Tea, books, and the military

When I add up how much time I spend at work, time I spend sleeping, and compare this to the “free time” I should have, on paper it looks like I have a life. Why do I feel like I am always going? Not that I don’t like it, I love being busy and I cannot stand doing nothing. I have a lot that I want to do and goals I want to reach but sometimes I just have to find the right approach.

I hate the word diet and society has mixed this word with scam, failure, impossible, difficult and so when trying any kind of “diet” there is already a sense of lost hope. Not very motivating I know. Instead of a “diet” I want to eat healthier and better for myself. To me this means making better choices like picking low-fat or fat free options, sugar free, whole grain, etc. This seems a lot easier than a strict “diet.” I have been receiving Fitness magazines in the mail since October of last year and really haven’t looked through them at all. I sat down last weekend and went through each issue circling ideas and ear-marking workout routines and recipes. I found a lot of yummy looking recipes that I want to try. I also learned in this Fitness magazine that you shouldn’t use protein powder in your smoothies or anything unless you are like training for the Olympics! Instead use peanut butter, interesting!

I try to do some kind of exercise every day even if it is 20mins of strength training my philosophy is “something is better than nothing!” My job takes a lot out o me and when I get home all I want to do is lounge on the couch and watch “Raising Hope” or “Dexter” but when I feel this way all I need to do to is to tell myself that running only takes 15mins or the p90x ab workout is under 20mins. I know if I want to get buff or skinny or whatever I need to do more but I am not unhappy with my body, there is just areas I want to work on and when I have more time or when I am up to it I will do longer workouts. Once it becomes difficult or almost impossible is when I fall off the wagon so to me there is nothing wrong with baby steps.

I love tea, especially during my special week or when I am sick. It is great for you and there are some interesting and tasty teas out there. I am a sucker for sweet tea and normally the sweet tea I get is super packed with sugar so I need to find a way around that one…. My favorite is oolong loose tea. I bought a lot of this tea while living in New York from a Chinese grocery store. I just don’t have a strainer for the loose tea when it is done. I like oolong tea because I enjoy the taste and sometimes I do not have to add sugar or any other sweetener. There are two places that I would like to visit to pick up some teas. One such place is called New Sagaya Market which has a lot of fresh and organic foods and a whole wall full of loose teas!! I will have to pick of a can or two and try them out. Another store I found is actually completely dedicated to tea. It is located in the 5^th avenue mall here in anchorage and it is called Teavanna. They have samples for you to try if you visit and while I was there I tried a peach tea, normally I am not a fan of peach but this was yummy! They also have these tea balls that when submerged in hot water they unravel and bloom into a flower! I just need a clear glass tea pot. This set up would be perfect for when guest are over.

Air Guard Update! I know I have been back and forth on this life changing decision and most of the time I would have kept something like this to myself until it is definite. It is not something I want to jump into either and that is why I have been taking my time. A few weeks ago I was not feeling the support at all and sort of fell out of it to try and see if scholarships or grants were possible for school. Unfortunately my circumstances are not ideal for a lot of scholarships and after giving this much thought and speaking with Zeke over the idea I have weighed that the benefits are worth the costs and I have the full and overwhelming support of my husband which gave me the push I needed all along to go to MEPS. I go this Tuesday which will be a long day starting at 4am to get ready and into town by 5:30am. I am really not supposed to be there until 5:50am but I am not taking any chances with how far I have to drive into town. I am incredibly nervous to say the least and I pray it all goes well. After MEPS I get to decide on my job. I want to look at all my options as well as do my research and speak to those on the job. I am considering the relevancy to my desired field: medical, as well as how much this job may deploy. These are the top two things I am looking for. Again…So nervous! But extremely excited!

Just rounding up the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy and I have to say so far they have all been exciting. My favorite is the second book but I am not finished yet. I have heard bad things about the third and at this point in the book anything could happen and every time I turn the page I am surprised. I have a list of books to read next: Kill Switch, Battle Royale, Wiseguy, Girl who Played with Fire, Fallen series, Divergent trilogy. I may start with the Girl who Played with Fire since I have read and seen the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I enjoyed it. I never liked murder mystery but I think I may be getting into it.

Laugh of the Day: Youtube search “the Lonely Island: Great Day”

O yeah I almost forgot. Thanks to carishoemaker.blogspot.com (my bestie) I am now journaling. Like my blogs I do not write in it often but I am getting the hang of it and like in Cari’s blog there is so much you can write in a journal that you cannot put on a public blog. Makes things so personal and maybe someday my children can read them and be horrified ;p.