MLchanges – Page 5

This weekend I de-cluttered my closet like whoa. There is no reason for me to drag clothes that are too big or that I’m never going to wear again to Virginia when I move. The amount of clothes I either tossed, gave to good will, or brought to the consignment shop was insane.

Clothes used to help me feel good about myself, but now I JUST FEEL GREAT IN MY OWN SKIN. The clothes are just icing on the cake. I don’t need clothes to make me happy. My wardrobe is drastically smaller (pun not intended, but it’s also true) these days as per the scores of unused hangers I now have.

When I dropped off my bag of goodies to the consignment shop I told them it was the last of “My Collection” for their racks since I’m moving in a few weeks.

Of course I couldn’t leave the story empty handed. I bought the above items. The blazer is a size 10, skirt is size 12, pants are size 12 and the top is a medium. INSANE. I still have a hard to accepting that I get to shop in that section of stores after years of XL/16s.

FYI my new school’s colors are green and gold – hence the 2 yellow pieces. The job offer letter is in the mail, so it should be public knowledge later this week. Telling my students is going to be hard and bittersweet for sure!

I’ve been trying to hold it in until I sign the actual contract next week, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

On Friday I got offered the job I interviewed for in the DC area earlier this month!

I will be working at George Mason University and start in in late March. They have been super supportive of my Marathon and were flexible with my start date to accommodate that. This position is a step up on the career ladder and with a slightly more academic shift (aka more of a 9-5 job as opposed to my crazy hours).

It feels so good to be WANTED after not getting other jobs in the past. However I feel so at peace with this choice. I’m ready for this move and the timing is truly perfect. It is very bittersweet to leave my current job. I love my coworkers and students, but I am excited to move to a city and be SO MUCH CLOSER to friends and family.

Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers and support. I look forward to this new adventure. Where are my DC/NoVa people at?

*If you know me in real life, please keep the exciting news to yourself until I make a public announcement once it’s all 100% officially official!

LENT

I thought long and hard about what to “give up” for Lent. Some folks suggested I could “take on” something instead.

I contemplated about giving up a food again. Last year I did sweets. However I generally now already try to avoid sweets and soda and a bunch of other things.

I decided I wanted to use this Lenten season to try and create a new habit. So for Lent:

I am giving up SNOOZING my alarm AND will also be adding MAKING my bed to my morning routine.

This morning I did not snooze, however I laid in bed for like 10 minutes, which still made me run behind. So I am updating it to give up SNOOZING and GET out of bed when my alarm goes off in addition to MAKING my bed.

All 3 are good habits. All 3 are good habits I USED TO HAVE. All through High School I made my bed. I even made it pretty regularly in college and grad school. I also NEVER EVER SNOOZED until I started using my cell phone as my alarm as opposed to an alarm clock – which wasn’t until I was out of school. Plus I used to set my alarm for the time I NEEDED to be out of bed. I had no choice but to get up in that moment. Somehow I changed that when I took up snoozing.

I hate starting my day running late, feeling rushed or being behind. I am very excited about this Lenten season!

I’m off to head out for ashes on my lunch break!

(A)Live from New York

I have been a waste of life lately.

I both love and loathe not having a schedule.

I have not run in almost a week.

I did walk 60+ blocks yesterday in NYC.

I’m having major concerns about being marathon ready in March – for a few reasons.

Life is moving both at rapid speed and it’s at a standstill.

I’m planning on recapping my 2010 this week because it has been a year of fresh starts and new beginnings.

2011 is going to be a BIG YEAR, with even more changes in my life, I’m really scared and really excited at the same time.

I love and miss you all, I wish I had better internet at my mom’s to be catching up with what is going on with all of you. xoxo

Dropping Sizes

Ms. Glam I wasn’t sure if you were going to publish these responses, but I found them very comforting. I thought I was a weirdo for not dropping pant sizes faster, but it seems like 15ish pounds was an average.

gut2glam posted this

How many pounds did you lose before you dropped a pant size?

measuringlife answered: 15-20 lbs – which PISSES ME OFF, but thats my body
positiveweightloss answered: Past: lost 50 pounds, no drop. This time, I dropped a pant size after losing around 45 and the next week went down another size.
shrink-wrap answered: 25lbs brought me from 22 to 18
erudylovesyou said: When I lost weight in the first place it was about every 15. 🙂
kristysfoodandfitness answered: I think I went down a pant size after 15 lbs! Seems to be a common answer!
milfitude answered: 15-20 :-/ (but sometimes, albeit rarely, 10 lbs)
crabbypatties said: ~15!
thefuturehealthnut answered: About 25
smaller-n-smaller said: 20?…ish
m-a answered: around 20…I got a big ass 🙂
dianesachunko answered: 10 ish I think. possibly 15…
frecklefaced answered: its different for different people, i have to loose around 15

TYPICAL!!!!!!!!!!!

After living here for 2.5 years I finally meet this boy (whose name is….wait for it….Wiley. I know it’s country, but it TOTALLY SUITS HIM) who is awesome and says things like “There was nothing about you that I didn’t find attractive” – and today I get a phone call from The Parsons New School of Design in NYC in reference to a job I applied to a few weeks ago wanting to setup a phone interview tomorrow.

REALLY WORLD? REALLY?!?!

I still have a stressful work week ahead of me and I’m psuedo running on empty from just a crazy semester in general and I’m tired because I was on the phone with W until waaaaay to late last night.

I know whatever is meant to be will be, but no joke my head might explode.

Due to all my travel/conference craziness I forgot to show you guys my new ‘do. I have some major blonde streaks and my entire underneath layer at the nape of my neck is blonde too. It’s very fun!

Between the hair and my thinner body everyone at the conference keeps telling me how fantastic I look!

**I should probably mention I usually only see these folks at the annual conference and I’ve come a looooong way since last November.**

Life as a Lion!

Reinventing Me

Tonight I took out my industrial cartilage piercing. I got it last November after wanting it since forever. Over the past few weeks I noticed the barbell shifting toward the edge of my ear. I know lots of piercings grow out on their own and I wanted to take it out before there was any major scaring.

I’m sad that it was time to take it out – I really loved having it, but at the same time I see this as an opportunity to make a fresh start and try something new. I spent the past year channeling my inner punk-rock princess, but I think I’m looking forward to channeling my inner athlete/fashionista!

I’ve always been a fan of reinventing myself and this quote comes to mind:“life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.”

Life’s a roller coaster and I am not strapped in…

The past week or so has consisted of this:

I did not get a job offer I (thought) I wanted
I made a rash decision and joined okcupid
I met a guy the old fashioned way
I am signing up for my ½ marathon on 10/3

I love my current job. I do, but living so far from my loved ones has taken a toll on me and I miss city life. So I have been job searching. I actually had two interviews in NY while I was home. After my first interview I withdrew as a candidate – I COULD NOT see myself working there. My second interview had a lot going for it. More money, great location, great job perks (like a free 2 bedroom apartment), new and challenging job responsibilities. For lots of reasons I didn’t let myself think about the parts of the job that would be problematic. Well I was supposed to hear about that job last Friday. I didn’t hear from them and assumed the worst. I also hated NOT KNOWING. I had a lot of things I was putting on hold until I knew if I was staying or leaving. I have a feeling if I got the job I would have taken in it, but in hindsight it’s for the best I’m not leaving. I have a lot of unfinished business here. On Monday I got the call that I didn’t get the job. It stung – I mean nobody likes rejection, but I got up, dusted myself off and look forward to the future.

Back to Friday after I didn’t hear about the job. I made the rash decision to join okcupid. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. I had not even been considering doing so, but some flash of ~~rage? brilliance?~~I don’t exactly know made me do it. I guess if I’m gonna be here for another couple of months, I may as well make the most of it and have fun. Well let me tell you I am apparently a hot commodity – I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m 35 pounds svelter than I used to be. Two guys thus far have really piqued my interest and I actually have a date with one of them on Friday – good for him for cutting to the chase. Why talk to someone for weeks, just to go out and be like “ummm…no.” So we shall see. He’s from the Northeast too…typical. I ALWAYS find the transplants down here to date. Regardless of how anything turns out – it’s been a good self esteem boost.

So Saturday I once again did my monthly closet purge and rediscovered quite a few items of clothing. What I am MOST excited about is my SEAT BELT – BELT that I bought my FRESHMEN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. We’re talking 1997. Well the belt fits better than it ever has and it’s flippin’ awesome. So Saturday night I was judging a talent show on campus and wore cute new (well new to me because they fit) jeans, my seat belt-belt, and just look cute over all. During the talent show I get a text from one of my friends in my improv group inviting me for drinks. I tell her sure and I’ll meet her after the talent show. Well I get to the bar and my friend is at a table with like 10 people. 10 people all with ph.Ds. I should mention my friend is an english professor at the college we work at and she’s out with like the english/theatre department because they all went to some coworkers wedding earlier. The guy sitting next to my friend moved down one so I can sit next to her since I don’t know anyone else. My gosh I was scared of trying to keep up with their ph.D. level conversations (I only have a lowly masters degree). Turns out my fantastic conversational skills and overall intelligence kept me in the loop. Oh and also a number of the people have seen me perform in my improv group and thought I was funny which never hurts. ANYWAY. I end up talking most of the night with the guy who gave me his chair. He is a nerdy-hipster-geek-chic english professor who is SO NOT MY TYPE, but I was intrigued nonetheless. Good conversations. I should also mention most of the table was HAMMERED at this time which was entertaining. I only had 2 glasses of wine (they mind you had been there for a while and drank at a wedding). We all parted ways and I went home and of course looked him up on facebook, but I RESTRAINED myself. Well turns out the next day he friends me and we’ve been messaging a bit. So we shall see.

So now knowing that I’m not moving anytime soon. I am signing up for the Divas Half marathon on 10/3. I am so pumped!!! The weather on Long Island in October should be brisk and lovely – I can’t wait. I’m also glad I’m not moving because I was afraid all the chaos that comes with moving hundreds of miles would derail my running/weight loss. I’m excited to keep up with my routine and stay focused.

I gotta jet…I’m off to my FIRST SPIN CLASS EVER (I’m scared and excited)!!!

Second Job

So money has been really tight lately for reasons I cannot even understand, but I have made many adjustments to my life to free up money. Regardless I was talking to my sister about it and she asked if I thought about getting a second job. I have a freaking master degree and work at a damn college and I need a second job talk about enraging, but I actually have thought about it.

HOWEVER.

I really treat my running and weight loss as my second job. I don’t want to do anything that wold take time from this. For me being fit and healthy is more important that money.

I’m actually job searching at the moment with plans/hopes to move back to northeast. Either NYC (I don’t know if I could be THAT close to my mom), Boston, Baltimore, DC. It’s sad because I do love my job, but I know I can find a job with better money AND be closer to my best friends. I do worry about what a move and change of routine would do to my health and fitness.

I had so much on my mind today that my run was only so-so. Did 5 miles on the treadmill and worked legs with my trainer tonight. Tomorrow I’m heading off to Nashville for my race weekend and I will try not to overly stress about money.