Girl Crush Tuesday

Hey lova! I know, I know…who is this girl? You probably don’t remember me because I never have time to post anymore. Anyway, I truly appreciate you reading this stranger’s post anyway. I hope you do. Because it’s about an amazing woman who I’m sure most of you know. But if you don’t, you absolutely need to meet her. Well, I haven’t met her (yet) but I mean via the interwebs. She has taught me so much in the short time we’ve been friends and I just think she is fabulous.

Her name is Alexandra. 

She is strong, she is beautiful, she is getting in the best shape of her life.

From the very beginning, she struck a chord with me because she is a single mom of a little girl. I have always had a huge place in my heart for single moms because I had a single mom. I was an only child and it was always just be and her. I don’t talk much about my personal life here, but I am very open about my childhood and how I grew up.

I had an amazing childhood, and the best mom I could ask for. Alexandra is that kind of mom. Her daughter is absolutely gorgeous and so so loved.  Alex’s story reminds me of my mom’s.  For a while, I just read her blog and commented from time to time, till I emailed her one day and the rest is history. I love this girl to death.

I often complain about how hard it is to lose weight, eat clean, work out, balance work and a marriage, etc. I know how silly that is. Then I met Alexandra. No, this is not me throwing a pity party for the girl. She is astonishing. She balances work, school, being a single mom, Crossfit and a healthy lifestyle and she does it with her head held high. She is setting such a positive example for her little one, and it makes me feel that much luckier to have had a strong single mom, too. 

Her story has brought me back to my childhood and allowed me to see things through my mom’s eyes. I am sure it was  100% harder for her to be strong for me than it seemed at the time. I just thought my mom could handle anything. But really, she was just being strong for me. Same goes for Alex.  She could easily be bitter about her past and about what cards she was dealt, but she is moving forward and making a much better life for her and her baby girl. If she can do it, I can. I want to be a positive role model to my kids when I have them, and I want to show them what being a strong woman means. 

Part of the reason I love blogging is that I have met SO many strong women via this little old blog of mine. Some of you are married, some of you are not, some of you have kids, some of you don’t. But you all hold a place in my heart. You all cross my mind when I’m trying to push out that last bit of energy I don’t think I have during a work out. And last week, Alex told me something that stuck with me. It had nothing to do with her personal life or mine. It was so simple. She said “I work too hard to put crap into my body.”  Um.  Hello. Duh. I should know this by now. I have really been struggling lately with staying on track, especially on weekends.

But what she said made perfect sense. I work too hard. I deserve to have the body of my dreams. Why do I keep sabotaging that? We all deserve it. We all work hard. We ALL should be exactly where we want. She motivated me to get back on track and to be good to myself. And I bet she doesn’t even know it. This woman, who has so to be so strong I don’t even know how she does it, inspired me by one little comment in passing. And that's all it took.

I could go on and on about this girl, really. I won't though. Check her out for yourself.  She rocks. Love you Alex!

What I learned layin' in the grass...

Today was a rough day.

I could sit here and mope about it and tell you my whoa is me story but the fact is, everybody is going through something. The fact is, tomorrow is a new day, thank ya baby J!

After today, I was not looking forward to my personal training session. Normally, I meet my trainer twice a week, but we're adding a session this week because I missed last Thursday to get a spray tan. Priorities. Kidding. Kind of.

Anyway, Kassie from back in the day would have got home and ate my feelings. I wanted pizza. I wanted chips. I wanted chocolate. That's what I would've done before. But DJ was waiting for me. This is why I signed up. I needed someone to be waiting on me. No backing out. No "I don't feel like it". I got to the gym and we stretched then got to work. Earlier in the day he texted me asking if I wanted to add a session today. I told him I ate like crap this weekend and I wanted him to be hard on me this week. Oops. I ate one too many of those pretty little white chocolate dipped oreos and maybe sushi and some bread and frozen yogurt too. Oops. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

Have any of you heard of Battle Ropes? Those massive ropes that you basically just whip up and down till  you want to punch an old lady because it hurts so bad? We started with that. That was our warm up. My sessions with DJ are only 30 minutes long, but the are the toughest 30 minutes of life.

Note: I did not look this bad ass when using the ropes. I looked more like Honey Boo Boo attempting to open a jar of tightly closed pickles. Oh yeah, tongue out and all.

I got through the work out and walked into the gym. Oh yeah, we were outside in the already hot as balls Louisiana heat. I'm sitting there, listening to DJ explain my workouts for the days we don't meet and I get that super fun feeling where your hearing goes in and out and you know you'll either puke or pass out. I was luckily near the back exit and walked outside to get some air. I went from leaning again the gym wall, to sitting in the grass to flat out laying there.

Eyes closed, on my back, in the grass. The breeze felt good but the pukey feeling wasn't subsiding. I have never pushed myself to that limit. Lying there, I thought that even though I felt like crap, I was on top of the world. I was capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. And then I thought about all you girls and all your goals. And how we could never reach our goals if we didn't push ourselves to that point. Red bikini what?!

I've always been that way, and not just physically. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do you think we can only do so much? Why don't we say F that, I can go harder, run farther, lift more, etc. etc.

I think I am about to turn over a new leaf. Yes, I had a crappy day. But I did really well with my eating. Yes, I had to stop 3 times during my work out to rest, but each time I finished. Yes, I didn't finish everything on my long list of things to do today, but I finished half. I really really need to work on seeing the glass half full and knowing that I can do so much more than I give myself credit for. Can I get a Amen?

Late to the Party

Today I'm a day late and a dollar short. But then again, when am I not in the blogging word? I have been so bad with regularly getting a post up but this took the cake. I agreed to host a link up and what did I do? Missed the link up! I didn't forget, my husband's schedule just conflicted. Here I am though, with his answers, in all my day-late glory.

 

1. What are your thoughts on your wife's blog?  

I think of her blog as another way to express herself. Health is an important part in life, so if she can keep herself and others moving toward being healthy by just writing about her experiences then good for her.

2. Do you know what IG stands for? How about OOTD? (Don't look it up!) 

What I know IG stands for is inspector general, but that is probably not it stands for in this situation. OOTD? Lets make a guess- hell I dont know.

3. How long would you say you've been together?

November 24 will be five years, but April 27th is our 1 year anniversary being married.

   (I didn't even have to remind him! Brownie points...But he does have a better memory than me so this doesn't surprise me...)

4. Does her working out and eating healthy make you want to join in?

Since she started working out and eating right it has motivated me to get back into the gym and eat healthy with her. I was out of the service for 2 and half years and had put on 30 lbs. Now I have shaved that off plus another 10 off since we started over a year ago.

 

 

 

5. Is there anything she can do to inspire you to workout/eat healthier?

She is doing it by staying motivated when I am not and I think it helps her when I am motivated and she isn't. We keep each other in check.

   (I couldn't agree with this more! I am very lucky to have a husband who has the same lifestyle as   me, food/health wise because that makes it 100 % easier.)

 

 

 

6. What do you love best about fit/ healthy life?

Being able to enjoy life to the fullest every day and having energy to do so. Life is too short to not enjoy it.

 

 7. What do you like least?

What I like least about healthy living is that not everyone does it, like this morning the eight dozen donuts that are in the break room that were brought in for everyone to partake in.

 

 

 

8. How long did it take for you to agree to answer these questions?

I agreed to do the questions the first day she told me I was answering some questions for her last week. Now when she told me I was doing a video with these questions. I said nah I dont think so. Not my cup of tea.

LOL I really wanted ya'll to see a vlog of S but he said no thank you ma'am! Maybe one day I can secretly video him and post it on the Internet for all to see. That wouldn't be creepy at all.

Anything Could Happen

Yesterday, I almost puked from working out. This is only the second time this has happened to me, the first being during my first round of “boot camp” at the last gym I was a member of.

I would never push myself to near death puking in a work out. I challenge myself, but I always manage to stay right on the edge of my comfort zone. Never quite leaving it though. 

Tonight, I left my comfort zone. I have officially signed up for personal training at my gym. My trainer, DJ, is wonderful. He’s so motivational and pushes me just enough. I will train with him twice a week for a month, assess where I am, then pay by the month after that. Yesterday was my first paid session with him. I work out with my husband just fine but when he pushes me too hard, I just say no, get annoyed, and walk away to do something else. Sad, but true. I am not saying no if I’m paying for this. I think this’ll also solve my lose two pounds, gain two pounds rut, because I truly don’t think I’ll want to eat like crap all weekend when I worked so hard all week.

 

After my session, I had a burst of energy. Well, that was after the pukey feeling subsided.  The weather was great so I went for a short run in my neighborhood. While I ran, I thought about how far I’ve come since September, and how many times I truly got out of my comfort zone. That’s both mentally and physically. I ran a 5k and a 10k. Before, I hated running and would never choose to do it if I had a choice. I even signed up for a half marathon. Who was this girl? That didn’t work out, but to me the important part is that I made the decision to give it a shot. I’ll run a half soon, I hope, and I never would’ve thought that I’d do something like that. 

I started putting on weight in third grade. I got lazy. I liked TV. I liked junk food, with chips and fast food being favorites. I still like those things. I’m not trying to say I drank the Kool aid and will eat vegetables and chicken breasts for the rest of my life. I’ll waiver. I’ll have cheat meals. Life will go on. But I refuse to be unhealthy. I refuse to grow old plagued with this health problem and that one. I refuse to have obese children because that is the example I set for them. I am a new person. I feel good and one day I will reach my goals. It’s amazing to me how far I’ve come. I’ve come so far that I even feel like I don’t have that far left to go. This is huge for me. Anything could happen.

Now that I got that little pep talk out of the way, I want to remind you about the link up Leigh Ann, Sarah and I are doing tomorrow. You can answer the questions with your boo boo, your bff, your neighbor, your vet, etc. Who cares! Anybody! You can answer the questions below blog or vlog-style. Let's see what I have to bribe S with to get him to do a vlog! 

1. What are your thoughts on your wife's blog?  2. Do you know what IG stands for? How about OOTD?

3. How long would you say you've been together?

4. Does her working out and eating healthy make you want to join in?

5. Is there anything you can do to inspire him to workout/eat healthier?

6. What do you love best about fit/ healthy life? 7. What do you like least?

8. How long did it take for you to agree to answer these questions?

Skinny Dinner Party Recap

Happy Monday and Happy four day week! Holla! I love when I forget it’s a holiday and it sneaks up on me and I realize it’s a short week. I always feel like weekends are too short (who doesn’t?) so a 3 day weekend is the bomb in my book. 

This past weekend was a great one, to say the least! Friday I had a date with my main man, then we called it an early night. I had so much to do Saturday to prep for the first Skinny Dinner Party! That’s right, first. We’ll be doing this again many times. More on the party (and a shit ton of photos) later in the post. 

I was up at 7am and went to Sam’s to pick up a few things for the party. I have a Business Membership so I can go several hours before regular shoppers. That was the ticket. Very easy and quick trip. Normally, Sam’s is crazier than the mall at Christmas on Saturdays, so I will definitely plan my Sam’s trips early Saturday mornings from now on. I got the rest of my groceries at two other grocery stores (Do you know how hard it is to find fresh basil? Damn.) I then went get the brows waxed. I am a freak of nature and LOVE getting my eyebrows done. It relaxes me. Weird. 

Came home, showered, cleaned like a mad woman and started preparing all the dishes. The menu was as follows:

• Edamame 
• Zea’s Mediterranean Hummus (I used store bought Sabra hummus and it was still yummy)
• Caprese Salad (was supposed to be Caprese Pops via this site but my cheese was all mis-shapen so it didn't work out. S had even made me a fancy Caprese Pop Stand for them, so I'll have to figure out another way to use it soon)
• SkinnyBuffalo Chicken Dip, served with wheat pita bread, carrots and celery
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Fruit with light Cool Whip
• Cannoli Cups (SO easy to make)

Sidenote: I bought the mozzarella from Sam's, already marinated and seasoned. All I did was toss in some cherry tomatoes. This is the brand:

 

 The Caprese Pop stand that never was...

All the food was wiped out. I somehow made just enough. We didn’t run out but I didn’t have weeks worth of leftovers. Win. Everyone brought their alcoholic beverage of choice and had a grand old time. Leigh Ann made a great point when she said that it’s hard meeting female friends at this age. You’re not going out, not still in college, where do you meet people? It was a great chance to meet some new ladies, and I think everyone got along perfectly. Sabrina, a friend from the running clinic we did, is hosting the next Skinny Dinner Party! I can’t wait. Here are a few photos from the night. 

 

I had some chalkboard paint so I bought these cheap wooden plaques from Hobby Lobby and painted them to label all the dishes. I can use these a million more times, too!

 

Great picture of my beautiful friends and of the food set up!

 

I just noticed my kitchen looks yellow in these photos. My kitchen definitely ain't yellow! Bad lighting I guess.

 All my centerpieces. 

I made these from a Target bouquet, some jars I painted with Looking Glass paint and a couple of succulents from a pot of them I keep at our front door. I'm no florist, but I thought they weren't too shabby!

I have to say, I was a little nervous it would be awkward or boring, and no one would say much, but it was absolutely awkward-moment-free! Everyone thought it was a fun idea, so you should try it! I’d love to hear/read all your ideas. I’ll definitely host this again in the future and we even discussed doing a party for couples and letting the guys come next time. I kinda had to kick S to the curb for the night. Just kidding, he was fine. He did come home early and hang out with us for a bit. Ladies love him, what can I say? 

Hope you’re all having a fabulous Monday, and if not, remember it’s a 4 day week and get over it! J

A Whole Lot of Catch Up & Giveaway Winner!

This week has been nonstop madness, so here I am on Thursday, with my first post of the week. My first announcement is the winner of the Operation Red Bikini-Ruffles with Love tank.

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(Grab this button and slap it on your page, girl!)

We had over 500 people enter to win! And the winner is: Melissa Folz. Congrats Melissa! If I don't hear from her by tomorrow, a new winner will be chosen. For all those of you who have already ordered the tanks/will order, please email me photos of you in it. I'd love to include them in future ORB posts :) Stay tuned for more giveaways, and eventually some hints as to what's in the BIG prize pack. Leigh Ann and I have some GREAT ideas planned for it. Summer will be here before you know it, kiddos.

Next up, my link up with the beautifuls, Sarah and Leigh Ann. We're linking up next Wednesday to coerce bribe force politely ask our husbands/bff's/boyfriends/whatevers to answer a couple questions. Find those questions here. I am working on a vlog with the Mr. but we'll see what I get.

So what else has been going on with me? Just trying to walk like I'm not a duck that got hit by a semi truck. That's right. I am so sore I can't even walk right. Everything hurts from my neck down. I had my first trial session with our trainer at the gym and two days later I am in P-A-I-N. No pain no gain, though, right? I have another session with him Friday before I decide if I want to hire him for twice a week training. I know I don't push myself as hard as he did, but I'll really have to justify spending the money. I'll keep you all updated because I know you are just on the edge of your seats.

I've also been doing things here and there for my Skinny Dinner Party this weekend! So far on the menu: Zea's Mediterrainianajaiajshhgfjg (who can spell that effin word) hummus, Skinny buffalo dip with pita bread and veggies, caprese, fruit salad, and shrimp cocktail. I plan to add two more skinny appetizers and another dessert. Any ideas? Any great recipes you want to share? Send me the link! I've done alot of crafting last weekend and this week for the party and I hope it pays off and looks fabulous. The event planner in me went a little overboard. Imagine that. Can't wait to share pictures from the party! I have 9 girls coming and I hope they all have a good time. No pressure!

What's Goin' On and another ORB Giveaway!

Morning my lover girls! I am making an effort to post more, so tadaaaaa! I'm posting twice in the same week. Imagine that. I hope to get another post up on Friday, but that's being ambitious. Sorry sorry sorry.

On to more important things. The reason you're probably reading this. A giveaway! It's been a while since we've done an Operation Red Bikini giveaway and this one's a good one. Who doesn't love Ruffles with Love? Vanessa is the sweetest, easy-to-work-with, creative chick on the block. Her tanks have some adorable and funny sayings and they're perfect for the gym even though I wear mine all ova the place. If you live under a rock don't have one yet, get your sweet ass over to Ruffles with Love and order away. The ORB tanks aren't listed yet but if you send her a message on Facebook or via Etsy, she'll send you an invoice:) Vanessa offered to let Leigh Ann and I give away one of her tanks, and duh, it had to be an ORB one!

How cute did these come out? The sparkly letters and polka dot bow just take it to a whole 'nother level. I love it. Leigh Ann is wearing a small and I'm wearing a large. If you don't win the giveaway, go order an ORB tank! And a shit ton of other Ruffles with Love tanks! And we want to see pictures. Hashtag it on Instagram (1200+ ORB photos over there by the way!), tweet it, Facebook it, be obnoxious and post it everywhere.

Leigh Ann and I have decided to run this contest till next Tuesday, March 19th, so this'll be a quick one. Do it now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In other news, I am planning a "Skinny Girl Dinner Party" next weekend. I decided that since the majority of my friends are living a healthy lifestyle, it only made sense. Plus, who doesn't want a girls' night? Wine and skinny apps? Sign me up. The event planner in me has so many ideas so I'll be working on some of them this weekend. Stay tuned for a blog post about decor and menu. It's gonna be fun and hopefully it'll inspire you to do the same.

I noticed a lot of ladies are having their husbands guest post on their blogs and I am not so sure I could convince S to do that, but I'm thinking of doing a Q and A. I'll do a post, probably Friday, asking for questions for both my husband and I to answer. Could be fun. Maybe I could convince him to do a vlog though? Who knows.

That's all for today. Good luck on the giveaway! There will be more to come!