#winning

you guys...

i won a giveaway! #WINNING!! this is SUPER exciting because:

1. i never win anything...true story.
2. i have been doing the #1800minutechallenge so i entered on a whim to encourage my exercise habits...
3. i received a lovely email this morning letting me know that i won...what a great start to monday! who am i kidding, what i great start to my week!

picture via september farm 

so a definite shout out to Karli at September Farm for hosting the giveaway, i am super excited to use the cash toward something to encourage exercise! i have been wanting to purchase a bike lately, so it may go towards making that purchase happen!

-e-

finish this!

Three 31 // Coastlined // The Java Mama // The Arizona Russums

i'm joining up again today with the finish this link up!  link ups in my opinion are one of the easiest ways to get to know some other bloggers out there, so when i find one that i like, i always try to participate!

my favorite makeup item is... mascara. it's really the only eye makeup i put on everyday, with the exception of eye liner every now and then, and shadow for occasions. i don't have the most clear complexion, but i do feel as though i could get away with feeling okay without it. since i wear mascara everyday and i have blonde eyelashes, mascara makes me feel like i have some intention of looking put together! enough about that...

the best book i've ever read was ____ because... i honestly feel like i can't genuinely finish this one! i love books, love reading, and i am always on the search for something new without getting caught up on the one i just finished. i have read so many good books, and plan to read many more! I'm actually pretty excited to check out what other books are shared in this link up!

my favorite tv show is...parenthood! it has been good from the beginning, and hasn't ever been filled with "soap opera" cheesy drama...yet! 

the most spontaneous thing i have ever done was...in college, along with a few friends, i took a day trip to gatlinburg , tennessee. we literally decided to pick up and drive one night, got there in the wee hours of the morning for sunset in the smoky mountains, stayed for maybe 3 hours and then drove home. this was a 5 1/2 hour drive by the way. aahhh college....

i prefer dogs/cats because...dogs with no hesitation. we had a cat when i was younger that was pretty grumpy all the time, but what i can really remember is the black lab that we had growing up. sweetest dog ever! and now kenny and i have toby...if you have ever stopped by here i am positive you have met him because i probably post pictures of him too much...but here is another "just because". we love him!

i met my significant other...we actually originally met at a christian teen leadership camp in high school both attending with our church youth groups and our groups hung out with each other a bit each year. then when facebook became popular in college we became "friends". i had attended liberty university beginning my freshman year, and when he was thinking about transferring after sophomore year, he sent me a message explaining that he was thinking about the transfer and asked how i liked it. before kenny actually transferred he came to visit a few times and my sister and i along hung out with him and his friends a little bit each time. once he transferred and we started seeing each other randomly around campus and hanging out occasionally...and its all history from there!

thanks for stopping by :)

-e-

around the web this weekend...

Happy Easter (a day late)! we had a great weekend celebrating that our Savior lives! we enjoyed fellowship at church and with family yesterday and listened to a great message at church from our pastor!

lately when i log into facebook, all i see are shared articles telling you how to do one thing or another, whether it is in regards to parenting, relationships, short cuts for life, politics, etc., etc., etc. sometimes when i do read an article that has been shared, i wonder if the person who shared it actually read the whole thing based on their "comment" about it. in the midst of all this advice that facebookers like to give via "sharing" things, i have come across some good stuff!

i suffer from spring allergies every year, this article by real simple gives some great tips for allergy sufferers! i love real simple (my favorite magazine!) and of course follow them on all social medias!

we all know men and women are different and our brains work much differently. this article talks about how men can respond to their wife, causing injury unintentionally. the website also has an article for women on this subject too. it is SPOT ON and definitely worth the read, married or not! on a lighter note, this article proposes a sorta fun challenge for marrieds.

this video where taylor swift surprised a bride to be is super sweet! i haven't always been the biggest fan of t-swift's music, but this act of kindness by a celeb was so nice to see!

this video has been pretty viral over the last week, with mothers day coming up, it was worth the watch!

what cool things have you read/watched out there recently??

-e-

midi rings

[clockwise: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4]

i'll be the first to admit that i am no fashionista. i am probably seriously late on the midi ring trend, but better late than never to jump on the bandwagon! i keep seeing these midi rings on pinterest and have been browsing them lately on etsy, and when i am shopping i notice them as well. i have tried them on a few times but never taken the plunge to buy any. i love the way they look on me and i think having long skinny fingers helps! if i find any gold ones i think i make commit and buy some next time! what do you think about midi rings?

-e-

summer is almost here! kinda...

[old pictures, but i thought i would share kenny's water skiing skill.]

blame it on the *hopefully* last and final ground covering snow fall we received yesterday that is almost completely melted away. blame it on the multiple days of sunshine we have been having. blame it on the WARM jacketless temperatures that we had over the last weekend. blame it on the friends who have wedding countdowns in the double didgets, visiting with the family in the near future, baseball starting, after dinner walks, and the sun setting a bit later each night....

i officially have summer fever! i cannot wait to go out on the lake, relax outside by a fire or on the deck, go to farmers markets for local and fresh produce, take walks downtown and on the trails, go on vacation, go to the beach, etc,. etc., etc.!! what are you looking forward to this summer?!?

-e-  

finish this:

On a Saturday morning, I usually... try to sleep in before getting up to let toby out, have my breakfast and coffee, and then clean. saturday is my "clean the house" day!

I feel beautiful when... i take care of myself, physically, mentally, and of course if kenny tells me i do. when i am able to take my time to get ready and go out somewhere i feel the best. when i am in a rush i always feel disheveled and can never figure out what to wear. when i have time/make time to get ready, i feel more confident and put together. and course when I am complimented...who doesn't like to be complimented?

I wake up every morning... to toby licking my face. he knows that i'm the one who gets up to let him go outside, so he has become my alarm every morning! if i want to sleep a little bit longer i just pull the covers over my head or give him a belly rub-it works!

A happy home... is organized and kept clean! (i'm sure that will change once we have kids...even though i'm secretly hoping that it doesn't because i love a clean house!) but on a more serious note, a happy home is full of laughs, growth in our relationship with God, and plenty of love!

When I have down time, I... watch tv or read. i love watching tv, and probably follow too many tv shows! i also love reading, and need to pick a new series as i just finished one recently! any suggestions?

-e-

i work out

so with winter going by so slowly this year (yes, it is okay to blame everything on winter in the mitten state), I have truely been in a slump with any type of physical activity. and then i went to hot yoga with a friend one week, and wondered why i had never done hot yoge before? besides being totally soaked at the end of the hour in 99 degree (sometimes higher?) temps, this hot yoga work out it the bomb. we have been going on sunday nights and it really has become a relaxing way to start my week! putting hot yoga in my schedule has really started me off slowly toward making sure i get at least 30 minutes a day into my schedule. so starting last week, april 1st, i have officially started a strict work out schedule. i am doing Jillian Michael's "30 day shred" and i will finish the full 30 days. Once I have completed the 30 day shred I will move into her "ripped in 30 days" dvd. time to tone it up!! Also, for the start of this month I am doing a squat challenge that I found on fitsugar. I have done a squat challenge like this before, but only did straight up regular squats the whole time, so i excited that this one changes things up!

you can find the original post and link to print out here.

so, all this being said, to help out with tracking my goal, i linked up with living in yellow, the crowley party, the freckled fox, and alissa circle to complete to 1800 minute challenge. this challenge runs from april 1st-may 31st, and each participant receives a excel spreadsheet to track their work out (i love an extra organizational tool!). also, at the end of this challenge, i can turn in my spread sheet and be entered to win a prize--who doesn't want a prize for working out?!? so i am pretty excited to have this goal and really get more activity back in my life! now that the weather is nicer i plan to add more walks for toby in my routine as well, so even our pup gets some exercise benefits!

-e-