Catching up...

Lately, I've been consumed with school: reading, writing, pretending to read, pretending to write, you know?

I traveled to Houston for Spring Break and I got to visit with all my special family members :) I played outside with my nephews, watched the boys play horseshoes (family tradition), celebrated the big 2-7, ate some DELICIOUS food and just had a grand ole time. I stayed away from home for an entire week and desperately missed my husband. I also did the dumbest thing I think I've EVER done, I forgot to go to the airport and totally missed my flight. I caused a little bit of anguish, but my family got me to the airport the next day, and the lovely Southwest Airlines put me on a flight sooner than my rebooked flight. Good thing that gem of a move only cost us $10, whew!

When I got home I was slammed with school work and nerves for the upcoming Midland Half Marathon. Alyssa and I completed our second half marathon the day before my birthday (bad move). It was really fun though, when it was over. Usually at about mile #8 one really starts to question themselves on why in the HELL they signed up for such a LONG race. It's fun when it's over and you're wearing the medal.

The next day, I celebrated 27 years of life with my good friends and my husband. We had a nice diner and I got some wonderful gifts, thanks! Oh, and cookie cake, my FAVORITE cake of all times!!!!!!! I am pretty sure I ate the whole thing!!

A few days later I celebrating being old with an endoscopy. Yum. The GI doctor put me to sleep and shoved a camera down my throat to check for cancer and stuff like that. I've been having heartburn pain for about ten years now (!!), and finally got it checked out. Everything came out clear except I have a lot of acid erosion in my esophagus and gastric lining. So, a diet change is in order. He also told me to lose 5-10 lbs (!), ugh. I cannot eat anything delicious anymore, good thing I went on Spring Break before that procedure.

Goodbye french fries :( ---->

I am preparing for some local races and getting ready for the semester to end. In June, Scott and I are traveling to DISNEY WORLD with my brother and his family. They are pros, so we are just along for the ride. Can't wait :) Then, I am taking a trip to Austin to see Morgan and her family! Yay Yay Yay!!

Oh! And I have stopped dying my hair (I dyed my hair for YEARS), and it turns out I have a TON of gray hair in the front, like a TON!

A-Z

A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: King

C. Chore you dislike: Bathroom cleaning.

D. Dogs: We have a Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Dixie, and a Britney Spaniel named Stella. Stella is BAD.

This is Dixie:

This is Stella:

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee. And, if I didn't have anything to do: like work or go to school, I'd start with a long, long run, read the newspaper, drink coffee, eat, and take a nap.

F. Favorite color: Red

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'10''

I. Instruments you play(ed): Piano

K. Kids: I love (other people's (well behaved)) kids!! :) I especially love my nephews:

L. Live: Lubbock, TX

M. Mom’s name: Nita

N. Nicknames: Acov

O. Overnight hospital stays: Not yet.

P. Pet peeves: patriarchy, social injustice, dust storms, babbling drunks, mean people, when students put away their belongings five minutes before class is over and the professor is still lecturing. <---RUDE.

Q. Quote from a movie: "can you excuse me please? I cut my foot earlier and my shoe is filling up with blood."

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: One super-awesome brother: Mark.

T. Time you wake up: I get up when I need to

U. Underwear: I always wear undies.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: I don't LOVE any veggies, but I'll eat whatever.

W. What makes you run late: Usually other people make me late. I am an on-timer. Always early.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Feet, mouth, stomach, ... ?

Y. Yummy food you make: I am the world's best sweet potato maker. I like to cook. I also love to make breakfast.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: elephants and monkeys

I survived....

Somehow, I survived my second half marathon. I came shuffling across the finish line with a time of 2:25. I did manage to beat my time by eleven minutes, so that was exciting! The race was very small; 175 half marathon runners; so even though I did well, I felt like I was in last place the entire time since there wasn't a crowd to run alongside.

I plan to improve my speed and do another :) Although, at mile eight, I wanted to track Scott down so he could drive me home.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I had a really wonderful twenty-seventh birthday thank to my husband, and friends. And, a big thanks to my parents and in-laws who sent really sweet gifts.

Since it's still March, it's still my birthday. I celebrated today by sleeping 'till 10, and not doing my homework :)

BE AWARE!

This is going to be a rather serious post.

I am writing this because I need and want all of my friends to be more aware.

On Monday (a holiday) I went to the movies at 1pm with a friend. The theatre was not crowded at all, in fact, most of the patrons were lined up to see Justin Beiber, or Gnomeo and Juliet. My friend Janice and I went to see No Strings Attached. I got up toward the end of the movie to use the restroom and a man followed me into the bathroom and took my picture with his iPhone while I was in the stall. I ran as fast as I could to Janice, we called the police, and they caught him across the highway on foot. They weren't able to prosecute him because he didn't have evidence of the picture, but they did confiscate his phone. They are looking through his phone and hopefully justice will be served and he will go to jail, and/or have some nasty tag attached to his name forever. What a sicko. Please, friends, be extra careful and aware of your surroundings. Go to the bathroom in twos (annoying I am sure for those who don't need to go), don't go in if it's empty, use the restrooms near the front, where most of the patrons are. Those are things I would do different at the movie theatre, but we all should be aware EVERYWHERE we all go. In fact, the officer said he gets reports of this kind of behavior at the mall. Ugh. The mall?! No wonder my mom never let me go to the mall alone, thanks Mom. Seriously though, be careful, there could be a creep waiting to do more than take a picture of your you-know-what.

She's afraid to swim. Weird, right?

The Friday Five

I could spend a lot of time answering questions, like these oh so interesting ones.

1. What are some hobbies you would like to try, but haven't done so? Biking. I'd like to own a bicycle and ride it.
2. Why did you not pursue these hobbies? I don't want to wear a helmet, but I don't want to get into an accident and smush my head, so I don't have a bike.

3. Do you often feel limited by your financial state with how you spend your free time? Um, yes. Doesn't everyone? If I wasn't limited by my financial state my hobbies would be traveling the Mediterranean, not bicycling around my neighborhood.
4. Do your hobbies play a major part of your life, or help define who you are? Yes, I run as a hobby, and it plays a big role in my life. It's a healthy habit and it's fun.
5. Do you have any hobbies you have made income from? Oh yes, someone pays me to read books and run around my neighborhood in a bad outfit. I wish.

Those were lame, right?

1. What is the one place you never want to live? I never want to live in El Paso, or Cleveland, OH. But really, I'd probably be okay living anywhere.
2. Do you consider yourself to be a "picky eater"? No. I eat anything pretty much.
3. What do you think people say about you behind your back? Hopefully something nice.
4. If you could own and operate any major business what would be? I would own and operate an animal shelter, of course I would. OR, I would own and operate a hair salon that has a quiet coffee shop in the back where you can drink coffee, read a book, or listen to music while you're waiting, or waiting for your hair dye to cover your gray hair. Because it's kinda annoying to wait and listen to people talk on their cell phones, or listen to top 40 radio. Is that a major business? AND, I'd operate a place that makes clothes for people who don't fit the "normal" body type (like me). None of my shirts are long enough for my long arms, my pants are never long enough, and although hats are adjustable, they don't end up covering my entire head. These ARE major businesses.
5. Do you feel as if you are a black-and-white only person, or a person who sees many gray areas? That is to say, do you have strong opinions on everything, or do you recognize the need to compromise? I recognize the need to compromise. I usually follow the rules as closely as I can, until I see fit to break them. So, I acknowledge the black and white, and often spend time in the gray.

The sun is shinin'

I think those are the lyrics to a country music tune, I am sure I've heard it at work. But, really, the sun is out and I got to run outside today. Finally.

Hi, I am April Iamsogoodatprocrastonating Lynn Kalousek Covington. Seriously, this semester is close to the pits. All of my classes are really cool, and I think I'd really enjoy them if I took them when I wasn't taking so many hours. I go to six classes a day and during each class I am thinking "oh wow, I can't wait to go home and read all about this," then I sprint over to my next class and forget all about it. Hopefully this crammed schedule will pay off with a job sooner than later.

sNOw, there's NO snow-day!

Snow does not have the same meaning as when I lived in Austin, or growing up in Houston. I think it snowed in 1988 one winter in Houston; we feverishly made teeny tiny snowmen and took many pictures that featured in our family photo album. Then, in 2005 it "iced" for a couple of days in Austin, and everything closed; I fell on the ice, and was afraid to drive out of the driveway. Those were the last memories of snow until my great adventure to the Texas Panhandle.

Unbearably cold temperatures entered West Texas this week without knocking. Today, this very morning, it was a mere 1 degree. It seems laughable, but it really was only one degree. I have adapted tremendously to this kind of lifestyle; you know, leaving the house when it's cold/snowy/icy. I got up this morning and in the sub teen degree temperature I went to the gym, ran four miles on the dreadmill, then drove very slowly home. It continued to snow all day, classes at Texas Tech were still being held, and business was as usual in Lubbock. I will admit I am pretty jealous of all of my non-Lubbock, Texas friends who have had three consecutive "snow days." I want to stay home in my jammies and watch movies all day-- even if the electricity goes out every fifteen minutes, dammit!

Thanks Morgan!

I'd like to give a BIG thanks to one of my best friends, Morgan Shull, for having my in her wonderful new home last weekend! I had SO much fun, and I can't wait 'till June. I guess we're too old for the river now, that's okay, we'll still have fun!

Oh, and DON'T... touch my hair.

Well, it's official; I am an old man. My frequent heartburn finally had me doubled over, and as it turns out, there's something wrong with my gallbladder. Eww. "They" say age twenty-seven is somewhat of a turning point; metabolism slows, and I guess your gallbladder goes bad. Mehh. Hopefully they'll take that sucker out and I'll be antacid free.

Spring 2011 at Texas Tech has begun. If all goes well this spring, summer and fall, I will graduate in December! :) That means I am taking 19 hours. Yikes. I am taking (because I know you want to know):

Rhetoric in Western Thought

Social Movements (in the US)

Short Story

Creative Writing: Fiction

Nutrition

Food Systems

I'd like to graduate in 2011 because: I'd like to graduate college NINE years after my high school graduation, instead of TEN. I have come to terms with being "old", even when I do divulge my age to my fellow students and get the response "oh wow, you look GREAT for you age!" For my age? I am twenty-six. I look exactly like I did when I was twenty (in the face, at least). Oh well, I am wiser, I go to class and pay attention and get along with, and don't cuss my professors.

Bored!

I need a tip: I get SO bored when I run. It seems I have heard all the songs on my iPod a million times, and I get really frustrated with that. When I run alone, I really sell myself short because it's extremely boring to listen to your feet hit the pavement (or even worse, the treadmill) for an hour. What do I do? I haven't been getting a great workout because I'm always stopping to change my music, or adjust my headphones, or simply to talk myself out of turning back and going home because I am bored. Maybe I am not challenged enough, maybe I need some goals to accomplish so it feels like I'm not running without purpose. Or, maybe just some music suggestions....

Four Things:

There's a blog I enjoy reading, so I figured I'd copy her post. And, I love to list things.

Four TV Shows I Watch
*Modern Family
*The Office
*Entourage
*Curb Your Enthusiasm

Four Things I'm Passionate About
*Equal rights
*Natural food
*Education
*Wearing comfy clothes


Four Things I Learned In The Past
*Get enough sleep
*A mocha latte will usually give me a stomach ache
*Don't dis your friends

*Don't stand people up. If you're going to make an engagement with someone, follow through. Being stood up is sometimes really awful.



Four Things I'm Looking Forward To
*Going to Disney World with my nephews
*Completing my second half marathon
*When my puppy, Stella, calms down
*Spring break, when I can see Shana and my family


Four Things I Love About Winter

I am going to change this to Four Things I DON'T Love About Winter
*Ice on the roads and it's "no big deal"
*Dry weather: dry hands, dry hair, dry eyes, chapped lips, trouble breathing (especially for Scott) and static
*The short days and long hours of dark night.
*Sweating in my layers of clothing, but unable to un-layer because of the temperature and wind

Ten guilty pleasures..

It's Christmas break and I have nothing to do. Oh, well, besides: read a non-school book, clean out the closet in the guest room (it's gnarly), take both dogs to the vet, and get my stomach ulcer problem looked at by a professional. Besides all that, I have NOTHING to do. So, here are ten guilty pleasures:

1) DVR. I don't know if this is a guilty pleasure or not, but I love being able to watch T.V. whenever I want, and I love rewinding and fast forwarding the commercials.

2)Pizza dipped in bleu cheese dressing. Healthy, huh? Try it, because you will LOVE it!

3)Calling Shana ANYTIME I want to make fun of something and not feel bad about it. I can say things to her that I can't say to ANYONE.

4)Desperate Housewives.

5) Wikipedia.

6)Chocolate chip cookies from the cookie stand at the mall. Often times I go to the mall particularly for cookies.

7)Glamour magazine. Yep.

8)Naps. I love naps.

9)Jeans. I don't really have style, but I love fancy jeans.

10)Louis Vuitton.

11)I love going to the movies alone, particularly when I have a lot of things to do and should not be at the movies. I bring my own can of coke, and I buy a big popcorn and eat it all. This event usually ends with a stomach ache and a nap.