Letting Loose

I had a pretty stressful day at work yesterday.  A co-worker was a little frantic about an upcoming project, and her anxiety was causing me to stress out.  I was telling another co-worker about it to try to figure out how to respond to the other situation, and they told me about a study they saw on the news investigating whether or not stress is contagious.  The findings of this study confirmed what I was feeling yesterday: someone else's stress was causing me stress.

April is National Stress Awareness Month and Vegas.com is encouraging people to let loose this month. Can you think of any place in the world more stress-free than Las Vegas?   If we all let loose a little and had a "Las Vegas State of Mind" in our daily lives, what a bunch of easy-going people we'd be!  So, let's talk about some of the ways I let loose, especially after stressful days like yesterday!

1. Spending time with Joe
He's always a good stress reliever!  Yesterday, we went to the movies, which was a great way for me to let loose after work.

We also like to watch sports together (note our regular attendance at the Cubs baseball games this summer), spend time outdoors (particularly at the beach or pool), and cook/eat together.

2. Running
Sometimes, letting loose for me means lacing up my running shoes and getting in a few miles.

Running gives me good quality time with myself, and it's nice to get in some exercise while de-stresssing!

3. Reading
Letting loose can sometimes mean getting involved in a good book!  I can escape to another world for a while, and that's a great stress reliever.  Particularly when said reading occurs on the beach!

4. Praying
A lot of times, I stress out about situations that I cannot control.  To let loose, sometimes I need to pray about the situation and ask for some patience, guidance, or ability to let it go from God.  Philippians 4:6-7 says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Sounds like the epitome of letting loose to me!

So, as National Stress Awareness Month comes to a close, I encourage YOU to let loose today.  I can tell you that it made a big difference in my day yesterday, and I was much happier and ready to get back to work this morning because of it!  And, don't just let loose today; keep it going by finding 5 minutes each day to do something that helps you let go of your stress and restore your happiness!

***Disclaimer: I was asked by Vegas.com to join their #LetLoose2014 campaign.  All opinions are my own.***

Question for you: What are some ways you let loose when feeling stressed?

Lake Minneola Half Marathon Recap

Hey, guys!  Joe and I have had a busy but fun weekend, and I look forward to telling y'all about it tomorrow.

Today, I wanted to recap the Lake Minneola Half Marathon from Saturday.  I was nervous about the race, since I hadn't gotten in any long training run beforehand.  I adjusted my goals because of that and planned to run a 3-minute run/1-minute walk intervals.

The race started at 7am and was in Clermont, FL.  I got up really early to make the drive in time to get my packet before the race start.  When I parked and walked up to the registration table, there was a really long line.  I also needed to go to the bathroom and got nervous about getting to the start on time.  Luckily, they opened up some other lines, so I got my packet and took everything back to the car.

I skipped the long bathroom line and went on to the start line.  Luckily, there were some porta-potties near the start.  They delayed the race a little because of all the people still arriving, so I was able to begin when I was supposed to.  The view from the line was beautiful!

I started the race by running the first mile.  It was pretty hot and humid already (70 degrees at 7am!), and I was already quite sweaty one mile in!  After that, I started my run-walk intervals.

The course started around Lake Minneola, then took us on an out-and-back route down a bike path nearby.  It was mostly shaded, making for an enjoyable run!  While we were on the bike path, there were some pretty big hills.  I had no idea there were hills in Florida, but apparently Clermont is full of them!  This part of the race lasted until mile 6.5 before heading back to the lake.

That part of the race lasted until mile 6.5 before heading back to the lake.  We ran on a residential road to continued all the way around the lake.  This was a really pretty route, with great views of the water, beautiful trees canopying the road, and nice houses to look at.  I kept thinking that the lake looked so big, but the whole way around was about 6 miles!

Throughout the entire race, I was feeling great.  The run-walk intervals really helped my mental race.  Knowing I could walk in 3 minutes, I would push myself a little to run a bit faster.  Looking at my time throughout the race, I knew I was doing well and on my way to a PR if things kept going well.

Around mile 10 was when I started hitting a little bit of a mental wall.  I kept telling myself to just focus on getting to the next mile, which worked for me.  Once I got to the mile 12 marker, I got a great energy boost and ran the rest of the race after the 12.6 mile mark.  This was the first time that I was able to actually sprint to the finish, since I had plenty of energy after running intervals throughout the race.  My official finish time:

2:24:02 (11:00 minutes/mile pace)!  A new half marathon PR!!

I was really NOT expecting that, but I can definitely attribute that to the run/walk intervals.  I knew I wasn't properly trained to run the whole time, but the walking intervals definitely helped me stay rested and keep injury-free.  My buddy Jeff Galloway would be proud of me for PRing with his run/walk method :)

I think two other things helped me perform well in this race, despite the lack of regular training.  First, I've been more focused on strength training over the last two months.  This helped me get my PR at RnR Virginia Beach, and it helped me once more this race.  Second, bikram yoga has helped increase my lung capacity.  There's a breathing exercise at the beginning of the practice where you focus on deep breathing.  They always say it helps increase lung capacity, and I've definitely noticed this during the practice.  I'm able to breath deeper than I was when I first started, which I'm sure makes a difference when I'm running.  Plus, I'm sure the regular walking intervals helped a lot!

There was a fitness expo after the race, and I enjoyed some of the post-race food

and the mist tent--perfect for such a hot day!

Overall, this was a fun race.  It was a good small race with lovely views throughout the entire course.  I would recommend that they get some more help during registration in the morning and also not advertise the course as "flat" considering the hills during the first half of the race.  I really enjoyed running this race and was so excited about the PR!

Question for you: What was something unexpected that happened to you this weekend?

Jam-packed Weekend + SBBC Week 6 Recap

Good morning, and Happy Monday!  My day is off to a great start already, despite the fact that Internet was down at school this morning.  You never realize how dependent you are on the internet until it's not working...especially during End of Course computerized testing!  It's back on now, though.  Thank goodness!

Let's take a look back at the weekend.  It was jam-packed with lots of fun!!

Friday
After work, I went home to get some things done before Joe got home from clinic.  We headed out for Mexican food with some of his classmates.  It was a good time, as usual!  I had an early alarm for Saturday morning, so when we got back, we watched an episode of Dexter and I went to bed.

Saturday
Saturday began with a 4:35 alarm clock.  Not exactly what I like to hear on a Saturday morning, but I had to drive to Clermont for the Lake Minneola Half Marathon!  I'll have a full recap up tomorrow (meant to post it yesterday, but time slipped away from me), but let's just say the race went way better than I expected!

Once I got home (after sitting in traffic for a while), I got some chores done and took a nap.  Then, Joe and I headed down to the New Smyrna Beach with our friend Lara for the Wine Walk.  We haven't been since September when Joe and Kristie were here, so we had a great time at one of our favorite events down here.

We followed up the Wine Walk with dinner at That's Amore.  Definitely a favorite restaurant of mine down here--such good food!  I'm looking forward to eating my leftovers for lunch today :)  I was exhausted once we got home from running 13.1 miles then drinking lots of wine, so I turned in around 10.

Sunday
For some reason, I couldn't sleep past 7 am, so I got up and got some reading done.  I'm so, so close to finishing Inferno (thank goodness!)!  Once Joe got up, we went over to the hospital to see Jesus and Marielle's baby!  We went to their baby shower a few weeks ago, and we were excited to meet baby Amanda!

The now-parents at their baby shower

Afterwards, we went to church then grabbed Subway for lunch.  The afternoon was spent scrubbing the floors!  Since getting Tequila, our white tile floors won't stay clean for more than a day.  They're sparkly for now, but I'm sure that will change after she runs around outside today.

Sunday's excitement was heading to a Daytona Cubs game!  You know we love going to the games, so it was a great way to enjoy the beautiful day and watch some baseball.  Plus, they had Baseball Bingo, which I have so much fun with.  Basically, when a certain player does something when batting, it corresponds to a Bingo number.  You mark your cards when it happens, and if you get Bingo, you win a prize!

Sadly, I didn't win :(   BUT the Cubs wound up winning the game in extra innings, so we were all happy!

We watched another episode of Dexter when we got home, then I went to bed after reading a little.  What a fun, fun weekend!!

Workouts
I'm proud of myself for getting in workouts 5 days this week!  Woo hoo!  Added bonus-that means a lot of points for me in the Spring Bootie Buster Challenge!  Double woo hoo!  Check out what I did this week as I link up with Amanda, Krysten, and Ericka to show how I put my #bestfoot forward!

Monday-BodyPUMP class in the evening (1 hour=6 points)
Tuesday-Bikram Yoga class (90 minutes=9 points)
Wednesday-3 mile treadmill run (+warm up and cool down) + 10-minute Core Workout from Youtube (50 minutes=5 points)

Thursday-Bikram Yoga class.  I was disappointed in this class, though, because the instructor put on a recording of Bikram leading a class.  It was weird to not have a live teacher, especially when the recording corrected people that weren't even there.  I wrote to the studio, and they've since assured me that that won't happen again.  Thank goodness! (90 minutes=9 points)
Friday-rest day
Saturday-Lake Minneola Half Marathon!  (174 minutes=17 points)

Sunday-rest day

Water Points=6/7 days
Freggie Points=4/7 days
Bonus Points=1 for doing a core workout on Wednesday
Total Points for the Week=57 (challenge best for me!)
Total Points for the Challenge=224

Goals for Lake Minneola Half Marathon

It's Friday afternoon, which means the weekend has started!  Joe and I have a good one planned, and I hope y'all do, too.

This weekend, I'm going to be running Half Marathon #6, the Lake Minneola Half Marathon.

Image Source

I'm excited to run a local race, and it should be a really pretty course!  I'm preparing myself tonight for the run with my usual Mexican food...and a lot of water.

I've mentioned that I am going in to this race undertrained.  I considered not even running this race, but after missing a 10K earlier this month, I'm still going to participate.  However, I don't want to injure myself in running this race.  With that in mind, here are my goals for this race.

"A" Goal-Run the first mile, complete miles 2-12 with a 3-minute run/1-minute walk ratio, then run the last mile.

Running the first mile will help the field thin out a little before starting my run/walk intervals.  I know I need to do this to keep from injuring myself.  If I feel really really good during the race, I may reduce that later on in the race.  I do want to finish running the last 1.1 miles of the race, and I think that will be manageable for me.

If that doesn't work out...

"B" Goal-Finish the race faster than my slowest half marathon.

The Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon was a tough race for me, and I finished in just over 3 hours.  I want to finish this race beating the time for that race.

If that doesn't work out...

"C" Goal-Finish the race (preferably injure-free).

Even if I have to walk the whole thing, I just want to finish this race.  Missing the 10K threw me off on my training, so just finishing this race will make me happy.

I should be able to meet my A goal, but the others are in place that I will still feel accomplished after the race.

Well, it's time for bed!  I'll have a recap of the race on Sunday, but I'll post something on Twitter and Instagram about the race before then.  Have a great weekend!

Question for you: Are you racing this weekend?  If not, what do you have planned?

Reflection on Lent: How I Felt Without Sweets for 40 Days

Easter is always an exciting time for me.  It reminds of us of Christ's death and resurrection to atone for our sins.  It's signifies new life--both in Christ, and in the coming of springtime.  Materialistically, it means I get to wear white shoes/pants/skirts until Labor Day (come on, Southern gals, I know you're excited about this, too!).  AND, this year, it meant that I could eat sweets again.

A post-Lent cookie

I decided to give up sweets for Lent for two reasons: it would help me eat more healthy, and they were really taking control of my life at the time.  Through the past 40+ days of not eating sweets, I really did learn a lot about God, myself, and my body.  I wanted to share those things with you today.

1. Life's a whole lot easier when you let God be in control.  When Lent started, food was in control of me.  My taste buds would dictate what I wanted, and I would constantly be trying to satisfy them.  However, when Lent began, I knew that I couldn't eat what I craved anymore.  So, I turned to prayer in those times.  I gave that over to God and asked for His help in controlling my desires.  Instead of letting food control me, I let God take over, and boy, what a difference that made!  In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I certainly experienced this when I tried the burden of food for the yoke of God.

2. I CAN have self-control.  I know that this was with God's help, but there were many times that I was around sweets and wasn't tempted at all.  The day after Lent began, there was a bowl of candy sitting right in front of me at a meeting full of fun-sized 3 Muskeeters (my favorite).  I knew I couldn't have it, I told myself that, and I just looked away from it the entire time.  My mouth didn't water as it normally would have in the presence of the candy.  There were also times when people offered me cake or other desserts after dinner parties, and I didn't feel tempted or disappointed when others around me were eating their treats.  God certainly showed me through these 40 days that self-control IS a fruit of the Spirit that I can demonstrate.

3. The mind is a powerful thing.  This may go along with self-control, but I witnessed the power of my mind during these 40 days.  I had it in my head that I couldn't have any sweets, and my body didn't seem to want them.  I never had any cravings for anything!  I know this was God working in me, and it's amazing what He enables our minds to do.

4. My body felt better.  I noticed that I wasn't as tired in the morning as when I was eating something sweet every day.  I felt a little lighter and thinner.  I noticed a positive difference in how I felt while exercising.  Overall, I just felt better when I wasn't eating sweets.

5.  I've learned to want other healthier snacks instead.  Now, I actually WANT carrot sticks, sliced peppers, or roasted chickpeas as a snack or "dessert" instead of something sweet.  I haven't gone home in the afternoon thinking, "The only thing that will satisfy me right now is something sweet."  THAT is a big difference from before.

6.  On the negative side, I think I did look for a replacement for sweets.  Unfortunately, I feel like one of the reasons I had so much success with this is because I turned to something else at some times: alcohol.  There were a few weeks where I'd have a glass or two of wine every evening during the week.  It's not uncommon for me to have some wine one or two week days, but Joe even noticed the frequency of my wine-drinking.  Once he and I talked about it, I realized I was replacing sweets with wine and consciously stopped doing it.  

Overall, though, this was a very positive experience for me.  The big question now: is this a permanent change?  The answer is no.  In fact, this week alone I've had something sweet every day.

These were a big part of my food intake on Monday

While I don't plan on cutting out sweets all together, I do plan to cut down on the amount of sweets I eat on a weekly basis.  It's hard to completely cut something out of your diet in a healthy way (note my turning to wine).  So, I'm going to start next week by limiting myself to eating something sweet 3x during the week.  I see that as completely manageable to start out with.  If I do well with that, I may adjust that as needed.  I also want to exhibit self-control in the amount of sweets I eat in one sitting (i.e. not eat a whole movie-theater-candy box of Bottle Caps in one sitting). 

So, that was a really long post with very few pictures, but I wanted to get all of my thoughts out on this topic.  If you stayed through it this long, thank you!  Here's a cute Tequila picture to reward you :)

She turns her head whenever we ask a question...so adorable!

Tomorrow's post will be a lot lighter, I promise!

Question for you: If you gave up something for Lent, how did you do?  What's something that you need to work on doing in moderation?

WIAW #31: Monday's Meals

Halfway through the week already?  It's amazing how quickly time is going by!  Recently, I've started trying to get more chores done throughout the week, thanks to Joe's new clinic schedule.  He has a lot more free time, and when I come home and see him cleaning, it makes me want to clean, too.  I thought I'd not have as much free time to relax after work when I get right to the chores.  I've actually found that I feel I have MORE relaxing time now!  Score!  Good thing I have some cuddle buddies to spend it with.

I know the picture's dark, but I just had to share that Tequila and Kitty are finally starting to get along!  :)

Well, it's Wednesday, so you know what that means around here!

In today's WIAW, I'm sharing my food from Monday.  I usually share Tuesday's meals, but I wanted to share something a little different today!  Thanks to Jenn for hosting the link-up every week!  Head over to her blog, Peas and Crayons, to see what WIAW is all about (and visit other bloggers, too).

Breakfast

Since I didn't get to the grocery store yet this week, I was out of cereal.  I tried Erica's recipe for Cake Batter Overnight Oats, complete with sprinkles since I can eat sweets again!  I didn't have any vanilla Chobani, so I subbed in the only thing I had remotely close--cream cheese.  I enjoyed this recipe, but I imagine the yogurt would make it extra delicious!

Morning Snack

I had some roasted salted chickpeas from my NatureBox (review coming soon!) as well as an apple.  These chickpeas are the perfect healthy snack-the crunch and taste of a chip without all the fat!

Lunch

We were out of salad fixings, but we did have a whole bell pepper!  I stuffed it with tuna like I've done recently, with the usual stuff on the side: veggie straws, carrots, and pineapple.

Afternoon Snack

Joe's grandparents sent me this Easter treat, and since I can now eat sweets, I figured I'd eat it for my afternoon snack.  Not very healthy, but it was tasty!

Pre-dinner Snack 

I went to the store after my workout and before dinner.  I was hungry and saw a movie-theater candy box of Bottle Caps.  I couldn't resist them and bought a box.  I had a few handfuls of these tasty little things before I made dinner.

Dinner

Joe and a friend went out for wings, so I was on my own for dinner.  I wasn't very hungry due to the few handfuls of Bottle Caps, so I opted for a smoothie!  I made this smoothie with one banana, two handfuls of frozen strawberry halves, one scoop of protein powder, a handful of spinach, a spoonful of chia seeds, and some milk.  I had enough for two glasses, and it was a pretty tasty way to eat a late dinner!

Dessert

I continued to eat Bottle Caps...until I finished the box.  Once I open those boxes, I just can't stop!  Especially after not eating sweets for a whole 40 days.

Workout

Good thing I went to BodyPump before dinner!  I went to my usual Monday night BodyPump class.  The instructor did a mix of releases, and I really liked the tracks we did, particularly the bicep track!  Those muscles are still sore today!

I'll end with this cute picture of Tequila playing with her shadow.  The "action shots" were a little dark, but she will paw at her shadow and kind of pounce at it.  She's hilarious!

Question for you: What candy can you just not stop eating?

Those boxes of Bottle Caps get me every time!

Easter Weekend and SBBC Week 5 Recap

Good morning, everyone!  It's time to begin another week.  Despite having a long weekend, I'd really like to have an extra weekend day.  I think four day work weeks would be much more productive!

Anyway, let's take a look at what Joe and I did for this Easter weekend.

Friday
Joe and I got up semi-early in order to drive to south Georgia to see his grandparents.  It was rainy and gross all day, which made for a dreary drive.  On the way up, Joe had a meeting with a potential employer!  The guy wound up having to reschedule, but we had a nice little pit stop at Waffle House and shopping in Beall's.  I got some new headphones that I'm excited about.

We made it to Joe's grandparents' house around 4, caught up for a little bit, then went to dinner at Cracker Barrel.  Afterward, Joe, his grandmother, and I went to a Newsong concert.  Newsong is a contemporary Christian band, and they sounded great live!  We had fun listening to music and praising God.

Once we got home from the concert, I was ready for bed.  In fact, I was too tired to even read my book before going to sleep!  Joe walked in to bed and found me asleep with the book on my chest and the light still on.

Saturday
We had a slow-moving morning on Saturday.  I got up around 9, drank some coffee, and talked with Joe's grandparents/read until Joe got up.  His grandparents are such great people, and I always enjoy spending time with them!

Joe had to head back to his interview early Saturday afternoon, so we had an early lunch at Golden Corral.  I loaded up with a salad first, then lots of veggies on the second round.  It's possible to eat (semi) healthy at a buffet!  Joe's sister came in to town and met us for lunch before heading back to the house.

The afternoon was spent chatting, reading, and looking through old pictures, taking a walk with Katherine, and eating some more.  While looking at pictures, I found this one of Joe's dad and uncle.  Joe's dad is on the right, and he looks JUST like Joe's older brother in it!

Joe and I caught the Atlanta Braves baseball game on TV that evening.  We enjoyed watching our team on TV since we don't get them down in Florida!  After the game, I read some more before bed.  Had to get some sleep before Easter Sunday!

Sunday
Easter morning was a relaxed one, getting ready before leaving for church at 10:30.  We attended a great service, with lots of music and a great sermon.  I always enjoy the church Joe's grandparents go to!

We followed church with a local lunch buffet, where two of Joe's cousins joined us.  We had a great meal--both delicious food and great company!  After lunch, we all headed back to the house for some pictures.

me, cousin Sarah, SIL Katherine

The cousins: Kellis, Sarah, Joe< and Katherine

Me and Joe

The cousins and the grandparents

me, Joe, and Katherine

After our photo shoot, it was time for us to get ready to go.  Joe and I headed to Gainesville to visit his other grandparents.  His grandfather was in the hospital, so we spent about an hour with them.  Then, it was time to get back home!

Tequila came back home to us shortly after (she was staying with a friend who dropped her off).  Looks like she was pretty happy to be home!

It may have just been the raw hide we gave her :)

Workouts
Just like last week, I'm linking up with Amanda, Krysten, and Ericka for the #bestfoot link-up!

The week of workouts started strong, but I let things get in the way of exercise after that.
Monday-3 mile run + BodyPump class (30 + 60 minutes = 9 points)

Loved my coordinated Ellie outfit for Monday's run/workout

Tuesday-Bikram yoga class (90 minutes=9 points)
Wednesday-lazy day
Thursday-lazy day
Friday-travel/rest day
Saturday-30 minute walk with Katherine (3 points)
Sunday-travel/rest day

Activity Points: 21
Water Points: 4/7 days
Freggie Points: 4/7 days
Total Points for the Week: 29 (+10 bonus points for an avoiding-one-overindulgence challenge)
Total Points for the Challenge: 167

My goal for this week is to survive the Lake Minneola Half Marathon!  I've done a poor job at following my training plan.  My goals for this race will reflect that, and I will share those later in the week.

Question for you: How did you spend this Easter weekend? What are your fitness/health related goals this week?

Easter 2014

Happy Easter!  Christ has risen!

Image Source

Two things really struck me at church this morning.  First, we sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," an Easter hymn classic, and one of the verses really struck me.  Here are the lyrics:

"Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia

Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia

Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!"

It never really crossed my mind that without Jesus dying for us and being raised from the dead, we would not have victory over death in Him.  I am so thankful today (and everyday) that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to give us eternal life (John 3:16).  Praise Him!

Another thing that stuck out to me (along the same lines) is something the preacher said during his sermon.  He mentioned a recent Time Magazine article about Google trying to solve the problem of death.  Well, no need, Google!  Jesus already took care of that!  His resurrection gave us all victory over death, as we now have eternal life.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter celebration!  Let's try to be an Easter people throughout the year, not waiting until this day to remember what Jesus did for us over 2000 years ago.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday 4

Hey, everyone!  I hope you are having a great Easter weekend so far.  We are enjoying spending some time with Joe's family, despite the fact that it's been raining and dreary yesterday and today.

My mind is bouncing all over the place today, and so I thought it's a perfect time for another Stream of Consciousness Saturday post!  I seem to do these about once a month and just talk about whatever happens to come to my mind.

1. I don't know what it is, but I have been really in to iced coffee this week.  Between Wendy's on Sunday and DD throughout the week, it's becoming a trend around here!

Maybe it's me making up for the sweets I'm not able to eat...(one more day!)

2.  I received my first NatureBox (<---referral in="" link="" mail="" on="" p="" the="" thursday="">

I decided to receive 5 surprise snacks, and I've gotta say, the ones I've tried so far are fantastic!  I'm going to do a full review once I try everything, but an early favorite are the Honey Macadamia Pretzel Pops.  Yummy!

Use my referral link to receive $10 off your NatureBox (I get $10 off, too).

3.  The Lake Minneola Half Marathon is next Saturday, and I'm freaking out a little.  I didn't do a very good job of sticking to my training plan, other than strength training 1x a week, a short run 1x a week, and bikram yoga 1-2x a week.  Sometimes I'd do more, but I don't really feel prepared for this race.  More to come on what I'm planning on doing!

4.  Having a puppy is so much fun!  Tequila is so much fun to play with, and I am definitely missing her this weekend so far.  She's in good hands, though, so I'm not worried about her too much.

5. Joe had a job interview yesterday, and it went pretty well!  I'm excited for him that he's getting closer to being finished with school and getting out in to the working world.  I'm definitely in prayer for him over where God will have him work, and we'd love to have your prayers, too!

6. For some reason, I've been feeling really busy yet out-of-it this week.  I feel like I've done so much, but at the same time done nothing at all.  I'm hoping this coming week will be more productive and I'll be more motivated to do stuff.

That's about all I can come up with at this time (and my computer battery is about to die)!  Check out past SOCS posts:
SOCS March
SOCS February
SOCS January
Have a fantastic Easter weekend!  Let's celebrate the Lord's death and resurrection to save the world!

Question for you: Tell me something random about your week/day/life.