Weekly Recap

I had every intention of blogging Friday afternoon & linking up for Five on Friday, but it ended up being a busy day & blogging just didn't happen.  Thankfully, I didn't let it get me down or make me feel guilty!  I knew the weekend would roll on, be just as wonderful despite my lack of blogging, & I'd eventually get back to my blog this week.

And I was right, here I am :)  Currently blogging to you from our patio, getting a little vitamin D - it's quite perfect actually!  All this warm, sunshiny weather has me itching for spring!  I sure hope this weather is here to stay!  It's been a long, cold winter {I'm sure most would agree}, but this weather sure does a lot for lifting your spirits & adding a little pep to your step!

Last week I really didn't have too much to blog about…more of the same 'round here!  Wednesday I had a little date with Andrea to grab lunch & a mani, it's our yearly tradition :)

Friday, I judged B in the 14.2 WOD…

We coached the evening classes, then we checked out the new Publix by our house.  So far I'm a fan!

Saturday morning, I worked out with the 830 class, we coached the 930 & then ran a few errands.  B picked up a new suit for Puerto Rico {31 days!} from our local little surf shop {I know, a surf shop in Charlotte, kinda crazy} & I snagged these cute shoes from Target…

#targetdoesitagain

I couldn't pass up $19.99, BOGO 50% off for some cute little summer shoes {much cheaper than Toms}!

We babysat for my brother & SIL Saturday night so they could celebrate their 11 year anniversary!  The kiddos were sweet and snuggly, they must like us ;)

Watching a little lego cartoon before bedtime :)

Abel loves him some Huck!

And selfies with Aunt Michelle!

Sunday we woke up feeling awesome, I guess that's what happens when you're asleep by 10, even though you lose an hour & wake up at about 845!  I know, our life is riveting…try not to be jealous ;) Brandon redid 14.2 getting a total of 252 reps!!  I got a total of 15 reps!  Ha, but I did get my very 1st chest-to-bar pull-ups, so still something to celebrate!

Brandon shared with me the joy of the Whole Foods Hot Bar {of which he partakes often for lunches or dinners when on the road} & then we did a little shop lifting at lululemon…

I made out with 2 pair of much needed crop pants & a tank!  So happy to wear spring workout gear!

B got some awesome new shorts!

We did a little work, a little laundry & a little cooking!  I made this super yummy breakfast casserole for the week & we grilled out some amazing turkey burgers...

That plate sure made for a happy belly!  I'm glad we have left overs :)  It's looking like a busy & great week ahead!  Hope your weather is warming up, too!

Weekend Recap

Welp, sadly it's already Sunday night & the weekend is coming to a close!  We're watching a movie, though, while listening to the rain fall through our open windows...so I really can't complain :)

We've had a busy, but great weekend!!  

Friday night was all I had hoped for and more - B and I took a day off from the gym & enjoyed a pre-dinner beverage on the patio after work while watching the kids play in the back yard!

We met our friends Sam & Lisa for dinner at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar and parked it on the patio.  {Very easy to eat Paleo at Bad Daddy's by the way!}  It was perfect porch eating weather, and you know I love that!!

Sam & Lisa :)

Me & B!

We took the party over to Fox & Hound afterwards where our friends Andrea and Corey met us.  We, of course got a little camera happy!  Somehow Andrea & Corey didn't make it into a pic :(

Haha, Sam's face!

Cute couple!!

Crazies

Cheesin'

Saturday we slept in & it was oh so needed!  We both got in a good workout, then ran some errands.  I went to about 5 grocery stores {ok, just 2} and Target, then met B at The Meat House to pick out our steaks for dinner!

YUM!!

We relaxed on the couch & watched 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill.  Have you seen it!?  It's HI-larious, so you should definitely rent it!

Today we unintentionally slept in extra late, past 10!!  We never do that, but I guess these weeks are just exhausting us!  I hit the ground running and got to meal planning for the week....made my Paleo breakfast muffins, hard boiled a few eggs, chopped up a pineapple I bought and got dinner going in the crockpot.  

If there's anything I've figured out about Paleo, it takes a lot of planning!  But it's way worth it!!

B set out for a long run outside - he has his Spartan Beast Race coming up in a month so he's training hard!  I went for a long run at the gym so I wouldn't miss any of the Panther's game!!  Wooo did we smoke those Saints or what!?!?  Who Dat pshhhh.

It was quite motivating to run to the game I must say....if we did something great I was excited & pumped and if we did something not so great I was angry and ran faster, haha.

Obviously I wore Panther's colors & my Panther's hat!!

Tonight, I finished up a small bit of lesson planning while this guy just tried getting in the way...

Can't be mad at him though, he's just too cute!  And these 2 are currently snuggling :)

Hope y'all had a fantastic weekend!  I'm off to enjoy what's left of my Sunday night...here's to a lightning quick work week!

Ginormous Sized Update

Hello blog world!!!  Man have I missed you!

I think I'm finally {bless it} getting into a good routine with school, which means I've found a few minutes to actually blog! :)

Since it's been {ahem} 2 weeks since I last posted, there's a lot to share!  But in an effort to keep this from being the world's longest blog post ever, I'll just detail the highlights, bullet point style!

• The last weekend in August, B & I flew off to Michigan for his company's summer work party! Friday night was spent on a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan with everyone in the sales department...

We kept the party going in the bustling town of Muskegon and went out with everyone afterwards!

Saturday, we were off to Michigan's Adventure where we got our roller coaster/water slide on {aka waited in a lot of lines!} and I nearly died on the Rip Cord {video posted here}!

We were glad to get back home to this naughty boy...

Someone shouldn't be on the pillows!!

• It was back to real life on Monday after getting back as school started!  B sent me a gorgeous bouquet on my first day, as he always does :)  He never fails to make me feel special!

• Our Labor Day weekend was full of family, friends & fun!  We had a family cook out at my bro & SIL's house up in Concord.  It was pretty much a dog party (their 2 dogs, Berkley & my parents dog!) and Berkley got to meet his doggy cousins :)

Sunday night of Labor Day weekend, we finally caught up with our friends Kelly & Ryan!  They brought their {huge} pup, Bentley, over and we all ate some awesome food and watched the pups play!

Tug o' War!!

• Somehow, even a short work week after labor day was still exhausting!!  But I survived the first 2 weeks, so I'm counting it as a win :)

• I started the Paleo diet on Labor Day and I'm on week 2.  I'm loving how I'm feeling & really loving how I'm looking!  So far, it's much easier than I was prepared for and I don't miss dairy or grain near as much as I thought I would....but Paleo requires a post of it's own, so more on that another day!

• This past weekend, I helped host a baby shower for my sweet friend, Rachel, at my house! Rachel is expecting a precious little baby girl toward the end of next month, so soon now!

Rachel with the hostesses :)  Katie, Erin, Rachel, Ashley, & Me

2 out of the 4 hostesses are also expecting!  Something's apparently in the water, but don't worry, I filtered mine before I drank it ;)

The shower was so, so gorgeous!!  Unfortunately I didn't take pics, but when Rachel, Erin or Katie blogs about it, I'll share the link!

• B & I grabbed dinner with some good friends Saturday night and then enjoyed a busy, productive Sunday together!

Surprisingly, I think that pretty much sums up the past 2 weeks in a nutshell!  I had several meetings today at school, but the rest of my week is shaping up to be less busy on the school front, so I'm going to relish that and this amazing weather while I can :)

Ahhh...feels good to blog again!  Hopefully I'll be able to manage at least a post or 2 a week, but I can't make any guarantees just yet!

Happy almost hump day!  Here's to a speedy rest of the work week friends!!

First Weekend as a Homeowner

We christened out first weekend as homeowners with 2 different trips....

to Lowe's!! :)

The first of many trips I'm sure!  Friday night after our workout, we drove just over the border into SC & picked up a whole lotta things!  A rake, inside broom, outside broom, ladder, paint supplies, floor cleaner, and too much to even recall.  The good news - it was all FREE!!

The downside of B's job is the crazy amount of traveling he does...but that traveling provides us a lot of perks truthfully.  He stays in hotels typically 3 nights a week & those stays = mad hotel points!!  So last weekend, B traded a hefty amount of points for 2 $200 Lowe's gift cards!  How fantastic is that!?!

So every Lowe's purchase we've made thus far, has been F, R, double E!  Including this...

Our new rug!

Whatcha think??  I love the pattern, I'm just wondering if it's too small for the space.  It's a 5'x7'.  Our friends who came over Saturday seemed to like it and think it was a good size, especially whenever we get a chair for that corner.  So for now I'll definitely leave it, but what is your opinion?

Saturday we slept in a bit and then got our workout on!  I ran a bit at the gym, then ran home (about a mile) to do my P90 video while B finished his workout at the gym.  We originally thought it would be a pool day, but the weather changed a bit and was slightly chilly & overcast - so we did some house things & ran a bunch of errands.

I made a target run while B mowed {why can't everything from Target be free!?  Ughh...that place gets so much of my money!!} and then we dropped off our keys to our apartment so now it's really, really official, we're all moved out!  We also picked up my car from getting an oil change & 2 new tires - spending more money.  Yuck!

Friday night I made Lemon Drop Cupcakes, so I finally got around to frosting them after all our errands Saturday.  

Yum!!  They are SO good!  Unfortunately, not so good for you, so please, someone - come eat the leftovers!!

Saturday night we had a few friends over to grill & hang out.  It was, as always, a good time and we, of course, love having every one see the house!  :)

Sunday we slept in a good bit - so needed!  I made Carolina Charm's Breakfast Sandwiches and we watched a little Dexter (Shocking end to season 4 btw!!! Whoa!) before attempting to lay out on our patio.  B made me a shirley temple and I read some magazines...but it was just so dang hot!  And no pool to jump in, ha.

B and I set out for a run in our new 'hood and found a nice 3 mile loop.  When I'm feeling brave, I'll definitely attempt that loop twice to get a good 6 miles in!  Maybe this week...

Then we headed back to good ol' SC for our 2nd Lowe's trip of the weekend!  I got some gloves so I can weed our flower beds (yay! Insert sarcasm), a hose, some car wash supplies, and some paint samples!!

So these are the options for the kitchen...

The lighting in these pics isn't the greatest so bare with me...but the top is a gray, 2nd is a mocha brownish, 3rd down is called universal khaki - kinda brown, kinda gray and the color in our downstairs bath, and the bottom one is too light so don't look at it!

What's your pick??  Tell me yours & I'll tell you mine ;)

The rest of our Sunday was lazy, just the way we like it!  And today was back to the work week...bleh.  But the good new friends, we're already a day down!!

Happy almost Tuesday, y'all!

Moving Weekend!

** I feel like all my blog posts lately have been rather long winded recaps of major events in my life!  Hah, so please excuse the length of another long reap post....I think my life is slowly returning to a normal pace :) **

All last week, I was waiting, waiting, waiting for the weekend to arrive!  I guess this isn't too different form normal (ha!), but this weekend was moving weekend & B and I could hardly contain our excitement to finally, freaking move ALREADY!!!  We could barely concentrate all week!

B got back into town Thursday and that night, we got to packing!  We were very successful & got a lot done.  We packed his car full, then met at the apartment after work Friday, packed my car full & took it all to the new house!

We unpacked, grabbed a quick dinner & then went to make a purchase B has been SO looking forward to... a new TV!!  60 inches baby!  Oh, my man is so happy!  And the picture is pretty dang amazing, I can't lie.

We made one last trip to the apartment Friday night for a 2nd round of moving things & picked up BenCat.  We slept on the air mattress Friday night in our new bedroom....even though we woke up partially on the floor {we apparently have a slow leak} it was still fun to wake up in OUR HOUSE!

Saturday was for real, moving day.  We picked up the Uhaul & my dad, brothers & uncle met us to help us load up! It went surprisingly fast - even with a trip to go pick up our new couch from the distribution center.  We were at the house UNloading before 11am!

In the midst of moving...sadly I did not take a single photo :(  I fully regret it, but I was just trying to get through it - the type A control freak in me really comes out at times like these ;)

The rest of the day was spent unpacking, arranging, putting together, setting up, etc.  Oh my good gracious, I was tired!  All of our fam came over in the midst of the chaos-that-was-moving for lunch and my mom stayed to help with all the unpacking, arranging, putting together & setting up!  Thank you, thank you mama!!!

Then, my sweet mom, grandmother & aunt took me to Target for a few little house warming gifts :)  We got new bath mats & a hamper!   A new homeowner's dream ;)

Our friends Justin & Andrea helped us break in the house with a little grilling & family style dinner.  We had a few drinks and just relaxed in front of the new TV - it was a perfect Saturday night! (and I was asleep before 10! ha)

The boys, all matchy, matchy before dinner :)

Sunday, we slept in a bit and relaxed that morning before unpacking a bit more, hanging some things on the walls and settling just a little more.  We managed to squeeze in a run, lots of errands, some Dexter, and I put together our 2 new side tables!!  That's right, just call me Bob...the builder.  Obvi.

It was super rainy Sunday & our new lawn was looking rather jungle-esk.  In hopes of not getting kicked out of the neighborhood after only being moved in a day, B managed to cut the damp, front yard during a short break from the drizzle.  The back yard is still jungle-esk, but Lord knows I'm not cutting it I don't know how to cut it...I'd probably lose a limb!

B & his new toy :)

Well without further adieu....here are some pics of the new house!!!  B took them last night & uploaded them to Facebook...so if you're my FB friend, you've probably seen all these.  I just picked a few of my favs...and I left out the rooms that are empty - ha, we'll fill those eventually!

The kitchen!

One of my favorite spaces!!  The eat in area is to the right which houses our kitchen table.  Red is not my fav color for walls - I love it as an accent color! - but it's gotta go.  We'll be picking a paint color soon and probably paint it one weekend in May!  Our first project :)

The family room - right off the kitchen!

I love this room.  B really wanted his new TV, we both really wanted a new sectional couch, & I really wanted new side tables :)  So we compromised and got it all!  Ha

TV - Sharp Aquos

Couch - Overstock.com

Side Tables - Ikea

The office

One thing we loved about this house is it had a living room space we could use as an office for B without having to sacrifice a bedroom.  No one ever uses a living room anyway!  Ha, or at least we figured we wouldn't.  Clearly we need a bigger desk and some rugs for all these hardwoods would be great!!  Ha, again...eventually!

Our Master Bedroom!
I did not take this pic....I would've made sure the sheet was tucked in ;)

Our master bedroom - my favorite part is probably the amazeball fan!!  And the master closet (a total work in progress - but huge!).  And the master bath.  Ok I love everything about the master bedroom :)  We just need the mirror & dresser that matches our bedroom suit.  One day!

The Bonus Room!  Please do excuse the large piece of glass still wrapped from moving on the floor, ha.

I love, love the bonus room!  The built ins are fantastic, as are the hardwoods!  A great hang out spot & my new workout room :)  that also needs a rug!

So that's the pad, friends.  Clearly, you can see that we have quite the Type A tendencies - as I mentioned - as everything is pretty much unpacked and quite settled!  We feel very accomplished....I just couldn't go to work this week with chaos at home!

It's an amazing feeling to have a HOUSE to call our own!  I don't think the newness of this feeling will be wearing off any time soon :)

A Busy & Exciting Spring

Holy moly, y'all!!  My brain has been a big ol' jumbled mess lately.  My brain feels like an ADD kid all jacked up on sugar!  It's probably because we have, oh, just 9.2 million things going on ;)

I keep going through my calendar each day and starting this weekend - we have something almost every weekend until summer time!  Whoa!

The good thing is - it's all super exciting, fun stuff!!!

It's hard to not be so excited with all this wonderful stuff coming up, so I couldn't help but start some countdowns!  Hold on, it's about to get real busy over here...

Tomorrow morning we have our home inspection!  We're so excited to go back, walk through again & check everything out!  Then, tomorrow afternoon, I'm running in the 2nd Annual Family Fun Run & 5K at my school!  I'm just running for fun, so I'm not too worried about my time!  Should be a good day :)

Next Saturday is the St. Patty's Day Bar Crawl!

It's the biggest bar crawl in the world!!  And a fun day of some bar hoppin' with the friends!  If you're in Charlotte, you should definitely throw on some green and join!

Sunday the 25th Brandon & my brothers are participating in the Spartan Race at the White Water Center.  My SILs & I along with the kiddos are gonna go watch!!  It should be really fun - I'm just hoping no one gets burned from jumping over fire or beaten up from the gladiator style jousters!

via

The next weekend starts Spring Break!!  Friday the 30th B and I leave for VA for a wedding shower for my cousin Erin!  My mom, grandmother, my cousin Ashley & I are all throwing it!  It's going to be so pretty, I'm so excited!  It's been so much fun to plan!

We come back to Charlotte Sunday, April 1st and fly out early Monday the 2nd for Miami!!  From Miami, we board our cruise ship to the Bahamas!!!

Hello vaycay!  That's right!!  We'll be boarding the Majesty of the Seas cruisin' for 4 nights in paradise!  All thanks to Brandon's hard work, by the way - he won the cruise from his company!

We fly back to Charlotte April 6th and 5 days later, April 11th we close on our house!!!  We are so giddy to close and have our house!

We won't be moving that weekend, though.  April 13th - 15th I'm off to Charlottesville, VA for my cousin Erin's Bachelorette party and Brandon is off to Hilton Head for a little Brocation!

My cousin Ashley & I have been planning an awesome girls weekend & some of B's best buddies are flying down from Michigan.  Lots of vacay time back to back - I can't complain!

After Bachelorette & Brocation weekend, we'll finally get to move April 20th & 21st!!  Woohoo!  I absolutely hate moving, but there's a lot of gratification in knowing we won't have to move for another 15, 20, or 50 years :)

We'll have a weekend at home, before heading back to Virginia the first weekend in May.  More wedding fun!  Erin & Ryan have a couples shower at the lake!

May will be a bit of a quieter month - I'm hoping it will consist of a little painting in the house & some furniture shopping!!  Memorial Day weekend is usually a good time, too!  I'm hoping for a good cookout and maybe some lake time :)

And then, before you know it, it's June!  June 7th is my last day of school & June 8th - 10th is Wedding Weekend!!

Good gracious...that's a lot, huh?!  So let me just go ahead and apologize way in advance if I seem a complete ADD mess between now and June - but I sure hope you'll stick around for all the fun!

Weekend Happenings

Saturday morning we gladly woke up early with lots of anticipation....we were off to house hunt!  All we needed were some cameras and you'd think we were on HGTV ;)

Early morning house hunting requires back up from the pretty mermaid!

It was love at first sight with the first house we visited....so now we play the waiting game and wait with baited breath to see how this will all turn out!!!  Eeeep!!  {Cue internal freaking out, excitement, anticipation, and anxiety!}  We're 0-4 at this so far, so we're breathing none-the-less.

After house hunting we went to the gym for a bit, then came home to relax and watch more Dexter...obviously we're obsessed and have a problem.  You'd think the universe was against us watching Dexter, though!  Every BluRay we've had so far (there are 3 in season 1) has had a crack in it and at some point will mess up or just completely stop playing altogether.

Without fail, 40 minutes into episode 11, it stops playing!  Fabulous.  So we had to send it back and now we have to wait a whole week to finish season 1!  Wahhhh - such a first world pain for all you twitter peeps :)

Saturday night we went to our friend's Ryan & Kelly's new house for family style dinner! Everyone brought some sides, we ate a delish dinner, made a fire in their new fire pit out back, roasted s'mores & played some wagering board game (of which I was terrible at so I forgot the name :)!  Haha....but still a fantastic Saturday night with friends!!

And of course, I didn't take a single picture.  Figures.

Sunday, we slept in and when I finally mustered up enough courage to head to the gym, this happened....

According to B, I've set a new record for myself running so now I have to keep this kind of pace every run....CRAP! :)  Just kidding, I'm pretty proud of myself and now I know I can do it, so I guess I should aim for such a pace each run.  We'll see!

Sunday after the gym, B turned super handy and unclogged our kitchen disposal (that I apparently clogged Saturday night with sweet potato peelings...whoops!) with our bathroom plunger!  We're most certain this is a sign we're ready to be homeowners now!!

That night I made Skinnytaste Fiesta Lime Rice with ground chicken taco meat & it was SO good!  I highly recommend it :)

B left super early this morning to get to a client in Wilmington first thing & I couldn't sleep super well after that, so it was definitely a coffee kind of Monday!  But we didn't have a staff meeting this afternoon and tonight, Benson & I have a Bachelor date at my friend Andrea's with she & Oliver & some take out....so I can't complain!

Hope your weekend shaped up nicely!  Happy Birthday week to me ;)

Camping in Black Mountain & Tackling Mt. Mitchell

Last Christmas I bought Brandon some camping gear - a tent, sleeping bags, and few accessories.  This weekend we FINALLY put them to use!!!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to set off to Black Mountain for the night.  It's at the base of Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.

We wanted to get there early to set up camp so we'd have plenty of daylight to hike up Mt. Mitchell!  We had read about the trail all week long in anticipation.  It's technically about 11 and a half miles round trip.  One website describes the trail as follows:

Level of Difficulty: Most Difficult

Trail Tread Condition: Very Rough

Climb: Climbs Steeply

Intimidating....yes!  But we figured we're fit, active, pretty in shape.....we can tackle it for sure!  And so we were determined to do so!  Hahahahaha....

**Disclaimer - lots of pictures start now!  :) **

We got to this point and stopped so I could hop out to take a pic.  I pulled out our camera and realized I left the battery charging at home!!!  :(  I was SO sad!!  I could've cried!  But surprisingly, my lovely iphone and B's phone did a pretty good job capturing pics and we got some pretty good ones I think!

Made it to camp!

Intimidating!!

Oh boy...what are we getting ourselves into!?!

Oh how our enthusiasm would waver, hah.

B + M 4 eva!  <3

Such pretty colors!

Strong man!

Enjoying a protein bar and taking a breather, already feeling it in the legs!  Haha

Can't really see me, but we were finally gettin' up there and enjoying a view!

We made it!!!  SUCCESS!!!!!  Ahh the feeling of accomplishment!

The view paid off!

Handsome hubs

Ughhh....we made it to the top, but we still had to go back down!!!  Holy moly!  It took us about 4 hours, including lunch, to make it to the top!  And then another 3 to make it back down.  This hike was not for the faint of heart my friends!!  What naive hikers we were!  Haha, on the way down our legs were literally shaking.  We weren't sure we were ever gonna make it!  The black diamond hike lived up to its "most difficult" description for sure!  But we did it!!

Our awesome set up =) 

And our fire!!  We had the perfect set up - some tunes, celebratory beers, and yummy food!  We roasted some awesome wieners and delish s'mores over this baby!

We spent the rest of the night hanging out by our fire and enjoying our little adventure!  The ibuprofen kicked in so our legs weren't quite as sore.  

Whoa buddy are they sore today!!!  Haha, just a little reminder of our adventure that will probably linger for a few days!  We drove home reeking smelling of campfire and looking forward to a shower :)  In fact, somehow my phone still smells like campfire!  But all in all, it was a blast and I survived!  

I MAY or MAY NOT have walked into a tree AND/OR submerged my foot into cold spring water while trying to cross....but again, I survived!  We encountered no bears or bugs and we climbed a MOUNTAIN!!

I'd say camping was a success!