Five on Friday

Happy Friday, y'all!  I'm linking up with April & Christia for Five on Friday today, so let's get right down to it :)

1 - I'm headed to CrossFit Atlanta this weekend to get my CrossFit Kids cert…

It should be a fun weekend, although I'll really miss my boys!  I've really enjoyed reading all my material for the weekend, all the research about the benefits of kids being active & I'm excited to learn some new stuff {and fun games}!  We're hoping to launch CrossFit Kids at CFP starting this summer!

2 - Monday & Tuesday of this week I spent my afternoons on our patio.  It was so beautiful out!  I ate my lunch out there, soaked up some Vitamin D, watched Berk dog run around...

And even let Benny out to do a little exploring!  He was getting waaayyy too comfortable…

It was chilly yesterday & not the warmest today, but I have high hopes those temps will be returning sooner rather than later!

3 - I got to spend my Wednesday morning hanging out with this sweet friend…

Ashley (+ baby boy) & me :)

We'd been planning it for about 2 weeks & I was so excited, it was even on my to do list for that day…

We got mani/pedis & lunch at Brixx & just caught up on life!  She's my longest friend & I'm so thankful to have known her all these years & know that our friendship will continue!  We don't talk every day, but we just pick up right where we left off.  I'm sure I'll be calling her with lots of questions whenever we have babes of our own, Ash is a pro now ;)

4 - I saw this in my Instagram feed the other day & pretty much died...

Congrats!  We're all skinny!  Hahaha, I personally work more towards being healthy & strong {so much more freeing than trying to be skinny all the time!}, but still, that's funny!

5 - 27 days until we're back to this magical place…

With a few of these in hand...

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!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday friends!!  Time for my favorite link up :)

Let's go….

1 - I came out of the shower the other night to this scene!  Haha, cracked me up!  He must have had some important emails to send with a quick little bone break in between!

2 - We've been using our old comforter for a few weeks now, as you can see above, since our sweet little cat decided to barf all over our white comforter!!  Lovely, right!?  Thankfully, we have an awesome member at out gym who happens to own a dry cleaner in Pineville.  He had me bring it by to work his magic & we've yet to put it back on yet since the white dog pictured above needs a serious bath!  B just doesn't understand my need for a white comforter, but I love the way it looks!

Clean, open, airy.  It just has to be white!

3 - Have you heard of Fabletics??  A friend just recently turned me onto them…they're an athletic wear company developed in part by Kate Hudson & you can get 2 & 3 piece outfits starting at $49.99!  That alone sounds like a steal, but the real kicker is your 1st purchase is 50% off!!  So a 3 piece outfit - bottoms, sports bra & a top is - just $25!  That's pretty much a steal!  Oh so much cheaper than my beloved lulu lemon! 

 

I think this might be my birthday present to myself!  Cute right?  If you want to sign up, go here.  {FYI I'm not getting paid or sponsored for this, that would be sweet, though!  I just live in athletic wear & am always looking for a deal!}

4 - The weather here this weekend is looking glorious!!!  I'm so excited for these warmer temps, I can't wait to be outside some - throwing the ball with Berkley, cleaning the cars with B, enjoying a drink on the patio - yes, please!

5 - I saved the very best for last….Brandon & I are terrible at gift giving!  I mean, we give pretty great gifts, we just have a hard time waiting for the occasion to give the gift!  My birthday is next Sunday & B decided he needed to show me my gift last night!  This is what he showed me…

We're going to Puerto Rico!!!!  Talk about best birthday present ever!!  He needed to make sure we didn't have anything going on the weekend he picked out for us to go, so he needed to go ahead & tell me so we could book our flights!  We fly out April 10th & come back the 13th and I'm already counting down the days - 48 days!!

We have been longing for a tropical vacation so this couldn't come at a more perfect time!  We'll only be gone 3 nights, but I think it's just what we need.  And Puerto Rico has a special place in our hearts, it's where we got engaged almost 4 years ago!  I'm so, so excited!!!!  Happy Birthday to me, right!?

Happy weekend, y'all!

Weekend

Hello.  My name is Michelle and I am an absent blogger.

It's been a whole week since I posted!!  Boo.  Clearly, though, y'all have survived during my blog drought, which I was not at all really worried about!  Phew!

As much as I {heart} springtime and all it's warmer temps - sun is out longer - trees are blooming - pollen in your face - goodness, {ok maybe the pollen part isn't actually so good!} springtime is a busy time!!

But I'm surviving & there's only 28 school days left!!!!  {The Hallelujah Chorus is playing...do you hear it?}

Here's what I did this weekend....

:)

What were y'all up to?

Loving Lately

It's Wednesday y'all!  Which means it's practically Friday eve already, so we're keeping it light around here, k!?

Some of my fav bloggers do a post every few weeks featuring their most current obsessions as of late.  I have a couple things I'm currently swooning over so I figured I'd hop right on the bandwagon :)

Seche Vite  Y'all!!  I've seen April post about this miracle top coat a few times and have no clue why it took me so long to go buy it!  It's the next best thing to having your own nail toaster for at home shellac manis!  But let's be real, I'm not buying an at home nail toaster.  Ain't no body got time for that!  I wouldn't toy with you my friends, this top coat made my nails dry super fast & shine like I just walked out of the nail salon!  I'm sold.

I take lots of beauty advice from April y'all!  Girl knows her stuff ;)  She posted about this mascara some time ago somewhere on social media & I didn't wait very long to pick up a new tube to try out.  I was then in love with my fat, gorgeous lashes!  

2 tubes later I thought I'd switch it up and try something different.  Aka the twitterverse has raved about Falsies so I thought I'd give it a try.  Mistake, mistake!  If it ain't broke... I gave it a good 3 or so weeks and Falsies just didn't do it for me.  Back to my L'Oreal love!!

I bought this fun spring pink last week on spring break and now I'm obsessed!  Essie Muchi, Muchi :) I'm a sucker for a pretty pink nail and this is the perfect shade!!

I think I'm behind the times with this one, ha!  I've never been one to wear foundation.  Thanks to mother nature and maybe some good genes I've always had pretty clear skin {ya know, except for those awkward teen years} and never needed to wear foundation.  Too heavy and just yuck!  

So when all the rage about BB Cream started I was less than interested.  But I've mixing it with my moisturizer and now I'm hooked!  Feels light and makes me glow {ya know, in my opinion} ;)

This radio is the bees knees!!  It's from Uncommon Goods & my MIL got it for me for Christmas.  We have enjoyed the heck out of it so much already!  It blasted some country while we sipped a few adult beverages in our driveway a few weekends ago {we're so classy!} and pushed me through a little at-home-outside WOD yesterday afternoon!  Awesome gift!

This article.  Go read it!  It's long, but for real, go read it.  It has everything to do with why I wrote this post last summer!!  And completely sums up the same exact thing I would tell my previous 18 year old self or an 18 year old asking for my advice.  Well said Mr. Turner, well said.  It's a scary world out there y'all!

throw back

A run/dinner date with this pretty lady tonight!  The weather is too gorgeous not to!!  It's calling us to the greenway and to a patio somewhere with a cold glass of white wine!  :)

Happy hump day friends!!

Friday's Letters

Friday's Letters!?  Let's :)

Dear husband, 4 short years ago just yesterday you & I were getting ready to go out with our respective friend groups for a night out.  Little did we know we'd end up at a fun little bar named The Attic meeting our future spouse!!  Wild right!?  What a fun & fast 4 years it's been!!!  I can't wait for what's next!

Dear weather, in case you haven't gotten the memo, it's SPRING now!!  Why must winter continue with the cold and the rainy and the yuck.  Especially this weekend of all weekends....I really need spring!

Dear Spartan Race, please don't kill me.

Dear Berkley, how are you so dang cute!?  My new favorite part of the day is playing with you for a bit on the bed each night before you get in your own bed!  You're so fun and smiley!  We're glad you're ours!!

Dear Spring Break, please hurry!  I'm ready.  Really, really ready for a little R&R and a lotta Folly Beach & Charleston!

Dear friends, happy, happy weekend!!!

Head on over to Ashley's blog & read all of Friday's Letters :)

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!

Midweek Randos

Recently, sweet Mrs. KTLouise tagged me in an Eleven for Eleven post from her blog!  I did a Random Eleven post not too long ago when I was tagged by Chic Runner, so I'm not going to fully participate again, but I thought it'd be fun to answer KTLouise's 11 questions and throw in a couple other midweek randoms, also.  So here we go!

1 - Where were you born?  Right here, in good ol' Charlotte, NC.  My home :)  I'm such a towny - except my town's gotten pretty big over the last few decades!

2 - What irrational fear do you have?  Probably something with bugs - like them crawling in the windows while I'm sleeping.  Talk about hebie jeebies!!  Yuck!

3 - Where's 1 place you hope to travel before you die?  Just 1 place!?!  I guess Bora Bora. Or Hawaii.  Or Alaska.   That's more than 1 huh?

4 - What's your favorite summer cocktail?  My go to in the summer is usually a Bud Lite Lime, but that's not really a cocktail, haha.  So if we're talking cocktails - I think I'd pick a Mojito or Gin & Tonic!  So refreshing!

5 - Fine Dining or Casual Dining?  Casual.  Fine is good every now and then, but I'm more a relaxed kinda gal!

6 - Did you go to summer camp as a kid?  Oh my goodness, some of my best and most favorite childhood memories are from summer camp!!!  I think it's just a right of passage - every kid needs to go!!  My summer camps were always with my church and such an awesome time!

7 - Favorite comfort food?  Ice cream.  Any time, any day, any where!  Always hits the spot!

8 - Do you have any siblings?  If so, how many?  I am blessed with 2 amazing big brothers! I'm the baby :)  I'm so fortunate that they chose wonderful wives (one wife per bro, we do not endorse polygamy here!) so now I have 2 sisters!  And when I married B, I gained another wonderful sister & (her hub) brother!  I'm real blessed, y'all!

9 - Coffee or Tea?  Coffee - and make it Starbucks, please.

10 - Friends character you're most alike?  This is such a fun question, haha.  I guess Monica?  I definitely have an inner fat girl (that I suppress), I like things to be neat and clean (although I'm not near as compulsive about it!) and I can just relate to her wee bit OCD personality :)

11 - What's the 1st concert you ever saw?  I'm pretty sure it was Point of Grace when I was maybe 11 with 2 of my best friends, Ashley & Erin!  Haha, we got the shirts and cds and sang the songs in church!  I'm sure there's a repulsive picture of us (11 is like the beginning of the awkward years, ya know!?) in our PoG tshirts at one of our parents house.  Let's hope that doesn't ever get found!

Such fun questions KTLouise!!  Thanks for the tag!

Just a few other midweek random...

-- 3 years ago this very day....it was actually a Saturday....I met this handsome stud!!

Not from the day we actually met, but maybe 6 or so weeks later :)

Sometimes it seems like I've known him forever!  And other times it seems like 3 years is just this small blip of time.  Either way though, I'm so thankful he's mine & we're in it together, for the long haul!

-- Today, our due diligence date is up on our house!  (That's real estate talk, y'all)  I guess we're for real going through with this whole house business or else we loose out on some major moola we already paid forth.  So yes, we move forward!!  We close 3 weeks from today! :)

-- I need to ask a big favor of y'all - Sunday night we got a call about a family member of B's that's not doing so well.  I can't share too much (it's not really my story to share), but God knows and I know He'll hear your prayers for B's family and us.  So thank you in advance!

-- And so to end on a positive note, I am welcoming spring with open arms!

Welcome back warm weather - although that started a little early this year - spring break {we're down to 7 school days!!!} - spring blooms - and my allergies! YUCK - lighter evenings - and the urge to go sit on a porch and sip wine or eat dinner!  That of which I will be doing tonight, with some very *lovely ladies*!!

Happy Spring friends!!

St. Patty's Day Weekend

Oh boy, y'all!  Yesterday, was a day from the devil!!  

I had planned to come home and blog - but after 12 hours in my sweltering school building, it was all I could do to sit on the couch and eat a bag of kettle corn and a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup egg or three!  Oh boy, that's not so good for the bikini I'll be wearing in 2 short weeks on our cruise!  Whoops :)

Anyways, today was a new day which I was thankful for - His mercies are new every day, amen!?  And I got a pretty good work out in to make up for last night!

But back to my weekend recap, as the title says...

Friday was my blogaversary!!!  I can't believe I've been blogging for a whole year!  Where does the time go?  I attempted to celebrate that by giving my blog a little make over, but I quickly came to my senses (aka B told me to give it up!) because I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing....even with those free, do it yourself, here's how templates.  Ahh....one day.  For now, it ain't broke so I ain't gonna try to fix it!

Friday night we stayed in and kept it low key - a little Dexter, a little buffalo chicken pizza & some relaxation in preparation for the big St. Patty's Day Bar Crawl!

It's the biggest one in the world, y'all!!  Or so "they" say - they did the research and didn't find a bigger bar crawl so I'll believe it!  Saturday was the perfect day for it, too.  Maybe even a little too hot!!  We wore shorts in March.  Crazy!

Greg & B all decked out

Hunter & me :)

The ginormous crowd!!  A sea of green!

On our "crawl"

Greg & Ashley with a photo bomb courtesy of Hunter!  Haha

Love my girls!!  Hunter, Andrea & me

And I love my cowboy leprechaun ;)

It was a super fun day uptown!  We didn't really follow the suggested itinerary for the bar crawl, just went to some of our favorite bars that we don't frequent too often anymore!  We polished off the evening with some froyo & headed home.  Overall, I'd say it was a perfect success :)

Sunday we slept in a bit and somewhere in the day mustered up the courage to try a workout and make a trip to the grocery store!  Our run was difficult to say the least after our day of fun before, but we toughed it out and then headed right back to the couch, haha.  We both got ready for the week - all the sunday funday joys ;) i.e. laundry, work, cleaning, etc.

And alas, here we are, nearly to hump day!  Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend, friends & a wonderful start to your week!!