I Did It and LIVED!

I started my C25K training today! Read about it on my HCG Living blog! I just posted about it!

I learned a few things:

• My body is not as fragile as I think it is.
• I need new shoes!
• I need to find a good stretching routine. 
• I love the Podrunner training tracks. (Link on HCG Living post.)
• I need a sports bra. (I'm lucky I didn't put an eye out!)
• I am more than ready to make this change!
• I finally have something new to blog about!

First day down...only 10 more weeks to go! Yay me!

Plop, plop! Fizz, fizz!

Oh, what a relief it is!

I almost had a BIG oops today! I applied for two scholarships to help pay for my Graduate school program. One of my advisors encouraged all the students to apply for these: the Allen and the Jex.  I made sure to dot all my i's and cross all my t's and got them sent in by the deadline which was yesterday at 5pm. Today, I got an email saying that my application could not be considered for the Jenson scholarship since it was only for School of Psychology students, which I am not! It turned out that I submitted one application to the WRONG scholarship!

Luckily, I sent an email right back apologizing and explaining my mistake and the coordinator said she would get it into the right pile!!! Yay! Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed and hope I get some big bucks! If not, I'm going to need some Alka-seltzer for real, when I go to apply for my Student Loans! It will be worth it though! Can't wait to get started....the sooner I start, the sooner I'll be done! Yay!

The Ides of March

I'm not even really sure what the Ides of March signifies, I think it just means the 15th, but I had to memorize a lengthy passage once from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar {Friends, Romans, Countrymen,  lend me your ear! We come to bury Caesar not to praise him...} and for some reason the day he was killed, the Ides of March, stuck with me! So...Happy Ides of March everybody!

It's hard for me to believe that it is March at all! Wasn't it just last week that I was posting about our NYE party and Christmas? And now Spring Break has come and gone. I've been reading on friends blogs about all the fun travels and activities and I have to say I am a bit green. We had a very low-key, stay-at-home kind of week and while we did get in some fun visits with Family, a trip to the Dixie Igloo, a sleepover, and a movie or two. It wasn't anything overly special! My girls have been very good to let me know that this week has been B-O-R-I-N-G!!! Oh well! What's a poor mom to do?  My mantra ever holds--Maybe next year! You gotta have something to look forward to, right?

One very exciting thing that happened over the break is that I hit my 100-pounds lost goal!! I am very excited about this. It has taken me one long year, but I am so happy to have that behind me. I have mostly posted about this on FB and on my HCGliving Blog. But I feel it's definitely worth a mention...again! I'm looking forward to being able to go shopping someday to replenish my wardrobe. I have a HUGE pile of clothes ready to go to the DI or Yard Sale...If anyone out there wears sizes 22-26, give me a call!!! I have tons of stuff that I can't wear anymore!

I am determined to have a Yard Sale as some point in the near future, but it is taking me a LOT of effort to gear up for it. The last time I did this, we had a great success, but I remember it was Big Work and this time around I have even more stuff to get rid of....so I know it needs to be done, but my heart isn't quite in it yet! If anyone has good tips for me, let me know! I need motivation! I can't wait too long though...Summer is coming and I don't want to do it in the HEAT!

So, I'm ending this long rambling post! I'm hoping for something new and exciting to blog about soon. I don't know what, but you gotta have something to look forward to, right?

March 1st--The Day It Begins

In the morning, it will be the First Morning in March! This is the day I have designated as the first day of my new workout schedule leading up to the first day of my Couch Potato-to-5K training which will begin on March 15th. I figured I better get my sedentary (albeit much lighter) body used to moving a bit before I start torturing it with running right off the bat!

So tomorrow morning at 7:30, I will be on the treadmill walking for 30 minutes!! I'm excited to get going on my plan. The only trouble I see that might hinder me in my goal is that my leg is still numb from knee to toes. It has been that way for about 2 weeks now and I'm not sure what is causing it..probably my back, but who knows? It doesn't hurt, but it is weird. If you've ever sat on your leg for a bit too long and then tried to walk on it, that is how it feels...only mine doesn't ever wake up. I went walking around the neighborhood today to deliver some RS invites and it felt like my numb foot was just slapping the sidewalk. But, like I said, it doesn't hurt so I guess I will just press forward. If it doesn't start shaping up in a week or so, I'll have to break down and go to the doctor. Dumb leg!

Another thing I have to do is decide which race I want to run in...if any of you know of a fall 5k, let me know! I think it will help motivate me to have a specific race in mind! I was thinking of the Utah Summer Games 5K but that may be a bit sooner than I have time for.

Wish me luck! I haven't been active in YEARS, but this is Phase 2 of my Master Plan. Phase 1 was to weigh less and that's been a great success so far! I'm down 98 pounds (and counting) so I don't have that excuse anymore! Now the plan is to start cultivating a more active, healthy, movement based lifestyle! I'm going to need all the luck I can get! :)

New Beginnings

Taylor, Scott and I went to the Young Women's New Beginning Program last night. I was so excited to learn about the new Personal Progress program! Taylor has been working so hard on getting her award...she is almost done, but I was excited because I'd heard that with the new program, Mom's can earn the award too! Sure enough...Kara Reid and Bishop Staheli encouraged us to earn our own Recognition Medallion along side our daughters. So I got my book and journal and I'm starting tonight! I have a ways to go to catch up with Taylor though. I can't believe how much she has been doing. I've already got a couple things under my belt as I was sort-of working on it when I was a leader a few years back, but there's so much more to do! ;)

This sort of thing is right up my alley though, so I'm thrilled to get going.  I love setting goals and making plans. I love how it really makes you think about so many different aspects of the gospel and helps you to apply them to your life in new ways...plus you get to earn pretty jewelry! Always a bonus in my book! I'd already set several goals for the year and now I'll supplement them with Gospel doctrine and be on my way!

Can't wait to see Taylor and me strutting around in our matching medallions! And then I'll get to earn it again with my Shaylie! Yay...isn't the Church awesome?  ;) We are going to ROCK this program.

So Many Blogs, So Little Time

It occurred to me the other day, that I don't think many of my blogging friends realize that our family has TWO blogs-- the Random Bits of Brilliance page that you see here, which is mostly just my randomness with a smattering of occasional brilliance and the other is TheTechFamily.com-an online journal.

I thought I would invite you all to follow TheTechFamily.com as well, since this is where we post much of our day to day excitement...or lack thereof! If you are interested, you can add TheTechFamily.com to your Blog Lists as well to get automatic updates whenever we post!  :) All the Jesienouski family news you could possibly want! Check it out1

About To Get Even More Brilliant ;)

I am SO excited to post that I have been accepted to the University of Utah Educational Psychology program. I just got the email today!!! Starting in May I will be pursuing my Masters Degree in School Counseling. I've been hoping to do this for so long now. It will be a lot of hard work but I know that with my family being so supportive that I will be able to rise to the challenge. Yay! I'm sure my posts will be full of this news in future! I can't believe I'm going back to school!!!!