Weekend Recap

Hello and happy Wednesday! I've attempted to write this blog post for two days now, but I kept getting taken away from my desk (and one night, sleep won out...I'm sure you moms understand what I mean with this one)!

So, this past weekend was a nice and relaxing weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with my two main men - my husband and my baby!

On Friday after work, I spent a little time with Brayden, then headed to a friend's house for a game night! We played Loaded Questions and Speak Out which were both hilarious!

While we were having fun indoors, craziness was happening outdoors!

Thankfully, we all made it home safely and in one piece!

On Saturday morning, I ran in the early morning with my friend Heather. We are both training for Rock N Roll NOLA and needed to get another decent long run in before the race. We decided on 10 miles for Saturday and had a great time! (More about Friday's run later!)

I also had my first slice of King Cake this weekend which of course had to be paired with a cup of King Cake roast from PJ's coffee! 

Saturday was a great mail day, too! Our Magical Express tags for Princess Weekend arrived! YAY!

In between Brayden's naps and lunch, Jason and I discussed, searched, and debated and finally decided on our 10 year Anniversary trip. We haven't booked it just yet, but we are going to sail on the Fantasy on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  The Fantasy is the only DCL ship we haven't been on, and we've never been to the Eastern Caribbean, so we figured this was a win win! I am so excited!!

Brayden and I spent a bit of time outdoors and he LOVED walking around the driveway! So much fun!

Afternoon nap time snuggles are the best!

We also had dinner with my parents on Saturday night which was a fun treat! We love spending time with them! :)

Sunday morning brought about church and more time with friends! On Sunday evening, we had dinner at a local pizza joint which was delicious!

Love my friends! :)

Now we are midway through another week and looking forward to another great weekend! I hope you have a fabulous one!! :)

Fitness Friday - 1/20

Happy Friday, guys! I'm so excited for another weekend and a chance to relax with my little family...it's going to be a great one!

I know I haven't done a Fitness Friday post in a while...but better late than never, right? The events of last week left zero time for working out (like at all), so I'm back in full swing this week. Also, after my back to back half marathons in December, I needed a break. It was a nice break, I enjoyed it, and now I'm ready to get back out there and go again!

Currently Training For:

• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge

Monday - 4 mile run with Brayden
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa
Thursday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa - also PT routine/leg strengthening
Friday - PT routine/leg strengthening combined with Tone It Up Girls YouTube workout

On Saturday, I plan to run a long run with my running buddy Heather. It's going to be strange without our running group, but it will be nice to get into our "new normal". Rock n Roll NOLA is literally right around the corner! Eeek! We basically have two Saturday runs left before the race weekend hits!

This past week wasn't a busy one, so I was able to log a decent amount of mileage throughout the week.

On Monday afternoon, Brayden and I set off for a 4 mile run. It was windy, warm, and somewhat humid. 

This weather made me appreciate the somewhat non existent cool days here lately and made me not look forward to summer. Ugh. 

After the run, we had dinner with some friends at Walk Ons. I had the VooDoo shrimp which was basically wrapped in bacon, cream cheese, and jalapenos. Talk about delicious!

Also included in this dish was a side of grits which Brayden ate most of.

This week, we dealt with our first bout of stomach upset with Brayden. Now that it's all said and done, I think something in his food didn't settle right and he threw up all afternoon. It was awful. I did call his Doctor's office who helped give me some advice. Thankfully by the following morning, his stomach was good again. In an attempt to not overdo it, we tried to start slow with pedialyte and just give him a few ml's followed by an ounce in a bottle. He did NOT want pedialyte. He wanted his (formula) bottle and he wanted it ASAP. Poor baby was so hungry! Thankfully he's all back to normal now!

On Wednesday, my friend Melissa and I went for a walk with Brayden. I knew that talking and walking would be beneficial for both of us (which it was). Brayden fell asleep almost the entire time and was still very sleepy for the picture!

On Thursday, my work crew and I went out to eat at a local bistro. I know the owner and loved seeing his place. The little dining area totally reminded me of the tower of terror at Hollywood Studios minus the dust! :)

We also ended up with an amazing King Cake for dessert. This was my first of the Mardi Gras season! Ours was stuffed with strawberry and cream cheese. YUM!

...and after all of the calories consumed, when Melissa asked if I wanted to go on another walk on Thursday afternoon, I said YES! Again, it was good to get out and walk around and just simply talk and laugh!

 Last but not least, this little stinker can get almost anywhere in my house but still won't crawl. He gets excited and tries to army crawl really fast which cracks me up. I looked up from a sewing project last night to find him under the jumper, playing with the hanging toys. He's too funny!

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday! Any fun weekend plans?

Weekend Review

Congratulations to everyone who completed races at the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon, Half, and 10K this past weekend!! I loved following along with all of the updates on social media! Can't wait for next year! :)

This past weekend was a really nice and relaxing one and I enjoyed every minute of it. No schedule and nowhere to be (except church on Sunday)...I was in heaven!

The weekend began early on Friday as we were let off work a few hours earlier than normal. I took a nap, hung out with Jason and the puppies, then began working on craft things for the baby's room! Oh yes, and who can forget Fuller House?! (I loved the show, by the way...all of the episodes were consumed by Saturday night!)

Silly girls!

Adding a little Disney baseball to the nursery...while watching Fuller House of course! :)

I am so excited over the baseball paper I found!! Love it! The Mickey, Donald, and Goofy silhouettes  were framed in white frames and are waiting for display. I would like to have everything together before I begin hanging things in the room. I'm at a loss at what to put over the dresser...still trying to figure that one out in my head...

On Saturday, I pretty much stayed in my PJ's all day. Say what?! I haven't done that in...umm...ever...that I can remember! Despite my frumpy (yet comfortable) appearance, I got a lot of things accomplished around the house. Baby Seal's "accessories" are mostly together including the rocker/sleeper and car seat/stroller.  The car seat base and mirror are installed in my car, his clothes and blankets are washed, and his bag is mostly packed. I do have my personal packing list written so that's next to accomplish!

This corner of his room is where I began and I'm about halfway done. Doing all of these tasks from a mostly seated position really slows me down!

Pixie seemed to enjoy his rocker/sleeper, although she only stayed in for a few minutes. Poor girl has been my guinea pig for a lot of his items! She's been a very good sport, though!

Madalynn, on the other hand, assumed that these fluffy polar bear chest straps were her toys. Of course. We've had lots of serious discussions about Madalynn's toys vs baby brother's toys. I think those discussions went in one ear and out the other, though...as you can clearly see. :) What fun adventures lie ahead...hah!

Guinea Pig exhibit #2. She wasn't as big a fan of the car seat as she was the rocker/sleeper.  She still loves me, though! :)

I finished off Saturday evening by writing thank you notes! I do love thank you notes and feel like they are a dying tradition (sadly).

On Sunday morning, I stopped by our local CC's coffee house (Community Coffee...it's a southern staple) and had a king cake latte and about a third of this king cake cinnamon roll! I'd seen these cinnamon rolls on facebook and Mindy tagged me in a King Cake coffee picture the day before...so why not?! Besides, if I couldn't be in New Orleans, I figured I'd celebrate like I was there! :) It was fun to follow along with everyone's Rock n Roll NOLA progress while enjoying a taste of the city!

Oh yeah, and that cinnamon roll? It was the size of my hand!! I ate about a third of it, then brought the rest with me...it was huge! Definitely one of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had!

After church, I took another nap then had dinner with friends. Overall, it was a fun and much needed (on the relaxing side) weekend!

Y'all, TOMORROW makes a month until Baby Seal's due date! I can't believe it!! 

How was your weekend? Did you run any races? Hope you had a great one!! Happy Monday!

Superbowl Weekend 2016

Happy Monday!

This weekend flew by yet again...which means we are another week closer to meeting our little boy! Although Jason worked this weekend, I still made good use of my time and attempted to get a few things accomplished around the house. Staying off my feet as much as possible was a must, so I definitely had to take frequent breaks.

The cooler temps here also made me miss my usual Saturday long run. The weekends seem much longer too, now that they aren't filled with one activity after another. Oh well...I'm attempting to soak up the down time as best I can! Before long, life will be a flurry of activity once again! :)

Saturday morning began with a slice of King Cake in celebration of Mardi Gras! When in Louisiana... :)

On Saturday afternoon, I attended a birthday party for one of my best friend's kids. He turned 10 and had his party on board a WWII battleship!  Right now, they use the ship for laser tag parties and it looks like so much fun!

The ship was neat to explore! I actually want to go back and hear the history behind the ship, how they lived, etc. Really cool!

From the ship, I also had a chance to admire the sunset over my beloved running lake. I absolutely cannot wait to get back out there and hit the pavement again on early mornings...one day soon!

We had dinner with my parents on Saturday night, then they came over and helped us move a little furniture around. The baby's room is slowly getting there!

The bed/dresser/glider will be set up next weekend. Can't wait to see it all come together!

On Sunday morning, I met up with my friend Heather and her parents for a little coffee as they drove home from Texas. (I had a King Cake latte, of course!)

It was great to see them, catch up, and visit for a while! 

Pixie helped me make Gumbo and potato salad for the Superbowl on Sunday night.  I finished making everything about an hour before the game and was happy with my accomplishment. Once everyone arrived and we were getting ready to eat, I realized I did something incredibly dumb...I FORGOT to make the rice. Pregnancy brain, y'all...it's no joke!

No harm done...we watched some of the game while making rice and all was well! Everything turned out delicious, too!

Our little crew for the game (plus Jason)! Fun times!

If you watched the Superbowl, did you do so from a friend's house, host a party, etc?

Fitness Friday–1/30

Currently training for Louisiana Half Marathon
Rock ‘n’ Roll NOLA Half Marathon
Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge 
Disney’s Castaway Challenge
Saturday –  Travel Day!
Sunday – Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (race recap coming soon!)  
Monday –  Rest Day 
Tuesday –  Stretching and foam rolling
Wednesday – More foam rolling – also a few upper body exercises
Thursday –  Rest Day
Friday – Going to attempt a run for the first time since Sunday



I’m not going to lie, I had a reaaaally hard time with the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon this past Sunday. My body was tired, sore, and I seriously hurt from the previous weekend. I honestly felt as if I had just run a Full Marathon the weekend before (the Louisiana Half where I ran for 2 hour straight without stopping) and was trying to run another half the following weekend. What was my body’s deal? It was only a half the weekend before, so why did I hurt so much 7 whole days later?
My stubbornness showed itself during the Louisiana Half……but this time, I actually decided to listen to common sense. You know, the old saying “listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you”? Yeah, I finally decided to listen to that one. I’ve run 5 full marathons altogether and although I wasn’t as sore after the recent Louisiana Half as I’ve been after my other full marathons, I decided to treat my recovery as if I ran a full marathon anyway. That’s what I felt my body telling me to do, so that’s what I’m going to do.

I met a really nice man and his wife after RnR NOLA as we were checking out of our hotel. He was 80 years old and his wife was 75 and they came to NOLA to run the 10K! He told me that they used to run full and half marathons in the past but have cut way back on them as they’ve grown older. His wife told me that the true secret and key to running for a long time is listening to your body. I knew her advice was truly meant for me and I told them that I appreciated it more than they’ll ever know. I still want to be able to run when I’m 80! How cool is that?



How sweet is this? On our running group’s website, our coach acknowledged those who ran the past two weekend’s in New Orleans and Baton Rouge!



I really enjoyed the Rouse’s King Cake I purchased while in New Orleans! PJ’s Southern Pecan coffee is delicious, too!

This was a fabulous week for the Princess Half Marathon!



Waviers were released….



…and I received my Magic Bands, Sparkle Skirts gear, and ME tags/DCL documents in the mail! Guess that means I really need to get the ball rolling on my race costumes! Can’t wait to share with all of you! :D

Speaking of the Princess Half, don’t forget about the giveaway happening right now for an adorable Princess themed running top!  Giveaway ends on Monday, so enter before it’s too late!
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How do you handle recovery after a difficult race? Have you learned to listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you?

Fitness Friday–1/31 Marathon Weekend!

Currently training for:
-Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon – February 2, 2013, Louisiana (IT’S MARATHON WEEKEND!)
-Glass Slipper Challenge, Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 22 & 23, Walt Disney World

Saturday – 6 miles on the treadmill 
Sunday – Squats/Lunges
Monday – 3 miles on the treadmill…boo. 
Tuesday – 2 miles on the treadmill….double boo. Squats/Lunges
Wednesday – 2 miles with Madalynn OUTSIDE! Yay! Squats/Lunges
Thursday – Squats/Lunges
Friday – Squats/Lunges

Well, here we are – marathon weekend! Stay tuned on my Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter accounts for a weekend filled with fun and excitement in good ol ‘Nawlins!

The only thing I’m worried about for the weekend is the weather forecast. It’s changed many times over the past few days, and I’ve yet to see a chance of rain less than 50%. There’s nothing I can do to change it so I’m going to go out and make the best of what’s handed to me. As long as I finish upright and with a smile on my face, that’s all that matters.

By the way, did you hear that Deena Kastor is running the Rock n Roll NOLA Half Marathon? I had the honor of watching her compete in the Marathon Olympic Trials of 2012 in Houston, Tx and I can’t wait to share (part of) the New Orleans race course with her!

Speaking of the race, here’s my outfit…



I’m wearing a Sparkle Skirt and it’s a beautiful purple – perfect for rocking the streets of New Orleans!



The crazy “sneaux storm” also allowed me to spend plenty of quality time with my friend the Rumble Roller. I say “friend” lightly – we are still learning to like each other.



Did someone say friends? Cause this King Cake and I made fast friends on Wednesday. It was still warm and fresh from the bakery. Mmhmmm mmhmm good! :0)



Madalynn and I were becoming quite stir crazy, so we headed outdoors for a 2 mile run on Wednesday. The amount of treadmill running I had to do over the past week was making me craaazy and I couldn’t wait to run outside again! We both enjoyed my last run before the marathon!
Finally, I leave you with my latest favorite…



…Disney Luxe Collection sleepwear from Dillards. I am obsessed with pajamas and when I saw (and felt) these, I immediately fell in love! I purchased a pair after Christmas and couldn’t help myself when I came across these yesterday! Can’t wait to wear them! :0)

What are your weekend plans? What’s your latest favorite thing?