The Last Weekend of August Was So Fetch

Morning, beautiful friends! I hope you had a great weekend, mine was pretty fabulous but pretty full of wonderful things. Since I was so busy, blog posting took a bit of a back seat and today's weekend recap is picture heavy and text light.

This weekend I [from L to R]:

+ Rocked my Sandlot shirt because it made me smile.

+ Had kickball practice on the National Mall and enjoyed the bright sunshine. Practice wasn't nearly as productive as last weekend's but we found some weakness to work on and I'm hopefully we will rock it out in Nashville.

+ Grabbed a quick two hours at the pool with Babyspice. I can't believe the pools close next week #sadface.

+ Spend the rest of Saturday prepping food for my 'Thank you for taking my certification BodyPump class' for my family. Le Husband did the heavy lifting making the homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade pasta, leaving me to make the homemade bread, brushetta and meatballs.

+ Loved how delicious our meal came out and was so happy my family enjoyed it as well. Mama B made her fabulous Oreo dessert and it was the perfect ending to a great evening. Babyspice, Le Husband and I had a great time talking politics while drinking wine and I found myself so grateful for my family :)!

+ Slept in way later than expected and had to get a jump start on the day. We were able to successfully get errands in before heading to a birthday brunch at Tupelo Honey. Somehow a single order of a mimosa turned into two and then we were gifted champagne for a toast. Y'all I'm waaaaaaay too old for a Sunday Funday, I came home and took a nap afterwards. #toooldforsundayfunday

+ Took a nap then heading to my weekly soccer game. After we played we all stayed to give our goalie a send off. He's having surgery and will be out for a few months, so Babyspice baked an awesome soccer cake and I brought wine and cookies for our celebration.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop whoop < 3

Next Week is September… Are You Kidding?

NO, no I am not! I am shocked August is almost over and September is right around the weekend. I mean, really? Well, since I can't stop the fall from showing up, I guess let's get into some favorite. Apologies to those that had to read my post earlier this morning, blogger did not save the changes to my scheduled post and it showed up all wacky!

Favorite news of the week: I know I've bashed you over the head with the whole "I'm a BODYPUMP Instructor", but I"m just SOOOOO proud of myself. Monday brought the best news and now I'm ready to tell y'all when I get a job. Thank you for all of the support and love, y'all truly are the best!

Favorite blog post of the week: April shared this post on Tuesday and it really struck a cord with me. I immediately wrote a letter and dropped in the mail for Mr. Strong. If you have a moment I encourage you to do the same :)! #landofthefreebecauseofthebrave #america #aletterdoesntakemuchtime

Favorite video of the week: A lil Celine, 50s style!

Favorite links of the week: Enjoy!

+ Breaking up with a boyfriend is tough enough, but could imagine if someone broke up with you on a plane?

+ How well do you know your classic children books?

https://www.facebook.com/theunchainedmind/photos/a.782053661805169.1073741828.782036978473504/846401502037051/?type=1&theater

+ What Barbie would look like if she were a real person with realistic measurements.

+ I can't wait to try this delicious banana cake with cream cheese frosting. Anyone ever tried this recipe?

+ I'm not a parent, but these tweets are from real parents and made me laugh. Thoughts?

+20 things to do when you're 30 that will make life better at 50.


Favorite funnies of the week: Have a giggle on me, friends!

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Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! I'm looking forward to mine. See y'all next week < 3!

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

If You're Looking For A Sign… Today is the Day! {BodyPump Recap}

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Six short months ago I was considering a concept I never expected. After a year of attending BODYPUMP classes twice a week during my lunch break, I found myself wanting to try something far outside my comfort zone. I am an extrovert and have very little trouble speaking in front of a group, but I had never instructed adults, only tater tots as a swim/soccer coach. However, my love for BODYPUMP and my desire to try something outside my comfort zone overcame my fear of the teaching unknown. It was time to make the move and just DO IT!

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So I decided to go for it. Despite the crazy schedule I already had on my plate, I signed up for the initial training in June and started studying like crazy before my class. I cannot convey how nervous I was leading up to the training. Until then, only one person, fabulous Nikki, knew about my goal and now I had to tell everyone close to me my plan. Can I tell you how much that scared me? It's one thing to have a goal and then explain to people when you succeed [a la the Spartan] it's another to tell people you are stepping out on a limb with the possibility of it breaking.

The weekend flew my faster than expected and I learned a ton. If you are thinking of taking a Les Mills instructor class take this as the opportunity to push yourself over that hump. Les Mills does an amazing job of preparing their instructors and they feed you so much wonderful information about coaching and technique.You are flooded with GOOD information and the instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and willing to help you become the best instructor possible.

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Once we completed our initial training, the next step was recording a video teaching a 'fake' class for assessment. Cue freakout. Not only did I have to memorize a full workout of choreography and cues, I also had to TEACH it to people close me and let them into my new world. As mentioned before, speaking in front of people doesn't bother me, but being new at something in front of those I care about makes me so self conscious. Even though I knew I had the full support of my family I still stressed myself out about teaching them. The class almost didn't happen because of a scheduling mix up, but luckily I received some great advice and just grabbed the bull by the horns and knocked it out in one take. There were some mess ups and mishaps but I was confident enough in what I did to submit my video and hope for the best. Waiting to receive my feed back was excruciating, I was pretty sure I failed and was already stressing having to teach my family again. And then, Monday, beautiful Monday came and I received word I PASSED MY ASSESSMENT AND WAS A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR!

Honestly, I thought they had made a mistake. Me, lil Pinky, a certified instructor? No way! Check that, yes way! I put my mind to something and I achieved it. Something I never expected to try is now something I've completed. I checked the box. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is looking back on where I was earlier this year. I am incredibly proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone and testing the waters of something new.

Now I'm in the processes of apply to gyms for jobs and I'll be totally honest, it's a bit daunting and overwhelming. I haven't applied for a job in eight years and I have NO experience in this field, besides my five day old certification. I trust the powers that be understand there are a lot of new fitness people out there and hope they will at least give me an audition chance. Once they see me in action I think they'll like me so please keep your figures crossed for me in this new venture.

The point of this post? If you're thinking of trying something, take *THIS* as your sign to give it a go. I'm telling you, from experience, attempting something outside your comfort zone is an incredible process. Could you fail? YES! Yes, you could. But you could also come across a new purpose in life. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be part of the fitness world. Gym rat? YES! Instructor or trainer? NO WAY! But, here I am, a certified instructor looking for my first class. Take this sign and believe in your dreams, I already believe in you!!!!!! < 3

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Linking up with *kristin*& *annie*

What's up Wednesday {Linkup}

Morning, ladies! How are you doing today? I usually share my CURRENTLY post once a month, but last month stumbled upon this fun link up and thought I'd give it a try. Here's WHAT WAS UP in August!

What I'm excited about... you are reading the blog of a CERTIFIED BODYPUMP INSTRUCTOR, friends! Yup, I DID IT! I received my email on MONDAY that I was officially certified in BODYPUMP, WOOOHOO! I'll post more about it tomorrow but I am too stoked to keep the news to myself any longer. #soexcited #imadeithappen

What I'm eating this week... well, last week actually. Eating healthy took a back burner this month, but I've been back at it for the past few days. Salads were starting to taste a bit bland so I switched it up to tuna/avocado on cucumbers. Super easy, super healthy and super filling, which is what I call a triple win. Give it a try, y'all.

What I'm reminiscing about… our Nashville trip, last August. We had SUCH a fun trip last year on a random team and winning was just the icing on the cake. Our new team is going again in September so it's going to be a much different experience this time around. Fingers crossed we bring home the championship again.

What I'm working on... trying to find a BODYPUMP class to teach. Now that I'm CERTIFIED [eek] I can reach out to gyms to teach a class hopefully once a week. I have a few emails out and I plan to pick the brain of my GGX instructor on Friday.

What I'm loving... Le Husband's lil random gestures. He's not normally a flowers guy, he's more of a 'do small things around the house' for me kind of guy, so my Sunday surprise flowers really made me smile. Relationships have their ebbs and flows but he's always SO good to me and I'm forever grateful he's mine. #luckylady #blessedwiththebest

What we've been up to... getting back into the healthy swing of life. My lil 113 Whole30 body is no more as vacations and stressful weeks at work have taken their toll. My healthy eating pretty non-existent and I can feel it in my body and in my clothes. I'm pretty bummed out at myself, but hey, life happens and now it's time to hit it hard again.

What I'm listening to... Carrie Underwood release her new single earlier this week and I've been listening to it nonstop. It took me two listens to really get into the song, but after that it was constantly played on youtube at work. I think we all could use a 'smoke break' every now and then, right? #carrieunderwooddoesitagain #smokebreak

What I'm dreading... dealing with my passport name change. I have a fabulous international trip in the future and I need my passport to match my license, bah. BTW, married ladies, if you change your name within the first year of marriage it's free. Guess who didn't know that until too late? Yeah, this girl. I'm hoping to get everything sent in this week and crossing my fingers for zero delays. #needthatnewlastname #onlytwoyearslater

What I'm wearing... this summer I've been all about bright lips and lots of colors. I LOVE my Sugar Lip set and have been rocking the Berry shade this month. I've also been dressing up more for work than I have in the past. There have been a lot more dresses, skirts and I've been loving mixing colors. #brightlips #greenandblue

What I'm doing this weekend... eating lots of food. I'm cooking for my family [homemade pasta, meatballs, spaghetti sauce and brushetta] as a thank you for "supporting me in my video assessment" class. They were all troopers attending my class and I wanted to do something they would enjoy as a thank you. Fingers crossed it tastes as delicious as I expect.

What I'm looking forward to next month...  celebrating our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Where did the time go?

What else is new… nothing too much. A lot of the same ol, same ol living. We have some fun things in the works [fingers crossed] but I won't be sharing those until things are more serious. I am really in shock we are done with August and that September is right around the corner. Where did the summer go?

What have you been up to this month?

linkinguphere

To Whom It May Concern [Back to School Edition]

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Dear College Freshman,
The day is here! The day you were living for earlier this summer has finally arrived. Today you are moving into your college dorm and are officially a college freshman. Crazy! Exciting! Scary?!? I vividly remember this day, my family moving me in, my dad helping all the parents set up the computers and the moms all talking about their grown up girls. I'm sure it's the same for you today. You'll feel all kinds of emotions, so let your mom feel them and let her cry if she cries. You might feel a bit sad when they drive away, but that's okay, new is always scary. Don't let fear hold you back, though. Make friends with everyone on the hall, introduce yourself to all your professors,  join clubs and just embrace your first year. College can be a great ride, so take [safe] chances and seize the moment.

Dear College Soccer Player [or any Student Athlete],
Here we are again, another season. Another year of two a days, sprints, drills, games, winning streaks and losing. While you might not embrace all the hard work, embrace the cut, college athlete body you craft each day. One day you'll wish you had the time to work as hard as you are now. Times will get tough for your team, try and be the leader that brings them out of it if you can. Hold on to the fun times as a team on the bus, in the dining hall and in your apartments. Eat healthy when you're in season and indulge in the off season, because life is meant to be lived. Don't let wins determine your happiness, sometimes it's your year and sometimes it's not. Never forget, 'teammates my chance, friends by choice'. GOOOOOOOOD LUCK THIS SEASON!

Dear Professors,
Thank you for teaching and for showing up everyday. Sometimes I think it might be harder to teach kids that fail to show up for class than lil tater tots [not a teacher so can't say for sure]. While I'm ten years removed from college [you've got to be kidding me, when did I get so old?] I want to say thank you for teaching at a University. Thank you for taking an interest in higher education and for trying to lead students to where they want to go. I hope you know that even though I fell asleep in your class or didn't crush my assignment like I should have, I did enjoy learning and appreciated your time.

Dear College Senior,
If you remember one thing from this post, HOLD ON TO THIS YEAR! Hold onto the moments or they will fly by and before you know it you'll be graduating. Keep going to class and keep your grades up. Enjoy your Lancer days and fun Fridays, but remember you did attend college to get an education. Use this last year to finish up your degree, but also try something fun and new if you are given the chance. Make the effort to reconcile friendships that have fallen away, but don't stress about the drama. Unfortunately it never stops, you just realize how worthless petty drama is and are able to walk away a lot easier when you are older. Take lots of pictures, eat at the dining hall, hang with those you care about the most and RELISH the easy breezy nature that is your senior year. The real world comes knocking all too fast after graduation.

Dear Teachers,
First, THANK YOU! A bazillion times thank you! Thank you for restarting a new year of academics, with new students, new challenges and new adventures. Children are our future and while the school system is in no way perfect, the fact they can get an education here in America is a huge privilege and I appreciate all the work you do during the school year. I know there will be a lot of nervous students soon and I know y'all will do your best to quash their fears and help them learn this year. Best wishes for a fun and fantastic year, full of new successes and milestones. Now, how many days until Christmas break? I know you already have the countdown in your head ;)!

Dear SportySpice,
I know you are going to rock this year, sissy boo. I am so proud of you whenever I tell people you are a teacher. The students might be tricky this year, but I know you will do amazing things with each and everyone of them. I can't wait to come visit your lil muffins :)! YOU ARE FABULOUS!

What would you say to a new student, teacher or college kid?

linkinguphere

Roll out those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Suuummmmeeerrr

Morning, my loves! How are you doing today? I hope you had a fabulous weekend and are ready to rock out Monday like a champ. I'm feeling pretty great after a CHILL weekend at home. Finally, right? There were a few fun activities this weekend, but there were also naps and chill time, too. 

This weekend I . . . 

… attended restaurant week with Le Husband and one of our dear couple friends. We ate at Chima, which is a Brazil steakhouse, and the menu was amazing. They basically just bring meat skewers to your table and you say 'yes' or 'no' depending on your preference. I ate my weight in steak [nom nom the filet] and then savored the best key lime pie I've ever had in my life. It was a fabulous evening of food, fun and friends. 

… came home and PASSED out after a lil too much wine ;)!

… woke up early and on the wrong side of the bed for kickball practice. Luckily it was a good practice and my mood improved greatly being around my teammates. We have a tourney next month and I'm excited for our chances.

… after practice I chilled out at the pool with Sportypice. It was fun hanging with the sissy and getting some extra sun.

… was unsuccessful getting rid of my crazy tan lines from Tennessee and practice. #50shadesoftan?

… made homemade pasta for dinner and it was ahhhh-mmaaaa-zzziiiiing!

… enjoyed the GORGEOUS weather with free tickets to the NATS game Saturday night [thanks Sportyspice]. Thankfully the NATS won and we witnessed three home runs, a DP and a fun lil bunt play. #ilovesports

Seriously, honey?!?!?

YAY, that's better!

… splurged on a delicious swirl and sprinkles cone. #myversionofadogandbeeratthepark

… woke up for church then met my friend and her daughter at the pool. The weather was amazing but the pool was a bit chilly due to the evening temperatures [sad face]. We all enjoyed pool time and tanning time and had a great time spending time together.

… splurged on another ice cream treat. #whyamIsosplurgey

… came home to these beautiful 'just because' flowers from Le Husband. #iloveflowersandhim

… took an amazing nap after the pool. #ilovecouchnaps

… fell in love with the beautiful color Amanda recommend on her blog [Chillato if you were wondering].

… prepped lunches for the week and cooked Cracklin chicken for dinner.

… played in an 11pm soccer game. #ugh #imsoold

How was your weekend?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop whoop < 3

August is Like the Sunday of Summer

Happy Friday, beautiful ladies! I'm super excited it's weekend eve and am looking forward to a chill weekend. For real this time, haha. Hopefully it will be nice and I'll be able to get some pool time. Gotta get the last lil bit of tanning time before the summer is over. #sadface! Okay, enough sad talk, let's get into some favorites.

Favorite meal of the week: When Le Husband's away, the wifey will play with her dinner. Or just eat whatever she wants despite the calories. I ate it all and it was foodgasmic. #calorieswhatcalories

Porcini ravioli, S'mores ice cream and salmon avocado suishi roll. #divine

Favorite gift of the week: As mentioned previously, Le Husband was on the road earlier this week and he happened to bring me home a lil something from his trip. I broke my cheapie pink sunglasses last month and was super bummed out so guess what he did? He bought me these super radtastic Oakley sunnies. No, I'm not trying to brag, I just love Le Husband's gesture and that he knows my style. Yes, I know I'm a spoiled girl. He's so good to me!

Favorite quote of the week: #blessed #mylifeisgood

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Favorite video of the week: You may have already seen this adorableness, as it's been making all the news rounds, but I had to share it with y'all anyway. How precious is this lil guy when he realizes school means being away from mommy? #breakmyheart #toocute [warning: be careful not to get sucked into the rabbit hole of Youtube. I spent a good 30 minutes watching soldiers surprise homecomings yesterday. #cuetears #sosweet]!

Favorite funnies of the week: I haven't posted funnies in awhile and I hope these make up for their absence from previous blogs. I laugh weekly finding these for y'all so I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

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Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend, loves! Can't wait to see y'all next week < 3 !

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

When I was Young

When I was young ...

::: I thought playing outside was the best thing ever.

::: getting roller blades was a huge status symbol. #loserrollerskates

:::  my parents put us on new sand restriction because we kept dumping it outside the sandbox.

::: dress-up was wearing clothes too big, not too small. #oldbridesmaiddressesforthewin

::: being muddy and dirty meant the playtime was fun.

::: I rocked boy short hair, glasses and soccer clothes like a champ.

::: Mom spent a lot of time getting grass stains out of my jeans. #playhard

::: I was loud, hyperactive, rule conscious and a ball of energy.

::: boys were the competition and I had to beat them at everything.

::: I read books in class when the teacher was talking. #lostmanyabooktoateacherdrat

::: a swing set became a castle, a rocket ship and a stage. #loveimagination

::: Saturday morning cartoons with cereal was a weekend tradition.

::: I wanted to be the first woman President.

What do you remember from being young?

inspirationfoundhere

Linking up with *kristin*& *annie* 

A {lil} Link Love

+ With the Rio Olympics next summer around the corner everyone has been sweating the return of Michael Phelps. But, what people don't realize is the women's team has possibly one of the greatest athletes in the world rocking it in the pool.  Katie Ledecky is incredibly talented and what she is doing in the pool is insane. I'm really excited to watch her next summer, she's gonna KILL IT in Rio.

+ Oh my, these beauty trends still make me cringe. #whatwerewethinking

+ I know I'm not a mom, yet, or pregnant, but I found this article extremely intriguing and thought I'd share with all my beautiful mommy and mommy to be friends. #ibelieveinallofyou

+ Being 32 I feel old and young at the same time and I understand myself a lot more. So far I'm finding that what many people say about your 30s is true and am looking forward to what life brings my way.

+ How beautiful are the Royals? I mean, can I have their style and stylists?

+ Glad I'm not the only one that saw a connection between Tarzan and the Frozen sisters. Could you imagine a sequel?

+ Old people and technology usually don't mix very well, but this group is trying to change the way our older generation views the Internet. The video is hilariously adorable and I'm honestly thinking about trying to get involved. So many old people get scammed or are scared about going online, I think it's wonderful they are trying to inform those that want to try something new.

+ Sephora lovers rejoice, you might be able to sign up for a subscriptions box from your favorite store soon. I'm not a normal SB girl, not knocking it, they just aren't for me, but I'd totally sign up for a Sephora box. It would be beauty Christmas once a month, am I right?

+ The news is 90% bad, so check out last week's round up of the good in the world. I promise it will make you smile :)!

Before you go, check out Bugs Bunny killing it at the park. #thatsongiseverywhere!

Have a great day, friends!

linkinguphere

A Day Late But I Ain't Short Nothing

Morning, beautiful people. I hope your Monday treated you well yesterday. Thanks for all the kind words about taking a blog day off, I really just had NO desire to blog after my busy weekend and it was totally the right decision to just chill with Le Husband. He was on the road last night, so I'm glad we were able to just hang out without distractions. As nauseating as it sounds, I'm so excited to see him tonight, haha :)!

Anyway, moving on to my weekend recap. Originally this was going to be one of the most chill weekends of the year. We had nothing officially planned and then all of a sudden the weekend turned into a whirlwind of events. I attempted something I had been so nervous about and actually did pretty well which was empowering. Even though it was a busy weekend it was a great one in my books.

This weekend I...

... started my Friday off right with a sushi salad lunch with some delicious cake truffles for dessert. #itwasoneofthoseworkdays

... embraced having nothing to do on Friday night. It was a heck of a work week and I was just ready for a good meal and some good R&R. We enjoy using Friday evenings to catch up on shows and we finally caught up with some missing NCIS episodes.

... woke up early Saturday morning, hoping to see an email from a Les Mills instructor regarding my request to film in a gym. I was highly disappointing when I didn't have anything from him and started rounding up my family to let them know the taping wasn't going to happen.

... was incredibly grateful for a super smart Babyspice that suggested calling the gym and just seeing if there was an opening that day. What do you know, they had an opening so it was OFF to the BODYPUMP races.

... spent all of my Saturday morning/early afternoon practicing my chorey and cueing for the taping.

... taught my first ever 'class'. Well, it was just my family, but it was the first time I'd lead a group of anyone through the entire BODYPUMP 94 release. Things started off a big crazy while I tried to give everyone a crash course in BODYPUMP before starting the actual class, but then everything smoothed out.

... almost lost it when my microphone cut out halfway during the tricep track. I almost started the WHOLE class all over but decided a microphone issue is something every instructor deals with and just restarted the track and jumped back into teaching. #forgotthesmileforamoment.

... was really proud of my effort and super grateful for my amazing family. They were all incredibly flexible on Saturday being on standby while I waited for the go ahead from the gym staff and then came running when I sent the all call. Sportyspice is the only regular BODYPUMPer in the family so I have to give the rest mad props for jumping into a class they knew nothing about and giving me their all. It was also great having them in the audience to remind me to smile when things went a bit cuckoo bird. THANK YOU SO MUCH FAMILY!

... rewarded myself with a delicious steak, crab and veggie dinner. #demolishedmyfood

... enjoyed the ABCFamily Disney marathon while eating dinner. I may have annoyed Le Husband with all my 'UP' quotes.

... spend the commercial breaks watching the P&G Women's Gymnastic National Championship. It was awesome checking out the new talent and also seeing Gabby, Kyla and Aly compete to make another Olympic team. #canwetalkabouttheirbodies

... loved the fact Le Husband wanted to treat me to Menchie's after I taped my video. We leisurely strolled up the street and embraced the beautiful summer weather while eating our froyo.

... came home, watched some more tv and then passed out from exhaustion.

... sported my new Sam Edleman flats to church. They sparkled soooooo pretty in the sun!

... went grocery shopping and prepped for the week, while trying to upload my BODYPUMP video. 

... biked into DC for a women's kickball practice I totally forgot about until the team text. #oops.

... ran into every tourist stereotype possible on the ride into DC. There were people biking on their phones, face-timing while riding, a women stopping on an off ramp to take a picture, a family twelve deep standing in the middle of the bike path and everything in between. It was nuts, y'all!

... felt so grateful to be living my life on the bike ride. The sky we a gorgeous color, the weather was perfect and I just felt so blessed to live so close to the epicenter of the Free World. #lovethisview

... scarfed down a delicious bunless burger meal cooked by Le Husband then scrambled to find my soccer things.

... played in my 8pm soccer game and even though I didn't score I had some fabulous defense. #lilgirlbigdefense.

... came home, showered, shut my computer and chilled with Le Husband Sunday night. #amazing

Phew, I need a nap, again. Please send me good vibes for my video, I hope I pass and can start actually trying to get a job as an instructor.  NOVA/DC peeps if you're in the area I'd love to have you in my class when I get to that point.

Have a fabulous day, friends!

linkinguphere

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I'm also linking up with Pamela for Share the LOVE!!!!!

Cece shared this amazing post on the Fierce Fab . She did a fabulous job recapping past meets and places and I am now so excited for RIO!!!! HURRY UP OLYMPICS, HURRY UP!!!!