Ran a mile non-stop!

I finally jogged a mile non-stop for the first time in my life. I am so proud of myself. I love this training program (the Couch-2-5K program)! Not that jogging 20 minutes straight wasn't hard!

First I forgot my ipod and Nike+ at my apartment. So instead of going straight to the gym after work I had to go home to get them. It wasn't so bad though because I changed for the gym at home and used my nice clean bathroom before I went. Driving to the gym I had a knot in my belly. It felt like the knot that I had when I was driving to get a tattoo. Would I be able to run this mile? Would I quit like I always did? I will be so p-off at myself if I can't push myself.

When I finally got to the gym I was happy to find that it wasn't as crowded. I was able to find a decent parking spot and get a treadmill in the back. When I did my warm-up walk, I tried to pump myself up. I wanted to clear my head and think only of this 20 min jog. I stretched and then it began. I kept my pace at 3.8mph to avoid burnout.

About 3 minutes into the run, I felt like quiting. 3 MINUTES!! But my legs were tired and felt heavy. I just ignored it and hoped it would go away. I jogged 8 mins on Tuesday and I wanted to quit at just 3. Not going to happen. But the idea of doing this for another 17 mins made me want to slow down to a walk. This is what happened when I jogged a mile in sports. I would always see the entire mile I had to do instead of the step that I was doing. Then I would stop and walk until my coach yelled at me to keep jogging.

But something happened. At about 5 mins in I got my power. My legs felt lighter and I just jogged. I was even able to bring the speed up to 4.0mph. When I looked at the time again I saw the time tick away. I can do this! I focused on the song on my ipod and that fact that I could not quit.

When I was almost a mile in (about 13 minutes) my friend Mike came over to talk to me. Not now I thought! I was able to hold a brief conversation with him and lucky for me he didn't linger. I wanted to catch my mile on my camera video. I wanted to enjoy my first mile. To savor it and relish in pride.

When I hit the mile I tried to film it, but ended up not saving it. I did the mile in about 17 minutes. It was a slow mile, but I jogged the whole time. Once I hit that mile my mind went completely blank. Nothing went through my head at all. I finally finished my 20 minutes and did a cool down walk.

I felt really strange leaving the gym. I wasn't thinking of any thing. No work. No ex husband. No family stress. No money problems. Nothing. It was the strangest thing. It was like I was in shock. I felt like I couldn't possible be the one who ran 20 mins straight. I am not a runner...

I really thought when I hit that mile at the gym that I would cry and be super emotional. But the one thing that I thought was 'That wasn't so bad'. Why couldn't I do this in high school during field hockey?

All those times in field hockey when I had to be benched because my coach felt I was to out-of-shape to play. I remember when the coach pulled me aside and told me that I made the team but would not play in every game because I stopped and walked the mile we had to do everyday. I then tried to argue with the coach, saying that I even though I walked some of the mile I still did it faster then this other girl on my team. She was always the last to finish the mile. My coach said that because she jogged the entire time was the reason she would be playing more then me. Didn't seem fair to me at the time. I felt that I was a much better player but because I couldn't jog one friggen mile I was being punished.

But now I can finally say to myself that I ran a mile. I did it and will do it again. I love this running program!

This post is dedicated to Coach McGivney, for making me feel like crap all these years for not jogging a mile non-stop.

Got my first apartment ALL BY MYSELF!!!!!

The divorce hit me pretty hard. Not only did I lose my husband and best friend, but I also lost the place I called home for 2 years. The apartment that I painted and decorated every single room perfectly to fit our personalities. The place I planned to hold Thanksgiving in and held my first dinner party with a few friends.

When my ex decided that he didn’t want to be married anymore, he took more from me then he knew. I was sent to live back with my parents who had no rooms available for me. I slept on a couch in the living room and had only a laptop to escape the world. I lost my privacy and a small piece of me when I moved back in with my parents.

My friend, Becca, told me the best words of advice that anyone could give me.

Becca: “You need to move out of your parent’s house and get a place of your own.”
Me: “What if I can’t afford it, then I will feel like a failure again. I think I will save up more money and then go from there.”
Becca: “You need to get out there and struggle in a small roach infested apartment. You need to live off Roman noodles and not be taken care of.”

With her kind words of advice I had the courage to go forward and start looking for an apartment. I figured out what I could afford and knew I wanted to live close to my parents. After looking at just 1 other apartment, I found the perfect one.

Yes it was a little bit more then I wanted to spend, but it was a mansion to me. Being only 5 minutes away from the house where I grew up in. I knew the area and I the apartment was HUGE! I put in an application and held my breath for news. Then I got a call that changed my life!

I GOT THE APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had no furniture and no idea what I was doing. But I went in the and just laid on the floor on my new place soaking it all in. I could not believe I was doing this!

I quickly furnished my apartment with furniture that I liked and decorated it to fit MY personality. This place has helped me heal more then anything. I am so proud of myself for taking this next step in my life. I take pride in the fact that I have moved out in a fresh new place and my ex is sitting in an apartment that has echoes of me all through it. My new furniture has no memory of our relationship. Just the memory that I am a strong woman who can get through anything thrown at me.

Just so you know. I am not living in a roach infested apartment eating Roman noodles. But I am starting to see how hard it is to live on my own and appreciate what has been giving to me. Even though I plan to only stay here a few years, I will always remember my first time living all on my own.

Moved into my first apartment!

Today I became a strong, independent woman.

Today I signed the lease of my very own apartment!!

That’s right, kids. No parents, no man in my life and no roommates. It is just going to be me, myself and I living in this great big space.

I knew the second I saw the apartment online that I loved it. It was open, clean and only about 5 minutes away from my family. So if I had any problems I was never far from home. I knew the neighborhood and the area was very friendly. Plus it is safe part of town. A perfect place where I didn’t need to worry about walking to my car at night or making sure the door was triple locked.

The first day I had my apartment, I had no furniture to go in it. I just laid out the carpet I bought and just took it all in. My first real place! I am so proud of myself!

Let me take you on a tour.

Here is the door to my first apartment!!! #11

See how open it is as soon as you open the door?

My dinning room which I actually don’t use at all. It’s more for a place to put trash ready to go out.

The shelf that divides the 2 rooms is perfect for keep all my pictures.
My fantastic kitchen!!! I love this kitchen and all the appliances are brand new!

My bathroom. It is nice and spacious. Not crazy over the color but I am not going to be here forever.

My LARGE bedroom!! Not very decorated but I got to choose the bed and covers. Nobody else had a say, just me!

My enormous closet. A large part of why I wanted this place. So much room I can’t even fill it…. wait I am sure I can.

The community backyard with a public pool!!

Thank you for visiting. I am sure I am going to have some great memories here.

Laurie's got a gun (permit)

I really wanted to be a police officer when I was growing up. I wanted nothing more then to protect the town that I grew up in. After the fiasco of training to be an EMT, I decided that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go in life.

My Dad has several guns and wanted nothing more then to one day pass them down to his kids. In order for this to happen, one of us had to get their gun permit. As you guessed it, that person was moi.

My Dad

I took the safety course that they offer at the gun club my Dad goes to. I found the class easy yet I found myself to be the only female in the glass. It was very uncomfortable for me taking this class but I sucked it up and did it. My aim was not the greatest in the world and one guy in the class made some rude remarks to me.

Hmm I don't look like someone who should be holding a gun...

In the end I was very proud that I passed the test and soon got my actually license. It was nice to share this experience with my Dad and fiancé (who also took the class with me). My Dad takes me to the range once in a while to work on my aim.

My target. Proving I have bad aim.

Even though I do not plan to use this skill ever in my life, I never regret getting a gun permit. It has taught me very important safety tips and has allowed me not to have a fear of guns (when they are used properly). Plus, I never know when this class might save my life one day.

I graduated High School!

Class of 2001

After 12 years of school I finally graduated!! I am not going to lie, it was not an easy road. But I finally did it and on this hot June day, I walked up and excepting my diploma! My family came to watch and they could not have been prouder!

Thank you everyone who has made my years in school a little easier:

My Mom and Dad

Cant thank them enough for all the projects, sporting events, plays, parent-teacher conferences, and time that they always gave me. Even though I wasn't the easiest kid to deal with my skipping classes, running off to Maine without adults, detentions, broken bones, difficult math teachers and my many F's. They have always been there for me. Thank you both and I love you very much!

Becca

My friend since second grade. Thanks for always putting up with me.

Ms. Finn

My art teacher. A great woman who everyone loved. I was so lucky to be in her class.

Ms. Colozzo

My 6th grade teacher who pushed me to read. She was also the teacher that taught the girls in the class how to play football. I will never forget her for those things.

Mr. Freeman

My elementary gym teacher. Was the nicest guy. Always tried to get us to laugh (he was once a clown). He always quoted the golden rule for us.

Next adventure for me? College? Work? Being a bum? We will just have to see. Right now I am just living for the moment and enjoying every second of it.

Got my first full-time job

It’s official.

I am an adult :(

After being unemployed for 2 months, I got a full time job working as a teller for a small community bank that my boyfriend’s mom works for. It’s not exactly my ideal job, but it pays the bills and gives me health insurance. My plan is to stay here for a year and get back on my feet financially. I have seriously only $2.00 in my name right now. I barely have money for gas.

Since I am working for a bank now, I needed clothes that are professional looking. With $10 my Mom gave me, I headed to a used clothing store on my lunch break my second day on the job. I was able to buy 3 pairs of pants and a couple of tops with the money. Combined with clothes that my Mom had, I had enough clothes to make it through a week until I got my first paycheck!

One of my first major purchases with my new fortune was a beautiful velvet coat from a store I went into during my lunch break. It was $100 and I couldn’t wait to get it.

Being a banker has its ups and downs. I work Monday thru Friday with weekends and holidays off and I am home by 5pm. But it is very boring work and not what I wanted to do with my life. I can’t believe I went from training to be an EMT to training to be a Bank teller.

Got my first real job!

I was 15 ½ when I decided to get my first real job. I was tired of asking for money from my Mom and Dad. I needed to make my own money now. So I got my working papers (you need to be 16 to work in Massachusetts unless you get working papers) and applied at Brighams down the street. A few days later I got a call that I could start next week as a waitress! I was estatic.

My work uniform was an apron with the Brighams logo and a plan maroon polo shirt. I couldn’t be prouder to wear it. I was quickly trained how to scoop the ice cream properly into sugar cones, make frappes, milkshakes and sundaes. Once a few of my friends heard about my first job they applied too. So going to work was like hanging out after school.

Want to know what the best part of the job was???

ALL THE FREE ICE CREAM I COULD EAT!!

Lets just say, I quickly gained 10lbs.

For $5.25 an hour plus tips, I was able to open my first savings account. I was also able to save up for my first car!