Lately... & Life Lessons Learned from Running

Jenny shared her update from the month with her fun conference trip, but I didn't have many super exciting things that happened during the month of January. So, I will just share a few (random) things that I've been up to lately!

Kyle's birthday was in January, so we celebrated by doing one of his favorite things in the world - going to the movies! Kyle's must-have movie theater treat is a Blue Raspberry Icee. Mine is popcorn, of course!

And Kyle loves sweets so we also made a stop at Krispy Kreme to get a few (ahem... a dozen) donuts!

Although I have been living in our house since May of last year, I am still working on decorating (it takes me FOREVER). I found a few cute little pieces to add to our décor at TJ Maxx. (PS - if anyone has some favorite shelf-styling tips or pics, let me know!)

And what's a post without an update on the pup?! Of course, I'm still obsessed with Cooper. He is the sweetest and best puppy in the world! He and Kyle are best of buds, but he is my little shadow when I'm getting ready in the mornings.

And here is an adorable (blurry) picture of Cooper and his favorite toy just because...

One of the things I love most about Kyle is that he is always up for trying new things. We tried a (new to me) Thai restaurant last weekend and both tried new dishes which were delicious!

I have also been trying to up my running game lately. I do a lot of my runs on a treadmill (at home or at the gym) just because it's more convenient, but I love Saturday long runs when I can get outside and run my favorite trail. It makes my Saturdays something I really look forward to!

And the best part of long runs is refueling! This is my new favorite protein shake....

Running gives me a lot of time to reflect and think. And most of the time, I think about how frustrated I am that I can't run as far and as fast as I used to (which was not very fast at all...). I get so upset with myself because I know what I was able to do before and then I set unrealistic expectations for myself now. That's when I have to really be honest with myself and give myself a reality check - I can't stop working towards something and expect to pick up where I left off. I feel like a lot of us can relate to this in so many different areas in life. We make progress and start seeing results - then we become distracted. We lose focus. Then we decide we want to continue making progress and seeing results only to realize that, due to our lack of focus, we are back at square one. (It's at this point that it's SO tempting to throw ourselves a pity party.) When it comes to running, I have had to remind myself that, just like I am the person who was determined and disciplined to reach a certain running-fitness level, I am also the person who slacked off and allowed myself to eat too much pizza (yes, there really is such a thing). I have to accept the consequences of my decisions and decide what I want to do - do I want to persevere through the hard runs to reach and exceed the goals I've set for myself? Or do I want to blame anything (and everything) else for my lack of progress and continue on a path of mediocrity with no results?  It's all up to us!

So your challenge for today is to take time to accept the reality of where you are, reflect on what got you there and start working towards where you want to be!

What are some goals you're working towards right now? Where are you trying to make progress?

Here's to a great weekend!

Jamie 

Jenny’s January in Review

Wow the first month of 2017 is almost over! And since January is coming to a close, I wanted to take a few minutes and remember the exciting things that happened this month.

First of all Jamie and I launched our blog, and I have had so much fun working with my sister on this little project!

Then I was off to a Pre-K conference in Mobile! I am lucky to work with a wonderful group of ladies, and we had a great time!

While we were there we had the opportunity to attend a session taught by author and illustrator, Herve Tullet. After sessions that day he took the time to sign some books, and of course I had to get one for baby Reagan.

I loved the way he wrote her name! ( and please ignore my awkward stance! haha!)

Krystal’s birthday was during our conference week, so of course we all had to go out to celebrate. We went to dinner at the Dumbwaiter and it was AMAZING!

The next day at conference we got to meet Don Monopoli! He is a celebrity in our classroom, and our kids love to sing and dance along to the Learning Station. When we got back and showed our class this picture they were so excited! 

The best part of my trip to Mobile was being able to visit with my sweet sweet friend, Jamie! I am so sad we didn’t get a picture together, but I did get a picture with her sweet and beautiful babies! Aren’t they the cutest?! I love them to pieces!

After conference life slowed down. It was all about getting back into the groove of being back in school after a nice long break. And just last week we celebrated the 100th day of school, which of course called for a cake! The kids dressed up like they were 100 years old, and we all had a fun time celebrating!

That pretty much wraps up my January! It wasn’t too eventful, but it was a great start to the year! 

I hope y’all have had a great start to 2017 so far, and here is to a fantastic February! 

Jenny 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, everyone!

We hope you have had a fantastic week! We are SO happy it's Friday, and are sure that you are too. We wanted to celebrate Friday by sharing our favorite things this week. Here's a look!

This week started off great! As you probably saw, Jamie and I got to spend the day together on Monday. Then on Tuesday it was back to work! It hasn’t been a very exciting week on my end, but I still wanted to share a few things that I have been loving this week!

My first two things are these two books!

The first book, Uninvited, was a gift from my sister. It’s so funny because before she gave it to me, I had been on the search for it! She reads my mind sometimes! I have really enjoyed reading it, especially during this season of my life.
The second book is a personalized prayer journal from May Designs. Not only is it super cute, but the layout of the pages make journaling easy and organized!

Another thing I have been loving is the show, Parenthood! I have been binging it on Netflix...I know I know... this show isn’t new, but it’s new to me! How am I just now watching it?! So if you’re looking for a show to watch on Netflix, I highly recommend it!

Now onto makeup...my FAVORITE! My new favorite pallet is the Tartelette in Bloom pallet by Tarte Cosmetics. It’s neutral, pigmented, and just beautiful!

And last but certainly not least, is my forever fave, my bae...Molly!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Yay for Friday and for the weekend!!!

This week has been a busy, but great week! Here are a few of my favorite things that I'm loving this week...

The first thing I'm loving is one of my FAVORITE Christmas presents from the hubby! My Erin Condren Lifeplanner!

I am obsessed with all things stationery - especially really cute and girly stationery! I love this planner cause its super adorable and functional. 

My latest food craving/snack obsession this week is Tostitos Hint of Lime chips. If you haven't had them, go get some NOW. They. Are. Amazing! I have only been able to find them at Publix! 

If you don't believe me that they are good, just ask this dog... 

I'm training for a half marathon right now, so I'm always looking for good music for my runs. I ran across this song on Spotify and it gets me HYPED! haha... (And I definitely need that when I'm ready to give up and just sit on the couch and eat hint of lime Tostitos...) 

And last but not least, my little fur baby turned 3 months old this week! He's growing SO fast! He has literally doubled in size since his 2 month picture. He's so sweet and smart and we love him with all our hearts. So to end this post on a really high note, here's his super adorable 3 month picture! 

What are some of your Friday Favorites?! We we love for you to leave a comment with some of your favorite things from this week! 

Monday Funday!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! We are so happy to celebrate the hope and healing Dr. King brought to America through his leadership and example. We hope that we as a nation will always continue to progress in equality, justice and peace. 

We were both fortunate enough to have the day off today and decided to meet up in Montgomery for a sister day full of shopping and catching up! We decided to meet at Target so we could run in for a quick bathroom break, but it ended up turning into an hour long shopping excursion (as is the case ANYTIME we step foot into Target!)

After our shopping adventures, we were famished! We decided to grab lunch at one of our favorite places in the world - C H I P O T L E.

 

After lunch we shopped till we dropped! We found some good sales and of course a few things for the fur babies. Then we finished off the day with a stop at Starbucks for an energy boost before heading home. 

We hope you had an awesome Monday! (Especially if you had the day off like us!) 

How was your Monday?!

A Look Back at 2016: Jenny's Recap

As you probably saw in our previous post, Jamie had a GREAT 2016! Me on the other hand...not so much. It was a year of pain, heartbreak, and growth. And while last year did not go as planned, a lot of wonderful things did happen! So lets recap the memorable things that did happen this past year.

January

Jamie, Beka, and I had a little girls weekend. This weekend was filled with shopping, eating, and MUCH needed laughter!

February

February was a tough month..so instead of dwelling on the bad lets focus on this cute picture of Molly!

March

Jamie got engaged in March! Kyle put together a video to propose to her after service one Sunday. Here is the link to the video if you want to check it out! 

April

In April we went to Birmingham to walk in a doggy dash fundraiser that Jamie helped put together. Well that was the plan anyways... what really happened was we walked the trail while Kyle carried Molly, because she is spoiled rotten.  Then we came home and celebrated Molly’s birthday! 

May

In May we celebrated our amazing mom on Mother’s day!

June

June was the month of friendcation! Jamie and I spent a few days in Miami and then off we went on a cruise to Mexico with our best friends Beka and Hilton!

July

In July we celebrated my birthday...

And we also celebrated our beautiful bride!

August

In August I started my new job. This job has been such a blessing! I get to work with my best friend! And I have the pleasure of working with a wonderful team of women!

September

September was a exciting month! First we had Jamie’s bachelorette party. Then we found out Beka and Hilton are expecting their first baby! Then we wrapped up this amazing month with the Hatcher Wedding!

October

October was a fun month at school! We had red ribbon week, our school parade, and finished it off with trick or treating!

November

For Thanksgiving this year we went to spend the holiday with the newlyweds! We had a great time together, and Jamie and Kyle did a wonderful job cooking all of the food!

December

We ended the year by spending Christmas together as a family. The church I attend had their service on a Friday night, so for once Jamie and Kyle were able to go to church with me! And lets not forgot the most important thing that happened in December... COOPER!!

This past year took a turn in a completely opposite direction than I was anticipating. It was full of growing pains, and there were many days where I couldn’t see past the pain I was living in at the time. Thankfully I serve a God who can heal any broken heart, and who can restore hope! I am so blessed that He placed these amazing people in my life to love and encourage me through every step of the way. 2016 will forever, in my mind, be remembered as the year that changed our lives forever, and there are moments I wish I could relive and there are moments I wish could just disappear forever! But now it’s a new year, and a fresh beginning and I am so excited to see what 2017 has in store! I know the most exciting part of this year is going to be the arrival of my first sweet niece, Reagan! 

What are you looking forward to this year?

Jenny