Image Map

July 31, 2015

Hot Like A Popsicle on the Last Friday in July

Morning, friends! How is it the last Friday in July? Didn't summer just start? I am quite baffled the year has flown by so quickly. August is knocking at the door and I'm not sure I want to answer. This week has been an emotionally long one and normally I'd be stoked for the weekend, but tomorrow is THE DAY! My FITNESS GOAL DAY and y'all I have to confess, I am soooo not prepared. However it is what it is and I will face my challenge with a smile [or curse, ha!] and have something interesting to report back on Monday. Now, let's move on to favorites, shall we?

Favorite Blog Moment of the Week: People who don't blog don't understand the community, but this week proved how fantastic the blog world can be when it gets behind a cause. As many of you already read here, a beautiful blogger passed away this week, sending shockwaves of grief to all that read her blog. I still can't believe I'll never read another post written by her and my heart breaks for her family during this time of grieving. Yet, Leslie's bright light is still shining online if you follow the hashtag #remberingleslie . So many women are posting their caring thoughts about this beautiful soul and hopefully it will bring some peace to her family. As of Thursday the GoFundMe set up for her two girls was over $17,800 in only two days which is a testament to how many people Leslie touched in her life. There of course are the dark parts of the Internet, but it's times like these when I realize how proud I am to a part of this blogging community. I'm also exremply proud of our hashtags, because now her family can see how much Leslie meant to people they never knew. 
[source]
Favorite Store of the Week: You would think it would be Nordstrom because of the anniversary sale [and yes, I am still shopping, gah], but no, today I'm highlighting RiffRaff. Leslie posted many a collaboration with RiffRaff and in her memory they are donating 100% of their sales tomorrow to Caroline and Ainsley's fund. How incredible is their gesture?!? #shopriffraff #kindnessmatters #shopsmall #rememberingleslie
[source]
Favorite Quote: Got to laugh at people who think they and are perfect. #getahappylife #alwaysstartingdrama #timetomoveondear #blessyourboringlifeheart #doyouwantpeopletoknowthebackstory
[source]
Favorite Funnies of the Week: Have a smile on me!
[source]
#nevergiveuponthosedreams

[source]
#everysingleday #whyistimesostrange

[source]
#thatwasalmosttooclose #meatareunionhappythisweek

[source]
#turtlesoup #mynewchef

[source]
#eatalltheskinnypeople
[source]
#thestruggleisreal #unusualnameclub

Favorite Links of the Week: Getting collage fancy this week, whoop whoop!

+ Want to stop cursing but still be able to insult people? Check out this hilarious article, I couldn't help but laugh at all of the insults. People are quite clever when they want to get rid of the potty mouth.

+ A waitress uses her hard earned money to thank a special group of men. Kindness makes me happy.

+ Some super foods aren't quite what you think they are and this article explains why.

+ 15 words I need to remove from my vocabulary. Definitely guilty of them all, are you? #literally

Have a fabulous weekend, bunnies! < 3 y'all dearly!
 **linking up  Here  here hereherehere and, here this week**

July 30, 2015

You Need To Read This {And So Do I}

When I can't find the words to write I turn to Pinterest. It has just been one of those weeks, y'all, just one of those weeks. Hopefully something here today will inspire you, challenge you and make you smile, too. Because, well, smilings my favorite. Wherever you are, I wish you a fabulous Thursday, bunnies!
[source]
Can you say Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?!


[source]
Don't let other people's pettiness keep you from loving life! #idont

[source]
You have to take the first step, so do it!

[source]
I know I don't frown when I hold a cupcake, haha!


[source]
#truth #preach #addmorelipstick


[source]
Let dignity and strength lead you throughout your day.

[source] 
Nothing beats falling into bed satisfied with everything accomplished during the day.

[source]
You don't need their permission to forgive them, make the choice yourself.

[source]
Choose to be strong not miserable. Life is so much enjoyable when you're happy!

[source]
I hope I have the strength to be brave!

[source]
Everyone so have a bottle of champagne, because L I F E is a celebration, right ladies?
Linking up with *kristin*& *annie*

July 29, 2015

Heartbroken { #rememberingleslie }

A beautiful life was lost this week and my heart hurts. My dear friend Jess notified me yesterday that sweet Leslie of a Blonde Ambition had gone to be with Jesus and I couldn't help but cry at work. Leslie was a jewel of a person and such a beautiful woman, inside and out. I remember when I first found her blog and was drawn in by her with and charisma. Her eye for fashion was astounding and I tried a few fashion piece outside my comfort zone because of her. She was fun, sassy and her Confession Fridays linkup was one of my favorites in my early stages of blogging. I learned a lot about hair from her [ these two videos are my favorites], used her make up routine to tweak my own and found her thoughts on self confidence empowering.

She was one of the few bloggers I read who waited a year or so before having kids and it made me feel less of a random. It was fun following her through pregnancy and then through motherhood, she always kept it real which was the best thing about her blog. Her two princesses were always dressed to the nines and she was such a stylish pregnant mama. I was blessed to have her guest post during my wedding week and Leslie was incredibly kind enough to share her lovely wedding pictures. She and I exchanged emails a few times and she was always so kind in every correspondence.

I am stunned and shocked and down right mad.  My heart breaks for her husband and two beautiful girls, life just seems so unfair right now. Leslie has shared vague news about her heart the past few months, but I don't think anyone really knew the gravity of her situation. She spoke often of her faith and I take heart in knowing she is at peace with our Heavenly Father. I know her daughters have the best dressed guardian angel and pray for her whole family as they grieve.

Kelly of Kelly's Korner shared the tragic news on her Instagram, which I have below.

Leslie was such a bright light in the blogging community and the Internet is a bit dimmer now that she is gone.  Jessica, Lynn and I wanted to try and let her family and friends know how loved she was by this community and we encourage you to use the hashtag #rememberingleslie and #beblessedlovelies [her blog signature] on social media in her honor. In lieu of flowers, the family is requested a donation for her two beautiful daughters, Caroline and Ainsley and here is *the link if you wish to donate*. 

Sweet Leslie, your smile, wit and charm will be so missed. Thank you for sharing your talents with the blogging community. Our hair poofs are higher, our make up is more polished and our outfits are more on point thanks to you. Your beautiful family is in my prayers. #beblessedlovelies #rememberingleslie < 3

linkinguphere

July 28, 2015

C U R R E N T L Y


Reading - my BODYPUMP materials and the script I've written for the video I have to tape soon. #coachingistough
Anticipating- Saturday morning. I'm attempting one of my fitness goals and am quite nervous.
Buying - all the things from the Nordstrom's sale. I've been way too shoppy lately, oooops! #newjewleryandleggingsrock
Praying - for guidance in our new ventures. I know where we want to go, we just need to find a way to get there.
Listening - to two different songs on repeat. The dub step in this beat gets me grooving every time I hear it and after out trip to Colorado, this song holds a special meaning so I'll turn it on and remember our super fun trip.
Watching -A lot of reruns, summer TV is pretty dull for us since we don't have Prime or Netflix. I'm still loving Astronaut Wives Club [get on the wagon ladies] and Le Husband and I have been watching a bunch of Triple D episodes.
Devouring -  Salads. Well, not devouring just eating to prep my body for this weekend. I wish I was devouring pizza and burgers, haha. #summerfoodsarethebestfoods
Loving - summertime. I never want the summer to end! #stayawayfall
Hating - sports injuries that seem to pop up right before a big athletic event. 
Wanting -to really kill it this weekend. #fingerscrossed #willkeepyouposted
Hoping - I don't fail on Saturday.
Feeling - stressed about vacation plans that just kind of popped up. 
Wishing - I still had my May/June body. All of the vacation food and decisions after vacation has really taken a toll on my physic. I don't regret any of the food I ate [well maybe the random Starbucks], but I can feel all the extra calories.

linking up *here*

July 27, 2015

Chill Weekends Make Me Happy

Morning and happy Monday,  ladies. I hope you had a good weekend. Thankfully mine was much chiller than last weekend and I enjoyed the down time immensely. 

This weekend I… 

… started the weekend of with a lovely date night with Le Husband at our favorite Italian joint. The food was divine as usually and I was stuffed after the fabulous mushroom risotto, lemon ricotta ravioli and of course my favorite, the tiramisu for dessert. #isthereanythingbetterthanagoodmealwithgoodcompany #ilovetiramisu

… watched a movie then went to bed.

… slept in Saturday morning and enjoyed not having to be anywhere. 

… baked my famous Oreo cupcakes for our women's team BBQ. #bettycrockersaycupcake

… enjoyed catching up with one our captains and some how drank a whole bottle of Sangria by myself. 

… did not enjoy the uniform discussion that felt like high school. #howoldareweagain

… went home to a delicious home cooked meal of ribs and macaroni and cheese by Le Husband. 

… woke up Sunday and headed to church and then went to the pool to get some rays. 

… my pool visit was short lived because I forgot my book, sunscreen and hat. #sadzatthepool

… visited Nordstroms to try and exchange my Zella leggings for smalls. After talking with the clerk and remembering everyone's feedback I stayed with the XS and then scooped up a few more goodies since I was in the store. 

… came home and fed the laundry monster.

… practiced BODYPUMP at home. I have the choreography down, I just need to work on my coaching.

… cooked homemade pasta, meatballs and spaghetti sauce with Le Husband for Sunday dinner. #delicious

… prepped lunch for the week, packed my gym bag, read then hit the hay.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop whoop < 3

July 24, 2015

Just a Lil Nordstrom Five

Hello, bunnies! Happy Friday to y'all! I hope your week flew by and you are ready for the weekend. If I'm honest this week was a bit of  blah in my neck of the woods, but I'm looking forward to a chill weekend after the craziness that was last weekend. Do you have anything fun planned this weekend or are you just chilling out, too?

In place of the normal Friday Faves, I thought I'd share my five Nordstrom purchases.  This was my first time shopping the anniversary sale and I was like a kid in a candy store with all the fun price reductions. I managed to keep it within reason and scooped up some fun baubles and the Zella legging that are oh so popular in blogland.
Kendra Scott Dylan Stone Pendant: I saw a few other friends had purchased a different version of this necklace and I decided I need to add to my Kendra Scott collection. I'm happy with the color, but it is a lot smaller than I expected. I had planned to use it as a statement necklace, but now I'll use it layered with other necklaces.

Zella Live In Leggings: These leggings look true to their picture and I love the grey coloring. I do have a question though to the Zella lovers, are they normally tight or are they supposed to be super comfortable? Per Zella's sizing I bought size XS however they are a lil constricting, is this normal or should I size up to a Small?

Zella Live In Leggings: The black leggings are reversible [so fun] and have bit more room than the grey version, but I still would like opinions on sizing. #blogfriendadviceisthebest

Kendra Scott Arden Cuff: I blame my BOFF for my Kendra Scott obsession [love you] and am happy to use this sale to add to my collection. This bracelet is the perfect addition to what I already wear and it fits really well on my small wrists.

Kate Spade Glitter Stud Earrings: I know everyone and their mother will have these studs, but I've had them on my list for a year. I always love having pops of pink earrings and these will go nicely with the pink and silver studs I already have at home. Personally I don't think you can ever go wrong with more pink ;)!

Have you received your purchases yet? What did you buy? Hope you have a FABULOUS Friday, loves < 3!

 **linking up  Here  here hereherehere and, here this week**

July 23, 2015

Cage of Stars {Book Review}

I had planned to save this review for next month's book review linkup, as I'm not normally one to waste a blog post on one book. I personally skip over these kind of posts because I find them dull. But after so many of you expressed interested per yesterday's post, I only thought it was only fair to share my thoughts before you take the plunge and read the book.

On our trip to Colorado I flew threw the two books I had on my Kindle and all of a sudden I had nothing to read. My library account wasn't working either so I kind of put myself into a tizzy trying to figure out what I was going to do with my down time when Le Husband remembered seeing a thrift store in Breckenridge. We walked there one night and I randomly picked up this book and another book to keep myself occupied throughout the rest of our travels. Originally I was drawn to the cover and then I read the back and was instantly hooked.
* * * * *
"12-year-old Veronica Swan's idyllic life in a close-knit Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered. Although her parents find the strength to forgive the deranged killer, Scott Early, Veronica cannot do the same. Years later, she sets out alone to avenge her sisters' deaths, dropping her identity and severing ties in the process. As she closes in on Early, Veronica will discover the true meaning of sin and compassion, before she makes a decision that will change her and her family's lives forever." [picture and summary via goodreadsdotcom]

Oh my word, this book was tough but delightful. I don't know if being the eldest of three sisters played a part in my attachment but I am recommending this book to EVERYONE. Yes, there is a religious overtone, but it isn't in your face, it's just who the Swan family is and it guides how they cope. And my do they have a ditch to get out of after the sudden deaths. Even though I KNEW what was going to happen, I still teared up reading about the deaths and the funeral. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm the Veronica of my family [although the ages are different], so my thoughts and heart immediately put me in her shoes and I honestly don't know how Veronica functioned the way she did. But, I do understand her plight in not wanting to forgive Early. I 100% back her feelings and thoughts regarding want to make him pay and not letting him off the hook. Remember that whole grudge holder thing, yeah, pretty sure this would be a grudge for life  [heck it took me forever to get over drama with a girl I barely knew two years]

You can't help but feel for Veronica as she tries to navigate her life without her sisters. She struggles figuring out how to live and what to do and how to help her parents. There is a lot of grief and my heart ached for each character affected as they walked through the haze in a different manner. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Veronica tried to keep a normal life and that in time her family started to learn how to actually live with the heartache.

Mitchard does a fantastic job of presenting grief and of tying it to a religious background. Her writing is very succinct and she doesn't just wax on which I appreciated. She keeps the story moving and builds incredibly to the moment of no return. I have to say I was a bit surprised with the turn Veronica takes, yet I was able to guess where her story would end up anyway. Her new life is an interesting twist and I was on the edge of me seat each chapter WAITING for that all important moment. 

I almost took away a star because I felt the story had a great build but then just quickly tied up all the loose ends. After reading an interview with Mitchard in the back of the book, I gave the star back because she explained what she hoped to accomplish with the succinct style. One of the few five of five star books I've come across. This book with make you think, make you cry and make you smile so go check it out and prepare to have all the feels < 3!

Linking up with *kristin*& *annie*

July 22, 2015

The Last

[source]

Thing I ate... egg, sweet potato, zucchini and onion scramble for breakfast.

Thing I watched... episode five of the Astronaut Wives Club [so good]. #checkoutthisseries

Account I followed on Twitter... @CherylBurke because she was dancing with the DCC.

Blog I visited... Olive and Tate. She's a sweetheart of a mama, go visit her today!

Activity I did... wrote an email.

Song I listened to... Today (Scooter Remix) while practicing BodyPump chorey in the car.

Time I swore... this morning on the drive in to work. #beepingslowdriver

Product I used... chap-stick and lotion.

Book I read... Cage the Stars. Oh my word, y'all, talk about an incredible book. I'll have my complete thoughts with my book review, but I'll tell you that this book hooked me in immediately and pulled at my heart more than any other book in the recent past. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Thing that frustrated me... our system at work and a downstream system. They both drive me bonkers.

Time Le Husband shocked me... he agreed with my sports opinion...this NEVER happens. 

inspiration found *here*
and linking up here

July 21, 2015

A {Lil} Bit of Thanks

Life can be messy. Things big and small happen and all of a sudden it seems to be one thing after another and then we're all down the dark rabbit hole. I have some friends experiencing the snowball effect and it breaks my heart [prayers and love to y'all, you know who you are < 3].  My life might not be 'all roses' but right now things are pretty even keel. So, today I'm taking a moment to give thanks for the little things in life that make me happy.
[source]
Just a lil bit of thanks for... 

My foam roller. If I can't get a daily massage, this lil contraption is the next best thing. #hurtsogood.

Soft warm socks on my feetsies when I sleep.

Tents. Coolers. Ice. I would have melted on the turf playing soccer during a heat advisory this weekend without those three beautiful wonderful inventions. #dontbeuncool

Relaxing music on YouTube. Sometimes you need a lil zen at work.

Yummy scented perfumes that make me feel fresh and clean.

Fun pink leopard sun shades. Daddy bought them for me last year and Sassy looks so fierce while keeping cool.

Summer.

My body and all it allows me to do at my age. #gettingoldisntfunbutatleastimstillmoving

Make up wipes. When the heat melts the makeup off my face I'm always glad to have wipes to clean up quickly.

An active younger sister that makes soccer in the heat fun.

New friends from sports. I had a blast playing with a new team this weekend and am glad I said YES when asked.

Bed Buddy warming packs. My tired shoulders love this warming device.

What are your lil bits of thanks, today?

linkinguphere

July 19, 2015

United Taco Supreme Villains Soccer Weekend

This weekend I…

… snapped up some beauties from the Nordstroms sale.

… joined one of my best friends for a movie in the park, Friday night. Can you believe I'd never seen Ancrhormand until that outing? #notclassypinky #funny movie.


… went home, prepped for my soccer tournament and then did the airport circle of fun waiting to pick up Le Husband. His flight was a bit delayed, but I watched it land which was pretty cool. #sogladheshome.

… passed out.

… woke up SUPER early for my 8am soccer game. #notcoolsonotcool.

… rejoiced in the early morning clouds.

… played well both games and was happy we won both :)!


… joined the team for brunch at a new to me reastaruant.

… made everyone laugh with my french toast and a side of steak order. #gottagetthatprotien #iworkout.


… drank plenty of mimosas.

… took a fifteen minute nap during my favorite James Bond movie. #dieanotherday

… jumped awake, got dressed in my new RW&B swag and met babyspice out for the USA Gold Cup game. Cheered loudly when we scored [six goals] and hydrated with water while everyone else played beer pong.


… loved all the compliments on my new scarf and BOOOOOOOOTS!

… went to dinner with Babyspice at one of our favorite sushi spots. #sisterbondingwithsushi

… went home and passed out at 10pm. #tiredpup

… woke up, did some yoga and finally just relaxed with a lil Mulan in the morning.

… cried when I saw the brother of a  high school friend passed away, due to his complications with AT. He defied the odds his whole life and even brought on Ben Affleck as a supporter [video here]. Even though death was the known outcome of AT, my heart breaks for her and her family, if you have a moment, please send her family prayers and good thoughts.

… rocked the first braid in my entire soccer career. #whowheresabraid


… played three soccer games on Sunday and our team ended up winning the championship, woopwoop! #unitedsupremacyforthewin #tacosupremeisnumberone #nogameslost

… sprinted from our championship, with BabySpice, to our indoor game. #toomuchsoccer

… won that game despite not being able to play with my left foot and ended the weekend 6 - 0!

… jumped into an ice bath to help my old lady body heal. #thankyougruforkeepingmecompany

How was your weekend? Did you have an active or restful one?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop whoop < 3

July 17, 2015

Rocky Mountain Fiiiiiiiiive

Morning and happy Friday, bunnies! Holy guacamole I'm excited for the weekend. Am I the only one that feels the pain of the first week back to work after vacation? Please tell me I'm not alone. It has been mega tough to get back into the swing of things after our amazing 10 day adventure in Colorado and I'm hopeful a weekend of rest and relaxation will help get me back on track.

In place of my normal Friday Faves, I'm recapping my Colorado trip for y'all today. It was such an amazing time away and it was so refreshing to be in such a beautiful state. Le Husband's aunt and uncle have a second home in Breckenridge and they graciously allowed us to stay in their home and use their car while we were in Colorado. We were ever so grateful because their generosity, coupled with the fact we used our frequent flier miles for our tickets, made our fabulous vacation a lot nicer on our budget. I would pay through the nose to go back though, we had the best time and here are my five favorites of our trip. Hopefully you are ready for a lengthy recap, because that's what you're getting :)!

The Views: This is probably no news to any of you, but Colorado is just gorgeous. I thought it was beautiful in the winter, but it is just as fabulous in the spring and summer months. The mountains create the most majestic background and the snow capped peaks bring up fun thoughts of skiing. Everywhere you look there is a big sky, mountains and beautiful lush green trees. While the altitude is no joke, the fresh air is divine and the scenery makes my views at home extremely lacking. #takemebacktothemountains #clearaireverywhere #noconcretejungle











This pictures was taken our last day in Breckenridge and I sorely miss having such a beautiful horizon to gaze upon everyday. I used to believe I was a beach girl, but I'm learning more and more the mountains make my soul sing.

The Activities: Even though we were on vacation, Le Husband is not a lounge around kind of guy. We are always doing something active on our vacays and this one was rife with fun outdoor activities. There was quite a bit of rain on our trip, but every clear morning I enjoyed some morning yoga on the balcony. Even though I'm no yogi, it was nice blending into the scenery with some #treepose and rejoicing with a lil #dancerspose.


After spending the 4th in Breckenridge I am quite sure little towns put on some of the best 4th of July festivities. Obviously nothing will hold a candle to the fireworks in Washington DC [hands down THE BEST], but lil towns do it up right. The parade was so much fun and well put on and everyone was so in the spirit of America. Seeing the red, white and blue everywhere made me happy to be a citizen of the good US of A.




After the 4th of July parade and activities, Le Husband and I went on our first hike of the trip and it was a short two hour jaunt. There were many different hiking paths right around our front door and we chose to hike 'backward' going down the mountain first and then ascending it back home. Looking back this was our only hike without rain and even though it was easy breezy it was still a lot of fun. #onlyhikewithoutrain

The next day Le Husband we decided to bike seven miles to the Continental Divide. This was our second lil outing on the bikes, but it was no easier than our first. They call Denver the Mile High City, but Breckenridge is the Two Mile High City and the altitude kicked my lil pink behind. The fact the bike ride was continually uphill didn't do much to help either. I definitely had a few pep talks throughout the ride and there was a time we both thought about turning around, but thankfully another biker came down the path and said it wasn't much further [thankyou whoever you are, you saved our ride]. We were both extremly ecstatic when we finally saw this sign, as you can hear.




Since the ride took so much out of us, we stayed along the divide a bit longer than planned and got caught in a rain and hail storm. Luckily there was a small place to take shelter with our bikes and we just hung out and watch the clouds and rain move around. Thankfully it wasn't too chilly and soon we were back on our way home, before the next storm blew through the mountains.



Even though we were staying away from TV, you know I couldn't miss the Women's World Cup Final. I convinced Le Husband to go into town on Sunday and we found a quiet sports bar to watch the game. Throughout the tournament I had joined many friends at loud noisy bars so watching the final on a small TV in a tiny bar was quite a different experience. I did enjoy one of the best drinks of the trip at the bar and was super stoked when Abby finally got her World Cup. #cheerstotheUSA! #redwhiteandblueprompose




Climbing one of the 14s in Colorado is a big thing for hikers and on Monday we attempted our first hike to over 14,000 ft elevation. It was a bit of a mess with the rainy and dreary weather, along with missing the trail start turn off #directionsareoverrated. Somehow we ended up on the backside of the Quandary hike and attempted to ascent the top before an impending rain storm. This hike had NO trail and we kind of made it up as we were going which was fun, but man was the grade steep. There were a lot of lil stops along the way and even though we didn't make the peak, we did make it to the snow, which was our original goal.



Those clouds became darker quite quickly, so we turned around at the snow and quickly walked down the mountain. We didn't quite beat the rain though, but only dealt with a drizzle until we made it to the car, then the flood gates opened. All we could do was laugh that we were almost that couple caught in the rain. Since we didn't hit the correct trail it was decided that we would attempt Quandary later in the week.


Tuesday was one of my favorite days because we had a 90 minute couples massaged booked and it was HEAVEN. By far one of the best massages I've ever experienced and it was a nice break from all the activities. We enjoyed being lazy and had a delicious dinner and drinks that night on the balcony. #vacationwinning.

Wednesday we decided to try and tackle Quandary Peak again and though we got a much later start than planned we were both ready to tackle the trail. The weather of course was rainy, but we both remembered the hike in the Alaskan rain so we put on our big hiker pants and headed off to reach the summit.


Y'all this hike was intense, tough and longer than expected. But, it was beautiful and truly an amazing Colorado experience. The beginning was fine, it wasn't until we got closer to the summit that things started to get really tough and the breaks got longer and longer. It was another mental challenge to push through the altitude and steep grade and again we almost turned around but managed to talk ourselves through the task.



Then finally, we were at the summit. We had to walk through snow on the ground and right when we got to the top the clouds really moved in and it started to sleet and snow. We quickly grabbed our pictures and I even FaceTimed my parents from 14,265 elevation because, hello, technology and then quickly began the descent down the mountain.





Our descent was a bit hairy at the beginning because the snow/wind was whipping behind us. Thank goodness we had our fantastic hiking pants and waterproof jackets because otherwise we would have been freezing. Luckily once we got below the treeline the sun came out, and we we saw our beautiful double rainbow which gave me great joy. What did NOT give me great joy was our pesky lil hiking companion. A random dog decided we were his pack and stayed with us the ENTIRE HIKE! Normally I'm a huge fan of dogs, but every now and then he decided he wanted to try and be alpha and that just became annoying. Thankfully we got a hold of his owner when we left the trail and hopefully he's back home where he belongs. After the hike Le Husband and I were extremely exhausted so we ordered in and passed out early, which ended up being a good thing as we left for Denver the next day.

ALL THE AMAZING FOOD: Y'all we Porky Pigged it up on this trip and while the number on the scale annoys me right now, it was sooooo stinking worth it. Le  Husband did some research for Denver and our first stop after landing was Denver Biscuit Company and it was INCREDIBLE! I had biscuit french toast which was the most delicious thing and Le Husband's egg sandwich was phenomenal. While in Breckenridge we chose to cook in the house we stayed in most nights [burgers, steak and grilled chicken], but went out a few times on the nights we were exhausted. Giampietro's Pizzeria was frequented a few times as their pizza, calzones and ravioli were the best ever and we enjoyed a few crepes and ice cream stops for desserts. I hope some of our workouts in Breck made up for the calories consumed and I wish I could say the same for Denver. We ate a lot of delicious food at meet and greets, baseball games and bars and I had one of the BEST burgers ever on Friday night. Le Husband and I have a food ritual before kickball games, but since we were staying in a group house and joined people for a late baseball game we kind of had to go with the flow. Well, that meant no dinner until 9pm and we stopped at the first restaurant we saw that was open, aka Burger Bar. I was a lil apprehensive because everything was kind of rich for so late at night, but the fries and the burgers were fantastic. Ready to start drooling?!!?

The Downtime: Oh my goodness, the downtime was amazing. Our cabin was equipped with WiFi and multiple TVs but Le Husband and I chose to use our vacation to disconnect. Sure, there were a few texts here and there and I totally Face-timed my parents form 14,000 ft elevation [cheers technology], but for the most part it was books and music for the two of us. The only time the TV came on was for the Women's World Cup and when we realized we were missing Shark Week, because hello #sharkweek. I know there are those that love to document their vacations [and honeymoons, what?] on social media, but that's not really our thing. I really enjoyed just being with Le Husband and in nature and not worrying about emails or blogs. Try a technology detox on your next vacation, I bet you'll be hooked :)!

The Kickball: After our seven days in Breckenridge, we drove back to Denver to meet up with a group of friends to play in a kickball tournament. Last year, Denver was one of my favorite tournaments of the year and I can now say the same for this year. The team we played on was a group of people from multiple other teams and even though we started out a bit rough, [holy right field] the day was a lot of fun. I love playing on availables teams because you get to meet knew friends and learn new tricks from people and get a lil outside your comfort zone in the field. Sadly we lost in the finals [dagger! DAMN THE WIND] and it was probably one of the most frustrating games I've ever played in due to the weather, however all in all it was a great end to a fun week away. #squints #imadeoutwithwendypeffercorn #kickballfriendsforever



Many congrats if you've made it to this point, I know that was a long post but we had so much fun on our trip and I don't want to forget it all too quickly. I'm so sad to be back home however my body is ready to get back into my normal gym and workout routine, especially since I have a race coming up quite soon. If you have any questions about anything please feel free to shoot me an email, I'll try to point you in the right direction if I don't have the answer for you.

****

I can't let today pass without marking Le Husband and my five year date-aversary! Crazy, just crazy. I know now we are married date-aversaries are kind of silly, but it's still a big deal to me. I'm so incredibly thankful I stepped outside my comfort zone and joined a random team which lead me to Le Husband. Carrots and marshmellows, forever :)!

Hope everyone has a great weekend < 3!


 **linking up  Here  here hereherehere and, here this week**