The semester is in full swing! It may only be a half of a week into classes, but we already have almost 300 pages of readings and four quizzes coming up next week. Senior year is ON.

This semester I am taking:

• Hearing Tests and Measures
• Medical Speech Pathology
• Intro to Speech Sound Disorders
• Language Disorders
• Advanced German I

I am also involved on a research team studying the effects of dyslexia and/or speech-sound disorders on reading skills, and I am beginning to TA for Hearing Science and Acoustics!

COMD girls: Rachel, me, Haylee, McKayla, Riley, Katelyn

 Haylee and I full on NERDED OUT tonight as we studied for a few hours of our Friday evening.  It turns out that all the studying we did to get 100% on our March exam about the inner ear is still paying off -- we can still remember so much from that course!

• quinoa with ground beef, roasted onions, peppers, corn, butternut squash, black beans, taco seasoning, green enchilada sauce and cheese
• whole wheat pitas stuffed with baked falafel, bell peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and homemade hummus with lemon lentils on the side

  I forgot how much I love to run.  There is something exhilarating about the nighttime in a new place, the salt on your lips and the energy surging through while your feet barely touch the ground.  I'll admit it's way nicer running in Hawaii than in Arizona, what with it being way cooler plus 1240 feet closer to sea level than my desert home.
  I'm quickly adjusting to the school schedule.  I've figured out that the majority of Mondays and Wednesdays will be spent in class and doing homework {granted, it doesn't start till 9:50 so that's a huge bonus} and Friday I also have a decent amount of work.   Tuesdays and Thursdays classes are 1:20-2:20 and 3:30-5:10, which means I can unwind from yester-business with writing, watching history documentaries {because I'm a geek like that}, or visiting the beach.  I've started the habit of completing every assignment the day it comes despite the A-B schedule, although there are fairly time consuming assignments in drawing and Book of Mormon five days a week.  
  Then come the weekends.  With all my homework completed I suddenly have two days chalk full of limitless adventures.  There was supposed to be a hurricane this week, but instead we experienced lovely weather and couldn't help but enjoy hours at the beach plus partying it up at the dance. It's been phenomenal meeting new people all the time, and after all that excitement you'd think I'd be sad for the weekend to end.  But of course there's a silver lining-- Monday is P-Day!



 

  Let's be honest.  It's the holidays.  Holiday is another synonym for "getting fat," you know, with all the pumpkin-flavored ice cream and baked goods, hot chocolate, an abundance of candy and peppermints, eggnog, advent calenders, and pretty much the most delicious meals you'll have all year.  I am definitely a foodie and I'm not gonna commit myself to getting rid of such wonderful memories and traditions... but I can't just abuse my body either.
  So for the past three days I have done a steady 6-part workout.  I know it's not an excuse to eat bad, and I have been trying to eat good meals even if I allow myself the sweet treats, but I do want to tone up and I figure this definitely can't hurt:

• a mile of cardio (alternate running/walking)
• a minute-long handstand with my stomach against the wall
• 105 ab reps (alternate sit-ups, V-ups, obliques, crunches, etc.)
• 20 frog jumps
• 25 push ups (variety types for different arm muscles)
• 3 pull-ups (my arms are tired by then)

   I'm actually planning to commit myself to this.  Even though it can hurt, I love that post-workout feeling of mixed soreness and satisfaction and already I can tell that my muscles are building. Hallelujah! I want to be healthy and to make choices now that will help me in the future.  And I guess I'm hoping that by it writing down, I can make myself even more certain that this is what I need to do.