busy.busy.

things around here have been busier than usual at home and at work! so. my little place on the internet has been unexpectedly quiet these days!  i'm still around and still think about writing all the time but until i have an extra few minutes.... that just won't happen. oops. i have so many things drafted and maybe this weekend i'll get to sit down and write. that will feel so.good.  

until then. here are some pictures of things we've been up to lately.  i hope everyone is having a great week and i hope to use the weekend to catch back up. oh how i miss the blog world!!

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so much to say...so little time. just checking in!

i've taken an unintentional break from blogging this week.... having a four-day weekend last week and an upcoming three-day weekend this week... and road tripping... really puts a halt on my extra curricular blogging activities!

i do though have so many things to say and so may pictures to share that i wanted to just check in and make myself a list... so i don't forget and so you can see what is to come. 

and in no particular order...

• going way back... recently came across photos from our trip to colorado and our time at vista verde. so many pictures to share of a trip that we will never forget.  need to get it documented, asap! i just love going through old photos!!

• jackson and i spent good friday together again this year. it was a pretty darn good day.
  

• easter celebration part two - to grandmother brink's house we went!

• easter part three - home for the holiday

• someone loves his big boy bed - the transition: part three

• the mini marathon is only 8 days and 22 hours away. time to get a few more runs in!

• tomorrow morning we are heading down to nashville, tennessee to visit family and cheer on meagan as she runs her first marathon. i am so very excited to see my family and to watch meagan cross the finish line. funny thing is that once i'm in the atmosphere i'll just wish i was running too. just maybe not for 26 miles ;)

source.

so. many. things. to. say. so this list should help to keep me accountable!  need to get things moving!  lots to share coming up so stick with me.  

also. just a quick note about comments. i've been trying to respond to comments and have been unable to do so.  i'm wondering if it has to do with the new template i'm using or maybe a browser error?  i'm looking into it but please keep the comments coming... i really want to get this issue figured out so i can respond back! i love hearing from everyone!

happy thursday and i hope that everyone has a great end-of-the-week and a wonderful weekend. i'll be back next week!

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mid-week thoughts. and randomness.

today is wednesday and i haven't blogged since friday of last week and before that, it is hard for me to remember when i actually sat down to write something.  and today i don't have anything really important to say but feel like i needed to just get out some things that are on my mind lately.  things that i'm thinking about, motivations, inspirations, etc.  so prepare yourself for all things random. and i am totally not kidding when i say random.

let the games begin.

• i posted this photo on instagram yesterday. (i'm not the type of person to post things in order to seek out attention or praise, etc.  i promise it wasn't for that purpose.)  i came across the old photo within the last week and was amazed by how much i've changed since then. 

considering the first photo was 3 years before having a baby and the second photo is 2 1/2 years after having a baby... i never would have imagined it.  it honestly amazes me how much you can change when you really set your mind to something. my lifestyle has changed so much and i am more athletic (athletic, for me...) than i have ever been in my whole life.  i never imagined my lifestyle would change so much and i really love it.  i love that i am running around with jackson and not just sitting all the time. i am much more motivated to get up and get out there. take him out to play. i've never been an "outside" person and now we are always trying to find something to do out there, some place to go. it. feels. good.

•  speaking of athletic... i cannot help but think about the awesome weather that is to come this weekend and how i need to get outside. now i'm ready to get in some mileage.  i'm actually feeling a little antsy this second.  the sun is shining and i'd rather be out and about than sitting in an office. so. who wants to play hooky?

•  we played at the park last night and it was was chilly but so.much.fun. here are a couple of photos and a funny (hilarious, in my opinion!) video from our little adventure.  i will treasure these forever. so thankful for my husband actually taking some pictures and videos last night, i'm rarely in them!  i hope jackson will find this just as funny as i do...when he grows up ;)

 i haven't laughed that hard in a really, really long time!

• so our plan is to transition jackson to a toddler bed. next week. woah.  i have more thoughts on that coming up in another post. why is it that these things make moms so emotional?! why do they have to grow up so fast?!

• today i would love to eat a cheeseburger.  it has been a couple of weeks and now that the season is warming up, isn't it time to grill out? where is your favorite cheeseburger from?  mine just might be from five guys.  cannot get enough of that greasy burger. gross. and delicious. all at the same time!

•  i am ready to start having dinner on the patio, or going out to dinner and sitting outside while we eat. that is one of my most favorite things to do when the weather is warm. seriously i need this to happen. soon.

•  where did my little blonde baby go?

typical.

• when will this be happening again?

• my 6 year anniversary is coming up on saturday. wow. time is flying. i am so excited to spend some quality (outdoor) time with my boys to celebrate. how have i been married for almost 6 years?

so if you made it this far, i'm a little bit (okay... more than a little...) proud of you. my thoughts are a little bit all over the place. i'm craving a good outdoor run, some greasy food, cold wine and time outside with food and family. maybe all at the same time? if possible?

sounds like someone has spring/summer fever. who's with me?
 

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enjoying the quiet.

Most afternoons I am able to leave work before 4pm.  That gives me time to either come home and get in a run, get dinner prepped or even get a couple of small chores done before I pick Jackson up at school a little after 5pm.

Today, I got home around 4:15pm (earlier than normal it seems!) and since my next run wasn't until the next day, that left me plenty of quiet time to myself.

I preheated the oven...time to bake some chicken...

...I enjoyed a caffeinated beverage while listening to whatever music I wanted...

...cleaned up the kitchen and ran a load of dishes in the dishwasher...

(seriously. i love a clean kitchen. AND those bananas just remind me that there are many delicious banana bread muffins in our future!!)

...I found some friends just hanging out in the living room while I worked...

...did a load of laundry and took all of the clean clothes upstairs...

...and got dinner prepped... 

tonight's menu: chicken alfredo pesto pasta...with baked lemon pepper chicken. yum.

It is now 8:17pm.  Jackson and I just finished reading a Highlights High Five magazine from cover to cover at least 3 times.  He's already asleep (has been since 8pm, what?!) and Todd's at his weekly soccer game.  

I guess I didn't realize that I'd have two little bits of quiet time to myself today...  I think I'll soak it up while it lasts!

Soon 'll be in my bed, having the tiniest bowl of fruit loops and watching The Good Wife.  And maybe be asleep early, doesn't that sound like a lovely idea?

Isn't nice to have (so very quiet) time to yourself?  

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today is my half birthday...

...and going through old photos make me really happy.  And I love random... if you haven't noticed. 

I needed some little snippets of happiness and "sunshine" today.  This terrible winter weather drags on and is taking my happy attitude with it.  At least I can pretend that Spring is just around the corner. I'll just have to keep pretending!!

These are some of my favorite, super old, photos. I hope you enjoy.

p.s. I FINALLY have internet back at home and lots of photos and things to write about saved up.  Now that I have glorious internet... I promise to have more interesting things to say very soon so please, stick with me :) 

These photos do the following:

1. Make me wish it WAS Spring.

2. Make me miss packing for my wedding/honeymoon...and Jamaica. Because why wouldn't I miss Jamaica?

3. Little Landen.  He was/is so precious.

4. Make me want to spend today with Todd and Jackson.

5. Kiss.Those.Baby.Cheeks.

6. Make me miss my long hair. Same story, different day.

7. Also make me want to go back to Hawaii.

8. Remind me of this one time when I used to add photos to Flickr. Like all.the.time.

9. Donuts.

10. Reminds me how much I love the garden bar. 

Told you this was random.

Happy Thursday.

 

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Motivation Monday (or Thursday!)

This post includes all types of motivation...not all are fitness related this week!  So just be ready for random ramblings...because that's what I do!

As you know, I've started off this year with a great sense of motivation along with a most positive mindset and I'm letting it take over ...really going with it.  I've restarted my fitness and nutrition routine and we've started saving our money like crazy.  

It feels so good! If only I could express to you how happy it makes me.  I feel like our lives are more organized and that we are happier.  Because we've been planning, it gives me less time to worry or stress out about the little things.  We just go with the flow and enjoy every minute we have together as a family.  Nothing about that sounds negative to me!

For the last two weeks, we've really been planning a menu and sticking to a strict list at the grocery store.  2 weeks in and going strong.  It should be a habit pretty soon, right?  My "goal" was for us to spend around $100 per week on groceries for our entire family.  That includes things we need to get us through the week for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  This last weekend, we hit our goal again!

I am honestly so very proud of us.  I really hope this trend continues because I feel like we are really tackling these things as a team and making stuff happen.

In other financial-related motivations, we have been doing such a good job of cutting our spending. I started talking about cutting our spending here.  Outside of paying our usual monthly bills, I  believe the only other purchases we've made this month include groceries, gas and my half-marathon entry fee.  It will be SO nice to see our bank account at the end of the month (3 pay days this month, woot!) and know that we saved so much.  So many fewer transactions.  I am so happy that we're doing this and so thankful for such a wonderful teammate in this journey.  I feel like we are getting along and helping each other out even more so far this year and I like this trend. 

Now to switch gears a little bit...

In the fitness world, things are finally starting to pick up the pace and I'm starting to try and find my running groove again.  This week marks 2 weeks in a row that I've been staying on track with scheduled run/walks.  It has been a long time since I've been consistent.  And since I've been starting to run and make healthier choices, I can already feel a difference. That is motivation.  

Also, something I am a little giddy and excited about.  Nike has a new running coach that's a part of the Nike+ app.  Although I won't be using it quite yet, I am going to give it a try as I train for my upcoming Mini Marathon in May.  Apparently it is a run coach that also gives you cross training workouts to do as well. I'm really looking forward to trying it out.  I am such a big fan of Nike so I hope this lives up to my expectations!  

Its all set up to help me train for May so it looks like in a couple of weeks it will remind me that we're supposed to start training.  Can't wait!!

p.s. 303.6 miles of training to go? Say what?!  Maybe I shouldn't have looked at that (giant!!) number...

Anyway, in the spirit of motivation, yesterday we had a baby shower with muffins, donuts, cupcakes, cookies, etc.  And I didn't eat a single thing.  So I'm giving myself credit for that.  #winning I hope to keep that in mind as we are moving towards the weekend.  The nice thing about watching your spending and sticking to a menu and shopping list?  No snacks in the house.  Therefore I have nothing extra to stuff my face with! :)

And to switch gears just one more time...  

Here's another kind of motivation/inspiration.  The blog world.  I came across one of the most beautiful blogs this morning.  After looking it over quickly, I was immediately struck by the beauty in the everyday photos.  This woman seems like a pretty amazing mom (and photographer!) and both of those things really inspire me.  I want to have wonderful memories and beautiful photographs that tell the story. In short, if you want to see some beautiful photos, read some wonderful stories and just feel good, check out Annapolis & Company.  It honestly encourages me to keep taking pictures, to try and make them better everyday and to have fun with my little family.  I am feeling very encouraged and inspired today!

I think that's enough random for today. I'll be back tomorrow to share a my first video...compiled of a fun and snowy day. I hope you'll like it and I hope that it keeps me motivated to make more videos in the future.  (Jackson and I watched it together last night and he was a fan, so at least I know that one person will like it!) So anyway, stay tuned! 

um. how many times did I say the word "motivation" today? Geeze. I'm on my own nerves. ;)

Happy Thursday my friends!

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ch..ch..changes!

As Sunday evening...I'm feeling like a very different, very motivated individual. In so many ways.  And now that I really put some thought into it...this year (the year I turned 30) has been a year of many changes.  Changes all for the good. And I am so thankful to sit here and look back on these changes.  I'm hoping I don't forget any... ;)

1. I started running.  I really started running.  March 2013 I signed up for the Mini and started running.  And other than taking a couple of weeks off here and there... I still haven't stopped.  I've NEVER been a fan of exercise, it was something I knew I should do but did not enjoy it. I am a different person now.  Running may be good some days and it may be great (or even terrible!) other days but I have been fairly consistent and haven't stopped yet.  I think I may have found something...

And I couldn't have done it without the encouragement of my family and friends. 

I love you guys.

2. I have been running and think I may have (at one point) been in the best shape of my life.  I have muscles? (Sorry about this photo, Ally!) It is just so strange to me to look back at photos of myself and see that I am strong?!  I'm not used to this girl and I really, really, really hope she'll stick around.  JUST the motivation I need.

3. I cut 8+ inches off of my hair and donated it :) I never thought I'd see a day when I'd cut all of my hair off again. And I did!

About a week before:

(again, you can thank me later for another awesome photo!)

And...After:

About a week or two after the cut. Whew. I'm still kind of amazed that I did that. Again. lol

4. I turned 30.  Not much I could do about that change...but I did celebrate that change.  I am a grown up now?  I am LOVING it.

 5. After starting at an office is 2005, I got a new job.  Almost 8 full years after starting my first office job, I started in a new office with new (friends) co-workers.  That has been an adjustment and I honestly never thought I'd see the day.  I am still proud of myself for making such a big change and it has brought nothing but positive energy into my life.  Thank goodness.

Now. Here we are.  Nothing too exciting to report from September to today.  I do however have the itch. The feeling like something good is going to happen.  2014 is going to be a good year I know it.  So many things to look forward to.  

And NO. I'm not pregnant.  But maybe someday in the future I'll be lucky enough to be pregnant again and give Jackson a sibling. Now is not the time but I feel good about it.  

Next year is looking pretty good.  I have so many things on my mind, even today.  I'm feeling so. good.  I just had to write it down.

Thank you for sticking with me.

Love, Me.

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