Happy MAY!!

Happy Tuesday lovely frannnds!! Hope your Monday wasn't so dreadful... can't be because Tuesday is already here! WOOOOOP!!

Today marks many new exciting beginnings... let me educate you all on this Educate Me Tuesday with the happs!

• 90 day challenge with Leigh Anne at Hart to Heart begins TODAY!!
• 50 day count down begins TODAY!!
• I will begin to draft my Discussion chapter (last chapter) TODAY!!
• I will eat clean with less processed foods and sweets TODAY!!

These are things to be excited for, yet anxious and scurred. Starting a challenge with a group of lovely fellow-blogger gals feels amazing. Everyone is super encouraging and the best part? We're going through this all together!! Whether it be a weight loss goal, toning up goal, or running/walking a marathon... they are all goals that are doing our body some gewwwwd! So I am ecstatic to begin this journey today!!

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I can't believe it's 50 days away until I DO!! I am beyond excited to take our vows in front of our loved ones, and of course before our Creator :) This is pushing and motivating me to finish up my dissertation and shoot to have my final defense by end of this month.... leading me to...

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DISCUSSION CHAPTER... this is the final chapter of a dissertation... BUT that doesn't mean this means the end of writing.... we all know feedback can be very draining, so I'll be focusing most of my energy in revising away this month! However, I am very excited to get this chapter drafted so I at least have a baseline to get feedback on!

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And eating clean... oh how I've attempted to do this so many times... then BOOM!! There goes that one bad day we all have at least once a month that sends me directly to the sweet department. Gummy bears make me feel like a new person, and I'll be saying good bye to frequently eating those! Also the quick processed foods that get us through weekends... I shall be departing that frequent habit. That doesn't mean I'll deprive myself completely and not treat myself... but keyword? TREAT... once in a while kinda thing... the whole purpose of being a TREAT!

So cheers to May 1st!! And cheers to almost Mother's Day! The most important celebration in life... celebrating and honoring the women that gave us LIFE :)

Miscellany Monday FUNday!!

Happy Monday FUNday!! I hope you all had a fantab lovely weekend! Mine was surely productive... worked my tater off on getting this chapter complete and sent off to my chair to be reviewed... let's say I can't believe it's Monday FUNday, when my brain is already exhausted!

Nevertheless, I am linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for a Miscellany Monday! I've got some pretty random thoughts I'd like to share with you all :)

 

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My dogs have been pretty exhausted lately... going on bike rides, walks, hikes and the dog park! Let's just hope it's enough to last this week, because it's supposed to rain all day errrryday :/ Moana (chocolate lab) found it comforting to lay upside down on her Papa... hey whatever makes you comfy right?!?

 ... and this hardly ever happens.. the both of them on one couch?! Marley (shephard/lab mix) does NOT like being close to her when he sleeps... he likes his space :)


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I have been dyingggggg to catch this movie on Lifetime since I missed the premier a while ago... and I cannot seem to find a listing of show times... on the TV Guide, Lifetime's website, or even through Google! Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it, or know what I'm referring to. If any of you know how to get show times, pleaseeeee let me know!!



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How can I not wake up early on Sunday morning to catch an I Love Lucy marathon?! I am soooo in love with Lucy and her show makes me laugh from the GUT! AND I've seen episodes over and over again.. and they still make me laugh like it's the first time watching it!

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May bootcamp starts today, which I cannot believe at all! This year is flying, which means less time to countdown for my dissertation to be done, andddd less time to countdown for this wedding!! 51 days to be exact!! Anyhoots, my goal for this month and next (half) month's bootcamp is to tone up as much as I possibly can! I've sort of plateaued with my weight, so I have decided to focus my attention on getting some muscles going on, eating clean consistently, and just treating my body with respect each and every day! After all, it's the only one we have, right??

 

What have you guys been up to? Any random thoughts you wanna share??? Link up with Carissa at lowercase letters for a Miscellany Monday and spill the beans!

A Bit of a Miscellany Monday

Happy Monday Funday!! What seems like a rest-filled long weekend, we're back in action full force on this rainy cold Monday! Today, I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for a Miscellany Monday! I've seen this link up through my fellow bloggers, and thought it was super cute and really random (but meaningful)!! Basically, you just write random thoughts and share pictures or memories or whatever it be you want to share with us!

So here we go, giving it a shot on this first Monday in April!

:: one ::

Amy's Bikini Bootcamp starts back up this morning and I am oh so excited to get back into the groove of working out with my peeps... working out during Spring Break alone wasn't the same. Cardio was boring, and I missed my kickboxing!

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I'm really gonna try and follow through with a photo a day APRIL challenge! I always remember late in the game, or I forget one day, and it's a "fohgettt aboutttit" attitude!

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My awesome possom talented cousin Kyle went to the Pacific Island Talent Contest over the weekend, and made the TOP 12 out of 65 other musicians!! So proud of him, and his motivation to keep driving with music!! (and yes... he will be blessing us with his beautiful voice at our wedding!)

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So happy this month marks the FIRST I'll be rollin in with sponsors on the regular (I hope!). Last month, I was ooberly excited to test the waters with my first ever sponsor, Kara @ Styled with Life, and had oh so much fun having another blogger's face up on hea! I've met so many talented, lovely ladies through this bloggy blog world, and each gal has makes this entire blogging experience SO much more fun for me :) So watch out America... this month I've got more fab blogs to share with the world! 

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Most of you don't know this, but my mom is an active Army Reserves Soldier, and has been for going on 18 years this year! In 2010, she departed for Iraq and was deployed for one year. Although time has passed, and she is safe and sound back home, I will always be eternally grateful for her service and dedication to our country... for ALL of our soldiers who continually fight for our freedom, I am so blessed  and thankful for you all! I will never forget that we have soldiers that are still fighting for us, despite the decrease in publicity of the war and our battles today. I love you Mom... for your hard work and fight... for being away from home when you have to be... for sacrificing your lifestyles so we are safe and at peace... for everything you do for me, our family and this country!

Link up with Carissa at lowercase letters and ramble about your Miscellany Monday!!

High Five for Friday!

Oh, happy day.... it's FRIDAY!! Spring break or not, a Friday is a Friday in my books!!

I'm High Fiving Friday, and linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk once again to highlight my five most favorite things from this past week!

:: one ::

My boo and I shared a delish Sunday night meal together, and had steak, potatoes, and artichoke! Oh... and wine! Scrummy in my tummy!

Pretty Artichokes Before

...And After

:: two ::

I broke in my new kicks (thanks to my boo) and the brightness actually motivated me to step it up a notch! I LOVEEEE Nike Free's... they are super duper light on your feet, and they come in all different colors! I have a black pair, coral pair and now PAAAANK pair :)

:: three ::

We finally got these puppies out and in the mail... so happy that I was able to get the cutie patootie wedding stamps we used for our STD's!

:: four ::

I received some updated dahhhhling pics of my little niecey-poo, KayCee!!

:: five ::

I'm at the last stages of my data collection, which means more work in analyzing the data, but super thankful I'll be able to start that stage and keep the progress going :) 

**A special and warm-hearted THANK YOU for all of you who supported me and recruited your peeps for my dissertation survey!! I couldn't have done it without your help and persistence... that's a FACT!!!** 

Link up with From My Grey Desk, and High Five YOUR Friday!!

Let's get Physical... Physical!

Happy Thursday Folks!! One day away from Friday, and one day from another shot at seeing the Vow yet again... I've given that movie two weeks now to show itself to the entire town, so there BESTA be seats and good ones!

Anyhoots, I thought I'd use this Free Fallin' Thursday to talk about something that has been a part of my life for a very long time. If I don't have a daily dosage of this, my positive attitude isn't as sky high, tired hits me to the tenth degree, and I feel incomplete! The must have that I crave for each and every day is my EXERCISE!!! That's right... the beads of sweat that roll down my face (and trust... sweat is fat crying, and my fat is a super sensitive cry baby!!!) makes my day sooo much better, and I don't feel as anxious and stressed about work and/or school.

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I was one of those kids who HATED running in PE.... but I loved the fun stuff! Playing softball, roller blading, playing volleyball, bike riding... I was loving life while having fun being young (and still do!). As long as it wasn't labeled "exercise" it was all to the good for me! Then as I got older, and didn't have time for the fun stuff (this thing called reality slapped me in the face and I had to be on the grind with school and work), I had to find a supplement for the physical activity I was getting playing softball or riding bikes.

Which led me to the golden ticket to the good ol' gym... 24 hour fitness!! Love that gym, and the membership I had was oooooberly cheap (talking bout $20 a month)... and I was able to go to ANY 24 hour fitness facility I wanted to! BOOOM... no excuses!! I was diggin' the ENDLESS machines they had, the fancy rock climbing they offered, the single treadmill in a plastic box that had dreadfully hot temperatures, the fun step and cycling classes, the sauna and pool to dip into after you sweat your but off... and so much more!

THEN... the unthinkable happened. I moved to Oregon with the fiancé, and the closest (I think only) 24 hour fitness is in Portland... a 2 hour drive!! It was time to sadly break up with this cheap-OH membership I had at 24 hour fitness after 7 years :(

After settling into Oregon the first few months, I found myself in desperate need to release the tension I had from being home sick and from school being at it's peak! I was doing my old taebo workouts from home... then that got boring and repetitive, so I moved on to repeat a few rounds of P90X... then my dogs got in my way and it wasn't so stress-relieving to work out at home. What to do... what to do....

I searched online for gym memberships in this small town (super duper expensive)... I asked around for any type of fun workouts around town...and BOOOOOOM (again)- I found ZUMBA with Amy! OMG... I fell in love instantly.... twice!! Once with the fun Latin moves, and the second time with the instructor! Amy is the most positive, upbeat and energetic instructor I have everrrrr had!! AND... the girl has moves! She can Zumba with a cherry on top... and probably would win any salsa/hip-hop competition any day!

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From Zumba twice a week, I quickly learned Amy taught kickboxing early mornings once a week too! I fell in love yet again!! LOVEEEE kickboxing and punching and kicking my frustrations away! And it didn't stop there! I also learned that this amazing instructor held a Bikini Bootcamp where the workouts would be 4 times a week! That was almost 2 years ago, and I remain a faithful customer. Each month, workouts are different... they test you to push to new levels, and work out allll areas of your body!

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This has become a part of my every day life... it's like breathing for me... and if I miss a morning, I am in the worse mood ever (until I remind myself I can make it up that evening at her Zumba class)! If you're ever in Corvallis, OR, CHECK HER OUT!! You don't have to be enrolled in anything.. and you can pop in and have the funnest and toughest workout yet!

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Getting your daily dosage of fitness on is so important... in the mornings (my fave), afternoons or in the evenings after work. Whenever and where ever you are able to make your fat cry would help you out in the biggest way ever! Not only does it release tension or stress, but it's so good for your body to keep moving!!

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