Shewwwy! It's New Year's Eve and I'm writing about Christmas, ha! I'm so cool.
Christmas at the Murphy house isn't meant for the weak. It's a full 48 hours of food, wine, church, food, Rock Band, gifts, food, Wii, dance offs, and lots of food. Eating actually makes up about 24 of our 48 hour get together. Christmas meal alone consists of appetizers and vino, then a sit down antipasto, main course number 1 of ravioli (mmm, homemade sauce!), main course number 2 of pork tenderloin and veggies, then the salad (we're Italian, it comes last), then a Wii break, and finally the coffee/dessert/gross panetone. It's a lot! It's actually quite overwhelming! But I sooo love Christmas because our whole family comes together.
This Christmas has really helped me to fully appreciate the Murphy crew. We are all so close, and thanks to Christopher and his orange pants, we make up one smokin' hot band!
Christmas this year has been amazing!! Not so much because of the super cool gifts Santa brought me (don't get me wrong, they are SUPER cool), but because something made me realize just how lucky I am. I would really only trade Sean in if I could for someone less farty... just kidding, I know you read this :-) Seriously though, my family is the bomb and they made my holiday!
Buon Natale and Happy New Year (don't know how to day that in Italian).
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Graduate
I don't feel like hopping on the trainer for a fun-filled hour and a half (I see a recurring theme to when I post :-)), so instead... update time!
This past Wednesday I finally graduated from school!! 6 1/2 years straight through of Bachelor's and Master's work completed (ahhh... exhale)! Bellarmine does commencement a little different from UofL. First off we had to wear these silly Harry Potter robes with drapey things on the arms, then we had to put on a silly Harry potter hood that went down to my butt and chocked me the entire ceremony. But other than looking a little cooky, commencement was actually enjoyable (again, I'm a dork).
There were two speakers: the honorary graduate and the President. First the honorary grad got up and spoke about grace; and how it's through the grace of God, my parents, donors, professors and mentors that I was there and graduating. He was pretty funny too... but I'm not sure if he meant to be.
Next was the President who spoke about confidence and leadership; he said to trust our decision making capabilities and believe in ourselves, always follow and stand up for what we believe.
I thought the ceremony was really cool. It was short and sweet and to the point, but also packed with meaning. I am soooo not the sentimental/emotional type person, but it was nostalgic and I came away from there feeling empowered.
People have been asking what I'm doing with all my free time: well, I'm busier than ever. The Team is getting ready to start in January, training is in full swing, and working around the St. Matthews area makes drive time everywhere three times what it normally is. I absolutely love this time of year, but for some reason the traffic seems absurdly ridiculous this time around. I would just start walking places if it wasn't -30 degrees (not really, but it feels like it), I'd get there twice as fast!
Anyways, waiting until the last minute to finish shopping as usual, put too much on my plate as usual, trying to cram everything in and stressing out because there needs to be more hours in a day... as usual. Man, life was so much easier as a college student... I want to go back to school ;-)
Merry Christmas to all and make the most of every minute! Everyone is stuck in traffic so don't let it bother you, let your friends and family know you care about them, wear a smile all day long (it's contagious), and be thankful for those who've touched your life. :-)
This past Wednesday I finally graduated from school!! 6 1/2 years straight through of Bachelor's and Master's work completed (ahhh... exhale)! Bellarmine does commencement a little different from UofL. First off we had to wear these silly Harry Potter robes with drapey things on the arms, then we had to put on a silly Harry potter hood that went down to my butt and chocked me the entire ceremony. But other than looking a little cooky, commencement was actually enjoyable (again, I'm a dork).
There were two speakers: the honorary graduate and the President. First the honorary grad got up and spoke about grace; and how it's through the grace of God, my parents, donors, professors and mentors that I was there and graduating. He was pretty funny too... but I'm not sure if he meant to be.
Next was the President who spoke about confidence and leadership; he said to trust our decision making capabilities and believe in ourselves, always follow and stand up for what we believe.
I thought the ceremony was really cool. It was short and sweet and to the point, but also packed with meaning. I am soooo not the sentimental/emotional type person, but it was nostalgic and I came away from there feeling empowered.
People have been asking what I'm doing with all my free time: well, I'm busier than ever. The Team is getting ready to start in January, training is in full swing, and working around the St. Matthews area makes drive time everywhere three times what it normally is. I absolutely love this time of year, but for some reason the traffic seems absurdly ridiculous this time around. I would just start walking places if it wasn't -30 degrees (not really, but it feels like it), I'd get there twice as fast!
Anyways, waiting until the last minute to finish shopping as usual, put too much on my plate as usual, trying to cram everything in and stressing out because there needs to be more hours in a day... as usual. Man, life was so much easier as a college student... I want to go back to school ;-)
Merry Christmas to all and make the most of every minute! Everyone is stuck in traffic so don't let it bother you, let your friends and family know you care about them, wear a smile all day long (it's contagious), and be thankful for those who've touched your life. :-)
Monday, December 15, 2008
Ready or Not
It's cold... and rainy... and all I want to do is eat and sleep. So instead of going for a run, I've decided to post an update ;-)
I graduate on Wednesday and I'm pretty pumped!! I still don't have my grades from this semester so I can't officially brag that it's with honors (although it should be unless I failed both classes... God, I hope that's not the case!).
So... what am I going to do with my degree? That seems to be the big question on everyone's mind (what happened to the good ol' congrats?!). I plan to travel with my degree. That's it. My secret is out.
Seriously though, with or without an MBA I'm sooo not cut out for business suits and cubicles. I love personal training and coaching and training for triathlons. Some people don't look at that as a career, but it makes me happy and pays the bills. So for now, and in the near future, it's my career :-)
January something (exact date TBD) I'm packing up my newly purchased car and driving to Lakewood Ranch, FL. I'm staying with a super cool homestay and will be coaching tri camps almost every weekend, coaching my online clients, and getting run into the ground with some solid training. I plan on being there for about 8 weeks total, but I'm sure I'll travel home at least once for a long weekend and home cooked meal.
I'm nervous to officially set my departure date because it will come all too soon. While I'm so, SO excited and feel blessed for this amazing opportunity, the truth is I've never left home for more than 10 days! I went to college and grad school in Louisville, and the farthest I've lived from my parents is Old Louisville (about a 20 min drive home ;-).
For this reason I'm slightly undomesticated. My first apartment I flooded the kitchen with bubbles when I put the wrong soap in the dishwasher, and I couldn't begin to tell you how to do a load of laundry. I know, it's pathetic, but I haven't even begun to describe my cooking skills. I don't think I've ever cooked a pizza without burning that stupid cardboard piece into the bottom of it (Seriously, why do they hide that there!?)
This journey will be a challenge on so many different levels, but one that's way overdue. I need to do this for me. When I was trying to decide whether to go to Florida or not, I kept thinking of all the reasons not to go: I have great personal training clients that I can't leave behind, it will be expensive, I don't have a place to stay... Then slowly each one began to work itself out, and even though I'm totally freaked out, I'm totally eager to be a grown up and do something so out of my comfort zone. So, just like I answer people right before the start of a race when asked if I feel ready, ready or not...
I graduate on Wednesday and I'm pretty pumped!! I still don't have my grades from this semester so I can't officially brag that it's with honors (although it should be unless I failed both classes... God, I hope that's not the case!).
So... what am I going to do with my degree? That seems to be the big question on everyone's mind (what happened to the good ol' congrats?!). I plan to travel with my degree. That's it. My secret is out.
Seriously though, with or without an MBA I'm sooo not cut out for business suits and cubicles. I love personal training and coaching and training for triathlons. Some people don't look at that as a career, but it makes me happy and pays the bills. So for now, and in the near future, it's my career :-)
January something (exact date TBD) I'm packing up my newly purchased car and driving to Lakewood Ranch, FL. I'm staying with a super cool homestay and will be coaching tri camps almost every weekend, coaching my online clients, and getting run into the ground with some solid training. I plan on being there for about 8 weeks total, but I'm sure I'll travel home at least once for a long weekend and home cooked meal.
I'm nervous to officially set my departure date because it will come all too soon. While I'm so, SO excited and feel blessed for this amazing opportunity, the truth is I've never left home for more than 10 days! I went to college and grad school in Louisville, and the farthest I've lived from my parents is Old Louisville (about a 20 min drive home ;-).
For this reason I'm slightly undomesticated. My first apartment I flooded the kitchen with bubbles when I put the wrong soap in the dishwasher, and I couldn't begin to tell you how to do a load of laundry. I know, it's pathetic, but I haven't even begun to describe my cooking skills. I don't think I've ever cooked a pizza without burning that stupid cardboard piece into the bottom of it (Seriously, why do they hide that there!?)
This journey will be a challenge on so many different levels, but one that's way overdue. I need to do this for me. When I was trying to decide whether to go to Florida or not, I kept thinking of all the reasons not to go: I have great personal training clients that I can't leave behind, it will be expensive, I don't have a place to stay... Then slowly each one began to work itself out, and even though I'm totally freaked out, I'm totally eager to be a grown up and do something so out of my comfort zone. So, just like I answer people right before the start of a race when asked if I feel ready, ready or not...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dunzo!!
It's Wednesday night and I just got home from my very last class as an MBA student at Bellarmine!! All of my classmates are out partying at Shenanigan's but I have a swim date in the morning so I'm left in front of my computer to reflect on the journey...
I remember being in orientation 2.5 years ago and having to say an interesting fact about myself. I was so excited to share that I was getting ready to compete in my very first Ironman (IM Wisconsin '06). No one in the room, including myself, had any idea what the race was about and how it would change me.
To date I've finished five Ironman's and have completely fallen in love with the sport. These past few years have been filled with variety: I've worked in corporate development, earned my real estate license, received my personal trainer and tri coach certifications, and started my coaching company; and through all the change the one aspect that remained a rock in my crazy life is racing triathlon.
People ask if I'm excited/relieved to be completed... and graduating with honors I might add ;-). While I am super excited, I'm also kinda bummed to say goodbye to my Monday and Wednesday nights at the Business School (aka the library). I had so much fun in the program (I know... I'm a huge nerd), and while this chapter has come to an end it's an experience I'll never forget.
AND, I promise next time I'll tackle to most annoying question... "So what do you plan on doing with your MBA?" But for now I'll leave you with my smart-ass answer I've been handing out, "Well, in this thriving economy I plan to distribute my resume amongst major corporations and leave them to bid for the most competitive salary". Duh, have you not noticed gas prices? Or the unemployment rates? Or the fact that we're shutting down parks because our city, much less our nation, is battling one of the most devastating recessions we've ever seen? Yup! This is the time to go job hunting. Until next time ;-)
I remember being in orientation 2.5 years ago and having to say an interesting fact about myself. I was so excited to share that I was getting ready to compete in my very first Ironman (IM Wisconsin '06). No one in the room, including myself, had any idea what the race was about and how it would change me.
To date I've finished five Ironman's and have completely fallen in love with the sport. These past few years have been filled with variety: I've worked in corporate development, earned my real estate license, received my personal trainer and tri coach certifications, and started my coaching company; and through all the change the one aspect that remained a rock in my crazy life is racing triathlon.
People ask if I'm excited/relieved to be completed... and graduating with honors I might add ;-). While I am super excited, I'm also kinda bummed to say goodbye to my Monday and Wednesday nights at the Business School (aka the library). I had so much fun in the program (I know... I'm a huge nerd), and while this chapter has come to an end it's an experience I'll never forget.
AND, I promise next time I'll tackle to most annoying question... "So what do you plan on doing with your MBA?" But for now I'll leave you with my smart-ass answer I've been handing out, "Well, in this thriving economy I plan to distribute my resume amongst major corporations and leave them to bid for the most competitive salary". Duh, have you not noticed gas prices? Or the unemployment rates? Or the fact that we're shutting down parks because our city, much less our nation, is battling one of the most devastating recessions we've ever seen? Yup! This is the time to go job hunting. Until next time ;-)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
FINALS WEEK!!
Oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH!! So let me tell you about my week:
- I officially started training again. I told coach to give me everything she's got because in a few short weeks I'll be in Florida training with her and I would prefer not to die. Well, as always, she took me way too seriously. My arms are falling off as I'm writing this (which is sad because the swim workouts really aren't that bad) and I'm not even done for the day.
- My personal training schedule is bananas!! Don't get me wrong, this is absolutely not a complaint. Everyday this week I have appointments from 6:00am through 7:00 at night (I'm exaggerating; there are breaks in between... but you get the point).
- Then last and the MOST exciting of all the bullet points listed so far... IT'S FINALS WEEK!! Most people don't get so excited for this week, but for me it's uber special because this is my last Finals Week EVER! On December 17th I'll officially have my M.B.A. and will be finished with school forever (or at least until I figure out which Ex Phys program to apply for ;-)!!!
My nutty week has been smooth sailing so far. This morning I did a 4000m swim (which was comical to watch me flounder through), then came home and began writing a SWOT analysis on my company, I updated training logs, made a few calls, and now I'm putting off working on my stats final (a case study using MS Project to analyze whether the budget and timetable are feasible... talk about exciting!).
Then tonight: 5 mile run, personal training appointment, quick speech at a track workout, and finish the SWOT presentation. Maybe, at some point, I'll get to sleep.
Tomorrow starts with a 6:00a personal training session, a swim workout, 1 hour and 30 minutes of crazy fun on the trainer, then more SWOT (my presentation is tomorrow night!!). Wish me luck that I don't rip my head off or spaz out on coffee intake ;-) Until then...
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