15 Day Challenge [Day 8]

[Day 8] Describe the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of yourself

[The Good]

1. I'm motivated and think I'm actually pretty smart. I got my bachelors degree in Biology with an emphasis in cellular and molecular biology and graduated with honors. Being the person to set class curves, ace tests, remember tiny details, and learn more than needed has always been something I take a lot of pride in for myself. I'm actually one of those people who loves school, no lie, and I can't wait to go back!

2. I'm not the type of person to hold grudges, gossip or cause problems that are unnecessary. Maybe it's because I delt with that too much in high school (but I guess who didn't) or maybe it's because I'm just not that type of person. I'm much more happy sitting quietly to myself, possibly chatting with those around me rather than getting into a big argument over things that don't matter. I'll never be the one to argue with you at dinner about politics, critique publically other people's life decisions or make things into a big deal. 

[The Bad]

1. I don't wash my hair every day. Eeek! It's official and out in blog land now so there's no taking it back. Thankfully my work is a jeans and t-shirt type of place and I'm usually having to put my hair in a pony-tail or braid anyways. I've found that my hair actually gets greasier and more hard to manage the more that I wash it. I tried the hip baking soda/tea tree oil/apple cider vinegar hair routine once and wasn't sold but I'm thinking of trying it again.

2. I'm terrified of horses, with absolutely no reason behind it. I never got bucked off one as a kid or had any experience with them that was negative. I just plainly don't like them. Supposedly I rode a donkey when I was little (too little to remember) and I'm told that nothing bad happened. But my dislike of them goes to the point that I'll cross the stree if a horse-drawn carriage is in the street or I'll avoid certain parts of Sea World/the fair to make certain I don't go within 50 yards of one.

[The Ugly]

1. I have a pretty hard time admitting that I'm wrong. This may or may not have something to do with [The Good] #1. There have even been times that I wished I could take back my previous opinions about something but haven't just because I didn't want to say, "okay you were right and I was wrong". Don't worry though, this is something I'm constanly working on.

2. I check social media (ie Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Instagram, Pinterest) at least a couple dozen times a day. It's absolutely ridiculous and I admit that. Between having it all linked up on my phone and having a computer at work that doesn't block anything, it's like free access to crack or something I swear. There will be times that I check them all and nothing NOTHING is different from the last time I was one. I'm thinking that I need to do some sort of intervention/unplugging soon. 

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly [V4]

[The Good]

1. Progress with our wedding is in full swing and I couldn't be more excited. Between buying shoes that will hopefully be perfect with my dress, sending out Save the Dates on Monday, bridesmaids going shopping for their dresses soon, and working on a gift registry for a shower in the fall, this wedding really is starting to become real. Thanks to The Knot for keeping track for me, we are officially in the hundreds (198) for days until the BIG DAY and I'm loving every minute of it.

2. J and I have been hitting the gym hard in the last few months and I am pretty proud. (definitely more of him than of myself but hey!) We joined a small gym by our house and it seems to be the perfect place for us. It's not huge in the sense that it's always crowded and no one's friendly but not too small either because there are still classes for me to take and plently of equipment to go around. We're motivated by the wedding and figured it was time to start now. My goal was to get into better shape in general and have more muscle but in the process I've lost around 5 lbs so far. J is the impressive one though and has lost close to 50lbs! I am so, so proud of him and so happy that he is living a healthy and active lifestyle. Now I really can't wait to see him in that tux!

3. My poppies are finally blooming and I absolutely love them! It took way longer than I thought for them to actually start making flowers but they're here now and they're the perfect shade of orange and every day I swear there's another 10 flowers blooming out there. And to think they just grew from seeds from Home Depot! Maybe I do have a bit of a green thumb. Let's hope my newly planted herbs do as well.

[The Bad]

1. Application cycle is in full swing again this summer which means lots of writing, talking about myself, editing, editing and more editing, stress and hoping that this time I will finally be on my way to med school. It's been a long process getting to this point and I'm hoping that I have what it takes this time around. Finding the motivation after a full day at work and an hour at the gym is definitely tough but I just have to keep telling myself it's all worth it in the end.

2. June Gloom is in full effect here in San Diego and I'm already over it. For some reason living closer to the ocean sets the onset of summer back a ways. While other people back home are enjoying 80 and 90 degree weather, we've had fog, sprinkling rain and 60's. I was cold enough in work today that I went to my car to get my sweatshirt this morning. I'm ready for summer, hitting the beach, starting on my tan and enjoying fruity drinks! (Not that I'll have time for all that but I can dream, right?) This bev is definitely one of the first ones I want to make soon...

Source: delightfully-tacky.com via Jayme on Pinterest

[The Ugly]

1. Yesterday I had one of the most horrible doctors appointments of my life. I had to go in for a regular physical and some standard tests and left the office crying. I will admit that I did go into the office a little crabby hesitant because of problems I've had connecting my medical records from Colorado to California but the Nurse Practitioner I had my appointment with was horrible. She told me I couldn't have certain things done "because I wasn't using the health system like I was supposed to" and it wasn't her fault I wasn't responsible. She refused to give me tests because "why would someone your age need them?" She wouldn't listen to what I had to say, didn't care when I told her about previous symptoms I've had and left the room after saying "well I guess we're done here". I was completely and utterly shocked.

2. The raccoons are in full force around our house lately. After something got attacked by them Sunday night, we've been taking note of any and all commotion in the back yard. Well we finally saw them all; momma and her four babies. And boy is she mean! J went out on the patio to look at them and she froze in her tracks and gave him a look like she meant business. They're kinda hard to see since I was trying to take pictures at 10pm in the dark, with scary raccoons hissing at me and a dog that just wanted to get out and play with them but if you look closely you can see all four babies to the right of momma! Normally I don't care about things like this but raccoons can be so nasty that I definitely don't like having them around.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly [V3]

[The Good]

1. We are one step closer to booking a venue for our wedding. This past weekend, amidst the 20+ inches of snow that blanketed Denver, J's and my mom visited a few of our top locations for us. I was able to narrow it down to a few places based on what we could see online, pricing and availability but you can't really get the full effect and ambiance of a place unless you actually see it. The moms are currently making their decisions and there will be a secret vote for how the sites rank soon. Even though we have quite some time to plan still I can't help but be excited to get a venue and date set in stone.

2. About 2 weeks ago I made the biggest purchase of my life. I am now the proud owner of a 2012 Honda Civic. My old car, Ruby, was a 1997 2-door Saturn with over 160,000 miles. She made this squealing noise most of the time, her dome light was falling out, the automatic windows always rolled down but not always up.... needless to say she was a little bit on the rough side and I needed an upgrade. Well J and I went to a couple dealerships one rainy Saturday, with no intent on buying anything, and we drove home in the new car! 

[The Bad]

1. It's been dreary and cloudy all day and literally as I type this it's started raining. I am seriously NOT a fan of the rain. The cold or the snow I'm totally fine with. But the rain, y-u-c-k! There's no way to avoid getting wet in it, it makes people in San Diego drive like they only have one eye, and it makes me completely and utterly unproductive.

2. I've been trying to get more motivated lately to be active and start working out again. I downloaded the RunKeeper app through the Android market that uses GPS to track your route, pace and elevation. I updated my account on MyFitnessPal and I've been pinning "at home workouts" since we don't have a membership to a gym. However, I just can't seem to get in the groove of working out right now. My ultimate goal is to be in better shape and have more muscle tone (not necessarily weight loss) so it's hard to get motivated to run instead of eating a second piece of chocolate. I'm hoping that the longer days and better weather that's to come in the spring months will help but for now I could use a Jillian Michaels of sorts.

[The Ugly]

1. J is going back to CO this coming weekend to visit his family. I've subtely mentioned a couple of times that we've been needing more prayers and positive thoughts since the holidays and his trip home has to do with this. I realize that I am being totally vague every time I mention this but there's a lot of privacy and personal details that I don't want to share and I want to respect J's family (and my new family). My side of the family is seriously small and I cherish the fact that I'll be gaining so much in this arena by marrying into this new family. Basically what it boils down to is a pretty sick relative and J wanting to spend some quality time in CO.

Want to see more of [The Good, The Bad, The Ugly]?

• Version 1
• Version 2

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly [V2]

I'm back with the second [The Good, The Bad, The Ugly] feature I've started on the bloggy. Missed the first? Check it out here.

[The Good]

1. Today was my last day of class for undergrad ever! I can not believe the day has come! I will officially be done with finals in approximately 9 days (next Thursday) and will be graduating in 10 days (next Friday)! My announcements are going in the mail this afternoon and I have ideas spinning in my head about how to decorate my graduation cap.

2. This past weekend was J's birthday and we had some amazing friends in town. We spent time at the beach, got sunburnt, played doubles tennis, drank adult beverages, ate yummy food, went downtown and celebrated good friends and great memories.

3. I have decided to start in on my own "getting healthy" plan and today is day 1. I'm starting the Special K Challenge because, well, I love their stuff, obviously. You eat cereal and snack bars and protein shakes during the day and then have a regular meal for dinner. But knowing myself and my random food cravings, I'm combining this with calorie counting because I know I'll want a banana or chips or something in between the Special K items. I'm also going to try and hit up the gym more frequently now that I don't have class which will add extra to the plan. We'll see how I am in two weeks!

[The Bad]

1. With the end of the semester comes the dreaded finals! Dun dun dun! I have three exams next week and thankfully I'm not too stressed about them at this point. None are cumulative which decreases the stress but also gives me NO motivation to actually study for them. Hopefully I can dig down deep and conquer my last undergraduate battle.

2. I mentioned in the GBU post that I was nominated to be the Outstanding Biology Graduate at commencement. I'm sad to say, though, that I did not receive the award. I knew it was a competitive award and I'm sure whoever won deserves it beyond belief but I can't help but think I wish it was me.

3. There are so many things going on in my life right now that I feel like I have to time for anything. Now I am very thankful that some of these things are positive things (like working to make some money) but I can't stop racking my brain about what else needs to happen in the next 10 days. The list goes on and on. Study, clean the apartment, go grocery shopping, contact med schools, go to work, do laundry, prepare a graduation party menu..... (See I told you it was long). However, this does make the finish line of the next 10 days that much sweeter.

[The Ugly]

1. I still have not heard any news in the med school arena. I am still on the alternate list at two schools and am constantly getting anxiety when I receive an email to a certain email address or a phone call from a number I don't recognize. May 15th is a big day on the application-process-front and I just hope that the sooner it gets to that day the better my odds get to hearing good news. Please cross your fingers for me.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Today I'm mixing it up a bit and categorizing my life as of recently. Because we all know that I'm OCD and organization is one of my best friends (along with Office Depot, color coordination and alphabetizing) I figured this would be a fun way for you to see into my life.

[The Good]

1. I was recently nominated to be recognized as the Outstanding Biology Graduate at our commencement ceremony in May. They called me into the advising office and gave me an envelope. I was sorta worried they were going to tell me I missed a requirement or something crazy so I was extremely surprised to be given such a nomination. Now with my entry essay completed I have to wait and hope that they pick me!

2. Speaking of graduation, it is surely fast approaching. According to my good friends convenient iPhone countdown app I think we're at less than 35 days. I picked up my cap and gown on Tuesday and even decided to take advantage of the photo session they were holding for free. Can't pass up a "no sitting fee" opportunity can I?

3. I will be graduating manga cum laude *happydance* and hopefully (if I can get a 4.0 this semester) it will be summa cum laude! I can't even begin to believe that undergrad is almost over and on top of it that I might be graduating with honors.

4. J and I have started playing tennis together in the evenings and we are loving it. It was a random purchase to get the rackets but we are definitely glad we did. I am not very good at this point but we just play for fun and for good exercise. I'm really happy we have something fun to do together.

[The Bad]

1. I received notice in the mail the other day saying that I was again placed on another alternate list for acceptance into medical school. This time it was for Creighton University instead of University of Colorado. I'm feeling a little more discouraged this time around since these are my only two options left for school for the fall. I'm definitely not giving up because I still have a chance but it's definitely not a good feeling. Fingers crossed those with acceptances choose to go to other schools.

2. I have volunteering tonight, work on Saturday and most likely work on Sunday as well. The worst part of it is that we are having fabulous weather in San Diego right now. 70's and sunshine and the last place I want to be is inside.

[The Ugly]

1. Yesterday while standing chatting with a few friends on campus I was suddenly hit in the ankle with some idiots skateboard. He tried to slow down, jumped off the board and it went shooting across the ground only to stop when it hit me full force. Hard. I followed the incident by telling him "that's why they don't allow skateboarding on campus!" and didn't try to hide my disgust for him. He said sorry, walked away and I limped the whole rest of the night, seriously.

2. Gas prices are ridiculous in San Diego right now. I paid $40 to put 9.5 gallons of gas into my car the other day. That amounts to $4.15 a gallon! And my car gets at least 29 mpg still... I couldn't imagine what I'd feel like if I drove a truck right now.