A few things in fours.

I wish I could have a 3 day weekend every weekend. The fact that its already halfway through the week makes my heart really, really happy. However, Wednesdays seem to have a recurring theme. It's either a random post, a post in list format, etc... and I decided to keep it going. Since Julie got a great idea from a friend recently, I loved it so much I asked if I could "borrow" it...so here I am, sharing a few things about myself in fours.

Four things about my appearance
Natural brunette.
Weird shaped fingers.
Short girl for life.
Green eyes.

Four jobs I've had
Photographer.
Financial Planner.
Bath and Body Works.
Penn Station Subs

Four places I've been
Riviera Maya.
Dominican Republic.
Mall of America.
Siesta Key.

Can we go on another honeymoon!?

Four things in my purse
A hair brush
Business cards
Chap stick
Umbrella

Four things I couldn't live without
My planner
Camera
My husband
Water (I love water)

 Four favorite things
Chickfila (duh)
Sweet tea
Instagram
My camera

Four things I don't eat/drink
Sardines
Cottage cheese
Green olives
Milk (unless its in cereal, or its chocolate)

Four favorite foods
Funnel cakes
Steak
Chickfila (can I say that again?)
Marshmallow fluff

Four posts of mine you should check out
Our engagement story
Your flaws are awesome
My 25 before 25 list
On being a real adult

Now its your turn -- I want to know something random about YOU!!

Our Easter weekend!

Our weekend was fantastic. So fantastic, I decided to make it a 3 day weekend! Friday after work, we went by my Great Grandma Agnes' for a visit on her 85th birthday! We were also celebrating her birthday ON Easter but wanted to make a quick visit and drop some flowers off. I'm so glad we did, she said it absolutely made her week :) -- its the little things, people!

Caleb's parents were in town so we went to breakfast the next morning, then went bowling as a family! It had been so long, and I did surprisingly well on my first game (for me)... scored a 110!!

We went on a 45 minute walk hand in hand, we were so happy to have some free time! I even had time to journal, and the windows were open all afternoon, so I was one happy gal!

THEN! That evening we saw Into The Woods. Caleb is so NOT a musical guy by any means but lately we've been watching a ton of his movie choices, so he stuck it out. I HAVE to know what you all thought of it. I freaking love Anna Kendrick so I thought the movie as a whole was good, but when it came to what I thought was the end - turns out there was 30 more minutes. To me, it was totally unnecessary. I loved how they tied all the fairytales in together, but the last 30 minutes were just a little odd. For those of you who have seen it, waddya think?!

Sunday came, and it was Easter! I love this holiday, and am always so emotional at church hearing about the resurrection. I can't fathom what Jesus went through for us and it makes me SO thankful for the many blessings in my life! The church was packed and the worship was incredible!

We headed to my Great Grandma's party after, and guys...is she not the cutest?! We celebrated her all afternoon long!

We spent some time with Caleb's family again for a spontaneous dinner, and then we turned in early. Like I said earlier, I decided to make it a 3 day weekend. My brother marched in the Opening Day Parade yesterday, and it was a blast to be a part of, and support him at the same time! I'll post more on that tomorrow, maybe! Hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend!!

Wrap up of my week!

Happy Good Friday! I'm so thankful for this day, and what our Savior did for us, and am looking forward to this entire weekend!

To be honest? I've been a sick mess the whole week. It got really bad Wednesday night before bed, I could hardly breathe...but woke up yesterday with a little less congestion, so I headed into work anyway, just like always. Well, before lunch my boss saw me and told me to go home and get some rest. I wanted to kiss her face. Not that I wanted to feel this way, but if it was inevitable, I'd way rather be home in pants that are made of elastic ;) I'm still feeling really crummy today but luckily my cough is mostly gone, but I want to focus on some good parts of my week.

A spontaneous picnic date with my husband by my side and Subway in my hands. Love that man! Just having conversation with him by the lake, listening to the fountain was so relaxing! Even if I felt like poop.

Walks after dinner w/ my family. My brother's been on Spring Break this week so he stayed with us a few nights. It's been a blast! Already checking things off our Spring list!!

I woke up extra early Tuesday to squeeze in a run and this sunrise on my way back home just made me stop in my tracks. So insanely beautiful! Some days getting up before the sun is hard, but this makes it totally worth it, every time!

Caleb decided to play a mean joke on me on April Fools. WHY did I fall for it? In my defense, this happened when I woke up, with one eye open, reading/responding via text...so my mind hadn't quite caught on to the fact that it was April 1st! I'll get him back next year.

The majority of my day yesterday looked like this...and I didn't hate it one bit. Grilled cheese + tomato soup is the best medicine, in my opinion.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. A good mix of free time, one of the best holidays ever, and family time. My great grandma Agnes' 85th birthday party is ON Easter and we can't wait to celebrate her! I hope you guys had a great week, and have lots to look forward to this weekend!

Our Spring List - Happy April!

I feel like I'm usually pretty creative, but I just couldn't come up with anything clever enough for today to trick you guys ;) so instead... I'll be finding ways to trick my husband. It's not even 8AM and he's already pulled a fast one on me ;) feel free to send any harmless, silly jokes my way today!

Moving on! Okay! Spring is officially here, and this week it truly feels like it. Warm weather, a little rain here and there, and beautiful clouds in the sky. We've spent a lot of time with my mom and brother lately and its been a blast. Last night we took a long walk around our subdivision and it got me thinking about what else I'd like to do this season...

-Attend some outdoor games. Caleb starts softball soon with a league through his work and its so fun to pay for a cheap hot dog and watch my man tear it up on the field. Also? I'm hoping we can squeeze in some Reds games.

-Walks after dinner. That's my favorite tradition. We have so much fun, AND we burn calories!

My stud during our walk last night.

-Take a trip to the Nature Center. It's a special place for Caleb and I, and we haven't been back in years. It's miles upon miles of woods/trails for walkers, hikers, joggers, etc. & the gorgeous views are just a bonus.

-Bake some cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes...but fruity pebble cupcakes. Yes, you read that right. Caleb got way too excited when I showed him the link, so its gotta happen!

-Buy fresh flowers, at least once. I know, they can be expensive, but there is something SO magical about coming home to a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table. Totally brightens up our living area, too!

Fresh blooms on a tree from our walk last night! Love signs of Spring!

-Finish a couple books. I absolutely love to read and the past year or so its totally taken a backseat in my life, after that used book sale, we have been reading a lot more so I'm hoping to complete a few!

-Complete another half marathon. It's the first weekend in May, keeping my fingers crossed!

-Enjoy a sunset on our back patio. We never sit out there, and its a gorgeous view with the lake! It's time to take advantage!!

Those are just a FEW of the things I really want to fit in this season. What are some things YOU looking forward to squeezing in this time of year?

4 weeks fit challenge {my results!}

Here we are, finally! Linking up with Erin and Kristin today! 4 weeks after some of us set some goals -- its a time that's either really crummy to look back on because we didn't keep up with our goals, or really exciting cause we rocked the house on ALL of them! I'm here to tell you I'm a little bit in between, and you know what? I'm good with that.

I began the month insanely motivated, then a few things happened that slowed me down, but as of March 22nd, I've really kicked it into over drive. Something just "clicked" in me and I've worked really, really hard! I've run every day since, and for the most part, have eaten really clean! It feels amazing. So, lets go over my goals one by one.

Run 16 times

TOTAL WIN! I ran 16 times exactly. Some of those were as little as 2 miles, some were up to 7 miles... but I freaking did EVERY ONE OF THEM and it feels so good. You guys, I even woke up before work 4 days in the last week. Who am I turning into!? I'm pretty proud of myself. Sure, there were days I wanted to give up...but I pushed on. I finally started seeing some results this week, and that has me even MORE motivated than ever.

Lift weights

FAIL. Ha - yeah. We won't go into that one. I used to do this a lot but this month Caleb and I focused on running outside a lot with the new weather and it was awesome. So I'll be sure to focus more on that in April. I really want to be toned, and I truly think lifting helps my endurance during my long runs...so lets hope in April I can make a dent in this!

Run 3 miles in 30 minutes
HALF WIN! I ALMOST did this, by about a minute. So, I'm kinda giving it to myself - also because I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes a few times!

Stretch more
WIN! Woohoo! This was huge for me. I took a while after (and sometimes even before) each run to stretch my legs and calves, especially. My worst spots are always my shins, and the QL area above my rump... ha! Hey, we're being honest here. But this stretching has helped so much, I haven't had any pain. I'm praying for an injury free journey to my next half!

Some other exciting moments....
-Finding my nice Adidas dri-fit hoodie before an outdoor run
-Accomplishing the 7 miles straight was definitely my biggest milestone.
-Getting some adorable running pants for my half. I think that's going to be my thing - buying myself a crazy pair of running pants for every half or big race I run! It's true - you burn more calories in cute gear ;) sneak peek up above.
-Finally believing in myself. Knowing that I CAN do difficult things. My head gives up before my legs, so I've learned to push through.
-Finally learning how to properly use my watch and actually use it! Pumps me up!
-Finding more good music for my playlist.

I'm really not sure if I'm meant for distance running, I really would like to work on getting faster in shorter distances, but we'll see how I feel after this next half!  Sure, there were days I felt like doing NOTHING...and some days, I did just that. But the feeling I have after accomplishing a hard run, or even an easy one, just can't be beat. I finally feel like I've "found my groove" and hope that this link up has encouraged you guys like its encouraged me!!

Remember...

How was your month??

Our jam packed weekend!

I just wish week DAYS would go just as fast as the weekENDS seem to! We had so much fun planned and couldn't wait to get started. Friday night I came home and got in a quick run...which was perfect because that night was also declared "cheat night" (I think I'm seeing a pattern here), so we got Chinese! My brother stayed the night with us so while the boys played video games, I caught up on some reading.

Saturday morning we had a huge run in front of us. It was going to be the longest run yet in my training plan, and Caleb promised to run it with me. We got started, and something just came over us...we felt GREAT! He told me to follow him and we finally ventured outside of our little apartment complex. We ran on a real road, you guys!! It made me feel kinda legit (not going to lie). He's so good at keeping a great pace...and if I can do this again on race day, I'll be more than satisfied!

I cleaned up and made french toast for all of us....

...then spent a while reading...

...before heading to Erin and Jared's for a much overdue game night! We missed our best friends!

We also made a quick trip to CVS for some snacks and I found this lil guy!

Sunday was busy, but awesome. We went to church, got Caleb's haircut, I had a photo shoot, then went on a quick 2 mile run. Then we had youth group where we shot some basketball for a while, such a blast! THEN! The Walking Dead finale. OMG! Any fans?!! I'm dying. I can't even wait to see what's next!!!!

Happy Monday, friends!!!

Making time for me

I love my husband dearly...I really do...but there are times when I just need to get away and do my own thing for about 30 minutes or so. I've always been that way. I LOVE community, I love my friends and family, I love being surrounded by awesome people....but sometimes I just want to spend time with myself. I think its good for the soul. Maybe you're like me, or maybe you think I'm crazy. But here are just a few things I do to get my 'me time' in...

Running.

Sure, its work...but exercise is seriously therapeutic for me. It's just me, my playlist, and my thoughts. I've sorted through lots of ideas/priorities in my head on my long runs lately and have LOVED how refreshed I feel once its over. I don't always love the actual exercise, but I never regret it once its over.

Getting my hair done.

I know this requires an appointment most of the time, but there's nothing like spending an hour or two girl talking with your stylist and getting your hair played with. Bonus points when you leave feeling like a million bucks!!

A bubble bath.

I LOVE taking a 20 minute bubble bath. There is something SO relaxing about it. I put on some Hillsong Live and throw some lavender bath salts up in there, and I'm good.

Popping in a classic feel-good, funny movie.

Hello Pitch Perfect. Nice to see you for the 17th time this year... :)

Being in the kitchen.

I think its so refreshing to pick a new recipe, follow it verbatim, and create something delicious for people you love (or even just for yourself!). My kitchen is definitely one of my happy places...if only it was bigger!

Reading.

I'm excited that Caleb and I are making a priority to read 30 minutes a night a few times a week to dive into the plot of our choice. Being able to curl up under a comfy blanket and do just that? Makes me one happy girl.

Writing.

Not even on my blog (though I do love doing that), I'm talking in a real journal. Pen to paper. Sometimes I just start writing down one thought, one memory, and next thing I know an hour has passed. It's so important to me to document my day to day thoughts. A lot of time, I look back just a few weeks and see how I've grown/learned from something. It's amazing.

Being a typical 20 something and browsing Pinterest/stalking Instagram

...because duh, I'm bored sometimes...and you all live beautiful lives.

I wish I could say "getting a massage", but that's never in my life happened. I hardly ever want to PAY for a mani/pedi, although I complain almost 24/7 about my ugly nails...so maybe I should finally treat myself soon. I should've also included "shopping" in the list, but Caleb and I hardly ever go out to actually purchase stuff and its more like "browsing", but sometimes, thats just as fun! What do you do to get in your me-time?!