Merry Christmas!

I have to be honest, it doesn't really feel like Christmas. I'm sitting at my desk in my room staring at a stuffed Grinch doll my mother had sent me. On the other side of the room are all of the nick knacks I received in my care packages. A small tree and stockings from the Shaushkin's, singing chipmunks and a diorama from my dad, delicious Harry and David stuff from my Aunt, and a few cards that came in my mail back home. I loved all of the gifts and shared a lot of the edible items with my class so that I wouldn't reverse my progress.

This week was a mental challenge not to be a man hater. As you read last week I had hit my limit of man talk. Well, this week I became vocal about it. I told the boys about my issues and even walked out of breakfast one morning. Of course, according to them, it was all hormonal. Typical men! Things got better once I explained myself and they actually listened. Even so, I still cannot wait to get back to my life back home.

I have counted the days and I have 7 more Mondays and 7 more PT sessions left. This coming week should be fairly easy and shortened by a day! We do know that in PT we will be doing our version of a triathlon. We will swim in the pool for however long Mr. K decided then change out and head to the gym to ride a spin bike and then hit the pavement for a run. Not too hard right?? Hahaha. Regardless, it will be one more session completed and one less week to count! Mr. K and I now have a love hate relationship. He gets frustrated that I don't push myself as hard as he wants me to and I in turn get frustrated that he doesn't see that I am pushing myself. It's an endless cycle! At the end of the day I still have loads of respect for him and welcome the extra push.

I'm off to take a nice run. The temperature is mild and the sun is out. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and I will be blogging at you soon. Mele Kalikimaka!

xoxo

P.S. The picture is compliments of Miya and Mariko (cousins) who are spending the holidays in Hawaii!

The brotherhood....

Each week that I am here time seems to fly faster. I believe it is because the longer we are here the closer we all have become. Everyone back in the office told us we would be hating each other by this point simply because we are with one another day in and day out. I think the opposite effect has happened. Again I am left realizing that I was sent with an amazing group of men. The only part that gets on my nerves is they have me on a tight leash...13 brothers I never expected to have! I thought Branden was bad with his macho brother attitude wanting to hurt any man who hurts his sisters, but these guys I'm with are at a whole other level. They don't really like it that I'm friendly with everyone who crosses my path. They mean well and I just have to accept it. 

Yesterday I was able to take part in a great event that was sponsored in part by Walmart. I took a little girl around the store with a gift card and went shopping. My little one was 8 and when I asked her what was the most important thing off of her list that she wanted to look for first she said shoes! It was meant to be. She got an adorable pair of black boots, a new bicycle, a pretty dress for church, a few toys, and of course some socks and t-shirts. A woman from the local newspaper was following us taking photos and said they would be in today's paper. I haven't looked for it yet, but when I do I will bring a copy home to share with you all. It was a great way to start my morning. That and a cup of coffee!!

In our remedial PT  this week they combined us with the class that came in a couple of weeks ago. Noticing their form and their ability makes me realize how much my class and I have transformed. The physical things I used to struggle with have now become a workout and not a challenge to maintain proper form in order to do the exercise correct. PT life would be perfect if I was a better runner, but I guess I can't have it all. I have started working out with our class leader who is a former marine and physical trainer. He knows my strengths and weaknesses and has put me on a program tailored to my needs. He continues to be one of my biggest supporters here not only physically, but mentally as well. He won't allow me to show weakness in either aspect. So, to all of my girls out there, I'm going to need some major detoxing from all of this!!! Mani, pedi, massage, day spa....the works!

Well folks, that's it for now. I'm off to get a workout in and then study. We have another big exam this Tuesday. I hope you all are staying dry or dancing in the rain...whichever you choose!! Blog at you soon.

xoxo

Georgia rain=no bugs!

At the end of week 6 I am happier than ever. It marks our half way point and the successful completion of the fitness midterm. You might remember that the day after we arrived in Georgia we had to run through an obstacle course and run a mile and a half. We repeated that on Friday to log our progression and hopefully get a confidence boost. Originally I did the O course in 1 minute and 46 seconds and the run in 16 minutes and 7 seconds. As you can imagine, I was pretty nervous that I had not progressed enough to decrease my numbers drastically. Needless to say I surprised myself when I ran the O course in 1 min and 10 seconds and the mile and a half in 14 min and 34 seconds. The passing run time for the final is 14.30 and the O course is 1.45. I now have no doubt in my mind that in the next 7 weeks I will shave off the necessary 4 seconds from the run to pass the final. This week was huge for me. I can't even begin to tell you how huge my smile was when Mr. K towered over me and said in his Georgia accent, "Ma'am, you did good today, but that doesn't mean you can slack off. 14.34 isn't passing, but nicely done." I love his round about comments and I truly appreciate his dedication to make me better than I think I am. Oh, and I mastered that six foot wall!

I am also doing well with my classes. I did better than expected on our first exam by scoring a 96% which was the highest in the class. I shared that honor with two other classmates. The tough part is trying to stay awake after lunch. At any giving moment I can look around the room and at least one of us has the case of the nods. A lot of the material is very dry and there isn't a cup of coffee or a bottle of 5 hour energy big enough to cure them.

Now for my sad news. My friend Lenin went home this week. He has been sick since we started back in L.A. and just couldn't take it any longer. He wasn't sleeping which made it impossible for him to function. So, he went home to heal and he will be recycled with another group. I miss my friend, but in the end it was better for him not to be here while he was ill. It's stressful enough without an illness. The rest of the guys have been really good about including me in their fun since he has been gone. We took a trip to Target last night and went to 5 Guys for dinner and after I was going to walk across the parking lot to Old Navy to expand my limited wardrobe. I was told that I was not going alone because I have 15 brothers now. Yikes, the independent side of me went nuts and the warm fuzzy side sat and waited. These guys I'm with are wonderful...even when we bump heads.

Well friends and family, it's time for me to study for our exam on Tuesday. I hope you are all enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. I miss you all!

xoxo

Almost half way there!

I can hardly believe that we just completed week 5. I managed to pass all 3 exams, but do not know my score on the third one just yet. My hours and hours of studying paid off! The physical conditioning continues to be challenging. Monday we did a cross fit workout that consisted of lifting weights, medicine balls, and a row machine. We had to partner up and since there are an odd number of people in our group one of us had to partner up with Mr. K. I was the lucky one! I actually had a great workout and he motivates me very well. I even got a higher score than I could have ever imagined. Three sets in 15 minutes sounds easier than it actually was. The running still stinks, but it is getting better. At least I feel like it is.

The new class from our office came in this week. They are a fun group who makes me appreciate how organized and focused my class is. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that I was meant to be with this group. Our class President has played a huge part in my success here. This week I hit a little mental breakdown after Tuesday's conditioning session. I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't being recognized for my efforts and Mr. K definitely got in my head.  Our President picked up the pieces and carried me through my low point. He's truly the best!

This weekend is sort of a resting weekend. We don't have a lot of studying to do and will only go for a run today and maybe swim tomorrow. Sounds relaxing, huh? Well, that's as relaxed as it will ever get! Week 6 has 4 physical conditioning days in 35 degree weather. Yay me! All kidding aside, I don't think it will be that bad. I made it this far and I'm only looking forward!

I miss you all and thank you for the encouraging comments!!
xoxo