Yes.
And I am so sorry for such a lull in my blog. But, more importantly, has it really been 1 year since my post about my first 4 years in Pittsburgh?
Yes.
So, let me get this straight. It has been 4 months since my last blog. It has been a year since I celebrated my 4th Anniversary with Pittsburgh. And, it has been 5 years since I moved to Pittsburgh for the first time.
WOW! Isn't that crazy?
I could fit a lot into this one blog, believe me. I could take this post in millions of directions, at dozens of angles each. I could talk about Pittsburgh. I could talk about living on my own and finding myself in the city over the last 5 years. I could talk about the last 4 months finishing P90X(!) and going on a cruise to Bermuda with the love of my life. And, I bet it would be a very long post. I know I don't have the energy to type it all out because I know you certainly don't have the energy to read that much. I think I just need to become more diligent with my posts. That would eliminate the problem altogether. Unfortunately, the Internet in my apartment somehow doesn't want to cooperate with me despite paying an obscene amount of money every month for it.
Maybe not obscene. Maybe just a little ridiculous.
But, don't worry. This doesn't mean I will leave you all hanging without a bit of an interesting story.
Why have a blog, right?
So, let's begin...
PNC
Work is going exceptionally well. It has been just over 3 months with the bank, and I have to say I am definitely exceeding goals, as well as expectations. Who would think a former retail sales trainer at a cosmetics store would hack it in the corporate banking industry with no experience? My boss is impressed, at least. I've also been chosen to join a committee to help provide user feedback in training modules, as well as help create and write training material. So exciting! And, I joined a young professional's networking group in the company and will be running Pittsburgh's Great Race at the end of September with PNC. It'll be my first marathon, so I thought a 5k would be a smart choice.
P90X
I took the 90-day challenge to a "sexier" body after seeing a dozen infomercials, reading a bunch of reviews, and hearing from a few friends. It was one of the most grueling things I have ever done---Of course, 18 credits senior year in college while working over 40 hours a week in retail during holiday shopping and finals week kinda blows everybody out of the water in that contest. I will say, it was the most physically grueling 90 days of my life. It made swim team look like lying on the couch with potato chips, watching Teen Mom on Mtv. It made running 2-3 miles a day in August look like a bubble bath.
It kicked my ass.
I will give a brief review of P90X. It is NOT a weight loss program. If you are trying to lose weight and shed some serious pounds, this is not the program for you, especially if you are a woman. Even the lean options will not shed the pounds. I went into this program hoping to get into bikini-shape for Bermuda. And, I accomplished my goal. But I wasn't totally satisfied with the results in my waistline or the scale. Now, I did see a shrinking of the waist, chest, legs and hips in a very apparent way. But, if I had a goal to lose 10 lbs., it wasn't happening. Luckily, I didn't have that goal. I wanted to LOOK better. I didn't care about numbers. What P90X did for me was teach me more discipline than I could have imagined. 1-1.5 hours per day is a lot to dedicate to a workout DVD during the Summer. P90X also got me in shape to enhance my running performance. I toned my back and chest more than I ever have. Arms and legs look like they did when I was swimming competitively an hour a day. But, this was my first step in my weight loss program. Now, I need to shed some belly fat that I picked up on the cruise ship (GRR) and get ready for the marathon. Step 3 will be to maintain my results.
Bermuda
Bermuda was beautiful. Duh.
Jeff and I took a 5-day cruise to Bermuda from Baltimore, MD for our friends' wedding. They got married on the ship before we set sail, and then it was party time the rest of the trip. I did the makeup and the hair for the bridal party, and despite some bumps along the way, the wedding was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for the couple. Jeff and I got 9 days off (including the weekends) from our jobs to relax with friends, eat good food, hang out by the pool, drink cocktails and just enjoy each other. I think what I liked the most about our vacation was that we didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time, or call someone to do something or get something. We just did what we wanted. And swimming in the coves of Bermuda was exactly something we wanted to do. We are so lucky that we got to do that so young and early in our relationship. It's 10 months now...Going strong.
My MBA
I am in the process of getting ready to take the GMAT exam. I bought the books and set up an appointment for October 1st, just in time to get my results to the schools in time for the Spring 2012 Semester. I hope, at least. If not, I'll try for the Summer. I plan on applying to Pitt, Robert Morris University and Point Park. I normally would completely dismiss going to the same school for my grad degree as the school I got my undergrad from, but it's my safety school. Plus, if I go, I save $50/credit with my alumni status. So, that could be incentive... Honestly, I want to go back to the classroom and be invigorated. And, Point Park may not be the best choice for me in that sense, although it will only take a year. I am leaning toward Pitt just for the sheer education and experience. It is pricier and longer than the other two programs, but I have a feeling it has the most to offer for my career. Anyhow...the whole process is still a process. I'll keep you posted. Studying is not going to be fun, but neither was P90X.
So, those snapshots should be enough to get you up-to-date on the most important things in my life at the moment. Obviously, I didn't write a paragraph about Jeffrey, but I think that I would be just adding to the nauseam. I was reading the last few posts since I met him, and although I wouldn't change a single word of any of them, I can't help but say:
"Oye, Em. Stop it. You're gonna make yourself vomit."
But, I will let you know he is cute and wonderful. He's the love of my life. And we are so happy together.
Month 10 feels like Day 1.
Thank you all for reading after so many months. I'm not on Facebook until my Internet gets fixed, but I'll try to post on here more often.
XOXO
