I Made It

How’s it going everyone? I hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start.

Today marks the end of 4 years of exhaustion, fun times, hard work, and accomplishment. I am now officially a graduate of Stetson University! Yesterday, Biff and I spent the whole day enjoying each other’s company, eating entirely too much, and celebrating our upcoming graduation.

Sweet potato for breakfast. Loved it.

Biff and I at BJ's Brewhouse

Biff's salad. That avocado ended up on my pizza...

GF pizza with chicken, red onions, and basil

Biff and Babs

I was beyond happy with this pizza. Amazing.

Champagne glass courtesy Stetson University

Champagne toast with the friends

This morning, we woke up at 6 AM, got ourselves ready, packed up our things, and snapped some cutesy photos.

Then we traipsed across campus in our caps and gowns to wait an hour in a large gym next to people we’ve never seen before. 

Hot

I decided a live tweet session was in order. Check out the evidence on my twitter page- twitter.com/fitfoodlover.

I walked across that stage, shook our president’s hand and listened to what was (I’m sure) rehearsed words of encouragement, and went back to my seat. Shortly after receiving my paper that said, “This is not your diploma. Go pick it up immediately following the ceremony,” I headed to the potty room. While standing in the lobby, I decided it would be a great idea for the family to come out and take pictures before the rush.

After the long ceremony, Biff and I said our goodbyes (not final ones). 

Graduates!

Biff and I with Sabs, whose graduation was at 1:30.

Then I headed to De La Vega, the local gourmet Mexican restaurant. What a fantastic choice. Everyone was raving about the food. I was certainly not disappointed.

Nopalitos: char-grilled cactus with pineapple and cheese topped with roasted red peppers

Adopted grandmother/bestie. I'm sure going to miss her.

Mayan steak platter.

Salmon with avocado glaze.

Mango margarita and sangria. Lovely.

Love the fam.

Sisterly love

Most amazing flan ever. This is not a title that I just throw around... We Cubans don't joke about flan.

The rest of the day was spent taking my last drive back from Collegeville, napping, and working out with the family, and contemplating everything that’s been happening and everything that’s about to happen. Tomorrow begins the process. I have about a million things to do and I’m bursting at the seams. Incredibly, a week from now, I will be in the arms of the person I love most in the world. I can’t wait.

Rollercoaster Ride

The past two days have been characterized by extreme highs and lows, and I have a feeling that it will be this way until I say goodbye to the U.S.A. Yesterday, I had a major emotional breakdown without any provocation whatsoever. I honestly can’t say what caused me to start bawling uncontrollably while sitting in my car outside my mom’s hair salon. All I know is that I continued to cry and sob for the next 45 minutes, leaving me even more tired than I was when I first arrived at the salon.

Today, I woke up feeling good. Great, in fact; and Mama, Mons, and I set out on a morning walk bright and early. Sometime between finishing my walk, packing for Biff’s, and running errands, however, I became incredibly tired and grouchy yet again. I blame a mixture of things: stress, lack of sleep, restless sleep (when I do sleep), a crazy eating schedule, excitement… you get the point. On top of it all, I don’t deal with stress very well. By that, I mean, I don’t realized I’m stressed until it manifests itself as uncontrollable crying, a racing heartbeat, or the sudden urge to eat everything in sight, all three of which have happened in the past two days. My brain simply cannot cope.

In between all of this emotional nonsense, I did eat and get my hair did. 

Wednesday:

Strawberry shake

Veggie sandwich with cherry tomatoes, carrot, and cucumber OTS

Getting our huuurr did.

I don't know where dinner went. I had just woken up, was incredibly groggy, and literally do not remember what it was... I think turkey and tortillas were involved...

Thursday:

Two over easy eggs on tortillas and a cup of strawberries. By this pic, I had already eaten almost all of the strawbs.

Snacktime: almond-raisin scone with tea. So English of me. I'm sure the Queen would approve my having the scone on a paper towel.

Rice cakes topped with cottage cheese and tomatoes and pickle, artichokes, and carrots OTS

Cappuccino courtesy Biff.

Naked burrito from Moe's with basically everything good on it.

On the bright side, today and tomorrow are going to be spent with my Biff, who I’ve dearly missed over the time I’ve been away from her. I don’t even want to think about how 8,000 miles away is going to feel.

I realize that I sound rather melancholic, which I am, but I’m also feeling very happy and eager to fly to my new home. I just have to accept the fact that the next week is going to be a crazy mix of contradicting emotions. Luckily, my loving family will be there to hold my hand every step of the way. God knows I’m going to need it.

On the bright side of things, I found out that I ended up with all A’s for the semester and a 3.7 cumulative GPA. How was this possible? I have no idea… It was a nice reprieve from my low spirits. You know what else always guarantees a cheerful mood?  Thoughts of seeing my future husband for the first time in 9 months. Now I know that I just have to channel those thoughts when I start feeling gloomy.

Basking in Freedom

This day is monumental for me in every sense of the word. I completed the last of my final exams for the rest of my college career. When my professor passed out the final in-class exam, I read over the questions that I, admittedly, did not study for, my heart sank. I knew I wasn’t as prepared as I needed to be, but I trusted my brain and went for it. Halfway through the exam, I felt completely overwhelmed and momentarily contemplated quitting and walking out. But I convinced myself to keep going because leaving at that moment would have been possibly the most idiotic decision of my life. After finishing it, I immediately felt the need to scream at the top of my lungs. Unfortunately, a few other people in the room had not yet finished, so my desire to act like a maniac was squashed. Clearly, I did not to my best work, but by that point, I was thinking, D is for diploma (don’t quote me on that one kids).

Feeling a sense of accomplishment and excitement, I made my way back to the bridal salon to pick up my wedding gown, which I love and fits, and all that happy jazz. The day that you will be seeing it draws ever-nearer! Get pumped. 

During the drive, my mood suddenly changed from beyond ecstatic to feeling a sense of calm, quiet relief. It’s over. Everything I’ve worked for over the past 16 years of my life has brought me to this last day of immense stress followed by a release of all of the tension that has been building up in me over the past 9 months of school. What an amazing feeling, and what a great ride it has been.

In thinking back over the past four years, it’s all such a blur. I remember moving my brand new dorm-ware into an old, bare room, and lying in bed that night thinking about how strange it was to be on my own. Thoughts of the first time I ever saw the man I am about to marry, as he walked down the stairs of the building in which I just submitted the last school assignment of my life, flashed through my mind. Meeting new and interesting people and equally weird and creepy individuals over the years have made so many great, funny, unusual, and unforgettable memories for me. I’ve come to understand that people come and go, and one must be choosy with whom they place their trust; but I’ve also begun to appreciate and comprehend the depth and strength of the bonds of love and friendship.

I’ve learned so much about myself through this process, and I definitely agree with the old adage, “Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.” I know that the “official” day marking the end of this journey is graduation, but by then, my mind will already be in South Africa. Today, my mind is here, and tonight, I am basking in my new-found freedom.

Feeling Zombonic

Let’s get real, kidlets. I’m exhausted. Holy Mother of Pearl, my fingers are about to fall off. I have been typing now for what feels like a solid year, and I am ready to be done. Yesterday, I took no pictures, partially because I didn’t feel like it, and partially because I hardly had time to breathe. I worked on a final exam for about 6 hours, and, mid-work, my family made a surprise visit. It was nuts, food-filled, and energy-sapping. I went to bed late and woke up early this morning to take a walk with Mons. She has decided she wants me to assist in her endeavor to get fit this summer. I feel so special.

Following our first “get fit” session, I munched a light breakfast.  

Egg puff on toast with hot sauce

 Mama and I made grocery trip, after which, I was starved. A delicious lunch was in order.

Smoked ham roles, 1/2 a banana, 1 large carrot, and celery topped with...

THIS!!! Omg, this is the most amazing new dip ever! 3g of protein in 2 tbsp. WHAAAT!?!?

 Unfortunately, my blood-sugar took a major plunge before I ate, and I felt zombonic [zom-bo-nic—(adjective) like a zombie]. Naptime was necessary.

Upon waking, I had a protein shake, ran some errands, then had a light dinner.

Snack time: Protein, frozen blueberries, and instant coffee

Chopped salad and a bowl of cottage cheese

 A later snack of apple with peanut butter was had.

My current state of mind does not allow for a more extravagant post than this. The following photos are representative of my life at the present.

So there it is. My life is crazy, I’m exhausted, and I’m ready for all of these loose ends to be tied up. Only a few more pages of take-home exam and one in-class exam to go before I am done with school forever. Until then, I'll be sipping my tea and dream of that wonderful moment of accomplishment.

Love this stuff

Last-Minute Fun

The past few days have been awesome. I think I’m just trying to make the best of everything, and I’m definitely succeeding. One of my favorite things to do is hang out with my mom, because she’s my best friend and we always have so much fun together. Today, we spent the entire day side-by-side.

It went as follows:

• 7 am- let the dog out, went back to sleep.
• 9 am- woke up for real
• 9:30 am- ate a delicious protein muffin, courtesy Smoothie Girl Eats Too!

Quick, easy, delicious. I made it with 1/2 banana instead of applesauce.

I sprinkled it with some Stevia and cinnamon. After a few bites, some fake sizzurp was added.

• 10:30 am- walked with Mumsy for an hour
• 12:30 pm- lunchtime
• 1:00- shopping with my mama!!!!!!

This purse is my favorite new item. Love it. Also, it's more tan than yellow/orange as it seems in this picture.

 I bought about a million “necessary” items before my big move! I am getting more and more excited as the days fly by.

• 6:00 pm- arrived back home. Yes, we shopped for 5 hours.
• 6:30 pm- dinner time. I am going to take this time to inform you that this was the first time that I thought about food since lunchtime. This is not a joke. Honestly, it was a great feeling to not plan precisely/obsess over my next meal. 

Garlic and onion bagel. Melted provolone on one side, butter on the other. Peanut butter vanilla shake OTS.

• 7:30 pm- I joined my parents for dinner and had a baby fajita, which is not pictured.
• 8:00 pm- pack. I have officially packed half of the stuff I am moving with and sorted out the rest of the stuff I'll be taking. The fact that there is a bag full of clothes just waiting for me to check in at the baggage counter is making me so antsy to go!
• 10 pm- sat down in front of the computer with a cup of Vanilla Rooibos tea in honor of the country that’s currently calling my name.

I had planned on working on my take-home exam today, but failed in that endeavor. I'm ok with it...

Throughout the day, there have been multiple times when I’ve looked over at my awesome mom and thought about how much I am going to miss her when I’m gone. But, as of right now, I’m content to make as many great memories as I can. I love my mommy and she loves me. :)