Loving Lately {The JUST HANDLE IT Edition}

What, a post without whining? Is this a different blog? Nope, friends, nope! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and TRYING not to be so negative. I've heard from quite a few of you that you like how REAL I've been about my struggles and you have no idea how much I appreciate those words. I NEVER want to be fake and I'll NEVER pretend things are roses if they aren't. I know people like that and KNEW people like that and it drove me bananas how FAKE their blog was compared to their REAL LIFE personality and situation. However, that's another post for another day. 

Life has been nothing SHORT of bananas for me, so my faves and loves have come in QUITE handy. None of these are new, well one is, the facial mask [oh em gee love] was recently discovered at Target, they are just my tried and true steady eddies. 

Or, old pieces I totally forgot about and now use like crazy. I'm looking at you Oakley Kitchen Sink. Le Husband and I bought Oakley bags back in the day for traveling and kickball and since we've moved I haven't touched my bag. Well, I barely used it last year now that I think about it, haha. My gym back was NOT cutting it for work, it didn't have enough pockets and all of a sudden I went, wait a minute, I have a solution. This bad boy is super comfortable and holds a ton of crap! I carry my laptop, binder with teaching materials, planner, keys, makeup bag, workout outfits and BCAA cup easily. The only bummer is if I want to change out shoes, but I just keep those in my car, no sweat. HIGHLY recommend this bag, totally worth the price.

Being so involved with Les Mills I basically live in workout pants outside of work. Zellas are my favorite because they are SUPER comfy, wear well without thinning and if you take care of them last forever. Normally I'm in black pants at work and very now and then will throw on my Zellas and they feel great all day. 

Reebok sponsors Les Mills, so I've slowly started building my Reebok wardrobe. The shoes have been pretty incredible and I'm so glad I snapped a few up during Black Friday. The pumps are my favorite, perfect for cross training and magic when teaching BODYPUMP. I need to find a more active shoe for ATTACK and COMBAT, though. Any suggestions?

November and December I was just about survival at work, so my hair and makeup routine was pretty horrid. I did not take care of myself and I hated how scruffy and blah I looked. I've started to take care of my appearance more now, hello fresh new hair cut and products, but still need things to be quick and easy. No fuss, because after all, it is a gym, right? Still loving my ELF primer and the mineral eyeshadow is pretty fantastic for all day wear. Garnier makes the best undereye concealer, I look like I'm carrying shopping bags under my eyes if I forget to swipe it on in the morning. 

Lastly, I have to send out some love to a group, not a thing. This move has been hard and stressful and I've wanted to throw in the towel more times than I can count. But, it has brought me to my people. My tribe. Those who will never leave me and who support me unconditionally. I'm talking about my group fitness peeps. My peers, my members and now, my squad. I have created fast and secure friendships all because of group fitness. Some of my closets friends I've met at trainings and my Facebook group keeps growing because of people I've connect to through new formats and new classes. I am beyond grateful for finding my niche and for finding those people who will always be there because they GET IT! I love fitness, I love results and I love my squad.

I Don't Think it Could Be Any More Random

|| I planned to go back to the gym for a second work out yesterday evening but when my aunt said 'want to go down to the lake and ski?' I couldn't say no so I skipped out. #worthit

|| Constant victims drive me bonkers and make my skin crawl. RHOC just started and already Vicki is frustrating the crap out of me. I knew someone who felt everyone was out to get her and it was so draining. Learn to own your stuff or let ISH go and life will be a lot better, promise.

|| I'm LOVING my nail color combo right now. I call it strawberry lemonade :)! #lovenailcombos

|| All the snicky-snackys and pre-dinner cocktails are messing up my diet. I'm really good at not craving anything if I don't see it, but once a cork is popped or a bag of chips open I find it really tough to say no. This week has been better than most but I'm still driving the clean eats struggle bus.

|| Job searching blows!

|| I have a thing with copycats. Maybe it stems from being the oldest of three girls but watching someone do the same thing I do [without credit] ruffles my feathers. I honestly don't understand how people can't find their own friends, ideas [blog or otherwise] and even vacations on their own. I'm learning to laugh it off, slowly, but I'm not perfect so there are times I just vent. #barf

|| It was hard to be mad when Argentina beat the USA on Tuesday. Messi is just dirty nasty good and his free kick was one of the best goals I've ever seen. Pulling for a third place win for our guys, it would be great for the sport and our team. #ibelieveinthirdplace

|| Tomorrow I'm trying something new here and I'm excited and nervous as hell. #hopeyoulikeit

|| Summertime/laketime is the best time. #theend

linkingupwithsomefaves

Everything You Need to Know About Packing {Guest Post: Kristen}

Hi Pinky's readers! A huge thank you to the wonderful Pinky for having me over at her place today while she's off on an amazing vacation that I am insanely jealous of! For those of you I haven't met before, my name is Kristen and I blog over at See You In A Porridge (unrelated to goldilocks) about a whole lot of nothing and everything; books, cats, travel, expat life (I'm from Australia) etc etc.

One of the things I love to post - and read - about is packing. I'm one of those people who love to squish everything in a carry on. Mainly because I've been the unfortunate person who has had her luggage stolen / lost / damaged / delayed and I was just sick of it. When I first started looking into carry on only packing, I thought there was no way I could do it. I'm the girl who brought 2 full size suitcases on a 2 week trip. It was always the same though, because I brought so much it was so overwhelming that I would end up wearing the same few things and buying new stuff on holiday (I have a wee bit of a shopping problem). So I read basically every post on the entire internet on how to do it, and I've done it successfully several times. And so can you!

I have been able to pack using just a carry on for every trip I have been on in the last couple of years; Australia for 2 weeks, NYC in winter, 2 weeks in Europe and our most recent trip to Disney World / Universal (and a couple other times I haven't blogged about!). I'll never go back to checking a bag.

Today I wanted to share a basic packing list with 10 items that easily make 15+ outfits. You could change it around to suit your needs, tastes or location. You could throw in accessories - the thing is, this is super basic but it just shows you that you absolutely can do it, it's a matter of wanting to do it, and planning. That's it.

All item details can be found here.

And the outfits I put together:

You'll notice the skirt is also a dress - I know Pinky has a few maxi skirts that can be worn as dresses, which is just brilliant. I also used a different shirt in the bottom left corner to show one of my favourite things to do over a dress - knot a tee. It's the perfect way to get more wear out of a dress, especially if it doesn't convert to a skirt, and the knot is fun.

If you look at any of my packing posts, you'll find that most of them look the same, and that's because I know what I am comfortable with and what I like. I like neutrals and stripes, and that's just what I like. Packing posts, in my opinion, aren't meant to be a hard and fast rule, but a guide, and I love looking at them because they give me ideas, but I don't have to follow them down to the letter. So you don't have to follow this, nor do I expect anyone to take 10 items and actually wear them this many times without doing some laundry - but it gives you an idea, hopefully.

If you don't want to pack using only a carry on, you don't have to. But if you do, you absolutely can. Don't be discouraged, it's really not that hard. Read my tips on how to pack less here. My thing is - I'm still an overpacker at heart. I want all the options, I want to be prepared for all the things. You can still do that using just a carry on, I promise. We use the ebags motherlode bags and love them, they make my overpacking heart happy.

Thanks again for having me, Pinky!

NO, THANK YOU for such an informative post and for being SUCH an incredible wealth of information. Y'all the first person I contacted after Le Husband suggested the Europe trip last summer was Kristen. I knew had read about her summer trip and knew she had the info on the best deals and if it was something possible budget-wise. SHE is such a supportive friend and helped me constantly when I had questions about packing. The reason I can do 30 days in a carry on is all because of her, so THANKS SWEET FRIEND!!! Love you!

Betcha My Weekend was More Fun Than Yours #SIKE

Hahaha, that'a  joke and a half. This weekend was completely non stop packing up the apartment. Boxes upon boxes everywhere. Guess who keeps having a twitch every time they walk into new room because of the clutter? Yup that would be me.

Friday night I had to run some errands after work and the got to cooking a delicious spaghetti sauce for dinner that night. I had gone to the gym during lunch so set to work on picking my FINAL outfits for our European trip. I got the suitcase to close once and then repacked and whomp whomp, too full. Still making progress and I hope to document it all for you guys.

We also packed away the dishes and glassware so a coffee mug filled in for my wine glass #duh!

Le Husband and I were up until 1am packing up everything we could in the kitchen and finally went to bed when we could barely keep our eyes open. There was no rest for the weary as I was up super early to head down south to visit my bestest and her lil ones since we didn't have much time to catch up at my party. It was a fun morning of coffee, pancakes, lil kids laughing and best friend talk. We've been besties since fourth grade and even though we are in such different stages of life [her with three lil ones and one on the way and me with just a lil ol husband ;)] we've never been far apart and are always there for each other.

High School Seniors = Baby Faces

I came home, grabbed a snack and then it was back to packing up the living room. Le Husband was at lunch with a baseball coach and I was able to really get after it and packed up a ton of boxes. Sportyspice came over and leant a helping hand and it was fun having silly sissy time while we worked.

There was a quick lil nap on the couch and then it was off to the grocery store for the LAST GROCERY RUN in the apartment, CRAZY! Don't' worry, we made sure to get alll the essentials.

We were both exhausted so it was dinner out and my meal was so good. Too good to get a picture even, I was so hungry. Dinner gave us a pep in our step and we were up until midnight again taking care of business. There may have been a few shots of whiskey taken while packing…maybe!

Sunday morning showed up way too quickly and I had to snooze the alarm for late church. It was a wonderful service and the message was something I really needed to hear. I had a lil moment of sadness and had to walk out the sanctuary as I realized I only had one more service left before we move. But, that's a post for another day.

When church was over I dropped Le Husband off at the Uhaul and went back to meet the famjam for our big run to the storage unit. Randomly we decided we wanted to move all the BIG items [couches, love seat, beds, mattresses, dressers, buffet, island and chest of drawers] out today instead of next weekend. TOTALLY the right move but we didn't have everything situated the way I had planned so it was a bit of debacle in the beginning. Once we all found the groove the afternoon flew by and all of a sudden everything was in the storage unit and it was time to treat everyone to dinner. We headed to a favorite burger place and HOUSED some food. I stupidly had only eaten 400 calories all day so I was famished. The burger and tots were delicious and the Nutella milkshake was amazing.

I'm so grateful for my family, they are such troopers and are always there to lend a hand when asked. IT would have taken us forever to do it ourselves and I'm so thankful I get to call some of the best people in the world my family.

The rest of Sunday was spent, you guessed it, packing. Insane we are out of here in less than seven days and a week from today we are leaving for our European trip. Where did the time go?

I hope you had a great weekend and I wish you the bestest week! < 3

Adding a Little Usher to the Week {These are my CONFESSIONS}

I confess. . .

|| there are no words to describe the idiocy of this guy. I can only hope selfless with high jackers doesn't become a trend. What is this world coming to and why are people so ridiculous?

|| I went a lil balls to the wall in my sports conditioning class on Tuesday and shhhhheewwwweee my shins are NOT happy with me today.

|| it may sound braggy but I was thrilled with my gym outfit Tuesday. I had forgotten how slimming my Spartan shirt fit and having it paired with one of my favorite leggings made me feel fierce. Might have been why I was so aggressive in class!

|| the baby bug grabbed me for a hot second yesterday when my dear friend shared a video of her son with me. He is just the cutest lil thing and his sweet lil voice melted my heart. I'm back on the no kid right now train, but one day look forward to having my own lil minion :)!

|| while I'm super stoked spring weather is here the ahem -- body maintenance -- has me all kinds of wah. The one good thing about the winter is sweat pants and long leggings at the gym. #bootomorefrequentshaving

|| I am both nervous excited and nervous dreading our going away party this weekend. I've kind of thrown it together at the last minute when our other plans didn't pan out. It will be much more informal that originally thought and I'm so grateful my parent's are allowing us to use their home. I just hope the food, drinks and desserts turn out how they are pictured in my mind. I know what matters is just enjoying friends, but we all know how important it is to be a good host. #prayersforniceweatherplease

|| whipped cream spoons have been my dessert of choice this week. Not fancy and not classy, but oh so delicious.

|| the notification issues on Instagram has this girl all 'what is going on'? I just joined and it seems like things are changing but I don't know what is changing. I'm just gonna keep liking pictures and commenting as normal, please don't be offending if something changed on my end [follow me here].

|| I may have recycled my Easter top to work this week. There was a big meeting with a vendor and I didn't feel like figuring out another fancy outfit. #addedthepearlsforextrabling #dontjudge #pictureatstoplight

What do you confess today?

linking up with  Natalie & Kristin

What's Up Weds {March in Review}

Another month, another linkup with Shay. I think it's such a fun way to look back on each month. This month is a bit more emotional, so I'm really happy to have something to look back after our trip and then our big move. #bloggingforthewin

 

What We're Eating: Oh March, you were a mix of good and bad. I'd find myself on the bandwagon for a strict week so I'd feel [and look] awesome but then something would come up and derail me by turning on the sugar dragon. I felt AWESOME a the beginning of the month but indulgences have sent left me feeling a bit blah. I plan to get back on the strict bandwagon until our trip, I want to be in TOP shape before we leave. Once we are in Europe, game on food, game ON!

What I'm Reminiscing About: EVE.REY.THING! No joke! I am finding nostalgia in any and everything right now and honestly with good reason. Legit I had a moment this week where one of my dish towels made me think about the past [I see you rolling your eyes at me, it's okay]. I've always been a very sentimental person and packing up the apartment has lots of memories floating through my head.  Most of you probably don't know our apartment was actually my FIRST big girl apartment [long story I can tell in an email if you want] so there are a bazillion memories everywhere [anyone remember my single girl apartment nostalgia?]. We are not playing kickball anymore and there have been a few moments of wistful reminiscing when we realize it's a tournament weekend. All in all I'm trying it soak up all I can because I know everything will be soooo different in less than 30 days.

What I'm Loving: How excited everyone is for us. Seriously, the love and support from family, friends and the blog world makes my heart happy. I was quite nervous to share our big news because it's a bit step in life and I hate to fail.  Now I feel silly because everyone has been so supportive and wonderful about everything. Y'all make me realize how blessed I am and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me figure out my life ;)!

What I'm Dreading: How everything will end up with my job. Still a bit shaken the original plan might not come to fruition. I'm still waiting to hear the FINALLY decision from my big boss, but there was some encouraging news yesterday. I'll keep y'all posted and any happy vibes or good thoughts would be appreciated.

What I'm Working On:  Packing up the apartment and putting the finishing touches on BODYPUMP Release97 for our launch. Did I mention the launch is the week before we leave? WOOHOO, fun times. No, really though, I'm really excited to launch this release, the songs are fabulous and the burn is REAL!

What We've Been Up To: Oh you know, packing up the apartment, signing up for instagram [follow me!], teaching my last 6am BODYPUMP class, learning new chorey for BODYPUMP, planning our going away party, figuring out WHAT to pack for the trip, reading lots of travel blogs and trying to soak up every moment here in DC.

Beautiful Cherry Blossoms!

What I'm Excited About: Our BIG EUROPEAN TRIP in April.

What I'm Watching/Reading:  We aren't really watching much right now. Most of our free time [??] is spent packing up boxes, making list, working on our travel itinerary, writing letters to friends/family and planning our going away party. I've started rereading HP #7 for fun and we will catch up on our regular shows with dinner when there is time.
 
What I'm Listening To: Mostly BODYPUMP music with a lil bit of the radio here and there. #loverelease97

What I'm Wearing: March came in like a lamb but has had quite a few lion moments. I've mostly been wearing layers, pants and leggings but every now and then the weather cooperated for a dress and heels. I don't mind the layers but I am SOOOO ready to put all of my big winter coats away for the season. #bringthespring

Everything pictured [minus my P&M top and fleece leggings] are quite old so no links today.

What I'm Doing this Weekend: More packing, finishing the menu for our party, attending our going away party [where's the waterproof mascara], going to the gym, practicing BODYPUMP and hanging with the famjam.
 
What I'm Looking Forward To About Next Month: Europe, Europe, Europe! I'm excited to see the Eiffel tower and the shores of Normandy beaches. I cannot wait to taste authentic Italian food and eat my weight in gelato. Oh and don't even get me started on our Grecian cruise. I.CAN.NOT.WAIT!

What Else Is New: What isn't new? There is so much going on right now it is honestly hard to put everything in perspective. Le Husband and I are turning our lives upside down and as exciting as this adventure is there is also a bit of trepidation about the unknown. I 100% believe this is the right path and choice for us at this moment but leaving everything I've known since elementary school behind kind of freaks me out.

What were you up to in March?!

linkinguphereandhereandhere

Ten Things To...

Morning and happy Tuesday, y'all. I'm honestly still playing catch up on sleep as we spent a long time last night packing up more of our apartment. It was a Monday date night at the storage unit, woohoo! Today I have a meeting most of the day so my commenting might be a lil spotty, but I promise to make it to all your pretty blogs when I can. 

Today I thought I'd share different things on my radar, but with the Ten for Tuesday twist.

Here are Ten things to...

::Listen To::

Che'nelle's song if your needing a bit of a pump up vibe. Check this video out if you need to feel FIERCE!
This song if you need to focus on a single task, it's the perfect mix of calm and interesting.

:: Try ::

In the market for a new skin regimen, give Lindi Skin a try. Over the weekend my face sadly became a lil sun and wind burned from our early morning bike ride. It was quite angry with me so I was glad to have the Lindi face wash at home to try. The cleanser was SUPER gentle but still left my skin feeling fresh and clean and I loved the smell. The lavender serum not only smelled fabulous it also helped soothe my burnt skin. While this is nowhere NEAR as serious as  I now keep both the cleanser and serum in my gym back to use before or after my workouts. I know it will get the job done, but won't leave my skin feeling dry or itchy before I teach. I can see why someone with sensitive skin would LOVE these products, but I think they work well on any skin type. #trylindiskin #smellsamazing

::Bake::

Even though we're back on the healthy train I'm trying to find a delicious sweet treat to share this weekend at our bon voyage party. I know I should probably keep with an old standby but don't these look amazing? 

[source]

:: Watch ::

Yes, I'm a bit late to the party but oh my goodness this movie was just adorable. If you haven't seen it be warned, there are a few UP moments scattered throughout the movie. Oh and if you hate snakes as much as I do, be sure to close your eyes when a red thing falls off a tree. #family #humanasadog #dinosaursareawesome

[source]

:: Read ::

I've only perused Marie's website but really want to buy and read her book.  So far her 'spark joy' theory has helped me change my hording sentimental ways and I'd love to learn more about her organization techniques. #purgingbeforethemove

[source]

:: Do ::

Have courage, be kind and THROW the kindness around. Be good to others #confettiforall 

[source]

:: Buy ::

With the trip to Europe and move closing in, I've been seriously watching my spending habits. Got to be good now to justify a new Italian leather something right? However, I needed to stop by Target to pick up some new storage bins and used the time in the store as an excuse to scoop up a few more necessities. There were high hopes of scooping up some of the cute workout shirts I posted about a few weeks ago, but alas the two in the store were NOT flattering at all. My trip was not in vain though as I grabbed a new travel makeup set to replace my previous SK brushes I misplaced in February [seriously, no idea where they went]. While perusing the Merona aisle I saw my FAVORITE tank camisoles were on sale so I snatch up a few. Y'all, do yourself a favor and go get you some, they are so soft and hold up really well too.

:: Meditate ::

We all need a lil bit of Zen in our life sometimes. Ten wonderful things to keep in mind and don't forget the belly laugh.

[Source]

:: Taste ::

Love me some tacos and shrimp tacos are a favorite in the springtime. How delicious does the cilantro lime slaw sound? Can't wait to try this with our homemade tortillas #yumyumgood #amouthfiesta!

[source]

:: Sip ::

Another lil summin summin I'm wanting to try for our going away party. You know I love me some champs and I thought mixing it with sangria would be a fun springtime treat. Not sure if I'll get as fancy as this pin or just try a simple lil mixology on my own. Have you tried this recipe before? Any tips or tricks?

[Source]

What are some things on your radar right now?

****

Before you leave, I have to share one more fabulous piece of news. My sweet, sweet, friend Jess of The Newly is expecting and I am over the moon and excited for her and her sweet lil family. If you have a minute head over to her blog and give her some congratulation love.

linkinguphereandhereandhere
***I was provided Lindi Skin products for review, but as always all opinions are my own**

The Purging and Goodbyes Have Started

[source]

Good morning, beautiful friends. I hope y'all had a great weekend and your Monday is going well so far. I'm in need of that EXTRA LARGE cup of coffee this morning because our weekend was extremely full and it was go, go, go. I am incredibly proud of how much I got done regarding our move and am glad I was also able to schedule some down time with good friends. Kind of sad the goodbye brunches/dinners/lunches/drinks have started, I don't even want to think about April. 

Okay, moving on. This weekend I… 

… was inspired by the gorgeous weather on Friday so I used this recipe and whipped up a deliciously light shrimp salad. It was everything I wanted it to be and tasted FANTASTIC! #springandsummerperfect

*serve it as is, on a salad or in romaine hart leaves*

… found one of my college shirts and was surprise by how well it still fit. Decided to wear it out Friday night.

… met friends out at a bar to dance to an INCREDBILE COVER BAND! #soooogoood

… had a blast dancing the night away with some of my favorite soccer ladies. It brought me back to my 20 something days and I had a nostalgic moment on the dance floor [thanks wine]. So thankful soccer brought such great people into my life. 

… stayed out till midnight and then my night in shining armor picked me up. #solucky

… woke up super early to get in a CXworks class and then some cardio and booty work. #sweatingalcohol

… hustled back home to get ready to meet a good friend for brunch. We have known each other 24 years and I'm so grateful we've stayed so class. It was a great few hours catching up on her life and talking about my big changes. The food was amazing [hello french toast with marshmallow brûlée] and I am still dreaming about the fantastic french press coffee.

… came home and started the purging process. 

… was suddenly laid up with an AWFUL headache and got derailed while I rested on the couch. 

… thankfully kicked the headache and started the purging of closets. It was actually quite cathartic and I was pretty ruthless using the Spark Joy method. I admit I am quite sad to get rid of this beautiful piece because it no longer fits. Honestly I'm at a loss of what to do with it because I don't just want to give it away, anyone need a birthday dress?

… texted with the sissys and Biana when I came across a maybe. #thanksforyourhelp

… cleaned up quickly and met another friend for an overdue sushi/sake dinner. #wehousedit

… went home, cleaned out my part of the linen closet then went to bed.  #neededmoresleep

… woke up and went to church for Palm Sunday. Enjoyed the processing of the Palms and wondered where our next Palm Sunday will be celebrated. CAAAAHRAZY line of thinking. 

… met my parents for an impromptu brunch after church at our favorite diner. #traditionsIwillmiss

… arrived home and tackled more purging. Anyone want some books? If not where should I donate?

… treated myself to cup of cocoa for a break. #isntitsupposedtobespring

… moved on to paper purging and recycled old recipts, policies and birthday cards. 

… made an old t-shirt into a bag. #newwaytorecycleoldshirts 

… had to document how much I got rid of this weekend. This doesn't include two other bags already at my parent's house and two boxes of books and linens we no longer need. #somuchstuff

… finally dropped my car of to get fixed after the hit and run. 

… indulged in a cereal dinner for the first time in months. #iblamelehusband

… caught up with my bestest on the phone and created an event for our going away party. #eeek

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop 

Bringing Back a Classic {Oh How Pinteresting}

Morning, lovely ladies [and gents if you are out there]. I hope your Wednesday is going well. I thought I'd bring back one of my favorites from the early days of blogging, Oh How Pinteresting. I loved linking up every week to check out different pins and ideas from other bloggers. The linkup may be defunct but I'm using it as an inspiration for my post today.

[Quite possibly the most perfect summer brunch outfit.]

[no other words needed]

[Swing dresses are my new favorites and the heels are too fabulous for words]

[I need these perfect white skinnies and love the pop of leopard with the stripes]

[So pretty for this time of year, such fun pretty pinks]

[Got to get ready to pack for Europe, hey Kristen, can I hire you too?]

[Tie dye is making a comeback and while I'm not completely on the bandwagon, I do think this dress is fun.]

[Easy, healthy and delicious, a triple threat in my book]

[For a candle loving gal, finding use for all the tops is quite an achievement]

[This look is so crisp and elegant, love the gingham]

[Looking to add something new to the breakfast routine and this sounds filling and easy]

[Continuing my planning for Sportyspice's bridal shower, loving this color palette]

[Mimosa Sangria?!? Yes, please!]

What has caught your eye on Pinterest lately?

 linkinguphere
**all sources can be found in captions under photos**