Getting Healthy

Every Tuesday night from 8 until 10 I have been obsessed with watching The Biggest Loser! It started in January and the finale was tonight! I have never watched a single episode of the show before this season, but I have a feeling this one was the best. This season they had couples (some husband/wives, some mother/daughters, best friends, an engaged couple, and cousins) and along with that they also had the youngest contestant, the oldest, the heaviest female and male in the shows history! These people were in the worst shape of their lives and they were able to turn it all around and not only that, they all actually became really great friends who supported one another. It was so inspiring to watch these people of all ages get motivated to lose weight and restart their lives.

I have also been somewhat obsessed with reading the book Skinny Bitch (I know it sounds a little crude) and honestly, the women who wrote the book are extremely straight forward about their approach to weight loss. I have always wanted to eat healthier, but it was not until reading this book that I actually lost my appetite for some of the foods I have always loved to eat! I never never never want to drink another diet coke again and I have started to really love having a cup of coffee to get me going...not anymore! If you are having trouble breaking those nasty junk food habits...READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY! I'm not kidding, it has really changed my thinking!

I really want to get healthy and start exercising more! Due to the stress of school and traveling so much, I have really started to feel horrible! Why feel bad if all you have to do is eat healthy and exercise a little each day to feel fabulous?!? I'm turning over a new leaf!

Graduations

Thursday May 7th, Lance graduated from Darton College in Albany with an Associates Degree in Cardiovascular Technology. He participated in two ceremonies. The first was a pinning for the Allied Health students and Lance also received an award for the outstanding student during his clinical rotations.

This is after the ceremony! Lance is holding up his award! We are so proud of him!

Lance and his step-dad, Mr. Michael, after the ceremony!

Lance and I after graduation. Lance's graduation hat was too little and mine was too big! I wish we had the same colors and then we could have traded!

We got one night of rest after Lance's graduation and then we had to pack and head up to Athens the next morning. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in English from The University of Georgia. We also had two separate graduation ceremonies and the first of mine was on Friday. It was only for the English Department and it was held in the Chapel on campus. Although it was extremely hot outside, we did have some wonderful speakers. One of the best professors that I have taken at UGA gave a humorous speech on what an English major should look forward to in the years to come! Apparently, I moved too quickly when I was walking across the stage to receive my diploma and the pictures all turned out blurry, but you get the idea!

My diploma from the English department!

My Daddy, my step-mom, Laura, and I after graduation.

My Mom, my step-dad, Sonny, and I after graduation!

Lance and I outside the Chapel after graduation.

On Saturday morning, Lance walked me to Sanford Stadium for the graduation ceremony of all the 2009 graduates! It was just like a game day with almost the entire stadium filled! I got to sit with one of my best friends and old roommate, Alisabeth. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and although it looked like it might rain any momen, it was not the least bit sunny or extremely hot! Thank goodness!


One of my English friends, Natalie, and I before graduation! Our hats were so heavy and floppy! Haha!

This guys hat was my favorite! He put a Where's Waldo picture on top so his family could find him in the swarm of other graduates! It felt like we were playing Where's Waldo all day! Daddy would call my phone and tell me what he was wearing and then we would try to find each other. We actually did a pretty good job of locating one another considering how many people were there that day!

For the last few months so many people have asked me if I would do this big graduation. It is known for being extremely hot and long, but I am so glad I did it! I think it just cements the graduation process and really makes you realize the bitter sweetness of graduation. Before this I really regretted that I hadn't really finished college and would still have two classes to take in the summer, but now I feel so happy that this isn't all over just yet! I still get to hold on to college and being a kid for one last summer!

I am so thankful for my family and friends who have helped me get to this very special occassion! Everyone that ever encouraged me or just gave me advice has made a huge impact on the person I have become! I feel so fortunate to have been able to attend college and I feel that keeping the HOPE scholarship for the last five years has been a huge achievement! Thanks for coming and watching me walk!

Finally Finals are Finished

April 30 marked the last day of Spring classes at the good ole UGA. It was supposed to be Lance's weekend to come up and visit me, but after wrapping up my classes I realized that I didn't really have a reason to be in Athens until May 5th. I only had to physically be in class to take three finals and the first two were on May 5th and the last one was on May 6th. So instead of moping around Athens and waiting until Friday night for Lance and Finn to arrive, I decided (spur of the moment) to go home for the weekend.

It ended up being a great weekend to venture home! Lauren and Eddie also came into town and the Love Affair was held in the park. In years past, the Love Affair has been a major event. Lauren and I have done ballet recitals several times in the park and normally the entire park is filled with beautiful art and tons of wonderful food. This year, they were forced to scale back a bit but it was still really fun. Lance and I decided to take Finn with us and boy was that an adventure. This is the first time he has ever been in a large crowd and he actually got several comments about his wonderful behavior (especially because he's only five months old).

Finn is absolutely the perfect dog for us! I have never met another Golden Retreiver that was so lazy! The boy will just sit perfectly still and let people of all ages come up and pet him! Sadly, the older he gets, the more energy he gets too! He got some type of rash this week and when Lance took him to the vet they prescribed an antibiotic and benadryl. We were thrilled because we are both graduating this weekend and we knew someone else would have to watch him during the time we were gone. Apparently benadryl has an adverse affect on a dog because he is far from drowsy! Hopefully he'll be a good boy while we are gone!