Progress!

Hey Y’all,

I have reached a milestone in my time away from writing to you, I have now lost a total of 15 pounds, and the number is dropping weekly. I feel fantastic, it is amazing being able to put on clothes that used to cut into me as I was…increasing…and now I can put them on and they are a little bit loose even! Granted, I don’t want to get to cocky about all this and then have it not work out…but I really do feel good. And I am 3 pounds away from losing ten percent of my bodyweight, which Charlie says is a good thing, and I will trust him on that as he’s been working much more diligently on his program than I have mine.

Also, I no longer have prom date. It turns out we were both just bending to make each other happy and in the process not happy at all, so now I am again, prom dateless. (any handsome charming musical men, out there need a date? Eh?) just kidding.

I am also thinking of writing a book. A character by the name of Coda Storm has been flouncing about in my head and I feel like I won’t be able to rest easy again until I give him the history he deserves.  But that is a project I am largely going to do in my free time so depending on how much free time I have, depends on how long it will take me to work him out of my system.

That is all, my lovelies, I hope y’all have a Happy Easter.

Much Love,

L<3

P.S. Another song, by the amazing P!nk, from her latest album which is my jam.
Anyway, here it is: Timebomb

Prologue: Still In Port

Hello Y'all

I feel like an awful person, I haven't written in several weeks and I can't lie and tell you that I've been exercising because I havent...life just kind of took over and hasnt released me at this point and I dont know what is going to happen yet with the 14 weeks. I guess I have *sort of* been exercising if you want to call it that. I've been doin Tabata at least once a week when I get the chance but thats really about it. but I have dropped a little weight, so I guess a little progress is better than nothing. 

I got into a huge issues where school wasnt my priority...and I realize now...that was a mistake, so now I've spent the past few weeks scrambling to make up for the slide in grades that happened while I wasnt trying. Which is really hard because senioritis is setting in really hard now that it is the second half of the second semester. But I just gotta keep pushing through it and muscle my way through a Pre-Calculus class that hates my guts. 

My Sam Houston School of Music Audition was at the end of February, and that went well, I should hear the results in a couple days. Also, my Solo & Ensemble competition for my school was this past weekend. I got a 1 on my Ensemble and an Outstanding on my Solo (heh, yea thats right, I got that skill) just kidding, but really, I'm so proud of how hard I worked on it, and I think I really deserved it this year, I've worked on this song and loved on it for the past I dont even know how many months. 

Also, by the way...I got asked to prom :) yay! So, that little bit of worry is done, and I have a date with a sweetheart who is just like me. And by just like me, I mean he is awkward, cranky, arrogant of his craft, and did I mention awkward? Lol, we are gonna have a great time, I know it. 

So yea, that is a brief summary of what has happened in my absence. Now I'm back, and will hopefully be posting again but I dont know when I will start 14 weeks because school is still going on. It might have to wait until summer. We will just have to see. 

Much Love

L<3

So the song this time is Just A Kiss because its just an awesome song and it has been on repeat on my iPod for the past week and a half and I love it so much.

P. S. I want to apologize again for the wait, this has been way to long in the coming, And I feel so bad that I have kept you all waiting this long :(

Prologue: Facing the Storm

Hello,

This will be the last prologue it seems, I'm not going to lie I'm terrified.

But then again I am really, really keyed up right now. (Why, L?) Oh, nothing much, just this thing called ScholarX. The university I want to go to has a one stop shop per say for school provided scholarships, and in order to apply for all available scholarships you have to apply through a thing called ScholarX. Now, I’ve known this for a while but I am a bit of a procrastinator so I have been putting this off until the day for “priority consideration” at 11 to really start finishing it up. And so I am fairly certain there are so many errors in it, and on top of that, I apparently have to get two recommendation letters from people. And I had to provide an email address for these people, and so I put down my voice teacher, (which reminds me I need to send her an email) and a family friend who has known me since I was little. I’m fairly sure that the family friend has a different email address now, so we will see I guess, if that actually works or if I am just totally screwed. I feel like I just totally ruined any hope for college -_- that was truly, the most stressed I have ever been in my life. I am still shaking.

Oi.

Anyway, so now I will embark upon these 14 weeks of change. Hopefully all good. I know I had said I would start this on Monday when I first started out but the truth is my mom works from home on Mondays so I will probably just do a little Tabata Monday and then the routine Tuesday.

Now, for those of you like me, have forgotten what’s going to be happening (like me) then I will find it and put it in here for you (not the whole 14 weeks just the first week):

WEEK 1
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 5 minute walk
• 1 minute jog
• 5 minute walk
• 1 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

Yay, so now we know what I will be doing next week. (Along with going to see my high school’s play, Legally Blonde since I have a dear friend who is now exhausted from working so hard on the dang thing) Can you believe that he has been at the school till close to 12 every night for at least the past week working on making sure everything will work and stuff (I don’t know all the details of what it is he does) I have to say, watching the play previews, I think it will be quite good (fingers crossed)

Oh and today I went with a group of kids from my school to do something called "Groundhog Job Shadow Day" and I got to go to Best Buy and learn some of the cool stuff that goes on there, and I have to say it seems like an awesome place to work and I have already submitted an application for an interview (wish me luck on this one) because if I get to work there, Best Buy has a program called tuition reimbursement, which essentially means that if you are an employee at Best Buy and you go to college, they will reimburse your tuition (I'm sure there are probably limits and conditions, but hey any help is help and very welcome). So now I have 4 rounds of interviews to weather, and hope for the best. 

Oh lord, speaking of weathering stuff. I am so nervous about my audition now, since I totally botched my ScholarX thing I'm so afraid of what will happen with the school of music, and I dont know what to do, I'm just so stressed about it. *breathe, L, breathe* anyway, I believe it is about time for me to go, I have quite the headache and my hands are still shaking so I'm going to go to sleep and hopefully all the stress will be gone by the time I wake up in the morning. 

Much Love,
L <3

PS I don't really have a song this week *le epic gasp* I know, I know, its a shock and a disappointment but I'm afraid you will have to survive. I suppose if I was going to talk about one that at least came up fairly often this week it would be Nicki Minaj's Roman's Revenge because the weather was cold and when I would breathe out I could see my breath so me and my friends would be like "Dragon Breath! Ahhhhhhhhh" and the ahhhh is us breathing out. I have to warn you tho that its not the most appropriate song, as a matter of fact its a terrible song, but you are warned. I'm pretty sure you'll figure out if you listen to it why it kept coming up...but yea its an explicit song so be warned. 

Prologue: Rocking The Boat

Hey! (Sorry this is late, lots of stuff going on and I never got around to getting back on and hitting "Publish")

So I told y'all that I wouldn't be starting until after next Saturday, and that still holds, BUT I do have some progress to report (finally lol) I am happy to report that I sit now in a gym, Pure Fitness for Women as it were and am about to pay a small 9.95 for month to month no contract membership. Granted its quite possible that it is not what it seems and they will attempt to rope me into something that I either can't afford or don't want to pay. I most literally brought a total of 11 bucks with me in my wallet so if they try anything I can just say, "sorry" and walk out. I guess we will find out later whether or not this is worth my while. And of course it's not but I think I kind of expected as much.

But continuing... It would seem that my college auditions are coming near (Yikes!) which means I have a couple of pieces to learn. One of them I really only need to brush up on as it was in fact my Solo and Ensemble piece last year. It's called Après Un Reve it is in French and it is about a loved one you've lost and how dreams can bring them back to you in a sense. And if I must say (with all due humility) I sound pretty damn good when I sing it. And then the second one, titled Majo Discreto, is a great song about mi majo (sweetheart) and the secret he guards a secret that is indiscreet and only between a sweat heart and his woman (wink, wink) lol it's a great fun Spanish song that just makes you want to smile.

Yea so college auditions coming soon, and I'm signed up to take the ASVAB at my school come March, so that aspect is rolling right along as well, well...as much as it can.

Now onto a topic that is as relevant to all seniors as it is not relevant to the rest of the worlds population. Prom. (Wow!) so now I I officially have a group and love most of these people and have been friends with them the whole of my high school life...two of them though...not so much. But not a lot I can do about it, except get a date and tolerate the frienemies from hell. So if there is any devastatingly gorgeous (or not) 18-21 yr old who reads this and is willing to be my date, that would be awesome ;) lol I'm kidding but yea stress central on the way.

Anyway not a whole lot else going on this week, hope y'all had a great week

Much love,

L <3


PS: How Come You're Not Here by P!nk is the song that I've had on repeat when I am alone in the car this week.

Prologue: Passing Tides

Hi Y'all!

So, It's been another week, and still no start on my program (I feel awful having to say that, but I still have a funky throat thing going on). I'm going to give myself another week to recover and another week after that to really get my head into it, so hopefully as long as I can get well I will have some better news come two weeks from now.

For now, though, let me tell you about this week. This week has been a large improvement over last, it was midterm week so I would finish my midterm finals and then be out of school by 11-ish everyday (how awesome is that) which I mostly spent here at home on the computer doing nothing, *but* on Friday we had no school at all and I spent the latter half of the day cleaning up my room and making it habitable again. Which means, two full days of laundry (woo). which I am halfway through completing. I still have a good four or five loads left.

Speaking of laundry, yesterday I spent my day doing it, and that means a lot of waiting for the machines to buzz so I spent most of my day watching How I Met Your Mother re-runs. Anyway so now I have a lot of clean clothes and you can actually see my floor in my room which is quite an accomplishment if you knew how bad it was before.

I'm not sure if I actually got around to saying it or if it was part of the post that got deleted, but I most definitely recommend seeing Les Miserables in theaters, it is wow so amazing. One of the best movies I have ever seen. But I don't wanna give to much away  to much, just go see it, it is definitely worth it. I have seen it three times already and I would still go see it again, in fact I have plans with a friend to go do that exact thing in the next few days.

It's kinda late tho and I had a rather long day today at a family friends wedding ceremony (Congrats Kathryn and Clayton!)  so I am going to go, and leave y'all with well wishes for this week and a great song from Les Mis: Stars

Much Love,
L <3

Prologue: Annoying Coughs

Hey, I want to apologize first that this is coming two days late. My saturday was...trying. To say the least.

I had a really difficult and long week last week and not because my muscles were sore. 'Cause they weren't. 'Cause I didnt start...I'm sorry :(

So y'all know I had the flu right? Well the flu is gone, I'm not contagious but for some reason this awful cough clings to me and refuses to release my poor throat and let me speak/breathe normally. So running is kinda out of the question. Trust me, I did it friday just because I had to let off some steam because it had been a really trying day and I ended up having to sleep for 3 hours afterward and then lay in bed another hour after that trying to stop coughing.

Anyway. So if your reading because of the 14 weeks project you might as well stop now, I do not know when I will start it, but it will definitely be after I'm well again.

So, Saturday was...interesting to say the least. I was in saturday school. Which if you dont know what that is it's essentially detention for when they think your not getting the picture, since you've had to many after school detentions. Anyway, so I was sitting in saturday school repenting for the grave sin of tardiness, and I had typed up an entry for y'all that was well over a thousand words the last time I looked, and I was quite witty and charming in it (if I do say so myself, which I do lol) and had signed off with a heart and everything.

Then once I was done writing I still had a few hours left to blow and I had already spent the first couple hours doing schoolwork, so I minimized Word and powered up good old google chrome and started looking at pictures of my little pony (dont judge, its a good show) when the saturday school teacher shuts down my laptop remotely because apparently my little pony is not a school appropriate website. So all my hard work, the whole entry I had for you was gone. Kaput.

And I had had a really long week (being sick really pisses me off for some reason) so I wasnt in the most happy state of mind when this happened, and it just made me give up, I closed down my laptop and just wanted to go home and cry. But I didn't, and here I am trying again and saving every two minutes so that if something happens I dont lose it all again, (I dont think I could make myself try this again, I would put a hole in my computer).

I hope y'alls week was better than mine was.

On the brightside, since I cant be out running I have been sitting home on my computer and fiddling around with a program called Inkscape, and have gotten really good at making vectors of my My Little Pony OC (original character) which...when I type it out like that and see it, sounds positively pathetic.

The song this week that really hit my mood on the head is Ready To Go by Panic! At the Disco, because quite frankly I am so beyond ready to be done being sick so that I can GO!

Hope y'all have a good week

Much Love,
L<3

Prologue: Man Overboard!

I want to give a special thanks to Charlie Martin for mentioning me in his 13 Weeks post, his contribution has taken my small little project (which I can't lie, I wasn't all that confident in ever completing) and made into something way beyond the scope of something I could ever imagine. I feel like it would be oh so rude of me if I didn't reference him here :  Charlie Martin: PJ Lifestyle  although, as he is the one who sent so many of you here I imagine you all know who he is, but just in case :)

I want to let you all in on a little bit about the girl behind the letter since I cant start this project in its entirety yet. I am 18 and still in high school, with a couple of big choices coming to the forefront that I must face come graduation in June. Both terrifying. Both exciting. College, or Military.

My mom and I have been alone since I was young and she has done such an amazing job of raising me and supporting me, being my father, mother, and friend. I have discussed this with her and I know she'd feel much better about me just going to college. And for a long time that was fine with me and the military hadn't even entered my realm of possibilities. A few months back, though it came to me that maybe the military would be good for me.

As a matter of fact I know it would be good for me. It would give me the opportunity to grow as a person and serve this country I so love and follow in the legacy of my grandfather and my uncle, both of whom served in the Marine Corps (oohrah!).

However, college is something I definitely don't and won't want to miss out on. If I do decide on the military first, when I get back I will go in to college. Music Education as my major, yes, yes, scoff if you must but music is my life and I have always wanted to be a teacher, hence, MusEd. Anyway, just wanted to lay that out there for y'all.

I'm thinking, and it is a maybe, it might not always happen, that in my weekly update I will tell you guys which songs I listened to as I worked out and which ones motivated me. If you don't want to listen to them that is perfectly fine with me, it was just an idea that rattled into my mind in the small hours of the night.

I still haven't made any official decision on an eating plan for the next 14 weeks, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind when I started this whole idea, so over the weekend I am going to be doing some research and making (hopefully) a decision and a plan and will hope that my mom participates by not making some of her oh so delicious, yet oh so devilish dishes that have contributed to my weight today :)

Also...I must confess that my scale is broken so I honestly have no idea how much I currently weigh, that is another thing I will try to get fixed this weekend.

I am happy to report my fever is gone, and I feel like a normal human (wonder of wonders) so hopefully that means I am on the mend.

Much Love,
L <3

PS: This song hasn't been a workout track, and probably wont be because of how slow it is but it has been one I've had on repeat during my sickness and so I figured I'd share it with you anyway:
Beam Me Up

Prologue: The calm before the storm.

Alright, so here I am, the day after New Years and it came to me, if I am ever going to make this work it is time to get serious about this. The US Air Force says that with my 5' 6" height I have to be a max of 165 lbs. Right now, I am over that by at least ten pounds. Although I will not be joining the Air Force, I figured it just might be a good idea to start working on that for the Navy.

So, 14 weeks, a plan to get me fit, and hopefully keep me fit so that i can have this opportunity to change my life, and maybe change the world. Here is the schedule:


WEEK 1
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 5 minute walk
• 1 minute jog
• 5 minute walk
• 1 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 2
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 5 minute walk
• 3 minute jog
• 5 minute walk
• 3 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 3
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 5 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 5 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 4
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 4 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 5 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 5 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk

WEEK 5
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 4 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 6 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 6 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 6
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 4 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 7 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 7 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 7
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 6 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 8 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 8 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 8
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 6 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 9 minute jog
• 4 minute walk
• 9 minute jog
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 9
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 4 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 13 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 10
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 4 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 15 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 11
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 4 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch
• 17 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 12
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 1 minute walk
• 17 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 13
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 2 minute walk
• 2 minute jog
• 17 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

WEEK 14
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:
• 5 minute stretch/warmup
• 2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
• 3 minute jog
• 17 minute run
• 3-5 minute walk
• 2 minute stretch

Now, for all those who scrolled down through all that, THANK YOU!!! I must inform you that as I write this I am battling the flu, "Rain or Shine", right? Well, we shall see. I am not going to be doing much today as it is Wednesday and I plan on starting this next week on Monday, but my Week one Post will come to you Saturday if all goes as planned.

Much Love,
L <3