Florida 2013

It's here. It's here. The time is finally here. I can officially tell you that I am going to Florida next summer.

In exactly 306 days, I will be on the beach for seven days straight. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Clearly I'm overjoyed by this thought.

I love the beach. Probably more than any other place I've ever been to...And I did travel to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France one summer in high school. The trip was beautiful, but there is just something about the white sand beaches and clear water that scream HOME to me. Pretty sure in another life I could have been a sea creature.

For this little vacation, I am starting the saving process early. Check it out.

Florida Fundraising 2013: Save all change. No change left behind. Pennies in one jar. Silvers in another. If anyone has change that they feel is a nuisance I would be happy to take it off your hands. Change adds up people. And I'm taking full advantage of that fact.

In other news:

I visited this sweet girl and her momma last week.

Could she be any cuter...I think not! Aubrey is growing up so fast. Here is a look back to the day she was born. Really happy day that was for all of us.

While I was home this weekend, I did a hill workout with my mom and her running buddies Kerri and Lisa. There is one hill in Stuttgart....which I should mention is an overpass.

Up and over twice with a little over half a mile warm up.

Here are my stats:
Distance: 3.35 miles
Time: 40:07
Best Pace: 9:46
Average Pace: 11:58
Calories: 385

The first up and over was good. I felt good. Minor calf tightness. But once I got loose and into my stride, I felt good. The second up I started to feel it. Coming back on my finishing up and over, I thought for sure I was gonna die and be left to rice hull eating rats that are as big as cats. Thankfully Kerri stayed with me out of the goodness of her heart.

It felt good to get out there and moving. I think it cleared my mind of some the fog I've been in here lately. Running is the best mind clearer.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Tell me something good.

What are your plans for the weekend?
I'm attending the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged Retreat and Conference this weekend. Pretty thrilled to get out there and meet and greet some new people. And I can't wait to learn a lot about blogging. This could be really great for me right now. Send some prayers up please.

All That is Important

I ran 4.5 miles this weekend with my mom and some of her super awesome running buddies Kerri and Lisa. I got to wear my new long sleeved running shirt. I felt legit.

The downside to legitness came when the run was over, and I took off my fleece headband thingy to evaluate my hair.

In my defense, that is not all sweat. It was very foggy that morning so condensation played a big part in the making of this rat's nest.

The fog was so thick it didn't really lift after the sun came up. (Yes, I said when the sun came up...meaning that I got up before the sun to go run in the freezing cold.)

Fog is super creepy. All I could think about was someone jumping out of the fog and chasing us. Clearly I have a problem. My brain works too hard when it comes to thinking up crazy scary senarios. I still blame Criminal Minds.
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My friend Jodi has the cutest baby in the history of all the babies.

It's crazy to me how five months ago we were all waiting to see that cute little face. I lub her so much it's a little stupid.
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I ran again yesterday. Still preparing for my upcoming 10K. I've got two weekends left for long runs. (BTW--anything longer than 3 miles is a long run to me at this point.)

Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 37:38
Best Pace: 10:29
Average Pace: 12:33
Calories: 317

This weekend I will run my first 5 miles since the last one. Next weekend I will run 5.5 miles. And then next weekend is the race. And I will run 6.2 miles...a personal record for me. So it's getting down the wire with it all. But I'm excited.
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I made soup last night. I'm pretty sure it's the best soup in the world. Thank you Clean Eating Chelsey for creating something so wonderful.

Broccoli, potato and white bean soup is probably my favorite soup this season. I have a feeling the roommate and I will be eating lots of soup this fall/winter.
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Kroger had my most favorite flower in bulk. So I had to get some to brighten my house.

Tulips are the most beautiful and happiest flowers. I love all the different colors, but I'm a true sucker for red tulips with the yellow centers. I swoon.

Did I leave anything out?

How was your weekend?

Go, Go, Go

You know those kind of days where you wake up and have no energy or motivation to do anything? Yeah, I had one of those yesterday. Work crawled by. I swear all the clocks were broken. But once I got out of there, things seemed to start looking up.

I met the roommate and Casondra at my favorite Starbucks. Thank you Starbucks for bringing back the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This little gesture means that my most favorite coffee treat, the Caramel Brulee Latte, will be re-introduced very soon. Ah, Starbucks Christmas coffee favorites. My heart's aflutter just thinking about that.

After the coffee stop, I went home to eat some dinner and read some chapters from my dreaded PR books. Dinner last night was leftovers from a meal I had when I went home to the Sugtown.

My mother made homemade beef tips and rice. Now for those of you who don't know my mother, eating at our house is a very special thing. That woman can cook like nobody's business. And this is one of my favorite things she makes. 

Roast beef cooked in a crockpot with red wine, beef broth, big chunks of onions and sliced mushrooms. It was delish when I ate it the other day, but the leftovers were yummy. I ate everything you see. Even the table runner, vase and parts of the table top. Just kidding. But I did eat the peach for dessert.

After dinner, I did some more reading and a little watching of The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan. Why don't they ever play the classic verison of that movie? I mean it is just as good, if not better. But I'm partial to the classic version because I watched it a lot as a child.

Then the mother of this little lady came to stay the night at the house last night.

I'd post a picture of her momma, but they look just alike, although Jodi has hair and Aubrey has baby hair. Look how cute she is.

Jodi is in graduate school at my alma mater. She is trying to finish up. She has a night class on Tuesdays and an early morning class on Wednesdays. So it makes perfect sense for her to crash at the house so she doesn't have to drive three hours in a very short time span.

We stayed up way too late talking about everything we've been meaning to catch up on. And I didn't get to bed until midnight. But it was worth it. Quality friend time is important people. Very important.

The midnight bedtime made the morning come all too soon. Nobody wants to get up when it is still dark outside. WTF?

On a pleasant note, it feels wonderful outside today.

Running tonight should be cake after those heat runs we suffered through earlier in the summer. After my 5 mile run, the roommate is thinking of trying her hand at a 5-miler. I'll let you know how things go.

Have a fab Wednesday!

Field Tripping Amongst Other Things

First, let me apologize in advance for the randomness which will be this post. After a crazy weekend and starting the work week on a Monday, my brain is a little messed up. Maybe using a numbered list will help.

1. A co-worker and I got to attend a field trip at the Bowen School of Law. I don't think I need to tell you how excited we were because a picture is worth a thousand words.

We were too excited to be in law school. Now let me just say that my over-achieving self has thought about applying to law school after I ace the Journalism Master's program at UALR. But I think there would be a few hiccups with this goal because the excitement level would be out of control.

Yeah, that's me with the "Judge's Chambers" sign. It's not even officially a judge's chambers ---hence the room number 503---but I was unable to control my excitement. Clearly I have a problem.

But the sign for Moot Court really was the icing on the cake. As a big Friends fan, the word moot will forever be funny to me.

It's a moo court. I have no idea what moot court is, but I feel like I would giggle everytime I went in there. Yes, I'm a child. But you know this is funny. Gotta love Joey.

While at law school, this sign was posted for one of the children's activities. Really read it. Do you see what's missing?

Really look at it. Don't let your mind correct it. Read it word for word. What do you want be when you grow up!!!

First the soon-to-be law students have a serious grammar problem, and I can say this because I consider myself a wordsmith.

Mistake #1: They originally forgot you, but added it. Good catch. We all make mistakes, even me.

Mistake #2: This is a question, but where are the question marks? We don't end a question with exclamation points. But it is acceptable to do this ?!?!?!?! because it's the best of both worlds.

Mistake #3: They COMPLETELY forgot to in this question. What you want be? No.

Grammatical errors make my brow furrow.

No me gusta grammatical errors. For soon-to-be law students, it is unacceptable. Ok, I'll get off my grammar soapbox and calm down.

2. Got a new picture of Baby Aubrey.

Such a sweet little baby girl. I LOVE her. TOO MUCH. But it's ok. Nobody's worried. She will be the most loved child in the world.

3. After I got out of the shower last night, I let my hair air dry. I've got long hair and have had long hair for a while. But last night I spun it up in a make-shift bun because I don't like wet hair on me. (Something weird about me...add it to the list. Not ashamed.) The roommate thought my hair looked short. So she took a picture and laughed a lot.

If we are perfectly honest about it, it is pretty terrible. It looks worse than when I actually did have short hair, glasses and braces all that the same time. It's like a messed up bowl cut. I think it goes without saying that short hair is not for me, especially since my neck is extra long. Let's not accentuate things that need not be accented---hence the long neck.

Go ahead and giggle. It's pretty funny. And I must be cray cray to share this. But it's not a big deal.

Started a new running routine. But more on that tomorrow.

A Lesson in Love

I am in love.

Can you see why? She is beautiful.

Obviously, my pregnant friend is no longer pregnant. Her sweet little girl Aubrey Elizabeth arrived on this earth June 12 at 4:16 P.M.

She is 7 lbs. 6 oz. 21.5 inches long. And she has the same furrowed brow that her mom gets sometimes. The above picture was taken right after birth.

She stole my heart from the minute I saw her.

After nine months of wondering what this child would look like, we finally know.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this little girl. I'm at a loss for words, which rarely happens.

Logan loves her, too.

I am so happy for my good friend Jodi. She has been blessed with a beautiful healthy baby girl to love on for the rest of her life. She's about to take on the most important role of her life: being a mother. And she is going to be AMAZING.

Jodi and I grew really close during her pregnancy. I feel very lucky to have been a part of her life during this time. Jodi was my roommate during our freshman year at UCA. She and I also went to high school together.

But yesterday, both our lives forever changed when Aubrey was born. The unconditional love I feel for this child is something I can't describe. I'm sure for Jodi the unconditional love is mine X 100000000000.

For my dear friend:

Your daughter is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm so happy to be a part of your life and hers. I can't wait to watch her grow up and teach her things I know. I know Aubrey is a big change in your life, but you will be continously blessed by being her mom. God will be good to you both. And she will give you all the love you will ever need in this life.

I'm so so so happy for you. I can't wait to watch you grow into this next phase in your life. I'm ready to help you in every way I can. Congratulations on a beautiful little angel and a big bright future.

Love you both too much.

Three Girls and a Baby

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I am throwing my first baby shower ever. It is really the first shower where I have been solely in charge. Exciting, yet makes me nervous. Since it is the first shower my sweet friend is having, it will set the pace for the other showers.

Not to worry. My mom is coming to help me. She is going to help me out since my ghost hostess can't make it this weekend. So we get to have much-needed and awaited mother-daughter time. She is on her way now, and I can't wait to see her.

Last night my sweet friend came over. Hands down she is the cutest pregnant girl I have ever seen. At about 5 feet, this girl is all baby. Her belly is the only thing that has changed about her. She is still just a little tiny thing. She just started her 7th month so she will only get bigger until the big day.

It's so exciting. After we all ate dinner, my friend looked at my roommate and said feel this. Apparently baby girl was moving around. So we all crowded around her with our hands on her belly and waited.

For a while nothing happened. (Sidenote---I have been waiting to feel this sweet baby kick or move ever since September when we found out she was pregnant.) So I was pretty anxious and excited.

And then it happened. Baby girl gave me a little bump. She just wanted to say what's up. And I was beside myself with joy. It was the craziest, best, strangest feeling ever. I can only imagine how it feels for it to happen inside of you. She nudged and bumped a few more times, and then the show was over. Baby girl went back to sleep.

It was the best feeling. I am so excited about meeting my friend's sweet baby girl. She is going to be so beautiful and perfect. This is my first close friend to get pregnant, and we (the roommate and I) have learned so much about babies and body changes and stuff that it's a little un-nerving.

So now that baby girl has officially made her presence known, the baby shower has to be good. So here is a sneak-peek of what I'm working with for this most exciting event.



Two super cute frames I got at Target with the invitation the roommate made and a picture of baby girl in the womb. These will be decor for the table. Super exciting.





Sweet napkins I found. They are the only thing that is baby related for this shower. Love them.

So exciting. I can't wait to take all the pictures so I can show you the finished product and all the good food my mom and I make.

YAY for babies!

Until next time...