// high five! it's friday //

Hip! Hip! Hooray!

So much has happened this week and there's so much I'm thankful for!  Josh and I are having a weekend get-a-way to a place we've both never been before, that's practically right in our backyard..... Beaufort, SC.

Anyone have any tips on Beaufort?  What to see?  Places to eat?  Things to do?  It will be a short trip, but one much needed and well deserved.

5 FAVS for this beautiful Friday:

1. Hudson and Stella were both groomed this week.  This was LONG overdue and they both look adorable in their fresh summer cuts.

2.  Josh took me out to Santa Fe... our favorite local Mexican restaurant.  I've been wanting Mexican for a while, so it was delicious and lived up to my expectation.

3.  I started yet another fitness CHALLENGE group on Monday!  I learned that a challenger from my last group lost 7 lbs and 16.5 inches in just 30 days!  THAT, my friends, is why I am a beachbody coach.  The workouts WORK and they cannot lie... ;) HA

4.  I had a follow up appointment with my Orthodontist since I've had my braces off.  Everything looked great, so I got a good praise report.  I go back in 6 months just for another check-up.  Hallelujah.

5.  Josh and I are OFF for a weekend get-a-way.  I don't even know how I'm at work today and focused, actually getting a few things done.  Take THAT haters. 


SO, what are your favorites from the week/weekend?  What are you thankful for?

XO,

Flashback Friday: Weight Loss Style

A huge passion of mine (which you should be able to tell by this blog) is health & fitness.  I'm not an expert.  I'm not a professional.  I've just had a huge transformation and a huge desire in continuing my health and fitness in the years to come.

I try to workout at least 5 times a week.
I try to eat clean 80% of the time.
I am human.
I make mistakes.

At-home workout programs WORKED for me.  It's the ONLY thing that WORKED!  But, that does NOT mean you can't go to the gym, join a fitness club, etc. and get results.  EVERYONE is different.  I will say if you've tried a gym in the past and it hasn't worked out for one reason or another, give at-home workout programs a TRY.  You MAY just be highly surprised!

Here's a little flashback Friday into the life I grew to know.  The life of being overweight, feeling fluffy, getting worn-down after climbing the stairs, and to a life of always WONDERING what it would be like to be FIT for one time in my life.  Oh to dream... if only I knew where I'd be RIGHT NOW.

This was in 2008.  I was the Maid of Honor in my Sisters wedding.

 

A size 12.  Large.

 

This was in October 2014.  Size 4.  Small.

 

Share below your flashback Friday! XO,

 

Weekend Recap

I meant to write a post yesterday, but I haven't had the greatest weekend.  It seems all to common for me to get sick on a Friday night, which means my weekend is spent laying around feeling yucky.  I felt fine during work Friday, but that night I came down with a terrible headache.  That turned into a sore throat Saturday and I'm still trying to get over this mess.  I'm thinking it's just sinuses and that it will clear up soon.  I don't like being sick because there is a million things that needs to be done around the house and unfortunately not much was done.  Humph..... there is always next weekend!

I do have something on my mind and it all stems from this picture:

I remember the picture on the left being taken.  We were at my sister and brother-in-laws church for a surprise anniversary party (I believe!).  It seems like yesterday.  It's hard to believe that I look like the person in the right photo from July.  Have you ever had to do a double-take to see if the person you are really seeing is you?

All I'm used to is the person who is in the left picture.  All of my life I lived, felt, and looked like I did in that picture.  I never knew what it felt like to be healthy.  I didn't know what it felt like to feel like I had all of the energy in the world.  All I knew was how it felt.  At that time, I felt okay.  I felt like I was good enough.  I saw people who weighed more than me and thought I was "skinny" compared to them.  I almost felt like I was giving in to that way of life because I thought that was who I would always be.  

I would always stare at the fit and skinny girls and wonder what I would look like if I had their body.  I wondered how hard it was for them to be that way, or if it came easy.  Some people don't have to workout or worry about what they are eating.  For me, I needed that.  I needed to workout and eat healthy, but yet I wasn't really doing either.  I knew that, but I figured "What is the point?"  I didn't know that I could ever look like I do now, like in the picture from July 2013.

I am so thankful for my Beachbody family.  I am thankful for my coach, Liz Horne.  I am so thankful that she was there when I was about to hit rock bottom as far as my attitude and happiness with my own body was concerned.  I learned how to workout.  I pretty much have my own personal trainer with my DVDs that I get to do AT HOME on my OWN TIME!  It has been a lifesaver for me.  I learned what good foods are and the importance of having them versus the bad stuff.  To be honest, I still have A LOT of days where I eat things that I know I shouldn't.  I do limit myself to those foods and I am getting better everyday.  Baby steps are good steps.  

I still have moments when I look in the mirror and think that I am SO fat and that I need to lose weight.  It's tough because I think about how I used to be and I had those feelings back then as well.  It's amazing how you perceive yourself.  It's true when they say you are your own worst critic.  But, I have to remind myself of how far I've come.  I am a work in progress and I'm okay with that.  My story is nowhere near finished.  I am thankful for y'all for going with me through my journey.  It would be possible without you, but it sure is better having a few people cheering me on!  

I hope you all had a great weekend and I hope you have a great week! XO,