Something blue!

Friday night was my Dad's rehearsal dinner...I rushed out of work and we were on our way to Ault Park for the rehearsal. Those of you who live in Cincy probably know how gorgeous this park really is! I was also waiting for the perfect occasion to whip out these fun heels I bought forever ago!

My Grandma was about to steal them! ;)

Husband.Brother.Dad.

My Dad's Bride!

After the rehearsal, we went to "The Works" and we got to eat on an old train parked by the side of the restaurant! It was delicious and I'm certain I had the best pretzel bites of my life there. My Dad and Amy gave us our presents as a thank you for being in their wedding. Caleb got a giant mug with his name on it and I got a coach wristlet. Yeah, you read that right. She gave me a COACH wristlet. I was so excited!

Saturday the ladies met BRIGHT and early! I packed everything up and the ladies were out to get ready at the gorgeous Gibson House. The house was giant, and I felt like we were in a Pinterest bubble all day!

I got my hair and make up done and was so happy with the finished product! If only I could pay for a professional to "make me up" DAILY, sheesh! Then the ladies and I had a photo booth session before the day went on!

The photographers showed up around 1 and it was time to put our dresses on. I couldn't handle the gorgeous ceilings in this house! It was amazing.

We grabbed our bouquets and hit the party bus and were on our way to the venue! Amy was so sweet and made us charmed necklaces (she sells Origami Owl) and wrapped them around our bouquets.

We had lots of time to spare so we all took some fun photos.

 It rained on and off all day and luckily it stopped just in time for their ceremony. Look how beautiful!

Their ceremony was beautiful, and I obviously have no pictures from that, but snapped a few at the reception. The dinner was great and my brothers speech made me cry! 

It was a fun wedding, and we had a great evening. I'm so happy for my Dad. His vows made me tear up...all I've ever wanted was for him to be happy! 

So here's to the new Mr. & Mrs. Peveler!

Hope you had a good weekend!

A wedding weekend!

This weekend my Dad is getting married. He and his fiancé got engaged a little bit after we did...not many people can say they were engaged at the same time their father was ;) it cracks me up...but I'm so glad their wedding weekend is finally here.

I know he and Amy have put a lot of thought and detail into their big wedding and I'm excited that Caleb and I get to be a part of it. Lots of family is in town and it will be so fun to see my grandparents! We are having a big dinner tonight with everyone involved and it is going to be one big party.

At my wedding! Oh hiii busted lights.

What is one thing I'm really looking forward too? My baby brother's speech. He's the best man, and he's only 16. I know he will probably get teary eyed, which will make me get all teary eyed, cause I'm so darn proud of that boy. I'm excited to watch my Dad as his love comes down the aisle, and I'm excited to hear his vows...weddings just make me so happy. They remind me of what love is all about. Love is about the small things, the evening talks on the love seat, the new recipes gone wrong, all the goodnight kisses, etc.

So, here's to you Dad! I hope you are the happiest ever, I wish you two a lifetime of joy!

Enjoy Punta Cana...I'll just be over here extremely jealous!

Chair massages at work?

Aside from the fact that the pain in my legs is still very real, this week has been amazing.

-My bestie came over for a spontaneous ice cream date on Tuesday. We had lots of girl talk, and it was a blast. I am gonna miss this gal when she moves to Nashville next month!

-I got a free chair massage at work yesterday, AMAZING. Oh and then was informed there were a few extra spots open today and yeah, I took one. 1:15 can't come fast enough ;) it couldn't have come at a better time, with my sore muscles!

I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog in a long time, but my Dad is getting married this weekend. My brother is the best man, and Caleb is a groomsmen, and I'm a Bridesmaid! It should be a really fun time!!

-We also went grocery shopping last night, paid cash, and even had a few bucks leftover. That makes this girl happy!!

-Caleb and I had a Walking Dead" marathon on Monday. Holy awesome. Best show ever is an understatement. I've missed it!

-I woke up extra early to do a couple sessions of (youtube) yoga! It was quite an experience. To say I'm just a beginner would be an understatement! I'm proud for forcing myself to wake up well before my alarm usually does, just to stick to my #4weeksfit goals!

-The NFL Draft is tonight and you might be surprised to know I LOVE sports, especially football season. We're going to my grandparents tonight to enjoy lots of snacks, and good company.

What have been the highlights of YOUR week?

Around the globe.

A few things Caleb and I are passionate about? Vacation, time off work and food. Naturally, its a wonder we have only left the country twice. It got me thinking...if we didn't work full time jobs, and had unlimited cash at our fingertips...what would be our top travel goals?

Australia. This is one place we've always said we'll visit! It just sounds incredible. Hello, if the local's accents aren't enough to make you want to visit, maybe the baby koalas, kangaroos, amazing beaches, opera houses, bridges and coral reefs are? Sidenote; a recent episode of Modern Family just re-confirmed my love for this country I've never visited -- any Modern Family fans out there? ;)

The Maldives. Ever since I showed Caleb this little patch of islands, we've decided it needs to be on our bucket list. I mean, I feel like even a few days here would detox an entire year of stress. Just look at that water!!!  They even have an underwater dining experience. SAY WHAT?!

Fun fact of the day. The Maldives has a beach called the "Sea of stars". What appears as a mirror of the stars above, the water looking like that is actually from something called "phytoplankton" - and holy crap I sound like a geek! Anyway, this is absolutely on my bucket list. I can't wait to check this one off.

Venice. SO many of our college friends studied abroad here, and it always made me so jealous! Hearing them tell their stories about how different life is over there, just sounded so beautiful. I just want to ride a gondola under a bridge, eat macaroons, and go to their markets!

Ireland. Well hello, P.S. I Love You was filmed there, but besides that? It just looks insanely gorgeous. I think it would be fun to kiss the Blarney Stone, hike the green mountains, see the castles, and talk to the locals. I could sit and listen to people with accents for hours. It would just be an added bonus if they had some awesome stories!

Now...back to reality. It's cool to know that when Caleb and I get out of debt, trips like this won't be too far out of reach. Obviously children will come (with time), but we're looking forward to the days where we can take a romantic getaway to one of our dream spots.

So tell me, where would you go if you could?!

My first half marathon!!

You guys...I can officially cross "run a half marathon" off the 'ole bucket list. Well, technically I didn't run the whole thing, but I sure as heck completed it.

We woke up around 4:30AM to eat breakfast and Jared & Erin picked us up around 5. At 6:30AM sharp, the half officially had begun though...we were all so jittery and excited to get to the starting point and we just took off! I'm so proud to say that the four of us ran the first 6 miles pretty much non stop -- that alone was the furthest distance I've ever run (yeah, training didn't exactly go as planned, whoops)...so we were feeling great!! We crossed a giant bridge and the view was just incredible. That alone was some amazing motivation, seeing the sun rise over the river with my best friends!

Love my city!!!

Erin and I both decided it was time to walk...my right hip was hurting pretty bad, and I needed a break. Luckily, the 4 of us agreed to stay together no matter what...so even if one of us needed to walk, we'd all walk...but let me tell you, we all pushed each other like crazy.

A little bit later, we started to get pretty tired...and I hear all of them yelling like crazy while I'm off to the side getting water -- my in laws surprised us and cheered us on the sidelines!! They made a sign with all of our pictures! It literally brought me to tears that they did that for us. It was so thoughtful!

Cincinnati proved to have a HARD course. People from every state around the world were there, and even different countries. So many people say that this is a really hard course compared to others around the world, and boy, I'd have to agree. The hills were OUTRAGEOUS. Around mile 8 (I think -- things are a little fuzzy!) is where things kind of went down hill...we got really tired, and we all kinda just felt like laying down on the sticky ground rather than jog another step. We rounded near mile 9 and someone on the street was blasting "LET IT GO" from Frozen, and in unison, without even knowing the other was going to do it -- Erin and I belt it straight up musical style and just had a hilarious moment, along with a random burst of energy. That was the last energetic part of the half that we had, ha!

Somehow, we pulled through those last few miles on and off walking/jogging. It was a miracle. I honestly don't know if I would've made it through without the encouraging volunteers and random people encouraging me. At one point, I was kind of running alone a few feet ahead, but really struggling...and a total stranger came up to me, patted me on the back, and she told me she KNEW I could do this (I'm like tearing up even thinking about it) and that gave me the strength to keep going.

I cannot tell you how happy we all were to see the "Finish Swine" at the end. Erin and I started to tear up...I couldn't even help it. So many cheering people, so many emotions... suddenly, the four of us were side by side, holding hands, giving it all we had, and it just felt amazing. We pushed each other in those last few moments to just NOT STOP RUNNING and to finish it!! Erin and I were in tears, and it was a great feeling. Yeah, we struggled, and yeah we didn't train hard enough (at ALL), but you know what? We did it...and we did it together!

I can't say enough about the half though. The course was awesome, and I got to experience parts of my city I didn't even know existed. To think I traveled 13.1 miles ON FOOT completely blows my mind. My feet hurt, my knees are swollen, my right hip feels horrible, and my legs are so tight I can hardly walk... but I finished it. I am so proud of myself, and of my best friends!

People have already asked me if I plan to do another one...ask me in a few weeks once my body has returned back to normal ;) 

I run because...

Training for this half marathon definitely did NOT go as planned. I signed up last September, got to it right away, then two months ago just kind of got lazy about it. Then vacation happened, we had a death in the family, and life just kept happening. But you know what? That's alright...I'm excited as ever about my first half, even if I have to walk a little of it. Last night, Caleb and I took a spontaneous date downtown and he kept saying "we'll be running on that street on Sunday!!" and something just got me really excited. I'm just happy that I have the privilege of running. So, why do I choose to run?

...because I can

...because I love the feeling of accomplishment when I'm done

...because I like a challenge

...because I like to prove myself wrong. Never did I ever imagine I'd sign myself up for a half marathon, but I did...and I'm all sorts of excited/terrified/pumped about it!

...because the results make me happy

...because having a good playlist makes me feel like I can take on the world

...because I feel happier and much more energetic throughout the week

...because I've always wanted to be able to say "I'm a runner"

...because its something Caleb and I can do together, he challenges me.

...because running shoes are cute, the more colorful the shoe, the better I run...right??

...because the running community is just plain awesome!

...because it challenges me to get outside and hit real pavement

...because it's a blessing to run, I have legs, and I wanna use 'em!

...& because I like it. Simple as that.

#4weeksfit - I WILL DO THIS!

I am beyond excited about this link up that my SIL and Kristin are doing...called 4 weeks fit. When Erin told me about this link-up a couple weeks ago, I was so nervous...what the heck would my goals be?! What if I don't accomplish them!? Then I remembered how awesome and supportive this blog community is...and I WILL meet my goals!

I thought going through the HUNDREDS of fitness related pictures I've taken since we joined our gym last fall would be fun to look back on. I have to say, that is what absolutely changed my life. I used to be so active in high school, then not so much in college, then went back at it a little before our wedding...but joining that gym really made this time feel like it was a LIFESTYLE change. Which is exactly what I want it to be.

Run 50+ miles total this month.

Even typing that out terrifies me... I mean, the most I've ever run in a month was 40 miles total (and that was LAST April), and it nearly killed me. But then miss Anna told me she just had her first 100 mile month, which made me think she's an actual psychopath, but also motivated the crap out of me!!

Wake up before work 2x/week to exercise.

I used to do this a lot during the Winter, but have only done it once recently. It makes me so happy knowing I have my work out done with before my day really starts, and that means I get more time w/ my man at home after work...which makes us both happy!

Finish a half marathon.

Erin and I signed up for our first half marathon back in September, so we had plenty of time to train. Perhaps, too much time? We both really slacked off in the second half of our training and are probably not going to be able to run the whole thing, but you know what? That's alright. She's one of my best friends, and I plan to have a blast with her and our husbands and cross that finish line together. Life is all about having fun, and who better to spend your first half with than the people you love most?!

I'm so excited to try these goals out, and report back on May 30th how great I know we all did!!!! Who's with us!?