Researching and business plan writing!

Oh boy! School is really kicking my butt right now. I just can't find the motivation to get through this Business Research paper. I sit down to write it and I instantly get distracted by thoughts in my head: work, school, life, exercise, vegas, family, money - stop!!!! I finally found the 9 sources I needed for this paper and now I'm just staring tat the screen trying to think of what to actually write!

I am currently in RWT1: Business Research and Writing. I have to pick a scenario from a list and write a research paper on it. I chose looking up compensation strategies for the HR department of a manufacturing firm. It goes beyond the research though and I have to provide one of the 3 strategies I researched as the solution for the HR department. I thought this one would be a breeze, but its coming out harder than I thought!! I found so many resources on performance-pay strategies, but not a lot for other types of compensation methods.

In the mean time, I've also been working on my business plan, which is also my final for my degree program. Our capstone project is to develop a complete business plan. Of course, I've always thought about one day having my own business, so this was a great opportunity for me to try it out. I was going to do it on a Bakery here in Idaho and do the necessary research to make it viable for after graduation. But with the way of the market lately, I have decided to do it on a consulting business of my own. Don't get me wrong, I still love my job, but every since I decided to move to Idaho and they approved me working remotely, I've been searching for how to have a back up plan. This is a pilot program and we don't even know if it will continue after my first 90 days (fingers crossed it does!!!). There was another guy at work who moved to another state recently, that they couldn't offer the remote option too, but they advised him to get set up as an independent consultant and then they could hire him for projects that needed his expertise. So I'm doing the same thing as my backup plan. If we get past my 90 days and I'm still with my company, AWESOME! But just in case, I will have this as a backup plan and be able to still bring in an income.

I feel like I'm falling behind in my goal for school. I should have 4 classes done by today and I'm struggling to finish number 3. Granted, I did MOVE in that time frame, but I really need to get back up to my accelerated speed or I won't meet my goal of Graduation by Christmas! I can do this, I know I can! So time to get my butt in gear!

School's NOT out for Summer!

Most people get excited for Summer because it means school is out and they can enjoy the sun and the fun without worrying about homework. For me, I still get to enjoy the sun and the fun, but I've got homework daily!

I started my second term at WGU on June 1st, and since then I've finished 5 papers to pass my Quantitative Analysis class, completed 2 of 4 Econ papers, and have 1 Business Research and Writing paper to finish. I'm on an accelerated plan to finish my degree before the end of the year and I am DETERMINED to meet that goal.

Last year, I spent a number of months researching different school and degree programs. I knew I wanted to finish up my Bachelor's degree, but did I want to finish it for Teaching? For Business? For something else completley? And once I picked a degree path, which school would I go to? I wanted to find a program that would allow me to complete it mostly online, if possible. With my work schedule, finding classes I could take at a standard school was going to be difficult, and the price was not ideal.

We've Relocated!!

So, we've relocated! That's right! After a long talk in January, a visit with family, and a honest look at our finances, Caveman and I relocated to Idaho City, ID on June 22nd! We packed everything and made the drive to our new home - and what a beautiful home it is!

We are currently renting from a family friend. Its a 2 story, 2 bedroom home with a garage and a basement Mancave area! Its the perfect starter home that got us TO Idaho so that we can be closer to my family and start thinking about starting a family of our own! And yes, we have already started planning on when we want to start that family of ours! :)

After our trip and my remote worker proposal, my company approved me to work from home! Its such a welcome change and has made adjusting to living in Idaho so much easier! I am really hoping that this arrangement works out. Ideally, I would like it to work for at least a year. That gives us time to get settled and think about how the future of living in Idaho will go. Anything longer than a year is just awesome! I plan on attending a couple network events in the next month or so to try and connect with others in the field. Hopefully I can find a customer here in Idaho who can benefit from the work my company does! Fingers Crossed!

School is still going strong - I finished 6 classes last term and aim to complete more than that this term! I'm on track to have 3 courses finished in a total of 6 weeks. After those, I move on to my Project Management course and the certification exam. I'm really hoping to have it completed by mid-August. I have a lot to do to finish my program this year. I really am hoping I can get a lot accomplished! It would be such a great achievement to be completed with my Bachelor's program in just 1 year! It is also my backup plan in case my remote worker arrangement doesn't work out as long as I would like it to.

Now that our home is starting to come together, I am getting back into my normal routine. With that will come more frequent blog posts. Also more fitness related posts as I start gearing up for the Boise Color Run 5K in late August! Looking forward to it!

Lemon Rosemary Broiled Chicken and Asparagus

Talk about YUM! I have never been an asparagus fan, but after finding this Lemon Rosemary recipe, call me a fan! This meal was a quick one to craft up and has become a staple to the menu! I wouldn't even be opposed to adding some mashed cauliflower to the mix!

 Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Lemon Zest Asparagus

Full of flavor! Full of Zest! and full of yum! Let's get cooking!

Ingredients for Chicken

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1 lemon

Kosher/sea salt

Black pepper

Ingredients for Asparagus

1lb asparagus

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Kosher/sea salt

Black pepper

1 lemon

1 tablespoon EVOO 

First up is set your oven to broil. This will warm up as you prepare the rest of the meal. Spread Coconut Oil over the bottom of the cooking dish. Place the chicken in the dish and sprinkle with the rosemary, sea salt, and black pepper.

Slice half the lemon into thin slices. Cut those slices in half. Place half slices on top of the chicken. If desired, squeeze a little of the juice from the other half of the lemon over the top of the chicken.

Broil for approximately 10-12 minutes.

For the asparagus, chop off the ends and rinse under water. Place on a baking sheet and toss with coconut oil. Sprinkle the asparagus with the garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Using the half-lemon left over from the chicken, squeeze a little of the juice over all of the asparagus. Roast for approximately 10-15 minutes. While roasting, grate the lemon half to remove the zest and set aside.

Once the asparagus is done cooking, drizzle lightly with EVOO and top with the lemon zest.

There you have it! A quick, delicious, and Paleo approved! Let me know in the comments below if you tried it and how you liked it!