A Year In Reflection

Tomorrow is the 31st of December (already!), which means that another year is coming to a close and it's time to reflect on all that's happened.

2010 has definitely had it's up's and downs, firsts and possibly lasts, crazy adventures and boring days.

.......But overall it's been a good year.

When the year first began I was at Northwestern Michigan College, living with my parents, in Traverse City, working, spending my down time sitting around, stressed out, and dreaming of big things.

I officially typed out my "bucket list" and started crossing off items.....or tried (such as attempting to learn to skateboard and play the guitar)

I spent days on end laughing with my friends Chelsea and Sandy

I lost a friend to drunk driving.....please don't ever get in a car after you or anyone else who may be driving has been drinking, this can be prevented!

I finished my 2nd year of college

I traveled by train to NYC with my friend Gabby

I finally got teeth

I watched sunsets on the dunes

I painted in the open space

I slacklined

I ended my life as a teenager....aka turned 20

I went to the casino for the first time

I transferred to Western Michigan University

I moved to Kalamazoo

I started working out again

I began running more

I hated Western......now I love it

I met new people, made new friends

I put myself in new situations

I cried

I ran my first 5K

I finished my first semester at WMU with above a 3.5 

I took time to appreciate the people and the world around me

and now it's time to celebrate every moment!!!!

2010, you're been good.....

but I have high hopes for 2011

Hope everyone has fun New Years Eve plans! I'll be hanging with my friends and most likely freezing downtown TC watching a giant cherry drop from the sky.....woooohooo

Accents

I've always had this big weakness for accents. I realize that to other people in the world or different parts of the country I have an accent.....but it's just not as cool. I'm utterly fascinated by the concept of speech and the way language and words are formed. I remember trying to make my own language with my friend when we were younger, but it was really more of assigning random words to concepts we already knew, instead of actually building a legit language. It was more of a secret code.....and I don't think we ever used it (oh the things we do for entertainment when we're young). 

But seriously, there are only a few things a man has to do in order to move himself up on the attractiveness scale, in my opinion. 

1. Have an accent
2. Be able to sing, or play an instrument
3. Make me laugh
4. Be able to grow a killer mustache or facial hair of sort

Someday I will find a man who can sing and play a funny song on guitar in an accent who has sweet facial hair and I will marry him. (lol)

This greatly explains my love for Charlie Mcdonnell.......

Which also takes me to my obsession with British people... I just basically want to be one. I don't know how this came about. One day I just decided that I really wanted to move to London.....and I told EVERYONE! It's kind of embarrassing to look back and realize that I told a church full of people that it was my goal after graduation to move to London, England. I've gotten plenty of questions on the matter.... I've never even left the country yet visited Europe to know if I even like the city. I'm also a big fan of the sun.....so after further consideration I feel like overcast, dreary skied, often rainy London would not be a good place for me. But I find England's history fascinating and love exploring other cultures. When my mom asked me why London a few years ago all I could answer was.... "well I want to move to Europe, but I'm too lazy to learn a different language, so I figure I should move to where they already speak English." Sometimes I'm silly, because at this point in my life I would love to be submerged in another culture where I'm forced to adapt.....like learning their language. Plus I just want to start using English terms......such as Mum, bloody, blooming, mate, chaps, rubbish, bob's your uncle, loo, mobile, telly, and other words that sound ridiculously awesome.

Other accents I love are Australian and Scottish.

Have you ever dreamed of having a certain accent?

Playing Catch-Up

Cliche Warning:

I've been so busy living my life I haven't had time to tell you about it.......

(sorry about that....I did warn you.)

It is true though.....I haven't updated in a while and I realized I needed to just jump into it today.

To catch you all up on my life...... I finished my first semester at Western and have been home for about 2 weeks now. I had a wonderful Christmas and I hope everyone else did too. On Christmas Eve my family had our annual dinner (quiche, asparagus, yummy orange jell-o my mom always makes), got all dressed up and headed to church for the special Christmas Eve service, went for a drive around downtown to admire all the beautiful holiday lights, and came home to new pajamas! (Does anyone else get Christmas pajamas every year?) My family holds our traditions strong and have probably been doing all of those events in order since my birth....seriously. 

Every year there's this point at the end of the church service where a light is passed around the whole congregation so that everyone is holding a lit candle and we all sing Silent Night. Don't get me wrong this has always been my favorite part of the whole experience, but my anxiety sky rockets. There are so many things that could go wrong! Think about it......little kids and old people with candles.....old people's hands shake (not a good condition for holding open flames in an old building made of a bunch of wood), and little kids most often can't sit still let alone be trusted with fire. I also have this irrational fear that someone will light my hair on fire. I know I sound crazy, but it's the truth. I shared this thought with my family this year who all just proceeded to laugh and make fun of me (typical). When we took our seats in the balcony, a family sat down behind us....and of course a little squirmy girl was directly behind me (who my brother kept reassuring me would light my hair on fire by the end of the night). Luckily nothing bad happened and I managed to escape with a full head of hair. 

Christmas morning, my family woke up and opened stocking at my house before packing into the car and traveling the empty streets to my grandparents house (another family tradition). We ate breakfast, opened stockings and gifts, laughed a lot, ate more food, and gathered around at the end of the day to watch Julie & Julia. My family always picks a movie (usually one that was received that day) to watch during dinner. This year my grandparents were given a Blue-Ray player, thus we had to try out a new blue-ray movie (holy clear picture!) I love technology sometimes! I got some new UGGs (yay), which I needed because my old ones had no fuzz left in them and were gouging the back of my ankle. I also got things like socks and a coffee maker, and more stuff that I'm not going to take the time to list but am very thankful for. I can't wait to try out my iPod arm band holder next time I run....it'll be so much nicer than holding it the whole time.

(what was your favorite Christmas gift this year?)

In the last couple of days I've been relaxing.....eating leftovers, sleeping in, playing Xbox Kinect games with my family, watching Doctor Who and hanging out with my long lost friends Samantha and Gabby. Yesterday, I finally tried out the free week of classes at Yen Yoga and Fitness I received in my Turkey Trot race packet. Sam and I planned on going to Power Yoga at 11:45 but were running a little late, so we decided to go to Vinyasa I/II Yoga at noon instead. I loved Yen's atmosphere and decor. Tucked in right downtown Traverse City, the inside is fresh and mellow, just the perfect place to relax. The classrooms were small but nice and slightly heated which felt great....I want to test out their Hot Yoga sometime this week as well. It felt good to do some yoga after all the stress of the end of semester/holiday. The class flowed nicely and was the gentle stretch I needed to get back into the swing. The only downside of the class was my slippery mat. I brought my own mat to class that I got last year for Christmas, but my hands and feet kept sliding out from where I placed them and I could barely stay in downward dog for more than 3 breathes. :( Overall though I felt great after and can't wait for another class.

So busy

I've been so busy lately getting ready for today that I haven't updated a whole lot.

but I thought I should get on and say.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!


I hope everyone has a wonderful day with their families, and as always be thankful for what we already have around us.

Monday Surprises

A few weeks ago while talking to my friend Chelsea on the phone, we decided that we both wanted to surprise our friend Sandy at work sometime while we were home. Chelsea, Sandy, and I used to all work together at Munson Home Health. Chelsea and I were both student workers and even had class together at NMC. As you know, I took the leap and ventured down to Kalamazoo this year.....leaving behind my friends and coworkers. While Chelsea took a leap of her own, she left Michigan all together and moved to North Carolina to be with her then fiance, Nick, who's in the army. This last Friday while at home Chelsea and Nick went to the court house and officially became husband and wife! Congrats to the happy couple!!!!

Girls Night right before my last day of work (from left to right..Chelsea, Me, and Sandy)

Chelsea and I planned on showing up to work and stealing Sandy away for lunch. We didn't want her to know about our plan, so Chelsea didn't tell her when she'd be in town and I made sure our movie plans came after the big surprise. We decided to show up at 11:30 in order to have time to talk to everyone and catch up. We even managed to attract a big crowd, while still staying hidden from Sandy. Everyone wanted to hear about Chelsea's big day and get the scoop on my college experience. I didn't realize just how much I missed work and all my former co-workers until I was back in the building. It was so nice to see everyone and I can't wait to visit again!

Finally we made our way over toward Sandy's cubical and she was plenty surprised....mission complete! Unfortunately, she had already made plans with her mother for lunch.....not acceptable. So she called her quick and asked if she could ditch and come with us. I felt a little bad about ruining their lunch, but not enough to take no for an answer. I miss seeing Sandy everyday, talking to her about anything and everything, she always has the best advice, and ALWAY laughing together. I swear I don't laugh as much anymore without seeing Chelsea and Sandy everyday.

Chelsea.....Winston Santiago Santana(Winnie)

Sandy goofing off during girls night.....we all were on a sugar high that night

Lunch proceeded at Don's Drive In. We were all craving burgers, fries and chocolate milk shake......and boy did they deliver. Too bad my brother wasn't there to make my shake though.....he always makes them perfect. We discussed our lives and brought up old memories. I asked Sandy how her training was going for the half marathon. I need motivation, now that I'm home I've started to get lazy and haven't worked out in almost a week. I need to burn off all those calories I've been scarfing down. Non cafeteria food is amazing! Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a work out in on the treadmill, and some Christmas shopping done.

Kloosterman Family Christmas

Kloosterman Family Christmas on Sunday was great!
Food was yummy. There was a breakfast casserole, french toast, potatoes, and lots of goodies.
I can't believe how many little ones are running around now. I love babies!

Missed my dad being there.....he was for a little while, but didn't stay very long. I think he's finally getting better.

Of course I had lots of fun with my cousin Ariana

She's a goof ball

but we love her anyway

And my cousin Josh's girlfriend, Meghan, was there to meet the whole family (brave!)

I got my cousins Ali, Lauren, and Ari all thread for friendship bracelets.....hope they enjoy making them as much as I do! Ari got footy pajamas from my grandma. Only she would ask for big red sock puppet pajamas. 

The first picture was a failure because my brother got in the way

The second was better....kinda lol

And grandma gave me.....a memory card reader for my camera! So now I can FINALLY upload all the pictures that are still on from the beginning of summer. I can also start uploading more pictures to my blog posts :)

Up and Coming

Tomorrow morning is my Dad's side of the family Christmas Party....
my family has been making goodies, wrapping gifts, and running around town all day. It always seems like there's so much to do last minute. I love this time of year and can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!

But, bad news.....turns out my dad is sick! uh oh.....

I will not get sick!
I will not get sick...
I will not get sick.....
I WILL NOT GET SICK!!!

seriously.....I have so much planned in the next couple of days that I CAN NOT get sick. I have stuff to do and places to go and people to see.....and this would ruin everything. So I'm saying it now, I will not get sick. I will drink my tea and take my vitamins and use the power of positive thinking.

Hope everyone else has a happy and healthy holiday season!

My Way Through the "250 Top Movies..."

I've been trying to make my way through IMDb's Top 250 Movies for a while now and still have quite a few movies to go. I won't cross a movie off the list until I've seen the whole thing, watching a little bit here and there does not count in my book. At a young age, I developed this love of movies. Everything in movies worked out well and they were like an escape from real life (not that my life in any way needed escaping). I always wanted to dress up and look like the beautiful actresses. It wasn't until I got to be a little older that I started really appreciating older movies. I remember loving the way actor's and actresses seemed so much more poise and glamorous back in the day. And you can't forget the way everyone seemed to be amazing singers and dancers as well. My love of movies grows every time I find a new treasure, like opening a present on Christmas morning. Anyway.......

Here's the full list of IMDb's Top 250 Movies
(The movies I've seen are all crossed out)

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. The Godfather ....I tried....and failed.
3. The Godfather: Part II
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
5. Pulp Fiction
6. Inception....Pay attention.
7. Schindler's List....My teacher made us watch this in 7th grade English and I don't think I've ever seen so many people cry during one class. The tears.
8. 12 Angry Men
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
10. The Dark Knight
11. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back  ....Grew up with these because my Mom loves them.
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
13. Seven Samurai
14. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
15. Goodfellas
16. Casablanca....Here's looking at you, kid.
17. Fight Club....I'm not supposed to talk about it, it's one of the rules.
18. City of God
19. The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring.....oh Frodo.
20. Rear Window
21. Once Upon a Time In the West... This movie was too slow for me.
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark
23. Toy Story 3
24. Psycho
25. The Usual Suspects
26. The Matrix
27. The Silence of the Lambs....I'm sorry this is one of my favorite movies. Is that weird?
28. Se7en....Ew. I was so creeped out watching this movie, plus it reinforced my fear of Kevin Spacey.
29. It's a Wonderful Life....Classic.
30. Memento
31. The Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers
32. Sunset Boulevard.... Her face at the end.
33. Dr Stangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
34. Forrest Gump....She tastes like cigarettes.
35. Leon: The Professional....I liked this movie more than I was expecting.
36. Citizen Kane
37. Apocalypse Now
38. North by Northwest
39. American Beauty.... This has become one of my all time favorite movies.
40. American History X
41. Taxi Driver....Dude Robert de Niro was HOT in this movie.
42. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
43. Saving Private Ryan
44. Vertigo....Again I've tried, but I got distracted.
45. Amelie
46. Alien
47. WALL-E
48. Lawrence of Arabia
49. The Shining.....This movie really isn't that scary as much as it's almost humorous, but I was still curled up in a ball under my blanket watching it. Jack Nicholson scares the bejeezus out of me!
50. Spirited Away
51. Paths of Glory
52. A Clockwork Orange
53. Double Indemntity
54. The Pianist
55. To Kill a Mockingbird
56. The Lives of Others
57. The Departed
58. M
59. City Lights
60. Aliens
61. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind....I will never look at Jim Carrey the same ever again. This movie is amazing.
62. Requiem for a Dream....Another one of my all time favorite depressing movies.
63. Das Boot
64. The Third Man
65. LA Confidential 
66. Reservoir Dogs
67. Chinatown
68. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
69. Modern Times
70. Life is Beautiful
71. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
72. Back the the Future
73. The Prestige
74. Pan's Labyrinth
75. Raging Bull
76. Cinema Paradiso
77. Singin' in the Rain
78. Some Like it Hot
79. Bridge Over the River Kwai
80. Rashomon
81. All About Eve
82. Amadeus....Omg his voice!
83. Once Upon a Time in America
84. The Green Mile
85. Full Metal Jacket
86. 2001: Space Odyssey
87. Inglorious Bastards.....I actually loved this movie.
88. The Great Dictator
89. Braveheart
90. Bicycle Thieves
91. The Apartment
92. Up
93. Downfall
94. Gran Torino
95. Metropolis
96. The Sting
97. Gladiator
98. The Maltese Falcon
99. Unforgiven
100. The Elephant Man
101. Sin City
102. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.....Jimmy Stewart :)
103. Oldboy
104. On the Waterfront....Yes young Brando, yes.
105. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
106. Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
107. Rebecca
108. The Great Escape
109. Die Hard
110. Batman Begins
111. Princess Mononoke
112. Jaws....I watched this for the first time outside by the bay at the TC film fest....good memories.
113. Hotel Rwanda
114. Slumdog Millionaire
115. The Seventh Seal
116. Blade Runner
117. Fargo
118. No Country for Old Men
119. Heat
120. The General
121. The Wizard of Oz....My favorite movie when I was little. I used to watch this every time I was sick (or really all the time in general). 
122. Touch of Evil
123. For a few Dollars More
124. Ran
125. Yojimbo
126. District 9
127. Snatch
128. The Sixth Sense
129. Witness for the Prosecution
130. Annie Hall
131. Donnie Darko....JAKE! Such a good/mind blowing movie.
132. Wild Strawberries
133. The Deer Hunter
134. Cool Hand Luke
135. Avatar.....I liked the visual effects, but I didn't really like anything else about this movie.
136. Strangers on a Plane
137. Grave of the Fireflies
138. The Big Lebowski
139. High Noon
140. Kill Bill: Vol 1
141. The Social Network
142. It Happened One Night
143. Platoon
144. The Lion King
145. Into the Wild....AMAZING MOVIE! I balled my eyes out at the end though.
146. There Will Be Blood
147. Notorious
148. Million Dollar Baby
149. Toy Story.....Childhood :)
150. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
151. Black Swan....Dancers can be crazy.
152. Gone with the Wind.....I'm so jealous of all her dresses in the beginning of this movie.
153. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
154. The Manchurian Candidate
155. The Wrestler
156. Trainspotting
157. Ben-Hur
158. Scarface
159. The Grapes of Wrath....Gah don't even get me started.
160. The Big Sleep
161. The Graduate
162. Groundhog Day
163. The Gold Rush
164. Life of Brian
165. The Bourne Ultimatum
166. Finding Nemo....I wish I could speak whale.
167. Amores Perros
168. The Terminator
169. Stand By Me
170. How to Train Your Dragon---- So cute! I want a pet dragon.
171. The Best Years of Our Lives
172. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
173. The Thing
174. The Kid....I've seen the new one
175. Casino
176. V for Vendetta
177. Twelve Monkeys
178. Dog Day Afternoon
179. The Secret in their Eyes
180. Ratatouille
181. Ikiru
182. The Wages of Fear
183. Gandhi.....I love Gandhi, but this movie was too long and boring. It probably didn't help that I was watching it for a high school History class either.
184. Star Trek
185. Diabolique
186. 8 1/2
187. The Princess Bride....Hahaha
188. The Night of the Hunter
189. Judgement of Nuremberg
190. The Incredibles
191. My Neighbor Totoro
192. The Hustler
193. Good Will Hunting....How 'bout them apples.
194. The Killing
195. In Bruges
196. The Wild Bunch
197. Network
198. A Streetcar Named Desire
199. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
200. La Strada
201. The 400 Blows
202. The Exorcist
203. Children of Men
204. Stalag 17
205. Persona
206. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
207. The Battle of Algiers
208. Ed Wood
209. Dial M for Murder
210. Let the Right One In
211. All Quiet on the Western Front....I had to watch this in 10th grade History as well.
212. Big Fish
213. The Passion of Joan of Arc
214. Magnolia
215. Rocky
216. Kind Hearts and Coronets
217. Fanny and Alexander
218. Mary and Max... So, so, so good.
219. Mystic River
220. Barry Lyndon
221. Manhattan
222. Kill Bill: Vol 2
223. Rosemary's Baby
224. Patton
225. Duck Soup
226. The Celebration
227. Kick-Ass
228. Letters from Iwo Jima
229. Roman Holiday
230. In the Mood for Love
231. The Truman Show
232. Infernal Affairs
233. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl...,'Ello Poppet!
234. Howl's Moving Castle
235. Crash....Never thinking of guns the same way again.
236. Harvey
237. Three Colors: Red
238. Arsenic and Old Lace
239. His Girl Friday....I wanted to like this movie but Cary Grant's character was so annoyingly manipulative.
240. Nights of Cabiria
241. The Philadelphia Story
242. A Christmas Story.....Can I just say that I was terrified of licking anything cold after this movie because I thought I'd get my tongue stuck to it.
243. Sleuth
244. King Kong
245. Rope
246. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring
247. Monsters, Inc
248. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
249. Castle in the Sky
250. Mulholland Dr......This was weird and I was sort of confused the whole movie.

Like I said before...many of the movies I've seen but not the whole thing, just bits and pieces here and there. Hopefully I'll make a bigger dent in the list over winter break. I've never even heard of half of these movies.

-88 out of 250 as of 10/17/14

Life and Other Things

I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE DAY OF THE SEMESTER!!!!
2 Exams down and 2 more to go!

(So I should probably be spending this time working on my exams.....but really who are we kidding, I won't start working on them for another 3 hours at least.).....My parents will be so proud


I had a thought today, (crazy I know) about the fact that my life in general is pretty boring. Not much happens during my day, and there haven't been any big changes in the last couple months and everything has basically settled into place.(Which makes me wonder why anyone is reading this?) In some ways I'm thankful that everyone is safe and relatively good, but in another way I'm bummed. I think it's time for me to go on an adventure or stir up my life a bit. Even if it's a crazy hair cut or some bright purple hair extensions?

My friend Nicole made a nice observation that what I needed was a boyfriend......isn't that easier said than done? I was asked once why I didn't have a boyfriend......like I just choice to not have a boyfriend. But in all honestly, being single has it's ups.
There's no one you have to call every night,
you get to actually watch movies,
you don't have to worry about buying someone a gift or remembering dumb dates.....like weekly/monthly anniversaries,
you are able to spend more time with your friends,
and basically do whatever you want.
Don't get me wrong, I think having someone to share things with would be nice, but I'm trying to make the most out of the current situation. Gotta keep the outlook positive.

So in light of my basically event-less day (ok I did have 2 exams but we're not counting that crap) I've decided to make a list of all things I plan on doing during my time home.

•  Catch up on Desperate Housewives (I'm basically still back in the middle of last season)
• See a movie at the State Theater and eat lunch at Crema with Sandy!!!!
• Go sledding
• Make a snowman (stupid Western doesn't allow them)
• Bake some cookies
• Make chip dip
• Go for a midnight Meijer run for sushi
• Celebrate Christmas
• Celebrate New Years
• Go to Red Ginger for sushi
• Have a girls night with Sandy and Chelsea
• Hug my friend after almost 4 months of not seeing her....Yes I'm talking about you Winnie!
• Color with Gabby and Sam
• Watch a bunch of Christmas movies
• Take a bath
• Hopefully go running
• Take a yoga class
• Get a haircut
• Walk around downtown TC
• Hot tub and girl talk at Ariana Joy's
• See all of my extended family members 
• Go to Espresso Bay for coffee
• Dance!
• Make Kraft Mac and Cheese
• Get a new phone.....with texting :)

I'm sure there's plenty more I should add to the list, but I can't think of them at the moment. One more day and it's Good Bye for now Kalamazoo, Helloooooo Traverse City!

2 Miles

After way too long of a break, I finally made it back to the gym today to run. I was a little worried I wouldn't make it to a full mile after almost a week, but I greatly exceeded my expectations.

The Run:

• Mile 1
• Laps 1-9 = Run
• 2 walking laps. After pushing through the first mile I needed water......seriously need to learn to not leave my room without a water bottle.

• Mile 2
• Laps 1-9 = Run

• Mile 3
• Laps 1-2 = Walk
• Lap 3 = Run
• Lap 4 = Walk
• Lap 5 = Run 
• Lap 6 = Walk
• Lap 7-9 = Run

Now I suppose it's time for me to start studying.....can't wait for this to all be over with.

Study Breaks

Pretty much instead of working on any of my homework or studying for exams, today was designated to having fun. I went to the movies with Nicole and Cassie.....Burlesque! I didn't know what Burlesque would entail and hadn't heard any reviews of the movie or knew anyone who had seen it, but it looked good. And it was good.....really good. I'm always up for a little singing and dancing. I wasn't too into Cher before this movie, but I now have a new outlook on her performance abilities (basically I was amazed). On top of that you add a dynamite cast of everyone from Christina Aguilera, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, and Cam Gigandet. Most of the music is original and I came back to my room after to look the soundtrack up on youtube. I now have a secret desire to be a burlesque dancer.....I just think it'd be so much fun.

The movie is pure entertainment!

After the movie and a stop at Meijers, we headed back to the dorm for this study break event the college put on at the rec center. They had inflatable slides, human bowling, climbing courses and an array of other activities. I didn't do much, but had fun hanging out with people. Basically it was an overall day of fun.

Tomorrow on the other hand will be cracking down to business. Time to finish up the semester strong.....or well at least finish.

Sign Up

I officially signed up for the Bayshore 10K this morning! Originally I wanted to run the half marathon, but unfortunately the spots went too fast for me to snag one. I can't believe 2,000 spots filled up that quickly. I'm excited though for my new goal and the anticipation of another race. Hopefully I will run a few more 5K's before May.
That's another thing....I've been searching around for more races to run this winter/spring, but it's Michigan and there's not many opportunities and races available. If anyone knows of any please let me know!
Another bright side to my week.....my classes have officially ended for the semester and all I have left are exams.... 2 in class exams, 1 take home, 1 online, and 1 paper. YAY! I just can't wait to go home for a while and spend time with my family, in my house, downtown Traverse City. Oh and of course Christmas!

Which reminds me of a few things I left off of my list this year that I wish I would have added......

• Jeans from American Eagle

    

• A Coffee and/or Espresso Machine- I drink a lot of coffee and would probably save quite a bit of money with my own. Even though I can't technically have one in my dorm, having one for my apartment next year would be ideal :)

• Running Book 

Just a few things I've thought of......but really isn't it all just about spending time with family and being grateful for the blessings you already have :)

Decisions!

I was planning on signing up for the Bayshore Marathon this spring in Traverse City. At first I was thinking I'd do the half marathon, but now I might do the 10K. I heard the spots were filling up fast and I need to make a decision sooner rather than later. I'm leaning more toward the 10K because it's A) Cheaper, B) I feel like it's a little more of a realistic goal, and C) my friend Sandy is running the 10K.

Hmmmmmm........decisions decisions

If anyone wants to check it out-----> bayshore......follow the link

Love and Other Drugs

Movie Day!

Corie and I decided to go see the movie Love and Other Drugs today. I've been dying to see this movie ever since I read about it in Jake Gyllenhaal's interview in Marie Claire this summer. Out of all the guys in Hollywood, Jake Gyllenhaal is probably my favorite. I love his acting, and come on those eyes and body are amazing! I'm a big Ann Hathaway fan as well and loved her in movies such as Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, and Rachel Getting Married. I've even seen Brokeback Mountain (for anyone who hasn't seen this....definite recommendation), the last movie the pair played opposite in (even though they didn't exactly work out in that one), and knew they'd make another great movie together. I can't find the specific article I read in Marie Claire but wish I could because Jake (I'd like to think we're on a first name basis) spills the details on how exactly Ann convinced him to do the movie.....lets just say it was way cute!



I'd heard mixed reviews on the film, but for me it was a definite win. The story line was good, actor's good, the brother was hilarious. I laughed, I cried. One note of caution....lots of nudity! Basically they're naked for half the film.....another thank you to Jake Gyllenhaal for his rockin' bod lol.

During the first 5 minutes of the movie....I don't even know if it was that long after the actual movie started.....Corie happened to knock over the bucket of popcorn so half of it ended up by our feet. Oh well....it gave us a good laugh. I also love the fact that movies here are only $5...... compared to the 8 or 9 dollars it is at home. Taking the bus wasn't bad either, we had to walk a bit to find the theater but not too far. Next time I want to take the bus and just go shopping there... DSW here i come!

Hope everyone else had a good day! Now if I could only find my phone charger :/

Another one down

I had another successful run today :) From now on I just hope to always run my first mile and keep adding on. I made it 11 laps this time before stopping to walk. That's a mile and two laps!

It went like this:

Mile 1:

• Laps 1-9 = RUN!

Mile 2:

• Laps 1-2 = Run (Remember I didn't stop between miles)
• Lap 3 = Walk
• Lap 4 = Run
• Lap 5 = Walk
• Lap 6 = Run
• Lap 7 = Walk
• Lap 8-9 = Run

Mile 3:

• Lap 1-2 = Walk
• Lap 3 = Run
• Lap 4 = Walk
• Lap 5-6 = Run
• Lap 7 = Walk
• Lap 8-9 = Run

Mile 4:

• 1-2 = Walk
• I only did two cool down laps.....I'll work up to a full 3 miles before I add the fourth mile

I took a quick water break after my second lap and before my last cool down laps. I really need to remember my water bottle from now on......I have a bad habit of always forgetting it. I took a nice long stretch before and after my workout today and it felt so nice. Hopefully, I prevented any soreness tomorrow, but I plan on doing some sort of cross training tomorrow anyway. I've started to do more crunches again.....trying to get back into at least 20 a day like I used to do. Gotta work toward my 6 pack I miss so dearly.