I have officially completed my first week at a full time job.
Whew!
It is true . . . you are exhausted and want to go to bed at 9:30 on a Friday night.
This week was hard. Getting adjusted to waking up at 5:40 in the morning and working for eleven hours a day is challenging all on its own, not to mention being thrown into a branch in an area that I am unfamiliar with, but also that I have no idea what I am doing. Our branch is short staffed, there are only 3 of us there, so after about Wednesday morning, I had to do a lot on my own, without feeling confident about what I was even supposed to be doing.
Praise the Lord for his grace! He truly blessed me this first week and gave me success. He allowed me to start off well, and he granted me success. I still have no idea what I am doing though!
Next week I have new hire training. I'm just praying that that will give me some greater insight and confidence into my job. And I will get paid at the end of the week, that will be a very good thing!
Thinking about how this week is over just makes me think of that line Mr. Sir says in Holes after Stanley digs his first shovel of dirt, "One down, ten million to go!" Welcome to the "real world."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Marathon Update
Since the main reason I started blogging was to blog about training for races, I want to make sure I am being consistent with that!
I am currently training for the Music City Marathon. This will be my first full marathon!! The training plan I am using is partly a program I found online and partly my own based on how I have trained in the past.
Something I have found in training for different races is that I need a good balance of structure and flexibility in my training schedule. If I have too much structure, I become too much of a perfectionist about training and don't allow myself any room for life. Something that I remind myself of constantly during training is that "you have to let life happen." If I get caught in a cycle of perfection with my workouts I lose sight of the real reason I am running - because I love it!
I also have to make sure that I do have a good amount of structure in my training schedule. I like to have a plan so I can track my progress and see just how far I have come.
For this marathon I have a 25 week plan, running just 3 days a week. The other four days are cross training, rest, and strength and stretching. I also have been working on consistently doing a core workout on the shorter run days.
Basically my week looks like this:
Sunday: Recovery from Saturday's long run with cross training, usually swimming or walking
Monday: Strength - sometimes a circuit, sometimes a strength focused workout video like Jillian or Taebo
Tuesday: Mileage combined with speed work--I incorporate my speed work into my total mileage on this day. For example, if I need to do 30 minutes of fartleks and run 5 miles, I will do those 30 minutes in the middle of those 5 miles.
Wednesday: Cross-training
Thursday: Tempo run. Typically my Tuesday and Thursday runs equal the distance of my Saturday long run
Friday: Abs
Saturday: Long Run
I have a workout scheduled each day, which doesn't look like I allow for much flexibility. However, I usually combine a shorter run with abs or strength, or leave out a cross training day, etc. It just depends on the week and what I have going on.
This week I reached the 10 mile mark. It has been 10 weeks of training and have run 131 miles total. It definitely takes a lot of time, but it is totally worth it!
I am currently training for the Music City Marathon. This will be my first full marathon!! The training plan I am using is partly a program I found online and partly my own based on how I have trained in the past.
Something I have found in training for different races is that I need a good balance of structure and flexibility in my training schedule. If I have too much structure, I become too much of a perfectionist about training and don't allow myself any room for life. Something that I remind myself of constantly during training is that "you have to let life happen." If I get caught in a cycle of perfection with my workouts I lose sight of the real reason I am running - because I love it!
I also have to make sure that I do have a good amount of structure in my training schedule. I like to have a plan so I can track my progress and see just how far I have come.
For this marathon I have a 25 week plan, running just 3 days a week. The other four days are cross training, rest, and strength and stretching. I also have been working on consistently doing a core workout on the shorter run days.
Basically my week looks like this:
Sunday: Recovery from Saturday's long run with cross training, usually swimming or walking
Monday: Strength - sometimes a circuit, sometimes a strength focused workout video like Jillian or Taebo
Tuesday: Mileage combined with speed work--I incorporate my speed work into my total mileage on this day. For example, if I need to do 30 minutes of fartleks and run 5 miles, I will do those 30 minutes in the middle of those 5 miles.
Wednesday: Cross-training
Thursday: Tempo run. Typically my Tuesday and Thursday runs equal the distance of my Saturday long run
Friday: Abs
Saturday: Long Run
I have a workout scheduled each day, which doesn't look like I allow for much flexibility. However, I usually combine a shorter run with abs or strength, or leave out a cross training day, etc. It just depends on the week and what I have going on.
This week I reached the 10 mile mark. It has been 10 weeks of training and have run 131 miles total. It definitely takes a lot of time, but it is totally worth it!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Adult Adventure #1
Today I had my first big adventure of adulthood.
I woke up at 6:40 am, left the house by 8 (which is hours earlier than I have left in a very long time), and headed off to my first day at my full time job!!
Today wasn't that big of a deal, just a lot of paperwork and "this is what you'll be doing," "you should do this in this situation," "this is what you say here," "go get that paper so I can show you what to do." But it was great. I got to come home early, work out with my dad and eat a wonderful dinner that my mom had prepared (yes, living at home, and totally okay with it).
Tomorrow, unfortunately, will be much different. I have to actually do the things they told me I would have to do. I am fully expecting to be in tears at some point during the day.
I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with this. I am clinging to him, confident that this is exactly where he wants me and that he has an incredible plan for this season of my life. I know there will be days and weeks and months I will cling to Him like I have never clung to him before. And I am looking forward to those moments more than anything else!
I can't believe that this stage of my life is actually beginning. I just am absolutely shocked at how fast college went. There were days, months even, that I thought it would never end. But it has. And yes, I miss college, I miss my friends like no other, I miss the nights of flag football, and I miss the endless nights filled with drama. Yes, I do. But here life goes, on to the next stage, and as far as I can tell, I think it is going to be great!
So there you have it, my first day as a full time tax payer. I think I'm going to go to bed at 9:30.
I woke up at 6:40 am, left the house by 8 (which is hours earlier than I have left in a very long time), and headed off to my first day at my full time job!!
Today wasn't that big of a deal, just a lot of paperwork and "this is what you'll be doing," "you should do this in this situation," "this is what you say here," "go get that paper so I can show you what to do." But it was great. I got to come home early, work out with my dad and eat a wonderful dinner that my mom had prepared (yes, living at home, and totally okay with it).
Tomorrow, unfortunately, will be much different. I have to actually do the things they told me I would have to do. I am fully expecting to be in tears at some point during the day.
I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with this. I am clinging to him, confident that this is exactly where he wants me and that he has an incredible plan for this season of my life. I know there will be days and weeks and months I will cling to Him like I have never clung to him before. And I am looking forward to those moments more than anything else!
I can't believe that this stage of my life is actually beginning. I just am absolutely shocked at how fast college went. There were days, months even, that I thought it would never end. But it has. And yes, I miss college, I miss my friends like no other, I miss the nights of flag football, and I miss the endless nights filled with drama. Yes, I do. But here life goes, on to the next stage, and as far as I can tell, I think it is going to be great!
So there you have it, my first day as a full time tax payer. I think I'm going to go to bed at 9:30.
Monday, January 10, 2011
New Season
A month a go I finally graduated from college. Yes, it is true! I have stepped into adulthood and am officially a college grad. It was surreal walking across that stage. I told my family they needed to absolutely cheer for me louder than anyone else would be cheered for. I couldn't really tell if they were loudest, but as I shook the chancellor's hand he said, "Wow, you've got quite a fan club!"Yes I do Mr. Jimmy Cheek, and what a fan club they are. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful extended family that has supported me throughout my life, for wonderful parents who helped me finish four and a half years of college debt free, and a sister and brother who also chose to attend UT so that we could all be together.
We celebrated the afternoon at Calhoun's on the river, my absolute favorite place to eat in Knoxville, with some of my extended family and a few great friends. It was wonderful. Unfortunately that night it started to snow so I had to pack up my apartment in a matter of about 2 hours and leave the next morning. It was a little crazy.
The last month of my life, fortunately, has been absolutely not crazy.
I've done a whole lot of staying up late, sleeping in, and laying in my bed for hours in the morning because I simply had nothing to get up for.
I could not tell you how many movies I have streamed from Netflix.
I have been going to the gym more consistently then any other time in my life, thanks to my dad who has been getting me out the door almost every day.
I've completed nine out of twenty-five weeks of my marathon training.
I spent some quality time with my sister, my brother, my mom, and my dad.
I experienced the most traumatic babysitting experience of my life.
I went to my first Alumni football game.
Another big deal this month was that God provided me with a full time job!!
I had interviews the week after I graduated and was offered a job with Enterprise the day before Christmas Eve. I start this week!
It has been such a blessing to have this time in between finishing college and starting a job. It has also been a blessing that I have known that I have a job and haven't had to look!
I have to wear a suit. Every single day. I've also done a lot of shopping this month. :)
I am more than excited about this new adventure that God has me on. It is going to be . . . actually, I have no idea what it is going to be like. For the first time I feel as if I have no bearing on what I am about to experience. And I'm really excited!!
As I've been making big decisions about jobs this month I have been clinging to these verses:
Psalm 21:2 & 6
You have granted him the desire of his heart--you have not withheld the request of his lips.
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
I've had to realize that God promises to grant me the desires of my heart. And I can be confident that he will do this because they are desires that he puts in my heart. I'm praying that if my desires are not of the Lord that he would remove them from my heart. He also promises to give us eternal blessings. I know that these definitely mean blessings in heaven with him, but I am also thankful for the ways he is blessing me here on earth.
My favorite part of that is that he is making me glad with the joy of his presence. I have totally seen Him do this recently. And it is nothing I am doing! Jesus is filling my heart with His presence, and allowing me to be glad and satisfied in Him. There is nothing like it!
Thanks for still reading my crazy blog even when I'm not consistent with it! I hope to be more consistent in my new "adult" life and share all of my "adult adventures".
We celebrated the afternoon at Calhoun's on the river, my absolute favorite place to eat in Knoxville, with some of my extended family and a few great friends. It was wonderful. Unfortunately that night it started to snow so I had to pack up my apartment in a matter of about 2 hours and leave the next morning. It was a little crazy.
The last month of my life, fortunately, has been absolutely not crazy.
I've done a whole lot of staying up late, sleeping in, and laying in my bed for hours in the morning because I simply had nothing to get up for.
I could not tell you how many movies I have streamed from Netflix.
I have been going to the gym more consistently then any other time in my life, thanks to my dad who has been getting me out the door almost every day.
I've completed nine out of twenty-five weeks of my marathon training.
I spent some quality time with my sister, my brother, my mom, and my dad.
I experienced the most traumatic babysitting experience of my life.
I went to my first Alumni football game.
Another big deal this month was that God provided me with a full time job!!
I had interviews the week after I graduated and was offered a job with Enterprise the day before Christmas Eve. I start this week!
It has been such a blessing to have this time in between finishing college and starting a job. It has also been a blessing that I have known that I have a job and haven't had to look!
I have to wear a suit. Every single day. I've also done a lot of shopping this month. :)
I am more than excited about this new adventure that God has me on. It is going to be . . . actually, I have no idea what it is going to be like. For the first time I feel as if I have no bearing on what I am about to experience. And I'm really excited!!
As I've been making big decisions about jobs this month I have been clinging to these verses:
Psalm 21:2 & 6
You have granted him the desire of his heart--you have not withheld the request of his lips.
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
I've had to realize that God promises to grant me the desires of my heart. And I can be confident that he will do this because they are desires that he puts in my heart. I'm praying that if my desires are not of the Lord that he would remove them from my heart. He also promises to give us eternal blessings. I know that these definitely mean blessings in heaven with him, but I am also thankful for the ways he is blessing me here on earth.
My favorite part of that is that he is making me glad with the joy of his presence. I have totally seen Him do this recently. And it is nothing I am doing! Jesus is filling my heart with His presence, and allowing me to be glad and satisfied in Him. There is nothing like it!
Thanks for still reading my crazy blog even when I'm not consistent with it! I hope to be more consistent in my new "adult" life and share all of my "adult adventures".
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