Spring cleaning.

Last night I had dinner with two of my girlfriends and it was a blast catching up with them. After I got home a craigslister stopped by and bought some more of our crap. It was super. Slowly but surely everything is trickling out the door and out of our life...awesome. I can't wait until things shift and we can start up with some more house 'projects' that we have in store. And by we I mean me. I think I say "I have an idea" about 9 times per day and I think those 4 words absolutely terrify my husband ;) When the lightbulb goes off in my head + I explain my brilliant plan, I always get a tentative side eye + smirk. He is so good about it and always acts very interested + tells me that yes, it's the best idea ever, and yes, he can definetly do whatever it is that needs to be done to accomplish it. He's my hero. He surely makes our team well-rounded.

So 'we've' got some fun + special projects in the works that hopefully we'll be able to tackle once we feel good with where the clutter is at. There is nothing worse than having 4 on-going house projects, or materials laying around the house for projects that we're going to eventually get to. I'm a big believer of one project at a time otherwise I get way too overwhelmed. I also hate buying materials for a project and then letting them just sit in the house. We are definetly doing really well + I know that hubby is happy with what we are doing because he tells me often. The next step is going through the boxes in our garage. We've been waiting for warm spring weather to do this and I think it's time! I can't wait to roll out the grill and spend an afternoon outside organizing with mr. man...some good old fashioned spring cleaning.

I'm so so excited for his return tomorrow. I can't wait to talk about our week apart. We both have Friday off + we are hitting the road to Bunny + Papa's again to celebrate Easter. We are going to spend the afternoon together and then meet up with the family for dinner. Saturday night we are traveling home so that we can attend the Easter service at our Church, and then spend Easter Sunday afternoon with his Dad. We don't usually split the Easter holiday, but this year we were feeling ambitious ;) We can't wait to see both our families and share this special time together!

Where my heart is at.

This weekend was perfect, plain + simple. With nothing on the agenda, it felt amazing to fill it with what I wanted to do. I went for a long run on Saturday morning, followed by baking a delicious cake. If I may, I will say that I am an excellent cake baker! I don't admit things like this often, but I'm not going to be humble about this one. I baked the chocolate turtle cake from cafe latte. If you've ever eaten it, you know that it is to die for. Mine was no exception. Almost the entire cake was gone by Sunday evening! It was excellent. I am drooling just thinking about it.

We played games, caught up on the latest family gossip, + talked late into the nights. We ate chocolate cake. Papa made us fires when the nights got chilly and we refused to retreat to our warm beds yet. We went to see Avatar and went out for pizza. We ate more chocolate cake. We took the dogs for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and made a trip to hobby lobby for crafting essentials. I listened to countless stories about my grandparents growing up and our family history {one of my favorite past-times}. Mostly we laughed until we cried because they were all so hilarious + endearing. My grandparents have lived an amazing life.

I'm having a rough day at work because I'm missing my hubby. I feel lonely even though I'm not alone and I have a million things to do here! Sigh. Oh well, life goes on, right? My dad is taking me + Al out for sushi tonight so that will be fun and I'll have some company.

Even though I am missing hubby I feel so content. I know that may not make sense, but to me it does. I don't know when it happened, but I am really happy with where our life is right now. I feel like we are not {currently} struggling financially {or in other ways}, we don't have any major items we need to address, and we are just plain living. Our life is full of excitement. My heart is full of peace.

25 days of Joy: days 16, 17 + 18: I found Joy spending every moment of the weekend with my family! I think reflecting on the simple joys in my life has made a big impact on how I feel right now with our life =)

Thoughts on Thursdays

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner. I plan everything out perfectly + like to be prepared for everything. When things get out of control and I feel unprepared I get really anxious, it's just a part of me! My husband has taught me to listen to myself. I mean really listen. Do I really want to plan everything in our life? Don't I want to have some element of surprise and spontinaety? Don't I just want to go with the flow sometimes? Will the world come to a screeching halt if I don't figure out what we are going to do about x in x amount of time? These are questions he challenges me with, and although sometimes he doesn't physically speak them I know what he is getting at. He is absolutley right+I am so glad he challenges me in situations like this. {Yes-sometimes I need to be put in my place!} Of course I don't want to plan everything+I love being spontaneous, and as much as I hate to admit it, the world will not come to a screeching halt if I don't have our life plan laid out. I think it's a form of comfort for me, knowing that we have a game plan--but I do also know it's not absolutely necessary. It feels great to let go and see what happens once in awhile. I guess I just wanted to put into writing that when I stop and listen to him, he's right. And that's about the only time I'll ever admit that, so mark this day in history ;)

day 14: I found Joy when my husband laughed with me.
day 15: I found Joy in knowing I get to see mama+al for dinner.

Half.way there.

I'm gearing up for a special roadtrip. This weekend is a girls weekend. I can't wait. The schedule is as follows: work, twilight yoga, girl time. Mama, Al + I will be making the drive down to Bunny & Papa's this weekend. I am so giddy + can't wait to get out of here. Hubby will be gone so there will be no guilt in leaving the house absolutely a mess + focusing on me for the weekend {and week for that matter, since he'll be gone all next week}. Sometimes it's just nice to let things go for a day or 2. I can't wait for a weekend full of family time + nothing to do besides whatever the heck I want. That idea is starting to become foreign to me and I need to change it very soon. So far baking + reading are at the top of my list.

tonight's agenda:

gym time

doctor appt.

date night with jay

this day is full of sweetness.

xxoo

25 days of Joy.

day 9: I found Joy singing loudly in the car on the way home from work ;)
day 10: I found Joy in legs that are able to run.
day 11: I found Joy in watching New Moon!
day 12: I found Joy in a phone call from my Mama.
Today I find Joy in being alone at the office...the boss man is out =)

Sunshine.

What a beautiful sunny weekend! It was so nice to spend some time outdoors even if it was a little chilly. Friday morning I woke up with a pretty bad cold, and I started to get nervous about the race. I fought through a migrane, an extremely sore throat and congestion and made it to the finish line-all in 29 degree weather. I was pretty proud of myself! It was a tough race but very rewarding, and we both had a lot of fun {as expected, Jay kicked my butt!} The rest of the weekend was very busy which didn't mix very well with my energy level and over all well-being. I was pretty drained. Sunday afternoon we had a late lunch date and then layed in bed all afternoon and watched New Moon. I took a nap and felt much better afterwards. Here is a picture of our group! The image is small because it's from the race website. If I get my hands on any others I'll post them later, we didn't bring our camera. It was a fun group :)

This weekend. . .

yoga

working the fish fry

7k race

Tour of Target Field

3 photography sessions

WCHA championship hockey game.

It's official. I'm wonder woman this weekend.

With a little bit o'crazy mixed in ;)

xxoo

25 days of Joy.

I have been finding Joy everyday even though I haven' t been here to blog about it. I left off on March 1st so I am just going to pick up from today + carry on.

day 8: Today I found Joy in knowing that I get to go home early, crawl in bed + relax for the night. There is nothing better than having a free night to yourself once in awhile!

I hope your heart finds Joy today! xxoo

Miss me?

I know, I know, I've been out for awhile. And I don't even really have a good excuse {although, this is my blog and excuses are not needed for blog sabbaticals!} besides the fact that I just think my life is boring right now and there isn't much to update. Anyways I have had a few ask where I've been so I thought I would check in. Although I won't tell you all of what we've been up to, I will share some ;) I've been busy busy busy with photography like usual. This summer I'm only shooting weddings {june-august} I won't be shooting any individual sessions...so I'm getting in a lot this spring and am busier than usual. It will be so nice not to be running around as much as I was last summer! I've also been working on a new blog design for my business and that took a lot of my time. I'm a busy little bee these days. Also with tax season approaching work has been crazy, and it just adds that much on top of my already full pile of to-do items. The only thing pulling me through is the beautiful spring weather we've been having. The other day I actually woke up to birds chirping!

This weekend is the big 7k, yikes! I'm nervous and feel like I did not prepare enough. I've been working out everyday though and I feel great. My body is in good condition... I just haven't been running as much as I should. Yesterday Jay ran almost 5 miles in 33 minutes--yep, I'm doomed.

Other than that we've been laying pretty low. We're still working on our downsize and have made giant steps in our progress. When I walk in the door every night it feels great not to see clutter every where. There are still so many 'things' we don't need but it's a work in progress and we are slowly but surely selling them off. We've also been big on coupon use lately. It's actually been fun to watch the sales and clip 3-4 of the same coupons and get a great deal. So far we've gotten about 8 free bottles on contact solution and a ton a free cleaning supplies {these are the main items we scout coupons for because they tend to be the most pricey for us}. It's kind of fun when you start, you can't stop.

Oh and also, I've been making & wearing my own deodorant. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now and finally got the courage to try...because, don't lie, I know you are judging me right now ;) at first I thought it was weird too. But then I found out a friend from highschool who is 24 years young, just got diagnosed with breast cancer. Crazy, I know. It opened my eyes to realize that our health is all we have-and I need to take care of my body the best that I can. Aluminum is an active ingredient in most store bought antiperspirants, and it's linked to breast cancer and alzheimer's. Parabens are another active ingredient in antiperspirants-and are also linked to cancer.

What we put on our body directly affects us. There is an interesting study in Living Green, by Greg Horn that proves this point. Rub a sliced clove of garlic on the sole of your bare foot and within 15 mintues you'll taste garlic in your mouth. Crazy. So I decided to try a safe & effective alternative just in case...it can't hurt right? Plus it's a green and cost effective solution. And for all you mothers out there who breastfeed-if your baby has a tendency to put their hands in your arm pits while feeding & then later stick them in their mouth, they can be exposed to toxic chemicals!

So the recipe is simple and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. Baking soda {for the smell}, Corn starch {for dryness}, and coconut oil for the faint scent and the consistency you need for deodorant. I saved an old deodorant stick and washed it out and then re-packed it with my homemade recipe. It has the same consistency and look to store bought, but costs me about 10 cents per stick (instead of $3-4 at the store) and is completely natural. The only difference I note is that you don't need very much of it and it can melt easier than store bought. Here is the recipe I used. And yes-it is very effective. Most of the time I don't smell anything under there-it's really crazy because I feel like store bought deodorants always just tried to mask my body odor and sometimes after hard workouts or stressful days did not smell so good after only a few hours. I also sweat a lot less & it is the best deodorant I've ever used. Here's to a healthy, natural solution!

See...I told you our life is boring =)

Blessings.

Tonight a little-big happened. I met one of my blog/photography friends, Leah. She was kinder, smarter, funnier, and more beautiful than in pictures & over e-mail. You know those rare people that you feel really get you? The kind that you could become life long friends with? The kind where you run out of time before you run out of commonalities? She's that. I can't help but think that this night was meant to happen. Although it was seems like something little, it was something big for me. Thank you, Leah for being the amazing person that you are and for sharing Isaac with me for the evening!

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Chose your path.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14

Good night.

I am feeling humbled and content tonight. I sort of had a rough day. You know, one of those days where you feel like the world is against you + nothing goes your way? Yeah, one of those. Just when I get to the breaking point, blessings come out of the wood work in every direction and fill me with just what I need.

Thankfully, training has been good. I've been running almost every day and building up endurance. I am now able to run for long periods at 7mph {this is REALLY fast for me so don't laugh!!} and I feel really good when I finish. I am feeling more confident about our 7k....and I don't fit into any of my pants anymore without belts. That is amazing. I have lost 3 inches around my waist!

This weekend was really fun. Friday night Jay & I had a dinner date and then a movie night at home. Saturday morning I had a session and then we headed to Welch Village with the family for a ski day. Yoga was unusually strenuous on Friday so after that + a full day of skiing I was extremely sore. Saturday afternoon we went to church together and then Jay headed off for a night with the boys & I was able to get some much needed mental checklists taken care of. I've been brewing up some new business ideas for the spring and spent a lot of the night on that.

Jay's updates...he has one class left to complete his health degree and be certified to teach health courses. This is really a big feat for him and will help tremendously with his job search. We purchased him a season ticket package for the Twins with a group of his best guy friends and I am so excited that he will be able to experience that and go to the games with his guys. He is pretty excited for spring!

We sold a ton of our craigslist items this weekend! Several people came to pick up items. Our list is dwindling and it's almost time for us to think about posting more items {it takes forever to dig everything out, photograph it, and upload everything- so we agreed to do it in groups}. We have quite the stash of cash going!

25 days of Joy

day 4: Friday I found joy at the peace I felt during my yoga practice.

day 5: Saturday I found joy in breathing in fresh, outdoor air.

day 6: Sunday I found joy through my photography.

day 7: Today I found joy in my creative ideas!

Fear not; for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you. I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. Isaiah 41:10