That is right. It is done. The defense went well. I definitely didn’t over-prepare and it was not easy in the least bit, but it is done. I know they could have been harder on me. But it is done! The scariest part—they asked me to continue you on for a ph.d. I need a bit of time before I would even consider that! But no matter what, that is flattering. It obviously was pretty good if they thought it was worth of a dissertation.
I didn’t even really know what day it was today…I see it is the 14th now. I know it is Tuesday, but it doesn’t feel like Tuesday. I have absolutely ZERO grasp on reality right now. Let me see if I can recap the past few days of my life…they definitely went by in a blur.
Friday
We left work around 4:30-5ish, drove home, packed and headed to Blacksburg. I studied the whole way down there…made the ride go VERY quickly! We stopped at Sheetz and I got a sandwich for dinner. Once we got to Blacksburg, I tried to have a glass of wine but it just didn’t do anything for me. I was just too stressed for most of Friday to do a lot of eating. (Don’t worry, I have made up for that.)
Saturday
I woke up early Saturday morning and worked on my presentation. I had a nice bowl of oats while I was studying. Plain oats made with 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of kashi go lean on top.
Once my siblings and everyone else in the house started waking up, my mother made them breakfast. When I saw what it was, I couldn’t turn it down (despite not really being hungry.)
A waffle with fresh strawberries and whip cream!
Now that everyone was awake in the house, I had to leave to go study some where else. I put on workout clothes and went for a run first on the Huckleberry Trail, which is my favorite place to run in the whole wide world. I just know the trail like the back of my hand and can really relax and enjoy the moment when I am out on it.
I did 2 miles out and 2 miles back in about 38 minutes. My first mile I ran in 8:08! That is just crazy! I definitely need to relearn the whole concept of pacing myself!
After running, I went to Mill Mountain Coffee and studied for about 3 hours. I had a few pots of tea
and some chocolate covered coffee beans
then Justin came into town and met me for a late lunch. And I didn’t care at all what I ate…I wanted comfort and enjoyement and I definitely got that at Suovlakis. I got a gyro
and had a beer
Then I went back to studying for a few hours. I finally went home and showered and the whole family went out to eat at Bull & Bones
I got an appetizer of the sampler. Every restaurant should have an appetizer that is beer only!
The beer actually wasn’t all that good.
I got a big salad with grilled salmon for my entree.
I got seated next to my little neice who was eating my croutons and tomatoes…dipping them in my ranch. Then she began just sticking her fingers in my ranch and licking them. A girl from my own heart–loves her condiments!
Sunday
Easter, easter, easter. We got up and went to church, then headed home. I went for a run pretty soon after church. Another 4 miler, same route. I took my brother’s dog with me this time though. I love having a dog with me when I run and Echo is a fabulous running dog!
I think I went a little slower. Then I picked up my sister in law from her dorm on campus and took her to my parents for Easter dinner. There were a ton of people at my mom’s for easter. We ate well and then Justin and I left around 5. I slept for some of the ride and then got home. Had a bowl of soup, a beer and tried to get some sleep.
Monday
I woke up as late as possible, studied for a bit, then went for a run. 40 minutes, so did a bit more than 4 miles. I averaged 9:19 a mile. Then I took a bath to relax. Studied some more. Then Justin came and got me, we ate lunch in Tyson’s and then headed over for my defense.
An hour and a half (it was SHORT!) later, I was done. We went to get a celebratory beer and then had dinner at the Chart House in Alexandria on the waterfront. They had maybe the best clam chowder I’ve ever tried
I had the sea bass for my entree, which was wonderful. Their sides were nothing to write home about though. Then we left, went and picked up my present from Justin (he is so sweet and thoughtful!) then got home and sat on the couch and enjoyed the feeling of relief!
Tuesday
I woke up today feeling SO STRESS-FREE. It was amazing. I had already told work I would be coming in late, so I wanted to get some chores done and enjoy my new found freedom! It is raining outside, so I decided to head to the gym.
I had this on the way out the door. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical alternating 2 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy.
Then I stopped by Weggies for our weekly groceries. Once I got home I was starving for lunch. Justin had worked from home also this morning, so I made us sandwiches.
I had a veggie sandwich with hummus and a (almost too ripe) pear on the side. So wonderful
I brought this for an afternoon snack, some kefir
with some banana nut cheerios
We are doing dinner tonight at the in-laws.
Calories so far today:499 cals
Today is a NEW START TO LIFE!
Okay, so on to my new mind set. I want to encompass and embody this feeling of relaxation for as long as possible. I don’t want work to start stressing me out. It is work, it is what I do to pay my bills. I am not allowing it to affect my daily life.
My weight–it is something I am working on but where I am right now is something I just need to accept and embrace. If I can lose weight, then wonderful and I need to enjoy to process. I can’t let me current weight determine my mind set or if I am going to enjoy life or participate in certain things. It is what it is and it isn’t going to negatively affect me anymore.
I am going to try and be a happier, more relaxed person from here on out. Yes, I finished my thesis yesterday but being done has given me a new outlook on life that I need to embrace. Life is short, enjoy the journey and be happy. Today is the first day without my thesis but more than that, it is the first day of implementing this new outlook on life. Why not start now?
I will keep calorie counting and I am aiming to still lose weight. And guess what, I am no longer going to keep my stats a secret. They are what they are and if I stay here forever, then so be it. I need to be happy with who I am. I haven’t weighed myself since last week and I probably won’t weigh myself until next week. I am only going to weigh myself once a week from here on out.
The weight I was last Thursday was 142 lbs. That is high for me. I don’t like that. I want to weigh less because I am happier with myself. I want to lose weight because it does make me happier. I will be working towards it. My goal weight is 132 but my happy range is 130-135.
My goal calories is between 1300-1350 during the week and 1700-1750 on Friday & Saturday. If I go over, I am not allowed to try and make up the difference the next day.
I will take off AT LEAST one day a week from working out. I need to enjoy working out again, not see it as a chore. If I want to go after work (seeing I don’t have my thesis anymore!!!) to lift, then I can…if I don’t want to, I don’t have to. My workout life needs to be something I do for enjoyment and release not for calorie burn.
And here are the updates on the 10 Week Challenge. Please send me your updates!
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