Sharing my faith and my life one day at a time.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Day In My Life

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love." Henry Drummond

This quote by Henry Drummond is one of my favorites and one that I love to live by. I find that my life is at its most joyful when things that I choose to do and say comes from a place of love.

This blog entry will show what typical day is like for me. A lot of it has to do with self-examination and see if my life is a demonstration of worship to my Father as I have always wanted.

Most of you might find my daily activities boring but I want to thank you for being interested enough to find out what takes place.

8:30am - I wake up around this time. Back in the Philippines, I wake up at about an hour earlier. I think the weather here is meant for sleeping in!

8:40 - 8:55am - Brush my teeth, wash my face, and take a quick shower.

8:55 - 9:00am - Make my morning coffee. I started taking decaf since February of this year.

9:00 - 9:20am - Morning devotions. Today, I started using my eco-friendly coffee cup from Old Navy. It's looks so cute doesn't it? I wrote in my journal and read 4 chapters in Genesis from The Message Bible. I also read a chapter from "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado. It is a great study on the life of David! I also wrote on the Father's Day card that I got for my Dad.


9:20 - 9:30am - I put on my shoes and do some serious stretching for my morning jog. I wear Newton running shoes for this activity. I was blessed to win this in a raffle at the RUNNR store opening. Robert won it and decided to claim it for me. Newtons are really the best sneakers I've had so far for running.


9:30 - 9:33am - I prepare Robert's reliable iPod for the morning jog / power walk. I use his iPod when I want  to listen to a podcast. Today I plan to listen to "The Need for Pentecost Today" by Rice Broocks of Bethel World Outreach Center. When the podcast is over, I usually spend the next few minutes praying.


9:33 - 9:35am - I ensure that my pedometer is working. My daily goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. This morning, I plan to combine a speedy power walk and jogging because I only have about 30 minutes to spare. A busy day awaits!


9:40 - 10:00am - I see my husband come up from behind and joins me. I turn the iPod off so we can have a morning conversation instead. We do about 4 laps of jogging around the trail.

10:00 - 10:20am - I take my daily vitamins. My intake includes multivitamins, folic acid, calcium, lutein for eye health and fiber therapy caplets because I don't have enough fruit in my diet. I take a shower and get into something comfortable because I have a lot of work tasks for the day.


10:20 - 10:22am - I check my pedometer and see how many steps I've done so far. I am not happy at all with 2,963 steps. I usually try to accomplish between 5,000 to 6,000 steps on my morning jog. I had only about 20 minutes to spare for exercise this morning and that's why I'm way below my target.


10:22 - 10:35am - Robert takes me to "work." He has a meeting at 11:00am and the "office" that's on the way to his meeting is at Borders. I love Borders because it's a pleasant place to be and has free wi-fi.




Side Note: On most days, I prefer to do my work at Scooter's. It's darker and more quiet over there. Just my own preference.  No one ever comes in! No distractions!


10:35 - 10:45am - I buy a cup of Vanila Creme Brewed Decaf from Seattle's Best. It's located inside Borders. I also order a Cheese and Spinach Omelet Sandwich for breakfast. It's one of my favorite things to eat at this time of the day!


10:45 - 6:45pm - I set-up my work area and work for the next 8 hours. I use this time to catch up on work e-mails, accomplish work tasks, blog, and read what's out there on the web. I also watch an episode of Modern Family. I was also able to listen to the podcast that I planned to listen to this morning. I take hourly breaks to go the bathroom and walk around the store. I need to add some more steps!




6:45 - 6:55pm - I shut down my laptop and I am finally glad work is done for the day. My energy was running a little low at around 6pm and I am happy I can now go outside to walk and check out a few things.

6:55 - 7:15pm - One of my favorite clothing stores is right across Borders. One of the reasons why I prefer Scooter's! No temptations. I love Old Navy. I had my eye on a pretty summer dress. I decided not to get it just yet. I went through the clearance aisle. I don't really like paying full price on anything that I buy. Left the store without getting anything but still thinking about that dress. But I am glad I got to walk some more!




7:15 - 7:30pm - I walk some more and head over to discount store T.J. Maxx. I've been wanting to start a workout routine on my arms just in time for a 4th of July wedding. I found a pair of 3-lb. weights for only $6.99! Very happy about this!




7:30 - 7:45pm - Robert picks me up from the town center and head home. He brought a green apple for me because he figured I must be starving. And I am! Haven't eaten anything since 10:30am.

7:45 - 8:00pm - Finally home. Finished my green apple but I am still hungry. So happy to see that my mother-in-low cooked some barbecued ribs and chicken. Had a satisfying dinner with my husband.


8:00 - 8:10pm - Washed the dishes. I love this chore. I love that I can wash with warm water. A luxury we don't have in Manila!

8:10 - 8:30pm - I see that I need to do laundry. A lot of Robert's favorite clothing items are on the dirty pile. I want to make sure his clothes are clean in time for the next day. I use this time to sort through clothes and throw them into the washer.


8:30 - 8:40pm - While waiting for the clothes to be washed, I use this time to brush my teeth and wash my face.


8:40 - 9:10pm - I hop into the shower and throw on my pajamas.

9:10 - 9:15pm - I put on my anti-wrinkle night cream. Important to slather them on the face and neck!


9:15 - 9:20pm - I apply Loreal Lash Boosting Serum to my eyelashes and eyebrows. This formula enables my brows and lashes to grow at a faster pace with much healthier strands. My brow technician in Brow Haus (back in Manila) wasn't so happy on how sparse they have gotten. This product really works for me!


9:20 - 9:30pm - I put on a generous layer of Vaseline petroleum jelly on my tired feet. I put socks over them and leave them overnight. This habit helps avoid cracked heels and keep my feet healthy in between pedicures. I can't afford not to do it because my pedicure at a nail salon has to wait until I go back to Manila in July. In the meantime, self-care is the way to go!


9:30 - 10:03pm - I sit on our bed and do some nighttime reading. Tonight's material: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual, the latest issue of Good Housekeeping and the Women's Devotional Bible (NIV).


10:04 - 10:05pm - I check my pedometer. Today's total number of steps registered at 11,051! Hurray! That's about 4 miles worth of walking. Hoping I can accomplish the same feat tomorrow.


10:05 - 10:30pm - I use this time to get the laundry out of the dryer and fold everything neatly. Very satisfied that Robert now has fresh clothes waiting for him!

10:30 - 11:00pm - TV time! Robert and I love crime documentaries. Tonight, we watched a story about how a 12-year-old boy was kidnapped while walking home from school. He was found 4 years later and was reunited with his parents. My heart ached for the father and mother. No parent ever has to go through something like that. I also use this time to do some arm workouts -- thanks to my new weights!




11:00pm - My TV buddy was falling asleep on me! That means no more TV and time for bed.


11:15pm - Got up, turned the TV off and now in our bedroom. Robert fell fast asleep. One of my happiest moments is watching him rest.


That's how my day went! I would really like to inspire and encourage everyone who reads this particular blog entry to make their own "A Day In My Life" post in their respective blogs. Looking forward to know yours!

7 comments

irmaloveslife said...

Great post, Sam. I was really interested in finding out how you go through your day there. Maybe I'll have the chance to do this topic, too. Mine's going to be pretty chaotic.

Samantha Johnson said...

Thanks Irma! I really hope you write a same blog entry! I look forward to see what your day looks like :-)

Liz said...

washing the dishes with warm water.... aaaahhh yesss.... ;D

Unknown said...

You've inspired me to do this - and also to get a pedometer! I'll comment here when I make that entry :)

Samantha Johnson said...

Hi there Liz! Got my first (and probably only) pedicure today. After 6 weeks of no professional care -- I had to get it done. Now that is one luxury in the Philippines!

Hey Valerie! I am cheering you on! Both on doing the same blog entry and the pedometer! Walking 10,000 steps is achievable :-)

Unknown said...

hi sam!
i love how your day goes in the states! ive been thinking about getting a pedometer too and walk 10,000 steps! i actually read that in an article that we should walk 10,000 steps in a day! haha! im excited! if you can do it i can also! i just need to wake myself up early in the morning though,greatest challenge for me! miss you!

Samantha Johnson said...

Hi Abby!

Just wanted to say I really miss your company. Hope we can spend some time together when we go back to Manila next month.

10,000 steps is much easier to do. A normal day without exercise is already about 3,000 steps. Now you have the 7,000 to work out to.

You can start with less and increase gradually. But wait, your body is so fit! You look so great all the time anyway!

See you soon my friend!

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