My Favorite Things This Week: Click the Links to Explore!

A list of my weekly favs...Enjoy xo

1. Favorite Blog: The Daily Tay (So hilarious, and true, and hilarious)

2. Favorite Workout Site: BodyBuilding.com (Much cooler than it sounds...you can even find a plan that matches your health goals!)

3. Favorite Pandora Playlist: Bob Marley (So ready for summer!)

4. Favorite App: Boomerang (Perfect for capturing awkward moments, and repeating them over and over and over...)

5. Favorite Instagram Feed: mamawatters (She always posts such inspirational posts and lovely photos)

6. Essential Oils: We are loving peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus right now! So refreshing on these hot days!

7. Favorite Show: House of Cards!!! (Obvi, we are taking it a little slower than some of you dedicated binge watchers!

8. Favorite Food: Fresh strawberries from Bailey's Market!

9. Favorite Swimwear: Victoria's Secret Swim (They always have the cutest suits!) But also, I love a good Target swimsuit if I can catch them early on before the good ones are gone ;)

10. Favorite Recipe: We are all about some smoothies for breakfast these days, and huge fresh salads with lettuce straight from our garden!

...E

What are your favorites???

Tornadoes Tabatas & Thieves

As the end of February draws closer and closer I am struck with the urge to clean and declutter our home. Spring fever is going strong over here, even though a slew of tornadoes and rain brought another cold snap through last night. Of course, that would happen right after we get our new garden started, but with the exception of a couple of basil sprigs we weathered the storm quite well. Much better than many in our area unfortunately :( Thankfully, the storms weren't as bad as they could have been but the tornado did take out several homes and businesses. However, if one thing can be said of this community it is that they take care of their own. As early as this morning posts were going up all over the spouse pages about relief efforts and donation sites!

http://pulsegulfcoast.com/2016/02/photos-see-aftermath-of-pensacola-tornado-from-the-air

But back to the subject of spring cleaning...

When I say spring cleaning, I am also referring to cleaning up ones eating habits and shedding the layer of blubber that appeared out of nowhere over the winter months. We have been back in the gym attempting to get back on our clean eating and fitness regimen. It's a process. Down here in Florida bikini season starts at the end of march and that time, my friends, is fast approaching. 

Some of the easy ways I'm getting back in shape for the summer are:

~Trying to run at least 2 miles every day

~No fast food or junk food

~Upping my cardio game at the gym to 45 mins

~Portion control and smaller meals throughout the day

~Drink. More. Water.

~Tabatas that focus on the booty, core, and arms

When it comes to our home, some of the simple ways we spring clean include; opening the windows whenever it is nice out to get fresh air inside, diffusing essential oils like thieves/peppermint/tangerine to combat allergies, getting all of the pillows and linens washed and dried out, and filling the house with as many live plants as possible (which can be a pain in the ass since we have to get pet safe plants). 

New years resolutions are for people who don't want to deal with goals throughout the year! Theres no bad time to set a goal and make a plan to accomplish it :) I find it much easier to set seasonal goals anyways since I find myself having different focuses during different times of the year. Like eating all the carbs in the winter, and then having to spend half my life in the gym during the spring. 

For more ideas on fitness, clean eating, and oils check out my Pinterest boards ;)

Here:

What are some of your spring goals for your house? Body? Mind?

Bull City Race Fest

It feels like its been forever since I have had a chance to sit down and write! Probably, because it has been. Last week was insane because I had to study for and take my Florida Real Estate Brokers exam. It was so tricky, but thankfully having my license in NC made it much easier than it could have been. I definitely don't recommend taking the brokers class online without a real teacher if you don't have any experience with real estate because you will learn LITERALLY nothing. Anyway, I passed and its over! I can officially work as a buyers agent in the state of Florida now wooooooo :)

With all the excitement from my test, work being crazy, and planning our move out of the apartment (!) I almost completely forgot about the half marathon I was supposed to be training for...

Welp, I did it! 13.1 miles of hills that I didn't even know existed in Durham. It was actually a really liberating and empowering experience. I never even knew I COULD run that far so it's absolutely hilarious to me that I did it. It was also really fun to be back in my hometown and see what fall is supposed to look like! Running through the city all the leaves were changing, there was no humidity, and the day was sunny, mid 50's, and absolutely beautiful. 

My knees are killing me, and I will probably be walking like an 80 year old for the next week but it was totally worth it and I may be hooked...I have already started looking up other races to run in which is funny because for the whole last chunk of the race I was telling myself I would NEVER do it again. They have a Disney Princess Run in Disney World. That makes me so happy! If I could find a Harry Potter race I would be in heaven...

So hears to doing activities you thought were nearly impossible, pushing your limits, and trying new things!!

Morning Routine

It seems like every time I go online these days I see a bunch of posts about 'how to have an effective morning routine'. I used to be the QUEEN of the morning routine. I was up at five to walk the dogs, would go to the gym for an hour, come home and shower, eat my breakfast, drink my coffee, and read the news on my porch before heading in to the office.

I don't know what has happened since my move down to Florida, but I have turned into a complete disaster in the mornings. I roll onto the floor, grumble all the way down the stairs to let the dogs out, walk to the dog park looking like a hot damn mess, grumble all the way back to the apartment, feed the dogs, and then get back into bed where I hit snooze about 7 more times until I'm impossibly late. 

This is a horrible way to start your day. And even though technically I've been getting more sleep, I feel much more fatigued during the day (no matter how many cups of coffee I drink). Not to mention the fact that I am supposed to run a half marathon in a week and I haven't been exercising AT ALL for the last week and a half. Gahhhhh!

I have got to get myself together and get back on the healthy morning routine train, so thank you internet bloggers for reminding me that I don't have to be a slovenly, exhausted, slightly out of shape pig!

This post is here purely to provide evidence and hold me accountable for what I am about to say...

Starting tomorrow, I will adhere to the following morning routine NO MATTER WHAT!

*6:00am Wake up, walk/feed dogs

*6:30am RUN!!! (5 miles)

*7:30am Shower & get ready for work

*8:00am relax: read news, meditate, drink coffee (whatever)

*8:30am go to work not looking like a madwoman

I feel really good about this. This will not be a problem at all. Haha but seriously, I think making these few, small changes will help me a lot as far as getting myself moving in the morning! Alsooooo maybe now I won't die during this half marathon...

What are some of the ways you start your mornings in a positive way?

E

September Playlist

These are the songs I've found myself listening to on repeat this month, especially on my training runs for the Bull City half marathon coming up next month.

1. Elastic Heart -Sia
2. Once Upon A Dream - Lana Del Ray
3. Flicker - Lorde
4. I Bet My Life - Imagine Dragons
5. Cheerleader - Omi
6. Photograph - Ed Sheeran
7. Nobody To Love - Alex Newell
8. Lean On - Major Lazer
9. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
10. Sail - Awolnation

Tomorrow is a 'long run' day, and it's supposed to be a 7 miler so wish me luck!

w o r k & p l a y

Hello friends!
It's been quite a while since I've had a chance to sit down and write and I'm so happy to be relaxing on my couch right now with a glass of wine (maybe watching the Bachelorette...) and taking a moment to reflect on the past couple of weeks. 

After the amazing week spent with family and friends for Kevan and Rebekkah's wedding, James and I were able to relax and lay low for a couple of wonderful weeks. We took the dogs to the beach, cooked dinner together, read books, and slept late! It was so nice after the stress of my previous job and API. However, during this time, through a series of crazy events, I came in contact with a wonderful real estate agent who ended up hiring me as her transaction coordinator while i work on getting my real estate license! It was such a relief after worrying about being able to find a job, and i couldn't be happier or more excited about how this job is going :)

This week is my second week at work and i feel like I'm finally settling in and understanding my place in the office. Even though the hours are a little longer than I anticipated, the time goes incredibly fast and I am learning SO MUCH about real estate in florida. It's very different from the rules and regulations in NC but luckily my three years in NC have given me a great platform to jump from and i can't wait to see where this goes.

On a completely separate note, I have somehow let Rebekkah talk me into running a half marathon with her in October! And I'm actually really excited about it. For my whole life I have lived under the impression that i can not physically run because i am a fat kid stuck in a skinny kids body. Welp, this experience has proven that...I was right hahahaha 

At this point in time, I can run a 12 minute mile without dying, which is two minutes more than i ever thought possible! You would think that after being a dancer and growing up as a fairly athletic person, I would be able to run, but that is not necessarily the case. There are three months though before the half marathon and the training program we are using seems to be keeping me on track so far...fingers crossed!

And the best part about this half marathon is that its in Durham! I can't wait to go back and see everyone and hopefully complete this crazy race before they close down the track and send everyone home ;) On that note, any tips on running are welcome in the comment below! I can use all the help I can get!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

m o n d a y b l o o d y m o n d a y

well friends, its that time of year again. time to attempt the tedious job of getting ready for...dare i say it? bikini season. cue screams of horror. as a general rule i take care of myself, i eat pretty healthy, try to walk the dogs every day, the usual. but i would be lying if i said that i like working out. its horrible. back when i danced professionally, i just assumed that i was a fit person. incorrect. apparently the only reason i appeared to be in shape was because of hours and hours of rehearsals and being too tired to eat. who knew?! 

in conclusion, i have started a regimen of eating smaller portions, healthier, simpler foods, and am cutting most of the alcohol out of my diet for a couple of months. as far as working out goes, i really enjoy Kayla Itsines workout guides. they are totally straightforward but intense and you will be sore immediately (which, as a dancer is how i know I've been productive after a workout). pain is, after all, only weakness leaving your body ;)

lifting boxes and packing for a move is also a super good way to get in shape. especially now that i have packed up most of the smaller things and am having to take apart and box up furniture. damn you ikea! why do they make it so hard?? it looks so simple on the outside, then you open the box and 8 trillion screws, a ton of washers and bolts, and one tiny L shaped tool pop out. not to mention the instructions are always in swedish or they are those weird little illustrations of how the pieces fit together. my dad actually told me, after putting my ikea bed together, that if i ever moved again we were going to burn the furniture because he wasn't going to touch it again. 

thankfully, with Brittney's help i have gotten almost everything under control. yesterday was too nice to stay inside for long, but we managed to pack for like an hour before heading out to find drinks and a patio to sit on. sunshine!! i even got a little sunburned, it was amazing. we should be able to have everything packed up and ready for a yard sale this coming weekend. who knows how big of a shit show that will be. yard sales in trinity park tend to get a little out of hand.

all in all things are going smoothly though. my timeline is tarting to actually make sense, and the move is essentially lined up. only t-11 days until the truck gets here!