A Night at the Theater

Last week, Fred and I had a special date night to the theater. 

After work, Fred picked me up from getting my hair done and we headed downtown.  We had dinner at a local sushi restaurant and grabbed some quick ice cream before the show. 

We went to see "The Addams Family".  As a kid, I watched the re-runs of the show, but I really didn't know what to expect with a musical.

The storyline revolves around Wednesday, the daughter, being in love.  I won't say much more, but it was really cute!  The entire cast of characters make an appearance, even Cousin It.  

If you plan on seeing this and taking small children, I must warn you that there is some cursing and some sexual innuendos.  But, it's nothing too over the top or something you shouldn't take children to see.

This wasn't my absolute favorite musical (Jersey Boys is), but I am glad that we went to see it.  

The show ran about 2 1/2 hours with a 20 minute intermission.  If "The Addams Family" comes to your town, I highly recommend checking it out.    

Watch Me

If you ever see pictures of me, I am rarely without a watch.  I have to always know what time it is.  I guess it's the OCD coming out in me.

I have a couple of watches that I rotate through each week, but here are some of the watches I am currently lusting over:
 
Coach Andee Jelly Strap
love the color and funkiness

Michael Kors Madisonclassic

Nixon Time Teller
I have an obsession with white watches 

Juicy Couture Stella

funky, fun color

Coach Boyfriend
classic, sleek, fun 

Garmin Forerunner
great for running 

Are you a watch person?? If so, are there any watches you're lusting after?

Thursday Training: Shoes

Happy Thursday, everyone! I've been getting a lot of questions about which brand of shoes I wear to run.  

Now, let me preface this with everyone's foot is different and you have to find which shoe best fits you so that you don't cause any type of injury to yourself.   Like every shoe, you need to find the perfect pair.

 Currently, I wear the Saucony Progrid Guide 5...

I love these shoes.  They are like a cloud to my feet.  

When I first decided to run, I wore my Nike Shox and they not only killed my feet, but they also gave me shin splints.  I knew that if I was going to continue running I'd need to get a better shoe.  

I went to Fleet Feet Sports in Memphis to get fitted for my shoes.  I would suggest going to any local athletic shoe store to get fitted or even to somewhere like Dick's Sporting Goods or Sports Authority. From there, they can measure you and in some cases have you do a "test" run to see how your foot hits the ground.  If you go to an athletic shoe store, you'll have a better chance of having a salesperson with more knowledge and assistance in finding you the right shoes.  All shoes are NOT alike.

Once measured and given the proper style of shoe from your foot, you can buy it at the store or you can search online for the same shoe at a cheaper price.  In my experience, I bought the shoe in store and the price was competitive with all other prices online.  The most important thing is finding a shoe that fits you and your body.  

Some other popular brands of running shoes are Nike, Asics, and Brooks.

Having the right shoe can make all of the difference in your running.

Catching a Break

I am sure you've all heard the wonderful news by now, but if you haven't, Giuliana and Bill Rancic are expecting!  You can read all about it here.

These two are just the most precious couple and I am over the moon for them.  They've been through so much and they've always kept their heads held high.   

Fred and I can relate to their story in so many ways.  I love how they've put themselves out there to show everyone that infertility can happen to anyone.  It's a long, hard road, but with a strong faith and love, your dreams can come true.  

Since my surgery in December, I've been pretty quiet about where we've been on our journey to parenthood.  It's not that I was scared or ashamed, but that I just wasn't ready.  

In January, we decided to go ahead with the IUI procedure.  Unfortunately, it did not work and left us with a lot of tears and heartache.  After the tears had dried, we decided that we needed a break.  

After almost 2 1/2 years of trying, 2 surgeries and one miscarriage, we needed time to get back to focusing on God, our family and our lives.  

Right now, we're enjoying each other's company, discussing our options with IVF and adoption and praying God will show us His plan.

Giuliana and Bill have definitely given us more hope! 

Hairapy in Session

I'm getting my hair done this afternoon and I need some help.  Talk about procrastination.

This pic of Carrie was the inspiration for my current hairstyle.

  I love it, but I'm ready for a change.

I've been growing my hair out for about three years now; so, I'm skeptical about cutting it.  

But, I love the cut and color on Nicole...

I love Reese's blond locks and the length is perfect...

and I love Carrie's length and bright blonde locks.

Or I could always go the way of the ombre, but I don't think I'd like it with my bangs and I'm not that brave.

I think I want something BLOND, summer-y and fun! Do you have any suggestions or pictures I should check out?

Catching Up

Monday, again?  Seriously, where does time go?

Since our anniversary trip, I feel like I've been trying to play catch up in different areas of my life.  Well, this past week and weekend, I sucked it up and crossed some things off of my list (see the Type A personality here):

RUNNING:  I realized my 10K is less than a month away last week and decided that I really should get on with adding more distance. On Friday, I am proud to say that I ran a 10K.

SMASH:  I finally got caught up on SMASH. All season, I've been 2-3 episodes behind and I am finally ready for tonight's episode.

PURE BARRE:  My life has calmed down enough that I was able to make it to 2 Pure Barre classes this week. Oh, how I missed the soreness pain torture lifting, toning and burning.

NETFLIX:  First off, I want to apologize to any Netflix customer in the Memphis area who has been waiting on these two movies.  We finally had time to sit down and watch our two movies that we've had forever.  Thank goodness there are not any penalties with Netflix.

SHOPPING:  I finally had some time to return some items I had bought prior to our Vegas trip and exchange them for more Spring/Summer items.

FRIENDS:  We also got to spend some much needed time with some of our best friends this weekend.  It's always fun catching up!

And I have to admit that I am one of the lucky ones because my hubby took me to see "The Lucky One" on Saturday.  I enjoyed it, but I will warn you that it is a little different than the book.

Now that my butt is somewhat in gear, let's hope I can keep it this away.

Wedge-y

One of my favorite fashion trends right now comes in shoes. 

I love wearing wedges because they give you the feel of being taller (which I can do because my husband is a foot taller) and dressing up an outfit.  And I am not that coordinated to wear pumps all of the time.

I'm a huge believer that shoes can make all of the difference.  And we all know I love pops of color with a wardrobe.

So, here are some of my favorite wedges out there right now:

 Toms

Jessica Simpson

Tory Burch

Steve Madden

Aldo

Are you a fan of wedges?  Or do you stick to flats and pumps?

Thursday Training: Carrie Underwood Inspired

I know I usually blog about running, but strength training is equally important for all. And it might be safe to say that the majority of us want to look like Carrie Underwood.

Well, when I saw that she was on the cover of Self magazine, I had to buy it. 

In the article, she revealed one of her workout plans that she has for herself... 

The Idea:

1.  Take a deck of cards and assign each suit (ie. diamonds, spades, etc.) to a particular part of the body.

2.  Spilt the deck in half and write down exercises for each suit, a different one for each. (ie. 9 of spades = 9 crunches).

It's that easy.

So, I decided to try it (and with some help from Ashley).  Hey, it's worth "trying" to look like Mrs. Fisher.

My Plan:

Deck Half One

Diamonds - Push-ups

Hearts - Squats

Spades - Abdominal Crunches

Clubs -  Jumping Jacks

Joker - 1 mile Run
Jack - 3 Sun Salutations (yoga pose)

Queens - 60 seconds of (air) boxing 

Kings - 10 of the suit's exercise
Ace - 14 of the suit's exercise

Deck Half Two

Diamonds - Bicep Curls

Hearts - Lunges

Spades - Planks

Clubs - Crossover Toe Touches

Joker - 1 mile Run

Jack - 3 Sun Salutations (yoga pose)

Queens - 60 seconds of (air) boxing

Kings - 10 of the suit's exercise

Ace - 14 of the suit's exercise

And one of the best things about this is that you don't have to belong to a gym or use fancy equipment.  Have you tried this?

The Making of a Monster

If you ever doubted our child being spoiled rotten, here's proof that he is... 

 I walked into the bedroom only to find him just like this.  He had wrapped himself in the blanket and was laying on the bed in this exact position.  His eyes even say that I was interrupting him.  Gosh, it's so hard being a pup!

I think we've created a monster.

What's in a Name?

Last week, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work.  Now, this wasn't my usual store, but it was the one closest to home and it was part of the same chain of stores.  

I mainly ran in to get some Boar's Head cajun turkey breast and the woman at the counter informed me that they didn't carry that brand and that I had expensive tastes.  Really?   It's not like I was at the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.

I had no idea they didn't carry Boar's Head like "my store" since they're the same store. But it got me thinking that I do prefer to buy the brand names over generic items on most everything.

Is it because it's truly better? Or because I like the "name"?   I don't really know.

Which do you prefer? 

And speaking of names, I want to wish my dad, aka James Brown, a very Happy Birthday!  I love you very much!  xoxo

I'll Make It to the Moon if I Have to Crawl

Is it Monday already?

Our weekend started Thursday night with a date night dinner at Flight and then to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert.  I can now check that off of my bucket list.  They put on a great show and it's definitely one of my top 5 concerts ever.  

 Friday was a night for rest and relaxation.  And with the great weather, we were able to grill out! 

Saturday, we ran errands all day, but that night, we went to a 30th birthday party for one my best friends from high school.

On Sunday, we went to church then I went to the Alpha Delta Pi Founder's Day festivities at the University of Memphis. 

It was so wonderful to share in the sisterhood, especially with some of my favorite alums. 

We ended the weekend by grilling out Fred's yummy fajitas with his parents.  

So, what did you do? 

Buzzing Just Like Neon

Happy Friday! Why is the week after vacation always the busiest? Or so it always seems.

While we were in Vegas, I noticed a lot of neon (and ironically, I heard John Mayer's "Neon" in the hotel) and it got me thinking about neon colors coming back in style.
  
And I've really decided to embrace the trend.  I'm currently loving the neon in small pops (ie. nails, belts, shoes, handbags) and especially mixed with neutrals.

 Are you loving the neon trends?  If so, how are you wearing them?

Thursday Training: My 2nd 5K

Before Vegas, I ran in my second 5K.  I hadn't planned on doing this particular 5K, but it was on Sunday afternoon and it was for a great cause.  Basically, it really just fit my schedule. 

It was a blazing afternoon and the course wasn't clearly marked, but I just kept running.  And to my surprise, I finished 1st in my age group with a time of 27:02.  I could not believe it.  

My main goal was to beat my previous 5K time of 28:30.  And I DID IT! 

I was hot.  I was tired.  And I had not run with this particular playlist, but I finished FIRST! 

 my parents and I were there supporting me

 Fred, Mason and I after the race - they both finished in the top 4 in their age group

I was the person in January who could not run a full mile without stopping.  This is proof that you can do anything you put your mind towards.  You just have to do it!

Now, on to the next 5K or two and the 10K in May...

Eat Your Heart Out: Vegas Style

Fred and I are known to eat our way through a city (or cities). We love food, but we love good food even more. Well, Las Vegas was no different.  Here are some of our favorite places:

Margaritaville:  You can never go wrong with their nachos.  They weigh about as much as I do, but they are so yummy!  This is a great place to eat outside and people watch. 

Wazuzu inside Encore:  Asian food.  We dined on the sweet and sour chicken and the shrimp drunken noodles.  Absolutely amazing!  Reservations are not accepted, but the food is worth the wait. 

Hash House A Go Go inside Imperial Palace:  Fred and I ate here twice.  The portions are enough for 2 or 3 to share, but everything was delicious.  We only had breakfast, but they do have lunch and dinner.  The hotel/casino were a little sketchy, but the food is so worth it. They also have several locations around Las Vegas. 

 Serendipity 3 in front of Caesar's Palace:  This is just like the place in NYC.  The Frozen Hot Chocolate is a MUST for all!  We may have stopped by once a day. 

Sugar Factory in between Paris and Planet Hollywood:  The best place in Vegas for a drink.  The Blow Pop Martini was out of this world delicious!  I could become addicted!

The chicken and waffles were to die for!

And you can never go wrong with a gummi bear fish bowl! 

At $25 a pop, literally, I did not try it, but had to have a pic because it was the Britney Spears lollipop.

Other Sugar Factory MUSTS:  The Barbie Milkshake and Frozen Hot Chocolate.  Yum!

N9NE Steakhouse inside The Palms:  A delicious meal.  We split a caesar salad, steak, mac and cheese and creamed spinach.  The chef even sent out delicious red velvet cupcakes for our anniversary!  Great ambiance! 

Eastside Bar inside of the Encore:  Best place for a pineapple and sage martini!  They also had dueling pianos which is always fun!

Koi inside Planet Hollywood:  The sushi was delicious.  Edamame was phenomenal and it had a great ambiance. 

And we ended our trip with a JUMBO donut from Serendipity 3.  Best ever!

Are you hungry yet?

Another good tip for dining out is downloading the "Open Table" app.  It's easy to use and makes reservations simple.  Plus, you earn points and for each 1,000 you earn a $10 gift card to any "Open Table" restaurant.  Who doesn't love that?