To Learn List ->

Posted on December 20 by blog

So I just added a To Learn List to the right side! There to keep me focused on what I need to learn next. I find myself always feeling like I’m behind the times.

I’m now learning jQuery. I should have been doing more with it, but I haven’t.
I’m officially done with XHTML and now, doing all my websites in HTML5.
I haven’t even touched mobile development.

Those 3 things are pretty popular these days. But anyway, I wanted to post that list. If you know of something that you think is crucial, that I don’t know, let me know! Until next time, xoxo.

Hellooooooooooooooooo December

Posted on December 8 by blog

Those o’s should get your attention. Mwah! So, some updates:

Fitness

The last post, I talked about my fitness to reach by summer of 2012. You know, I think I may actually meet most of them. However, I had a minor set back in early November. . .

I dislocated my shoulder.

It was the strangest thing! I was in a class and I was sitting on the floor reaching over to grab my water with my right arm. When I grabbed it, I fell on top of my weights and twisted my shoulder OUT. Oh. My. God. I was like, “What the heck is going on?” Thinking it would just go away and I’d continue the rest of the class. Nope!

I got up and started to walk out to get some help, but I wound up falling on the ground because the pain was so immense, I couldn’t even move. I needed to get 2 of the guys to help me stand up so I could go to the hospital. The ambulance wasn’t there or anything, I just had my Dad pick me up and take me. It was really hard to move because my arm was out of the socket and every little move I made hurt.

Thankfully, at the hospital, they were able to put me to sleep to wack it back in or else people in California would be hearing me scream.

Afterward, I had to wear a sling and I couldn’t work my upper body for a few weeks which really sucks because majority of my work outs are upper body.

16 Pounds Lighter!

On the plus side, since September 7th, I did lose 16 pounds! I actually lost 17, but last week I gained 1. During weight loss, you will have weight gain and then next week, it’ll come off.

Down a Pant Size!

And I am also down a pant size. I started at 18 and I’m now a 16. And honestly, these 16′s feel loose on me so I may be a 14 very soon

Career

The next big thing, going on, is that I have been rockin’ when it comes to my work! Things were slow a little bit there, but I have a lot of good things happenin’.

Full Time in January

In January, I will be getting full time work with a company here in PA. I just have to wait for my shitty contract with the douche to end. But I’m excited! The people are AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL in EVERY way possible. They are talented, smart, ambitious, meticulous (like me), and warm-hearted. They are completely not Jason.

Hourly Rate

Another cool thing that I just have to brag about (for really, my own knowledge of where I’m heading) is that I have been getting between $30-$50 an hour. I get $30 an hour daily and $40 an hour on this last project and $50 an hour on an upcoming one. So, it’s a BIG jump from working with Jason, and even the Jason in Montreal. It’s good. By age 30, I want to make $46 an hour full time. It’s progress!

Say Hello to Buddy!

I got an ADORABLE Malt-A-Poo puppy a week ago. My parents have talked about it with me for a little while and so I just felt very lonely the past few weeks. My parents finally decided, ‘let’s get one!’.

Buddy! I have to admit, at first, I didn’t love him. At first, I was like “Eh.” I hate to say that, but it’s true. I wasn’t attached to him right away. But Mom was. And I went on that. And now? I looooooooooove this little soul. He’s so cute and loveable and he follows me around and I love that attention!

Single Now. Single Forever?

And yes, I’m still single. I have been on dates though. I was just on one a few weeks. He was nice, smart, funny, well dressed, but we didn’t have that connection. I didn’t some things about him, like he really seemed into the whole ‘drinking-scene’. Not me.

I did like someone for a few days a few weeks ago lol… and then he told me he’s in love with me and I stop liking him. What is up with me? LOL!

I do have a really good picture of the type of person I could see myself falling in love with. Lately, I’ve been finding funny guys to be REALLY attractive. Is there such thing as a funny guy who’s ambitious/well-dressed/a healthy-eater and fun to be around in Allentown, PA?

Shrug. Who knows. I did and sort of still do, like someone, but he’s too much of a douche to realize that if he doesn’t step up his A game, he’s going to lose out on something awesome = me.

In Conclusion. . .

I have been driving more! I can now drive safely in parking lots, from one spot to the next And I can drive around the parking lot lol… Mom’s going to take me out of the parking lot this Monday (eek!). Here’s to hoping I don’t:

Kill someone.
Kill a cat.
Kill myself.

And that’s all folks!

Fitness Goals

Posted on October 29 by blog

By this summer…

I want to wear tank tops. My arms should be toned, not flabby.
Be comfortable working out 4 times a week burning 3,500 calories.
Do at least 2 pull ups.
Do 10 push ups without wanting to die.
Ability to run on the treadmill for 10 minutes without stopping.
Run (or in my case, jog) a 2k.
Get to a healthy body fat percentage.
Remove visceral fat.

Long-Term Goals

Get ripped (abs like Jillian Michaels)
Run a 5k.
Run a 10k.
Run a half marathon.
Run a full marathon.

So there you have it! I wanted to keep them in a safe place, hence my blog. I want to shoot high because I don’t want to ever stop. I want to grow old and be healthy and able to walk, and whenever I do have kids, I want enough energy to be around them.

If you have any goal suggestions, I would highly appreciate them. xoxo.

Off Topic

I got my learner’s permit!!!!

Unsolved Mysteries

Posted on October 10 by blog

Lots to say. Here’s to:

Fitness, Baby

Working out has been REALLY good for me. The last thing I wrote was that I was doing the 30 Day Shred. I didn’t keep up with it because it got so boring doing the same routine over and over, but I DID keep up with working out. I wound up buying her No More Trouble Zones DVD and signed up to her website, where she has new workouts posted daily.

3 days a week

As I look at my calendar, posted on my wall, I have worked out every week AT LEAST 3 days a week. This past week was 4 times. I also have been going to the gym again to get my day of cardio in. And I go in on Tuesdays to do Body Works Plus Abs class.

Work through the pain

I never thought I would hear myself say this, but… I LOVE WORKING OUT! It’s one of the best parts of my day. There’s obviously that point when you’re doing it and it’s painful and you just gotta push through the pain, but it’s making me healthier and shaping me up.

Results

I can do things now that I could never: 4 good push ups, run 5 minutes without stopping, workout for nearly 30 minutes without stopping. I’ve managed to lose 7 pounds in a few weeks, lose inches (I haven’t measured, but my pants are falling down lol), and my arms are less flabby. It’s safe to say: it’s working.

1 day set back

I actually had a 1 days set back, really not a big deal, but I was at the gym measuring my body fat and the guy there asks me what I’m doing to work out. I tell him I do circuit training, and he puts his head down and tells me that’s the wrong way to work out. This is a big surprise to me! I did all these things, I bought a mat, two dumbbell sets, plenty of circuit training DVDs at home, and he’s telling me that’s all wrong.

So the next day, I have a trainer and he tells me that circuit training IS CORRECT. I’m like wtf? But he convinced me well, since he has more certification than them. So I’m going to stick with circuit training. It’s given me results.

The unsolved mystery? When I will see huge results.

Cooking

Every Saturday, I have been cooking! Last Saturday, I made HEALTHY Chocolate Chip cookies with Whey Protein Powder. They came out a little funny, a little irregular, but pretty good! This Saturday, I made Sesame Noodles with Chicken Breast with Spicy Peach Glaze. OMG, it was delicious! I really enjoy cooking.

The unsolved mystery? What will I create next week.

Health

This is a big one for me. In the past few months, I have learned A LOT about what to put in my mouth. I have read Jillian Michaels’ book, Winning By Losing and I’m now reading her other book, Master Your Metabolism. I have also researched many things online and conclude: majority of processed food packaging companies don’t give a damn about your health, only your wallet.

Watch what you eat

There’s a lot of “hormones” food companies add to their food to trick your mind into eating more. Remember Pringles, their commercial was, “once you pop, you can’t stop.” Yeah. They injected a hormone that tells your body to eat MORE of this food. That’s rediculous! That’s outrageous! I could slap them!

Quick Tips

Here’s a rundown of some of the things I learned and feel free to research them yourself, you’ll be surprised at what you come up with:

Avoid packaged foods as much as you can because one contains chemicals and pesticides.
If you can’t resist packaged foods, keep an eye out for High Fructose Corn Syrup as that is actually sugar, so all those “sugar free” or “low sugar” foods aren’t “low” to begin with.
Avoid food that contains artificial flavoring, like Blue 1, Yellow 6.
Stay away from artificial sweeteners as they’ll do more damage than good.
Eat at least 4 times a day. If you spread out your meals, you’ll feel less inclined to eat a big meal at dinner time.
Eat majority of your carbs in the morning. Don’t eat after 9pm.

That’s just a little bit of what I learned. It can go on and on and on and make you paranoid about everything. I’d say, stick to small things and gradually build up.

The unsolved mystery: What are you really eating?

Guys

I have several men in my life that are really quite ideal, but I seem to not jump to the chance to message them back. It’s really strange, and so not me. There’s these really good quality men, but I, for some reason, take forever to respond to them. So maybe I should just get out of my comfort zone and accept the date and do it. Eh, we’ll see. I’m focusing on some key things in my life right now and I guess I see them as a distraction.

Unsolved mystery: Am I afraid of commitment, not ready to date, don’t want a distraction, or just dumb?

Driving

I am on the road to success! Hahaha gotta love the pun. So yeah, I took my physical last week for my driving test. Turns out, I’m in good health (yay!). So this week, I have to call them and schedule for my learner’s permit test. Once I take that and hopefully ace it, I can start to ACTUALLY learn how to drive a car. Whoo! Big news in the world of Steph, that’s for sure.

Unsolved mystery: Will I be a good driver?

Me

In case you haven’t noticed, my life is a lot different than it was a year ago. I don’t work for Jason anymore, I’m not a full timer anymore, I’m working out 3-4 days a week, I work for somebody 14 hours a week, I work on my parents stores the rest. I feel more balanced. I used to work A LOT and love it. I still love working, but I do a lot of different things now. And I’m still trying to figure out my place.

Like, I know who I am, but what do I want for the future? I feel a bit stuck with this whole Jason thing. I can’t work for anyone in the Lehigh Valley, so I have to find other places for work. But I kind of enjoy the laid-back-lifestyle I’m living now. It’s like a big break until I figure out where I’m heading next.

Unsolved mystery: Am I developer now? A designer? What about an SEO-er? Can I be all three?

———–

So there’s some of my unsolved mysteries! In the next coming months, I hope to see better health overall and more answers. So we’ll see! Until next time, xoxo.