Conjoined Twins are Organic

This morning I woke up at 9:40 a.m. after snoozing on and off for a bit. My main motivation to collect my wits were Mark's texts telling me that he's hoping that I'm having a good time. Aww, shucks, Mark. After I was awake, we attempted video chatting, but Mark's computer sucks and we were unsuccessful. That was fine with me though since I needed to eat breakfast and get ready to go shopping for something business professional. Ughs.


Breakfast was oats!

And then I had a mediocre salad for lunch that I didn't end up finishing.

It was mediocre mostly because I used awesome home-grown tomatoes that probably shouldn't have been tossed around as violently as I tossed them. All the good gooey insides ended up at the bottom of the salad and it was kinda gross as well as slightly depressing. So, I topped off lunch with a Luna bar. Yum!

After finally showering and getting dressed, I headed to the meijer next to the mall to return some things I ended up not needing. Then I met up with Matt in Kohl's and we began our shopping spree. We started in New York and Company where I found a few things that were okay and then we went to Macy's where everything was simply too short. I'm in this awkward stage where I'm not quite misses sizes and not quite plus sizes. Everything in the misses section is too short or way too tight across my chest and everything in plus sizes is the perfect length, but a tad too big. Not a fun size to be, trust me.


After Macy's, we met up with Matt's mom (Mama Sue!) for lunch at Panera, which was awesome. I decided to try something new and went with the turkey artichoke. It was awesome. I wasn't able to read the description in as much detail as I've posted below, so I really made my decision based on the name of the sandwich.

Once we were done having lunch and chatting, Matt and his mom went to Express while I headed to Old Navy where I bought three new pair of jeans (in a size 14!) and two cardigans. Then we went searching for more business attire. We spent quite a bit of time searching and then ended up at Lane Bryant where I bought a simple button-down shirt and called it good. I was sick and tired of shopping and I'm sure even Matt's patience was running out (I'm not fun to shop with - at least when we're shopping for me).


Then we headed to the new YMCA near the area. Matt wasn't able to get in though because he's been a guest more times than you're allowed in a calendar year. So I was forced to work out alone. That was a bummer because I really enjoy working out with him. After getting a feel for the facilities, I decided to do some Chi Running on the treadmill. I wanted to see if I could run a mile, so I tried it out. And I did it! I know that seems inconsequential to some, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to last that long. So now I really want to get working on my running.


After the gym, I headed home and decided to cook a nice, balanced meal for myself since MSU will be feeding us tomorrow. So, I grabbed this out of my fridge:

I threw it in the oven for 30 minutes while I seasoned and cooked some sweet potato fries and steamed some corn. While all that was going, I decided to finally clean the fruit I bought last week. Strangely, there were some conjoined twins in both my grapes and strawberries.

Strange. Perhaps organic fruit results in more conjoined twins. The good news is that they were doubly delicious!


I was super excited for my corn this evening because I would be able to try out my organic butter

Woot. I could tell it was going to be an awesome meal. And look how pretty it was:

Okay, maybe pretty wasn't the right adjective. Whatevers. I ate everything on my plate because I'm a champ/bamf/badass.

Then I cleaned up and decided to start learning how to do CPR, use an AED, and stop people from choking. Don't worry, I didn't do this just for fun - I had to do it for school. It took me about 3.5 hours to go through everything (I took copious notes) and I had 11 pages of info to use.

Not fun. Then I took a 25-question test to see if I learned anything. I had to get at least 21 questions right or else I'd have to take another version of the test. And if I didn't pass that, I'd be humiliated in front of all med students. Fortunately, I got it on the first try with a 24/25:

The bad thing is that I didn't use my notes. Wasted a bit of paper there...


Anywho, I'm off to figure out what I'm going to wear tomorrow and where I need to be since I have to be there at 7:00 a.m. Gross.

Lazy Schmuck

After going skydiving yesterday, today was absolutely no big deal in terms of major life events. That being said, I'm still not sure how the day passed so quickly.


I woke up around 8:30 a.m., showered, and headed to my Midland apartment. My mom helped me lug down my futon mattress, and I collected the last of my things which basically consisted of my cable box and modem to return to Charter, my vacuum, and my full-length mirror. However, I also realized that I never cleaned out my storage unit. So now my mother has a futon mattress and miscellaneous holiday decorations in her car until I see her again next Sunday. I'm sure that will be fun for her.


After turning in my keys, I headed to the community center so I could creep on visit with Mark while he worked. We chatted for a bit about skydiving and the rest of life's adventures since Saturday when he was forced to sit in a moving van with me for approximately 5 hours I last saw him. Then I hopped on an elliptical for a surprisingly sweaty half hour session of cardio.   When I was done, I sadly said goodbye to Mark and headed out to run errands.


My first stop? The awesome bakery where I bought three cookies: one for Alicia, one for me, and one for my mom. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wasn't my best idea, but I don't know when I'll be able to have one of those cookies again! Next stop was Midland's organic market to buy four jars of PB2. Then I headed to Charter, turned in my goodies, and went to Alicia's house to deliver her cookie and chat for a bit. After our brief reunion, I met my mom at Applebee's for lunch since she was having a craving for shrimp salad. And since I'm a wonderful daughter, I politely allowed her to buy me lunch. Yup, wonderful daughter. The things I do for my mother.


Then I headed back home to pack up the last of my clothes and belongings that I wanted for medical school. My car definitely filled up fast! I own far too much stuff. But it wasn't all fun stuff. For example, I took my biochemistry, biology, endocrinology, and physical chemistry books back with me. Well, perhaps some of you would think such textbooks are fun, but you're crazy. No, don't even try to argue with me - we both know I'm right!


After saying goodbye to my mom, I went and picked up my contacts and got my nails done. Now you say to yourself, "Danika is starting med school on Saturday. Certainly she must be broke by now." You're right! I am! But I got my nails done anyway. In fact, I even paid the mega bucks to get a shellac manicure. This type of manicure supposedly lasts up to 3 weeks without chipping. We shall see. But, look! They're so pretty!

After my manicure, I finally left for Grand Rapids. I talked to Lisa on the way for about 45 minutes and then sang along to my music the rest of the way. Man, that's a boring drive. I'm definitely one of those people who would rather drive on an expressway at 84mph 70mph than backroads at 55. Who cares if my car is more fuel efficient going 55? Faster is better. And the ability to pass people? Priceless.


Once I was in Grand Rapids and had unloaded my car, I went into my room and stared longingly at my bed. But since no one was going to unpack for me, I decided I should get working on unpacking my five suitcases of clothes. Gah. It was not pretty.

And that, my friends, wasn't even the worst of it. However, my bedroom is almost done! I say almost because I took a break from putting things away to put up art. This was the first thing I put up, which, strangely, was the first piece of art I put up in my last apartment.

My dreamcatcher I bought when I visited Lisa in TN

And this was the second thing:

The print my mom bought at the Louvre about 25 years ago

Where is that masterpiece hanging? In a prime position for enjoyment!

Yup, right over the toilet. I figure my male comrades will enjoy it thoroughly as they use my bathroom. And the ladies can enjoy it while they wash their hands (because let's face it, men never wash their hands after using the bathroom - gross!).


After hanging my art (that's literally all the art I've got), I made my first batch of overnight oats and gobbled it up right away.

Yeah, they're much better after being chilled, but I have been craving these forever! Now I'm sitting and blogging instead of unpacking because well, when you live alone, no one judges you for being a lazy schmuck (note: please look up the definition for schmuck and then commence giggling (hint: pay attention the Yiddish meaning)).


Well, I guess I don't technically live alone. But as Bailey's lazier than me, I think I'm still good.

That doesn't even look comfortable!

Long time, no post!

Well, hello there. I'm glad you're still following and haven't completely given up on me. I have a lot to update you on!


Friday
Friday I woke up nice and early to get the last of my packing done and then head to the gym for training with Emily at 10:00 a.m. It was my last training session with her and she kicked my butt, per usual. I didn't do much cardio beforehand or afterwards, but that was okay with me because I had Chi Running training with Ken Andrews, We spent a little over two hours together, during which I learned the very basics of chi running. We spent a lot of time going through the proper form and then we did a tiny bit of running. I learned a lot and I'm really excited to actually go out and do some running.


After running, I got some lunch for Alicia and myself and then headed home to take a look at the packing situation.

After we finished up packing, Alicia took me to the UHaul place where I spent a half hour hassling with the reservation people and then came home to shower before running over to Jenna's house to see her, her husband/my husband Tyler, and her parents.

And they fed me! Mrs. Brown made some awesome chicken, a great pork roast, and a bunch of delicious veggies! Here's a photo that doesn't allow you to see pretty much anything...

After enjoying an awesome meal and great company, I headed back to my apartment to pack all of my belongings in the UHaul with the help of Alicia, Mark, and my mom. It took us about two hours, but I'm glad we didn't have to pack and unpack all in the same day. After packing, I headed to my mom's house for the night.


Saturday
I woke up nice and early to get on the road at 9:00 a.m. with Mark, Alicia, and my mom. Mark drove the UHaul with me and my mom drove Alicia in her van. We got to Grand Rapids around 11:30 a.m. where Matt was waiting for us. We got everything unloaded in about an hour and then had some Jimmy John's for lunch. Yum! And while we were relaxing, I snapped some photos of everyone who helped me move!

My mom and Alicia (who is constructing my bookcase) 

Matt who got to help Mark move all the big stuff

Me and Mark looking oh so enthused

After my internet was set up by the Comcast guy, we headed back to Midland and both Mark and Alicia headed home while I returned the UHaul. Then I did more packing up of my apartment and headed to my mom's house for one last night of no unpacking. 


Sunday
Once again, I headed back to my apartment in Midland to grab more stuff and then I drove to Grand Rapids. Once there, I made my bed and napped. I woke up and headed to Matt's house so he could feed me.

We had chicken salad with beans and potatoes. Yum! We also made a trip to Wayland for ice cream and to visit with Matt's friend Kylee. Then we headed back to his house so I could bully him into finally signing up for his GRE. I'm pretty sure he hated me for that. Whoops! But I left before he could do me any real harm and went straight to bed.


Monday
This was the first day I started truly unpacking. My friend Curt came over and lined my kitchen shelves (which was freaking awesome because I hate doing that) and helped me move some of my big stuff. We also went to lunch at Marie Catrib's and then it was back to unpacking. Curt headed back to work (he worked a split) and then I went to my orthodontist appointment. 


I saw two orthodontists who were both impressed by my completely open bite. But the good news is that they recommended Invisalign rather than conventional braces. They asked if I was okay with that. Uh, making my braces less obvious? Sure!


After my appointment, I headed to the mall where Matt's sister Heather gave me an awesome haircut. I did a tiny bit of shopping for my white coat ceremony and then finally headed home to finish up unpacking my kitchen and bathroom. Then it was time for bed!


Tuesday
I decided to get up early and head to a new gym. I met with Scott at MVP Metro Club in downtown Grand Rapids. He was a great help in setting up my membership and took me on a quick tour of the facilities. The gym was really nice and decently-equipped. However, I was the only person there. Anyway, let me tell you a bit more about it. On the first floor they had their group fitness rooms. On the second floor was all their cardio equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes. On the third floor was their weight room.


I decided I would stick with some cardio and headed to the second floor. All of the machines were touch screen with extended cable, and, though I thought this would be awesome, it was actually kind of crappy because you couldn't do any preset programs and it didn't track your stats - the screens just went back to television show you were watching. I tried programming the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike and they all only let you do quick start programming. There was no staff around to ask so I gave up and headed up to the third floor and did about 45 minutes of weights. I was a tad disappointed by their lack of machines and left upset that I signed up for a membership.


I came home to shower and then headed to Ann Arbor for lunch with Stephen and Noel before heading to IKEA where I met up with Anthony and bought a desk. I don't have any pictures from the day because I left my camera. Womp, womp.


On my way back to Grand Rapids, I did a major grocery shopping trip at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. I spent quite a bit of money, but hopefully I'll have lots of really good quality food for a while. Then I finally headed home. However, I realized that I could stop and see my sister's apartment in East Lansing so I didn't home until a little after 11:00 p.m.


Once home, I unpacked the cooler and headed to bed.


Wednesday
Today I woke up around 9:00 a.m., showered, and signed up for some med school stuff. Then I talked to the people at the skydiving company who told me that the weather may not hold until 6:00 p.m. when Allyson and I were scheduled to jump. So, we pulled some strings and met in Mount Pleasant at 2:15 so we could jump out of a perfectly good airplane for fun. Allyson brought my mom and both her parents with her. So, here are some pics from my adventures today!

The baby plane we jumped from 

Getting suited up

I thought this picture was so funny 

Ready to jump! Well, maybe we should have a parachute...

Allyson and Jake (we did a tandem jump)

Me and Scott, the man I was attached to

Dancing because I was so excited

Making Allyson dance with me

Me and my mom before I risked my life

Allyson and I demonstrating how to arch properly when you jump out of the plane 

Me!

Coming in for the landing 

Woo! Allyson coming in for her landing

The first time we saw each other after falling 11,000 feet 

Hugging because we were still alive and able to!

Celebrating our jump

After our jump, we went out to dinner with our respective parents and had a drink to celebrate. So how was it? It was pretty awesome! The free falling part of it isn't anything like a roller coaster - your stomach never drops. But it's definitely fast (and loud)! You cover about 5,000 feet in 35 seconds. Then you pull the 'chute and it's super quiet. Scott did a few fun spins with me and he videotaped the whole thing. So, in about 5-7 days, you can look forward to a video of me jumping from an airplane.


After dinner, my mom and I went to meijer (the meijer here is so much less confusing than the ones in Grand Rapids!) and then shortly after getting home, Allyson and I decided to hit up the Midland County Fair. However, we were less than impressed and left after Allyson bought an elephant ear.

We headed back to her house and hung out for a bit before I headed home to do a huge update for you all! I'll be heading back to Grand Rapids tomorrow and doing yet more moving, so hopefully I won't be too tired to update you guys again!

Moving Is Rough

Today I woke up nice and early despite not having to work so that I could get started on packing. I am amazed (and perhaps somewhat impressed) by how much stuff I own. I was completely overwhelmed and really had no idea where to start, but Alicia was amazing and got my butt in gear. We packed for about two hours and then took a break for lunch and to make a trip to Salvation Army to donate about 6 bags of clothes and miscellaneous items. Gotta love purging!


We headed to lunch at La Zeez where I packed in a nice full plate of Indian food and then we headed to the bakery for some deliciousness. We came back to my apartment, stared at all the work to be done and then decided it could wait. I took Alicia home so she could enjoy some nice time unconscious/sleeping and I headed to get my sweat on for the last time with Mark. I'm not going to lie, it makes me very sad that I won't be training with Mark anymore. But, it's not the last time I'm going to see him because he's helping me move. Woo! Bet he doesn't realize all the fun that's in store:

The good news is that I'm just as strong as he is!

After a solid two and a half hours of packing with my mom and Alicia, we were finally done for the day. I should be finishing up the little stuff, but my knees are aching and you definitely needed an update!


But I should go get my butt in gear because Alicia and I are going to go see the Help tonight. Wish me luck with my move tomorrow - it's going to be a lot of work!

I love my friends

Last night, I set my alarm to start going off at 5:45 a.m. and continue to go off for the next 10 minutes at 2 minute intervals. However, before my alarm could even begin going off, Matt called me. It was 5:40 a.m. Now, I know you're asking yourself who would be up that early, but he's working some conference that requires him to be at work at 5:30 a.m., so don't worry - he's getting paid and isn't willingly getting up that early. If he were doing it willingly, I would stage an intervention and have him committed. Anywho, the point is that it was his nice and early phone call that really pushed my lazy butt to get out of bed and go to the gym even though my knees were really aching. I do remember telling Matt that my knees hurt and he basically told me he didn't care so I got up and got ready anyway. And this is why I love my friends. They don't take my crap and make me do what I should really be doing.


While I was on the phone with Matt, I did my daily weigh-in. Last week, the scale read this:

That says 214.8 if you can't read it

This week, the scale reads this:

That's a 2.4 pound loss which is awesome. It also means that I only have 5.4 pounds to go until my goal. I'm going to have to start taking my morning workouts a bit more seriously if I want to get there. Boo - that means more early mornings. This is how I feel about that:

I took this at 5:55 a.m. I'm pretty sure happiness isn't allowed that early in the morning

When I got back from the gym (I did a half hour on the elliptical since my knees were bothering me), I chowed down some overnight oats because I was starving.

I didn't realize this was so blurry

After my oats, I hopped in the shower and then made some more breakfast since the oats aren't an actual meal for me (for some other bloggers, this is super filling - perhaps they were blessed with tiny stomachs).

Note the ibuprofen in the background

After breakfast, I headed to work and actually had stuff to do for the majority of the morning. Shocking, I know. I prepped some samples, re-did Dillon's résumé with him, and spent some time searching Craigslist for tables and bookshelves.

Then I came home for lunch and had the typical English muffin pizza. Yum!

I also made some oats for dessert because I wanted some protein to fill me up a bit more.

I snuck out of work a bit early today (and by snuck, I mean I left at 4:45 p.m. and told my boss I'd see him tomorrow. He didn't care - he knows I'm not doing anything. How does he know this? He won't give me any work since I'm leaving soon). Anyway, I snuck out early because I had training with Mark at 5:00 p.m. We did some push-ups (I was still hurting from yesterday with Emily), some chest presses, some leg extensions, and some quad work. Perhaps I was still in my disheartened mood from yesterday, but I feel like I'm sucking at my workout lately. So I stuck around and put in an intense 32 minute session on the elliptical. I upped my resistance from the morning and made sure to keep my pace up.

When I got home, I immediately started working on making turkey tacos. I was really in the mood for them and so I was pretty happy how quickly I made them happen.

They really hit the spot. I also had more oats, but I didn't snap a picture because I figured you'd seen enough oats for the day. I think I'm going to need to cut down on those...maybe just one serving a day. They're not too bad for you - they're under 200 calories, but that can add up!

Now I'm just sitting on the couch with Bailey cuddled up right next to me. I'm going to wash up for bed shortly and call it an early night so I can be up early for a kick butt early morning workout. I'm going to lose this 5.4 pounds in no time!