You know it is hot in the Alumni Gym when...

Running in the Alumni Gym was quite the experience. I was super nervous, so nervous in fact that I skipped the sign-in sheet, which I got in trouble for about two steps later. I signed in and took the treadmill by the drinking fountain, rookie mistake. As it turns out lots of people drink out of that drinking fountain, no kidding people in a gym drink water!? Anyway they would drink, turn around, and there would be my panting and flushed self looking pathetic.

Never Again

The is no service in the Gym so I couldn't use TinyShark to play my usual running playlist which left me with only the Shins or Ray LaMontagne. So the Shins obviously won that battle. Not the best running music, next time I'll bring my iPod.

I do not know if it is the change in altitude or the fact that I have been running everyday for a little over a week now but today running was not so hard. I didn't hate every second of it which is kind of unusual.

Where are we on here?

Also the Alumni Gym was HOT! So many bodies sweating and steaming in a little gym in the basement on a hot humid day. Yumm-o. It didn't take long for those satisfying trickles of seat to come pouring down my face, the things that make me happy when I run are gross and silly.

You know it is hot in the Alumni Gym when you walk into South Hall and it feels good and cool.

Next time I go to the Alumni Gym (tomorrow) I want:
to find a time when not as many people are there
the treadmill far away from that blasted drinking fountain
to remember to sign the sing-in sheet
and to have better music 


Run on. Run on. Life is good. I'm back at Trinity and this day is making me incredibly happy.

Hope your Monday is great!

Cassandra Lee

Running.

It is March, it has been for 14 days! So I guess it is a little late to pick a March goal, but I picked one anyway. Actually I picked it on the 10th if that makes you feel any better.

I don't know how this goal came to be honestly. I was just in the gym and I was doing the whole elliptical thing when I looked up saw the treadmill. And something got into me. A little voice from somewhere said, "You can do it, you can run". I of course laughed at that voice. It didn't leave though. So I listened.

I got off the elliptical walked over to the treadmill and started to walk. Then I started to run. It didn't last very long probably four minutes, yes pathetic. Then I walked some more. Then I ran again.

Kind of what I look like right now.

I left the gym thinking I hated every second of that. But I did love the number of calories I burned.

The next day, I went to the gym again. And headed straight to the treadmill. That is when I knew that this was going to be a thing, I was going to run. Another pathetic day of alternating and I knew I needed a plan.

This is where Pintrest came in. When I need a plan I turn to Pintrest and that led me to a site called superskinnyme.com (a really nice resource for all things fitness) and found a plan for beginning runners (http://www.superskinnyme.com/beginner_running_program.html, if you want to try with me). But Cassandra that is a ten week plan! March isn't ten weeks. Actually I have plans to run everyday, yes everyday, until July 6 then I will probably take it down to 3x a week.  I'm starting on week 3 because that is basically what I had been doing.

I'm going to be a runner.

My Plan, this goes on for 4 pages.

 (p.s. I've already lost 3 lbs, which makes convincing myself to run a hell of a lot easier)

After four days of running everyday, I still dislike it but I don't hate it. I can do this. Plus I'm training in Colorado which means (fingers crossed) it will be easier to run when I get back to good old Chicago.

V-Day

If you have ever spoken with me about love or romance you may have noticed I'm a bit of a cynic. That is because despite me gorgeous (average) looks and bubbly (actually pretty boring) personality I'm not good with the men. Sometimes I can pick them up but then I get so bored so fast or they do. It all just seems kind of hopeless and a bit pointless at this point.

So here I sit on Valentines day thanking about my approach to love. And although I say terrible things about it almost all the time, I want you to know I love love. I just haven't found it yet. And one day I will find someone that doesn't make me bored out of my mind. I'll get giggly and you will see a whole new Cassandra but until then I'll give you  a list of things I do love:

1. You, obviously
2. Trinity -it is such a God thing I am here. I'll tell you the story sometime if you want
3. Starkenburg Floor- because really who doesn't
4. My close friends- you know who you are!
5. Boys mid sections when they yawn and their shirt lifts up just enough for you to see their muscles- .... What was I doing again?
6. Tumblr- I am hopelessly addicted
7. My family- They are truly amazing and supportive. The more I learn about other people and their families the more I appreciate mine.
8. My dogs- I miss you Maggie and Marley
9. Dinner- I realize this now because I didn't go and now there a grumbling in my tumtum.
10. America- *moment of respectful silence* I'm so lucky to live in a place where I can go to school for what I want while embracing my religion.
Which brings me to God- He da man! Why do I love him so much? Come to bible study and find out.


I could go on but you probably got bored around number six.

Happy day. Remember what and who you love. And if you are single, hit the town, don't mope or I'll hit you. No seriously there is nothing I hate more than a moper.

Love,
Cassandra.

A trip to Indianapolis

This weekend I went to visit my friend Marlin in Indianapolis. It made me remember so much that I had forgotten about my high school life. Some of the things I had forgotten were probably best left in the past but others deserved way more attention than I was giving them. Marlin is one of the most inspirational people in this world. She reminds me that there is reason to strive to be good.

I have struggled, well I struggle, with lots of distractions. And I had been coming to a point in my life where I began to believe that it was okay for me to do the things I was doing. Who cared anyway? I thought "I'm young, I'll blame it on that later". I guess seeing Marlin reminded me of just how God filled a person could be. She is such a shining spirit and I could be too. I've just got to drop the shit. Who cares that I was doing wrong? It doesn't matter I should care.

And there is my self improvement tidbit of the day.
Until next time have a wonderful day!

The Winds Are Changing

Dearest Darlings,

I like change, it is no secret. Maybe I am too addicted to the thought of change, the thought of new things. Lately my life had been so... steady. I miss having a rush, having a thrill. I need a little rebellion. I truly do take after my mother in this way. The thing about being a change addict is that it is impractical. I would consider it one of my biggest weaknesses. It is dangerous and could be harmful. Not just to me but to my relationships with my friends and family (and if I ever get one a boyfriend).

My roomie and I have been joking around about improving ourselves. Well what if I did? What if I found something I didn't like about myself to work on every month this year? It is February and I am making a resolution. Stability.

Luckily I took a monastic interim and  I have a wonderful Philosophy teacher who lets me borrow from his personal collection of monastic books. Monks happen to know a lot about stability. They live with the same routine every week of their entire life. So I have resources to help me.

I am going to try embracing where I am in life. Enjoying the things that are happening, even if they happen daily. The first way I'm going to change myself is to not seek change. Congrats Cassandra you've made a paradox.

Later Lovelies

p.s. I could totally add blogging to my stable routine. That would be pretty cool. 

I surrendered

Goodnight Gorgeous-ness-es 
Believing what I blog... I recently surrendered to God's plan for me. I let go of a situation that should not have been in my hands in the first place. I have been rewarded with peace and comfort from God. Tonight was difficult, don't let me trick you into thinking otherwise, but I just feel sweet relief. They don't call this the straight and narrow, less frequently walked path for nothing. But I have God and I have Kaity, Lori, Brittany, Caroline, Emmy, and Shma. I have my freedom back and I feel confident I am on the path that God wants me to be on. Knowing this makes this night (not easy but) easier.
I hope your night is swell,
Cassandra

Surrender.

Aloha Amigos!

There are two ways to think of surrendering. 

1. The act of admitting you have lost and giving up.

or

2. The act of letting go and giving away your control.

I think so many times in my faith I struggle with surrendering. I either go with option number one or I flat out refuse to surrender. The problem with option number one is after I give up I no longer pay attention to the problem at hand. Too often I am guilty of letting the words "Oh Well" cover a situation that probably needed more attention. In the situation of refusing to surrender I find that I think I can fix a situation beyond my control. This starts a whole chain of problems that in the end leads to me not only getting the incorrect outcome but also leads me to the dangerous place of being displeased with myself. 

It is probably best to just go for option two from the start. Although we know it is for the better, it is still a scary thing to do. God will no doubt do what is best for us in the situation; so, why is it so hard to trust him? I think it is because of the factor of the unknown. What if God does something that we wouldn't do ourselves? What if God's solution to our problem isn't so pretty? I find myself prying my fingers off the situation one by one until I finally fall, trusting that God will have out his safety net.  And his solution to the problem may be hard to swallow but in the big picture it will be a beautiful answer to a much bigger problem than the one on the surface.

I like this method better because the whole "Oh Well" factor isn't there. I have to pay attention to what God is saying. There is no way for me to not care about what happens next. In a way option two makes me more involved in the situation than I was in the first place. And along the way my relationship with my heavenly father, who I love so dearly, is taken to a new level. 

Surrender my lovelies. Take the leap. 

Cassandra