|| 41 || .take time to do what makes your soul happy.

… I am jumping ahead – again – forgive me … but the gratitude challenge that was right after ‘family’ is a little too similar so I am going to spread it out!

As a full time working semi-new mom to an adorable little love bug I do not have a lot of time to myself.  In fact, Kyle used to tell me that I need to find a hobby since I think I was driving him a little crazy at times.

My hobbies currently include, but are not limited to:
1) running {alone or with the family}
2) FlyWheel {normally at 6:00 AM}
3) Pure Barre {normally at lunch}

…trend? Yeah. Working out. but I am insanely grateful for those activities/hobbies because they force me to take me time. Time for me to release a lot of stress. Time for me to think about what in the world I am doing with my life. I sometimes have epiphanies on the spin bike. I sometimes just blank out and think about nothing while at Pure Barre. I sometimes just need a good 45 minute run to “Rage the Night Away” to keep from breaking.

And sometimes the hobby includes my husband and little girl – but there really is nothing better than a family run on the Greenway on the weekends or a family 5K or 10K on a Saturday morning. I love celebrating with Kyle when his 5K finish time is faster than his last.  After years of running alone and racing alone I love having someone by my side and I am thankful that Kyle is healthy with me so we can set that example for little M.

Working out has not only become my hobby but it has also become my sanity.  I have found something that is good for me to lose myself in when I am questioning everything or beating myself up over work or just had a bad week or day.  Pounding the pavement or leaving it all on the bike really does clear my mind – even if it is just a temporary thing.

I am forever grateful for a good run. or a good pure barre class. or a good morning on the spin bike. the harder the workout the better. the harder the workout the more stress is lost. the harder the workout the more I think and get rid of the petty stupid things. and the best thing about those 3 hobbies of mine, no matter how long I am gone all 3 welcome me back with open arms [ and a swift kick in the butt ] and for that I am even more grateful.

always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive.

5 on a Friday–Christmas

{this was supposed to post yesterday. but as a new mom. with a sick kid and sick myself + working 40.00 hours per week with like 1.5 hour commutes this week, I forgot to hit post. sue me.}

Christmas is RIGHT around the corner and I am way behind on my Christmas shopping. I am actually at a total loss for about 80% of my family and friends so I think I will be dragging my feet and buying rushed gifts this year. Whoops. I can blame it on the infant, right?!

I feel like as you get older, the things you want for Christmas cannot be bought. But, as I do every year. it is time to list out my CCL (Coveting Christmas List) and I am going to rank them from 5 to 1 – 5 being the don’t get your hopes up, it ain’t happening sista … to 1 being this is a totally logical gift that could end up under your tree. With that said, let me begin.

{ FIVE }
New countertops, new sink, and new faucets. Granite to be specific. I am so tired of bleaching coffee stains & black marks from our trivets out of the out of date ‘80s white countertops we have.  I know that in the grand scheme of reality, Kyle wouldn’t let upgrade the kitchen anytime soon either due to the financial costs of having a baby.  But goodness – I would love for some new tan countertops.

{FOUR}
Tory Burch Everything. The York Handbag to be specific (In either the dark brown, light brown, or black), a new pair of Caroline flats (size 10 in any color but gray), and a new wrap bracelet in a fun color. I feel like I am due for a new handbag and I bought a pair of Caroline’s during Friends & Family and those are my new Revas and well, I love her wrap bracelets. And let’s be honest, I cannot even hide my adoration for all things Tory.

{THREE}
Decorative Wall Décor for our house.  We have put a pause on all things decorating and revamping of our house due to wanting to conserve money and not spend outside our means.  So adult like.  Which means – we aren’t finishing our house as much as we would like.  It happens. We have a baby.  but I would love the wooden sign off Etsy for over our bed or the 3 Ivory Tiles from Pottery Barn for over our guest bed.

{TWO}
Crate & Barrel White Canisters.  I had bought 1 a few years back for sugar and LOVED it.  it is sturdy and the clamp thing is high quality and I was in love and knew I wanted more but had no reason {at the time to buy more} and then they stopped making them which I realized when I went to register for more for our wedding. So, we registered for some from Bed, Bath, & Beyond and they ended up looking good & actually being crap {guess the $19.95 price tag should have been a warning}. In fact there is a small one that was never used that is just taking up pantry space that needs to make a trip to our local Goodwill.  Now, Crate & Barrel has the white canisters back and I want like 3 of them – 1 in each size.  Plus I love the little chalkboard piece so you can label the canister since currently I have to open each one to find the rice or the flour. And, I have an unhealthy obsession with all things Crate and Barrel because their stuff is high quality and good looking.  Oh the saga of being a home owner who wants a pretty organized pantry. =D

{ONE}
Gift cards. Gift Cards. And more gift cards. Since our allowances were cut significantly with the birth of our precious baby girl, my cash flow to do things like buy new clothes or go to spin class has been cut.  And with my desire to go to spin one day a week in the morning since Flywheel is so close to me I would love gift cards there.  Or to The Loft or to The Limited where I legit buy all my clothes for work.  I seriously do not know how people have more than 1 kid and still make ends meet & I can tell you we are NOT living outside of our means, just sticking to a very tight budget. So, gift cards are key to me being able to do fun things and buy pretty things. 

And, shameless plug: not sure you if people shop online, but if you do… you should do all your shopping through EBates. If you start your shopping trip there and then go to the store, you get cash back for each purchase.  to date, I have received like $200 back, it isn’t a lot, but it is nice to get a check from them 4 times per year.  Sign up HERE. Right now I have $8.00 pending and I just got a check like 2 weeks ago. 

Everyone have a fabulous holiday season – it will be a semi fun one for us since it  will be M’s first Christmas! But…. what is on your Holiday want list?!

.birthday wish list.

one of my new years resolutions was to be able to answer the question, “what do you want for {insert event here}” ... and since we’re less than one week out from my 29th birthday I have decided to put together my birthday wish list. And in no particular order, here is what I would knock my socks off.

.up bracelet.
ever since seeing this contraption on Good Morning America I have been intrigued. I always am striving to be healthier and l what makes me the most interested in the up bracelet is the sleep monitoring because i can tell you ... i do not get enough sleep. I would like it in mint or white

.new pair of rainbow flip flops.
the current pair i own are ROUGH and basically falling apart. the soles are worn down, the leather is detaching from the sole. they are l-o-v-e-d and lived in and need to be retired.  i live in these things and it is time to get a new pair. i need them like woah.

.republican tervis tumbler.
the big one for my morning protein shakes. i love love love tervis tumblers. and i love the republican elephant.

.the mint cleaner.
this thing caught my eye when Kyle & I registered for wedding gifts and I still do not have this and want this. something about the ease of vacuuming the floor when i am at work and cleaning up after my shedding dogs.

.spa gift card.
I love Natural Body Spa at the Avenues in Forsyth. I also believe that I should get a massage every 3 months, my bank account feels otherwise. So, you can donate to the stress free Barbie habit.

.flywheel gift card.
another addiction of mine. I spin on a weekly basis so I feel like we’re always “reloading” my account. Feel free to help reload my account.

.a new carry on suitcase.
you know you’re old when you ask for a suitcase for your birthday. but the one that i have currently i got as a high school graduation gift in 2002 – yup it is like 11 years old. I want a nice new one – especially since i am traveling a lot for work now.

we survived another week {victory}

 

this week was not bad. i cannot complain. i am without a doubt counting down the days till i board a plan and leave my life for 4 short days and go to the beach. but my life lately has been good.

i started running again and made myself a plan. this week, every day that i hit the gym or the path my by house I am running 2 miles. just 2 miles to get my legs back to it. from there i will up to 2.5 or 3 miles {still undecided} and will focus on my sub-30 5k goal. at this point, I am not running for the medals, i am running for me.

Oh my gosh. Total Win for me. Sunday, I went to my typical 10:45 AM Flywheel class {come ride with me!! it is amazing!!} and one of the local Lululemon girls was there too with 5 goodie bags. Well, I got lucky and got one of those goodie bags and got a FREE lululemon tank top {retail: $52}. But of course, it now ranks HIGH on my favorite running top list and i need/want more.

sadly, my headaches are back and they have brought an eye twitch/spasm with them. and my body just CANNOT handle muscle relaxers {i could never be a pill popping druggie}. which means i will be having a CT scan to make sure there is not any weird brain issues going on. honest moment: the whole thing is kind of annoying. i have re-worked and re-managed my work/life balance stress and i have been feeling good. so why are the headaches back?!

Kyle’s Mom and Step Dad are coming in town this weekend. Who knows what is on the agenda, but we will keep and stay busy. I am hoping they are not coming to lecture me about how I stole their baby away and made him move to Georgia with me and then REALLY stole him away since we’re going to buy a house. {the plan had always been to move home to VA}

Sunday I am excited because I am heading to the shooting range with my friend Afton and co-worker Fred to shoot some guns. Not really sure how it will go and if I will enjoy it, but it is on my 30 before 30 list and it seems like an experience. honest moment: i am a little nervous. and yes. there will be a blog post.

Kyle J and I still have not started the home buying process. We have decided that we’re going the 1st weekend in November to get pre-approved and will start the hunt from there. But, leave it to me to find my legit real dream home. {The other one I posted... had an offer on it 2 days later. Y’all better not have stolen it}

Keep your fingers crossed on this one – it is a potential short sale, still not approved by the bank which means it could 100% work in our favor and timeline or 100% not work in our favor and timeline. But for real. I could live her and be happy about it.

But I think that was my week. Uneventful. Not bad. 100% manageable. Just the way I like them! :)

Have a very happy weekend and BEAT TENNESSEE – ROLL TIDE!! :)

:: Friday Letters ::

 

We have all survived another work week or week in general. Give yourself a pat on the back. You have no idea how happy I am that we have a 3 day weekend ahead of us! I wonder just how many hours I can lay on the couch, watching TV just relaxing.

Dear Alabama Football :: YOU’RE BACK!! It has felt like forever.  Good Luck tomorrow, beat Michigan and lets have an awesome season!! But I am so so so happy! ROLL TIDE!

Dear Person who came to me for dog advice about at a pet store pup she bought :: Don’t come talking to me about a dog you want to buy from a Pet Store. Everyone knows how I feel about buying a pet. Buying from a pet store is WHY there are so many dogs in the shelters. Oh, you want a puppy – shelters are FULL of them and puppies get put down every.freaking.day.  ...and yes I did at the end of the conversation tell you to rescue from a shelter or a rescue organization. It was my civic obligation. Or something like that. end of rant.

Dear FlyWheel :: I am OBSESSED with you. Obsessed – with a capital O! I really need a 2nd job just to pay for your classes. I want to try and work this into my life a little more often that I already have.
If you’re in Atlanta and looking for a fun, fast, killer workout I recommend FlyWheel in Buckhead. Your first ride is free so... Go HERE to create an account and sign up for a ride!

Dear Kyle J :: Thanks for going to spin with me this past Sunday. I am glad you liked it and really impressed that you were able to keep up and bike 2 more miles than I did. Maybe we can work out more often together now? Is the competition on?!

Dear Mom & Dad :: Next time you visit Atlanta we have plenty of coffee for you (if you stay with us). I am a moron and bought decaf K-Cups the other weekend & we have decaf from the big mixture box. Le Sigh. So wasteful.

Dear Atlanta Home Buyers :: Quit snatching the houses I LOVE.  Kyle and I are seriously looking at buying a house early next year and I have my list of faves. Quit taking them from me.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun filled holiday weekend.  I hope my Tide starts their season off with a big fat W on their schedule. Happy Labor Day Weekend y’all!

Life Recap

I don’t know where the days, weeks, or months are going. I meant to do Friday letters yesterday but Friday escaped me. As did the rest of the week. And to be honest, I am being so lazy – it is 6 pm and I am laying in bed watching TV in my PJs. Happy Saturday!

I don’t really feel like elaborating on my life so I am going to do a quick recap in bullet form

-I do not know where the year is going. It is almost September.
-September = FOOTBALL and Kyle and I cannot wait. Kyle has already asked for spinach dip for the game this weekend.
-Kyle and I went to my company’s company picnic today. It was hot, but it was good to see everyone outside of work.
-Kyle dragged me to see The Dark Knight last weekend, the things I do for love.
-Tomorrow he is dragging me to the outlets up in Dawsonville. Of course. I have to drive. Again. The things I do for love.
-BUT.... I am dragging Kyle to spin class tomorrow! The things HE does for love!
-I have house fever. I have probably “favorited” 3 pages worth of houses on Coldwell Banker’s site and we still have like 3 months before we can actually start looking. And of course it is like the end of the world when one of MY houses gets marked as “sale pending”.
-All we know is that we do not want to be “house poor” and we don’t want to do the whole “grow into your mortgage”. Our real estate agent will probably hate me.
-World. I got it. Evidently there are only 52 weeks in a year, so my goal of reading 100 books in a year is a little lofty and unattainable. I am going to have to rework that goal. Especially since I will have to accomplish it next year.
-Gross Alert: I have a boil on my face. It is so gross and I have been stalking home remedies and trying basically everything I read and it is slowly going away.
-Kyle has signed up for like 99 Fantasy Football leagues and his 1st draft is tomorrow. I have officially lost my husband until the football season is over.

I really think that is about it. We have not been doing too much with our lives. We are both REALLY excited about Football Season and just hanging out.  I am counting down the days till I head to the beach. But until then, it is just one day after another. :)

 

 

Friday*s Letters

Before I get into my letters that sum up my week I would like to go on the record and state that this was the weirdest week in the history of all weeks.  July 4th threw me off.  Having a Wednesday off and then having to go back to work was like having two Mondays in one week and we all know that Mondays are by far the worst day of the week.

I am so super proud of all my buddies who toughed out the Peachtree Roadrace on the 4th.  The heat and the humidity - holy moly no ma'am.  I ended up selling my race number (the honest way - no profit made) because I was not ready for it nor did I feel like waking up early and toughing out 6.2 miles in the hot hot heat. :: slacker, i know. don't hate ::

I am starting half marathon training next week thanks to Elizabeth and her fabulous giveaway for the 13.1 Atlanta.  I have raced this in the past and loved it!

Kyle and I FINALLY found a local Chinese restaurant this evening so we are so super pumped.  We have Mexican and Chinese and Italian. Yum. But why is it that all the best Chinese places are in the most ghetto locations or buildings?!

:: And now... my Friday Letters ::

Dear Friday :: I am so so so grateful for you today.  This week was rough and people never cease to amaze me.  Next week is a new week and I hope hope hope it is hands down way better than this week. Oi Vey.

Dear Life :: I may complain too much about you and seem unhappy at times, but I really am grateful for you and everyone who is in my life. I do wish you'd slow down and throw me a bone sometimes, but I know that you're not handing me more than I can handle.

K doing P90X yoga! :o)

Dear Husband :: I am so proud of you for starting P90X and then sticking with it! I know you just started it but I am super impressed. And because I love you so... I will share this fabulous picture with even more Internet people!  But you do sweat a lot and it is kinda gross.  But don't worry.  I still think you're great, I just don't want hugs or for you to get too close. xoxo - much love. 

Dear Boy At Work Who Made Me Cry :: I know you don't know you made me cry because I hung up the phone. vented to my office mom. and cried. but still. you made me cry and you were not very nice. granted, me being mentally and physically exhausted probably didn't help all that much - but still - manage your employees and stop shoving your work onto me.

Dear Kyle :: I love you. And I love that you asked/said "is _______ still at the office?! Do I need to call him?! he does not make you cry" I love that you protect my honor from afar and think that people should treat me right.

Dear Office Mom :: I am forever grateful for you and your words of wisdom.  Don't kill me but I didn't leave early today like you ordered me to do.

Dear Mom and Dad :: I am going to try and come to Sanibel for a short weekend.  Kyle will probably stay here, but I think I need a break from reality and just disconnect from the world.  And if I am in Atlanta that won't happen.  I'm saving my allowance to see if I can afford a $300+ plane ticket.

Dear Miranda Lambert :: Please protect your voice this weekend and get better soon.  We have been looking forward to your concert next weekend for months.  It is the kick off to the most fabulous girl weekend ever.  So make Blake make you some tea and just kick back in that big house of yours and take.it.easy.  We need some gunpowder and lead in Atlanta!!!

Dear Heather :: I cannot wait to see your face next weekend!! I just mat not let you go back to Tuscaloosa.  And I know you need this weekend more than anything so I hope it is fun and exciting and nothing but amazing! :)

Dear Mulligan :: Sir. It is hot hot hot outside.  Please do not give yourself self imposed heat stroke again. Legit, we thought you were going to fall over and drown in your water bowl.

------

Needless to say. I am looking forward to this weekend. Kyle and I really have nothing on the books so I plan on sleeping and watching shows on Netflix.  I am trying this crazy spin studio in Buckhead called FlyWheel and then doing a Zoes Kitchen lunch on Sunday with my friend Afton {which BTW, I am loving our weekend workouts}.  But other than that, we really have nothing planned.  Which works because it is too hot to really do anything.

And will someone remind me to buy a new digital camera before this weekend?! Please and thank you!!

total work out random-ness.

Total random work out thoughts.  Compiled over the course of some time...

• I am on a routine and I love my routine and since I cannot do part of my routine this week I feel lost.  But, it is dinner with my maid of honor so it is all okay!
• Legit :: I am beginning to really really enjoy Blast900 and Pure Barre.  I am sad that I will have to break up with my studios after the wedding is done and over.  It is all just too expensive.
• Speaking of expensive studios - there is a new spin studio opening in Buckhead called FlyWheel and I WANT TO TRY IT SO BADLY.  I love love love spin classes and this is supposed to be spin on crack - stadium spinning in a dark room so you cannot stare at your neighbor with boards up front so you can complete against others.  Plus free spin shoes {which is actually kinda gross if you think about it} and free towels {i always forget mine} and free water {which I would have to bring my own because i guzzle, but still} ... seriously, want to try. 
• Speaking of expensive things .. I have an urge to buy more lululemon tanks {for pure barre} but I cannot and will not do it because I HATE running in Lulu.
• I am thinking about running the Charles Harris 10k this weekend.  Can I tough out 6.2 miles?  It is pretty much all flat and downhill.  Decisions decisions my friend.
• And.  I really have not been running.  I have been living in Blast900 and Pure Barre.  I really need to bring the running back in my life.  I miss it.  I have LOVED finding my groove on the treadmill in Blast which means, I will love finding my groove whenever I start hitting the pavement again.
• There is a new gym opening up by my house and it is like $19 per month.  I just may be joining it once they open the doors.  Especially since I will be ditching Pure Barre and Blast - well ditching it some what.....  le sigh.