Reasons this weekend rocked

 

 

Wearing this same comfy outfit 2 days in a row--YOLO + having Bren all to myself 2 nights in a row + lunch and shopping with mom and Ari + getting the very last pint of Cherry Garcia (the only ice cream that matters) at Target + a Pilates class, an asiago Rich's bagel with veggie cream cheese, and a nail appointment while Bren golfed + catching up on the newest Fixer Upper episodes.

 

Funny moments from the weekend---

 

>> When I told Bren that I was going to go get my nails and toes done while he golfed the next day, he told me that he could do just as good of a job as Jada Nails. I figured that if the kid could draw, he could probably paint some nails! I'm still kicking myself for not taking a picture of my foot but I was busy laughing too hard while he was painting in a circle swirly motion... Sorry Brennan Nails, you gave it a good shot.

 

>> I don't know if I have mentioned this on here before, but for the past month or so, this one legged pigeon has been living on our balcony railing-- WE FINALLY HAVE A PET! He always sits in the same exact spot on the far right. We named him Chester, and we even went and bought him some bird food. Well the other night as we were pulling into our condo complex, we saw that the neighbor below us got a bird feeder, and put it on the far right side of their railing! QUIT TRYING TO STEAL OUR BIRD TREVOR! So far, Chester has remained loyal. I'll report back.

---

 

Also, watch this video from my girl Joanna Gaines aka HGTV Superstar getting personal and spiritual. Such a good reminder that if we understand God's timing, he can take our dreams further then we ever could on our own timing. I myself need to remember that sometimes it's not that the answer is "no", it's that the answer is "not right now." I love her and love her message.

 

xoxo

Having your own interests

 

 

As I mentioned before, I have been dying to get Bren on a reformer. My normal Pilates teacher was out of town last week on spring break, and I didn't want to go a whole week without a class so I called up Robyn, Brennan's good friend from high school's mom who teaches and she got us into a class! I did totally space that it was the same day as The Masters, so Bren-- you win husband of the year award!

 

Early on the morning of the class I noticed he was getting up to go to the gym before work. I asked him what he was doing and that we had a Pilates class that night, duh! He said he knew and he'd be fine...I could tell that he thought this was going to be some sissy workout and I couldn't WAIT to prove him wrong. You know that little half smile smirk emoji? That was me all day, smug as can be.

 

Long story short, he was DRIPPING with sweat the entire class and even halfway through said the words "I'm never doing this again." I tried to keep my giggles to myself. After the class he told me he was kidding when he said that but I'm not so sure he was...hahaha.

 

He was such a good sport and actually told me on the way home what a good workout it is and how cool the machine is. It meant a lot to me that he would come try something I loved, and it got me thinking that I'm sure he feels the same way when I'm his golf caddy or ask him a bunch of questions (like "What's wire to wire?") while watching The Masters.

 

I think it is so important in a marriage to have your own interests and to be your own person. I also think it's just as important to respect each other's interests and make an effort to learn about them, and even join them once in a while. But-- their hobbies don't have to become your hobbies-- it's good to have your own! It's attractive to your spouse.

 

The only issue is that we both have pretty expensive hobbies HA (and my other hobby is shopping so that doesn't help either). But hey, aren't most? I do have a little something up my sleeve to change this though...more on that down the road.

 

Speaking of expensive, if anyone is wanting to try Pilates, I have found Robyn to be the most affordable I've seen yet! Check her out here and text her for her most up to date schedule. Promise you will LOVE this workout-- and for the record I barely break a sweat but OHHH do I feel the burn. So don't let Bren's dripping sweat scare you away.

 

Anyways-- 

 

What hobbies do you and your lover do together and which hobbies do you keep separate? I'm curious :)

 

Happy Monday!

 

xoxo



Easter + Conference all in one

How lucky were we to have Easter and Conference all in the same weekend?! I thought it was super special. The older I get, the more and more I love conference. As Holland was approaching the pulpit, Bren said, "Buckle up!" which was so funny and true to me, he is always so powerful and to the point. His talks always seem to speak to me the most, and I loved how this year's talk was about Easter, the most sacred day of the year: "Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced; every sorrow we have ever known." What a blessing to know that we are never alone. Anything is possible because of Him.

 

And now for some pictures of my niece and nephews on their Easter egg hunt...because I'm convinced they are some of the cutest kids in the world and Bren is pretty good at capturing that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo



Ang the Angel

A few of the many reasons my mom is not only an angel in my life but in everyone's lives that she knows...and this is just in the past week:

 

>> The day before her birthday, she got a call from a friend that was helping a homeless boy get back on his feet. She had found him a place to live, got him a job interview, and she was wondering if my mom had any access to a few clothing items for him to wear to his job interview at Taco Bell (she must know how reliable my mom is and how she always finds a way!).

 My mom texted me and asked if I could bring a few things of Bren's he didn't wear anymore to her birthday lunch the next day.

 

Little did she know, we had two huge garbage bags full of clothes that have been sitting in Bren's closet for as long as we've been married (he cleaned out his closet right when we moved into our condo) that we had been meaning to take to Plato's or the D.I. and just never got around to it. Now we know why!!! God does no random. He had that plan in action for a year and a half! Even crazier, after my mom had dropped the clothes off (on her own birthday), I got a text from her friend saying that this boy and Brennan were the exact same size in pants, shirts, and shoes!!! She told me when he saw the clothes he started crying and said he has never owned more than two outfits in his life.

 

I love my mom because she always brings service into my life. She reminds me what life is really about and how good it feels to help other people!

 

>>On Saturday night, we waited for the boys to be done with priesthood before we ate. The restaurant was full of white shirts and super busy so we didn't end up getting our food until after 9! Then we went and got ice cream after. Later on, I woke up in the middle of the night with this crazy burning feeling in my chest and my half asleep self got really worried. I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. My mom is always there no matter the time of day or night and I was 100% positive she would text back even when I sent a worried text at 2 am. She texted right back asking if I ate late that night and that it was heartburn and that she had medicine at the house I could take. How do moms always know?! She always puts my worries to rest.

 

>> She's planning a wedding for a girl in the Spanish branch that her and my dad serve in. Since the girl has no money for it my mom has worked crazy hard to get things donated and has been going above and beyond for her. Truly a saint.

 

>> I'm picking her and my dad up from the airport today and she's bringing me Pinkberry! I didn't even have to ask her to! Because once again, she always thinks of others.

 

 

I loved celebrating my mom and her birthday last week. She is such a great example to me in more ways than I can count. She's one of those people that will have an amazing funeral because of all the people she helps and serves. Even if she wasn't my mom we'd still be best friends because she's just that cool.

 

Happy happy birthday mom, you are so loved!

 

xoxo

My love affair with the reformer...

I have a big fat giant crush on this exercise method and this machine.

 

 

Here's why:

 

- The options are ENDLESS with this incredible machine. Exercises can be done lying down, sitting, standing, pulling the straps, pushing the footbar, perched on the footbar, perched on the shoulder blocks, with additional equipment, upside down, and sideways... just to name a few.

 

-It promotes LENGTH, STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, and BALANCE.

 

-It improves posture, relieves back pain, and is easy on your joints.

 

-It is NOT just for women! In fact a man invented it, almost a century ago. I am DYING to get Bren on one of these machines so he can fall in love with it too.

 

-It burns sooooo good.

-It's a blast (especially jumpboard--yes there is a trampoline attachment)! I look forward to every single class, when I used to DREAD the gym.

 

 

 

 

 

"Pilates is a system of over 500 controlled exercises that engage the mind and condition the total body. It is a balanced blend of strength and flexibility training that improves
posture, reduces stress and creates long, lean muscles without bulking up. Pilates works several muscle groups simultaneously through smooth, continuous motion, with a particular concentration on strengthening and stabilizing the core. The focus is on quality of movement rather than quantity, which makes one feel invigorated rather than exhausted after a session."

 

 

Have I convinced you to try it yet?

Now here's a video of a Victoria's Secret model doing the same move I tried for the first time in the picture above. I'll get to her level someday (or at least tell myself that HA).

 

xoxo

 

He's so cute when he draws

 

Well if this insurance thing doesn't work out, I think he could get a

 

job in illustrations just fine.

 

He's so cute when he draws.

 

It gets even cuter when our niece and nephews run upstairs to make

 

lots of photocopies and then color them all night.

 

A memory I never want to forget.

 

(And how lucky are our future kiddos?!?!)

 

xoxo



Enjoying the journey

Hi there! It's been a minute. Still here, still alive. I've been busy with the most expensive month of our marriage yet. It always hits all at once, doesn't it? Just to name a few of our recent mandatory purchases...

- Paying taxes... we will probably never see a refund for the rest of our lives...
-Buying Bren a new laptop for work... too bad the programs he uses don't run on a Mac...
-Paying for our trip this summer... this is a fun one but still a big chunk of change...
-Prepaying for the hotel for our trip...and then realizing the price was in pounds, not euros... pretty big price difference HA...
-Getting a new vacuum... ours decided to quit on us after only a year and a half... I did some major homework before buying a new one so call me if you're ever vacuum shopping...
-Dental cleanings...because it's somehow already been 6 months since the last and SOMEHOW I have my very first cavity even though I eat kale...
-Getting my car registered...

How fun is being an adult?

On another note, I've made some fun changes lately that I am loving. Since Bren is working so much, I decided I needed some new hobbies. Remember when I mentioned going to an all-caps "INTENSE" workout class with my friends? That made me throw up? Well, it kind of scared me away for a while, but I decided to give it another shot and have been going 1-2 times a week for the past while! It is called High Fitness (Look at @ilovehighfitness on Insta if you're interested) and is an incredible workout. I am no pro by ANY means but I never knew I could sweat so much -- it drips onto the floor and there is no way you can't wash your hair after, hence (can't believe I just said hence but couldn't think of another word) the greasy braid in the picture, the only way it stays out of my face during the class. Anyways, the music is so good that you don't even realize you just did 100 squats when class is over.

But what I'm loving even more is the new Pilates class I'm doing! I had never done Pilates in my life, but when my cute friend Sarah came to pick up her purchases from my closet sale, she told me there was an open spot in her class and that I should come and try it! It took one class and I was SOLD. It is a workout I actually look forward to. Those reformer machines are the most amazing invention ever. I am so happy to have found a new passion in life! I wish I could do it everyday. It just made me think about when you do something hard, or out of your comfort zone, or out of the ordinary, how many doors open for you. I fought doing my closet sale for so long, and if I never would have done it I wouldn't have caught up with Sarah and been invited to try this. (PS... I'm thinking about another possible closet sale coming in April...) So THANK YOU SAR!

Bren and I are also taking photography classes together every Saturday in the month of March at Pictureline! I'm sick of only Brennan being able to take pictures of me, and me only being able to take blurry pictures of him HA. I really wanted to learn how to use our camera, especially for our upcoming trip. We just had our first class and we were both extremely impressed! I would definitely recommend Pictureline if you are wanting to take a photography class -- super cheap (they actually put it on a gift card, so practically free) but so informative! Go Pictureline.

Speaking of our trip this summer, we are so beyond spoiled to be able to go on our coolest adventure yet. Bren and the company won a trip to Europe and we get to go! It is a lot cheaper than if we were to go on our own and our minds are still blown that we get to have this experience together. Bren doesn't even have a clue what he's in for and that makes it even better. It starts in Portugal, goes to a few stops in Spain, a stop in France, and then ends in London. Now the biggest struggle? Saving for the actual trip instead of spending money now on things for the trip...wish me luck please, it's not going so well so far.

In between all of this I am in total limbo. In fact I've been calling it a midlife crisis but people aren't taking me seriously haha. I've been at my job for almost a year and a half now and even though the extra income and affordable health insurance are nice, I am ready for a change by the end of this year. I struggle between wanting to invest in myself and my interests, to do something for myself, or to stay working to help support our little family, or to move on with the next progression of life and marriage, or just to go with the flow of life. I'm being vague, I know, I'm just as confused as you are.

And then I have moments where I get scared to do any of it, or maybe not good enough to do any of it, and I should just stay in my little bubble. But then I remember this quote that has been constantly with me ever since I first heard it and posted it on my Instagram a few weeks ago:

 

"Close your eyes and imagine the best version of you possible. That is who you really are -- let go of any part of you that doesn't believe it."

 

This always encourages me to believe in myself, that I AM enough, to take risks, and to not have to know all of life's answers right this very second.

Here's to enjoying the journey :)

xoxo