FILL IN THE BLANK FRIDAY

I need: to find G the perfect Bday gift... ekk. only 4 days left.

I want: to go swimming. this heat is intense, dude.

I'm proud of: my dad! he landed the the job at Norwich as the new Principal for K-12. They are going to be so much closer to Wichita, which means day trips are now in order. Love it. So proud of him for all of his hardwork -  earning his 2nd Master's degree - applying and interviewing for jobs and landing one that was meant to be.

I pray: for Colorado.

I hope: we can complete our to-do list this weekend. landscaping - here we come.

I wish: TRob would have invited me to the draft last night. I'm his girl, ya know.

I'm looking forward to: having a 2 day work-week next week! Yay! Lots of time with the boy and family. Exciting days ahead - weddings, G's bday and 4th of July!

WHAT'S IN A HAT?

i just love hats. they add something fun to every outfit.

my favorite summer hat - fedoras. love them. and so does B.

so, last weekend i was on the hunt for a new fedora. there are so many to choose from. i will say, that i'm the biggest bargain shopper. i hate spending wads of cash (the wads of cash that don't exist) on clothes, especially trendy items. i did a little research on what i wanted to find, in my price range (under $20).

all of these beauties met my requirements. I didn't feel like spending the extra money on shipping and handling, so I opted for buying in-store. I ended up with this new accessory for $7!

polka dots are always fun!

OUR AMAZING BOY.

WEEKEND WRAP UP

another weekend. come and gone. sunday evenings are my most favorite and most dreaded times of the week. I think we can all agree - i wish the weekends lasted FOREVERRRR.

but, they don't.

we had a very relaxing weekend. for once. we didn't HAVE to be anywhere at any certain time - which was AWESOME. i can't remember the last weekend we didn't have a wedding, baby shower, bridal shower, birthday party, ect.. and this weekend will be the last weekend that is relaxing for awhile as we have many weddings, birthdays and small trips planned soon.

Friday, we traveled out to the Meier's to check out their new firepit and cook smores. Besides the good ole' Kansas wind and smoke flying in our faces, the company, wine and smores were fantastic. the babies slept. and all was good. we love spending time with our best friends :)

Saturday, started with a 5 mile run. It's been awhile since I've ran outside in the early morning hours by myself. It was so peaceful. Perfect.

G, B and I then headed over to Clearwater to the in-laws for brunch. Jen, Kathy's daughter and her little girl Addison (born 3 mos. before B) were in town from Colorado. Addy and Banks hadn't met before so we thought it'd be fun to get the baby cousins together :) What a great time we had! It was great catching up with Sarah (Kathy's youngest daughter), Jen, Steve, Kathy and watching the  babies play. They were oh, so cute together.

Mom and Dad came down Saturday late afternoon and we had a good dinner and topped it off with ice cream on one of the hottest days of the summer, so far...

B was way more interested in the plants that were moving (due to the KS wind).

let me back up. when we were leaving dinner, Dad noticed a scratch on the passenger's side door. I hadn't blogged about this previously because, well, it was just bad. 3 weeks after we bought the new car, it was keyed. front to back. deep. keyed. not cool. we just got the car back from the shop last week after they completely sanded and re-painted the entire passenger's side of the car. so, this NEW scratch was very visible.  let's just say G didn't like it. the blue neon was parked about 1 1/2 ft away from our car, and it was very obvious that they parked way too close and probably  had a hard time even getting out the car. before garrett returned, two men. son and father approached the neon. crap. so i had to get out of the car and deal with the sitch. the heavyset boy could barely get through the space between the two cars. (because you parked too close!!!). anyways, i explained that we saw a scratch on our car due to their car and we were going to try to buff it out ourselves, but if we couldn't we'd have to claim it. i explained that we JUST got the car back from being repaired due to someone keying it, so that's why it was a BIG DEAL :). i was cool, calm and collected. seriously. then i see this flash of red (ha!) storming out of the restaurant, before i could say a word, g explained the exact same story I had just told the guys  in a much, well, rude manner. lol. All was good though, g got their insurance info.. and away we went. ahhh. stupid cars.

Okay, so Sunday the fam went to church, ate lunch, and shopped. found some new summer shorts, new fedora.... and a high chair for Banks! Gma insisted that she help buy his highchair... I really think she was just insisting that he have one so we don't feed him in the bumbo, on the floor. :) We have yet to put it together, but I was happy about the chevron pattern that it in entails :) 

Mom and I had a few drinks on the new deck and got way too much sun.

oh, and B is about to crawl!!!! I can't believe it. he's almost there.... not quite, but almost.

ahhh. almost.

and that's a wrap, folks!

FILL IN THE BLANK FRIDAY

I need: more hours in a day. Like approximately 48.

I want: a vacation.sooner rather than later.

I'm proud of: baby banks. he's sleeping through the night ya'll! he has had a stuffed up nose this week, and other than Wednesday night, he has been consistently sleepin' a good 10-12 hours. Hallelujah.

I pray: for hope.

I hope: that i can find some good bargains this weekend.

I wish: the world wasn't so cruel.

I'm looking forward to: planning our 5 year anniversary trip with Stacey and Dustin. The BFF got married 2 weeks before G and I did, so we will both be celebrating our 5th anniversary around the same time next summer. We've decided to do it BIG and plan a getaway with our boys! We're beginning to look into vacation spots - Mexico, Jamaica ....  - we'll see. If you have a hot spot you recommend be sure to let me know!

SHOES SHOW...

personality.

at least that's what this study, conducted by students at the University of Kansas, showed. 

of course, I believe everything you do shows personality. The car you drive, the clothes you wear, so, of course, I would assume shoes do the same. I had recently heard this shoe theory on my favorite morning radio show, The Bobby Bones Show, and decided to look into it. That's where I found the article linked above^. 

Let's face it. Shoes are a girl's best friend. They are definitely one of my favorite things to shop for. One reason being that your shoe size is the same no matter if you're at your lowest or highest weight, thank goodness. So, even when trying on clothes isn't fun because of  that time of the month, or if you're like me, because of the many desserts you've indulged, shoes are always a go-to for a perfect shopping trip.

Here are some personal fav's in my closet. 

RISE AND SHINE.

i love summer. i love the heat. seriously. i love the 90 degree + temps and i honestly don't even mind the humidity. 

that is, until i run in the heat and the humidity at 5:30pm - which feels like the hottest part of the day.

if i don't run right when i get home from work, i usually lose motivation, want to play with banks, find a list of to-do's, see something intriguing on television, want to try a new recipe or simply eat. and, that's just not good. therefore, i tend to run right when i get home - in the crazy heat. it's great for water weight - sweating to death that is. 

a few five years ago i ran in the mornings with my great running buddy & friend, Sam.Life was good. Sam was a morning person. She amazed me when she would greet me with such bright eyes in the morning and tell me she had already watched the news, read the paper and had a few cups of coffee. But, she held me accountable and made me get up out of bed. All was good. I could relax in the evenings, and not have my workout hanging over my head all day and wonder how I would have enough energy and time to get a workout and EVERYTHING else done that day.

that brings me to today. i've considered trying to begin morning workouts once again. In the nice, cool cooler weather. It'd be done. I could spend more time with B in the evenings and not have to worry all day about how I would fit everything into my schedule. Plus, let's face it, so many things come up - friend's birthdays, dinner parties, visitors, work stuff, sales at the mall, ect - that sometimes workouts get cancelled in the evenings, which just throws me off. 

I've been trying to find the motivation to wake up early to do this. When I look at my phone and see it's 6:30 and my alarm is going off, I still hit snooze 3-4 times so I can sleep in stupid 5 minute intervals - like those extra 15-20 interrupted minutes of sleep make a big difference. B is now consistently sleeping through the night minus the few times he wakes up at 4 or 5 am, so I really have no excuse. I found these morning running facts as motivation for morning runs.

5 REASONS TO RUN IN THE MORNING VS. EVENING

Burn Fat

According to strength coach and bodybuilder Tom Venuto, exercising first thing in the morning helps you burn more fat. After sleeping, your body is in a semi-fasted state, and its carbohydrate stores are depleted. Carbs are your body's usual source of energy, so when they're not available, your body burns fat tissue to fuel your workout instead. Provided you keep your running at a low-to-moderate intensity, your body will burn primarily fat for fuel.

Stress Relief

Many runners often cite one benefit of running as stress relief -- a long run on your own with no distractions can be a beneficial way to take your mind off the pressures of work and family life, and help you relax. Personal trainer Christian Finn advises that getting your cardio out of the way first thing in the morning gives you the feeling of being one step closer to your goals, and it helps you stay in a positive mood for the rest of the day.

Convenience

Even the most dedicated exercisers often say they don't have time to work out, and that work, family and social commitments can take precedence over training. If you often find yourself having to stay late at work or attend various social events in the evening, then training in the morning is a way to include exercise in your schedule.

Weight Training

Running can help you lose fat and improve your body composition, but exercise programs should also include resistance training to help build lean muscle and burn fat. Charles Poliquin, owner of the Poliquin Performance Center for elite athletes, says strength training is best done either three or 11 hours after you wake up, as this is when your strength levels are at their highest and your joints are most mobile. You can run early in the morning and do weight training later in the day.

TIPS FOR RUNNING IN THE MORNING

Get to bed early.

Some people think they can watch late-night TV and still get up early for a run. Do yourself a favor –- DVR your favorite late TV shows and plan to get to bed in time to guarantee yourself 7-8 hours of sleep.

Or, lay out your clothes.Sleep in your running clothes.

This trick may seem a little bit silly, but runners who have tried it say that it works. Of course, don't sleep with your running shoes on -- those you'll have to put on once you get out of bed.

If you don't feel like sleeping in your clothes, at least lay them out, all ready to go. Having your clothes right there will make it much easier to get dressed to run. Some runners even like to put their clothes in the bathroom, which forces them to wake up a little and then get dressed. (Added bonus: If you have a snoozing spouse next to you, he or she will appreciate not being disturbed.)

Put your alarm clock out of reach.

When that alarm goes off early in the morning, it's tempting to keep hitting the snooze button and skip your running plans. But if your alarm clock is across the room, you're already out of bed and a lot less likely to say, "Just 10 more minutes…"

Have a training schedule.

If you're training for a specific race and following a training schedule, it's much harder to blow off those morning runs. You'll think to yourself, "I have to be ready for that half-marathon," or, "My schedule says 5 miles today. Gotta run."

Think about your plan the night before.

Plan out your morning run the night before -- how far, for how long, what course you'll run. Doing so will help you get more motivated for your run and ensure that you have enough time for your run before you start the rest of your day.

Get a morning running buddy.

If you usually run by yourself, try to recruit a running friend to meet you in the morning. Or,find a running group that meets in the morning. You'll be less likely to skip your run if you know people are waiting for you.

Eat something light.

It's never good to run on an empty stomach, but you most likely won't have a lot of extra time to eat and then digest your food. So, try eating something small like an energy bar or a banana, so you're not running on empty.

Drink some water.Wear reflective gear.

If you're running in the early morning, wear white, yellow, or orange clothes. Also, make sure you have reflective gear on. Although some items (running shoes, jackets) already have reflective pieces on them, it doesn't hurt to add more.

We'll see. I'm not 100% sold on losing sleep. Sam, I need you back!!!

A TASTE OF FATHER'S DAY.

i decided to do a themed bbq for father's day last weekend. i had a lot to celebrate - 3 great dads.

g, my dad, wayne, and g's dad, steve, all came over to celebrate their day. all 3 are so deserving of such a day as they all work hard and put their family first. i couldn't ask for any better men in my life! and it's a major plus that they all like the same things, and have fun getting together!

g started the day out with his favorite - cinnamon rolls - for breakfast and then all the guys headed out to play some golf in Newton. Mom and I fixed up some deliciousness for our bbq and bought plenty of beer for our beer tasting! it was a lot of fun!

so, cheers to all the dad's!