Please Forgive Me

I have abandoned my blog the last few weeks, and I apologize greatly to those of you who take the time to check to see if there is anything new.
Nothing new has really happened.
I've been eating really well, and working out 6 days a week for at least 30 minutes each day for the past 3 weeks.
I have lost 5 pounds so far.
Most of my time is spent on Biology, so, nothing exciting is going on.
Hope everything is well with everyone else.

A Little Bit of Everything

Nothing really new and exciting has happened since two weeks ago, it had been a pretty boring two weeks. 

But, I do have a few things to update on and talk about.

So, I am going to start with the 52 Week Money Challenge! 

I was browsing Pinterest on Sunday, and came across this awesome idea on how to save money! 

This blog is where Pinterest brought me to find it! 

It is probably the simplest way I have EVER seen to save up over $1,300 in just 52 weeks.

You do not have to start at a certain day, you start whenever you want, and once a week, you add the listed amount for whichever week you are on into the jar. Make sure you check it off as you go, this will make it easier to remember which week you are on, and for me, gives me something to look forward to. 

I am a very visual person, so when I can see that another week has been checked off, it makes me happy to know that I am one week closer to $1,300.

Sunday night I gathered all of my loose change, $21 worth! That put me at Week #6. From now on, I will add the listed amount every Wednesday (the day I usually get money for cleaning). Next week I know I will not be getting any money, so I added Week #7 and Week #8 on Wednesday. That way, I do not fall behind at all. 

This is YOUR way to save money, so you do not have to follow the instructions exactly. Do it however works for you. 

If you want to start at Week #52 and work your way back to #1 so that you will not have to put in as much around Christmas time, do it! 

If you get paid bi-weekly, add money bi-weekly. You could stick to the same amounts and be done in twice as long, or you could put in two weeks at once (like I did this week) and you will be finished in the same amount of time.

You could even double the amounts each week, and save up twice as much! 

It is all up to you, this is just a suggestion and sort of a push to get your ideas going. 

 The next thing on my list, is the fact that I deactivated my Facebook last night at 8:30pm. 

I finally realized that I was spending WAY too much time on Facebook, and not enough time focusing on what is really important. 

Also, there is just too much drama EVERYWHERE on Facebook. 

All of my friends and family that I talk to on a daily basis have my cell phone number or my e-mail address. So I am still able to keep in contact with them, without the endless distraction of Facebook. 

With my profile being deactivated, I see it as a huge opportunity to be able to focus on my Biology class, as well as on losing weight, without being tempted to hop onto Facebook instead of doing what I know I should be doing. 

Once I am finished with Biology, and have achieved certain weight goals, then I will return to Facebook.

By that time, I am hoping to be so used to not being on it, that I will not want to be on it nearly as much as I was before.  

 To sort of go alone with the deactivation of my Facebook, I thought I would brag a little bit about the last two days. I am very proud of myself, and no I just need to stick to it. 

Yesterday, (Thursday) I got on the elliptical for 30 minutes, I got a total of 3.13 miles, and burned 408 calories! To get the most out of my time on the elliptical, I alternate each minute between a running pace and a jogging pace, it really works my body a lot more than just sticking to one pace the whole time. I also did 60 crunches, 20 before getting on the elliptical, 20 after the first mile (after 10 minutes), and 20 more after the second mile (after 20 minutes). I was definitely happy to get in the shower after that! And shortly after, I had to go volunteer for 5 hours. I was on my feet a lot yesterday! But I slept really well because of it. 

Today, was about the same. A little bit less, but not enough for me to get upset about it. 3.12 miles and 402 calories burned. I did the same pattern as yesterday, and the same amount of crunches. For some reason, today was WAY harder than yesterday. By the end, I was ready to just lay on my floor and die. Not literally, but I was so exhausted! I had a quick snack (banana slices with peanut butter in between and frozen while I was on the elliptical), and then got in the shower. Now, I feel way better than I did when I woke up this morning. I drank a whole liter of water during and after my workout. That's a lot of water to drink in less than an hour! 

I need to find a way to stay motivated and to keep up with working out every day. 

Tomorrow I am getting DDP Yoga, thanks to my Aunt Penny! And will start it on Monday. 

On Thursday, I am going to start going to a Zumba class once a week at my church. It is only $5 per class, so, why not?! 

I figure the more options I have to stay active, the more fun it will be, and the easier to stick to. Doing the same thing over and over again gets pretty boring. 

 Now, last but not least, my fish :) 

They are so cute! I just wanted to throw them in here. 

Same as always, I hope everything is going well with everyone else! 

If you do not have my e-mail address to get a hold of me other than Facebook, it is mercedes.deyoung.215@gmail.com

Hopefully I will have more interesting things to update on next week! 

Just Another Friday Afternoon

Hello my beloved blog readers. 

Just like last week, I do not really have much to update anyone on. Life has been pretty uneventful. Which I suppose is good in someways. It sure leaves a LOT of time for me to work on Biology. Although, it is pretty hard for me to find motivation, and keep motivation, to sit down and actually do it. 

So, I have two new-ish things that have happened or are going to happen.

1. My grandpa and Linda are on a cruise. I, as well as many other people, get daily e-mail updates from my grandpa. Linda is taking courses on some medical things, cardio/vascular, infectious diseases, not sure what else, but I am looking forward to hearing about it all eventually. 

Today, they arrived in Callao which is near Lima, Peru. I can't wait to hear more about their trip and to see more pictures. 

Here are the pictures that my grandpa has sent me: 

Millenium Cross, Coquimbo, Chile
Built in 2000, overlooking LaSerena
Taken Monday, March 18

This and the picture above are at the port of Arica, Chile
Taken Wednesday, March 20

2. I have heard from a few people about a website called BzzAgent (pronounced BuzzAgent, in case you are wondering). So, yesterday I looked into it more, and figured I would give it a shot. 

What is it? You may be thinking. Well, it is a website that you go to, create a free account on, answer questions about your interests, and eventually get invitations to join, what they call, campaigns. Each campaign is for a different product, could be cosmetics, skin care items, hair products, cleaning supplies, food items (coffee, coupons...), pet supplies, and probably close to anything else. Once you join a campaign, you get that product mailed to you and you get to use it. It's free. All you have to do is review the product, honesty, and post your review on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your blog, or talk about it with your friend face to face. You just have to get the word out. BzzAgent encourages you to be honest when you review the products or talk about them, which I think is a good thing. 

When you review products and get feedback from your friends and family, you get "BzzPoints" that go toward your "BzzScore", the higher your score, the more campaigns you get invited to and the more products you get to try!
I just joined yesterday, so I haven't gotten any campaign invites yet, but, when I do, I will be reviewing the products on this blog, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. A lot, I know. So, look out for my reviews, they will be coming soon, hopefully. 

The weather here in Lethbridge has been pretty back and forth, but, I have been told that it is typical for Southern Alberta around this time of year. Two days ago, the first day of spring, it was 59 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 Celsius) and sunny. Yesterday, it was around freezing all day and snowing. Today, it is below freezing, but it is sunny out and no snow. We will see how tomorrow ends up. 

Now, to get working on some Biology. YAY! :)

Hope all is well with everyone else. 

Dear People of the Internet

To all of my fellow blog readers, however many of you there may, or may not be, I have set aside time on Fridays to write a new entry. However, I am not sure that I will have something to update on each week. So, whatever comes to mind is what will be posted. 

Today is my wonderful, best friend, Kevin's birthday. He is old. Really, super old. Haha, not really. I really wish I was in Michigan today to make him a cake or something. Oh well. 

Some good news: My citizenship application has been taken out of the investigation that it was in. The investigation could have taken up to 2 years, so I am really happy that it is no longer being investigated. Now to just see how long it takes. 

During the past week, I decided I was sick of the black in my hair, it is just too dark and was taking way too long to grow out. So, I went and got a bleach kit, and bleached my hair. It did not turn out how I wanted to, but that was expected since I was trying to go from black to blond. It did turn out a lot better than it could have, and I like the lighter color better than what it was.

This one is after bleaching it 3 times.

Anyway, I am still trying to make plans to go visit Michigan in August, we will see how that all turns out as time goes by. 

Hope all is well with everyone else! 

73 Days and Counting

I have now been in Lethbridge for approximately 73 days. If I had to chose between Michigan and here, I would honestly pick Lethbridge. Just wish my friends were here with me. 

Now to start with the actual update.

My beautiful baby sister, Carrie Alexandria was born January 25 at 11:37pm. She weighed 5 pounds and 9 ounces, being born 2 months early, she was a pretty big baby. Everything is going really well with her. Carrie is right on track for a newborn baby as far as development goes, she is not behind at all like most preemies are, which is a blessing in itself. I cannot wait to meet her. 

School: I got accepted to the college for the LPN program :) Not my first choice, but it will be just as rewarding as the RN program. I start in September. In the mean time I am taking a Biology course online to upgrade my existing high school education. I have to finish it by August 1st, but I honestly don't see that as being a problem. 

My birthday was February 15, I turned 19. My grandpa, Linda, and I went to their condo in Columbia Falls, Montana for the weekend and did some shopping, well, 8 hours of shopping. 

To cure myself of my boredom since I'm unable to get a job, I have been babysitting and cleaning for family friends. It has been getting me some money to spend and save up to hopefully make a trip to Michigan this summer.

Not sure if there is anything else to update on, but I do need to start updating more than over a month apart.

Hope all is well with everyone!  

"He's Just Not That Into You"

I recently read the book "He's Just Not That Into You" (it is also a movie, by the way). It really made me realize some important things, things that I wish I would have known earlier in life, and things that I feel every girl should learn BEFORE starting to date. 

The most important thing I learned from the whole book: YOU ARE WORTH IT! If a guy is truly into you, and will be good enough for you, he will make time for you. NO MATTER WHAT! 

Excuses are just that, they are excuses. Most times, "I have been really busy" just means "I am not that into you". Yes, sometimes he REALLY is busy, but it takes 5 minutes to call someone and tell them you are still thinking about them, and about 10 seconds to text and say the same thing. It is really not that hard. If he wants to be with you, and is interested in you, he will make sure you know. He will not lead you on and then disappear, he will not "forget" to call, he will be there when he says he will, do what he says he is going to. 

Bottom line, any guy who makes you question where you stand in his life, is not worth your time and you would be better off just moving on to a guy who will be open and honest with you and you will not have to question a single thing. 

Too many girls, including myself, settle for whatever they can find. Most times, that is FAR from the best they can do and far from what they deserve. A lot of them do it just because they are sick of feeling lonely. I know, I have been there, more times than I would like to admit. I am finally learning. 

A good friend of my mom's told me to write out a list of things that I look for in a guy, and expect out of a relationship, and to stick to it no matter what comes my way. I feel like that is probably the best dating advice I have ever gotten, and more than likely the best I will ever get. So, that is what I am going to do. It may take a while, but I will find someone who will treat me the way that I deserve to be treated and will love me the way that no one ever has before. 

My message to girls out there who are having trouble finding a guy to treat her right: do NOT try to rush anything, that will always end in disaster. Take your time. Figure out exactly what you want and do not settle for the first guy who makes you giggle, wait for the one who makes everything make sense and is everything you have ever wanted. 

My list:

Not completed, but those are the basics. Don't judge my list :P

Quick Update

Not really much to update on. Pretty much just the same stuff as my last update.
As most of you know, my mom is having a baby, she's due in March. This morning she went into pre-labor. She was having contractions every 3-5 minutes and was dilated to 2. Had to go to the hospital and they had her stay overnight. As far as I know, the labor hasn't been stopped, so I may have a baby sister by the end of tomorrow. As long as everything is ok, I'm excited! :)
I'm really looking forward to starting school in the fall. Will get to meet a lot more people and actually use my brain! Sick of being bored all the time.
I got my hair cut super short. Really not a huge fan of it, but a lot of people seem to like it. I suppose I'm stuck with it for now.
Lethbridge doesn't have much snow. I find that funny because all of my friends in Michigan kept talking about how cold it'd be here and how much snow would be here, and they all have more snow there.
That's about it. Hope all is well with everyone!

Random Thoughts on Love

There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. I love many people, that's how I am, how I choose to be. I'd like to believe I'm loved back by at least a few of those whom I love. I don't believe I'm truly in love with anyone, nor have I ever been. I've thought I was a few times, looking back now, I see I was way off. Being in love really seems to be just an idea. I'd like to experience it, but I'm not sure I believe I ever will. It's just another one of those things that gets pounded into our minds as we grow up. And we spend our lives searching for perfection. Well, more for a love that is perfect. Nothing can be perfect, so we are wasting our lives chasing after a lie. I'll be the first to admit that up until recently, I was chasing after the idea of love... I finally realized it was getting me absolutely nowhere. Chasing after the idea of love will only get you hurt. Instead, go for happiness, something that is going to help you in life. Now, I'm not saying that love is unattainable, or that it's impossible to fall in love. I'm saying that our perception of love is wrong. We want love to be perfect. We want a spouse that we never fight with, never disagree with, who will do exactly what we want when we want... But no marriage is perfect. No relationship is perfect. No friendship is perfect. Because no single person is perfect. We all have our flaws, we all do things that someone else won't like, and there are things that other do that we don't like. 

Just my thoughts.

UPDATE TIME :)

Friends, family, and other loved ones, I've been in my new home for 15 days. Doesn't seem like long, but I already absolutely love it here! 

I still have a lot of paperwork and such to do before I can officially start my life here. In order to get a job or start school, I need proof of my citizenship, which, unfortunately can take up to 5 months to get processed. In the mean time, I'll be doing things around the house to earn some extra money, as well as help with my phone bill, and I will be volunteering at the thrift shop so I don't completely lose my mind from being home ALL the time. 

I have been meeting some people through Joel, for those who may not know who that is, he's my step uncle and is 10 days younger than I am. But, I'd kind of like to start meeting my own friends. Joel and I will eventually get sick of each other, can't imagine it'll be too long before that happens. With me not starting school until the Fall semester, it's a bit difficult to make friends on my own, but I'll figure it out :) 

I find it funny that before I moved, all of my friends were talking about how much snow I'd have to deal with and how cold it would be. Well, jokes on Michigan :) All of our snow here in Southern Alberta is almost completely gone, and it's been around 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) the last few days. It's just SUPER windy, but that is expected here.

  

Ran into a bit of a situation today. Went to the dentist (for the first time in... no clue how long) to get a cavity taken care of. All they did today was take an x-ray and tell me I have to have a root canal. So now I get the joy of going BACK to the dreaded dentist office and get a lovely root canal on Wednesday, and THEN the filling. Can't you just feel my excitement? Yeah, me either. But, after that my mouth will be feeling better, thankfully :) 

As most of you may have seen on Facebook, the status that is... "2013 Pay-It-Forward: The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me, sometime in the next calendar year, a handmade/ homemade/ crafted item. There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The catch? Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status. Go! Create! Do! Don't forget to message me your address!" Well, I am participating, except, I didn't limit myself to just 5 people, I believe I have a list of 9. Pinterest has become my savior for craft ideas, and as I make each gift, I'm planing on posting it on here along with who it's for, how I made it, and why I chose the gift for that person. I wouldn't mind adding more people to my list, so, if you'd like, and are friends with me on Facebook, SEND ME YOUR ADDRESS! :) Please! 

Anyway, I believe that is all I have to update you (my fellow readers, at least I'm hopeful there's a few) on. 

Much love from Alberta!!!! 

OH! Forgot to mention, Hope everyone had a fun filled and safe New Years!