Oh blogging...

I have such a love/hate relationship with blogging lately!  I think it's really all in my head, I feel like if I can't blog more than once a week then I just shouldn't blog & then I get months behind & then I haven't blogged since Christmas & now it's February & well, here we are.

Here I am, somehow months behind, but somehow still wanting to come back!  I put so much pressure on myself to blog & then it begins to feel like a chore & I end up just skipping it all together. I do most of the social media work for the gym as well….so maybe there's little left in me to blog after that!?

I should really figure out how to get over all of that, though!  It's all pressure from myself.  So silly, really!  What the heck!?

And I really don't know where to go from here…most likely a few picture dump/catch up posts?? That way I don't feel like I completely skipped Christmas, New Years & January in general?  Haha

Here's a short recap of January & I'll be back later this week to picture dump recap Christmas :)

We celebrated NYE with 2 other couples!  We went to Napa on Providence (very good!) & then to Bradshaw Social House (our neighborhood favorite!)!  Our friend Lauren is preggo so we had a built in DD ;)

Fun dress & NYE nails!

Richy Rich!

My fav!

Happy 2014!!!

 The first weekend in January we hosted Fight for Fitness as part of the Greater Charlotte Health & Fitness Expo!  It was a long, but great day!!  We got to meet lots of CrossFitters from around Charlotte, give back to a local charity & show tons of people that CrossFit can be for anyone!

If you haven't noticed, it's been super chilly this winter!!  At least for most of the country!  We don't use our heat at the gym so there have been many a cold day at the box!  I wear lots & lots of layers, sometimes my ski pants, and more layers.  I'm SO ready for warm weather!  I can't wait to sweat ;)

This view doesn't get old though!

This spunky nephew of mine turned 4!!  4!?!  He was just born, I swear.

We attempted to go to our 1st Panther's game of the season!  I say attempted because we failed miserably at going.  This was the 2nd round of the playoffs & tickets were stupid expensive!  I was very sad about that on the way home, but it turned out we didn't do so hot & B made the most delicious bacon sliders while I snuggled white thing & watched the game from the couch.  Not too shabby after all!

We spruced up our downstairs half bathroom with some floating shelves we got for Christmas!  I just love our little Westie figurine from B's mom!!  I think it's the cutest thing & goes so nicely with the bouquet from my bridal portraits!

We hosted an "After Holiday Party" for all of our CrossFit Pineville peeps that night.  Sadly, I didn't take a single picture!  Too busy enjoying everyone's company outside of the gym & in regular clothes & makeup!  Ha

I've told a couple people lately, and I think it's true with the CrossFit community in general, but there are so many people at our gym that, otherwise, I most likely would have never met in my life.  We're different for different reasons, but CrossFit made our paths cross & I've gotten to know them.  Really, I'm so glad to have met these people because I just love them!  It's such a joy to know them & I truly look forward to seeing these people every day!!

Brandon & I competed in War of the WODs the last weekend in January!  We both competed individually, a first for both of us, B in RX Men & I did Scaled Women.  I was definitely nervous, but it was such a fun day!!  We each did 4 workouts that day & boy was it exhausting!

I finished 18th out of 30!  I was pretty happy with that, as I landed out of the bottom 10, but really I had no expectations & just didn't want to come in last!  Haha!  I did take 7th place in one of the workouts & I PR'd my hang clean at 120 lbs (the top pic)!  That is my body weight so I was excited :)

Brandon finished in 6th place overall out of 40 men!!!  Isn't that awesome!?!  The top 5 went to the final WOD so he just missed it!  I'm so, so proud of him!  He took 2nd & 5th place in 2 of the events that day!

B's been traveling a lot for work, which is a little stressful knowing how much he wants to be at the box!  Right now we're just putting our head down & doing a good work!

This guy is my snuggle bug & I just love him to pieces!!  We snuggled up tight during the snow last week!

Phew, ok, January recapped!  Hopefully I'll have Christmas recapped sometime soon…maybe before Valentine's!? ;)

Holiday Photo Dump

So in an effort to recap all the holidays, a rather large, massive, yet still ladylike, photo dump is in order!  I realize I'm a little late, but I can't let our Christmas & New Years festivities go undocumented!

Christmas vacay started 2 weeks ago and this was my view that night.  Sweetest thing!

Our dining room table was finally delivered on Saturday the 22nd, just in time for all the festivities!!  I was so giddy & still am whenever I walk by!  A full post is coming on this room :)

Saturday after the table delivery, my cousin Erin & I finished up the last of her Christmas shopping and got a very necessary holiday beverage!

Saturday night we hosted the 2nd annual pre-Christmas Family Soup Night!  My mom made Veggie soup and I made Chicken Tortilla soup & cornbread.  Everyone just chatted & enjoyed each other.  It was a full house and it made my heart so full!

That night, Erin & Berkley took a little catnap on the couch :)

We kept with tradition (started last year, so it's tradition now!) and went to the Panther's Game the Sunday before Christmas!

This guy is single ladies!!  For real, snatch him up!  ;)

As you can tell, it was windy & COLD!!!  So naturally, we took turns sitting in the running car to warm up!

I freaking love them!

And all of them!!

We grilled out with a bunch of friends at our house after the game & the boys made a big fire!  Good times were had by all!

We slept in a bit on Christmas Eve, then a lot of fam came over to hang for the day while the women got to cooking in the kitchen!  We postponed a bit of the cooking long enough for a little mani/pedi action & all enjoyed hanging out!!

Christmas Eve night, my brothers & SILs are always with the SILs sides of the family and my aunt, uncle and cousins go see their other side as well.  That leaves B & I, my parents and my grandmother.  So the past 2 years we've gone out to eat and then turned in early.  We came home to finally watch Home Alone!  Turns out I took zero pictures Christmas Eve :(

This is what our tree looked like Christmas morning!  Lots & lots of gifts!!

Sweet Abel sleeping through the madness :)

We watched as the kiddos opened all their gifts first!

Roen was so surprised to get her American Girl Doll!!

Wells sure was proud of his new sword!

Rob, Gale, Brandon & I went in together and got the 3 big kids Razor scooters!  They had a big time riding them in the driveway!

And I couldn't leave out a pic of all the dogs!!  7 in all, what can I say, we're a dog loving family!

It was a really loud, fun filled day!  14 adults, 3 children, 1 baby, and 7 dogs all crammed into our house and I wouldn't want it any other way!  We ate a big dinner that afternoon!  We ate and ate and then ate dessert  :)

That evening, everyone was on their way which meant Brandon & I needed to pack since we were mitten bound the next morning!  We pulled out of our driveway for Michigan at 6 am in the pouring rain on the morning of the 26th!

It rained...

And Berkley slept...

And then it snowed...

And snowed some more...

And snowed some more...

B wasn't amused with my photo taking!  I blame the snow.

It took us 15 hours and 45 minutes, but we finally made it to Brandon's sister & BIL, Ashley & Casey's, house!  It's normally only about a 12 hour drive.  Yuck!!  Still better than our 24 hour trip in 2009.  But that's a story for another day!

Berkley finally met his terrier cousin, Charlie!  And Jameson, too.

He & Charlie were fast friends.  Jamo's ornery, haha.

Thursday night we celebrated with Ashley, Casey & B's mom!  I wore 2 of my favorite presents, a sweater from my parents and my monogram necklace from my SIL.

Of course, mama Joan got the doggies gifts, too!!

This pic cracks me up!!  Sad Santa Berkley!

The dogs & their toys!

Friday we mustered through a workout and enjoyed being lazy...

Played in the barn... 

 And then toasted to good friends and a fun movie night!

We met Brandon's best friend Jordan for dinner (where I had the best Chicken Parm of my life, omg!) and came home to watch Ted with Ash & Casey!!  Hilarious by the way!

Sadly, Saturday morning, we attended the funeral of Brandon's Grandma Shuck.  I never really got to know her when she was well, she suffered from severe dementia.  It was a nice service, though, and I got to learn a lot about the woman she was!  We got to see a lot of family as well!

Saturday night was our dinner out with Brandon's mom's side of the family and our gift exchange!  

We took one picture all night.  Fail!  But it was a fun evening seeing everyone and eating Grandma's fudge!  Yum!

Sunday morning we were QC bound again.  Our trips to Michigan always seem so short, I wish they could be longer!!  It was a really wonderful visit, though!  I'm blessed to have such a great second family!

Monday, Christmas 2012 came down and our house went back to normal!  Hallelujah!!  I was not sad to see it go.  I met Ashley & Rachel for breakfast, ran some errands and then worked out.  

We really wanted to just sit on our couch for New Years, but we'd made plans to head to our friend's house party, so we grabbed dinner beforehand & then had just the right amount of fun!

Sparkles are always necessary on NYE!

Cheers to 2013!!