making gains.

so i don't think i ever really mentioned last week that i was having my orange county fire authority interview on tuesday. i know that i mentioned that i was nervous, and feeling stressed, but i never actually said why i was feeling this way.

anywho, i think the interview went well, but it is hard to say this was my first fire department interview ever. one of the issues that the panel wanted to talk with me about was fitness, and what i have been doing to prepare myself for the fire service. i spoke of what i have been doing to prepare, and tried to paint them a picture of my workouts, but deep inside, i got nervous. females definitely have a harder time strength wise in the fire service, because we simply are not built the same way as men. so we have to work twice as hard to even be near the same level as the guys. and that's ok, i have accepted that.

but i have never been this big buff person. if you look at pictures of me in high school and throughout the first part of college, i look like a 12-year old anorexic girl. i have always been really active, but until i started pursuing the fire service, building up my strength was such a foreign concept.

so since the interview, i have really been trying to hit the gym hard. i have really been trying to work on increasing my strength. the fire service is something that i really want, and it is something that i know people think i won't be able to do. and i wouldn't be true to myself if i wasn't trying to prove everybody wrong.

so, going back to the phrase that detoy came up with at the beginning of this year, it's beast year 2011. watch out world, it's time to get ripped.

now for a little motivation...happy tuesday everyone!

"probably the toughest event on the planet..."

i have wanted to do a mud run for a while now. they look awesome. and i have only heard how much fun they are. well, at the end of may, there is a mud run. and this isn't your typical mud run, this is the tough mudder. the slogan for the event is probably the toughest event on the planet. it looks crazy! [and i am pretty sure that is an understatement]. but i am pumped. training has officially began. time to start working up to running ten miles. i have till may 28th. three miles yesterday. two today. four tomorrow...hoping to be up to ten by the end of next month. and i feel that this competition it fitting for the theme of this year [compliments of mike detoy]: beast year 2011. i will keep you all posted on my progress. but i am stoked for a new physical challenge.

fight on.

today was my LAST first clinical day, ever (can i get a WOO! from my woo girls!). i am in my critical care semester, and am doing my rotation at USC university hospital. i am so blessed to be here because it a world-renown hospital, and absolutely amazing.
now, call me a dumb blonde, but when i originally requested this hospital for my critical care rotation, i thought it was county usc. now, about half way through last semester, after i already received my clinical assignment for this semester, i was informed devastating [at least to me...] news, this hospital does not have an er. however, i simply assumed that we would go to a different hospital for our "er day" so we would still get experience. that makes sense right? all nursing students should spent at least one day in the er during their nursing school experience...well, i found out today that since we are at a hospital without an er, my clinical group will spend zero days in an emergency room. hearing this in clinical today, i was heartbroken. honestly, i have been so looking forward to this semester because i would get to spend time in the emergency room. and now that i don't, if i am being completely honest, i am crushed. i am really trying to stay positive about the situation, and i know that God has his hand in this, i just really wish i could get just one day to spend in the er working as a nurse. yes, i spend a lot of time in various emergency rooms, but i am never there with a nursing perspective. i guess that will just have to come with my first job [Lord wiling!]. but this is going to be a good semester. we are learning really awesome, interesting information that i am passionate about [for the first time in nursing school]. so it is going to be good. and there are only 116 more days till graduation [i just had to sneak that piece of information in here!!].


[my clinical group outside the hospital. LAST first day!]



on a different note, i made a great discovery tonight. tuesday night yoga at 24 hour fitness. i have been going to 24 hour fitness for a couple of years, but can count the number of times i have been to a group class on one hand. anyway, it was awesome. it was such a nice change to my typical workout schedule, and the instructor worked us! i think tuesday night yoga may become my new thing.