Oh, right, I have a blog...

Well.  It's been like 2 and half months.  Sorry I let the blog go this long!  I just got so busy with a bunch of new stuff (also there was an issue of lost momentum to overcome).  What stuff, you ask?  Good question!  Here's what's happened since the last time I wrote:


1. I moved halfway across the country.

Like, for reals.  The timetable was extremely compacted and so, so busy.  My parents came down to Hawaii for about a week to visit/vacation/help me pack, and then on July 31 we flew home to New York.  I was home to go through and pack up everything there for exactly a week before I flew to Missouri, where Kevin met me at the airport (he had driven down with his mom).  The next day we moved into our new apartment, and a week and half later, classes started.  Speaking of...


2. I stared my PhD program in Integrative Anatomy at University of Missouri!

Source

So far it's been really, really great.  Right now I'm taking Gross Anatomy, Journal Club, and a few research credits with one of the professors in the department (this might not sound like a lot, but I assure you it's enough).  The anatomy class is very intense and fast-paced, but I'm getting through it.  I'm in the same class as the first-year medical students, and I find the clinical orientation of the lectures and labs to be very interesting (except for the time they showed us a YouTube video of someone getting their dislocated arm popped back into place - that was only gross and I couldn't watch).  For my research project, I'm looking at bone density in mouse femurs.  I'm not particularly interested in mice, but I'm learning how to do histology, which is cool.


3. I completely changed my hair.

Why is one lens shinier than the other?  Who knows?

Because why not, mostly.  I was getting very bored and frustrated with my hair the way it was, and I was ready for a change.  To get it done, I had to drive 2 hours to the salon, then sit for 9 hours while the braids were put in, and then drive 2 more hours home.  It was a long day.


4.  I quit Insanity.

I'm pretty sad about this, guys.  I really did mean to finish it all the way though, and not skip any workouts, but with the move it really wasn't possible.  I skipped about 2 weeks, and then started back up again.  I did make it to the fourth fit test, which actually went pretty well considering I was out of practice:

So yeah, not too bad.  I did take a break in between the power jumps and globe jumps, and I remember being completely exhausted by the end, but not too shabby all the same.  But then, school started up and I had a hard time both finding the time to do it and justifying spending an hour on Insanity when I could be using the time to study, or cook dinner, or sleep.  Eventually it got to be too much, so I just stopped.  It's okay, though, because...


5.  I started Focus T25.

Source

I just can't get enough of Shaun T.  That's why, when I decided Insanity was too much for me right now, I was really happy to order his newest workout system.  The beauty of Focus T25 is that it's (usually) 25 minutes a day, which is way more do-able for me at the moment (in hindsight, I guess I could have just done JCore again...but whatever.  I like Shaun T).  Even on days when I'm not really feeling it, it's easy for me to say, "Whatever, it's 25 minutes, just do it."  I do find that whether or not I eat well is very closely tied to whether or not I'm working out consistently, so I was happy to find a program that lets me work out without neglecting my schoolwork (or taking up all of my free time).  I'm in the third week (out of 10), and I like it so far.


6.  Kevin and I had our 2-year anniversary!

We somehow managed to not take any pictures together that day, so I just took this one like 5 minutes ago.  But!  2 years!  I can hardly believe it's been so long.  It's been great, though <3.


7. Kevin and I started Whole30.

Source

Why?  I dunno.  'Cause.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  If you don't know about Whole30 you can learn about it here, but basically it means no grains, dairy, legumes, added sugars, sulfites, MSG, carageenan, or alcohol for 30 days.  For me this is turning out to also mean no caffeine, since I can't drink coffee without milk (I tried using coconut milk instead a couple of times.  It's not good).  It's supposed to reset our digestive systems, help us control our cravings, stuff like that.  People I know who've done it have said they experienced better sleep, more energy, reduced asthma symptoms, etc.  Many of the online testimonials say that Whole30 is a life-changing experience.  Right now we're on Day 18 - so has this changed my life so far?

Meh?  No?

I feel okay.  I mean, I don't feel extra awesome, I don't think.  I feel fine.  I guess I have decent energy during the day - except if I eat too many raisins, which I've discovered will put me almost immediately to sleep for the next 2 hours.  Maybe I've started sleeping better the last couple of nights?  Although, I've had really wacky dreams the last couple of nights too....Maybe my skin is clearer?  Although, I also just bought a new kind of cleanser...so.  Who knows.  I guess we'll wait to see how we're feeling over the next 12 days.

Whole30 is definitely doing nothing for our cravings so far, though.  We want every type of junk food we see in commercials and ads.  Sometimes we'll sit and talk about all the stuff we're going to eat when we're done with our 30 days.  Currently, we're pretty focused on ice cream and grilled cheese.  And kettle corn.  But it's not even all junk food that we miss - I, personally, would love some oatmeal made with milk for breakfast (I am SO tired of eggs).  Or some dried cranberries in my salad (they're sweetened with sugar).  Or some lime juice for my water (the bottled kind has sulfites).  Eating anywhere that isn't our own house is really difficult, pretty much we need to bring our own food with us wherever we go.  I can't go to happy hour with my department on Fridays, and if I'm out of the house for longer than expected and I get hungry, I'm usually just out of luck.  So yeah, overall it's tough but going okay, we're getting through it, but we would like it to be over soon.  Luckily we timed it so that we'll be finished before Halloween - we'll try not to make ourselves sick on candy, though.


8. I took - and aced - my first anatomy test!

Source

I didn't get an A+.  I did get an A, though!  There was a written portion as well as a lab portion, and I did pretty awesome on both.  It was such a relief to hear that I had done well, and to know that I had been studying the right things in the right way.  Hooray!


So, that's about all of it!  With any luck I'll be back with something else to report before another 2.5 months have passed.  Happy Friday!