My Guilty Pleasure

So this might be the only good thing about my husband being gone….I am able to give in to my guilty pleasure uninterrupted!!!

Yes…I watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette.  I have not watched every season, I did take a break for a while but my Monday nights are consumed with dinner, smut TV and girl talk.

If you don’t watch this dramatic display of 25-ish men and women all “dating/competing” over the same person…let me give you a little rundown.

 This season’s Bachelorette is Andi Dorfman.  She was one of the finalist from the Juan Pablo Season of the Bachelor.

I think she is going to be a very interesting Bachelorette.  She’s an assistant prosecutor from Atlanta…I’m thinking she can hold her own and won’t put up with people’s crap.

The 25 and 1 Suitors

As the seasons continue, it seems to be more drama each time. Like I said earlier…I have a feeling this season is no different and won’t disappoint.

This season’s into started out with good ol’ Chris Harrison (the host) dedicating the season to one of the gentlemen, Eric Hill, who died in a paragliding accident back in April. It was not show related, the accident occurred after Eric had left the show. The sad part is…he would have been one of my top picks :)

Now on to the awkwardness….

 I mean really…what’s more awkward that going on a TV show, stepping out of a limo, trying have 1 person remember who you are with 25 other guys all while trying to come up with some catchy pick up line.

Without boring you all my 2cents about all the guys…I’ll just give you the WTH’s, Really and my top picks.

WTH….

Brett….the guy walked out of the limo carrying a floor lamp he stole from the hotel room. Oh and his hair…WTH is going on with that?

J.J….his job…”pantsapreneur”? WTH is that?

Cody…I have 1 word for him…Meathead…his intro…pushing the “broken down” limo his hair doesn’t help either. I foresee a lot of aggression with him.

Chris Bukowski…He is who I referred to as “and 1” an alum from Emily’s Season and one of the Bachelor Pad sneaks in and gets caught by security and wants..Must see Andi…CREEPY!!! Glad she didn’t humor his intrusion.

Really…

Bradley…He’s an opera singer and seems really annoying. Remember the last opera singer on Juano Pablo’s seasons…enough said.

Craig…there is always one…he seemed drunk when he stepped out of the limo.

Josh B..Cry baby…holds a grudge..glad that guy is gone. Thank you for showing your true colors right away.

My Top Picks…

Eric…Minus the fact that he is no longer with us….I thought he was totally cute, interesting and sweet. Giving Andi little dolls from the Andes Mountains..Super cute. Oh and he a world traveler….SOLD!!!

Nick S….The Golfer from Chicago. I’m not sure what it is about him..but I kinda like him…hope he doesn’t turn into a Dbag.

Chris…Nice country farmer from Iowa…There’s something about him that I like…Will it work with Andi…probably not…he doesn’t have a job that he can pick up and go anywhere so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

We’ll see how far Nick S & Chris hang around.

For those of you who watch the Bachelorette…Who’s your fave pick so far?

Five on Friday

Thank You Lord it's Friday!!!

I swear the last few weeks have been crazy and I look forward to the weekends more and more.

So I decided that since it is Friday, I’d post about some of my favorite things.

1.     Oreck Steam Mop

I ran to Walmart the other day and they had their clearance stuff strategically placed in the front of the store. So you HAD to look at it as you walked in.  We’ve been wanting a steam mop for a while but I didn’t want to spend the $150 on one…yea I’m cheap like that. But to my  surprise there was an Oreck Steam Mop for $20!!!! SCORE…I checked online to see how much they typically sell for ($130-160) so there was no doubt that I bought it. and I LOVE IT!!! I wish we would of bought it sooner.  With a 12 yrs old, a 2 yr old and 3 dogs…I should be moping every morning, noon and night.  I haven’t used all the attachments yet, only to mop the hardwood floor…but it’s AMAZING!!!!!  It has a nice long cord, different steam levels, warms up really fast, its super quite and the floor isn’t left all wet from the water/steam. It’s definitely an item I would of paid full price for known that now.

2.    Red Vines and Country Time Lemonade

I’ve always liked Red Vines over Twizzlers but this pregnancy I could probably eat a one pound bag daily. It’s a sickness….I know L The same goes for Country Time lemonade, actually any lemonade really as long as it’s good.  The water down stuff….not so much.  I can’t wait for county fair time….Lemon shake ups!!! So if you haven’t notices….I like sugar.

3.    My iphone5

I know it sounds super techy and nerdy…but the iphone 5 is one of my FAVE things.  Why? Well for the time being it is my main source of communication with the hubs while he’s deployed.  I chose the 5 because I don’t have to be on a wireless network to facetime. As long as I/we have, good signal we are golden.

This morning the boys were able to talk to daddy before dropping them off with grandma and then we were able to talk while I was on my way into work.

4.     BareMinerals BAREskin

So last week when I was back at my parents…I totally forgot my makeup. I don’t wear makeup very often but from time to time I try to look like a girl and presentable.  Anyway, I ran into ulta to grab a few small things and came across the bareMinerals BAREskin and to my surprise,…I liked it. I wasn’t 100% sure if I would like it or not since it was a liquid foundation but it wasn’t that bad. I’ve used bareminerals for years now and love it. It’s so light and easy on the skin.  I was expecting the BAREskin to be the same but it wasn’t.  It went on very smooth and light and gave a nice full coverage. I would recommend doing a color match in the store just to make sure you get the right shade.  I wasn’t planning on spending $28 for the foundation and brush (which is highly recommended)…yes that’s $28 a piece. And that is probably my biggest complaint is the cost for the brush or that you can’t purchase them together.

5.     Hunter Rain Boots

I LOVE my hunter rain boots! I want my next pair to be PINK!!!!

I held out on buying them forever before I stumbled across a pretty good 24hr sale and decided to take the plunge and buy them.  Over the winter, I debated on buying the sock inserts but really didn’t need them. My toesies stayed pretty warm with just a good pair of socks. It’s been raining almost nonstop here for last few days so I’ve gotten some more wear out of them lately.  For a rainboot, they are cute and comfy. And yes, I am one of those people who use them as a multipurpose “work” outdoor boot too.  Hey I’m gonna get my money’s worth. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Every year, the Friday before Mother's Day is designated as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

Today is that day. This year's celebration on May 9 is a time to recognize and applaud the selfless contributions and daily sacrifices our military spouses make.

The Army life is challenging.  

I have people ask me on an almost daily basis how do it do it. There are of course some days that are harder than others.  There are many times that military spouses routinely put the welfare of their Soldier/Airman/Seaman/Marine, Family, and Nation above their own. 

This is for the husbands and wives who wake up early when their Soldier leaves for PT.

This is for the fathers and mothers who hold their children tight when they cling and cry for a parent overseas at night.

This is for the men and women who avoid the news, watch the news, or are glued to the news every day for months on end, hoping for good and not bad.

This is for the cooks who learn the gobbledygook acronyms and threaten to serve MREs if they are faced with a caselot sale on a payday at the commissary again.

This is for the lovers who touch photographs and hold back tears.

This is for the actors who put on a happy face when their soldier takes one more look over a shoulder while the transport is moving out.

This is for the comedians who crack jokes on the phone or over webcams, just to see their soldier smile thousands of miles away.

This is for the tired whose hearts break at the thought of just one more day alone, much less several more months.

This is for the strong who keep moving when all they want to do is stay under the covers curled into a ball.

This is for the "dependents" who know that a greater oxymoron was never coined, who rise to the call of independence in order to keep the house running smoothly, or to move it across the country alone.

This is for the proud, whose hearts are full to bursting as their loved one steps off that plane, that bus, that boat to stand in formation and affirm that they have served and will continue to serve their country.

This is for those who also serve, by making their own sacrifices and supporting their military loved one on the homefront, giving them assurance that all is well and that they can focus on the job at hand until it's time to come home.

~author unknown

Stay-Cation and May's Favorite Things

Hey Ya’ll!!!

Hope you’re all doing well. 

Last week I was supposed to be enjoying my work trip to St. Croix, before it was cancelled 18 hrs before we were supposed to leave. I decided not to dwell on it too much, mostly because I wasn’t out anything {hotel, plane, rental,ect..}

So instead, I took a hiatus from work and decided on a stay-cation.  Not as picturesque, warm or sunny as I would of liked it to be, but there was no work phone calls or emails and we SLEPT in..until like 7AM and Graham would tell me he wanted to cuddle when he crawled into bed with me. I’ll take it!!!

May marks 4 months into the deployment and so far things are going well. 

I’ve had my days that I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, scream, drink you name it. There hasn’t been anything life altering happen, so far everyone and all animals are alive and let’s hope it stays that way. 

We are also a little over half way until we get to meet baby #2.  I think we have finally gotten our name selection down to 3-4 names.  We have a front-runner but will most likely wait until he gets here to see if the name fits.

Since the weather is warming up I wanted to share some of my favorite things for May!

1.     Kiki La’ Rue…I’m a Tom boy at heart and seriously could live in shorts and t-shirt.  I came across Kiki La’ Rue probably about a year ago and fell in love. Becka and the ladies at Kiki La’ Rue do awesome work. Packages are sent and received in a very timely manner and there has always been a personal note with every order I have received.  I’ve noticed since having Graham I haven’t felt near as cute in clothes and since wearing KLR, I can no longer say that.

2.      Outdoor Swing Set…I just picked this up for Graham for his birthday next month!!! The kid loves to be outside swinging or on the slides so I’m sure he will love it which means I will too until it’s time to come inside and he doesn’t want to and has a major meltdown. Or until he falls from the monkeybars and it’s a trip to the ER. Let’s hope that’s not the case. I’ll take a meltdown over a broken arm. We got a pretty decent deal on our at Toys R Us.

3.     Quest Bars…YUM. I’m not a huge fan of protein drinks, mixes or bars but these are pretty darn good.  High in protein low in sugars and they have a ton a different flavors. Most Vitamin shops carry them but if they are out check out amazon.

4.     Batiste Dry Shampoo….I’m a wash your hair everyday sort of girl. I might be able to make it to the next day but not very often.  I’ve found a new love for dry shampoo and normally get mine from TJMAXX because it tends to be a little cheaper there. I’m by far no expert but my pick is the Batiste Dry Shampoo.

5.     Silikids…I’ve been on the hunt for a sippy cup that doesn’t leak!!! During my searches, I came across the silikids sippy cups and I’m definitely looking at ordering some. Silicone tops that will fit with almost any cup and not leak….i’m a sucker. I’m gonna totally order some.

6.     Native Shoes…I found these on the super cute Shay Shull’s website, mix and match momma.  These look like they will be the perfect little summer shoes.  They can be found on Zappos, Amazon, Nordstrom

7.     Gold Bond Ultimate Lotion…LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! I swear this winter killed my hands and I am still doing damage control on them. This stuff is great. Its not super greasy like some thicker lotions, rubs in great too.

8.     Amazon Prime…I couldn’t agree more with Emily from Beauty and the Greek. Central Illinois is lacking in accessibility to a lot of products and with Amazon Prime…bam..normally cheaper, ships to your house in 2-3 days and you can order it all in the privacy of your own home and never have to leave to deal with the crazies! Sounds like a win to me.  I signed up for Amazon Prime right before Christmas this year so I could save on the shipping on our Christmas gifts this year. And I have to say I’ve fallen in love. I’ll only buy items w/ Prime on them now J

9.     Aussie Moist 3 minute conditioner…another LOVE LOVE LOVE product!!! Even though my hair won’t last more than a day without a wash and it’s still super dry feeling. I LOVE Aussie’s 3 minute conditioner. I use it all the time. It’s a total must have for me.

10.  Coach Poppy Blossom…might be my new fave scent. It’s a nice light, vibrant, fruity/floral smell. And Ulta had it on sale for 50% off. SCORE!!!.

 

Nashville Country Music Marathon Recap

OH...what a fun weekend in Nashville.

I almost forgot what it was like to have an adult girls weekend away. 

It was just what I needed.

Friday I met up with Holly & Kelly, and we grabbed some Mexican for lunch and headed down south to Nashville for the Rock and Roll Country Music Marathon. 

This was my 12th 1/2. My times have not been the best lately. It could be because I hadn't trained or the fact that I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  

We got to the expo in time to run in and grab our packets and head to dinner.  The expo was a slight cluster but it all worked out in the end.  After the expo we headed over to Cabana's for drinks and dinner and meet some of my other fave bloggers, Aubrey Leigh , and Janessa.  It was a blast meeting eveyone. Aubrey's husband, Tommy was such a trooper, a table for of women chatting away.

After dinner, it was time to check into the hotel and get ready for bed.

Saturday, we gave ourselves enough time to get ready to get to the race on time...but traffic we were cutting it close. The race started and 0700 and about 6:57 we were still a few blocks away so Holly and I jumped out and made our way to the start line, to find 40 corrals and about 33,000 people.  It was 08:02 before we crossed the start line.  

Holly and Janessa were shooting for 2:30...I just wanted to finish. I stuck with them for a few miles then decided to let them have it.  It was too hot for my pregnant self and the fact that it felt like I had to pee every mile didn't help.

The course was so hilly, but the crowd support was amazing. It was seriously probably the best crowd supported race I've ever been to.

I came up on Janessa around mile 10 and it was great to see someone I knew along the course. I think it gave me the motivation I needed to finish.  

I ended up finishing in 3:09, a minute faster than the Lincoln Presidential 1/2 I had done a few weeks before. I was surprised on how not sore I was after this race...Hey I'll take it.

Mandy from House of Rose also completed the Country Music Marathon too. I swear the videos and pics she post IDK how she does it. She always looks super cute, even 11 miles into a race in 75 degree heat. I looked like a hot mess. She's a rock star.

After the race, Holly and I took hooker showers and loaded on the deodorant, body spray and lotion and headed over to the Pharmacy for lunch. The beer garden was awesome and the burgers were yummy too.

 Amber from Crafty Healthy Mommy, was amazing and got there early to get us a table.  She was a doll. I seriously could of hung out with her all afternoon and chatted. Aubry and Tommy came and met us for lunch and we also met Alyse and Faye.  

After lunch Holly, Kelly and I made the trek back to IL/MO.  Kelly was AMAZING. She was our coach/driver/cheerleader for the weekend.

I had a great weekend and can't wait to do it again.

Easter weekend

Another busy week in the books.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like its going to be slowing down much either 

I swear, I tell myself that I shouldn’t schedule so much stuff…but I can’t help it.

Last week at work was longer than most. I like I ended up working 65 hrs then went and got my little man and wrapped up anything that I had going on at home then back at it.

It definitely helps with making the week go by fast but man..there isn’t time to enjoy it.

Friday after work, I packed up the minivan, got Graham and headed down south.  It was a nice little get away. No work, barely any cell reception, grandma was there to spoil Graham.

Saturday I was able to do a little alone shopping. Which was nice. It’s the little things once you have kids.

So I headed down to Carbondale to grab some lunch and some retail therapy.  I of course had to stop at Quarto’s. One of my college fave pizza places. And…as always they did not disappoint.

And you get to keep your cup too J I swear I had a cupboard full of Quartro’s cups in college.

Sunday, my brother and his girlfriend came up and we all had breakfast and opened Easter baskets…Yes we still do Easter baskets.  After Graham went through all his stuff, we went outside to hunt Easter Eggs!!

My mom gave me a hard time because I placed all the eggs in 1 area…he grabbed a few then wanted to head to the tractor so I then asked if she seen why I placed them the way that I did?

The rest of Sunday consisted of face timing w dad, Family time and eating.

Monday, my grandma and grandpa came over to go fishing and Graham caught his 1st fish.

It’s hard to see his excitement in this picture but he was excited when he went to reel the fish in at first. However,once it was out of the water…he wanted no part of it.

We made a few detours on the way home..Chic Fil A, Sam’s… you know the necessities.

Since the weather was so nice when we got home, I decided to do some yard work. Graham of course wanted to help…in nothing but his boots and….yup nothing else.Gotta love country living.

At What Point Do You Call Yourself a Runner?

Sorry I've been MIA...I've been swamped at work and have finally gotten a moment to slow down.

Two weekends ago I finished my 11^th half marathon.

The weather was perfect for a wog (that’s what I’m calling it now).

 It’s walking + jogging=wogging

The Springfield ½  isn’t a large race, it’s actually quiet small. They finally had over 2,000 people sign up for this year’s race. I will say that next year, please have more porta potties. There was such a long line at the beginning that I knew there was no way we would get in to use them before the race started.

But I should of just waited then crossed the start line because at the start of the race we were hanging with the 2:30 group for about 2 miles. Then the 1 lone porta potty was sitting there are mile 2 and I had to potty. So knowing there wasn’t many other stops along the route I should stop now. Almost 10 mins later….we were able to use the facilities and get back into the race.

Sadly, my motivation to catch back up with the 2:30 was not gonna happen. I was in no place to even try it. I hadn’t trained or had done any sort of running since the Little Rock Marathon a month before. So what did I do…we just enjoyed the beautiful sunny and took our time.

Which I’m glad we did, because I was not even close to prepared for this race. I didn’t bring anything with me so around mile 7, I was STARVING!!!

I can only speak for self when I say with both pregnancy, when I get hungry I have about a 5 mins window before I need to get something into my system.  Well that definitely wasn’t going to be happening so luckily the next few water stops had some Gatorade so I was able to get some sugar into my body.

Note to self, for the RnR Nashville at the end of the month…I’m bringing snacks :) 

 Yesterday I received a few emails with pics from the weekend’s race and we got on the discussion at what point do you consider yourself a runner?

(I’m the squirrel in the snow leopard compression socks and sweat band on the right)

Many people tend to think that I must be fast because I’ve done, as they put it “so many races”.  In compared to others I know I have not done that many. I think people believe that because I have my medals displayed in my office.

So far I’ve completed:

5K=a lot I haven’t actually kept track of them my last count was 10

10K= 1

1/2 marathon= 11 (I’ll be completing # 12 later this month)

Full Marathon= 4

In all actuality, I’m not fast at all…not even close. 2:20 is my fastest half and 5:30 for a full marathon.  I’m telling myself after this baby…I’m actually going to train and put out a little effort just to see what I’m capable of. 

I think that is what is keeping me from calling myself a “runner” is that  I don’t train, I just finish races.

Since I’ve started “running” I’ve learned that there are no stereotypes in runners.  Runners come in all shapes in sizes. You see a  lean in shape person in front of you before the race and tell yourself “man, I bet they’re fast” and then you’re passing them along the route. On the other hand, you can come across someone who you may feel is larger than you and they leave you in their dust.  We cannot stereotype runners, they will amaze you every time.

At what point do you consider yourself a runner?