an Epic adventure

In October-November I had the opportunity to travel to Verona, Wisconcin {3 times} for classes that will eventually lead to a certifican to give me a little leg up at work.  The first week was glorious!  Steak for dinner everyday, someone to make my bed in the morning, not having to check email for a week!  By the time the 3rd trip rolled around there was 3 inches of snow on the ground, the temperature was single digits, and I had aproximately eleventy-million unread emails.   Needless to say, I am happy to be done with the training classes and not sure how people travel regularly for a living!  I'm more of a standard routine kind of girl that likes to see my husband in person on a daily basis, cook my own meals, and drive my own car on roads that I am familiar with.   Though the travel was trying on my mentally and physically, the Epic campus is a remarkable place to see and puts a unique twist on casual work environment.  Besides the Treehouse meeting room, and 2 story spiral slide {because using stairs is hard?} here are some photos of the eclectic decor throughout campus.  It is a tradition that you MUST get your photo taken at the banana!

One big perk is that Wisconsin knows their beer, chocolate, and cheese.  How else are you going to stay warm when it is going to be NINE DEGREES outside?

give thanks!

As I wind down from a wonderful 5 day stay-cation, I believe it's time to pull the trigger and resurrect the ole' L3 blog!  So many things have happened in the past 2+ years and as time continues to fly by I want to have a place I can come to remember and share the laughter, heart breaks, milestones, miracles, and events that are life!  I hope to play a little catch up in future posts, but for tonight I want to reflect on the things I am thankful for after my first "big girl" Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving started by crashing the Tryptophan 13.1/10k/5k.  As police blocked traffic at the entrance of Fowler Park I quickly realize that there is a scheduled race on the Greenway.  I found a parking space about a mile from the entrance and jumped in with the half-marathoners and 10/5K-ers.  It was nice to get some extra cheers in the 40 degree cold, and a few awkward looks as I turned around to go back at a point that was NOT on the course map.  No records were broken on this particular morning but minimal walking occurred!  I was thankful to pound out my own 5K even though I did not get a t-shirt!  

Once home, I made a batch of my mom's famous "milk punch" {i.e. Bourbon Smoothie} and started working on the turkey.  This was the first time I have roasted a bird of any type for my first 'real' Thanksgiving in my first 'real' house using 'real' plates!  Beyone thankful for my mother-in-love for putting together the centerpiece for the table and helping prepare food for 20 even though there were 6 of us.  We stuffed ourselves silly and had 4, I repeat FOUR desserts to choose from as we watched football. {still only 6 people}

Friday was my first go at Black Friday!  The hubs and I went around 10 am and shared a kiss as we parted ways to fight the crowds.  A new Belk credit card and 4 trips later we should have enough clothes for our upcoming trip to Japan and the luggage to get it there!

Saturday was the Tech/GA game in Athens and I was happy my dad was able to get a ticket with some old friends of his!  Dad sort of stuck out sitting across the stadium in the middle of the front row with the Smiths!  Even though the bad guys won, in my eyes it was a fun day overall.  

All in all a successful kick off to the holiday season!  So many things to be thankful for.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4

the last ten

So everyone says that the last 10 pounds are the most difficult to lose… right? What do you do when the first 10 and the last 10 are one in the same?  To be honest I'm not so much of a "lose pounds" kind of person… I think it all lies in the tape measure and how you look and feel.  So after a 10 week hiatus and a number of "Pinterest Hours" I am unwilling to disclose, I figure its time to maybe "do" some of the tips from my "fit and fab" board!
I have also been reading some pretty fabulous blogs about others' "weight loss" journeys and I say… if they can do it… I can certainly get to feeling "better" too- be it LBs or inches.  {off the record… I am not going to say that "my hip is better" but I will admit that I have not had to cry painful tears after the past 4 attempts to work on my fitness!!}
I have seen a lot of my new friends of the blogosphere get results with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  So for $7 I ordered it… measured everything on my body, and took "before" pictures!  This is a little bit what they look like "before"!

{YOU BETTA RED-NECK-IGNIZE}

Lets see where I can get in the next 29 days!  Maybe somewhere between there and here:

someone has too much time on their hands

the great exuma honeymoon {5 months 'late'}

and since i am about 5 months late… here are some pictures from the honeymoon!  i am clearly going to have to tell the story with pictures to get caught up on all of the non-blogging i have been doing with my non-exercising!

First day as newlyweds we went to a 2 year old birthday party for one of our florists  daughters!

Living at the beach and having a super creative event designer for a mom makes for a kick @$$ birthday party.

It was nice to relax and be done being all "bridal". 

Hanging with the wedding planner off the clock!  She is a ROCK*STAR

…and then I scratched my cornea.  That 2 year old birthday party was crazy pants!

bumped up to first class on the way to the Bahamas!
we were in the purple section of first class!

thanks champagne and xanax!  the Miami airport… less than a first class experience!

Welcome to Sandals Great Exuma, Bahamas

getting ready to meet our butler!

a room with a VIEW!!

room service!  and then time to go to bed at 9 PM!!
{it was CST… so we did make it to the 10s where we come from}

our little villa!  {ours is the far right}

day 1: driving range

not sure what i am doing… just trying to look good doing it.

cheesy.newly.wed.golf.pose

not sure why i love feet pictures so much… pre-dinner

/me… forgetting how long my hair was :(

busy day!

if only the water could've been more beautiful

waiting for our frosty drinks at the pool bar!

dinner at the pub

 

just anoter day at the office

loving the outfits

…learning the swing of things

my patient handsome instructor

he's taken ladies

showing off my coconut{s}

HAPPINESS

cabana #3 (PFC)

heading home… in the same oufit… not in first class!

home <3 sweet <3 home

the "kill"

so who else is obsessed with volleyball and abs now?  i.want.abs!  this comes with frustration though.  i just got off my spinner… and the same class i used to TEACH 4 times a week and 2 times on saturday i could barely get through in the "comfort" of my own home with some serious cheating.  we are taling U-G-L-Y!  but the good news is that i was actually able to "try"!

…flash back 3 months…

so after taking a 2 month "honeymoon" from the i am about to be a bride crazy "diet" i was feeling extremely motivated to get those abs that i didn't even know i wanted so badly until becoming interested in beach volleyball 10 days ago.  so why not dive into Insanity for the 5th time?  …in a hotel room in wisconsin… well {something} happened to my hip.  sciatica? bursitis? whatever it is it hurt like hell, to do anything… it even hurt to do nothing.  so i kept doing nothing for 2-4 weeks… saw a chiropractor… 6 weeks {still ouch}… 8 weeks {8 pounds}… got a shot… waited 10 days… tried doing something… the hurt came back.  NERF!  and couldn't be more frustrating especially seeing all of the beautiful bodies on tv.  

well its been almost 3 months now… and i am just happy to have completed 349 core exercises and a piss poor spin class in the past 48 hours.  baby steps right?  

i do have an appointment with an orthopedic sports medicine specialist in a couple weeks.  hope to get some "answers" and a plan!  i don't want to do anything stupid and hurt it all over again.  maybe i am just getting "old."  too bad i am not accepting that!

WFT: Call Me Maybe

Just listen to that song and TRY to be in a bad mood at the end!  Serioulsy just finished 7 times on repeat on my way home from work today!!  Don't forget to check out the hilarious video at the bottom!

Call Me Maybe

CARLY RAE JEPSEN

I threw a wish in the well Don't ask me, I'll never tell I looked to you as it fell And now you're in my way I trade my soul for a wish Pennies and dimes for a kiss I wasn't looking for this But now you're in my way Your stare was holding Ripped jeans, skin was showing Hot night, wind was blowing Where you think you're going, baby? 

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me maybe It's hard to look right, at you baby But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me maybe And all the other boys, try to chase me But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Your stare was holding Ripped jeans, skin was showing Hot night, wind was blowing Where you think you're going, baby? You took your time with the call I took no time with the fall You gave me nothing at all, but still you're in my way I beg and borrow and steal Have first sight and it's real I didn't know I would feel it, but it's in my way 

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me maybe It's hard to look right, at you baby But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me maybe And all the other boys, try to chase But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Before you came into my life I missed you so bad I missed you so bad... I missed you so, so bad 

Before you came into my life I missed you so bad And you should know that... I missed you so, so bad 

It's hard to look right, at you baby But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me maybe And all the other boys, try to chase me, But here's my number, so call me maybe 

Before you came into my life I missed you so bad I missed you so bad... I missed you so, so bad Before you came into my life I missed you so bad And you should know that 

So call me maybe