I did IT!!!

Most of you already know that December 4th I ran the Angkor Wat Half Marathon in Siem Reap, Cambodia!  I trained for over two months (next time I'll train longer) and it snuck up on my quick.  I know I have always been a runner so what is the big deal, right?  Well even after running Cross Country for 10 years I have never had the urge to run a half or full marathon, just sounds crazy.  Don't get me wrong, I love running, but running that long and far, CRAZY. 

Well how did I get signed up for this race then?  Well last year I went to Siem Reap and toured some of the temples with my friends Jen, Danielle, and Aly and there were just unbelievably.  I heard about this race and thought how cool would it be to run around Angkor Wat, the unofficial 8th Wonder of the World.  I can't believe looking back that I did it, just seems like a dream.  I need to get the photos up so I can "believe" it really happened. 

During my training I ran further and longer than I ever have in my whole life and to top it off at almost the heaviest I have ever been.  It was painful and hard a lot of the time, but also there was times when I remembered why I love running so much.  Even with all the extra weight I still consider myself a runner and always will be, just heavier and slowier.  That being said I still finished a HALF marathon, that is just crazy to me. 

The field was pretty intense and strong, not many people were at the back of the pack with me, but I had a few people around to motivate me.  The night before I was a mess and the morning up, even worse.  I was like "What the heck are you thinking?" "You aren't ready for this!" "What did you get yourself into?" It was an adrenaline pumping morning to say the least but I did my warm-up and reminded myself that I just want to finish this race, I don't care about my time.  I really wanted to run the whole thing, because I've never walked in a race before, but all the other races have been mostly under 4 miles :-) 

Well the run started and it was pretty cool with all the people cheering and then we headed up onto the course.  I went out a little fast, but not too bad.  The first 4 miles were pretty good and then I started to hurt, around mile 6 I wanted to die.  I honestly didn't think there was a chance in hell that I would finish this race, I was hurting so bad and only about half way done.  It was at that point I had to walk, I cried because I have never walked in a race before and I really wanted to run the whole thing, but my body was saying, "NO!"  Funny enough that when I started walking I was actually walking faster than my running speed was before I stopped to walk.  So I actually passed a few people in my walk.  At that point I was down but was going to finish this race, no matter what.  But I really didn't think I was going to be able to run again.  Well low and beyond I only walked for 2 miles and then jogged in the last 3 plus miles at a pretty good speed.  So I finished strong, no smile though (saw the race photos, yikes) but after I crossed that finish line I was smiling.  I thought I was going to pass out but I was so unbelievably proud of myself for sticking with it and not giving up.  It wasn't perfect but I did it.  I DID IT!! 

Thank you for all your support, advice, and love during this!  I really needed it and thought about you all during the run, a lot!  So guess I can check one off on the ol bucket list now :-)  I think someday I would like to do another one, but first I want to lose a good chunk of weight and get my right foot checked out by an ortho.  Anyways I just wanted to fill you all in on the experience and say thank you!

Jenn, Half Marathon Finisher, have the medal to prove it :-)

Terry Fox

Not sure many of you know who Terry Fox is but he was/is a big name in Canada.  He was diagnosed with cancer at 18 and lost his leg from it.  While in the hospital recovering with his new prosthetic leg he saw lots of children suffering from cancer and he decided he wanted to do something to help them.  He trained for 18 months running over 5,000 miles and then started off on the Marathon of Hope, his goal was to run across Canada, he ran a marathon everyday and over time got more and more followers, he ran for 140 days straight before the cancer came back to his lungs and he was forced to stop.  He passed away at 22.  But he left a legacy behind, they have Terry Fox Runs all over Canada and the World, we even have one in Vietnam.  I walked it last year with the other teachers. 

In my class we have our own Terry Fox Run, every few weeks the students jog in class and I count all their laps and we chart how many miles the school does as a whole on a chart on our Terry Fox Bulletin Board.  Anyways the point of this post - This week we did our start up for Terry Fox, the run is November 27th.  I have been talking to the kiddos about Terry Fox again and the first grade class watched a video in their classroom.  While yesterday a little first grade boy came to class crying.  I asked him what was wrong and he was scared he was going to get cancer.  I had a chat with the whole class that they don't need to worry about that, just keep eating well, playing, and being a kid.  He then said but I don't want to get cancer when I'm older and die.  I told them that yes children rarely get cancer that usually it is adults but said that is why we go to the doctor when we are sick and doctors know more now to help.  I told the kids that my dad had/has prostrate cancer and had to have surgery but now he is all better again.  I told them they just need to keep eating healthier as they get older, keep active and exercise, don't smoke or do other bad things to your body. So I thought I handled it pretty well, I can see why they (he) were scared because Terry Fox was very young. 

Well I found out after lunch that this little boy asked to call his dad at lunch and told his dad he needed to stop smoking so he didn't die of cancer.  Ohhh, so sad.  But what is really sad is that many Vietnamese smoke and they don't seem to know all that we know in the U.S. about what it can do to you. 

Anyways poor little boy, here's hoping I don't get a parent phone call. 

Major Milestone

Tonight I ran 6 miles for the first time in, heck maybe forever and at my heaviest weight ever.  So needless to say it was hard, well the first 4 miles were alright but the last 2 tough but I finished it strong and I am so so proud of myself.  There are only 5 weeks until the Angkor Wat Half Marathon and I'm not sure I will be ready for 13 miles but there is a 10K or 6 mile race that day too and after today I know I can do that. 

Even though I am way way over weight it felt great running tonight, given it was pretty slow but 6 miles in 80 minutes, I'll take it.  I went over a huge bridge twice too and a couple of hills so I am pretty pumped and very proud.  My friend Bekah shared something with me, that I didn't get this way in one day so I can't expect to change it all in one day either.  Great words to think about. 

Anyways I am happy with myself and no matter what race I do in 5 weeks I and loving that I am getting my running legs back!

6 miles baby!!!

Pulled the band-aid off!

Today I handed in my resignation letter of sorts to the Head of School saying I wouldn't be coming back for a third contract year.  We were given letters of intent and would receive a $2000 signing bonus to stay another year and told to give them back this week and I handed mine back saying I would not be returning and then wrote an additional letter. 

Now you might say, "Jenn you told us a month ago that you were coming back to the states."  Yes that is true but finally telling the school and making it official was quite difficult, especially in this job market.  I am leaving a stable income, good job, and a bonus to go back to the states and the unknown.  It is scary to finally be out there, not knowing what is going to happen next.  I got a little teary eyed handing in the letter because I love the kids and I am scared.  So need my family and friends to help remind me why I am coming home and that it was the right decision (which in my mind it was). 

Almost jewelry heist!!!!!!

So today I spent the afternoon with our Curriculum Director who is here from the states for a month.  We got some coffee and did some shopping and I drove us around on my motorbike, I'm a very safe driver and licensed I may add.  We are driving on one of the busiest and well known streets in Ho Chi Minh and all of a sudden Nancy screams and slides forward into me and I plant my feet on the road and break and manage to keep us from tipping over.  I'm like "what the heck happened?"  I thought someone had ran into us or something but no, a younger guy on a motorbike pulled up right next to/behind us and reached out to grab Nancy's necklace off her neck.  So I have read about this happening here and been told not to wear fancy or expensive jewelry but never seen or known someone first hand who it has happened to.  Well it happened today.  It was scary, and luckily her necklace glasp is super strong and he didn't get it but he did manage to pull her forward into me and almost pull us over on our bike.  He left big scratch marks on Nancy's neck where he grabbed and a mark around her neck from the necklace being pulled.  The marks are still there hours later.  If I would have known sooner I would have had her get off and chase the bastard but wasn't sure what happened and just watched the jerk drive off.  I don't wear any jewelry besides stud earrings and a watch but I will for sure never wear nice earrings and necklaces again in the city, that was super scary.  Luckily I am a pretty sturdy driver and there was two of us on the bike otherwise I think we would have gotten pulled off.  People around saw it happen too and were looking after, it was just like out of a movie or something.  But we are both ok and wiser for the incident.  I just can't believe it happened.  I know the poverty here is massive but so many people try to sell trinkets or food on the street and make nothing.  This A-hole could have seriously hurt us or someone else by causing an accident all for a stupid gold necklace.  I will definitely be more careful now.  Wow!

30 looks good on me!

So I'm 30 now, I know none of you knew that or gave me any crap about it...Bekah Chell Peavey!  I honestly can't belive it.  If you would have told me I would be teaching in Vietnam, traveling around the world when I was 30, I would have probably laughed in your face, but here I am and I don't regret the decision to come here at all. 

My life the past couple of months has been crazy busy - the start of a new school year, moving into my first solo apartment, getting a VN driver's license and motorbike, flying home for Kelly's wedding, and turning the big 3-0. 

I'm finally getting back on track from Kelly's wedding trip back home.  It took a lot out of me doing such a short trip home and back but I wouldn't have missed that crazy girl's wedding for anything.  It really was one of the most beautiful, magical weddings I have ever been too.  If you haven't been to Mackinaw Island in Michigan, you must go stat, it is breathtaking.  It is like going back in time, only bicycles and horses are allowed on the island for transportation.  Kelly and Andy got married at The Little Stone Church, it was adorable and Kelly looked amazing, that dress was made for her.  It was great to get to be there by her side as she got married and was thrilled to have my mom there as well - Kelly always was like a sister. 

That experience really solidfied my feelings about the future, for the past couple of months I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do after this year in Vietnam is done (I have a two year contract).  I have been going back and forth, making lists with pros and cons and I have finally made my decision.  I AM coming back to the States after my contract ends here in June.  It was a hard decision and it will be an uphill battle finding a PE job but it is the right decision.  So everyone spread the word you know an awesome K-12 PE teaching that needs a job for the 2012-2013 school year, I can be persuaded to move as long as my kitty, Meelo, gets to come with. 

Many of you ask if I regret coming here and honestly I don't, not one bit.  I have grown so much in the past year here and learned so much about myself and what I want in my life and who I want in my life.  As you know I have always wanted to teach overseas, it was a dream of mine and I got to do it, I am doing it and for the most part it is pretty amazing - the benefits, the kiddos, the traveling, etc.  If I wouldn't have come I would have always thought, "What if?" and regretted not taking the chance.  I absolutely love my job and know I found my career.  It took coming here to realize how much I love all the things I had back in Minnesota, yes I am saying I missed things from MN, it is hard saying love and Minnesota in the same sentence, but it is true.  All those sayings are too, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and so on. 

So I am happy to say I am coming back to the states to teach next summer.  I am excited and terrified because I am well aware of the job market and economy back home right now - part of the reason I went overseas to begin with.  But I am one determined woman.  Many said I wouldn't get a teaching job overseas without any experience and here I am, so BRING IT ON!!!

Just wanted to update you all on my good news!  Happy Monday!!!

Big Step

So last year I had some teacher friends from another international school run in the 10k at Angkor Wat in December and I just thought that was so cool.  Well everyone knows I have always been a runner and love running even thought lately my body doesn't show it.  But I was intrigued by this and started researching it a few weeks ago and looked at the route of the 10k which is an out and back route and would be cool but the half marathon is around a bunch of temples (some that I got to see last January on vacation).  Anyways it looks amazing and I thought, "how cool would it be to say I ran my first half marathon around the 8th wonder of the world, Angkor Wat."  Well it is an international half marathon so pretty big and the airlines that fly from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap are pretty limited and filling up fast, very fast.  I finally found a cheap flight that would work for me and booked it today.  I already found a 12 week training plan that would have me start on September 12th.  This is a pretty big step for me because I am running 20-25 minutes only right now pretty slow but I like a challenge. 

So gonna need a lot of support to stay on track for this but I am pretty excited about it, part of me is going crazy thinking WTF did you do but it will be awesome. 

Sorry I haven't updated lately on here but I wanted to share this info with you. 

I am running right now and doing personal training to get off a little weight before coming home for Kelly's wedding in a few weeks. 

School is going well, this is our third week of classes already, crazy!  Hope to hear from you all soon about my adventure!

Plateau.....need some help

On a positive note I am 4 weeks into my 5 weeks of personal training and I am not sore after training sessions anymore and getting a lot stronger and more tone.  Also I am running again, after three saturdays in a row I went sunday, monday, and this morning.  It is still pretty hard but it feels great after and good at times during the run.  But I have hit a plateau with the weight loss.  The first two weeks I lost 7 weeks but haven't lost anything the last two weeks.  I am getting so frustrated because i went 31 days without pizza, pop, chips, and alcohol.  Also I am still eating pretty well.  So just really would like to hear from you guys and help me get through this rut I'm in. 

I am feeling so much better and back into my habit of working out and especially running.  I just am really really frustrated about the weight loss plateau. 

Words of Wisdom please!!!

Running again

So the past three saturdays my friend Crystal has stayed over and we get up and go running in the morning before she has to go to work.  She is in great shape and just runs at my speed with me which is awesome.  We get up super early and it is still hot and humid but better than the middle of the day.  But I actually look forward to these runs a little bit now, I mean they are super painful but I can feel it in me still, that I"m a runner.  I actually got up this morning and walked for 30 minutes with a colleague and ran after too.  I am so so not a morning person but after I get up and do my run I feel amazing and I am wide awake, it feels great.  I might try to stick to this. 

So the personal training is going well and I have already gone down one size and lost some weight, which is awesome.  But really the best part is I feel "me" coming back.  I still have a long way to go in my weight lose journey but I am just a happier person again.  The past month I have been really trying to eat better and keep up on my workouts and have done pretty well but really i have to thank my friendship with Crystal.  She is very active and doesn't like to go out and drink really so we just hang out and go to dinner, meet up on bike rides, go on runs and it is reminding me how much I love doing all those things.  Plus I am not getting those empty calories from drinking.  But no worries, summertime is a different story :-)

I was listening to my ipod on shuffle on my run and came upon my new favorite song right now, "Just the way you are" by Bruno Mars.  It is a great song and just makes me happy to be me right now.  I think every woman can take something from this song, listen to it! 

Only two weeks until I fly home.  I can't believe I made it a year here in Vietnam, it is crazy and awesome.  I am excited to explore more next year and would love visitors to do that with.  On my flight home I have an 11 hour layover in Tokyo so I am gonna try to do a quick look see of the city before I fly home. 

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day Weekend, I actually had to be at school for 5 hours today for Children's Day, but it was a huge success and pretty fun to see all the kids there. 

Two weeks!

Milestone

I am two weeks into my personal training sessions, three more to go, and have already lost 7 pounds.  My trainer is awesome but literally kicks my butt every session.  I often think "I'm paying for this?"  But I am pretty excited about the weight loss and overall toning up I've done on my body.  It feels nice to have a little extra space in my shorts, thats for sure.  The best part is that I starting running again outside.  I have only down two saturdays in a row and they were hot and hard but I did them.  I have a long way to go before it feels good to run again, but there were times when it did. 

Also since I started my personal training sessions I have been eating a lot healthier, so definitely working on an overall body makeover right now.  Jenn Lent is still going strong, over 2/3 through and no alcohol, chips, pop, or pizza. 

Just writing because I hit a milestone in my weight loss and I am pretty proud of myself and where I am going and what I have done so far.  I told myself that if I lost 10 pounds before June 2nd I could go to the beach my last weekend before coming home, still working towards that goal but might change it to a day at the spa so I can see friends here before going home. 

To all my friends working on getting themselves healthier and happier, you can do it.  I still have a long way to go but I'm here to say that the beginning part is the hardest.  Once you start it and stick to it you can do it.  Also working out isn't for everyone, I know that.  But if you do get out and do some sort of exercise you usually want to eat healthier after anyways so it is a win win situation. 

So stay strong and let's motivate each other.  I have three weeks until I am back home and hopefully you will all see a little more of the old Jenn (and not just my body :-))

2011 in a Nutshell

To my faithful followers I'm sorry I haven't updated often, I know many of you are curious as to how life is going on the other side of the world so I'm gonna try to recap what has happened so far in 2011.

First of all I want to say thank you to my family and friends for being such amazing people in my life.  I wouldn't be where I am today without you and I wouldn't be who I am without you.  As some of you know this year has had lots of bumps in the road and having you all there for me got me through it.  Words can't express my gratitude for being the amazing people that you all are. 

Now I started off the year on a great note, with three awesome friends traveling through Thailand and Cambodia.  I had a great trip with Jen, Danielle, and Aly and really hope that more friends come to visit. 

In February we had Tet, which is the biggest celebration of the year here, it is their New Year's.  They shut down a whole street (at least 6 blocks) and put in these spectacular flowers and even cemented bricks and pots into the street just for this one week, it was breathtaking.  Also they had fireworks on New Years and I climbed onto the back of a flat bed truck with Avis with some locals to catch a better view. 

March brought my lovely momma to Vietnam.  It was a bit of a confusion getting her here because the Japanese earthquake hit 10 hours before she was suppose to leave the cities and fly to Tokyo so her flight was cancelled and she had to wait two more days before leaving (long two days for me) but she finally got here and it was really great showing her around "my city."  I actually took her out shopping, for manicures and pedicures, dinner and bought her a day trip to the Mekong Delta.  It felt pretty awesome finally getting to treat my mom.  Ahhh, finally a big kid!  :-)  We went to Beijing, China and Phi Phi Island, Thailand over Spring Break.  The Great Wall was by far one of the coolest, most amazing things I've ever seen.  It is one thing to look at it in pictures but to actually be climbing the steps and walking on the wall, wow!  Beijing had so much history and beauty in it, we were only there for 4 days and we fit in a ton of stuff but I would love to go back and see more.  The Forbidden City was massive, so surreal seeing it in person just like the Great Wall, just never thought I would actually get to see those places.  We also got to go take pictures of the Water Cube and Birds Next from the 2008 Olympics.  It was pretty cool seeing them in person after watching the Olympics religiously.  Overall Beijing was amazing and definitly worth the expensive visa!

Next we went to Phi Phi Island which I found out is a huge party island that lots of 20-40 year olds go to.  that aside it was gorgeous, one of the coolest beaches I have ever seen.  It was tiny, no cars on the island, just a few motorbikes and bicycles.  It was a great way to end our vacation together, very relaxing. 

Seeing my mom go was really hard because she is my mom (duh) and best friend but we had a great two weeks together. 

April flew by, can't remember much of what I did in April really.  But at the end of the month we had two days off and I went to Mui Ne, Vietnam and chilled out on the beach for 3 days.  It was a very relaxing, much needed retreat from school and the city.  I went by myself but had a few friends who ended up there that I met up with for dinner and shopping.  I read on the beach and swam in the pool and met people from England and New Zealand.  It is quite close to Ho Chi Minh and next year when i get stressed out I am gonna hop on a bus for the weekend there again.

Now it is already May, wow!  I only have 5 weeks left to teach, super excited, but so so much to do.  We have a spring concert on May 18th and I am teaching dances to three classes and a group of teachers.  The second graders are doing a country line dance to Achy Breaky Heart, third graders are doing a dance to New York, New York, and the fourth/fifth graders are doing The Hustle.  It is actually pretty fun teaching the dances but hard to remember all the different steps and do them correctly while directing the kids.  But they are coming along and I can't wait to see them perform them.  I am also teaching the teachers a dance to Eye of the Tiger, think kicks and punches, gonna be so hilarious!  I also have to do swim assessments on all the students and fitness testing on 2nd - 5th grade, plus grades and ahhh.  But it will all get done. 

More news, I'm still struggling with my weight, I am happy to say i haven't gained any weight since I moved here (trying to stay positive) but really really want to lose some.  I have been trying to stick to weight watchers online with a little success here and there.  But I decided to get a personal trainer.  yes I know I'm a PE teacher, but even I need some motivation and ass kicking sometimes.  Plus it is pretty cheap here in Vietnam well compared to back home.  I got 15 sessions for $200.  So the last 5 weeks I have 3 sessions a week with Sam and once a week I am gonna meet up with my friend Crystal to go running.  I have only ran once outside here but gonna push myself.  I have always loved working out and figure since nothing else seems to be helping me lose weight right now gonna see if going harder at the gym shows any benefits.  The best part is when I come home even if I haven't lost weight I will be in better shape and ready to keep on pushing myself at home.  Also excited to hit the gym with all my friends too!  So keep your fingers crossed that I am able to get my body to start doing what I want it to do.  I am determined to not let my hypothyroidism win gosh darn it!

So that is what has been happening with me!  I am so stoked to be home in T-5 weeks!

Little Stanley Ion Jr loves his bad teacher.

We are going on 10 days straight of bike rides with Stanley.  I absolutely look forward to my daily bike ride, even when I'm tired and don't want to work out I just go for a bike ride.  I can 100% say that buying Stanley was the best 92 bucks spent here.  I found some great areas to go around and can get around the city pretty well now.  Also I burned 3500 calories last week just from my bike rides with Stanley.  It is the first time that I have made my calorie burn goal on my heart rate monitor and now this week I have an awesome little trophy on display!  Love it!   Thank you Stanley!

Now on to bad teacher.....So today I had the kindergarten class as my last class of the day.  They were playing with the hula hoops, doing different activities and then I told them to freeze and sit down in their hula hoop.  They are all spread out in the room in their hoops and when they are sitting criss cross applesauce I call them to bring me their hoop and get a drink of water and sit down.  Once they were all sitting down I called them up one by one to line up at the door and go up the stairs into the canteen to do our next game with scooters.  I hand out all the scooters and the students start playing the game and then i see the gym door open and little Jasmine comes walking out of the gym.  Mai (Vietnamese co-teacher) and I ask her what she was doing?  She said she was waiting for her name to be called. 

OH MY GOSH I left a child behind in the gym and she totally sat there through me call all the students two different times.   I always try to have my back to the wall and clearly I need to do a better job.  I am horrible, poor little girl.  She just stayed in there when we left.  Sad thing is when I had them sit in their hula hoops I remember seeing her behind me, but she never said anything and I totally forgot.  I lower my head in shame (with a slight grin).  Geez!!!

I fell in love with Vietnam tonight!!

I've been here 7 months and I finally fell in love with Vietnam.  Yes there have been moments of lust and deep caring but tonight I fell in love.  I took my bike out for its first voyage solo through the city and it was amazing.  I finally saw Vietnam the way you are meant to see it.  I have been on the back of motorbikes but this is different.  Tonight I finally felt like I live here, it was pretty cool.  It is crazy though, because bicycles just ride with the motorbikes and cars on the streets.  I am just peddling down the middle of the road and intersections, pretty crazy but I feel really comfortable.  I think I am fine because I have been riding a bike my whole life and can manage it very well, now a motorbike is quite different. 

I ran some errands with my bike and rode around for an hour before watching The Amazing Race with the girls and having dinner.  Then I went out for another hour bike ride because it was just so much fun.  On the second ride I put my heart rate monitor on.  I just rode around downtown and back for an hour, burned 500 calories, crazy.  I mean I was trucking at times on my 3 speed cruiser :-) but didn't expect to burn that many calories, whohoo! 

Now I just need to have a talk with Gym and tell him that I'm going to be seeing Bike more, I hope he takes it alright.  I can't believe I have been here 7 months and today was the first day I really felt independent, it was liberating.  FREEDOM!!!!  I can say that $92 was some of the best money I have ever spent! 

So I have new found independence that is amazingly fun and burns tons of calories, AWESOME!!

Side Note:  To all you worriers & motherly types, I am wearing my helmet!!!

My New Ride

Today I bought a bike, before you all start freaking out, I bought a bicycle not a motorbike.   I am definitely not ready to ride a motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City yet.  I went shopping with a few other teachers and finally decided on a used bike from Japan that is a 3 speed cruiser, it is gold and has a basket, bell, and headlight (for night riding).   It is a Shimano retro style and has a super comfy seat.  It was only $92 bucks, pretty awesome price I'd say.  I also bought a bike helmet because my parents brain washed me as a child.  I'm serious, if I even think about going for a bike ride without a helmet I feel guilty.  But here in HCMC it was a no brainer really, they are crazy drivers.  Plus you have to have a helmet on motorbikes so everyone is wearing them anyways basically.  After making my purchase I rode around town with Vicky, we went and got dinner and stopped to get some new dvds, I'm excited to start watching, How I Met your Mother!  It was really liberating riding around on my bike.  It defnitely makes you feel more independent.  The funny thing is you ride on the road with the motorbikes right next to the cars and really they treat you just like them.  I can't wait to explore more on my bike, it was a lot of fun today. 

I heart my new bike!!!!

Just Keep Swimming

So teaching swimming and PE is well underway and I'm getting the hang of my new schedule and being in a swimsuit 2+ days a week.  I definitely feel like crap in a swimsuit right now but I am trying to just keep on working out.  My weight watchers hasn't been going that well sadly.  I really really want to make changes but I have these eating habits that are just ingrained in me and so so hard to change.  I really miss the days where I could just work out longer and harder and lose weight.  I love working out and wish it were like that again.  Grocery shopping here is nothing like back home and it is super cheap to order out or go out and then I really don't know what I'm getting.  So I'm frustrated to say the least with my eating/diet.  Hit a road block you could say!

HELP!!!

Forming a Habit

I am happy to say that I think my workout regime is back in full force.  I actually look forward to my gym time and think, "time to hit the gym" instead of "ugh I need to work out."  I started Weight Watchers two weeks ago and the first week saw great strides but last week was holiday/vacation and it is all back.  Just shows I can't just work out like the old days and lose weight.  I really really need to stick to my diet plan of eating better, not just because I want to lose weight but because I honestly feel better when I do it. 

I don't think I actually gained the weight back, I think I toned up because my clothes aren't tighter and I did start doing some weight lifting twice a week now.  I am not a weights person but I know I need it.  I do look forward to my eliptical runs where I watch the Amazing Race, I mix it up because just a long sustained run, hills or a heart rate/cardio burn run.  It doesn't seem to matter if the Amazing Race is on.  I have decided that I was meant to do that reality show.  Now who would be a good partner for me?  I seriously want to apply for it and think I would kick some major booty! 

So I am back to charting what I eat and only having drinks on the weekends.  I have taken up drinking a coke here or there because sometimes I just need some caffeine and I hate coffee and there is no Dew here.  I take suggestions for other alternatives.   My life is going pretty well here.  As many of you know I had a rough spot a few weeks ago and I am happy to say things are going well.  I think eating better and working out regularly has something to do with it.  But also I'm just happy now (also because of those two things).  I am learning to not sweat the small things and just go with the flow.  Also learning to really enjoy spending time by myself and being ok with it.  So life is good right now.  Also the Packers winning the freaking Super Bowl helps.  To be honest I haven't been able to sleep the last 3 nights because I was so excited for the game and then excited that we won.  I am on cloud nine for my Packers! 

The Cheese stands alone!!!

Swimming classes

I finally started teaching swimming at school this week.  After all the stress of getting things ready, parents letter, pool and locker room facilities, etc it actually went pretty well this week.  It is nice to have my "own" pool to teach swimming in, now given I wish the pool was a little bigger and deeper, the shallow end is at my knees and the deep end at my mid thighs but it is perfect for my nursery, preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade classes and even second, third, fourth, and fifth had fun in it.  I forgot how much I love teaching swimming, also it gives me a nice break up of teaching PE in the gym.  I really like that I only have two PE lessons to come up with now and one swimming a week, only because of my limited equipment I have this year. 

Let me tell you how cute those little kids were, wow, so darn adorable.  Most of the kids here have the shirt/short one piece swimsuit with a zip-up front, so cute.  It was a blast being in the water with the kids, they were all so excited for swimming to start. 

I needed this feeling, it helps me stay motivated about my weight loss journey, to have that happiness from my job is very helpful.  I have done alright this week, worked out mon and tues and then two days off, but it was Steph's bday and we did play dodgeball for 30 minutes on Wednesday.  Anyways all day swim lessons wed and thurs took a lot out of me and I had to have my afternoon nap after. 

We have the New Year celebration coming up soon, called Tet here, we get a week off for it, SWEET!!!  But I plan on just sticking around the city and hitting up the gym and pool and saving money for when my mom comes for spring break and we go to China. 

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Breakthrough

I know all of you want to hear about my travels over break and I wrote down notes on my ereader to write on the blog later.  But then I broke the ereader in Koh Chang, Thailand and sent it home with Jen so not so sure when I will get to that.  But no worries eventually I will write about what I did.  As a recap I went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Singapore, Phu Quoc island, Vietnam, Bangkok, Koh Chang island, Thailand, and Siem Reap, Cambodia.  So my country count is at 5 for Southeast Asia now.  In two months my mom and I will be going to China to see Beijing and the Great Wall (looking to cost us our life savings too, yikes). 

Now on to why I'm posting.  As all of you know I have been struggling with my weight for some time now, since I found out about the thyroid problem a few years ago and still haven't found a balance between exercise and diet to help me get back into shape.  Well my new years resolution is "To not give up" and yes that is meant for lots of areas of my life.  But I am determined this is the year that I will get the thyroid problem under control and become happy in my own skin again.  That being said I am happy to say that I ran outside tonight, first time in Vietnam.  It felt great, it was painful and slow but I still get that runner's high.  I'm so glad it is getting a little cooler at night so I am able to try to run on my own.  I am almost twice the size I was in high school (sad story) but I still love running.  Now that I am pretty settled in my job and in Vietnam I can really focus on getting me back on track.  My mom signed up for Weight Watchers and I am going to try to do it with her, at least use the information to know what I am putting in my body calorie and fat wise. 

But I just wanted to tell everyone that I ran tonight, outside on the pavement and it felt amazing.  I have a long way to go but that is a giant step in the right direction.