRING teachers again, versus canning them by the boatloads - which seems to be the unfortunate trend these days.

Anyway - it's good to be back in the blogosphere. I have missed catching up with everyone's progress and I feel like I am so far behind the eight ball in my weight loss efforts. While I THOUGHT maybe the stress of students teaching would launch me into weight loss heaven, I found out just what a stress eater I really am. Compile that with the lack of time to cook healthy meals, and you might guess that the weight loss really didn't take off quite the way I had hoped. Overall, I think I lost close to 4 pounds or so. Nothing Earth-shattering - but hey, it's a loss. On another positive note however, I didn't GAIN a boatload which could have easily happened, too - so, bully for me. As of this morning, I'm holding at 229.75. The past 5 months have neither promoted or sabotaged my weight loss - I'm just a little stagnant if anything. The good thing that came out of all of this is my increased stamina. I was on my feet constantly, walking all over the classroom and school so just that alone has made my knees and feet feel a million times better! I thought it would have the adverse affect but apparently, the more you "use it" the better you feel. Duh!

After some coaxing to get out of bed, I completed a 3.1 mile walk with my husband and the dogs this morning and feel great! I do need to be careful of my back though - I was lugging around two gigantic bags everyday and pulled my back out of whack the last week of school. It's on the mend but I still feel stress in my lower back (where I herniated my disc in college) so I know I need to watch it.

It does feel good to be recommitted, though. I think I mentioned in my last post that I was giving myself a gym membership for a graduation present, didn't I? Well, I have decided to stop talking to talk and start doing the walk - I went there yesterday and signed up and I have my first meeting with a trainer today at 1:00. I get 4 free personal training sessions and some nutritional counseling, too.  I'm kind of nervous, yet excited!!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Anyway - I have to get my house cleaned (5 months of inattentiveness does not a pretty house make) but I just wanted to say hello and let you know I am back on the radar! I will be popping by your blogs to say hello very soon!