Feelin the burn!

HOLY COW! I am so sore. I am trying to get back into the swing of working out. I have been a pretty active person my whole life, I played sports in junior high, high school and basketball in college. Then, after college, I entered the "real world" and in the real world you have to make time for working out. In the real world you don't get in trouble if you don't show up to workout like you would if you didn't show up to a practice. In the real world you've got be your own coach and push yourself. I had been used to my sport being my job, when I was tired after a practice I felt good because I had gotten a workout from it. Unfortunately, that's not how it works in the real world!! Anyways... Fast forward a few years, a husband and a baby later and I'm raring to get going again. Lately I have been working out with these:

Kettlebells, they are kicking my butt... and I like it!

Josh and I have a friend that is a personal trainer and he specializes in Kettlebells. I asked him to put me through a workout and DANG, I'm feeling it! But I love it, I miss that feeling of a good, hard workout and getting into shape and I'm so excited to keep going! I had getting back into shape built up to be this huge obstacle to overcome and it's really not. I've realized that I don't have to be in college basketball shape and that is just unrealistic, especially with a baby. I just want to feel healthy and be active. What do you do for a good workout? I love switching it up so that things don't get repetitive and boring!

p.s. Taylor over at The Undomestic Momma is having a blog makeover giveaway that I'm dying to win!!

go over and enter your blog to win!

Bring on the sunshine!!

It's almost summer time here in the Pacific Northwest, even if you can't tell by the weather, BUT I am determined to get in a summer state of mind!! Even though I'm not in school anymore and there's no summer vacation I still find myself getting excited for summer. Here are a few tricks I've been using to bring on the summer vibes:

1. I love Starbuck's Black Iced-Tea Lemonade

(I get mine without sweetener)

So yummy and refreshing, the perfect summer drink!!

2. Flip-Flops. I LOVE flip flops, during the summer months 9 times

out of 10 you'll catch me in flip flops. Metallic, beaded, embellished

or even plain, I'm not picky... I love them all!!

...and how can you pass up these Old Navy Flip Flops?! 2 for $5...

at that price you can get a pair in every color!!

3. You know what would go great with those flip flops?!

A cute pedicure with some fun bright polish:

I love looking down and seeing some happy toes :)

4. TANtalizer by LORAC

This is my secret for an instant, sun-kissed look.

This was my favorite product last summer when I was on bed rest and couldn't get any sun, it gives you a healthy glow, makes your skin look smooth and adds a nice shimmer.

5. L'Occitane 'Citrus Verbena' Summer Fragrance

This is the yummiest smell! It's light, clean and super refreshing... perfect for summertime. I give myself a spritz or two after getting out of the shower and it makes me feel so fresh and so clean clean ;)

Hope you enjoy!!

What do you do to bring on the summer vibes?

I'm always up to try something new!!

Random Acts of Kindness

This Friday's topic over at Kelly's Korner is: Random Acts of Kindness.

I think that sometimes we don’t realize how easy it is to make a person’s day. You never know what a person is going through and you never know what a smile or a random act of kindness could mean to someone.

There is a high school girl who started going to our church last fall and is friends with my brother and sister. A few weeks ago she shared her testimony and I was blown away by it. She talked about how she had planned on committing suicide one weekend, a person at school invited her to our church’s youth group on Thursday and she figured why not. She went to youth group and was floored by how everyone was so warm and welcoming to her. She talked about how she decided to push back her suicide and started coming to our church and youth group every week and how she looked forward to it so much, until she realized that she didn’t want to go through with it anymore. She talked about how people’s kind words and welcoming attitudes were the reason that she stood in front of us.

We really never know what people are going through. I think that sometimes we think that we need to think up an elaborate plan or scheme to show kindness or to do something huge for someone else, but I think that small acts of kindness in our day-to-day life also make a huge impact. You never know the inner battle that the person in front of you might be fighting... and you could turn it all around!!

“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” –John Wooden

Out and About with Brenton

My little brother, Brenton, is auditioning for the morning news at his high school and I just have to share his audition tape with you guys... enjoy!

I think that he is so hilarious and I'm so impressed by how on his toes he is with his commentary, I love that boy!

myPhone

This is the iPhone 3GS:

This is my phone:

My phone is ghetto fabulous

Scratch that there really isn't anything fabulous about it,

my phone is just plain ghetto.

I live in the Seattle area so obviously we have some

precipitation from time to time...

Rain + my cracked screen = trouble

Sometimes my phone will just shut off, sometimes it

will freeze for hours at a time,

other times it won't respond to my touch so I can't do

anything and then I'll try to show Josh how

ghetto my phone is and it will work perfectly.

But good news!! I'm eligible for a new phone!!

Hallelujah!

I'm so excited for this:

Taking videos with my phone! I love that I'll be able to take videos and be able to send them to Josh! It seems like whenever Jayden is doing something I would want to record, I have to find the camera and then make sure it has enough memory and by then the moment had passed :(

And I'm excited for a phone that I can actually use apps with!

My sister and I were driving in the city a few weeks ago and my phone kept shutting off while we were trying to use the maps application, which can be used a GPS, was supposed to be leading us to the location we were going to... SO frustrating!

Anyways, I'm super excited to get my new phone and just couldn't keep it to myself! Now I just need to decide if I want it in white or black, any suggestions? Or a cute new case?! Hmm... decisions, decisions!! :)

Our fun Friday

Yesterday I spent the day in Seattle cheering on Richie (my brother-in-law) at the State tennis Tournament. Richie and his doubles partner, Trevor, qualified for State. I'm so proud of Richie and Trevor... neither of them had ever played tennis before this season and they made it all the way to the state tournament!! Here they are with Coach Crawford:

Richie and Trevor did such a great job and it was really fun to get a chance to see them play! They both were pretty discouraged that they didn't go as far in the tournament as they would've liked but I think they did SUCH an amazing job... especially considering that they both are brand new to the sport.

This photo of Trevor and Richie is from the story that was written about them in the Kitsap Herald. I cannot believe that this boy:

is the same boy that I met 5 years ago:

Here are some pictures of the boys in action:

And while I'm bragging about Richie... let me brag a little about my sister-in-law Elle. Ellie competed in the high school state golf tournament last week and took 8th place, I am so proud of her!!

This picture is from an article that was written about Elle in the Kitsap Herald, you can click here to read about my golf pro of a sister-in-law!

Look who we ran into

Here are Richie and Elle with the UW mascot

In between matches we went shopping at U Village. Look at the contraption we found in the ladies bathroom at U Village:

How cute is Jay?!

After shopping around we went to Zoka! Zoka is the amazing coffee roaster that the coffee shop I managed used, they are the company that trained me and taught me everything I know about coffee.

I wish that you could taste the amazing coffee that I'm talking about. I can honestly say that before Zoka I didn't really like espresso drinks unless they had tons of syrups to cover up that nasty bitter flavor that you get with a lot of bad coffees.

This is my latte art from yesterday:

Another thing I love about Zoka is that when they train their barista's they teach them to make latte art.

If I would have gone to the University of Washington I can 100% guarantee that I would have been a regualr. Doesn't it look like the perfect place to study...

Yesterday was such a fun day unfortunately Josh had to leave and go the Fire Academy after Richie's first match. I am so proud of that man! I hope you all have a great weekend, it's a pretty grey day here so we're laying low today and staying inside wearing our comfy clothes... sounds perfect to me!

Kristen & Ed

Did I ever tell you that my cousin Kristen is the BEST? ...well she is.

Kristen is my cuter, more organized and more stylish other half and my partner-in-crime. I'm working on convincing her that Seattle is the only plausible place for her to live her life. I almost had her convinced a year and a half ago but then she met Ed and fell in love yadda yadda and now I have to start from scratch ;) Here are the pictures from their time in Seattle with us!! By the way, don't Kristen and Ed look so natural in Seattle *hint, hint* ...don't they just look like they belong here?!

the Hardins and the Beahans

Our little family

I love this picture and the difference in height between the four of us!

Jay after some quality play time with Aunt Kristen and Uncle Ed

...such a natural

on the pig!

Ed taking pictures on the sly

Bainbridge Farmers Market!

My beautiful mom, Jayden and I @ the Farmers Market!

I cannot wait to get together with Ed and Kristen again, they are the best... and didn't they look SO perfect and at home in Seattle?! I think everyone that reads this post should leave comments about how natural they look here and then they'll just have no choice but to move here ;)

Hope you enjoyed the photos!!