Countdown Starts: Day 5

Stats
Emote: (Insert some semi-happy-yet-complicated-emote here)
Drinking: (Insert some interesting and hipster really-bad-for-you-but-still-trendy-drink here)
Eating: (Insert some green-leafy-goodness so people think I eat healthy here)
Countdown: 5 Days.

Hello everyone! It's been a few days since I've updated you guys (sorry about that!).
First, I've got to tell you; I'm exhausted. So this post may or may not come out more or less exciting than they usually are (or I hope they are). I'm current secret base is my grandmother's house because of my work schedule this week. I get to see grandma, papaw (and my aunt and her kids because they're staying here (my grandma-ma's) due to some personal relationship problems that left her without a home. Men can be so mean sometimes...) save on some gas, and have an awesome breakfast every morning!

That's like, three or more birds with one stone.

Oh and for those of you who care; An Update On My 20lbs in Forty Days Challenge:

My forty days is almost up. I have maybe...3...4 days left.
I have went from 138lbs....to 126lbs! That's 12lbs gone. (Not hatin' on anyone's maths skills here) Unfortunately I don't have a picture to put up of my success...you can't tell much anyway. I can't see it anyway. My mother commented I looked like I had lost some a few days ago.

Honestly, I didn't really do any exercise, so the toning isn't there. I just changed my eating habits (starving myself not in those habits):

• I stopped drinking pop and sugary beverages all together; I kept to tea, real-fruit juices, coffee and water. Lots of water. 
• That yummy slice of chocolate cake or that milkshake I could have easily made for myself at work? Nope. I resisted. 
• Lots of fruit. 
• Lots of protein, not so much processed meat, but chicken.
• I tried to lay off the fast foods, which is hard when I work at a restaurant, so again, when I HAD to eat something there, it was grilled/fried chicken.

Just little easy things like that. I'm not too sure how it worked myself, but it did. I'll get a picture up at another time.

But now, what I really want to tell you all (and literally shout from every rooftop).

I get to see my Austin in five days. FIVE DAYS! Yes. Yes. And yes. We have made the decision that I will be making the 10-hour drive myself. Which sounds difficult...but I honestly don't have a worry in the world about it. (Maybe that's just because I'm too excited though.) My mother and my family are a bit worried about me driving the whole ten hours by myself, and I can understand their concern.
I'm a single young woman driving 610 miles in 10 hours alone. 
However, I know I can do it. I've been praying for the last week and a half about it since Austin told me he had a 72 coming this weekend, wondering if it really is OK for me to go.

"Go." That's what I'm getting. I've prayed about it, and I know that God will keep me safe and sound there and back. I don't have any doubts; all I've got is faith in what I'm asking from Him.

So, I'm printing out my route and picking out where I'm going to stop before-hand. I'm probably going to be giving a copy of that to both my parents, and Austin's parents, if just to ease their worries. I'm planning on driving in the daylight, leaving early and getting in Jacksonville by dark where Austin will meet me in town and I can go on to sleep at the hotel. I can only imagine the every-hour-phone-calls that I will be receiving.

But I'm just so excited to see him! I can't wait. I still have to get my car checked (which my mom, my dad and my grandfather all want to look at before I go), pick out what I'm going to wear on my stay, and go shopping for a few things I need. Like, I'm out of facial lotion. My face is getting seriously dry and I've just been too lazy to get off my bum and get some.
I plan on taking lots and lots of pictures too, whether Austin likes it or not. He will comply.
or so help him...

I get to see Austin in five days, but for now, I still have work today at four and work with my grandfather tomorrow. Life is good. God is good.
All the time.

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah

Catching Up

It's been a couple of days since I've posted on here and I thought I'd update you all.

I am over my flu, thank the Lord. After a week of taking off work, multiple anti-biotics and tons of prayer, I am fully recovered and have shifted back into my normal routine again. My boss was even awesome enough to schedule me on for the rest of the week (weekend and all) so I can make up some hours I missed.

Monday, (Martin Luther King Day) Austin had the day off at Base so he called and checked up on me. Said a "little birdie" told him I was sick. I have yet to find out who that birdie is, but I am making it one of my priorities to be on the look out. Austin said he'd be really busy the next week or so though...and I haven't a clue what to get him for Valentine's Day. I've never had to worry about him being far away for it...so now I haven't a clue what to get him. I still have to ask if he's set up his postal address...

I'm not going to be able to see him as soon as I thought I would too. I thought I was going to be able to visit him the weekend after Valentine's Day, but that's probably not going to happen. Financially, I'm just not up for it right now. My clutch decided to take a nose-dive and die on me, and it cost me more than I want to put on here (and all out of my savings too!). Then I have a property tax to pay on top of it. So I was thinking of pushing the trip on to March or April...I don't want to wait too long because flight costs go up though...
I just miss him. I can't wait to see him again : )

On another note; an update on my challenge. It's been going smoother than I thought it would and way, way faster too. After shunning any and all soda, drinking either water or unsweetened tea or coffee and eating only 1200 cals a day, I am down to 126lbs. I'm thinking a lot of that was water weight though, honestly, because I can't tell much of a difference.

I'm going to have to up my exercises I guess. I'm skinny enough, I just need to get toned again. Which is a lot harder than loosing weight.

Yep.

I went up to Lexington yesterday, up to my college's main campus. Bluegrass Community and Technical College is bigger than I thought it would be. I'm taking the classes online, through an Online, On Demand Program. I can start my classes whenever I choose. I was taking a scholarship I had won through a SKILLS USA competition to get it filed and use it on some of my classes.

Being in the college, surrounded by other students almost made me wish that I was taking classes on-site, instead of online. I just loved the feeling of all the people and classrooms. It's something I'm thinking about in the future. Probably not at BCTC, but when I transfer to a State University. I need to get out more.

Thanks for reading!

Sarah

My (late!) New Years Resolutions and a 40 Day Challenge!

Hey everyone! It's a good morning. Evening. Whatever, it's good. Or at least mine is; loosing myself in some Air1 Radio and a good cup of Jasmine Green Tea. 

I've been neglecting my New Years Resolutions list. I hadn't even made one until last night. Hopefully you guys won't shun me if I just start from today onward...? Well, here it is:

• Become more like my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to shine for my God; love, forgive and see with eyes unclouded as He does. 
• Take more chances. Be more confident. Hold more on my shoulders. 
• Re-read my Bible all the way through and learn the order of the books. (I got shamed a couple of Sundays ago when a little girl got up at the front and named each and every book IN ORDER. I can't do that, and I'm like, 11 years older than her or something.)
• Get a new car. (Sorry Monty) ((Monty is the name of my Mitsubishi Montero Sport))
• Spend more time and communicate more with the people that mean the most to me.
• Travel somewhere new, at least once, all on my own. 
• Get STARTED on getting my own place. Honestly, I would be happy with just getting started with my paycheck. 
• Get back down to 120lbs and keep it that way. 

 Okay, that last one leads me into the second part of this post...The 40 Day Challenge. 

I believe that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Anything. As in, you could fly, with the help of some mutant-genetically-grown wings. It would take time and effort, but you could do it. Just like how I'm going to shed off 20lbs in 40 days. It sounds impossible. It sounds hard, even to me, but I'm gonna try it all the more. 

Now, I'm not fat, in no degree, but I'm not happy with the way I look. I've really put on some poundage since last summer. I only started noticing it, but I have. 

Excuse the terrible quality...

 Like I said, I'm not fat. But I'm not in shape like I used to be. I'm getting some love handles (you girls know what I mean) and though it's not drastic, it's enough to scare me into exercising and watching my portions again. Hense the lovely Jasmine Green Tea I'm drinking. It's supposed to speed up the pound shedding process.

I weighed myself the other day, and I'm right at about 140lbs now. That scared me. It scared me a lot. Because I don't look that big, but...when I looked around. I could tell. There it was. Staring me in the face, mocking me with its...there-ness. So I did the only thing I knew to do...

I hooked up the kinect to the '360 and danced my little heart out on Just Dance 3. 

But I'm gonna take this challenge as I would with any other adversary; with tact. I'm gonna keep you guys updated on my progress as I go. No, this is definitely not gonna turn into a health blog. I'm too un-healthy for that. I just wanted to declare my challenge to the public so there was no backing out for me. 

Wish me luck guys!