It's been a while...

So, I haven't been all that committed to my blog, but here I go with another entry. I can't guarantee I will post again in the near future, though. I just finished my first week in Dallas. It has been interesting so far. A few things:

First, because it snowed for 24 hours straight leaving a foot of snow on the ground. I didn't plan at all for the trip and basically just threw a bunch of stuff in my suitcase. Since I don't associate Dallas with winter weather, I have no warm clothes. Thankfully, I am residing in an all-inclusive compound complete with hotel room, dining, and work classrooms and I don't really have to go outdoors unless I want to. The advantage of all this snow: there is a ton of excellent shopping in the area so I can supplement my wardrobe with a few more "snow-appropriate" items. The building has a huge network of hallways with some great windows, so you can look out and admire the beauty of the snow-covered grounds without having to get wet or cold. Although the snow was a surprise, I think it is pretty great and am grateful for it.

Second, I am kinda loving Texas. The people are ridiculously nice. The service is fantastic. The restaurants are great. I love the accent, I love the hospitality and I am completely amused by all the Texas pride. You see Texas flags and Texas pride slogans everywhere and I am not sure there is another state in the nation with residents who love their state so much that they have to display there pride on every available flat surface. Some of my instructors even wear Texas flag ties. I just love it. I am really looking forward to exploring this lovely state during my unbelievably long, seven-week stay here.

Third, work is not too bad. I am not terribly excited about listening to lectures for eight hours a day, but I am trying to look at all the positive factors. It is a nice break from the usual routine and an opportunity to learn more and improve professionally. The people in the class are really friendly and so far everyone seems to mesh well. It's a pretty social environment and that relieves some of the boredom. The food at this facility is good (unlike previous trainings) and we can pretty much choose what we want at every meal. They have plenty of healthy choices and, of course, they are super nice in the hotel cafe. The grounds here are pretty beautiful and, once the snow melts, I think it will be nice to get some exercise out there. In the meantime, I will stick to my Jillian Michaels 30-day-Shred dvd - which is awesome and painfully difficult at the same time. "Shred" seems to be an appropriate title for the dvd because that's how you feel after doing it the first time, completely shredded (but oh so happy to feel like you are making some much-needed headway).

So that is it for now. More to come....Maybe...