I Got An Award!!

How awesome!!

A HUGE thank you to Mommy P over at Life of this Stay at Home Mom for my blog award. That means so very much to me, I really appreciate that people enjoy reading my blog!!

This blog award comes with one rule!! Apparently, I have to list 10 things about me and then pass it on to other bloggers that I enjoy reading. So, here goes.

1. I am a senior in college in CT majoring in Liberal Studies and Elementary Education. Since it is a double major, it takes 5 years to complete so I'm lucky enough to be a senior TWICE! =)

2. I am a dancer. Been dancing since I was 3 years old. It's a family thing. I take class with my beautiful mom and aunt. I have been dancing for 18 years now!

3. I want to be a Rockette! It's been a life long dream of mine. When I was a Rockette for a day in the summer, I was just so honored to even have the chance of dancing in the famous Rockette practice hall and to look behind the scenes at Radio City. What an incredible place. It's a dancer's heaven!

4. I have an amazing boyfriend named Scott who I care about very much. I am very lucky =)

5. I have a handful of incredible friends, some even read this blog!! =)

6. I have a knack for photography. I love it. I'm kind of obsessed with it and sometimes it drives people nuts!

7. I was lucky enough to have had 3 grandmothers. My mom's mom, my dad's mom, and my dance teacher, Mrs. Lathrop. =)

8. I have 2 very large blisters on the heels of both feet and the heels and balls of my feet have been numb for years. I have absolutely no feeling in the ball or heel of both feet.

9. Losing weight changed my life =)

10. I love smiling. I love laughing. I do both too much. I don't care.. =)

Wow.. #10 was more like 4 things. Oh well!

Now--- I would like to pass this award on to a few of my favorite bloggers.

Brandi over at A Life Change: My Journey to Happiness

Holly over at Shaping Up

Eve at Time to Make a Change

Lisa at In Weigh Over My Head

Keltie at highkicksandhighhopes

Dance tonight!! Dance pictures next week! Crazyness!! Only a few more practices left until recitals.

My recitals are June 4th at 7pm.. June 5th at 4pm and 7pm... and June 6th at 1pm and 4pm.

Time goes by so fast!! I'm not ready yet, the dances need to be cleaner!! I'm excited for tonight though. A few of my dance friends have tried out for the Rockette's and I can't wait to hear how it went!

Keep Smiling,

Karla =)

Revisiting the News Years Resolutions

One of my New Years resolutions was to stop letting "the small things" get me down. To stop letting negative things and people bring me right down with them. So far, I have done alright with this. When I feel myself slipping down... I just remind myself not to let things get to me like they used to.

So, I am copying my favorite blogger in the world, Brandi... and I am going to write things that I am happy about/ things that are going good in my life as of now.

+ I am 2 weeks from being done with school for the semester!!

+ I was offered a job a a Library Specialist through my teaching at a local elementary school!

+ I am feeling much better (health wise) after my infection and severe allergic reaction.

+ I went to dance class last night with my Mom and watched her do what she loves to do.

+ I don't have dance pictures until NEXT Thursday, which gives me time to lose a few pounds!

+ I weigh 158!! Not bad!

+ I'm going to NYC on Saturday for the Rockette's!!!

+ I'll be back in time to take pictures for my brother's prom =)

+ I am spending a lot of time with Scott's family and feel like I am a big part of their family now, something I never had with my ex.

+ I'm so very much in love =)

+ My very best friends are going to be in town this weekend and I am going to see them on Saturday night. =) =) =)

+ My favorite ice cream shop opens today!

+ I'm going their tonight with Scott!

+ Spring/Summer are here and that means, lots and lots of picture taking!

+ I am going to lunch with my roommate this afternoon =)

+ Life is simple... but life is good.

Happy Wednesday!

Think of something to smile about-

-Karla =)

Getting back to normal

Since my severe allergic reaction... I have gotten a lot better. My skin has cleared up quite well and I don't look too much like a leopard anymore. It's kind of nice to have my skin back!

What have I been up to?

Well, I am currently very focused on school and my schoolwork. Ever since I had my allergic reaction, I have been commuting back and forth to school. It has helped me on staying focused on school and also on getting better and getting healthier. I am currently writing a 20 page fiction story for my fiction writing class at school. It is due in early May and I have 11 pages done so far. I am really excited about how it is coming along. It is about me in a way. It's about the path of life that I was on before WW and before breaking up with someone whom I was not totally in love with... and how I am on a brand new path now and how I am finding myself and finding happiness.

I have been writing a page or two a day and have had Scott proofread it for me. When I get to see him, he reads little sections of the story aloud to me and gives me suggestions for it. He enjoys reading it, and it's good for me to hear the story out loud. Isn't he great? =)

Speaking of him... this past weekend was spent at his house. I have moved a lot of my stuff into his house since I am there quite often. We even re-painted his room. It's a bright blue color, it looks so nice. We re-painted his ceiling and even took up his carpeting to reveal the wood floors underneath.

It was a lot of fun!

I am getting pretty excited that Spring is FINALLY here!! At least it feels like it is. It is getting warmer and I am looking forward to be doing more outside.

I am also excited for the Summer!! School ends in a few weeks and I am going to be working so hard until then. I am focused on finding a job and making money this Summer. Being in college makes it hard to work at the same time. It would be nice to be paid for all the teaching that I do when I'm not at school!

I have no dance class this week because it is April break.

My recitals are SO soon! June 4th, 5th, and 6th! I can't even wait. We still have a few more things to learn but I'm sure that everything will come together. Pictures are next week. Eeek! I hope to be a little tanner and a little thinner by then! I have gained 5 lbs as I had mentioned in my last post. I'm still working on getting rid of it. The nice weather helps. I can go outside and walk the dog!

Well... that is all I have for now. More later.

Keep Smiling,

Karla =)

Life is strange sometimes

So two weekends ago... I suffered from a painful urinary tract infection. It sucked. It hurt so bad, and my kidneys were sore. It was awful. I went to the doctor to get antibiotics to kill off the infection. I was on them for about a week (taking two each day for 7 days).

I finally got off the meds last Wednesday. I was feeling good. No more pain. =)

Well, I woke up Friday morning being itchy all over my legs. I took a shower, and thought I would feel much better. WRONG.

Frankly, the shower only made me feel worse. But, I went along with my day...noticing that I had tiny red bumps all over my legs that itched like crazy. This has happened in the past because I have very sensitive skin and I just assumed it was heat rash or something. WRONG.

I went to have lunch with Scott on that Friday. It wasn't until we were eating where I had noticed that the bumps were now all over my arms. It looked pretty nasty. But, I tried not to let it phase me, this time telling myself that maybe it was some form of sun poisoning, since I have gotten that in the past. WRONG.

After lunch with Scott, I went to the mall with my roommate. She and I went shopping for a while and then were planning on taking some pictures at a few local parks. When we got into her car, I could feel that my neck was burning. I looked at my neck and noticed it was covered in red bumps and was so red that it was almost purple. The bumps on my legs and arms had also gotten redder, and there were many more of them.

I called my Mom, frantically. I asked her if she had had anything like this before and she said that I should come home and see a doctor. My roommate also seemed concerned. So, she drove me all the way back to my hometown to see a doctor. By the time we got to the doctor, the rash had spread all over my stomach, waist, chest, and even my face and ears. My ears were so swollen, it was unreal.

The doctor didn't seem too concerned. So, I was relieved. I went home from the doctors with a reassurance that I would be A okay. I took benadryl that night, with hopes that I would sleep it off. WRONG.

I woke up the next morning looking like I had leprosy.

The bumps were all over the soles of my feet, up my legs, on my stomach, back, chest, neck, face, scalp, arms, palms of my hands, inside my ears, and even inside my mouth. I was covered from head to toe...literally.

My Mom rushed out to get a prescription of prednisone that the doctor had prescribed to me "just in case". I took 2 of them, in hopes of feeling better...

We then saw another doctor who immediately looked at me and said, "You are having an allergic reaction to sulfa. There was sulfa in the antibiotic that was given to you for your UTI. You need to stop that medication immediately if you're still on it"

WHOA.

OKAY.

So, I'm allergic to sulfa. Great. My body reacted pretty quickly. The doctors say that the rash will last for up to 4 weeks. Luckily, I have been on prednisone for a week and my skin has come back to normal fairly well.

The only thing is... prednisone makes you gain weight. Good thing I'm off of it now, because I've gained 5 pounds. Horray.

I have dance pictures in 2 weeks. This rash and the weight needs to be gone by then. Yeah.

So... that's the news on that.

I'm better though! Woohoo!! That is all that matters!

Keep Smiling,

Karla =)

Where have I been?

Good question.

Well... about a week or so ago... a good friend of mine said to me, "Your blog is almost unreadable".

Did this make me mad/upset?

No. He has always been completely honest with me all the time, and I love the fact that he says what is on his mind, no matter what. It's something that I love/envy about him.

In a way, he is right and in a way, he is wrong.

He is right in some ways because my blog is no longer about weight loss or goals or anything of that nature. It is more about my day to day life and the new things that are happening for me. I will not be trying out for the Rockette's this year- even though I did say I was going to try for that... and of course I have a bunch of excuses as to why I won't be trying out... but I'll keep them to myself.

My dream of becoming a Rockette has been such a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. It is now what drives me to become a better dancer since my mentor, Mrs. Lathrop, has passed away.

I AM going to be trying out. The time just isn't right right now. I am so focused on school and teaching that I cannot give myself the right amount of time that is needed to prepare for such an important audition-- an audition that could change my life, forever.

I worked so hard all throughout winter break. I was dancing almost everyday for 2-3 hours at a time. I was taking ice baths to help with muscle pain. I was eating right. I was doing it all! Once school started, I didn't dance nearly as much.

My focus has shifted to other things. But the dream is STILL there and ALWAYS will be. One day I will try out. I made that promise to myself and to Mrs. Lathrop. I would never let myself or Mrs. Lathrop down.

Believe in me. Because I believe in me. Don't think that I just gave up. Karla doesn't give up.

So I'm sorry that this blog is boring. But here is where my friend is wrong...

This blog is about me. This blog is about my life. Things constantly change in my life. I have a new boyfriend, whom is someone I talk about frequently on here because he's become a large part of my life. He makes me happy. I also have started a new teaching position at an elementary school near my house. I am teaching fifth grade with another (veteran) teacher. It keeps me very busy. School is going well...and also keeps me fairly busy. I am taking poetry and fiction writing classes. I actually one day want to become a children's author! That would be so cool! Maybe I could write a children's book about life as a Rockette!

So, all in all-- I can write about what I want to write about because this is my blog. If you don't like what I write-- don't read. Simple as that.

But... to my friend, whom I respect and appreciate more than anything-- you just wait for that day where I call you up screaming because I made the Rockettes! Just you wait!

Dance tonight! We're on stage! Going to be weird without Mrs. Lathrop. Five more classes until recitals. I'm excited yet sad.

More later..

Keep Smiling,

Karla =)