My Final Final

My graduation cap! Class of 2012! I did it!

I just turned in my last final.

My FINAL final.

I have the strangest feeling right now.

I am done. Finished. Everything is complete. It is amazing how two years of constant stress, deadlines, endless work, and expectations can be done with the push of a button.

"Send"

My final wasn't due until 5 o'clock this afternoon and I found myself contemplating holding on to it just a little bit longer. Surely, there was more I could do. Surely, there was something else that I could add. Then I realized that this final is just one drop in the bucket of two years of hard work. I had already put in at least a good 8 hours into this one assignment and friends, it is time to be done!

So I turned it in!

Now it is time to head to campus and trade out my graduation robes for something that won't fit both me and a car full of clowns. Seriously, I know these things aren't supposed to be fitted, but somehow the robe I got could double as bedding for a California King.

Once I get that taken care of, it is off to Commencement! Elder Dallin H Oaks, former BYU President and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be speaking.  I can't wait! I can't believe I am here!

Let's make this happen!

Just when you thought I was gone forever...

Guess what my plans are this weekend?!

Um, yeah, remember that one time that I thought it was a good idea to complete my last semester of grad school and train for a half marathon at the same time?! Well, I am happy to report that it was a GREAT idea! It didn't leave much room for blogging (I know, I missed you too). And I must admit that neither my grades nor my training was perfect - BUT I DID IT! I am two days away from graduation and three days away from my second half marathon! 

EPIC!

So, I WALK on Friday and I RUN on Saturday! I can't wait!

Motivation Monday - Make Mistakes! Get Messy!

Life isn't always easy. We don't always make great choices. In fact, sometimes we make really stupid choices. And you know what? I think that is ok. Actually, I think it's awesome. Life is all about learning, and how do we learn? By making mistakes. If you want to do anything well, you must first be willing to do it badly. If you want to learn how to play a musical instrument, speak a language, or run your first marathon - you won't be able to do it over night.  So, you practice and you mess up and you persevere until, eventually, you master a new skill. No one judges you if you just started playing the piano and you can't play Mozart yet, so why do we get so worked up when we make mistakes in our daily lives? Every day is new, every day we face things we have never seen before. If we do our best, that is what matters. If things don't go as planned, well, there is always tomorrow. And you got to learn something new! That will help to make tomorrow better! Two birds! One stone!

Mistakes are awesome. Go out there and get messy! Learn! Live! Experience! Push the limits, learn what you are capable of, try new things, do things that scare you! I think you will surprised at what life has to offer you, and at how much you have to offer life!

This post was inspired by a great article that I found on NPR's website the other day, entitled The Importance of Making Mistakes.

MARCH!

It's March! I cannot believe it! After March comes April and April is going to be filled with things that I never dreamed would ever happen. For example, as today is March 1st, that means I graduate from GRADUATE SCHOOL in 7 weeks! It also means that my second half marathon is coming up in just 7 little weeks! And, last, but certainly not least, it means that my baby sister is getting married in 8 weeks! (not that I didn't think she would ever get married, but I think it is surreal for anyone when the baby of the family gets married) The countdown is on!

Winter is coming to a close, and while Mother Nature is making a last ditch effort at sprinkling some snow in our direction, I am sorry sister, but it just can't last! Warmer weather is on its way!

March means SO MANY GOOD THINGS! Here are just a few:

For starters, I am headed to Seattle next week for a "Career Trip."  It will be a big kid field trip for school where we will meet with companies that may potentially want to hire us. I wonder if I can track down McDreamy while I am there?

Also, the Hunger Games movie comes out! Please, oh please don't let them ruin it! I have high hopes for this movie and am counting down the days until it is released. It comes out on the 23rd. 23 days. Yes.

And best of all? March is girl scout cookie month! I was a brownie and a junior, and am still a big supporter of the girl scouts. Well, I at least a am a big supporter of the cookie sales ;) That is mostly because I sold cookies from my death bed when I was 7 and I didn't get a patch and I am still broken up over it and am determined to help any little girl that I can to get her cookie selling patch.  (You think I am lying? I'm sure not! I had scarlet fever and sold cookies over the phone, I didn't quite make my numbers and so there was no patch for me. I honestly still get a little sad about it every March.) So, go out and support your local girl scouts and buy some cookies! 

Happy March! 

Motivation Monday

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson 


Run at your own pace, learn in your own way, bloom in your own time, and don't worry about what others "seem" to be doing or accomplishing. You are not someone else - you are you. Live YOUR life. Embrace who YOU are. Your life is the only one that you can live, so stop worrying about everyone else's and live your own adventure! 


"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."


-Joseph Campbell


And what a privilege it is to be you!

Jennica vs the Morning

I woke up at about 4:30 this morning. No sane person gets up at 4:30 so I went back to sleep until 5:45. Still too early! I went back to sleep again, slept through my 6:00 alarm and woke up at 6:57.

I have spin at 7:00.

When I went back to sleep at 5:45 I started dreaming crazy dreams.  The one that I remember most vividly involved me trying to find my seat at a movie theater after I had walked out to get a snack.  The movie?  A 3D zombie flick starring Tom Hanks. I know, finding my seat in a theater isn't a very crazy dream, but the whole zombie movie that my mind made up was pretty crazy.  (By the way, my dreams lately have consisted of sitting and chatting with people, going out to eat, and going to the movies. Apparently my real life is too exciting and my subconscious is trying to chill out)

Anyway,  luckily I had my spin stuff close and my 8:00am MBA class had been canceled, so there was no need to bring a change of clothes. I was on my bike by 7:12.  We virtually climbed Squaw Peak again today. It totally kicked my trash. No breaks on this one. It is one big, lovely, nasty climb!

In real life, it looks like this:
(When it gets warmer, I would really like to get a grown-up girl road bike and take this peak on like Donkey Kong!)

Class was great, but because I was late and because my 1 school class was canceled, I hit the gym for a quick little run on my way home. It was a great way to start the day.  However, I am still a little disappointed that I couldn't get my butt out of bed at 6:00am. I had some serious plans for some pre-spin productivity.

How do you convince yourself to listen to the smart, productive you that set the alarm for 6:00am, instead of the lazy, sleepy you who just wants to watch zombie movies in her sleep?

The Grand Canyon!

This is where I spent my weekend:

 Yes. Please. It was a last minute trip and I am so glad that I went! I really (and by that I mean I REALLY) needed to get away this weekend.  Sometimes I just need to be away from all of the busy and the crazy and hit the reset button on life. I can't think of a better way to do that than by going somewhere like this:

The trip was great, a little chilly, but overall it was everything that I needed it to be.  I got to meet some new incredible people, hike the Grand Canyon, stay on a house boat on Lake Powell, and explore Zion National Park. Not bad for a last minute outing if I do say so myself.

So now I am feeling fabulous and things just got better when I got back. I found out that universe has been working in my favor big time. When I left, I was really excited to shut down my computer for 4 days.  I wrapped up all of my online business on Friday and I shut this bad boy down! Then I remembered that I hadn't signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon. I have been going back and forth trying to decide whether or not I was going to try to attempt the Coast to Coast (running in a RunDisney event on both coasts within a calendar year), and as I was deciding, I watched the race numbers climb closer and closer to capacity.  At the last minute I decided to reboot my computer and sign up. When I came home Monday night I found that the race had sold out on Sunday.

HA! I am so glad that I didn't wait to sign up! I am in! I am going to run the Disneyland Half Marathon in September!