A New Chapter in Life: Kat Goes to College.

Thank you so much for all your tips on staying warm this winter. I’ve never had to face weather below 0 degrees F before, so all of your guidance really is appreciated. Thank you!

I just finished my first days of classes and I absolutely LOVE THEM! The Math class is going to be really easy for me, the Nutrition class is going to be a fun one for me, and my Chemistry class is yes going to be harder than the others but I know I’ll appreciate having that background when I go towards Nutrition. (I always feel its best to have that scientific background so I can build upon it with principles and connect the dots of why’s and how’s.) I have two other classes in addition to my daily Chemistry class today, so I can’t say what I feel about those truly yet, but they are health and scriptures, so I am certain I will like them.

I checked out the gym here on campus yesterday afternoon, and let’s say I had a lot of fun lifting weights in front of guys. I’ve never done that before (as I’ve only ever done it in the privacy of my home), but it was a nice change. Heheh.

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As a part of my campus experience, I have the opportunity set some goals for the semester/year. But first, a recap on the previous year:

My 2012 goals:

• Update a couple of recipes. (CHECK)
  
• Share promised recipes, like my homemade sun butter, zucchini breads (my favorite version and my mom’s favorite version), and other goodies! (CHECK)
  
• Pass the AP Physics Test. (CHECK)
  
• Pass the AP English Literature Test. (CHECK)
  
• Finish reading Around the World in 80 Days, Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, Mythology, and Frankenstein. (I read Around the World in 80 Days, but I haven’t started the other books yet. I might take a couple of them up to college with me just in case I get the urge to read.)
  
• Finish reading both the Old Testament and New Testament by the end of summer. (I finished the New Testament and I am ALMOST done with the Old Testament. )
  
• Complete my Church Youth Personal Progress Program again by the end of April. (CHECK)
  
• Memorize the 25 scripture masteries for the Old Testament and the 25 for the New Testament. (CHECK)
  
• Write more diligently in my journal. (½ check. I have been blogging, but I’m not as diligent on the journal writing as I used to be. Nowadays I write when I feel that urge to, and when I do I can spend hours on it writing all about what’s going on in my life at that moment, activities I’m doing, classes I’m taking, etc.)
  
• Continue with my 2011 goal to get to bed earlier and to eat more of the rainbow. (½ check. I have been eating more of the rainbow, but I only went to bed early when I had to. Once my classes stopped during the break that early bedtime stopped too…)

And now that I have this new year right in front of my, I want to make the most of it. 

My Goals for this coming year, 2013, are to:

Enjoy College. This is a HUGE change for me. My family has done so much for me up to this point and I want to show them my gratitude by doing my best and embracing all of the opportunities I will have while at college. The transition hasn’t been too hard though – my roommates are really nice and are always willing to ask my questions. I starting to learn my way across campus and I love my professors.

Focus and find joy in my classes. I’m taking 5 classes this next semester: Chemistry (every morning at 7:45am), Financial Math, Introduction to Nutrition, Personal Health and Fitness, and Institute studying the scriptures. I am really excited to take them (especially since I have been dying to start them for ages!). I know there will be a lot of lessons I can learn and knowledge can gain through college, and I can’t wait to share these with you as I endeavor to find balance and peace in this new chapter of my life: Kat Goes to College.

Continue my blog, but making sure that my focus is on school. I really want to continue my blog to discuss my adventures (the ups and the downs) I face in college with finding balance with myself, staying fit, and eating healthfully (while on a budget). I will strive to update how I’m doing as much as I can, but I know that my classes and assignments have to come first. (The internet also doesn’t always work, so that will also take precedence over if I can or can’t that week.)

Keep up the Weight Lifting. It is a HUGE stress reliever for me and I know it helps me calm down and keep up the energy has I tackle my classes.

Practice the Piano more often. I love playing, but I haven’t been playing as much as I would like to. I’m bringing up my hymnal with me to play while in Idaho. (It’s been an enduring goal of mine to learn to play all the hymns in it – there’s over 300, so I know I’ll have to keep it up.) I may also be playing for church every Sunday, so if that becomes the case I will NEED to practice most days of the week to keep up my skills and get better.

Make Scripture Study and Prayer top priorities in my life. I have had countless witnesses in my life to how everything goes more smoothly when I put the Lord first in my life. I know college life can get pretty hectic, and I know I will need to stay close to the Spirit to be directed throughout this new chapter in my life.

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What are some of your goals for this next year?

Have you started your classes?

With lots of hugs,

Favorite Posts from 2012

I am at my great uncle’s house right now about to read my scriptures and head to bed (even though it’s only 9pm here). I still can’t believe I’m actually heading up to the campus tomorrow morning. I got up at 4am yesterday morning to finish gathering my stuff, pack up the car, and head towards the airport and the next chapter in my life. We stayed with some family overnight and I actually got to talk with one of my cousins who is a dietitian and we got to “interview” each other — I asked her how she liked being a dietitian and she asked me about how I live with a milk allergy (which can be hard sometimes and even a little tedious, especially when I always have to ask what’s in something, like bread or soup or anything). 

We drove up this afternoon and the cold is really true. I’m used to 80 degree winters, but here up in Idaho I’ll be facing the single digits for most of the winter. Even though my face is already freezer-burned (one of my cousins took me on a little snowmobile ride, but I don’t think I had enough layers on…) and it’s really cold outside, I’ve really been having fun. I’m getting ready for my classes that start Monday morning and have been collecting the things I need for my dorm with my dad. Once I get it all set up I’ll give you a little tour. (I am SUPER excited about the trio-slow-cooker I got!)

This new year of 2013 is going to be filled with a lot of changes – but in a good way. I’ll be starting college. I’ll be turning 18. I’ll be getting my driver’s license. I will be becoming more independent. And I will be going towards my dreams of learning more in-depth of the things I love and get a deeper scientific background of nutrition, fitness, and health.

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Continuing with my roundup from this last year, these are some of my favorite posts:

Pigs for Vegetarians

Sometimes Blessings Come in Disguise

2012 Prom

Tears are Falling as I Type This

Things That Make Me Smile

7 Day Green Smoothie Challenge: Part 1 and Part 2

My Favorite Workout DVDs

My Favorite Music

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Demonstration

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

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Do you have a favorite post?

Are you starting school soon?

Any tips on staying warm in single digit weather?

With lots of hugs,

P.S. I was featured over at This Fit Chick’s blog with my thoughts on her workout program(s). You can check it out here.

How My Goals Went This Year

Hey my 2012 Snowflakes!

These were the goals I set this last year:

How did I do:

The first one goes hand in hand with my whole life. I feel this one is one I will always be working at.

SERVE OTHERS/THINK OF OTHERS BEFORE MYSELF: I have striven to do these, with babysitting for no charge (for church activities), helping out at the Food Bank, picking up litter in parks/camps, baking for good causes, etc.

BECOME IN-TUNE WITH MYSELF: I’ve found this aspect of my goals really had a big improvement after my two ED Q&A posts.

DUAL-CREDIT: I actually did NOT start taking dual-credit classes, but I am preparing now to take the AP Physics and English Literature tests (so those are in place of the community college). I’m not taking “college,” but they are dual-credit in essence.

COLLEGE ALGEBRA CLEP TEST: I took it earlier this year and DID pass!

SLEEP: I’ve been working on this and have been getting a little better (I hadn’t been going to bed at 10pm throughout the Christmas Break because I had no 5am-waking-up to do for two weeks. I haven’t been staying up INSANELY late, but pretty late. I must get it from my dad: he’s a night owl. :D But in general, I did better on this goal in the later part of the year.

EATING THE RAINBOW: This one can be tough for me since it can be easy for me to get into food ruts (like eating too many bananas and not enough of the other fruits, or eating a lot of carrots but not greens). But I have been striving to make my vegetables and fruits a variety. I’ve been eating more greens (kale, spinach, and collards are my favorites), fruits other than bananas (like melons, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, oranges, and pears), and vegetables other than carrots (like cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, pumpkin, celery, green beans, and avocados).

Here are my 2012 goals:

• Update a couple of recipes/pictures of recipes
  
• Share some of promised recipes, like my homemade sun butter (in the process of taste-testing versions), zucchini bread (I have a few different variations of this, like vegan, low sugar, my mom’s favorite, etc.), and others!
  
• Pass the AP Physics Test (May 14^th – it’s on my birthday!)
  
• Pass the AP English Literature Test (May 10^th)
  
• Finish reading Around the World in 80 Days by Charles Dickens (I started it years ago and I just want to finish it!), Jane Eyre (I love the movie but have yet to read the book), The Great Gatsby, Mythology, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
  
• Finish reading both the Old Testament and New Testament by the end of summer (at the latest – I would prefer by the end of May, but if that doesn’t happen then by the end of summer).
  
• Complete my Church Youth Personal Progress Program again by the end of April
  
• Memorize the 25 scripture masteries for the Old Testament and the 25 for the New Testament. (As part of the early morning scripture study class, we are given 25 scriptures to memorize – it’s not required, but it’s recommend to memorize them. Usually you only have to do 25 a year, but since I’m doing two-years-worth of the scripture study class this year I need to do 50. I have only 2 more of the OT to do, and then I’m going to start doing the NT ones.)
  
• Write more diligently in my journal. (I used to write in my journal EVERY day with EVERY thing I did that day. I haven’t been putting the time aside to do it recently, but now I want to make the effort to write it. I have spiritual journals, where I take notes, and school journals, but I want to start my life journal again. You can only live once, and I want to remember these years in the future. The act of writing it down helps me remember it. Journaling also helps me if I’m stressed about a test coming up or if I just had a bad day. I also consider blogging as journaling, so that helps. )
  
• Continue with my 2011 goals to get to bed earlier (as Benjamin Franklin said, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”) and to eat more of the rainbow (variety is the spice of life).
  

And these are some of my goals. I also want to continue using my little notepads that help me keep organized. I set goals for the day and feel so accomplished by the end of the day. If I DON’T use the notepad, I seem to not get as much done. So that is one thing that helps me achieve my goals: the joy of being able to scratch it off my list once I complete it.

Do you do resolutions? I’m not the biggest into resolutions, as I feel if you are going to make a change (like improving your health), you should start TODAY, not tomorrow, not next week, not on January 1^st. TODAY! Nonetheless, resolutions do work for some individuals, but I think those resolutions should take charge now, not later (if at all possible).

Do you have any goals for 2012? Health goals? School goals? Life goals?

What kind of books do you like to read? I really love the classics, like Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, Great Expectations, Macbeth, etc! I also love fantasy (especially knights, castles, and dragons), science fiction (like Star Wars), and dramatic short stories (like “The Lottery” and “The Most Dangerous Game”).

xoxox,