psssssssssst!

i love, love, love the jewelry over at www.lisaleonardonline.com. she's got some of the cutest handmade jewelry around! so any time she offers up the chance to win some i have to share it with everyone!

just click here to head over to her blog and leave a comment to enter the giveaway. there will be three winners...so head on over and see if you win!!!

p.s. for the record, if anyone ever wants to buy anything from her for me...my favorite piece of her's would be a tie between these two beauties: the sparkle necklace and hope is the thing necklace.

bodyrockin' for a rockin' body

so...since i was pretty much awful about blogging last year, i can't really remember if i told you all that i hurt my back. long story short, something possessed with the belief that i could lift one end of my sleeper sofa. my brother somehow knew something was wrong (what form?) but i ignored it. 3 months later i was still in pain but was continuing on with my regular workout schedule (spin 2-3 times a week, circuit training once a week). eventually it got to the point that i couldn't do my circuit training since there's a lot (A LOT) of focus on back and butt...and frankly...that's what was hurtin' on me.

so, i stopped all my workouts because i was in pain all. the. time. and started physical therapy. they worked me hard. mind you, this was hard to do while i watched everyone else come in and lay on hot packs and get massages. seriously? but its okay. i took it as a way to keep all the fat off while on a workout hiatus.

physical therapy ended in october and was followed by all those holidays that usually occur around that time. my back pain would still be set off by random movements or trying to lift something that was a little too heavy. it sucked. i was so afraid to workout because i a) didn't want to be in pain again 2) didn't want to have to start back at physical therapy again.

so 3 months and an additional 5-10 lbs later (i don't weigh myself on a regular basis so i'm not sure on the exact amount) i needed something i could do. while all the pain was going on, we went ahead and cancelled our gym membership and decided to just start working out slow at our little gym in our subdivision.

it didn't go well. or happen at all.

which brings me to bodyrock. the website is run by zuzanna and freddy, a husband and wife team. they plan the workouts together (as far as i can gather) and zuzanna does the workouts while freddy films. she's, of course, totally ridiculously fit...but she wasn't always that way. i won't get into her past because its not my story to tell. but she's truly an inspiration. everything is free and they post new workouts or exercise challenges every day (except sunday which is an active rest day). they have all of their exercises and workouts cataloged on the website so you don't have to follow along with what they pick and can pick workouts based on your fitness level or body parts you'd like to target.

anyway, i've been doing the workouts for a little over a month now and i really like them. they're usually only 15-30 minutes long but are extremely challenging. i haven't seen a lot of change but i'm doing my best not to live on the scale or constantly analyze my body. as a bonus, the community of people on the website (bodyrockers all over the world) are so super supportive and have wonderful pointers and tips for all of us that are just starting out.

so try it! and let me know what you think!

p.s. don't forget to check out some of zuzy's recipes and diet challenges under the recipe and diet tab on the website. i've tried the ginger, carrot and chicken soup and broccoli cream soup and both are really good!

its about time

seriously. could i be a worse blogger? probably.


anyway...there's been far too much going on to tell you all about it. so i'll paraphrase:

kyle left.

there was the infamous family reunion. we attended.

kyle came home.

tyler moved out and moved in with his girlfriend.

kyle left again.

there was halloween. we put out lots of decorations.

both sets of parents came down for thanksgiving (a first)...it was fantastic.

lola grew exponentially.

kyle came back.

we made the 12 hour drive home to arkansas for christmas with lola and rosco in tow.

we made the 12 ridiculous hour drive back to georgia.

kyle left again.

its cold.

lola is gigantic.

here are some pictures to go along with my fantastical story telling skills.

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me, my mom and the red head. <3>

my punkin' i carved for halloween. i was pretty proud.

lola taking up a good portion of the couch.

lola's first christmas...she actually did pretty well with the tree. notsomuch with the gifts.

seriously...that last one? one of only 3 pictures i took on our entire trip to arkansas. who left me in charge of taking pictures? cheese.

where has the year gone?!

i can't even believe its already august....seriously, where has the year gone?

these last few months have been so busy! there's been so much going on...its almost hard to keep up with it all.

let me see....i think i last posted at the end of may. wow.

in june we finally went on vacation and took a cruise to costa rica, panama and cozumel. it was fantastic and very restful. we had lots of fun white water rafting and visiting the mayan ruins at tulum (despite the fact that it was hot as heck that day).

i thought i'd share some pictures of our good times...

heading out for the first formal night. :)

walking around the mayan ruins...sweating to death. if that's possible.

the mayan ruins at tulum overlook the ocean....the view was b-e-a-utiful!

a day or two after we got back from the cruise, kyle's mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and nephew all came to visit for a week. while they were here we had family portraits done by my most favorite photographer at memories-n-more photography. they were for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday so we let her pick the location. she, of course, chose the beach. they turned out rather well and we got some awesome pictures of just the two of us as a bonus.

i am also excited to report that we have a new addition to our family. after the loss of my precious kohl kitty, we decided that it was time to get the dog we've always wanted. a great dane!!!

so here she is...her name is lola and she's doing a fantastic job of wearing us both of us out.

here we are picking her out and claiming her as our very own! she's only 5 weeks old here.

here are some more recent pictures of her. she's so pretty and so smart...but she is still a puppy so she gets into lots and lots of trouble.

we look just alike don't we? :) and how 'bout that mammoth paw?

anyway...so that's pretty much all the fun stuff that's been going on with us. what's new with you?

and by the way...i am on here all the time but i keep getting caught spending all my time reading and don't ever update my own little blog.

if you'd like to check out my favorite blogs...here they are! :)

Bring the Rain: The Story of Audrey Caroline

Bye, Bye Pie! (she's frickin hilarious)

The Nester (awesome inspiration for crafts and decorating)

enjoy!

what's new pussycat?

wow...it has been so long since i last posted. that is so very irresponsible of me. i'm terribly sorry.

it seems like there's so much that's happened and so little at the same time. weird huh?

let's see...april brought the first of the really warm weather our way (which means the first days at the pool. yay.), a few new babies and a lot more pregnant friends. its ah-mazing.

may meant our 4th anniversary, a trip to destin and the captain's career course graduation ball. and of course....some really, really warm weather.

we also had tragedy strike while we were out of town. my precious kohl cat got out the day before we got home from our adventures in alabama-land and hasn't been seen since. we're going on day 11 of her missing and its still killing me. as silly as it seems to most people, she's my baby girl. we weren't allowed to have inside pets growing up because of my mom's allergies. kittens were allowed to stay inside til "they were old enough to fend for themselves" as per my dad. i'm not sure how exactly that was decided but most of my animals were either eaten by coyotes, hit by cars or..welll.....hit by cars. having an inside cat was a whole new experience for me. and being a newlywed in a new state all alone meant that we bonded quickly.

my little girl...just a few days after i got her.

i felt like the worst mommy in the world the day she was spayed and declawed (the declawing was necessary as she was destroying all of our furniture). our dog rosco freaked out a little when we first brought her home but they quickly bonded and have been playmates ever since. he's also been missing her terribly. watching him mope is the saddest thing.

all grown and beautiful. she loved posing for pictures (and playing with the camera strap).

there she is. no one in our neighborhood has seen her and i found out that microchipping isn't the be all/end all of lost pets that they make it seem like. they can only contact you about your missing animal if they have the same scanner as you have microchip. our animal control shelter doesn't even bother scanning the animals they find because they only read one type of microchip. boo.

we are still hoping that she's just out having a good time playing with butterflies and then eating them. i'm not sure when the appropriate time to give up is...regardless, keep your fingers crossed.

anywhoo...we also (as i said before) made a quick trip down to destin and then had the honor of attending the captain's career course ball before kyle graduates next week. it was all a good time mostly just because we were together and celebrating four years of wedded bliss (or something that closely resembles it).

checking out the digs in destin. i LOVE that place. such a good time. :)

my new friend that i/kyle met while in ccc...she just happens to be moving into my neighborhood at the end of the summer! can't waiiiiit!

**note: trying to stand up on one foot (long enough to take this picture) was astonishingly hard in those heels.

love him soooo much and am so proud to be his wife.

happy memorial day! remember that freedom is never free.

from winter to spring...just likeTHAT!

its amazing how fast this year is flying by. i was always told that as you get older, time passes more quickly...but i didn't believe it til recently. its already april! where has this year gone!?

of course, with spring comes "spring cleaning". we've been sprucing up around the house...trying ever so hard to get those things that stay stuck on our to-do list done. our yard has been one of our main focuses as of late. we were able to start on some edging for our three small flower beds and hopefully will be adding some river rock as filler soon. it should look fantastic when its all said and done....but it needs to get done soon, before it gets ridiculously hot out.

there's not a whole lot else going on around here. still working and trying to work out as much as possible. i've added a new class to my regimen and am hoping it will push me through this plateau i've been enduring these last few months. at kyle's urging the class is yet another spin class rather than the strenghth or pilates class i was eyeballing. i started the new class today and boy...i was struggling. i'd like to think that it was the intense heat of the room but that's probably not the case. we booked a cruise for june so i only have a small window of time to get into "beach body" shape as kyle calls it.

yep...so we'll see.

keep your finger's crossed for me. and if you see me in the drive through at any restaurants or see me eyeing candy in the check out line at wal-mart....thump me on the back of the head or something. ;)

i hope you're all having a wonderful spring and enjoying this fantastic weather.

until next time, be blessed.

fancy meeting you here...

wow...its been so very long. i can't believe how long its been since i blogged last. things have been busy since we got home from christmas. the additional body in our home has been somewhat of a challenge but we're working through it the best way we know how.



tyler has been working now for about a month (thank goodness). he found a job at a family owned barbeque joint that just happened to be opening a new location less than 5 miles from our house. coincidence? i think not. :) so he's here to stay...at least for now. haha (just kidding).



my grandparents came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we had a fantastic time together. they always wear me out during their visits. we did an incredible amount of shopping (which i didn't mind in the least). we ate a lot and walked alot...which of course, cancelled out all the eating we did. unfortunately it was cold and rainy the majority of the time they were here so we weren't able to make it out to the beach. we managed one sunny, nice day to traipse around downtown and see the sights. this friday my mom and dad will be arriving. i'll be keeping my fingers crossed and be muttering many a prayer for nice weather while they're here.

other than that, things have just been normal. between work, church, the gym and trying to keep the house clean i find myself feeling overwhelmed sometimes. it seems as though things pile up on me all at the same time all in the same day. funny how that works, huh? and i feel like i leave such a boring life...

we did experience a loss at work rather unexpectedly this week. my friend and co-worker's husband died sunday morning. he was a cancer survivor and had been in remission for over 5 years but came down with pneumonia that his weakened heart just couldn't fight off. his family is so very sweet and it breaks my heart to see them hurt. the funeral is tomorrow and most definitely won't be easy so would you please keep this sweet family in your prayers as they grieve and heal?

thank you.

sorry this post has been so random...its just been so long since i posted last. i'll try to be better about posting once the visiting and such dies down. :)

until next time, be blessed.