• Disney,  Life,  Travel

    Disney World 2014 – Epcot & Animal Kingdom

    Isn’t funny how you look forward to something like vacation for so long and then BAM it’s over. Coming home on a Tuesday means hitting the ground running trying to catch up after being gone for a week. I wanted to try to write a recap with some Disney tips before I forget.  We packed so much into just a week. Traveling and vacations are some of my favorite things, but after day 6 or so I usually start to crave the comfort of structure. I’m looking forward to getting back to my bed, my food, and my gym. But we had a really great time. This past week we spent…

  • Life,  Weight Loss,  workouts

    Trust The Process

    When I think about things to share on my blog I often think about things I want other people to hear. Other times, like today, it’s more of a reminder to myself to practice what I preach. All too often I forget where I was when I first started on this journey. Chronically tired, out of shape, embarrassed, overwhelmed. I’ve come so far in the last 4 1/2 years. But I obviously didn’t start where I am today. It has been a process, a journey. I started walking. Then walking alternated with running. When I started I could barely run 30 seconds at a time. Then I got the crazy…

  • Life,  Tummy Tuck,  Weight Loss,  workouts

    I’m Done Coasting

    Today is 12 weeks, or 3 months, since my Abdominoplasty/Skin Removal. I knew going into it that I wanted to take it easy for the first 3 months. Like I said in my last post, I just wanted to coast through recovery to give my body time to heal. I had to prepare myself mentally to scale back on workouts and I wanted to give my mind a break when it came to eating. The first 6 weeks were hard, I hated not working out. Then when I got back in the gym it was tough to get my head in the game because I felt so weak when I…

  • Life,  Weight Loss,  workouts

    This is Not What I expected

    When I went in for surgery I knew my recovery would take about 3 months, minimum. My plan was to just take it easy, mentally and physically. Obviously I would be out of the gym completely for 6 weeks, but even when I got released to workout I knew I wanted to take it easy and let my body fully recover. I didn’t want to stress out over workouts or food choices for those first 3 months. Basically, I just wanted to coast through recovery. Next monday I’ll hit that 3 month mark. It’s weird now, though. When I first started losing weight I was so focused on the number…

  • Life,  Tummy Tuck,  Weight Loss

    Abdominoplasty Update: 10 Weeks Post Op

      I remember when I was 10 weeks away from my abdominoplasty  thinking it seemed so far away. Now I can’t believe it has already been 10 weeks since my surgery  It seems like so long ago when I was trying to imagine what it would be like to have my hanging skin gone, smooshing and folding it while standing in front of the mirror. These past 10 weeks I’ve had to relearn my body. I still am caught off guard when I catch a glimpse of myself in a picture or a mirror as I walk by. Other times I feel like this is how my body has been forever. Mostly I feel like…

  • Life

    Time to Be a Grown Up: The Importance of Reviewing Your Health Benefits

    http://member.clevergirlscollective.com/track?u=10185&g=821 I’ll be the first to admit that “grown up” responsibilities aren’t my favorite thing. Just a few days ago I spent half the day tracking down tax waivers, insurance statements, and other paper work we needed to get plates on one of our vehicles. It wasn’t fun, but it was way better than getting a ticket for not having plates because I just “didn’t feel like doing it” – Right? Being a grown up may mean I can buy whatever shampoo and conditioner my little heart desires (my parents made us use V05, because it was cheap), it also means I have to pay attention to important details in…

  • EAT,  Family Life,  Life,  STL

    Out of the Ordinary Day

    Hey Guys! How is your week going so far? Seems like my week has been SO long. How is it only Wednesday? Today is a super special day… It’s my husbands 29th birthday! So we decided to take the day off. Payton had school so after working out this morning we went to breakfast with some friends then headed home to clean up before making the trip out to Sump Coffee… Mid-Week Coffee Date for the win! Obviously I love coffee, so a new coffee experience is always welcomed. It was a great ambiance. It was really all about the coffee. They buy their beans green and roast them. The…

  • Life,  Reviews

    Favorite Finds

    Every so often I come across amazing new products that I love. Sometimes I find them through friends and sometimes these products are sent to me to try out. Regardless of how I come across them I am always honest in my review and don’t share anything unless I think you’ll love it. So here we go! Bandelettes So I absolutely love this idea. See, I’m a female of the thigh gapless variety. Which is awesome. Except when you want to wear cute maxi skirts and your strong muscular gapless thighs like to rub together. Bandelettes sent me a pair of both the lace and the spandex versions. Of course…

  • Life

    Speaking Out Against Perfection

    I used to love little quotes that said “good is the enemy of great” or something to that effect. I have always thought if you are going to do something you might as well do it all the way. I’ve never been good with grey… it’s either black or white. It’s right or it’s wrong. It’s all or nothing. And while that could seem like an admirable trait to some, it can actually cause more harm than good. This is how almost all my attempts at a “diet” have been, going all the way back to those pre-prom dress shopping days in high school. I would start off all motivated…

  • Life

    Meal Planning 101

    Today marks 2 weeks since my abdominoplasty/excess skin removal surgery. These first 2 weeks have been all about easy when it comes to the meal department. We were blessed to be overwhelmed with amazing meals that people made for us most of the first week. The second week was all about convenience, whatever was easy for the hubs to make or me to throw together or pick up. I wasn’t stressing about the food, I was focused on rest. I’ve been feeling better and better and know that I need to get back to meal planning to make sure we have healthy meal options available. I want to make sure…