Blog Every Day in May [Day 4]

Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote and why you love it

"and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

with all your soul, with all your mind, 

and with all your strength." 

Mark 12:30

This is one of my FAVORITE verses. 

Clear cut instruction, that's what we humans need.

We must LOVE our God wholly, and fully, not just

when it's easy for us. I find strength in this verse.

I find HOPE in this verse. 

"Do all the good you can. 

By all the means you can. 

In all the ways you can. 

In all the places you can. 

At all the times you can. 

To all the people you can.

 As long as ever you can. "

John Wesley

Despite being raised Methodist,

the first time I heard this verse was in 2005.

I was on my FIRST mission trip to 

participate in Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.

One of the team members was opening our daily service

with a devotion and used this verse.

I remember literally feeling bowled over by the command. 

HOW SIMPLE is life?!?!

I have this verse printed and hanging 

at my home. 

All we are called to do is GOOD

for as long as we are able,

Life REALLY ISN'T THAT HARD!

I try to remember this verse 

when I'm stressed

annoyed or helpless.

Every lil bit counts. 

Life's short, you  might as well be amusing.

-anonymous 

I found this on someone's Facebook
a gobzillion years ago and it's stuck with me. 

I like to laugh, I like to make people laugh
[at or with me]
and I don't want to be boring.

Easy, peasy, fresh and squeezy!

:)

Blog Every Day in May [Day 3]

Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable

Eeeeek, where do I start!

1] People who do not know how to speak well in public. 
Not trying to judge, but as a Communication Studies major, I get extremely uncomfortable when people don't know what they are doing speaking wise.  This includes in person or on TV. I cringe and squirm, look away or change the channel. I know not everyone is made for public speaking, but it is SO apparent when people DON'T know what they are doing or haven't practiced.

2] Feet

I hate em! Mine, yours, Brad Pitts...just eww eww eww. Don't touch mine and DON'T even think about putting those NASTY POS's near me. I will contort my body like you've never seen if you try to get your feet near me. I'm okay if they are under a blanket, but I still get the willies if they touch me. And yes, I chose BABY feet as my picture because they are the ONLY feet I think are even close to cute. All the other feet pictures made me want to BARF!

Source: flickr.com via Jillee on Pinterest

3] Intimate scenes on TV/in movies
Squirm, squirm, squirm. I just can't sit through intimate or nawdy scenes on the big/lil screen. There is just something about viewing two people having 'relations' that makes me uncomfortable. I think it's because I view it as 'THEIR TIME' and I shouldn't be a peeping tom. Yes, I know it's just acting in movies and on TV but still, I don't want anyone watching ME so why do I wanna watch someone else. Yes, I'm closing my eyes now!

Source: shadesofscarlett.tumblr.com via BellJar / Sasha Darling on Pinterest

 

4]Overhearing confrontation

Another SQUIRM moment for Miss Pinky. I can't stand overhearing other people arguing. It doesn't matter if it's friends, family, coworkers, people I don't know or people on TV, I get all awkward turtle around confrontation. I've been known to walk out of the office/area when people raise their voices and DON'T get me started on Reality Tv confrontation. UGH, I'll mute the tv sometimes because...yeah...NO! HATE HATE HATE IT!

Source: kunocreative.com via AmeriFirst Home Mortgage on Pinterest

What makes YOU uncomfortable?

Monthly Goals/CheckIn

1] Celebrate the DIIIIRTY THIRTY in STYLE! - DONE AND DONE! My actual birthday was amazing and my party was super fabulous too!

2] Lock in Photographer and Florist - I met with both and loved both equally. I will be reaching out to sign contracts with both vendors this week, fingers crossed. 

3] Yoga at least once a week - Ha, guess how many times my yoga mat was used this month. I should PROBABLY take this off my list for next month.

4] OWN the Tough-Mudder on 4/21 - We ROCKED that ish out y'all! I had a blast participating in the Tough Mudder and might do another one in June. Guess you could say I've caught the bug :)!

4] Print, cut and mail out Save the Dates - They are printed, cut and the envelopes are stuffed, but they have NOT been sent out yet. I'm hoping to have them post marked by next week, once I get all guests' addresses.

5] Switch over fall/winter for spring/summer wardrobe - This barely got off the ground, BUT it wasn't only because of laziness. The weather in APRIL was straight bonkers and sweaters were still needed. I decided to wait until May to move everything around.

6] Lose X pounds - Try put on a few pounds....UGH. Birthday celebrating all month and not working out after the Tough Mudder did NOT help this goal at all.

Ummmm I'm going to be generous and say April was 50/50 for me. 

And leave it to that. :)

ON TO A FRESH NEW MONTH!

1] Order Bridesmaid dresses -A MUST! I have all the girls' measurements and pending one question being answered they should be ordered NEXT WEEK!

2] Get Save the Dates in the Mail/compile addresses - I was SOOOOO close to having this completed last month, drat. Now just need all the addresses and I'll be G2G :)!

3] Switch over fall/winter for spring/summer wardrobe - YAY, I love my spring/summer clothes! Bring on the dresses, skirts and fun tops!

4] REGISTER!!!! - GAH, I've had a few people ask me WHY this hasn't been done, which makes me think I'm WAAAAAAAAAAAAY behind. Am I the only one who thinks that while this will be FUN it will be a daunting task?!!? YAY for fun gifts but uuuuuuuuuuugh for picking out things without having a HOUSE to furnish. Wish ME LUCK!

5] Contact DJ/Videographer - Think I'm a bit late on this, but hopefully it will all work out. Both are friends of friends so I'm hoping it will be easy peasy.

6] Sign Contracts/Pay Deposits for Florist/Photographer - I'm sold on these two, but need to make everything official this month.

7] Begin Invitation Process - I've started this a bit, with the help of a LOVELY blog friend, but I need to decide what I want and how formal/informal I want them to look.

8] Workout in the mornings 3x a week -Ugh, I've been horrible about this and MISS the endorphins [don't wanna kill my soon to be husband haha] and the satisfaction of working out. I sleep better when I workout in the mornings and 3x a week is manageable.

9] Do At Least THREE NON-Wedding Related and FUN Things with C - I don't wanna stress out and just be WEDDING girl. C and I have a ton to do this month wedding wise, but we also need to just have fun too. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, hopefully I can get my act together.

10] Lose X pounds - Bringing this over from last month. And I'm joining with Kristine for her linkup:

LOTS of goals this month, but I KNOW I can make it happen!

Blog Every Day in May [Day 2]

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)

 

So, I don't know if this is KOSHER, 

but I already posted this POST last year. 

However, I thought it was a pretty good 

instructional post and this link up

seemed the perfect place to use it as well. 

Please don't judge, just enjoy :)!

THE PERFECT PUSHUP!

No, this post is not about b00bs!

I'm not talking push up brahhhhhs [although I probably should].
And no, I am not perfect!

I'm talking the actual physical act of doing a push up.

LAWD HAVE MERCY LADIES, if I had a penny for

EVER incorrect push up I have seen a girl do since college,

I wouldn't have to work another day the rest of my life.

And today, I am doing MY part to correct

and help y'all

so we can create a perfect push up world :)

Let me say for the record:

 I am NOT a certified trainer or fitness expert.

I DO NOT have a degree in physical education or training.

I've NEVER trained someone for money in my life.

But, I have been told numerous times

by trainers [men & women]

military personnel [men & women]

coaches [men & women]

and most importantly

my family

[army dad, gymnast mama and two bada$$ sissy athletes]

that I have LEGIT push up technique and form.

This ain't some kind of humble brag,

but those are the credentials I'm rolling with for my post today.

Ladies, push ups are NOT that hard.

Are they hard, YES!

But, there are modifications to help

build stamina to complete multiple

push ups,

using CORRECT FORM! 

Recently, I have seen WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many

girls,

instructors,

fitness bloggies,

athletes,

teammates

doing push ups with HORRIBLE form!

This has to stop.

Not only are you making push ups harder on yourself,

you look funny.

Sorry, but that's the truth.

So, today I'm posting a video

explaining the proper technique for push ups

with and without modifications.

Don't have time to watch the video?

No sweat [haha] here are some pictures

and technique tips.

Modified push up [on knees]
YES!

NONONONONO

*Keep a straight line from your crown to your knees, through your butt/hips.

*Bend your arms so your chest is barely higher than the ground.

*DON'T let your butt/hips go up in the air.

*DON'T only go down an inch.

Regular push ups [on toes]

YES!

NONONONONONONO!

*Keep a straight line from your crown to your feet.

*Tighten your abs, will help maintain good form.

*DON'T let your butt/hips stay high in the air.

*DON'T let your hips/butt sag low to the ground.

*DON'T just barely bend your arms, THAT DOESN'T COUNT.

*When you feel your form failing, switch to modified

INSTEAD of trying to power through incorrectly.

******************************************

I hope the video and pictures were helpful.

YOU CAN DO PUSH UPS CORRECTLY LADIES!

I KNOW YOU CAN!

Blog Every Day in May [Day1]

I came across this challenge quite randomly, 

but thought WHY NOT TRY to participate. 

Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less

I was born in El Paso, TX on a military base to a loving mom & dad. We moved around a lot due to the military and we became a family of five. I’ve lived in the NOVA area since first grade, enjoying the culture of DC but the quietness of the suburbs l. I graduated high school and attended college in the heart of Virginia. I had plans to transfer to a bigger school after the first year, but I walked on to my college’s soccer team so I stayed. My four years of college were fabulous and I graduated with a Communication Studies degree in 2005. The first year out of college was spent temping and living at home, but then my best friend and I moved in together and had the most fun two years ever. I am still surprised my liver is still working after those years. She left and I lived with a college friend, which sucked. But, I joined  kickball because of her, which changed my life. After a few long/failed relationships, I joined a NEW kickball team and met the man of my dreams. The past three years have been filled with kickball tournaments, wins, trips to Vegas, NOLA, Boston, NY, PA, Florida and a cruise to Mexico. The best day of my life was February 17, 2013 when my love proposed to me. We are getting married this September and I can’t wait for my life to truly BEGIN!

Flower Power Wedding Edition

Saturday morning I met with a florist for

a consultation for my wedding. 

I met with a consultant from BrookHill 

here in the NOVA area.

I'm an uber lucky girl because one of my

best friends from high school's mother

[did you follow that]

is the co-owner of BrookHill.

I knew when the day of wedding planning arrived

[eeeek it'ssss here aaaaaaaah]

Brookhill would be my florist.

And y'all, they do AMAZING WORK.

Do yourself a favor and check out their

photo galleries, straight gorgeous. 

My friends mother is the sweetest lady,

 but 100% honest when you ask her opinion. 

Unfortunately, she is slowing removing herself

from working at Brookhill, but she said 

she would help out for my wedding!

 

 I'm LOVING that I will KNOW

the people creating my wedding arrangements.

The mother was pretty much my second mom

during my junior and senior year of high school,

so she knows me and what I LOVE!

EEEEEK! I'm so excited. 

Ok, now that you have some back story,

on to the consultation.

We spent the first hour going over 

times, dates, colors

and looking at swatches, my wedding shoes

and talking about the overall feel for the wedding. 

 He really understood my vision and  
I'm LOVING all of his great suggestions.

After the logistics it was time to 

pick flowers for bouquets

I'll be 100% honest,

other than the colors for the bridesmaid bouquets

I REALLY had NO IDEA what I wanted.

[tell me you're surprised ;)]

I mean, obviously PINK and fun and happy,

but I walked in there without

ANY IDEA of what I wanted for MY bouquet.

I've gone back and forth recently,

with the color of my bouquet.

There was a time I want an

ALL WHITE BOUQUET.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Waukesha on Pinterest

Source: michellevandenbosch.com via Michelle on Pinterest

There's just something so romantic and magical

about an all white arrangement. 

But, I've also envisioned myself

[being the pink girl I am]

having my bouquet being a 

show stopping pink arrangement. 

Source: Uploaded by user via Laura on Pinterest

My favorite flower has always been 

the Star Gazing Lily

so I've thought about using that

as my main flower in my bouquet as well.

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I mentioned ALL of this to my florist
and then basically said
"What do you think?!?!?"

He suggested going the pink route,
since I'm a pink girl
and then showed me different pictures
of some of the soft pink bouquets.

I did realize that I want a bouquet
with a bit of texture instead of
just a big circle of one flower.

After lots of pictures and talking
we came up with an arrangement
using some beautiful flowers.

Of course NOW I'm LOVING

Soft pink roses

Source: hitched.co.uk via hitched.co.uk on Pinterest

Medium Pink Spray Roses

Source: thefrenchbouquettulsa.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Blush Pink Areca Orchid Dendrobium

Source: fiftyflowers.com via Barbara on Pinterest

White Lisianthus

Source: flickr.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

I'm still not 100% sure WHAT my bouquet will look like,
but I envision something similar to THIS in color
[NOT PEONIES though]

Source: weddings.theknot.com via Heather on Pinterest

There will also be some pretty pink and clear bling [duh]

and I will have just a bit of a greenery collar. 

The bouequet will be wrapped in a beautiful ivory ribbon

and I'll have my KIA bracelet and a brooch

of my late grandmothers attached to the handle.

I'm LOVING all the flowers we picked and
CAN'T wait to see what they create.

I know it's going to be GORGEOUS.

Next we worked on the bridesmaid's bouquets.

I've mentioned before that our colors are

Pink and Green

with accents of orange.

With that in mind, we put together 

an arrangement of the following flowers:

 Mini Green Hydrangeas

Source: google.com via Erica on Pinterest

Orange Spray Roses

Source: Uploaded by user via Trig's Floral on Pinterest

Light Pink Titanic Roses

Source: wholeblossoms.com via Genevieve on Pinterest

Shocking Versillia Roses

Source: Uploaded by user via Sherry on Pinterest

Basically I envision their bouquets looking similar to this,

but without the orange orchids

Source: thefullbouquetblog.com via Pinky on Pinterest

Super fun and bright right?!?!

I'm LOVING how happy those colors look together.

Annnnnd they aren't SUPER pink

so C will be happy. 

I'm LOVING all of the ideas 

the florist and I came up with and how
fun the whole process was.

I'm LOVING the fact we're UNDER BUDGET

with extra things added in I didn't expect.

WOOOO to the HOOO!

Oh man, I can't WAIT to open those boxes

on my wedding day. 

I'm LOVING that I'm one step closer

to walking down the aisle

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 Linking up Jaime

and Michelle 

Cara Box Blog Swap

This month I participated in the

CARA BOX blog swap,

sponsored by Kaitlyn of Wifessionals.

I was partnered with the super sweet and adorable 

Aleshea of Glitzngrits.

She was so fun to converse with via email and

sent me the MOST Fabulous CARA BOX!

Check out my SWAG!

1] Reusable water bottle

2] Reusable Target Bag

3] Yummy smelling soaps

4] DELICIOUS smelling raspberry sorbet body wash

5] Two fabulous and organic teas

6] The cutest, sweetest and most entertaining card EVER

If you couldn't tell, the them of APRIL's CARA BOX

was going green. 

Personally, I found it hard to shop for

and hope that my partner enjoyed her gifts

[Hi Krystal].

I think Aleshea ROCKED IT OUT!

I love everything and am still smiling

from her awesome note!

Thanks so much for my sweet goodies Aleshea! 

You are so much fun and I'm so glad

I was able to 'meet' you via this swap. :)