Good Morning!!

I've officially turned into a morning person! Woo hoo! I get up every day at 5:30 and so far, I LOVE IT! I start my coffee, do my quiet time, go for a 30ish minute walk/jog, then shower and get ready for the day. It's a great new routine and I plan to stick with it!

Instead of trying fad diets and specific eating plans, I am simply starting to cook at home and not eat out. I can tell a huge difference in how I feel and look! Even if the recipe has butter or milk or cream cheese in it, eating small doses of that at home is healthier than picking up fast food. Every day my jeans fit better than they did the day before!

I also found a new workout website that I LOVE! It's called Blogilates. Google it and it's the first site. She is pilates based but she has all different types of videos. She has longer pilates videos that focus on the whole body. Or, shorter challenge videos that focus on one body part. You do your workout to the beat of a current pop song (call me maybe, what makes you beautiful, etc) so it's upbeat and fun! I just did the inner thigh challenge - holy moly.

This week has been a pinterest recipe win week! No pinterest fails!! (I'm about to eat what I made tonight. it could be a fail but it looks and smells great!) I made Jalapeno Shrimp Enchiladas tonight. Earlier in the week I made Broccoli Cheese soup. And, last night, I made Creamy White Chicken Artichoke Lasagna. I love cooking!!

Tonight, I'm going to brew some decaf coffee, sweeten it with Pumpkin Spice creamer, read, and prepare for this storm/cold front coming in!!

For Saturday: Go Hogs! Beat Ole Miss!!!!!

Out of Shape

It's amazing ridiculous what months of inconsistent workouts can do to you! I started Jillian's 30 Day Shred back up today and thought I was going to die (or throw up). Man, I'm out of shape. But....I'm back in the game! I've picked out all the recipes I'm going to cook this month & I'm challenging myself to 30 Days of Jillian. Then, a day of rest and a new 30 Day Jillian DVD in November.

Here we go!

How Refreshing!

This past week has been one of the most refreshing I've had in a while! It was an incredible mixture of productivity, relaxing, hanging out with dear friends, and shopping :)

It all started last weekend. I went to NWA with one of my best friends, Sarah. Saturday night we had a wedding to go to of a good college friend and Sunday was Sarah's birthday! The wedding was A BLAST! Our friend met his wife after college, so we didn't know her or their new circle of friends. So, there were only about 8 of us there that knew each other. It was perfect! We sat at the same table for dinner and all danced together. It was so fun to hang out and catch up on life!

Sarah and me!

With Victor, the groom!

Sunday, Sarah and I went to church and then her parents had a birthday party for her at their house. It was so sweet to meet her neighbors and family friends and to celebrate her day!

Monday night, I went to coffee with Allie, Haven, & Merritt. It was so good to hang out and catch up and get an hour together.

Wednesday night, I spent hours browsing Old Navy, TJ Maxx, and Target. PERFECT night! I got a new dress from Old Navy and a cute dress from TJ Maxx! Can't wait to wear them! I love browsing and shopping with no agenda and no time frame.

Last night, I went to Chris & Melissa's house and hung out with them and baby Evan. He is the cutest child! :) His personality is starting to come out and he was loving me ;) He was talking and smiling and laughing at me - melt my heart.

Today was SUPER refreshing. I woke up around 7 (no alarm) and started the day by grocery shopping. I know I sound like a mom (or grandma!) but I love shopping on Saturday mornings before the crowds hit. Then, I DEEP cleaned my apartment. I vacuumed, dusted, did dishes, did laundry, organized, straightened...everything. It feels so so so good! I looooooooove a clean apartment!

Thank you Jesus for giving me a refreshing, enjoyable week! 

25 for 25

In honor of turning 25, I'm giving you 25 random facts/confessions about myself:

 1 - My favorite animals are elephants and giraffes. I really want to go on an African safari one day!

2 - I can touch my tongue to my nose. 

3 - My sophomore year of college I dyed my hair. I will never do that again. 

4 - I lived in Breckenridge, CO for 3 summers during college. Summit County will always have a piece of my heart and I'm itching to go back asap (just not in the winter....)

5 - I am NOT an animal person. Yes, I do have 2 fave animals but notice they are not ones I will run into on a normal basis and have to pet (except in India and when that happens, you pet and ride the elephant!) Yes, I had dogs and cats growing up and I love my own animals. But, I don't do well with animals and I just don't love them. Sorry. 

6 - Pink is my favorite color. 

7 - I worked at Dairy Queen for a summer (in CO).

8 - I also worked at an Oxygen Bar for a summer (also in CO).

9 - Summer is my favorite season. I would be happy to never experience winter again. I would also be happy to find a way to have snow days during summer weather. 

10 - When I read a book series or watch a TV series, I get attached. The characters become my friends. I start referencing them by first name, like we know each other, and I'm always telling their stories (I can relate any life situation to a Friends episode.) So, when they're over, I cry. And, I don't mean just a few tears...I'm talking sobs. I still cry like a baby during Michael's last 2 episodes of the Office & the last episode of Friends, no matter how many times I watch them. 

11 - I love writing with colored pens & I love marking out my to-do list at work with colored sharpie.
12 - When clothes shopping, I navigate towards blues, without even realizing it. My closet is full of shades of blue - stripes, solids, plaids, polka dots.
13 - I love to read.
14 - I love candles. Any time I am home for a few hours, I'm burning a candle.
15 - I'm very clumsy & I bruise 'like a peach' (name that show...hint - see #10).
16 - I was on Drill Team in 7th & 8th grade. I was a cheerleader in 9th grade & 11th-12th grade. My sophomore year I took off, had foot surgery, and was football manager & water girl.
17 - I miss cheerleading - stunting, cheering, dances, jumps, all of it.
18 - I enjoy getting older - it means I'm wiser ;) (hopefully). I don't like drama that the younger years often bring.
19 - I've cut my hair 3 times to donate it.
20 - Country music is my favorite music of all time.
21 - Sweet vs. Salty = sweet every.single.time. I rarely salt my food. I could always eat something sweet.
22 - I really like naps.
23 - My family means the world to me.
24 - I enjoy trips to Wal-Mart or the grocery store. I like perusing the aisles and taking my time (unless there are a million people there.)
25 - I want to live in India. 

Phelps vs. Lochte

I will ALWAYS choose Phelps!

24 races.
22 of those brought him medals.
18 of those medals are GOLD.

I don't care who you are...that's freakin' impressive!

Yes, I choose Phelps.

It's a Daily Choice

Getting up early to spend time with the Lord instead of pressing snooze...it's a daily choice.

Working out when I really really really don't feel like it...it's a daily choice. 

Making a fruit smoothie instead of eating something chocolate...it's a daily choice. 

Cooking dinner at home instead of driving through a drive-thru on the way home...it's a daily choice. 

Loving people when they hurt you instead of getting frustrated/mad/angry/bitter...it's a daily choice.

I know I should have learned this lesson a long time ago but in the past couple of weeks it's really started hitting me. All decisions have to be made daily. I may fail one day but the next day is a new day and I have the chance to make the right choice. Today, I chose to get up early to be with the Lord. I chose to work out. I chose to eat at home. I chose to make a fruit smoothie. Tomorrow might be completely different. Selfishness or laziness might take over. But, it's okay because Saturday will be a new day. All I can do is make choices for the day I'm in. Good choices day after day after day will turn into good habits and long-lasting change. This is what I'm going for. 

Happy (almost) Friday! Remember, if you messed up today, tomorrow is a new day!

2 weeks from today...

is my 25th birthday!!!! Wow! I can't believe it's already almost here.

Last year, I wrote out a lot of goals for year 24. Around my birthday, I'll do a recap post and see what goals I accomplished, didn't accomplish, and got started on.

I definitely didn't accomplish my weight loss goals. However, I did challenge myself a lot, made some progress, backtracked, and learned a lot of what works and what doesn't work for me in the weight loss department. So, year 25 will be the year for the get healthy switch...for real this time!

I just finished Day 2 of Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30. Gosh it is SO MUCH harder than 30 Day Shred. However, if I completed 30 Day Shred in 30 days, I can do this one 5 days a week! This one has 4 weeks of workouts instead of 3 and it's A LOT more intense. I might even stretch it out more than 4 weeks so that I can really improve on each week before moving on. This will decrease my risk of injury (since I'm old now! ;) ) and will increase my stamina, endurance, and confidence.

Welp, I'm off to figure out what's for dinner. What can I make with an egg, salsa, cheese, chicken, pork chops, and berries? haha that's about all I have in my apt...I just can't get myself to get back out into the 110* heat for the store tonight.

My Favorite Spot

My favorite spot in my apartment is the right side of my couch. Weird? Maybe! Let me tell you why...

The right side of my couch is where I sit in the mornings with my coffee and my Jesus. This is where I sit with my Bible, my praise music, my journal, my colored pens, and my scripture memory. I love my times here in the morning. I love sitting here and reading chapters and chapters of God's Word. I love writing in my prayer journal and pouring my heart out to Jesus. I get up from the right side of the couch and I am refreshed and ready for the day. Thank you Jesus for meeting me each morning!!!

Weekend in NWA

I had the best time in NWA this weekend!! I got to do so many fun things and spend time with such fun people!

Friday, I got to Bentonville, a little after noon. Jason, Sarah, and I went to Crystal Bridges, a new art museum up there. It was so cool! I'm usually not into that kind of stuff but I really really enjoyed it. Next, we went to the pool! What else do you do on a warm sunny afternoon?! :) That night we met up with Megan for dinner then headed to the Naturals game. Shawn met us there and after the game they had an incredible fireworks show!!! Since I didn't get to see fireworks on the 4th (burn ban), this was a great replacement! We went back to Sarah's house and stayed up late talking.

Sarah and I outside Crystal Bridges

Meg, Sarah, and I at the Naturals game

Meg, Sarah, me, Jason (a little kid took this so it's kind of blurry)

 Saturday, we slept in, then went to the original Walton's 5-10 store. It was cool to see the history of Wal-Mart. I learned so much about that family and the store and am amazed at how it's grown! We walked around the Bentonville square and then grabbed lunch at the Flying Fish. That afternoon, we went our separate ways until we met up at our friends' wedding. Sarah and I went to the pool. Literally, as soon as we walked through the gates, it thundered. So, we weren't allowed in the water - instead, we laid out and sweated off lots of calories! That night, we went to the wedding. It was a blast! There was great food, yummy cake&cupcakes, lots of dancing, and tons of great friends.

Me and Sarah! Reunited at last! 

Me and Allison - great friend!!

My weekend in NWA was fun, relaxing, and refreshing! I'm so blessed with incredible friends!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!! I love this holiday! It's smack dab in the middle of summer (my fave season) & there are so many great things about it:
Fireworks
SUN
Laying out
Music
Fam & Friends
Day off :)

It's the first time, that I can remember, being in Arkansas and not being at the lake. In college, I was always in Colorado or India for the 4th. The rest of my summers, I am ALWAYS at the lake! But, the mid-week celebration threw some glitches in the plan. So, I'm laying out solo today and making some plans for tonight.

Happy 4th! Don't get too hot, stay safe, and remember the people who fought and still fight to keep us free.