School Update

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been so bogged down with work that I haven't been able to post. This course load definitely sounded intimidating when I first signed up for it, and it is a lot of work. But I see it becoming more manageable than previous semesters. Maybe it's because I have a clear plan of what I needed to do and because my classes are harder and I knew I needed to put everything I had into them. I'm feeling more comfortable in the classes I thought were going to be harder and I feel like I'm actually retaining the information being taught. That's my spiel for today. I'll be back as soon as possible.

Be happy!
Mackenzie

P.S. Sophie is doing great! She's starting to be really comfortable with me and a few family members and friends!

Classes

Hey everybody,

So classes are going well. I haven't posted in a while because I've been bogged down with homework and taking care of Sophie and making sure she's comfortable in her new home. All of my teachers are so nice but all the work I'm going to have is going to be overwhelming sometimes but I'm going to get through it with help from my mini goals. Organic Chemistry is going to be the hardest subject.

In other news Sophie and I have been doing cuddle time, she has yet to venture out of her ball, but in due time she will. She is definitely the best purchase I have ever made and has made me so happy, even if I do have to clean the poop out of her wheel everyday.

I'll be back soon with school updates!
Be happy!
Mackenzie

Sophie

Hey everyone,

In case you were wondering more about Sophie here is an update:

She is an albino African Pygmy Hedgehog and she's about six months old. She is still getting used to her new home and is a little jumpy. She recognizes me by smell and sound and she recognizes my dad by sound. It's so fun having a new addition to my household and I can't wait to have lots of adventures with her. I have to wait 72 hours before handling her so she can get used to her new home. :)

Have a happy day everyone!

Mackenzie

A new addition

Well, I completed one of my July goals...I got my hedgehog!!!! Her name is Sophie.

She is a little freaked out from the move, but there will be more pictures to come when she comes out of her ball. I'm so excited to have this new little baby to care for!

Be happy!
Mackenzie

Physics

I just had my first physics class. I can't tell if this class is going to be hard, fun, or both. I really like my teacher and she seems to really want to help us, but it's just a matter of wrapping my brain around all these concepts. Any ideas that might help? But anyway, she was a really fun teacher and she threw rubber duckies and tennis balls at us to demonstrate physics. I think it will be okay, it will just take some time.

Mackenzie

September Goals

Alright, since it's the first day of school, it leads me to my set of September Goals! My big goal for September is School, mainly to bring up my GPA. So, without further delay here they are:

Do all of my homework
Get all of my homework in on time
Study a week before a test (not the night before or the hour before)
Attend every class unless I'm deathly ill
Get extra help if I need it
Don't get lazy

So I always set these goals and usually I get lazy with them, when it get closer to the middle of the semester. Hopefully, saying it out loud (or in writing) will make me more motivated to pursue these goals. I have a huge course load this semester with Physics, Creative Writing, Field Study I, Education in American Society, and Organic Chemistry. It will be hard and the work load will be tough but hopefully with these goals I will make it through with good grades.

Tat-ta for now!
Mackenzie

P.S. My organic chem lab has already been cancelled today so I have no classes on the first day of school!!!

August in Review

Hey everyone!
So I'm here to review my August goals. In general, I feel I was very successful.
Spending one day a week with my younger sister worked out really well. We didn't choose a specific day to hang out but it would just be a random day at least once a week, where we would watch a show together or go out shopping.

I went on a road trip with my family down to West Virginia and Virginia which was fun. There was a lot of family bonding and I got to visit my uncle who moved down to Harper's Ferry last January. We also visited a few family friends.

I wrote a letter to my grandmother but I have yet to send it out, which is rather unfortunate, but I will hopefully get it out soon.

So I have not gone to spend a morning with my aunt yet but I do try to spend as much time as I can with my nephew.

I have yet to go running with my uncle, but I'm pretty sure it's because he's afraid to run with me because I'll beat him.
I have definitely hugged my parents more, they may not have noticed but I have.

I didn't get out to see my sister, I worked a lot of extra hours last month and my time would have been very limited. I;m trying to get out there to talk about a book we both read and watch the movie.

I'll be back tomorrow with September's goals.

Thanks for the support!
Mackenzie

An update

Sorry I've been gone a while, I've had a lot going on and I'm getting ready to start my junior year in college. I wanted to give a few updates before I give my summary at the end of the month.

An update on my June goals:
Still running and running a 5k...FINALLY!!!
I'm doing yoga on Thursday nights (Super fun)
I'm still trying to eat healthy... I find I will go on a carb spree, but when I come back my will is even stronger to eat healthy.

An update on July goals:
I just bought textbooks which was a nice drain to my bank account
I did buy another set of athletic gear
I have been spending less money on unnecessary things
I got new sneakers but I got them for free. I got the five finger shoes and as crazy as they look, they are super comfy!!!!

And finally August:
I won't give too much away because that post is coming up soon. But I'll just say my August goals are working out nicely. Wow, I can't believe the end of the month is coming so soon.

Thanks for reading!!
Mackenzie

Vacation

Hey everybody!

I got back from West Virginia/Virginia last night. I had such a great time! It's always nice to get away from the real world for a little bit. It was nice to see my uncle in West Virginia. We also caught up with some family friends which we haven't seen in a long time. Which means I can check that goal off my list. I will start fulfilling my other goals starting this week.

In past news, I did go running while I was on vacation as much as I didn't want to. I did get lost but it wasn't so hard to get back to where I needed to go.

Well, I'm off to fulfill goals.

Tat-ta for now!

Mackenzie

August Goals

Hey everyone!

I've kept you waiting to hear my August goals. My main August goal is family. I have a very loving and crazy family and we all spend a lot of time together. But I think I could do more. It's hard to fit things into my crazy schedule. But here are my mini goals:

I live at home with my parents and one sister so I want to spend one day a week with her.

Also, my family is going to visit my uncle down in West Virginia for a week.

Write letters to my grandmother.

My aunt lives right around the corner from my house so why not spend one morning a week with her and my      nephew.

Maybe go running with my uncle once a week...maybe.

Hug my parents more.

And trying for one day a month to go visit my other sisters, they live further away.

So, these are my goals for August, I'll keep you updated!

Mackenzie

July in Review

Hey everyone!

Sorry I'm late with this post. I told myself I couldn't go on the internet until I finished a book for my book blog.

Well in July, I really didn't complete or make any progress on any of my goals. Yeah, it's problematic, but hey, I'll work on it each month as the year goes on.

My June goals are still holding. I'm still running, although very sore. Right now, I'm dog-sitting, so I'm running with the dog everyday instead of doing my cardio and abs workout in between. That means by the end of next week I'll be doing a 5k. Wow, I'm so close I can almost feel it.

Tomorrow, I'll post about what my August goal is.

Go forth and be happy!
Mackenzie

Checking in

Hey everyone!

So I have a few updates. First is, I haven't really had much to update about. I haven't really completed any of my goals for July, but I'll give a full update on Wednesday or Thursday. Second, I have been running just not as much as I can in one run. But I'm dog-sitting for the next two weeks so I will be running everyday with the dog and I plan on being able to run a 5k before I leave for West Virginia August 10th. In the Zombies, Run! 5k I'm halfway through!! Yay! Finally, I'm still trying to eat healthy. I haven't been so good the past two weeks but I'm trying.

I'll be back soon!
Mackenzie

At a Stand Still

Hey everyone! I'm kind of at a stand still right now. It's so hot out that when I want to exercise I'm not motivated enough because of the heat. Also, I'm finding it hard to save money. Any suggestions on how to fix either of these things? Please let me know!

Mackenzie

New Workout

Hey everyone!

So my friend sent me a link to a new cardio and ab workout. So every other day I'm running and every other day I'm doing this workout. I'll provide the link below if you want to try it out. I'm still sore two days later in places I never knew existed, but a good sore. It's a hard workout but I know it will be an awesome cross training workout that will strengthen my whole body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNZe01hqMW8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thanks for reading!
Mackenzie

Running Again

Yes, I'm running again, but I'm taking it easy. Today's workout was mostly walking and power walking with a little bit of running sprinkled in. So I'm taking it easy. It feels good to be back to running.

A few things I want to add to my list of things that I want to invest in for my July goal. I know not all of this is going to happen in July but I'm supposed to keep these goals going. The things I want to incest in are:

A new iPod (for when I'm running) my old one doesn't have enough space for all the music I have.
An arm holder for my iPod or phone when running.
New shoes-although mine are really nice running shoes they've been giving me blisters (any suggestions on different shoes-I have Ryka- or what I can do instead of getting new shoes)
Finally, more running outfits- this is a definite I only have one outfit right now

Thanks for reading!
Mackenzie

Just checking in

Hey everyone!
I'm just doing a check in today. Not much really to update on. I have a nasty cold and so I haven't been able to run and I haven't wanted to eat much. I have been going on hikes for my summer class, so I'm getting a little bit of exercise. That's all for now, hopefully I'll get better soon.

Ta-ta for now!
Mackenzie

Happy Day After Fourth of July!

Well, sorry I'm a day late, but happy day after 4th of July!!! I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. I know I did. Usually we host a Fourth of July party but since we've down-sized to a smaller house an awesome friend took the torch and made this one of the best Fourth of Julys ever! But it's back to reality today, unfortunately I have to go back to work today.

Happy weekend!
Mackenzie

Saving Money

I love shopping, but sometimes I have a tendency to go overboard with the spending. So I want to work on saving money. Now I only really have one small goal and that's put money in a savings account, little by little. But there are a few things I want to save up for first. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for a pet hedgehog. I know it sounds like a crazy pet but they are so cute. I finally convinced my parents to let me get one. Also, I have an older car that doesn't have any type of CD or tape player, so I want to save up for that as well. So my goals are:

Save up for a hedgehog
Save up for a radio
Spend less money
Put some percentage of my paycheck in savings

Alright those are my July mini-goals, I'll keep you posted on everything (and I'll definitely post pictures of the hedgie when I get her)

Mackenzie

June

So, it's the end of the month. I definitely feel better. I want to look at my goals individually and talk about how I did and any goals for the future.

Exercise, I definitely exercised more. I run all the time and although my knees hurt, no pain, no gain. My body strength is improving and I feel good about my body. After I get up to a 5k, I plan to train for a half marathon and maybe someday a full marathon.

Eat more greens, I tried and failed on this one. But Rome wasn't built in a day, and not everything I want to fulfill will happen in a month. Like I said, there are ups and downs and this was clearly a down. I don't really like vegetables but I'm still going to try to eat more in upcoming months.

Keep a food diary, I did pretty well on this. I started with an actual diary and then I started tracking on MapMyRun (an awesome app if you have a smartphone). I did better on MapMyRun because I wasn't obligated to log it right then and there and look up the calories. Also, it gave me a budget of calories for the day I had to stay within the limits of and they count carbs, protiens, and fats.

Get more protein, I definitely did this. Most days I went a few grams over my protein, so I think that's an accomplishment, going from almost none to over my daily limit.

Cut back on the carbs, this was hard because carbs are in everything and I'm a carbaholic. Most days I kept within my carb limits and maybe went over, but even though I wasn't always under, I'm proud of myself for just accomplishing not being over by more than 100

Drink more water, this was another one I totally succeeded on. I am now up to three times the amount of water I was drinking before, definitely an accomplishment. I'm not up to the suggested daily amount but someday I will be.

Thanks for reading, tomorrow I'll post about my July goals.
Mackenzie

Bad News

Hey everyone,

I have some bad news. I pushed myself a little too hard and I have injured my knee. It's not a big deal, I should be okay in a week or so, but this is a great time to work on my upper body strength. I'll keep you updated on the injury and I'll work on that upper body strength.
But on the brightside, I had field day today with the 6th graders I'm working with. It was hot, hot, hot outside but we played hard and won almost every event. Even though I wasn't putting all my effort in I still worked up a sweat and got some exercise in for the day.

Thanks for your support!
Mackenzie

Camping

Hey everyone!

Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few days but I was camping. It was a beautiful weekend for camping (I left Wednesday night) and the only time it rained was last night. Everyday I went running, swimming, or both. Running was difficult because the terrain was rough, but swimming was nice and I definitely worked on my upper body strength. The only bad thing was that I didn't monitor my eating and ate a lot of junk food. When I say a lot I mean A LOT! But this week, I am getting back on track. I have the app MapMyRun and there is a component that tracks your nutrition and calorie intake/calories burned. I'm going to utilize this all week to get back on track. I also got a new bathing suit top today so maybe that will motivate be to eat better. I only have a week left but I'm going to work my hardest to accomplish all my goals. On the 30th, I will give a review of my month and how I felt my happiness increased and how I feel overall.

Talk to you soon,
Mackenzie

My thoughts

Not all of my posts are positive, and there's a reason for that. I feel that in order to be happy you have to have failure as well, and I don't think it's fair to my readers to only be shown the success. I think that you guys should be exposed to everything that happens during my happiness project whether it's positive or negative. Generally, I'm a happy person and a lot of good things happen to me, but I do fail sometimes. Although, it's going to be hard for me to admit my failure, in the end it will make me a happier, honest person. Failing is just as much a part of life as success is, and as Amos Bronson Alcott said, "We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes."

I want to thank you all in advance for reading my blog and watching me succeed and fail.
Mackenzie

Father's Day

I kept my promise and did not run today. Although, I didn't eat too healthy today either. Tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping and I will get more healthy things to eat. On a positive note, I'm drinking more than twice the amount of water than I have before.

Just thought you would want my almost daily update,
Mackenzie

Bad Girl

Hey everyone,

When I said that I wasn't going to run yesterday, I lied again, sorry. I really wasn't going to run but running makes me feel great. I also went running today and there was an exciting story line today. I won't run tomorrow since it's Father's Day and I have to work. Sunday might end up being my real day of rest for running forever. On Monday, I will have finished week 2 of workouts but I've only been running for a week.

I've been very faithful with my food diary, which is surprising for me. I'm not very good with keeping track of things. I've kind of been estimating calories per meal, when I don't have nutrition facts. But these last two days I haven't been very good with eating healthy. I ate an ice cream cookie sandwich and a pack of Scooter Pies yesterday. Today I had a lot of french fries. I'm going to try even harder to stay on track.

If you have any suggestions for healthy foods I should try or how to stay on track, leave me a comment.

Be back soon!
Mackenzie

Day of Rest

Although the Zombie app told me to take a few days off, I ran yesterday. They finally let me out of the "gates" and at the end I was being followed by a "zomb", what an exciting run, although I'm sure it will get more exciting the next run, and this time I'll listen them when the say take a day off of running. So, today is my day of rest and tomorrow I'll start running again. I haven't had time to get any almond butter but I have been keeping a food diary. This really keeps me aware of what I'm putting in to my body and I can compare day to day. On Monday, I'll go get some almond butter and maybe some almond milk. Anyone know if that has protein? If not I need to get some sort of calcium anyway.

Thanks for reading,
Mackenzie

Carb Overload

So I have a tendency to eat a lot of carbs and someone pointed out to me that that's a resolution I should add into my month of health. In the little amount of time left in the month here are my goals:

Exercise
Eat more greens
Keep a food diary
Get more protein
Cut back on the carbs
And a last minute add on...Drink more water

I have started exercising and keeping a food journal. I'm going to go out and get some almond butter later, and also try to have some kind of protein with each meal.

Thanks for the suggestion!
Mackenzie

Day two

Good morning everyone!

So already the exercise has me feeling great! I had so much more energy last night than usual, and although my muscles were in pain, it was the good kind of pain. Whenever my app tells me to take a few days off I find myself feeling a little sad, but it makes for great cross-training days, and I wouldn't want to push myself too much within the first week. Since the app told me to take a few days off, I think I might try to get more protein in my diet and start keeping a food journal. I think almond butter might be a good start. Any other suggestions for how to get more protein in a vegetarian diet and/or any type of cross-training exercises you want to suggest, I'm open to any, so please leave your ideas!

Thank you!
Mackenzie

Hello everyone!

Hey everyone!

So I told my reading blog, after reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I would start my own Happiness Project blog. I know I started a little late in the month (and the year) but I have already decided and started upholding my resolutions for the month of June. My overall resolution for June is My Health. I have a few mini resolutions to uphold during this month. The first one is to start running. I am not an athletic person at all but I would love to at least run. My last few resolutions have to do with eating. One is to keep a food diary, similarly to what Gretchen Rubin did. And ultimately, watch what I eat. Also, I want to make sure I get more greens into my diet, and since I'm a vegetarian, more protein. Right now, I'm just going to start with the running, because it's a lot to start all at once (and I've already started my running). I downloaded this app called Zombies, Run! 5k, and it is awesome. It definitely keeps me motivated to run because I have a story line to go with it.

I'm hoping to post every few days, if not everyday so keep checking back!
Mackenzie