It has been a crazy few weeks! I've been so wrapped up in the minutia of my life that I haven't had time to much writing. Now that I have some time to catch up, I have some news to report.

I recieved my grades for this semester, both of them were A's. Both classes were wrapped up easily, but it was the education class that ended with the most controversy. As a "final exam," the professor gave us a written test that had nothing to do with assessing my knowledge that I had obtained in the class but rather assessing the teaching capability of my professor. Since this violates so many college policies, most of us felt uncomfortable filling this out, much less counting as part of our final grade. As a compromise the professor said it was okay if we filled it out and placed it in an envelope, to be sealed and only opened if and only if we wanted the points to count towards our grade. Several of my classmates didn't think it was much a big deal but I was happy to see that nearly half the class asked for envelopes. They were sealed and they were sent along with the official class assessments(the ones that the professor is not allowed to see until next semester and after grades are closed) to the department head.

I made my views on this class very clear. I learned nearly everything about teaching methods during my observations in the schools and not in the classroom. The best thing about the classroom were my fellow classmates, as the professor pushed my fellow students and I into a strong comradery that some day we would look back at this class like veteran survivors in an old war.

Shortly after I handed in all my necessary work, I recieved an email from the professor that with out the final I would have a grade of A-, but with the final I could have A. I stated that the A- was acceptable and that was that. I was so glad to have finished the class and I will hopefully never ever ever ever ever have to have her as a professor again.

With that chapter closed, I've been looking forward to the summer with a few trips in mind, but I will be mostly preparing for my final semester at Buffalo State and student teaching. With that in mind I have been working a great deal of overtime and it's working very well for me. I should reach my financial goal by the end of August if all goes to plan. I still plan on getting a second job once the overtime runs out.

I've plateaued on my weight loss again. I don't know if I've reached a point where the abdominoplasty is all that's left or if I'm just not doing something right. I've been counting calories like a savant, I've been trying to exercise as best I can, but I'm not seeing the results I used to. I've talked to several people at the gym and at work and they said that plateauing will happen, I just need to stay steady, so that's what I've done. I've changed my diet only a little this time to incorporate more protien and less carbohydrates. I haven't had rice or bread and I'm slowly phasing out potatoes. Popcorn is still a part of my diet but the intake is low.

I've also embarked on a new goal. I find myself obtaining my goals when I can visualize them and I've found that I need to visualize my weight-losss goal if I'm going to reach it. With that in mind, I'm determined to get abs. I know several of you are laughing, but I've learned that the best way to get me to do something is to tell me that it's impossible for me to do it. I've been telling myself that I'll never have a tone body and now I've decided that that's a lie- I can certainly reach this goal. My workout has changed slightly to incorporate abdominal exercises and after two weeks I'm noticing small results. I'm going to keep going and not lose sight of that goal.

One of the ladies at the gym told me that to get abs it takes dual focus: the exercises and nutrition. She was shocked to know I eat less than 1500 calories a day and sometimes as low as 1000. She told me to keep it above 1200 calories with three servings of fruit a day. Sometimes that can be a challenge! On the fitness side, I've added the abdominal exercises to my routine and it's helping. Additionally, I've been looking for exercises I can do at work. I'm already going for walks during my breaks and I've learned a few exercises to do at my desk. It's amazing how easily I've incorporated fitness into a job where I sit at a desk all day! Not only that but the exercises are helping me get through the 11 hour shifts.

I'm so excited. I can see what I'm going to look like when I reach my goal. My shoulders are almost wider than my waist. I'm succeeding in school, I'm doing really well financially, and have all my close friends and family to thank because they continue to encourage me and give me direction. Thank you God for such wonderful people in my life!