Wazzzupppp?!? (and loving life!)

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!! :)

Life has been crazy busy as of lately and I just want to share about it because I feel so blessed!

So why haven’t I been around much lately?

I went from working ZERO (0) jobs to getting a job.. or two… and actually working three separate jobs last Thursday!  Now this isn’t an every day occurrence, but last Thursday I subbed for a preschool teacher working a summer program, went straight to working at a restaurant (same I used to work at before becoming a substitute teacher), and then came home for about 2 hours to be called in to my very first interpreting assignment!!

It was a tiring day but I feel so blessed from all the opportunities that God has provided me so far after graduating May 10th!  I guess you could say I’ve been lucky as defined by my blog’s subtitle! ;)

I’m trying to work as much as possible so that I can pay off my student and car loans as quickly as possible so that I can move on to a new chapter in my life and not have to worry so much about money!  As far as full time interpreting jobs… there aren’t many and interpreting is for sure what I want to do for the rest of my life.  I’ve signed on as a contract interpreter with one agency and am hoping to sign on with more in the fall.  Summer is a slow season for interpreting so I realized I needed another source of income this summer if I am going to pay off my bills.  (Remember substitute teachers don’t get paid throughout the summer!) ;)

With that being said, I’m willing to work in fast food if that is what it takes!  Going back and asking for my job back that I quit almost 2 years ago was humbling to say the least and sometimes you need to come down off your pedestal and realize that you aren’t “better than that” and you need to do what you need to do.  They graciously let me come back and my pay is pretty much what it was when I left… they originally said about 2-3 days a week but I’ve picked up extra hours and have worked an average of 35 hours a week. God has His ways of teaching you lessons that you need to learn!  I will say this… God has provided for me!

In addition to the restaurant job and the one interpreting agency, I was hired on as a full-time preschool aide in a preschool for children with disabilities and typically developing peer models starting this fall!  I’m super excited about it and although it doesn’t pay millions of dollars, it’s a job that I will enjoy and will feel so rewarded every day when I come home!

God is Good… All the time!

Sorry for the lame post with no pictures… I’ll try to make up for it in my next post! ;)  I just felt like sharing everything I’ve been blessed with because my heart is overflowing right now!

I hope you can find the blessings in your life, no matter how big or how small and feel appreciative for them today!! :)

 

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**Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a chance for 3 of my followers to win a pair of Neon Zensah Compression Socks! Click the picture below!

 

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Make Believe… I’m a Pro!

This past weekend was a bust!  I was sick all weekend starting Thursday, and Friday was supposed to be a great day off… I spent it mostly in bed! I’m still feeling some of the effects but I’ve mostly recovered.  So, due to a couple set backs and thinking things through, I’ve decided not to run the Ashland Half Marathon and I’m ok with that because I have a plan forming in my brain! MUAH HAHAHA!! lol… I’m pretty excited for 2011! :D

Today started out great though because the very first thing, I got a call telling me that I wasn’t needed at work… Ok, so I guess that can be both good and bad, but the weather was gorgeous!! Sunny and about 65 degrees!  I definitely had to get outside and go running!!  Due to being sick, I hadn’t gone running since last Tuesday!

My brother decided that he would ride his bike along with me while I ran and he took some pictures of me before we headed out.  Photo Op!! haha… I felt like a pro! ;)  Take a look at some of my favorite pictures (and then go visit my brother’s photography page on facebook HERE):

 

You can click the pictures to make them larger

Why yes, I did custom make some arm sleeves out of a pair of socks… thanks for noticing!  haha, it was kind of chilly when we set off but i didn’t feel like wearing a long sleeve shirt… they worked pretty well and I ended up taking them off about a mile into my run.  My brother put them in one of his kit pockets for me.

We ended up going 4.28 miles, well I ran that and my brother probably rode about double that because he would coast down hills and then come back to where I was and so on and so forth.  When we got back I made myself stretch because being sick made my muscles tight and then I made one of my favoritest (yes, that word is in my vocabulary) protein shakes and hopped in the shower. 

Since then, I’ve been blogging (and working on the layout of mine), relaxing, crocheting, and spending time with my family…  Today is what my Friday was supposed to be like!  God knew that I needed today so badly!  It was a fabulous break from the busyness and stress of my normal weeks!

Do you ever make believe to be something you’re not, just for fun? (seriously… adults can have fun too!)

A Little Friday Fun

Last Friday was such a fun day!!  My boyfriend and I had plans to go to the country fair Friday night after he got off work so I was so excited!! Something about fair food… yum!

I didn’t have to work so I had made plans to run with J in the morning.  I woke up around 7am and it was raining, but a little rain never hurt anyone right?!  Well I got a text from J that said she didn’t want to run in the rain so she would meet me at the Y.  I don’t have a membership to the Y and I have a treadmill here at home.  But I didn’t really want to run on the treadmill… I hate treadmills, they make my knees hurt for some odd reason.  So we cancelled our plans and I crawled back in bed under the covers to relax a little and catch up on some blogs before I got ready for the day.

Then my boyfriend text me and said he was going on lunch around 11 and wanted to know if I wanted to meet him so of course I said yes!  DUH!!  Time spent with the boyfriend is rare now-a-days since he has school and work and I have work and work.  We don’t live together so we get to see each other a day or two on the weekends.  So I drove to his workplace and when he went on lunch we walked over to the grocery store and then walked to Wendy’s.  It was a fun time especially since the rain had subsided.

It had stopped raining around 9:30am and I had decided before I left my house that I was going to run after our lunch date because I could walk from his work to the bike path.  So, after he went back to work I grabbed my SPIbelt with my cell phone and my Fuel Belt handheld and my IPod and my gum and  my chapstick…… wow, so does anybody else feel like they run with a lot of stuff?! lol

I had decided that I wanted to run about 5 miles.  I haven’t run a whole lot of mileage since my half marathon… anywhere from 1-3 miles at a time, so i just wanted to take it easy.  It had turned into a nice brisk fall day… just beautiful!  I had decided to wear my new NIKE running capris that I had bought for $6 at finish line (due to gift cards and rewards from the boyfriend… he’s the best!)  I really really like the capris!  They’re really comfortable and do keep the legs warm.  My route took me around a park and I loved the scenery!  I ended up running 5.49 miles in 56:34 so a 10:18 pace.  I did stop to take some pictures and stretch out a couple times… yowsa!  Getting back into running after my half has not gone so well lol… but maybe I’ll save that discussion for another post!  It was actually a fun run and it was nice to get out and get moving on a beautiful path!

 
Then after getting cleaned up and doing some work around the house, I went back to meet my boyfriend at 6pm to head to the county fair!!  We had so much fun!  We ate a lot lol… but I dont feel guilty!  IT’S THE FAIR PEOPLE!! Gyro’s, Philly Cheese steak, corn dogs, crazy taters, chocolate covered cheesecake on a steak, and cotton candy!  sounds gross now, but at the time it was delicious!!  And of course we had to ride the ferris wheel… its a 4 year tradition now! :)

View from the top

 
A fun board we saw on our way out

It got cold, and we had conquered everything we had set out to do, so we decided it was time to leave. (plus I was a little sore from my run)  yeah I know… I’m a total wimp lol!  BUT, I ran the farthest since my half marathon, so I was happy and I had gotten to spend some quality time with my man… EXTRA HAPPY!!  At the fair… Bonus happy points!! ;)  So in case you didn’t catch that, I was happy! :D

Do any of you have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after races?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!  You have 1 more day!

Saturday in the park…

Last Saturday, my family went on our “Annual Family Picnic”  and it was beautiful outside!  My youngest sister was home from college on fall break and we were joined by mine and my twin’s boyfriends.  We had a blast!  Here’s a picture I took of our beautiful surroundings… aren’t you proud Neil?! ;)  ok so its not as cool as his awesome photos but I thought it was beautiful!

We ate and then went on a hike and played on the playground… I guess the best way to explain to you the fun we had is in pictures… so enjoy! :D

My parents and I

 
Why yes, I am wearing my BIC band I won from Running Diva Mom.  If you dont know about BIC bands please click the words to read about them!  They are seriously awesome!  I wore it all day and it didn’t budge!  It was so comfortable I forgot I was wearing it and usually I have to keep rearranging headbands on my head because they keep falling off!

 

The Self-Timer is our friend lol

 
yes, my family is goofy lol… it makes for fun times!  AND YES, we are all adults… but we act like kids when it comes to play time!! ;)

It was a fun weekend!  I always enjoy spending quality time outside with family!  Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!  Can’t wait to read all your race reports!! Also, don’t forget to enter my Fuel Belt/GU giveaway HERE!

Three Things Thursday

1.  Jodi over at RunJodiRun has a weekly “Thumbs up Thursday” where she spotlights a runner by interviewing them.  This week she honored me by asking if she could interview me and I said yes!  Jodi, Thank you so much!  It honestly made my week!

SO… go check out her blog post featuring me and say hi to Jodi!

 

2.  I wanted to remind everyone about my Fuel Belt, GU, and chocolate #9 giveaway!  If you haven’t already entered, CLICK HERE!

 

3.  When it comes to blog awards, I am a terrible receiver!  It takes me forever to write about them and pass them along so without further ado…

The most recent award I got was the Versatile Blogger award from One Crazy Penguin!

*Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award
* Share 7 things about yourself
* Pass the award onto other bloggers who you know are fabulous

1. My name is Zaneta
2.  I LOVE ice cream!
3.  I spend too much time blogging
4. I have 3 siblings
5.  I secretly miss school
6.  I wish NIKE would sponser me!
7.  I don’t wear makeup

Another award that I received way back at the beginning of September (whoops!) was the Happy 101 Award from Char over at My Life’s a Marathon!

*Thank the Giver
*State 10 Things you like
*Give this award to 10 other people

1.  My family
2.  My boyfriend
3.  Sunny warm days
4.  Ice cream
5. Running
6. Laughing
7.  Knitting/Crocheting
8.  Fall weather!
9.  Realizing that I am growing as a person
10.  My blogging friends!!

Thank you so much ladies for the awards!  It really is an honor and makes me happy to know that people read my blog and like it enough to give me an award!

Seriously… I follow and have MANY amazing followers!  If you feel like grabbing one of the awards (or maybe have nothing to blog about or are having writers blog) than feel free to grab the awards!  You all deserve them! :D

What makes you happy?!

OH MY GOODNESS, I’M SO EXCITED!!!

I came home from job #1 this afternoon and found this on my kitchen table!!!

Guess what it contained in all it’s cardboardy goodness?!

MY DIPLOMA!!!

If I was excited about graduating this summer… this is 100xs more exciting!  This made it feel “official”! :D

Now I’m off to job #2 for the rest of the night!  Just had to share my excitement with you all! :D

Edit after I got home from job#2:  This may just be more exciting than the buckle that EMZ got ;)  just sayin! tehe!