I cannot believe it...

 Today is the day!  

My cousin/sister-from-another-mister/bff/partner-in-crime is coming to town!!  

Even though I grew up on the best west coast and she grew up on the other side of the country... we get each other.  We have a bond that is unexplainable and whenever we get together, it's madness.   We have each others backs.  We can go weeks, months, years without seeing each other and when we do, it's like no time has passed and we still finish each others sentences. I'm very thankful that the men in our lives get along so well because honestly, that could've been awkward!  

 

{photobooth 2003}

{Pike Place Pig 2003}

{family reunion 2006}

{clowning}

{when my grandma saw this picture I believe her exact words were: "geez, there are the booby triplets!"}

  

{Ed and Kristen visiting in Seattle 2010}

{The Hardin's and the Beahan's 2010}

 {gorgeous picture of K and I on a long road trip to a family reunion ;) }

 {Kristen and I with our Aunt Cheryl @ the family reunion}

 {Kristen chowing down before her wedding 2010}

{Claire, Kristen and I before my wedding 2008}

{Ed, Kristen, Josh, Jay and I in Pike's Place Market}

 {Kristen and I at her wedding rehearsal}

 {chowing down}

Here is a typical day in the life of Kristen and I:

The day before my wedding Kristen, my sister Claire and I were running errands when the tire in the car went flat, we had to pull over and wait for AAA.  We had been running around all day and were starving we waited and waited and could not wait anymore so we did the next logical thing... we ordered a pizza.  Explaining to the delivery guy to just drive and that he would see our black suv on the side of the road was hilarious, but not as hilarious as we must have looked flagging him down, or how ridiculous we felt when the tow truck came and we were eating pizza and then as we sat in the car eating pizza being hauled down the road to the nearest tire shop.  We kill me.  We can do anything or nothing and always have a blast, I cannot wait to see that girl!!

Hope you have a fantastic Friday!! 

It is currently 1:15am PST and yes, I am watching the royal wedding... 

I'm loving all of the fascinators the women are donning!  

 What are your thoughts on the the hair bling aka "fascinators"?! 

 I think they are such a fun and unexpected accessory!  

Challenge Week 4

{i looove this etsy print}

This week I didn't gain any weight, I also didn't lose any.  

I'm definitely not happy about it, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it.  I mean, it was Easter weekend, I did make good eating choices and had small portions BUT I also had a few Easter basket goodies.  I also was sick on Easter and stayed in bed all day on Monday with a horrible sore throat, today is the first day since Saturday that I can even think about working out.  My throat was seriously raw so working out aka breathing hard was not an option.  I still legitimately sound like a man. {sexy, I know!}

Today is a new day and I'm back at it.  

I love the way my body feels when I'm eating healthy.  More than that, I love seeing results and watching my body change. 

If you're participating in The Challenge, I hope your week was more productive than mine!  Hope you have a great Thursday :)

"Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything."

 -Marilyn Monroe

Also, I want to remind everyone to keep those affected by the horrible storms down south in your thoughts and prayers.  I'm beyond relieved to report that friends and family of mine are safe and unharmed but that isn't the case for everyone.  My heart goes out to all of those who were affected, dozens of people and students are still missing and unaccounted for.  There is so much hurt and so much devastation, please pray for healing, pray for Tuscaloosa and pray for the rest of the severely damaged south.  

What I'm Loving

Happy Humpday Dolls!

I have so many things that I'm loving this Wednesday that I just had to link up with Jamie for "What I'm Loving Wednesday!"

This Wednesday... 

I'm loving our Cannon Eos Rebel.  I got it in February but hadn't used it much until this week!

I'm obviously no professional, but the detail on the pictures is craazy!

 I'm loving all of my blog and twitter friends, you all are awesome...

 I'm loving that my cousin and partner-in-crime, Kristen, and her husband Ed are coming to visit on Friday for 10 whole days!! YAY!

 Ed, Kristen, me, Josh & Jay in Seattle last May

...and that would be me, getting Kristen "situated" before she walked down the aisle...  

that's what cousins/bestfriends/maids of honor/partners-in-crime are for!

 I'm loving Netflix instant stream for our x-box, wii & iPhones

I'm loving the sunshine!

I'm loving wearing my flippy floppys 

 I'm loving Pompeii Purple by OPI on my toes

 I'm loving that my horrible sore throat is finally gone, I hate being sick and am finally back to the land of the living!

I'm loving that Big Black is on this season of Fantasy Factory.  

The show cracks me up, I love me some Rob & Big!

 I'm loving that a family friend gave us killer seats {5th row right behind 3rd base} for Wednesday's Mariner's game with Kristen & Ed!

my brother, Brenton, and I in said amazing seats last week!

I'm loving that my little sister, Claire, *finally* got an iPhone!  

Even if she did try to FaceTime me while I was in the bathroom... perv! ;)

 I'm loving my boys!

I'm loving that Josh has all of next week off!

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!  

What are you loving today?!

Challenge Week 3

Happy Friday Eve!!

Well, friends.  I am happy to report that this week I was once again a loser!! :)  

I lost 2.5lbs, not as much as last week but still a loss!  I am officially down 7lbs since the start of the challenge!  WoooHoo!  I haven't been hitting it as hard as last week or I'm sure the numbers would have been better.  Guess that just means I better kick in to high gear again this week!!  Another thing I need to work on this week is remembering to keep drinking the H20!  

This week for exercise I did mostly kickboxing, some kettlebells and a butt load of planks (aka the devil), ab work and "push ups" {do I get to call them push ups even if I do a sucky weakling version?! ;) }  Josh and I also have been going out on a 4. 5 mile loop around our neighborhood and I've been loving watching my progress as the distance I'm able to run grows each time we go out!   

I thought I'd share one of my all time favorite quotes:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson

I don't know about you, but whenever I finish reading it I get a serious rush of motivation and feel like I can take on anything...  I hope it encourages you too!

And last but most definitely not least, I'd like to give a big shout out to all of my challenge friends, girls you are such a good motivation to me!  Thank you so much for your encouraging comments, I'm loving watching your numbers week to week!

{insert witty title here}

First things first...
I've got a confession to make.  I cheated.  I ate not one but two of these chocolate covered peeps... and they weren't even that good!  So, if my numbers aren't as good this week for the challenge I'm totally blaming it on the peeps!! ;)

Whew!  Now that we've got that out of the way... Happy Friday!!

I haven't done a Favorite Things Friday in awhile, but I have some things that I'm seriously loooving this week that I just have to share about.

1.  Kickboxing- I am puffy heart loving kickboxing, it's a total body workout, it relieves stress and really increases my energy levels!2.  Evian Facial Spray- I spotted this @ Sephora and it is ahh-mazing!   It feel so refreshing and is the perfect little pick me up.  The mist is very fine so it won't mess with your makeup, I mist it on after I put my makeup on for a dewy finish.  3.  Sunglasses- I love sunglass season!  There are so many fab styles to choose from and they are such a fun accessory and while I do a have a few pricier pairs, my go to is F21 for stylish shades on the cheap... especially with my little man on the loose!4.  Asics- I'm no shoe expert but these shoes are amazing!  I wore Asics when I ran track in high school and have tried a bunch of different shoes for running and I just had to come back to the good ole Asics! 5.  Water- "Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.  Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain." -Lululemon Manifesto
Soo... yeah, I fully back all of these and you should totally give one or all of them a try.  Especially drinking more water!!
This morning when I woke up I had an alert on my phone that our direct deposit had gone into our bank account and this song instantly came into my head:

I don't know about you, but after watching that I was having some serious boy band flashbacks!!  And if that doesn't make you laugh I don't know what will... Did anyone else think it was funny that Lance was the one donning the purple trench coat?!  

Hope you all have a great Friday night, whether you just got paid or not!  

Operation hot momma: Week 1 Results

  Alright peeps, it's time for the results of the first week of the weight loss challenge.  


Moment of truth... 


*drumroll please*


I'm happy to report that this week I am down 4.5lbs!  I definitely kicked it into high gear this week and I feel like the scale really reflects that.  I also think that I probably lost a good amount of water weight since I was constantly sipping on my water bottle {and going to the bathroom!} 

l'm pretty proud of myself because there were soo many times that I was tempted to cheat!!  My Ambulance instructor has been bringing doughnuts to class for Pete's Sake!  My new blog friend Rachel put this quote on her blog today and I think it's a really great thing to keep in mind when the not-so-healthy foods start tempting you...  

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!"

I really love working out and sweating everyday, plus it really helps me sleep better at night!  Shout out to my momma and her kickboxing class & Miss Jillian Michaels for kicking my butt! 

    

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm really looking forward to getting back on the scale next week!  Thanks again Lindsey and Rachel for hosting this fab challenge! 

What's up Wednesday...

Hi Friends!

Last night was my first time drilling with the Fire Department and I have to report that everything went great!  I even acquired a few pieces of my ultra-feminine uniform ;) Unfortunately the rest of my lovely ensemble has yet to arrive... but I'm sure my oh-so-flattering pleated pants won't disappoint!

zip-up

My better half and I in our department hats!

If you look closely in the 1st picture you can see the newest addition to my jewelry collection...  

Shout out to my girl Neely for hosting the Barberry and Lace giveaway! I drool over the pieces that the fabulous Miss Leigh Ashley creates and was lucky enough to be the winner of this gorgeous puzzle piece friendship necklace!

If you haven't heard of Barberry & Lace I highly recommend you go check it out!  Leigh Ashley was such a pleasure to work with and my package came with the sweetest handwritten note!  I'm all about the details and I will definitely be hitting up the barberry & lace shop again soon.

There is a weird glare in the last picture (forgive me, I'm not the best self-portrait taker... never really got into taking pictures of myself in bathroom mirror) but you can catch a glimpse of my current nail polish color:

lucerne-tainly look marvelous by OPI 

I luuurve it!  

Thank you so much for your sweet comments about Jay's scratched up face... I swear he's made of rubber, he wasn't nearly as fazed as I was.  His newest hobby is to find Josh's shoes and put his feet in them!  Keep in mind that Josh wears a size 16 shoe so it is quite the sight to see...

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!!