When I Grow Up...

This is cool. Makes my 30something year old self not feel so old :)
Since I've got a ton more to do on this spinning 'round & 'round awesome little planet, lets talk....

When I Grow Up.....

I'll run a half and kill it
and have the B.A.double.L's to run a group fitness class too.

I'll learn to not stand downwind of little mans farts
And see poop before stepping in it...

I'll still harass street "artists"
yes, these are always vodka infused fun times.

I won't have any other children than the two I do (sorry mom and dad)
I'll make time for regular haircuts, manicures and pedi's
I'll actually make a cleaning schedule and stick with it
I'll have my very own roomsized closet
I'll probably wear sunblock religiously
I'll still be happy, go lucky me but better
I'll have finally mastered my fear of stupid karaoke (nah, nevermind)
And mastered any other insecurities, we all have them and we don't need them!

I'll still be wearing wedges over stiletto's
and hopefully have a collection of running shoes not just $5 dolla flip flops.

I'll travel. to every beach. every island. ok, maybe not every but you get the idea

I'll be loving up on two beautiful daughter in laws :))

I'll maybe be kissing the Army goodbye.
Don't get me wrong... I do love the ARMY but we'll buy a home and really put down some roots

I'll still be loving the life out of this man



There's so much more, I know there is but this is where the fun ends!

The kind of Girl Who....

Can't pick just one! Hello fancy Tuesday link ups!!
I love each of these bloggers too much to not join the fun!!!
Their prompts are a fun and perfect way for you to know a bit more about me, and for me to learn more about you, so make sure you link up too!

A one time link up hosted by Holly at Running in Stiletto's

And a new {weekly} Tuesday Link up with Lisette at Northern Belle Diaries

And the too funny Alexa at Southern Living Our Way is hosting Truth Be Told, I'm Lion

Let's have fun with a few random facts about me :)

I'm the kind of girl who...

loves a shopping spree but feels incredibly overwhelmed in Forever21
over thinks and then thinks on the over thought thoughts
doesn't always catch the punch line and surely can't reference a movie quote
loves music, could live without cable but would crumble without the www
loves deeply, stays loyal, gives freely. favors honesty
accepts all kinds, never leaves anyone out
is happy go lucky, bubbly and spirited yet writings seem to showcase a more serious, sentimental side
loves a long talk, cries through a heart to heart and understands a blow out is at times, necessary
stacks her flats and lays flat her boots. owns too many hairbrushes and uses only one
allows her jewelry to lay in knots but carefully arranges each earring
swears by mascara, a glossy smile and a spray of floral perfume
digs deeper into each squat, runs the extra mile, curls the next set, holds the plank longer
tries to always improve upon the day before, yesterdays standards are so yesterday
compiles recipes and magazine tear outs with hopes of mastering the art of cooking for a family
has a style that's ever changing, always evolving, never the same
keeps a messy room but bed is always made. collects water bottles on the nightstand but alarm is set
spends nights alone and sleeps with 3 blankets. holds hubby tight when work lets him be home
can get dirty with my boys, swing a bat, spike the ball, spiral the throw and race the cars
captures snapshots of life at a rate that drives the husband insane, and finds this funny
treasures each little moment in life and yearns to stop "glorifying" busy
seeks peace not only in the moments of silence but in the times of chaos too
needs to pray more, seek his answers, and walk more in his light

alright, this seems like a good stopping point! no. one more...

...I'm the kind of girl who loves that you stop by each day and take the time to chat with me!
So, today I ask you to leave me a comment with one random fact about you!!!



And for the Truth be told, I'm Lion tricky trick....
these are easy...I'm not very good at lion!

I'm obsessed with Bickram Yoga, love a good sweat session and stretch!
I've ran at least 20 races in my life, placing 1st and 3rd in 4 of them!
I do 88 lunges, 100 squats, 100 crunches, 60 wall balls, and 4 minute planks in just one workout!

which is a lie? which are the two truths? Leave your guess below. I'll share the answer in tomorrows post!

Unexpected Color Combo and HOT Pinkness!

I just got a new camera and I'm ready to sell it and buy a different one. We just don't get along.
I've read it's lengthy manual, I've tried each obnoxious switch on the dial but damn't if it doesn't work right!
I think I'm better suited for a regular Nikon or a simpler Cannon.  This DLSR and I do not get along.


On to Polka Dot flowiness and Hot Pink blurriness!

These colors together....work! I might not have considered it until I realized the pants I wanted to wear were dirty, so on went the trusty denim skinny's and of course my beloved camel knee boots.

I always wear earrings. Gold was the obvious choice. But, I barely have the time to get myself ready between two kids and my seemingly always running late syndrom, so I tend to skip other pieces of jewelry. Had I the time, I think layered dainty gold necklaces would've complemented this outfit perfectly!

On to the blurry pics of New Years Eve! Have I mentioned that my camera and I don't get along? We fought at the beginning of the night so I returned the feeling of rejection and picked up my iPhone....

Told you I always have a water bottle in hand! On to the iPhone pics!

Our night started with dinner and drinks at a nearby Irish Pub....just the hubs & I.
It's nice for the two of us to get out and enjoy normal, adult dinner conversation.

After dinner we headed downtown to a crowd of friends. Thank God they had thought ahead and reserved a section. The line at the door was deep and it was cold. Not really my first choice of how I want to spend an hour of my night. So with a quick name drop we slipped downstairs feeling awful for those in line.

The drinks were plenty, the laughter stayed at the volume of a roar, and our dance moves improved or worsened as the night went...depending on how you look at it. I'd like to think they improved.

I avoided sequins....unlike the other 345,590,569 girls. I like sequins but I also like being different. I wore a boho, one should style dress...and thanks to my shittayyyy camera skills not a single picture does the dress justice. Bummer.

Wedges in my opinion are a win, win.
Heels are sexy but ultra hard to dance in.
Right?!? Wedges, however, do the legs alot of good and are tight friends with balance. Something one needs on New Year Eve....

So that's it, people. That's all I have to offer. An unexpected color combo in the name of polka dot fashion (fading or not) and some "Hot"Pink blurriness on my New Years Eve night out with the hubs and friends.

IN OTHER BIG NEWS OF THE DAY....check my TIPS FOR KEEPING GOALS guest post on Lindsay's blog Pursuit of Pink!!! you should totally do it now!

I've linked with Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday and the always stylish Shanna for Random Wednesday as well as the growing and fun hop Walkabout Wednesdays!

Leopard. Bows. and Naughty Snowmen

Let's break it down...

Leopard "leap".

Seriously, that leopard print belt...is a bit of a leap for me. I love my leopard print items but I tend to buy them and leave them in the closet. While, I love seeing other's wear the print, I always feel nervous rockin' it myself, yes even in skinny belt fashion....hence, the classic black and white combo, awkwardly posed pictures and snagging my hubby for some distraction...

Bows.

Last year I made my own tacky Christmas sweater. This year I got distracted and chose to instead play with my youngest. Pinterest-DIY-tacky-sweater fail. Good times, sweet laughter, and big goodnight XOXO's -win.


Naughty Snowman.

I was able to make hubby's tacky Christmas sweater. Felt, hot glue and 15 minutes gave us, the party crowd, and hopefully you a big laugh. We had to keep this sweater under wrap until the boys were with the sitter because, well, obvious reasons! But in good humor and tasteless, tacky fun...it fit in, just fine. no pun, intended. And, I thank Goodwill for hooking a momma up with this mass production, once.oh.so. popular tacky Christmas Tree Sweater of the what, 80's ? 90's? Good time had by all and hubby can now stop acting in character, whatever character that snowman called for. It changed throughout the night, each one ridiculously funny. I get the feeling, if he were a girl he could rock leopard from head to toe and completely own it.

So that's how leopard...bows...and naughty snowmen come together. My fashions of the past week.

Other fun news this "beautiful" giveaway!

Other mentions, it's too easy to sit and burrow in the fears that are raised from recent events and worry immensely that the world is far from safe. I've shared my thoughts and each time I read a post concerning forgiveness, hope, and faith it warmed my heart and gave me a smile. I think this world is a beautiful place a midst it's sadness and I know that if we each focus on joy that kind of strength will allow all affected to rebuild, for, if we focused on bitterness and anger or sat in fear...only demise can arise from there.

I've linked with What I Wore Wednesday, Wednesday Walkabout, and duh, Random Wednesdays.
also...A Lovely Blog Hop :)

Free your Focus

No, it's not good. It's completely out of focus.
Said my husband after taking this picture.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Sometimes we need a change in our field of focus.
I'm thankful for this change....

Be free in your focus.

Let your mind wonder as your belly growls from the Thanksgiving table spread.
Listen to the laughter surrounding you. The melody of your friends and family.
Watch the smile lines curve upward and the eyes squint & twinkle.
Take time to sit and watch the leaves blow by and the clouds roll on.
Count the rays of sun, lighting your life.

Give thanks for all the little pleasures around you....
For that's what really makes the heart whole.

Thumbs up & Thumbs down to Halloween

At times it can feel like a  "trick" to have boys 11 years apart.
But most of the time, like last night, it's a real "treat"!

This year for Halloween...
one boy learned how to trick-or-treat and the other learned he'd rather do the tricks than treat.

Dad's been spoiling Landon since my surgery!
He did most of the hand holding and allowed Landon as many lollipops as he wanted...oh my.


My sister and her family joined us again this year.
You may remember how the cousins were giraffe's and owls last year?!
This year their costumes were much more fitting to their attitudes personalities.
Mine a Quaterback and my nephew a Greaser!

Getting pictures of these two was DIFFICULT!!
Having them wear their "complete" costumes...even more difficult!
Our babies are toddlers now walking running to every front door with a bowl full of candy...

Distance covered...1 street.
Literally, that's it.
Lance was over it. And toddlers can only go so far.

Happy Novemeber :)
If you haven't started your holiday shopping list...what are you waiting for?!

The holidays will be here before you know it!

Halloween is Upon Us!

With just one day left 'til Halloween, I hope you all have your costumes ready and bowls filled with treats!
Our family celebrates Halloween each year by dressing up and trolling the neighborhoods.  Flashlights, glow sticks and trick-or-treat bags in hand...

I am not one of those moms that make my children's costumes.
I am one of those moms that B@#*& about how much costumes cost now in days :)

My oldest son must have the scariest, goriest costume available.
He is now 12 and I wonder if he should even be trick-or-treating anymore?
Isn't their a rule about when kids should stop?
Maybe I should Google it, or if you know, please tell me!!!

My youngest son, has no choice in his costumes. He's only 18mo's.
I'm excited for next year,  he'll be 2 &1/2 and I'm sure able to pick out his own costume.
But for now, mommy and daddy pick.
And we picked what is def the most fitting to his personality and to our budget....a $10.00 (yea, 10 bucks) Quaterback Costume.  All the moms out there who make their children's costumes have my UTMOST respect, 1// I wish I could operate a sewing machine, and 2// I wish I had the time and patience to create outfits...but I don't know if this costume could of been made for under $10.00 buck-a-roos!

Lance and I have had a lot fun looking over Halloweens of the past...
My digital pics only go back to when he was 5, that was 7 years ago!!!
I figure either I didn't own a digital camera before that age or maybe they weren't even popular yet?
Holy crap, that makes me feel old.

Take a look at these pics of

Halloween's Gone By

As you can see, Lance's costume got more scary and more gory as the years went on.
And thankfully, I matured out of the "Heeeey" smile phase....geeez! ha.ha.

My how times have changed....from my sweet 5 year old Ninja to my 9 year old Zombie Dr., to my 11 year old Masked Graffiti Punk of last year with his baby brother, Landon, the Giraffe.

One more throwback to last year....to include the cutest, most adorable cousins ever.

We are relieved that "Sandra" AKA Hurricane Sandy has blown through and thankfully left our city with very little damage. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who haven't been so lucky. It's sad to think that so many will not be able to celebrate this Holiday and will still be in repair for the upcoming Holidays.

My hope is that you all have a safe and happy Halloween if you partake in its celebration.
If you don't, stay warm and enjoy the last night of October.

For me this night marks the start to the...

Holiday Madness!!!!!

Keep Calm, Buy Batteries and Blog on!

.......OR.......

Mother on, Blog On,

....and be prepared for Hurricane weather!

With threats of nasty, hurricane weather headed our way....we spent most of the weekend moving yard toys into the shed and getting the mums and pumpkins to the inside of our porch.

We also strategically parked our cars in the driveway....but the options are slim. It's a little like playing Roulette as to whether we want the private fence to nail our cars or the half dead tree to crash into them....that's if the winds and rain are as persistent as are predicted.

I've always been surprised at how vulnerable our city is to the Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. We're not coastal and more than 100 miles inland. But, Mother Nature can be a real beast.

Either way, we're ready. Yard's cleaned up, house is cleaned, laundry's done, and cabinets are stocked. We're dreading prepared for the worst....being without power for days.

My oldest son has a zillion questions. For such a big boy (12 yrs) he sure is nervous about this storm and hesitant to fall asleep or be far from me or Lucas. He imagines trees falling and flooding.
This is most likely due to the news reporters,
who should take my advice → → → Keep Calm and Report other news around the World.

Another topic...I need to keep calm about is 'blogging'.

I love to blog.
I love it more than ever I thought I would.
I love reflecting and sharing my thoughts in posts and comments.
I love that I'm learning and being entertained by so many other bloggers.
I love that 29 people find me 'interesting enough' to join-in on my fun!
I love this outlet to create. And, I love learning the tricks in this HTML driven "world".
Maybe I love it all to a fault.

I've wanted to focus on my posts but I've been so distracted by the design/branding process of blogging.

I've been wanting to change my blogs name.
I thought I knew what my focus would be, but with time....
I've discovered that I have much more to share than just one topic.
I feel like I've outgrown my blog title and it's only been 2 months!

I have so many blessings and awesome happenings {big and small} in my life. I would love for my blog title to be more reflective of that instead of only suggesting fitness for mom only....I am now regretting such a narrow title choice.

My daily life is filled with....
working mom issues
2 sweet boys with 11 years between them
my hubby, your typical USArmy Soldier
our fur baby, who begs to go for walks/runs but really can't keep up after 1 mile
DIY creations from stationary -to- furniture makeovers -to- delish & burnt-to-a-crisp-recipes
wonderlust, hopes and dreams....

All these blessings should be here in my blog.
But with a title like I have now, how would anyone realize all this "fun"?
Wouldn't one just assume this blog to be all about Fitness? and a little about mommyhood?


I guess the point of this RANT...
is to express slight frustration in finding my footprint in the blogging world.
I want to present myself with a more fitting title.
I've thought of a few and each one makes me smile but of course I stress the migration of old to new.
I wonder if changing it through blogger is the easier way or if using a purchased domain is worth all the trial and error that's sure to occur.

Over the past week I've been restricted on physical activity and it's sucked. Big time.
But it's also given me the time to research and learn how to create this new blog design!!

I'm excited with my blog design, what do you think?!

Share your experience with me.
If you've been in my shoes....you probably remember the feeling of hesitation and the distraction from the point of all of this...

Have any of you felt this way in your blogging journey? 
Would you mind sharing the pro's and con's of changing your blog name this far into the game?

Relief in a Week

Hello.....Weekend!
YES, I realize the work week is not over...but it is Little Friday!
And, nick names make regular days more fun.

It's been a long week for my family.
No one was sick and nothing horrible happened,
it's just 'one of those' weeks that make you loooong for the weekend.

A few things that did make this week Awesome....

$3.00 steal of a deal porch pillows!

 'schooled' on my sons Long Board!

Essie's Fall 2012 collection!

source

and....perhaps the most stress relieving of all....
 a sweet opportunity found through...

join in the fun and get to know some of these Southern Mamas!
One of my fav's is Sonja @ Running in Pearls, too put it simply, she's awesome
and just what I needed for a blog RE-Do.

Stay tuned! Exciting changes are in the works! 
And I highly recommend you click here to check out her opportunity!

I believe in...

I believe in being your own kind of beautiful.
I believe in hairbrush singing and dashboard drumming.
I believe in watching a sunset and sunrise at least once a year.
I believe in the salty breezes of the ocean, it can blow away any bad mood.

I believe in waving at kids on school buses and that children hold more knowledge than some adults.
I believe in taking the time for long walks and stroller jogs.
I believe a baby's laugh is the most joyful noise.
I believe all little boys should have dirt on their hands, bruised knees, and holes in their jeans.
I believe brothers can have the best of bonds, no matter, the age gap.

I believe in being your children's loudest cheerleader!

             

I believe in the simple joy of opening the sunroof.
I believe shopping is an excellent form of therapy.
I believe in dressing for the occasion and sometimes that simply means... t-shirt and jeans.
I believe in tan lines and good times.

I believe in taking one for the team.
I believe in our military.
I believe an American flag should always fly at your home...

I believe in seat belts. They are sexy.

I believe in handwritten cards and photo cards with awesome envelopes.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kristine on Pinterest

And even better, I believe in spoiling your niece and nephews by sending exciting packages thru the mail.
I believe in stuffing money and trinkets into balloons...surprises are the best.

Source: via Kristine on Pinterest

I believe in the power of prayer, bear hugs, goosebumps, intertwined hands.Weekend getaways for parents. I believe in shoe boxes of photos and Sepia tone lovers and any other Jack Johnson lyric.

I believe setting goals and fighting to achieve them proves a strength beyond measure.
I believe in morning stretches. I believe in Upcycle, Recycle, and leaving green footprints.
I believe in all the countless full-filling reasons to do races and -supporting their causes.

I believe in shopping the perimeter of grocery stores.
I believe in my gym classes b/c the gym itself can be daunting and scary!
I believe in drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

I believe in so much more than this. But I believe this to be the longest post ever!