11 NEW Things about me...

I started this blog in January with a post that included 11 things about me. So much has happened in the past 5 months that I feel like maybe I need to modify my list of 11 things about me...

1. I am (still) a Jesus follower. Still trying to follow and worship Him everyday. And still failing. But still trying again.

2. I am (still) a high school world geography teacher. But next year I get to add the title of 'AP Government' teacher as well. I am hoping I am a better world geography teacher next year than I was this year.

3. Still in graduate school. Done with my first two semesters. I am no longer trying to graduate by next May. I will be lucky to get out by August 2013. And I am okay with that. All in good time, my friends.

4. I am NOT a cheerleading coach. After having spent 3 years as a middle school coach and 1 year as a Freshman cheer coach, I think I have officially retired my pom-poms. I might have even burned them. This year was hard, really hard. I spent the year frustrated and tired and cried many tears. But I am done. And I am thankful for that.

5. If running 13.1 miles through the streets of downtown Dallas makes you a runner and an athlete, then I AM a runner. Now if I could only figure out how to motivate myself to stay that way.

6. I have discovered pinterest and I am maybe a little obsessed. Maybe...

7. I am in a relationship. His name is Greg and he is fantastic. 

8. I (still) LOVE to shop. Not sure that will ever change about me. And it's summer. So, of course, I need cute summer clothes. Right?

9. I am getting really excited about the Summer Olympics. I am ready to just watch sports all day long for two weeks. Even if it means watching rowing...

10. I am learning to love baseball. Especially my Rangers.

11. I am discovering the fun in cooking something new. Even if it doesn't always turn out. It's fun to try.

One more week of school...

-Cynthia

About those May Goals...

Hello Friends!

It's been awhile. Probably too long.

The last time I posted, I wrote some goals for the month of May and I thought I would do a status check on some of those things even though the month is not over.

1. Do cardio 5 days a week. I started out strong but then got sick. REALLY sick and have been down for the past 3 weeks. I am hopefully going to get back to it this next week. I went twice this week and will go again tomorrow. That's 3...which is better than 0. Right?

2. Intentionally run. Nope...haven't done this in 3 weeks. That race on June 10th is going to be bad...

3. Run a 5k. I don't think I am going to get around to this 5k. Oh well.

4. Eat better. Haven't really done this either. There is always tomorrow...

5. Try a new recipe every week. Again, with being sick I certainly haven't felt like cooking, but this week I have tried four new recipes. One didn't turn out, but the other three were fantastic. I am not sure Greg thought so...but whatever. :)

Strawberry Limeade Bars

(Mine did not look like this...but probably tasted the same)

Pesto Chicken

(I love Pesto and this was super simple to make)

Zucchini Bites

(so good and easy)

Garlic Bread

(maybe my favorite of all 4)

6. Finish the semester strong with graduate school. I did great in one class and did okay in the other. Stupid multiple choice tests...BUT the most important part is that I am FINISHED until June 4th. Breathing a little easier these days...

7. Go through all my clothes. Slowly, I am getting this done. I will hopefully get it done in the next couple weeks and take it all to metrocrest.

8. Spend more time outside. I went for a walk outside this morning. It was wonderful. I need to do it again soon. 

In other news...last week my friend Teal Perez graduate from UNT with a masters in counseling so Greg and I went out with her and some friends to celebrate on Saturday evening. We had so much fun even though we had to wait 1.5 hours for a table at Coal Vines. The food ended up being good and the company even better.

(Sommer, Teal and myself...I miss working with them so much)



I am also no longer a cheerleading coach. For those of you who know me, know that this has been a long time coming and is a HUGE celebration. I will still be really involved in my school, but it will be in a new and different (and hopefully less stressful) way.

I am getting excited about summer and everything I have planned. But mostly I am excited about spending time with my friends and family. Something I have not had a lot of time for this year.

-Cynthia

New Goals

So it has been 5 weeks since I ran my 1/2 marathon and I am completely out of shape. I mean, I barely made it 1 mile this morning. And it's my own fault. I was just so tired and busy after the 1/2 that I didn't want to wake up and run and I couldn't run in the afternoons because life got busy. But all the excuses end NOW. I have decided to steal Life is a Run's idea of writing goals for the month. Perhaps I am a little early for May, but here are my fitness and personal goals for the month.

1. Do cardio at least 5 days a week. That gives me one day during the week to "sleep in" and I am letting myself take Sunday's off because getting to church at 9:45am is hard enough...

2. Intentionally run. I am signed up for a the Wounded Warrior 10k on June 10th so I need to actually start running again if I have any hope of completing it.

3. I want to run at least one 5k in the month of May. I don't know which one yet but I will try and find one I can fit into my schedule.

4. Eat better. This means eating knowing what I eat and holding myself accountable for what I put in my body.

5. Try a new recipe every week. I always make and eat the same boring stuff. I have discovered pinterest and want to branch out with new recipes.

6. Complete both graduate classes I am taking this semester strong. I have one test and one project due before I can call this semester complete and I would like to do really well on both of them.

7. Go through all my clothes and send the ones I don't wear any more to metrocrest. I have too many clothes just taking up space in my closet. It's time to give some away for someone else to enjoy.

8. Spend more time outside! Because weather doesn't get better than spring time in Texas.

I will let you know in June how I do. But now that they are out there, I feel like I need to at least make an attempt to complete them.

-Cynthia

April is the Best Month of the Year!

Life has been a little bit crazy lately. Between the boy, grad school, cheerleading, Easter, my birthday, and my real job I have been a tad busy. But here is a short update on life, lately.

Easter:

So, anybody who knows me knows how much I LOVE Easter. I love everything about it, the Easter story, Easter Sunday worship, the Easter egg hunt with my cousin's kids, the awesome food and spending time with my family. This Easter was a little different, good, but different. Instead of going to Sunrise Service with my family (which had always been a requirement before) I went to church with Greg at First United Methodist Church, Lewisville. It was good, but I did miss singing Morning Has Broken next to my dad and Up From the Grave He Arose next to my sister. I guess change is inevitable. After church we rushed out to Royce City (because they were waiting on us to eat) where my mom and dad were hosting Easter for the first time. There were so many people there. It was so much fun. I also got to have a fantastic strawberry birthday cake. It was a good, good day.

My Birthday:

So, I turned 29 on April 11th. Not quite as scary as 30, but still, I'm getting up there. I went out to eat with (most of) my favorite people on April 9th to celebrate because I thought I was going to have to work on the 11th. We went to Whiskey Cake...if you have not been, GO! It's fantastic. I had fun hanging out with my friends and talking and laughing. Thanks to everyone for coming!

(My friend Laurie Endsley brought her 'real' camera and she sent me this picture. So talented.)

On my actual birthday I had to work but I did get a special suprise during 3rd period that made my day all the more fantastic (because birthday's are always fantastic!).

After I worked late, I went over to Greg's and he made dinner which was a great end to the day. 

Old Friends:

Last weekend my friend Evie was in town to run the Big D Marathon. So, the night before we met up with some of our other friends from college who live in the area and had dinner at Maggiano's and then went to Pokey O's for dessert. AND if you have never been there, GO! It was such a fun night hanging out with Evie, Corey, Jessica, Matt, Courtney and Greg. Here are some pictures from the night: 

Red Raiders:

Me, Evie, Jessica, Courtney

Best Friends: Courtney and Me

At dinner

The Gym:

The gym and I have not been friends lately. I just can't bring myself to get out of bed and go. I know I need to get back into the habit but it has been disrupted by early morning cheer practices or late night grad school classes. And really those are just excuses. I have goals I want to accomplish and by sleeping in I am not accomplishing anything. Oh well. I am hoping once Spring Show is over things will get easier. I will keep you updated. I might even steal the idea of posting monthly goals from Life is a Run. So look for those in my next post.

And on a more exciting note...only 29 more days of school until summer. I have officially hit survival mode.

-Cynthia

I am a 1/2 Marathoner!

Hello Friends!!

Wow! I cannot believe it has been almost 3 weeks since I ran my 1/2 marathon! Sorry I have not posted a re-cap of the race or the celebration after. It has been a crazy 3 weeks. But here is the recap...

The Race:
We got to the race early and did a lot of standing around. I was kind of nervous during this time but definitely not freaking out. I was more calm than I thought I would be. I was more just ready to begin the race. Once we started running I got a little more freaked out because the first mile was hard and Heidi took off in front of me. But after the first mile I really calmed down and settled into my pace. I was good for the first 6 miles of the race. Heidi and I were running together (until mile 5) and I was able to just run. About mile 6 I was getting a little bored but I knew my friends Courtney, Kari and Bethany would be along the side during mile 6 so I just kept telling myself to keep running until I got to them and I could stop and talk. It was AWESOME to see them and talk to them. It made me understand how important it is to have people out there cheering you on along the course. I didn't think it would be, I was wrong. After I stopped to talk for about 5 minutes I was ready to get back on track. Miles 7-10 were good too. I saw Will (my trainer) and Nemo (another trainer who works with Will) around mile 9 and it was good to see them along the course. Miles 10-13 were HARD. I had never run past 10 miles and I ended up walking more than I wanted during this stretch of the race. I think total I probably walked a mile (including all the water stations and my breaks during the last 3 miles), which isn't bad for my frist time. The FINISH was the best part. I saw Teal and Michael when I first entered Fair Park, then I saw Courtney, Kari and Bethany closer to the finish line and I saw Beth right before I finished. I was so happy when I crossed that finish line. It is crazy to me that I ran 13.1 miles but it definitely is an awsome feeling to think about.

When people ask me how I did, I say I finished and that is all that matters. And it is. My official time was around 2:44 and I know that it wasn't the best race I could have run and I learned some lessons but I reached my goal which was simply to cross the finish line. And I am happy with that. But ready for the next one. White Rock anyone?!?

My boyfriend, Greg, were tracking my progress along the course with his phone so it was fun to get a text from him as soon as I crossed the finish line (he had to play and run sound in church that day so he couldn't come).

Here are some pictures from before, during and after the race.

Celebration:

In the days before the race, I think I was more excited about the celebration after than I was the actual race. Mostly because it meant I was going to be done, but also because it meant I could eat whatever I wanted. Unfortunantly, it did not go the way I wanted it too. My friends Courtney, Kari, Bethany, Heidi, Kristin and myself were going to gather at a restaurant for brunch wtih Teal and Beth and their crew. Sadly the place we wanted to go was crazy busy so we ended up at Hacienda on Henderson becasue the could seat us right away. Which was great, too bad they didn't have a waitress who actually wanted to help us out. We got our drinks (yes, I got a mimosa...or two) and chips but then had to ask for menus, silverware, and had to ask to order. 1.5 hours after we sat down we got our food...well, everyone else got their food. My friend Kristin and I did not. I eventually got my food but not before a little bit of harsh words for the manager's at the restaurant. Needless to say I will NEVER be going back to that place. It was misrable. But the company while I waited was great and I cannot say thank you enough to all my wonderful friends who was there for me during and after my run. It means so much to me.

What's Next?I knew I would want to take at least a week off of running after the race, but in the past 3 weeks I have only run twice for a total of 5 miles. I have been hanging out with Greg more and just not as interested in running. Part of my excuse was I needed a new pair of running shoes and I had convinced myself I couldn't run without them so this past saturday I went to buy some new ones. So, I have no excuses any more. I have decided to start running next week again. At least, I need to start running again next week.

April is perhaps the best month of the year (and this April has been the best one yet...) so I will have to update you soon on everything that has been going on during the past few weeks. Until then...happy running!

-Cynthia 

13.1 miles is a long way...with many lessons learned...

Well, race weekend is here. On Sunday I will run 13.1 miles. It's crazy to me. I am scared, excited, nervous, but mostly I am ready. I have put in the miles, I have put in the time at the gym, I have imagined myself finishing this race for 12 weeks. And on Sunday, it all happens. But please, say a prayer for me.

In honor of the race here are 13.1 things that I learned or observations I have made during the training process...

1. I am stronger than I think I am.

2. Anyone can run a half-marathon if you train for it.

3. I can run 10 miles one day and not be able to run 2 miles 3 days later. And I don't understand it.

4. There were more than a few times when I wasn't sure I would survive my mid-week runs. And I felt like a failure because of that.

5.I have amazing friends who have listened to me talk about this race for 12 weeks. And still talk to me.

(My best friend, Courtney, who will be there to cheer me on on Sunday)



6. You have to commit to not only running almost everyday, but you have to commit to getting enough sleep before your runs.

7. Running with a partner during long runs is the only way to get through them. Even if you don't always stay together.

(My running partner, Heidi. Sadly, this is NOT a great picture of me. )

8. You only have to run for the next 5 or 10 minutes. And if you keep telling yourself this, eventually your running 2 hours and doing it 10 minutes at a time.

9. Having friends who have been there and done that helps when you have questions or need to vent.

(My friend Teal, who has listened to me complain and answered ALL my questions.)

10. My friend from college, Evie, and I have re-connected through running. Which is probably funny for those who knew us in college.

11. Throwing a boy in the mix during the last 2 weeks of training makes things are little more interesting. But worth it. 

12. Thank God for Spring Break. It's probably the only reason I was able to survive (and run) the week in between my 9 mile and 10 mile run.

13.  I am quite certain the only reason I have survived this semester is because I was actually training for this half-marathon. I forced the world to slow down for at least 45 minutes a day.

13.1 - I CAN and WILL do this on Sunday. If it kills me, I will run the whole dang thing and cross that finish line. Probably with a big smile on my face!

Stay tuned for a race and celebration re-cap. I can't wait to write about it!

-Cynthia

What I Believe

Here are the 11 things I know I believe after this week...

1. I believe that if I had facebook and/or twitter during the time that I was getting my undergrad degree, I would have never graduated.
2.  I believe that a good conversation over a good dinner with good friends is the best way to end the week.
3. I believe in the importance of sharing more than just “one story” about a place with my students
4. I believe it’s okay to cry when your feelings are hurt.
5. I believe that I am stronger than I think I am. And will continue to prove it to myself and the world.  
6. I believe that it’s important that people know what you believe in and where you stand. In life.
7. I believe it’s important to stand up for yourself. In all situations.  
8. I believe in the importance of worship. Every day.
9. I believe the only reason I have not gone crazy this semester is because I run 4 times a week. And life has no choice but to slow down for those 45 minutes.
10. I believe it’s important to have great co-workers, bosses, and friends who can support you. And tell you to keep breathing. 
11. I believe that trying new things is scary. But can turn into amazing blessings.  

   -Cynthia

-