Book Review: Branding Yourself

So this book... It was my hurricane reading material!! I started reading it during Hurricane Florence and I finally finished it today while watching Hurricane Micheal run through North Carolina! That may seem like a long time to finish a book, but this book is so jam packed with information I was constantly taking notes and attempting to try out methods suggested in the book so you only get through a few pages at a time!

Branding Yourself by Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy is an incredible source of knowledge for anyone who runs a business or simply wants to land a new job! They provide details on all of the leading social media sites, but also include how to bring your brand into the real world.

I could reread this book 10 times and purchase still get more information that is useful to me each time!! They include up to date sources and links to allow you to further advance the information they provide!!

So if you are looking to invent yourself or your business this is the perfect book for you to read!! 10/10 recommend it!!

Update on my Resolutions!

I don't know what it is about this year, but I haven't been very focused on reaching my goals. I know where I want to be, just haven't been taking the right steps to get there. But I guess its a good thing I am checking in mid way so I can use the last 6 months to figure out where I want to go from here.

I love blogging and journalism and anything to do with pen and paper, so that is perhaps why keeping up with my Blog is so difficult. I am not a fan of sitting in front of the computer writing out my feelings or my thoughts on a screen.

Anyways back to my Resolutions for today!!

Here is the list!

2017 Goals

*Personal*

1.Workout more

2. Read more

3. Work on my blog

*Business*

1. Work less, make more.

2. Make close to 12k by the end of the year.

3. Only work during specific hours.

*House* 

1. Declutter ALOT of stuff.

2. Organize more.

3. Create a perfect home in Oregon.

*Financial*

1. Save $100 a month.

2. Spend less.

3. Pay off debt.

*Family*

1. Eat out only once a week.

2. Be more active.

3. Try a new recipe every other week.

In the personal section I have been working out more, it isn't as routinely as it could be, but I try to get in a hard workout about 4 times a week, I have my lazy days. We all do tho don't we! I have been reading a lot this summer I have already finished 3 books this summer already :) You can see the reviews in here somewhere most likely! And well I have put some blog work in, but its not where it used to be back a few years ago...

Business section, I am not likely to be near where I need to be. I underestimated just how much work moving my business was going to be this time. However, I have been doing a lot of marketing, meeting new people, and I think I am getting closer to reaching a bigger goal next year. I can't wait to see things start going here!!

House, my have things in this goal department changed HAHA....no perfect home in Oregon but over the next few months we should be house shopping, and buying and settling into a home in North Carolina. Funny how its the opposite side of the country!! But I adore it here. Best place we have lived in a long time. Its beautiful!! We did get rid a of a bunch pre move and now 6 months without a lot of it, plan to get rid of even more soon :)

Our finances are a humble jumble right now...probably the biggest stress for me right now. We are working to get everything back organized but I assume it will take a few months to get there. We spent a lot on the move, and a lot since. Also getting used to a once a month paycheck is going to be another challenge.

Family could also use a little more help. However I am happy with our being more active, we have been hiking, camping, walking, parks, and lots of swimming!! We are a totally different family here than we were in Texas and I love it!!! We still spend too much eating out, and we aren't being very adventurous with our foods. But we are enjoying each other more when we have time together :)

This was a great little check in for me so I can see where I am and what I still need to do to reach the rest of my goal by the end of the year. I think the biggest thing will be buying a house and paying less on mortgage than we are on this apartment. I think once we do that and work on making a budget up everything else will fall into place.

Thanks for reading and listening to my rambling. More to come soon!

Last year, and this years Resolutions!!

So last  year was a weird year for this blog. I had been so consistent for years about getting on blogging keeping it updated and I lost perspective about why I do it I think. I do this blog as a way to look back on the things our family does. To have a story to go with the pictures. To be able to remember the amazing milestones, and seasons our little family sees. As well as a place to vent, or share my hobbies so in 2017 I am going back to that!!


Here is a recap on 2016 resolutions and goals!!!

24 sessions- I concluded my year with 105 I would say I accomplished this goal!!!

Fix financial situation- Well our vacation at Christmas time blew this one out of the water!!! Here is to hoping we can get this under control someday!

Keep up fitness routine. I feel like even tho I haven't ever managed to make working out just a habit, I do try to do it consistently and I am very strong. I just have a nice layer of protection :D

KonMarie Method. I never fully finished this. I love the idea tho and before our move I would love to really downsize the amount of stuff we have!

Read 12 books. I feel like I may have been close to finishing this one. I am not sure what my count was but I read some good books this year. And most are reviewed on here for you to check out :D

Get good grades. Well this one is for sure a thing. As you can see above that other goals have been sliding but I have been working hard on school!!

Keep up with Blogs, and YouTube. And provide some new content. Uh....yeah. 

Do a catch up day once a month. I wish I had done this one more!! 

I feel like somethings got focused on more than others. So for 2017 I started a journal that I will be reading my goals once a week, and checking in and keeping myself reliable!

2017 Goals

*Personal*

1.Workout more

2. Read more

3. Work on my blog

*Business*

1. Work less, make more.

2. Make close to 12k by the end of the year.

3. Only work during specific hours.

*House* 

1. Declutter ALOT of stuff.

2. Organize more.

3. Create a perfect home in Oregon.

*Financial*

1. Save $100 a month.

2. Spend less.

3. Pay off debt.

*Family*

1. Eat out only once a week.

2. Be more active.

3. Try a new recipe every other week.

I feel like there are more goals, and they are less specific than usual but this year is going to be a very challenging year for our family!! And the transition moving across the country will be difficult!

Resolutions 2016 and 2015 review

Wow, I am so very sure that each year goes by faster and faster, and each year I'm busier too!! December sure went out with a bang and really has me thinking. I love to sit down and set goals and plan out my year so I know I am always moving forward and upward!! I swear I get more ambitious each year! 

With that being said let's take a quick review of last years resolutions, and see where we are now...

Give Birth to a Happy Healthy baby Boy. At 11 lbs I would say that mission was accomplished!

Blog 3x a week: I will admit this one slowly dwindled towards the end of the year when we went on vacation for a month, and then got back and life got hectic!!

Get back in Shape. Now I am not a fitness model, but I feel much more comfortable in my skin then I did this time last year!! And that makes me happy!!

Move and settle into Texas. Took a while, but I really like all the new friends I am making, and have finally got my Photography really going strong now!! 

Do 24 shoots. This one has been accomplished with 28 sessions this year!! Which is phenomenal considering I only worked like 6 months!! Feeling very proud of this!!

Have a substantial Savings by December. With an international move, and tons of other unexpected purchases this one unfortunately is not where we want it to be!

52 week Challenge. I quit the one I had started early into the year, just had too much going on with a new born and a big move.

Get organized and declutter. As usual this one is always on my list and each year I get something else organized to a point it stays that way....but I have yet to figure out the solution to the whole house....here is to next year lol!!

2015 has been quite the year for our little squad!! We finally got to meet Darren and have fallen madly in love!! We moved across the entire world!! And I got Moment in Paradise photography turned into an official business!! Although I didn't fully accomplish all my resolutions I am very happy with what got done considering the big changes we have dealt with!! 

So as usual my list is long and outrageous!! And who knows what the year will bring with it, but here's to hoping these will be easy to complete!!

24 sessions.

Fix financial situation.

Keep up fitness routine.

KonMarie Method.

Read 12 books.

Get good grades.

Keep up with Blogs, and YouTube. And provide some new content.

Do a catch up day once a month.

Stay tuned for updates as the year progresses!! Hopefully it will be a successful year!!

Resolution Progress 2015: 3 months!

Give Birth to a Happy Healthy baby Boy: Mission accomplished!!!!

Blog 3x a week: So far I have been doing good with this one :D and have actually been posting on most days!!

Get back in Shape: Weight is still not my goal, but my core is getting back to normal again which is nice!!

Move and settle into Texas: 8 weeks away still.

Do 24 shoots: I have done 4 this year already!! Which is way less than normal. But I do think I will be able to accomplish the last 20 before the end of the year.


Have a substantial Savings by December.

52 week Challenge: I haven't managed to keep up with it EVERY week, but I have gotten quite a few of them done.

Get organized and declutter:  We have managed to declutter a few areas of the house, and sell somethings. I know I am procrastinating on making anymore progress here until we have orders, and until we are almost out of the house...can't put it off too much longer.

Memory Jar: I think we tend to forget to do this far more often than we want to. We do have a few slips in there tho :D


I love my resolutions this year, even though they are not very detailed or really ways to show progress, but I do have to say with 3 months passed already this year, I feel like we are having a great year and can't wait for this big move that is all I think about and talk about like nonstop.

2014 in review - Resolutions

Well it is finally here. The last day of 2014, this year has been full of memories, laughter and changes. In some ways it has flown by and at other times, it was as though time stood still. I am always amazed at the end of each year how much has happened in 12 short months. This post may be one of the ones I look forward to most each year. The chance to look back at our year. See how everything went, and than plan our goals for the coming year!!

So this blog may or may not be being written in the middle of the night 12:30 am to be exact on new years eve. But I knew it needed to get done before the end of the year and this time of day I seem to always be up as well sleep has come to not exist at this point in my pregnancy. Besides it is a lot easier without a toddler hanging off your arm, or a husband playing war games in the background to truly focus on what I want to say.

So at the end of 2013, I reflected on the previous year. And set out with what at the time seemed like an impossibly long list of Resolutions. But however long it was I made sure it was achievable goals! And now sitting here looking at that list I am so proud of  myself for crossing off as many as I did.

 

2014 Resolutions:

Read 12 books: I did this goal within the first like 6-7 months. Amazingly setting this as something I wanted to acheive really was like a permission slip to allow myself to spend more of my (me time) time reading which I have always enjoyed. I started out writing reviews of the books I read but there was quite a few I just never got to and I am okay with that!! I know what I have and haven't read. With this goal I discovered the great app Oyster that I use every single day they have so many titles available and has saved a lot from buying from Amazon!!!

Blog twice a week: Well if you have been following along all year you know there are weeks where I only blogged once or just disappeared all together. But with that being said I did manage to blog over 104 times which is equal to 2 times a week so I think that is fair enough!! And I managed to finish all the blogs I had in my draft folder before the year ended!

Run 2 5ks: This is one of the 3 that I didn't manage to do. This is mostly because when I wanted to do them, when I was in really good shape at the beginning of the year, they didn't have many available, or I didn't know where to look. Than things changed and my ability to run a 5k kind of dwindled. But really I am not heart broken as this was a goal that I wasn't as passionate about as most the others.

Get out of debt:  We set this goal and it was the first one we accomplished!! We sat down after deciding that 2014 was the year we were done with having unnecessary debt. And though it involved sacrificing quite a bit of our tax return and what savings we had. Knowing that we now live with out payments every month. And that every penny in our account is ours if we need it is extremely relieving. 

Get organized and declutter: Another failed goal. This is something that is going to take true dedication and I want it so bad. There are places around my house that I have made a dent on but just not enough. I am a collector and have a hard time letting go of things I could use in the future. But in my mind I want to be more simple. I want to have a house that is easy to keep clean and maintain. That looks well put together and makes since to more people than us. So hopefully someday I will manage that but this year just didn't bring the changes in myself that needed to come to get my house organized!

Maintain my 4.0 gpa: I am proud to say I have manged this, really with no problems either. I am now taking off until we are moved and settled so likely until next Fall :( I really would love to finish my associates, but life goes on I am still learning and growing everyday just hanging out with Kyra, and soon to be Darren, and school will always be there.

Do 24 photo-shoots(-26): At the beginning to the year I had no perspective on just how quickly my photography was going to take off. I have loved every second of the adventure. I thought well if I can manage to take two shoots a month I would be really happy with where I am, I had no idea that some weekends would involve up to 8 shoots! I have taken on photo shoots I never thought would have happened and I am so dang proud of the photos that I have presented my clients! I have a long ways to go and will never stop learning. But I am passionate and LOVE every moment I spend with my camera and my clients!!

Go on 3 trips: Well if you have followed along with our journeys this year you know we have taken WAY more than 3 trips. We wanted to see as much of Europe as we were able to before we move away. This place is amazing and I am glad that we have checked off as much as we have. You would think having Kyra would keep us from seeing things but, I feel like she has learned a lot and is more worldly at 2.5 than more kids may ever be.

Reach 145 lbs:  Okay so I got to 152 at one point this year. I was so close. But than my next resolution, well kinda hindered that one. I don't even wanna talk about where I am now LOL

Get pregnant: Well from my very large belly it is clear this goal was reached!!!

Okay, So last night I sat down to write this because I had too much on my mind to sleep with Darren's due date less than a month away and his arrival date up to 10 days earlier than that, Just so much to get done. But as I was finishing the list from last year, sleep began to take over so here I sit while Kyra watches Daniel Tiger and eats breakfast finishing this blog to share with you today!!

2015 Resolutions:

Give Birth to a Happy Healthy baby Boy

Blog 3x a week: This one should be an easy one, that is only 52 more than this year. And with my weekly post of the 52 week challenge and my idea of doing a weekly update of how our week has gone that is already 2 a week. I am sure in between there we will have some fun activities, crafts, new recipes, and photo-shoots to talk about!!

Get back in Shape: No real weight goal as I know the first year after a baby isn't about how much weight you lose but how comfortable you feel in your body. I just can't wait to start working out again!!

Move and settle into Texas

Do 24 shoots: So I know I said this year 24 was way too low but I am thinking that with the fact I will only be doing a few shoots here in Germany before we move, and than taking the time to actually get my business set up and running in Texas it may be harder to achieve. I am very hopeful however to reach this goal!! I can't wait to meet all the new faces I will be shooting in Texas!!


Have a substantial Savings by December.

52 week Challenge.

Get organized and declutter:  Haha so I know I say this every year. But I am thinking with the big move it will be a great opportunity to get rid of a ton of stuff before we leave. And than start out with the new house organized. I am also doing a challenge of sorts that has 365 days worth of cleaning and organizing. So if I can stick with that than we should be golden!

Memory Jar: This is a new thing for us this year, and I really hope that it will be something we follow through with, every time we have a great memory, a story, etc...you write it down and stick it in the jar and on New Years Eve we will sit down and read them all!! And suggested my cousin that we put them all in a book each year to have years of memories down the road!


If you made it this far and are still reading. Thanks for being a true reader. You are the reason I write these blogs, I am always surprised to see that there is anywhere from 8- 20 readers of each post I write and that makes me happy!! I enjoy sharing our lives with you and keeping everyone up to date on the craziness that we.....idk where I was going with that I have a toddler throwing a fit because she is insisting we paint. So I have to go now!! Thanks ya'll

9 months into 2014

Holy moly can you believe 3 more months have passed? Means we only have 3 more months before another year is gone too!! Having this list of resolutions to keep up on this year has been very interesting way to track time as it passes and I have to say that although I will probably not reach all goals, I have made a huge dent in the ones I did and I am excited to work on a list for next year!! So here is an update on where I have gotten so far!

Read 12 books. I only have 2 more to go and I am half way through one right now so this goal is obviously gonna get done if not surpassed depending on how busy the holiday season gets.


Blog twice a week So I don't obviously do them 2 times a week some weeks its more and some its less. But I am down to only needing to blog 38 more times and have a draft list of like 32 so I should be fairly close to accomplishing this goal by the end of the year!! And tho I recieve little to no feedback from the blog I hope everyone is enjoying reading and following along with my families adventures!

Run 2 5ksWell with the belly growing this one was kinda taken off the list of my concerns!! It would have been fun but the adventure we are on currently is just as fun!!

Get out of debt We have had this one checked off for a long time now and we are luckily adding up some savings on top of it now!!

Get organized and declutter So this is still not my fortay its something I have never been good at. I have organized areas in my house just for them to return to their previous look weeks later!! Right now Kyra's room is very organized and we clean it up every night before bed.

Maintain my 4.0 gpa I am about half way through this fall semester already!! Hard to believe. But I just got a 98% of my first paper of the semester and I am kinda in shock as I was sure it wouldn't go over as well as I had hoped. But I will take it so I have a 98% in that class right now!! As long as I keep it up I will still have an accumulative 4.0!!

Do 24 photo-shoots So I had no idea what was in store for this year as far as my photography goes I never could have predicted the amount of support I would see. I am going to be sad to have to take leave from it for a while starting in November! But I have to dedicate time to my growing family and the holidays too!! I reached 36 photo-shoots this weekend and by the end of the month will be up to 43 and probably by the end of the year somewhere near 50!! So more than double my goal!! Which is really cool

Go on 3 trips  This one has been done for a while and we have a few more trips left to plan for this year and now a whole extra year to plan trips for too!!

Reach 145/169  Haha I just keep going up up and away!! Okay not that fast but I am gaining now but so is life!! Just means there is a healthy baby in there :D

Get pregnant Last update I hadn't announced the baby thing yet, but now we are not able to hide it anymore so obviously we are pregnant and you have seen a few updates on that but don't worry in a week or two I will write a blog with a bit more detail about how that has been going and on a few other topics!

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the last couple weeks of summer before it is litterally fall and the cold takes over!! (pssst....I CANT WAIT)

6 months into 2014

Hey EVERYONE!!!! Did you miss me? I know my last blog was over a month ago, and you probably thought we died mid-flight, but rest assured we made it both to USA and back to Germany safe and sound, and Kyra was a champ both ways and LOVE LOVE LOVED her goody bags!! Well I hope you guys are glad to see me back on here because boy oh boy does taking a month off leave you a ways behind I seriously have like 9 blogs to write and post for you guys! One of course to include lots of awesome pictures from our annual trip home!! But first, can you believe it is already JUNE? I know its incredibly difficult to believe, that half the year is over and we survived!! Okay almost half the year I realize I normally write this at the end of June but thought now was as good of time as any for  an update, and specifically since a lot has been accomplished since March!!

 

Read 12 books: Well I have officially finished reading 7 books and have 2 more waiting to be read!! I love reading and am glad I made this goal so I don't put my books on the back burner!! I think a book a month was a wonderful goal!! Keep an eye out soon a new book review will be on its way to you!!

 

Blog twice a week: Well with vacation and frankly our life being busy as ever, this one slipped as it generally does a couple times a year!! I don't know where I am on the goal of 104 blogs this year, but I am sure as I love to write to you guys and I have a fun series in mind coming up that I will still reach this goal before the year is over!!

Life as a 2 year old:  So on my last check in I changed my goal to a photo a day of Kyra while she was two and OBVIOUSLY I didn't stick to that one either. But I do take tons of photos almost every day and feel like I document her life amazingly!! So I shouldn't try to force creativity!! Next year I am gonna go back to a 52 week challenge!! It turns out I liked having the themes to work from each week!

 

Read and finish the respect dare This resolution thus far is still just sitting on the back burner I intend to do it but haven't had the chance to get around to it yet.

Run 2 5ks: So I ran 2 miles non-stop that was a major accomplishment than I ran 1 mile while I was in Colorado and couldn't breathe for a week from the cold air and altitude. And since than have NOT been doing great in this aspect...But, I am back at the gym who knows where that shall lead!!

Get out of debt: All I can say is mission accomplished!! This was the first goal of the year that we got done!! Now all of our income only goes to bills and savings!! And well of course a little spending ;D but knowing we are in the positive when our paycheck comes in is very comforting :D

Get organized and declutter: I have made a pretty awesome dent in this, but only in my kitchen I have managed to get rid of some stuff and also keep it organized and clean....may not sound like much but one whole room pretty much permanently decluttered is GREAT!!

Maintain my 4.0 gpa Well I am taking the summer off from school due to a busy summer full of plans so I don't have anything to go towards this right now, however I ended up doing great in Photography and so far this year I still have a 4.0 :D Can't wait to start another class, that is after I get back into a routine as far as housework, gym, work, and Kyra, aka....Fall time LOL!

Do 24 photo-shoots:  Well this goal is the second one I have accomplished!! 24 shoots before June!! That is awesome and I have all my amazing friends and family to thank!! Everyone has been so supportive and I am so very excited to keep working with my wonderful clients!! And to make a ton more when I move to Colorado!!

Go on 3 trips: Another goal that is DONE!! We have been doing lots of traveling this year including the trip home!! Also have a huge trip coming up in a couple weeks that I am overly excited about!! Prague!! There will be lots of pictures don't you worry!! My travelers heart is so fulfilled here in Europe!!

Reach 145 Meh, this goal I think is gonna get the boot, I am tired of hating myself for not dropping pounds like I want to, and vacation was awful to me. So that goal is far out of reach!! And I am finally okay with that, just as long as I can look at myself and be happy with what I see.

 

Get pregnant This is still in the works....

So yeah a lot of my goals have been reached a couple are gone, but that is okay!! I had a lot on the list to start the year out and it feels good knowing most will be reached by the end of the year and that is enough for me!!

Book Review: Windows in the Loft

Would you look at that, its February!! So how is everyone doing on their resolutions this year so far? I'm pretty sure some statistic somewhere probably says something about people quitting most of them by now....but don't quote me. As you read earlier this year I had quite the list. I am happy to say that I have been keeping up with MOST of them. I have dropped one as its time consuming and I just never plan far enough ahead to keep up with it. I will not being trying to do a new recipe a week. I am going to maybe do one a month, but not really too concerned about sticking to that one. I also improvised the 365 project down to 52 week project again. And I am currently attempting to think of something cute for the 4th week. Other than that I have been on the ball.

With that being said, one of my goals was to read a book a month. And surprisingly I have managed to finish almost 2 already!! And I thought what better way to check them off my list than to do a quick review and rating of them as I go!

Windows in the Loft by Sally Gerard.

Twelve year old Isa knows horses. She's grown up with them on her family farm. When her mother dies soon after her father, Isa is left in the care of her family's farmhand, Frank. But Frank isn't the man Isa's mother thought him to be. He has his own agenda for the farm and young Isa.
One peaceful morning turned into something unexpected when she encountered Captain Bane Lucas from the Space Alliance who was looking for a good horse. Intrigued by Isa's profound equestrian knowledge, Captain Lucas opens her eyes to new possibilities of traveling in space.
While the stars offer hope and a new way of life for young Isa and a way to escape her oppressor, Frank, the farm is all that remains of her family. Can Isa leave her home planet and beloved horses to explore a completely different world or will she stay on her family farm where so many of her memories remain?
Isa's courage and faith are tested as her decision forces her to discover herself anew.(the description from Amazon)

I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book and the twist of horses with sci-fi was something I had never seen before and it really made it feel like a very fresh story. The entire time I was ready this book it was like I was living the story, I could picture everything that Isa was doing and loved all the characters she met along the way. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves horses as much as I do, you will fall in love with Isa and all the horses she works with along the way!! I can't wait for the sequel that this story leads up to, it is gonna be a good one. The only thing about this book that bugged me is I felt the ending 1/4 of the book seemed to be rushed and lost a lot of description that had been so detailed throughout the first chunk of the book. But it wasn't something that would keep me from bragging on picking a great choice for my first book of 2014!!

Fun fact: Sally Gerard has known me most of my life and has been a mentor to me. We worked together at a horse camp in Colorado, I was surprised when she wrote this book, and our relationship in no way biases how I feel about this book!

Project 52: Glamour

So I had this great idea for this theme, but never got around to doing it and in this final ditch effort to finish my goal for 2013 before we start 2014 I had to take a new attempt at the theme. So thinking of what glamour means, you generally think of makeup. So I got a ton of makeup for Christmas, and so what better thing to take a picture of for this theme, specifically since I haven't done too many still life pictures for this challenge.

How to love working out!!!

1. Set goals.

Make goals that you can achieve I understand for some people they have their mind set on loosing 20-50 lbs but this can often lead to disappointment. It is healthy to loose only like 1.5 pounds a week that is only 6 pounds at the most each month.  So if you take that into consideration you can see why having your only goal being to loose that much weight, it is going to take a long time to reach that and often causes people to fall off the band wagon!

So I think that in order to really start loving the idea of working out it is better to set smaller goals that are easier to achieve. Goals that are great?  I want to loose 5 lb this month. I want to loose inches each week. I want to improve my endurance. I want to drink more water each day. I want to have no excuses and push out my workout everyday.  I think these goals work great because they are easily measured and can be achieved weekly.  And every time you reach one of your goals you will be able to pat yourself on the back, re-evaluate, and set your next goal a little bit higher so you push just a little bit harder!!

A great example of this would be giving yourself a fitness test at the beginning of a month. With things as simple as crunches, push ups, and burpees. Set your stopwatch for a minute see how many you can do of each. Than after a month of pushing yourself hard retest. You will probably find that your endurance has increased a lot and seeing that on paper is only going to encourage you to keep on keeping on. And before you know it you will get closer to your ultimate goal!

2. Know your options

So I think this is the biggest part of fitness that traps people and makes them feel inadequate. It can be the kill all for those just starting out without any guidance. You really need to learn what your body can handle. Some workout regimes advertise these wonderful results guaranteed. But when it comes down to it, the workout is actually suggested to used by athletes or people who have done that form of exercise for quite sometime. With that being said a beginner can't step up straight into Insanity or the such and expect to rock it out from day 1, and keep up with the instructor and everything. That is not logical. Although they may show you edited moves that can make it a little easier, it really isn't beginner level. And that is just gonna make you very upset when you are dying after a couple days and can't get the courage to even press play.  

I had a similar problem myself. I knew I wanted drastic change and wanted something that would challenge me so I thought I was up to it. I have always felt that once you push play you can't just stop in the middle of the video you have to go all the way through. But there were points where I was so exhausted I couldn't barely move. You want to be sore and feel your workout but you wanna be able to finish it. I also came to find out that Insanity and all its jumping around is just too high impact for me I have always had weak joints and Working out is supposed to improve your life, not make you hurt in a more than sore kind of hurt. I never did finish insanity It was not worth the damage to my joints when there are infinite options of workout that have combinations of Cardio and Toning that are more up to what your body can handle. And I am still challenged everyday!

If your not sure about your options here is a list of few different types of working out you can do and links access the videos!

Beachbody: They have TONS upon TONS of different videos ranging from High/Expert Level workouts to help push athletes to train harder outside the gym, to far easier programs for beginners. Follow this link BEACHBODY. and Shawn Adkins a great friend of mine would love to answer your questions and set you up with a program fit for you. She has fun challenges that push you and is always available to keep you on track along your journey!! Or if you would like to contact her personally visit her website where she has tips, and all her contact info!! http://www.shawnssweatshop.com/


Blogilates: Cassey Ho as I have mentioned in other videos is a Pilates instructor. She has a website BLOGILATES.    Where she posts new workout videos every week, has fun themed work outs, awesome cheap clean eats, and even has 2 workout calenders. One for each month for once you have the hang of Pilates (which can be quite intense, its low impact and looks like it should be easy but you move slow and really focus on the movement of each muscle) and she has a beginners workout that incorporates beginner moves to teach you how to understand the movements, and swings in some harder videos to add a challenge.

DailyHIIT: High Intensity Interval Training aka HIIT. This website provides new videos daily which is grand for those of you who like to keep it fresh. The idea of HIIT is to do a few moves each workout but hard and fast quickly switching between each move. The videos tend to be shorter and you should probably do a couple of them a day so you get up to 20-40 mins of exercise, but they work fast. The only thing I found about this page they do often work with weights and I am still challenged by body weight workouts so I wasn't quite ready. But if you already have a good muscle base and just want something fun and fresh each day DAILYHITT is the place for you!!  

Youtube: There are tons of other things and other fitness instructors that are all over YOUTUBE. They make videos all the time and range from kickboxing to yoga!! Do what is right for you body. If your not sure what is right for your body try a few videos from different categories and do what is fun!!! You don't wanna just do a workout because you sister is. You don't have the same bodies what works for one person may not for another. Your never gonna stick with a routine if you hate it. It shouldn't be a chore.

3. Learn about the benefits.

Man I could go on and on about how good exercise is for you. Not only does it help you reach a healthy weight. It can do so much more. I don't even do it for the weight loss I am just so thrilled about how it helps me in other ways. Here is a simple list off the top of my head there is probably a billion ways that exercising is good for you.

Weight loss
Strong Muscles
More Energy
Ward of diseases (if your family members have diabetes this is a really good reason to start working out)
Amazing Social Network
Improved lung function
ENDORPHINS (Who doesn't like to Feel GOOD!)
Live Longer
It is fun
Helps you sleep

If that isn't enough to get moving, your favorite hobby be it scrapbooking, dancing, or photography are all improved by being in good physical condition. Imagine having a strong enough back to sit up in a chair to scrapbook for hours without having a sore back for the next couple days. Dancing is exercise in itself, wanna go to the club and be the rock-star who doesn't need breaks all the time? Workout and your stamina will increase. Photography? Simple if you wanna get the amazing angles, you may have to bend over backwards or climb a tree, don't wanna hurt yourself in front of a client do you?

Long story short there is NO downfall to getting your sweat on.
 

4. Schedule it like an appointment. No more excuses.

I think having a planned out workout for at least a week in advanced if not the whole month is a great idea. You are so much more likely to stick with something if you know what is coming and that it is going to happen everyday. Once its already on your calender your less likely to just skip it and come up with a reason why you did. Its a commitment to yourself. Some people even go as far as to set a certain time to do it. I try to my workouts during my daughters nap. But I do like to live more of a spur of the moment kind of life, and have a hard time committing to a certain time of day each day. But I know which videos I am going to do each day because they are written out on the calender (whiteboard) and if I erase it with out doing it by the time I go to bed. THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS GONNA FEEL BAD IS ME! 

 If you can't make a commitment to yourself for yourself, than you aren't enjoying it and its time to switch up your workout so that it isn't something you dread. I often find myself excited when my daughter is getting ready to take a nap knowing I get to do my workouts and improve myself!

5. Track your progress

I know you may not want pictures of your before self floating around on your computer, and if you are really uncomfortable you could at least do it with flattering clothes on its just a wonderful thing to be able to look back on. Some days you are gonna feel like you are getting no where and having that picture to glance at will show that, that is not at all true. Even if the scale isn't showing it (Muscle weights more than fat) you are bound to see a difference if you are pushing yourself.

An even better idea is to take your measurements. I only do the small of my waist, the widest part of my waist generally straight along you belly button, the widest part of your hips where you butt most protrudes, and each thigh. Those are your biggest muscle group areas so they will see the most changes. And even if you don't take these measurements but once a month you are bound to see a difference. Down days will come but nothing helps like amazing numbers to get you right back on working out!!

6. Eating healthy is so important.

Last but not least Food. I am not a physical trainer, I am not a nutritionist. All I can do is tell you what I have learned and what works for me. Eating healthy doesn't have to mean being vegan. It means making sure you get your veggies, fruit, and lean meats. No one is gonna stop you from eating carbs, steaks, bacon, and junk food. Honestly in moderation all of those things are perfectly fine. No one is going to stick to a diet unless they have a chance to indulge. Be it a cheat day weekly, or limited amounts of bad calories a day. Don't cut the stuff you love to eat completely out or your gonna be miserable and craving it all the time.

And one thing I can't stress enough because you need it and because it helps melt off fat is water!! Drink Drink and than Drink some more. I have a culligan dispenser and I drink an 8 oz cup when I wake up, one before each meal, 2-3 during workouts, each time I pee, and right before bed. Cold Water takes longer to digest so is good to help make you feel fuller. And room temperature water is better for during workouts or after workouts as it takes less effort for your body to get it into your system and rehydrate all that sweat you're putting out!! 

For more on my diet read my blog Diet Vs. Eating Right

Workout til your happy!!

So lately I started a new workout routine, and I am getting some awesome results that my friends and family are noticing!! Since so many people have asked how I am doing it and what my trick is. I have previously done an article on my diet Diet Vs. Eating Right.

But now I am dong Blogilates with Cassey Ho. I downloaded her app on to my IPad and for only 99 cents a month I get a new calendar with 2-6 videos to do a day, and somedays even have fun things to do like paint your nails, or water drinking challenges!

Her best quote: "Working out should be fun, it shouldn't feel like a chore or you will always hate it!!"

Plus Cassey is just super amazing. I love the variety of having new combinations of videos each day!! I also love that she has lots of cardio that I can do from home!!  She does have a beginners calendar also for people just starting out!! And her videos will make anyone want to keep going as she has this super outgoing fun personality and encourages you the whole way through. 

I am super impressed with how my body is changing. I HAVE ABS!!  And also my love handles are just melting off its the workouts I have been looking for for a long time. In just one week I have already lost 1.4 lbs and 1.75 inches from my body! Other workouts I have purchased were just to repetitive often with 4-5 different videos that you replay throughout 30-90 days. And to me doing the same thing over and over was bad cuz when a day on the calendar had a video I had done 10 times and hated I would dread that day, and or just make that day my rest day! And the other website I had been attempting to use was great and some day I will end up going back to it, but it was far to advanced for me right now.

I am in no way sponsored by Cassey Ho at Blogilates.com I just really want to give her a shout out for the awesome videos that she puts out almost weekly and how much it is helping my fitness goals!! And I have already got 2-3 people from my Facebook world trying her stuff and loving it!! Feels great to help out people with something at is working!! 

Here are my results so far!! I hope to keep this up during class this fall, and next fitness blog might just be an awesome picture of abs!! Here's for hoping!!

Progress on my Resolutions

Has it really been 9 months already. This year is just flying by or is it me? Haha yes it really is, I mean I am already thinking about resolutions and things I want to do differently next year. Specifically with this blog but it is going to take the rest of the year to make the decision on what to with it.

So last time I checked in on my resolutions things were going pretty well I had adjusted somethings so basically my resolutions were adjusted to:

1.Save money
2. Love my Body
3. Work to be a better person.

So we had gotten back up to 1000 dollars in the savings but with Dustin being stateside, and my emergency trip home we ended up spending some of that and having to get a 3000 dollar loan to get me home. Luckily we are getting paid separation pay, which has helped us pay that loan back so by the end of the month we will be done paying on that, and will be able to start putting that sep pay into savings.
On top of that we have been constantly paying on our other debts (car and student loan) and having talked to our banks are happy to announce by March the car will be paid off!! NO MORE 500 dollars a month payments!! Which also means our insurance should drop that on top of the fact we are both turning 25 next year so that will help too! So although we may not get that much saved this year, we will have a huge chunk of money headed that way by this time next year!!


Love my body. Well leave to states kind of did a number on this area, there is so much yummy food to eat. And its hard to get a workout in when you are trying to keep on the go and visiting. But I came back to Germany with the motivation to do something about it. I was going to do the 30 day shred with my mom, but she is working a lot and had trouble finding time to do it, and the workout is too repetitive for me I like doing new things everyday.
So I went back to watching and browsing Blogilaties videos and doing them. Than I came across her recent video talking about an app. I had to check it out and its amazing I pay 99 cents a month for a full workout plan!! Plus recipes, and an area to chat with fellow Blogilaties doers. I love doing pilates and that makes me love working out which allows me to work on my body and love all the things it can do!!

So I have been a lot more positive in most manners. Of course the Army itself gets to see my bad side because they know how to push my buttons. But I think a trip home with a little help from family was just what I needed. Plus I have started to surround myself only with people who are positive and just want to enjoy life. Amazing what a differince that makes, you hear it all the time but you never really know until you try.
Also going back to school next month again!! I love school and I am so proud of myself for getting a 4.0 last semester, and making the Deans List that was all the encouragement I needed!

So this is gonna be my last check in until the end of the year/new resolutions blog in December! See ya around the blog and keep an eye out for some awesome changes in the future.

Potty Training Round 1

So I made a promise to myself that when we finished the last case of diapers we were going to start potty training. I bought pull-ups instead of more diapers. I know she may seem a little young but my idea is to do it just for a pack of pull-ups and than if we aren't making progress we will buy another case of diapers and wait a month before we try again!! I just think getting the idea and concept in her mind young is a good idea! But I also know she won't ever do it consistently until she is ready to.

But to make it more fun I set up her potty chair next to a stool with all the pull-up choices and let her pick which one to wear. And I made a sticker chart to show our goals and what she will get when she goes so many times! And than for the first 3 days I am going to put her on the chair every 20 mins so she knows she has to keep going in and trying! I was gonna do the naked method, but decided for now doing it every 20 mins with the pull up on was good enough. Maybe round two we will try just being naked.

Keep your fingers crossed that things go well and I will be back to keep you updated on how our progress comes in the next week or so!

THANK YOU READERS!!!

So for those of you who have been avid followers of my blog I owe you soooo much for where I am now a days!! I do apologize that there hasn't been a new blog in well over a week or two, and for that I am very sorry. School has been keeping me very busy but only 2.5 weeks left and I'll be done for a while.

That being said sometime in the last week while I was absent my blog reached a very exciting milestone!!!

Back in March on my birthday I had excitedly written about how my blog had finally reached 3333 views in the 3-4 years I have had it up and I was in awe that so many wonderful people were viewing my blog!!

Well in the last week only 4 months later I have more than double the number of views I am now topping out around 6800 views!! I just can't believe the amount of support I am seeing!! I will eternally be grateful to see that so many people in this world enjoy visiting my blog each day!! I mean just this week I saw over 150 views and I haven't even posted anything new, its WONDERFUL!!!

I have a lot of blog topics planned out to be written about including ALOT of pictures for the 52 week challenge to get caught up on. So stay tuned, and I will try to bring you more exciting tales from our adventures in life!!

Thanks thanks thanks!!! I would be nothing without you!!!

And just cuz I think every blog post deserves a picture here is a cute one of Kyra and her best friend from the 4th of July aren't they just DOLLS!!!

What is going on around here.

Alright just as a really quick update on our life...I am writing this after just having written a 3 page response to my Psychology homework. So if I seem a bit formal in my writing that should explain it.

So what do I have going on currently?

Lets start with my Physical goals: I am trying to run a mile 2 times a week and increase not only my time but how much of it I run. This is a simple goal and helps me to de-stress a bit from school, and everyday life. And it takes less than 15 mins of my day. Along this same area I am trying to make sure that I put in an average of around 2 miles a day. This includes walks with the dogs, and Kyra during the day also. Learned my lesson last week tho and will only be walking in sneakers my feet are all sorts of blistered from doing so in other shoes.

Now onto my goals with Kyra and Shade: Kyra and I are working on her using her words. She knows a lot more than she says but has been doing much better about asking for what she wants. Though even though I don't use signs with her for much, she does sign somethings which always gets me pumped up. Starting in September, MAYBE depending on where we are and what is going on, I want to start potty training and hopefully it will go smoothly As far as Shade, she has a long ways to go. She is your run of the mill average puppy and acts accordingly. She needs to be socialized more so I have planned out a dog park visit once a week with her friend Dexter. They both just love the chance to run around and play in the mud. But during the evenings is her big training time. Her and I go on a long walk and work on heel, sit, and stay. She does well until we come across another dog and she looses her focus. Also trying to work on her peeing in the house and chewing on things she shouldn't. My mom just sent a box full of toys for her so hopefully that will help with the chewing thing!!

School and household: I think my biggest challenge in all this is time management. I have never been able to manage my time well and with the invention of Facebook I spend far too much time wasted. I fully intend to get 100s all semester and pass my classes with high remarks. But at the same time I have to make sure I don't just let all the housework go to the way side, as a messy house is not a productive one. Plus I wanna keep coming back and talking with you all!!! So you are gonna get my late night after class ramblings haha!!

So If all of that wasn't enough the army just threw us a nice curve ball, that I intend to hit out of the park. This one leaves Dustin headed on a mission for 6 months in the states at very little notice....which of course means RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of my stinking semester. Which is gonna be a pain in the neck when it comes to term papers and finals. But I know with help from my awesome neighbor and other friends I will be able to pull it off. Him leaving for 6 months also gave me an opportunity to go home for an extended amount of time. And I am so excited to start making the plans soon. The only challenge to this is going to be deciding if I should take a class next semester and if I do which one would be best and will I be able to either take the final while I am stateside or if I will be back in time to take it here?

1 mile goals

So as to not to overwhelm myself during my first semester back in the school game, I am transferring my normal high intensity interval training which can take anywhere from 20-60 mins to get through to simply going on a run after Kyra goes to bed! For the time being it is going to be just a mile until I am able to run the whole mile. This is more challenging than it seems as the route I am running is on a hill so part of it is up hill. Last Monday I ran it in 12 mins but did walk quite a bit. I am hoping having my friend Candice running with me will help me to push myself to another level. Once I can run a mile non stop or manage to get my mile under 10 mins than, I plan to extend my run to a different 2 mile route.

I am hoping the running will help me continue to burn calories without taking as much time as a full workout would. Maybe doing all cardio workouts will just burn off the fat like I need it to than when school is over I can work on gaining muscle.

All this while trying to maintain as close as humanly possible to a 4.0!!

Update, 6 months resolutions.

     So I was gonna wait to write this until the 1st but than Kyra decided she was gonna sleep all day, tho had I joined her it would have been a 30 min nap but that is okay I was able to sun tan, eat lunch, and get everything thing ready for next week!! So although I miss all our time we would normally be playing I am glad she is sleeping she must need it!! She slept in til 9 than took her nap at 11 and is still in there at 2.

   Well anyways its been 6 months since the year began, yup we are already half way to 2014 can you imagine. But at the beginning of the year I started 3 resolutions:

1.Save money
2.Loose weight
3. Be positive.

I would like to say coming into this month we are doing great on all of the above....well that would be a lie. Things have been going a bit crazy it seems. My dad came to visit in March which was amazing and I am sure you all saw all the great things we were able to do while he was here. That being said we spent a lot of money we should have been saving. But it was worth it to see many great places in Europe and experience it with family!! But we have gotten my student loan which was defaulted and owed over 3,000 dollars down to under 2,000 which to me is a big deal! I can't wait to have that done. We are paying 50 dollars a month until it goes out of default status than we will pay it off so it won't be until about February next year that we will finally be out of default and can pay our tax return towards it one less thing to pay.

Also we are still paying towards the car, I am unsure how much we still owe as of today, but we pay 500 a month on it so hopefully we are getting down. And we are paying 260 to insurance every month. So with all that going out monthly its hard to save but we are managing to keep 1000-1200 in savings. We could cut back on spending, specifically in the eating out range. But sometimes a girl gets tired of cooking dang...

As far as loosing weight I have adjusted this goal. I have realized that worshiping the scale isn't gonna make me happy. So I have changed my goal slightly to only 5 lbs at a time, but focusing more of my time now on improving my 1 mile time I figure if I set smaller goals I will more likely acheive them and soon be at my original goal. My 1 mile run as of last night is 12 mins exactly. I wanna try to knock a min off a week until I am well under 10 mins. Than I will start adding distance!

And with being positive I try, but I am a girl who is run by her emotions and they sometimes get out of control! But I am realizing in order to be more positive and happy person I have to be happy with the person I am. To do this I am doing things I enjoy, like tanning! I am improving myself with school which I start on monday, with writing my blog and getting tons of views each week, and with trying to be a better wife. By getting my home life(aka chores and house work) under control. A clean house, good meals, and happy hubby makes a happy wife!! So lets hope we can keep all this going.

Speaking of school, don't be surprised if in the next couple months you hear more than you ever wished to about psychology and history as I will probably start blogging about it. But don't worry as busy I figure I will be I know I am gonna do at least a couple cute crafts this summer with Kyra she will still be getting most of my attention, haha I just may be sleep deprived!!!

Starting Slim in 6 challenge

    If you follow me you see that I really like to workout, just tend to quit when things get hard!! I did complete the Insanity Asylum which was really hard and I was so proud of myself for getting through it. And in the past I have been very successful with diets!! So this time I am starting a program with the support of my friend Dawn and we are going to go the whole 6 weeks with diet and exercise. We have plans to be in shape by summer time. Lots of work to do but if you think you can do it you can!

    I am starting today with eating 3 meals and two snacks every 2 hours and only stuff that is good for my body. It may be hard the first couple days but my body will get used to it and start showing how well its working. The benefit of me going on a healthy diet is my family will also be eating more good stuff also. Kyra already eats only stuff that is good for her, but whether he'll admit it or not Dustin could use a little bit of a healthy streak himself. Not that I can really control what he eats, but when he is home for dinner he will be eating what I do, or fend for himself.

   I am sad to see how far back I have fallen since the last time I posted an update. Taking over a month off from working out show. Specially the way we were eating.

   My measurements are currently:

Weight: 162
Chest (measured at the nipple level): 36 in
Waist (measured at the belly button): 38.25in
Hips (measured at the biggest part of my butt): 43.5in
Right Thigh: 24.75in
Left Thigh: 25 in
Right arm: 11.5in
Left arm: 11.25

This go around I am going to only provide pictures for this starting blog, at 3 weeks and at 6 weeks rather than weekly I want the results to show! I may come back and write about how I am feeling and if I think I am making progress. But I won't be obsessing over the inches and weight like I usually do. More about how I feel and look!

Not pretty I know!

Project 52: Man Made

Okay I guess my complaints about paris are a bit shadowed by the fact it has some beautiful architecture. Beautiful OLD architecture.  That all and all amazes me. These buildings are so intricate, and detailed and well did I mention Beautiful??? So even tho the city itself is kind of dirty and the people can be rude, if you could go into town all alone and look at the pretty stuff Paris would blow your mind!! 

With this subject I found 2 of many many buildings that i just adored. I really wish I had been more careful watching my exposure as I ended up over exposing it and for the sake of this project I am trying to go the entire year with out doing ANY editing so what you see is what I took. But I guess that is part of the learning experience. I will know better for next time. I loved this building so much because of the hearts in the windows...I know you guys probably think I am obsessed with hearts and snowmen but it was just so pretty.

 

And of course the main thing Paris is known for is the Eiffel Tower. I think the part that amazes me so much about this is it's sheer size. And to know that little tiny men can build such a bewildering structure. Although it was really bright I though this angle was awesome!! Probably is all over the internet like this but I am pleased how it turned out. I feel like this picture turned out how I wanted. And I like that although I didn't capture the entire statue, I managed to show such a wonderful point of view that unless you are able to visit it you wouldn't get the chance to see.

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.