Exciting Blogging News: Monthly Motivation

Hey, friends. Happy Thursday to you. Hope this week is going well [mine is because family time is super close this weekend]. Maybe this post will add a lil something to your week.

If you've been reading here for awhile [THANK YOU and HI] you'll know I met one of my besties via blogging. Yup, Lynn of Dispositive Motion is my BOFF [Best Online Friend FOREVER]. We connected quickly on our views of life, family, fun and of course fitness.

While both of us THRIVE when we're active and eating healthy we both go about our workout routines different ways. she is a busy working lawyer mama of the cutest lil girl [I heart lil E], wife and twirling teacher so her workout schedule is much more limited than mine since I basically live at the gym and teach fitness classes. And you know what? that's honestly the BEST thing ever. Because we get to ask each other questions, change up our routines and learn from one another.

We also get to hold each other accountable and on days where it's all BLAH we get to motivate each other to stay healthy. Which is where the idea of our Monthly Motivation linkup was born.

Join us on the FIRST TUESDAY of every month for a dose of Monthly Motivation. Starting June 5th, we will be hosting a linkup to help set your monthly healthy living goals. The linkup will be all about sharing tips, tricks, food planning, workout planning and just talking about how you stay motivated each month. Share your favorite food ideas for adults and kids and just cheer each other on as we reach for our goals. 

Lynn and I are so excited and we can't wait to see you on June 5th!

The Thrown Together Family Weekend

Y'all I'm tired. Last week was atrocious and this weekend was soooo jam packed and then Monday I woke up early to drive the eight hours back home to Tennessee. All worth it, though. ALL WORTH IT!

Sportsyspice is in town and decided to baptism her babygirl on Sunday so you know I drove my tush up there to be present. Sweet princess did so well during the service. She mostly slept {PTL} and just gave the pastor a funny look when he sprinkled her with water three times. Having her 'officially' part of God's family is a huge milestone and I was so thankful I was able to make it work out. I also just enjoyed being with my family and loving on my niece. So many baby cuddles were had. So many kisses given. SO many wonderful moments hugging. And just lots of fun. 

I was also able meet up with many friends and it was divine to see everyone. My soul received a well needed pump up and enjoying my old stomping grounds brought me so much joy. A bunch of people stopped by on Saturday and I was able to go out to dinner with a friend on Friday, too. My bestie also brought her one week old daughter over and it was just a treat to snuggle a brand new baby.   Mama B was also kind enough to treat me to a pedicure and it was lovely to just relax and hang out with her too. 

The drive home was long, but it was so worth it. I am sad to be away again, but we will all be together this weekend for a family wedding, so cheers. 

Weekly Wins: HOME HOME HOME

The biggest of WINS, I'm holding baby niece today. I'm with my family this weekend. I am beyond happy. Wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend filled with love. Thank you for picking me up when needed and loving me!

Thoughts on a Thursday: The BIG N-O & Humbled

Tuesday night, thinking about my LAST evening class of the day. Not pretty, just life. 

Stream of consciousness coming at you today, friends. Maybe it's something you want to read, maybe it's not. No worries, just getting vulnerable here. Raw. Time to get raw.

This week has been hard. Aggressively hard. Too much to do in too little time. Asking my body to work harder than it should for longer than it needs. A mound of yeses drowning me day by day. Hour by hour ticking away and NOTHING but wheels turning. Somehow everything snuck up on me so quickly and from Sunday night to Monday morning my mood shifted, my brain slowly shut down and my will to do fight on drained away. Teaching each class a different way to engage everyone is tough. Multiple formats and multiple subs make my head spin. Too much. Too much. Too much.

Tuesday was an all out beast of a day with four classes, training clients, working extra shifts at the gym, then dinner with a friend leaving town, all with the knowledge I had to be up to teach a 6am class the next morning. Happy face on I tried to push through. I tried to sub out a class to breath, but no one would help me. I tried to find happy in the small moments. Tried to seek out moments to recenter but it wasn't happening.

Slowly this feeling of hopelessness ate away at my joy. At my love of fitness. At my dream of making fitness my FULL TIME. At making a difference, because that's why I'm passionate about fitness. I want people to feel better about working out. About exercising. About feeling healthy. I want to teach people how to move their bodies so they can conquer things they never dreamed. But. But. But. It's not working out. It's so hard to convince people to pay me to teach them. Trying to flip clients via social media. Via walking around the gym. Just engaging people in the concept of PT is a trail because everyone just sees dollar bills, not what they will gain. Not enough. Not enough. Not enough.

I texted friends and then broke down crying to Lynn because I just couldn't hold it together. Being a YES girl is in my blood. Who I am. How I was raised. What I want to be. But, I realized being the yes girl doesn't mean others will say yes to you. Which hurts. Which changes perspectives. Which makes me feel icky. Lynn reminded me it is okay to say NO. It is okay to say no multiple times. To not always be the yes girl. To value myself more. Which is true. I need to make sure I'm okay so I can give my best to others.

So I had a good cry. Had a good breakfast and chat with a friend. Taught another class. Worked the front desk and finally found a YES person for my evening class. Then it became time for me. A bath. A book. A candle. Mac and cheese. Salad. Water. A nonsense television show. Writing this blog post. Face timing with my family. Recharge. Sweet beautiful recharge.

Now I am ready again. I am ready for the eight hour drive to Virginia tomorrow afternoon. I am ready to figure out a business plan for my dream. I am ready to discern what my correct path is at the moment. I am ready to sleep. Breathe in a new day and exhale joy for others.

To those who reached out, thank you. I love your support and your friendship. And to those reading now, thank you for being here to champion my words and give them meaning.

Weekend Update: Middle of May and HIIT IT DAY

Morning and happy Monday, lovies. I hope y'all enjoyed a wonderful weekend. To the mothers out there, I hope you were spoiled, surprised, taken care of and felt special yesterday. To those who have lost mothers, have lost children, are waiting to be mothers and are dealing with strained relationships please know I prayed and loved on you yesterday. Holidays are so special, but sometimes they are sooooo hard as you grieve. *BIG BIG HUGS TO YOU FROM ME*

[source]

Our weekend was quite wonderful. Full of friend time, work around the house, building new furniture [Le Husband is so talented], blog planning, purging, house cleaning, car cleaning and of course some delicious food. We are getting so close to being *COMPLETELY DONE* and trying to get as much done as possible before family comes into town NEXT WEEK [excited face emoji].

Basically the weekend was lots of living, with very little picture taking, haha. I did post something fun for my mama and was able to speak to Sportyspice and wish her a happy Mother's day. I mean, is this child the cutest or what?

While I wasn't able to hit the gym this weekend [honestly, I like to take the weekends off to give my body a rest], I created THIS image for the HIIT workout I posted to Instagram on Friday. If you're looking for more explaining, hop on over to my NEW BLOG and check out my newest post. I'd love to know if you tried this out, what work out's you'd like to see and if you have any suggestions for the new blog. I'm working hard to get it up and running well,  so thoughts are appreciated.

Have a wonderful day and I'll check back in later this week!

Weekly Wins {New Hair & New Blog}

Party people, we made it! Three cheers to Friday, right? Not sure why, but this week seemed long. Could be the 6am class I subbed, could be I also subbed three other classes....hmmm, think I figured out the problem, ha. 

Moving on to the wins this week, a way to always find the good no matter what. 

... Tuesday I finally made time to get my hair done and it was such a great time. My stylist is the BEST [seriously, the best] and gave me a fun lil balange for summer. Fresh and so clean clean.

... New blog, who dis? Okay, not soooo new, more like a REnew. I've recommited myself to trying to make PINKYFIT321 work. My goal is to post 2-3 times a week and that's where you come in, friends. Please click my link and let me know your burning fitness questions. Let me know what kind of a fitness blog you would want to read. THANK YOU!

... thanks to Lindsay I found the beauty of CANVA and have started to create my own content. 

... Thursday marked the seven day countdown until I get to see my whole family. Sportyspice is coming to the East coast for a family wedding and I'm gonna get to see lil baby girl next week! So stoked!

....after months and months of missing 'show us your books' I finally got my act together and wrote up some of my most recent reads. I love the link up, so many great girls and books, linkup next time.

[source]

 

... three cheers for the return of Friday Funnies, because y'all, I love them!

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

Wishing you a fabulous Friday and wonderful weekend. Catch you Monday < 3!

Show Us Your Books {FLIPPING FINALLY}

I am here! I made it! Flipping finally made it for show us your books. These are actually just the ebooks I read the past few months, I have quite a few real books I've read as well. But, I wanted to AT LEAST get something out here for the link up, today. Most of my books were fun easy reads, with a few thrillers here and there. I also don't have anything below four starts this go round which is kind of cool. Honestly, all of them would be great to take on any trip, although some are series so makes sure you start at the beginning. 

* * * * * [source]

I love this author, I love the heroine and I love the era. This is book nine in the series and I've waited for it to get to our library for awhile. World War I is ending and Bess Crawford is beginning to finally think of life after the war. Of course she isn't able to just walk away without working on a mystery and this plot is a page turner. If you like historical fiction, check out this series.

* * * * 1/2 [source]

While the saying goes "never judge a book by it's cover" I 100% took this book home because I loved the way the cover looked. I also am 100% a summary reader [ I know some people are anti reading summaries, not me] and found the plot intriguing. I will admit, I didn't care for the set up of the book at the beginning, not a fan of a ton of jumps from person to person to person. However, slowly everything started to come together and I couldn't wait to read the next person's story after one part. Jury is still out on the ending, but I LOVED all the flower [heehee] language and how well the author brought in kinds of flowers through the book. Great summer read for sure.

* * * *[source]

Hannah has been one of my favorite authors for years. Even before Nightingale. She is able to weave incredible tales so believable and often times so irritating too. Two sisters who couldn't be more different because of misconceptions from the past. I admit, this plot was easy to guess, but there were quite a few 'ohhhhhhs' to be had. Grab this one for the beach/pool/lake.

* * * *[picture source]

Oh Jack Reacher, you hottie. Well, at least to me. I love Reacher. I love his style, I love how he handles himself, I love how he always has a way out and I love how he works for the underdog. If you don't like suspense/action/mystery books this isn't for you. Reacher is a bad @ss though so if you're looking for a fun new hero to follow pick up this series. Child knows how to weave a story and keep you guessing every page. 

* * * *[source]

Big fan of 'protect America' spy books. Coes introduces a new hero, Dewey Andreas, and the novel starts off with the first two pages. I was on the edge of my seat because of all of the twists and turns, but could also see some the story coming from a mile away. I am on the waiting list for the next book and am excited to have another journey to follow. 

* * * *[picture and summary source]

Do y'all Young Adult? I do, often. Sometimes they are the best books to read, right? This is the third of the Heist series and probably not my favorite. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and why they are the way they are [especially the hero, he's a cutie], but there were too many 'almost misses' and too many 'we've got this' twists. I kind of wanted more believablity, if that makes sense. However, this is perfect for passing the time, I recommend the WHOLE series.

* * * * [picture and summary source]

Oh Sparks. I love him and I hate him. This one was predictable, but made me smile a lot. Cowboy books make me happy for some reason. If you like Sparks you'll like this book, and of course, vice versa. Good for a road trip, for the beach or just hanging out at the house. 

Okay, what is the newest book I must read? I've seen 'Girl Wash Your Face' making the rounds, is it worth the noise? I sometimes don't enjoy books that other people gush about [never read Gone Girl or the Shades of Grey series]. I need a fun new beach read, too!

TTB {All Things Entertainment}

1|| Comedy or Drama? Romantic Comedy is my favorite, I don't like just HAHA comedies. All about a good action drama, though. Drama just for drama's sake, NOPE!

2|| Fiction or Non-Fiction? Historical fiction, so kind of both? I love me some historical fiction. 

3|| Movies in Theater or at Home? 100% at home. I am so not a movie theater person, don't like people, don't like the ripoff prices and movie popcorn ain't my jam. I'll only go if it's a Disney movie, Harry Potter or James Bond. Otherwise I'm waiting for it to be on a DVD. 

4|| Musical or Play? Musical. I wish my life was a Musical.

5|| Which meal of the day is your favorite to eat out? Used to be breakfast so I could sample all the sweet treats, but now my body doesn't handle so much sugar so eating out for breakfast is kind of silly. I guess that makes it dinner. 

6|| Favorite Book ever read? Can't. Nope. Too many!

7|| Game Night: Yes or No? Love game notes, we grew up with them. Don't have any at the moment.

8|| Favorite Outside Game to Play? Lay down and tan :)! I really like volleyball for fun and of course soccer. 

9|| Favorite TV Series EVER? NCISCASTLEGILMOREGIRLSELEMENTARY, does that count?

10|| Sitcoms Growing up or Sitcoms Now? Growing up, I guess, but we weren't allowed to watch much television. Don't watch any now, so I have NO IDEA what SITCOMS are out there. 

11|| Miniature Gold of Bowling? BOWLING! Le Husband and I have our own shoes and balls. 

12|| Favorite Movie Theater Candy? M&Ms

13|| How do you like your popcorn? Hot, very little butter and with M&Ms sprinkled throughout. 

14|| 3D movies with glasses; Yes or No? HARD NO!

15|| Favorite Genre of Books to Read? Historical fiction or WW2 History. 

Weekly Wins: First of May {Fitness and Surgery}

First Friday in May, holler! Confession, I've been saying HOLLER a lot and I have NO FREAKING idea why. Honestly, the phrase just showed up in my vernacular and I keep saying it. Someone come remind me I'm not a 21 year old college girl, please and thanks.

Weekly wins include:

+ Two AWESOME BARRE classes I choreographed. One was on the fly and the other I spent time on and I'm grateful BOTH were a success. Seriously, getting kudos after a class means the world.

+ Getting praise for my lifting technique by my fitness manger, YAAAAAAS!

+ Four fantastic training sessions with clients.

+ Today marks ONE YEAR since my gallbladder removal. Insane! I was so scared about the surgery but needed it desperately because I was in so much pain. I have a one year post in the works because the body really has changed.

+ And awesome Bible study which is helping to ease my fear during this time of struggle and doubt.

+ Dialing in my macros and starting to feel less fluffy. Also, SLEEP!

+ A short week because I'm now in Ohio for Le Husband's baseball State Championship reunion. So excited to hug and play with my lil nephews, I've missed them a lot!

+ Lots of facetimes with Sportyspice and my lil niece. Less than 20 days until I see them.

+ Reuniting with the BIG BOY WEIGHTS and working with a handstand coach. I've neglected my own workouts the past two months and can feel a difference in my body. Lifting heavy things makes me happy and working towards a new goal really dials my effort to another level. I'm thinking of restarting my fitness blog, talking about the differences in workouts because I've so missed lifting.

Before I leave, I have an devastating prayer request regarding people I care about [those who are pregnant, might want to skip, I'm sorry to write it out but prayers are needed]. Tragically a friend of mine's sister, Laura, who was supposed to go into labor earlier this week with her son, Tyler, received the horrendous news her son no longer had a heartbeat due to suffocation by umbilical cord. Please lift up the family, lift up Laura and pray for peace. There are no words, no words for this suffering. If anyone knows of a support group for mothers, PLEASE let me know so I can pass on the information to my friend. Thank you so much , wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend. < 3

What's New With You {April}

Hey, friends! Happy May! Oh by gosh by golly, I can't believe it's May already, ya feel me? Don't get me wrong, I am STOKED for the warmer, summer months ahead. Give me allll the heat after this cold, bitter winter, I love all seasons but SUMMER is my favorite. 

Today I'm sharing 'what's new with me', with a twist. I think I've recapped my April pretty well, talking about the Arizona visit, Vegas trip, my birthday and missing a goal I wanting so badly, so I thought today I'd share my first kickball trip of the year, so it's new right?

Flight debacle: I hate complaining. I really try not to blog with small complaint after small complaint, not my jam and I hate reading that kind of garbage. But travel this weekend was atrocious. First time flying Allegiant and let me tell you, never again. It was so horrendous. We were supposed to leave at 8:05pm Thursday night, we did NOT leave until 1:30am Friday morning because there was an issue with the hydraulic system. DON'T get me wrong, I am grateful the preflight check caught the problem and there wasn't anything horrible in air but landing at 3:30am just was terrible. Plus, everything was closed at the airport so we couldn't even get good food [they brought in pizza, but nope]. Our flight back was delayed three hours because they HIT A BIRD. GOOD FREAKING GRIEF. Anyway, rant over, sorry. It just had to be documented. 

Beach fun: Friday we slept it [because sleep], went to brunch at Datz [so good] then headed to Clearwater beach. It was lovely day, warm with barely a breeze and just perfect. Not so perfect, my expired sunscreen which left me toasted, but oh well, BEACH! It was so nice to see friends I hadn't seen since November and hang with those I love so dear. I didn't freak too much about being in a swim suit, but it's definitely motivation for lake season. I'm also working on my handstands because it's something I've wanted to perfect for awhile, so why not try it at the beach, right?

Food fun: One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying new, local food. Friday night was kind of a wash after the beach, but we went back into the city area and RANDOMLY found this delicious ramen place. It was super hipster, super small, had a wonderful vibe and was DELICIOUS. Saturday night's dinner was a bit random as well because we lost super early [uggggghhhh] and so had more beach time. Le Husband and I tried a place right off the beach and it was super tasty. I loved everything and doubley loved my KEY LIME PIE!

Sunset/life fun: Since we lost early on Saturday Le Husband and decided to take some extra time at the beach. It was nice to relax and walk along the water and see the majesty of the ocean. There was some beach time on Sunday too, but Saturday was my favorite because of the colors and just the mood. I snapped a few great pictures and they just make me smile.

What's new with you this month? What did you do last month that was awesome?