Ugh, Accountability

I am on the homestretch of the Whole30!
This is officially my last dedicated weekend to the program, and for the first time since I started that I woke up and reaaaally wanted actual pancakes. With blueberries and syrup. And actual butter. It was a tough sell not giving in, but I'm not about to screw this up now.

SO INSTEAD, I hauled myself out of bed and straight to the gym. And from there, out to the store to pick up the pillows I needed to finish up the guest bedroom. I mean, what's a good alternative to shoveling your face with food you can't eat? Answer: HIIT bicep & tricep circuits, followed by throwing money into the first level of domestic hell: decorating.

I managed to haul myself and eight pillows ranging from king-sized to euro, from the mall to the car, and then home, where I was greeted by the task of climbing up on the roof to take the Christmas lights down. Yes, we're those people with lights up at the end of January, shush. 

So I did the domestic thing (I'll post pics later, bc I'm over it currently). And then... I napped.
More like, I sought out the nearest coma and nose-dove face first into it, clad in sweats, a robe and freshly-showered hair that morphed into a petrified cloud as I slept. Let me also be clear here, that my pre-nap lunch of turkey hash... and the post-lunch snack of a Lara Bar did very little to satisfy the craving I had just before that for an actual chicken quesadilla, 13 donuts and a bowl of sticky rice. I am not kidding - although reticent, but meh -  when I say that the degree of food-want I experienced today could potentially have rivaled the weird collabo of stuff I demanded when I was actually pregnant.

>> I'm not pregnant, btw. <<

I woke up to Jessica on her way, which was probably the saving thread between me and the annihilation of what progress I've made this month on W30. I threw on the lowest-qualifying version of presentable and made a quick run to the store for just the essentials: cauliflower, pineapple, sweet potatoes, turmeric, ground turkey and lemons (again, I know...). I made it back, made dinner and even had some help with the golden milk at the end.


Good grief. I'm finally not hungry at this exact moment but for the first time this month, that was a close, close call.....

Stay tuned for a couple more days, and I'll have a full line of feedback for you on this Whole30 thing, AND I promise that it's not nearly as ridiculous as it sounds from this singular post. I've joked plenty in this entry, but the reality is that I most definitely endorse W30 and am quite happy with what it's done for me in just these few weeks. That'll be its own entry for another day - maybe Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Bottom line - if you're out there doing the January Whole30, HANG IN THERE! We've almost got this, and just have a few more days. We. Can. DO IT! :)

..... And with that in mind, I'm out, before I change my mind and eat more food ;)
G'Nite!

xo | cms

A BRONZE FRIYAY!

TGIF!

Today I walked into my office and was greeted by all of this, because my office collectively hit a new milestone of Bronze Circle. In my world (Express), that's a big deal, and is indicative of a team that puts in the dirty work. I am surrounded by some incredibly talented people, and we are blessed to have leaders who will go the distance just to say thank you.

happy friday!

And yes, we did. 

fruit and fizzy.. 

Really not a bad way to end the week, at all! I'm so proud to be a part of my team, and thankful every day lately that I'm back in a place where I can fully function, with a team that is right there with me. 

TGIF, ya'll. It's time for me to rest up; tomorrow is going to be a long day ;) 

xo | cms

T H E L A S T M O V I N G D A Y

God willing, that is.

We spent the first half of today at the mercy of a 26-foot box truck:

loaded up! 

on the roaaaad again... 

I cannot express the appreciation I have today especially for good friends: Mike, Andrew & Jessica, ya'll are life savers. This would have been a very different day if the three of you hadn't made an appearance and donated your time, brute strength and encouragement. Haha.

At the new house, the boys took to unloading the big stuff, while Jessica and I committed to building furniture. This wouldn't have been a priority, except that Rob's parents were due in town in the evening and otherwise would've been shacked up on the couch... which... no. So bed-building it was! Ikea certainly doesn't operate on any shortage of screws, bolts, washers, nails and HOLES DRILLED THE WRONG SIZE.. haha. The hammer ran a marathon today, but we made it happen. 

go go ikea go!

The frame was built and the mattresses were laid. The guys showed up at the last minute before the mattress pads and bedding were added, to test it out:

exhausted movers approved.

mattress topped! 

It was nothing more than a blink it seemed between the time that Andrew, Jessica and Mike left, and Rob's parents arrived. When they did, this little blur came tumbling out of the car. Meet the newest addition to his dad's house: Duke the pomsky! 

duke

stop it, ya cutie.. 

I'm obsessed. Seriously. This dog is so freakin' adorable, it's disgusting. 

dog selfies. dogfies. 

^ I mean... c'mon. Look at this guy! I'm excited to head back to Illinois in a couple months or so to visit and see how much he's grown. 

In the meantime, we've just inhaled dinner out of styrofoam boxes with plastic utensils, because the dishers and real flatware are hiding in some unmarked box somewhere in this place still. That's all part of the adventure though, right? Hah. 

We're all spent. See ya in the mornin!

xo | cmd

Adios, Nash Bash..

We left Nashville today. I have to believe I wasn't the only one who was beyond exhausted as we prepared for our individual drives back from where we'd originated on this trip.

Before we left, we left one final stamp of ourselves to celebrate this weekend. Kalyn will fill in the picture later :).

 

The idea was tossed out to set up a camera on the mailbox to capture some group shots of us. It was only a couple thousand takes it seemed before we were able to get the ones we needed. We certainly looked more like normal humans than the dolled up specimens we were for the past two nights, and I think I loved this the most. 

And of course, the obligatory - and hilariously necessary - group jumping pic: 

The drive home was a laborious one, given that we were all spent from the weekend festivities. Kara, Kalyn and I stopped in Lexington for lunch at Cosi before parting ways again. Kalyn headed back to the Gorge, while Kara and I made the last leg of the trip back to Cincinnati. Once Kara was dropped off, it was home again for me, where I was greeted by my two loves that had spent the weekend on quests of their own - boats, pancakes and home videos of cows and horses. Haha.. 

Oh, and THIS! 

tooth #3 - gone!

I... am... crazy tired. Folks, see ya in the morning! 

xo | cmd

Saturday Shenanigans: Nash Bach Style

Saturday morning in Nashville, in a [gorgeous] rented house you're sharing with nine other women:

Yoga.
Coffee.
Breakfast.
A Barrage of Planning.
More Yoga.
More Coffee.
More Breakfast.

I was never in a sorority in college, nor did I ever spend time living in close quarters with more than 3 other women at a time for an extended period of time. The closest I think I ever came was sharing a bus and hotel rooms with other soccer girls, but when there's no practices, diet regulating and ice baths to top it off, it's a totally different experience. I'll admit I'm totally out of my element here, but I don't dislike it. It's a fun change of pace, and I found out today that I really appreciate it and them. 

The afternoon portion of our Saturday was dedicated to a Country Swagger dance class at Studio Goddess in Nashville. SG is cute little watering hole [dance studio] for weekend bachelorette parties to congregate and attempt to absorb basic choreography. 

And they give you champagne, just in case you need some fizzy courage to egg you into doing it. 

.... like so!
[back] kelsey. jess. jess. maddie. kara
[front] layla. dalia. britt. cori. kalyn

Okay, okay, okay. We, as a group are probably not in line to be the next slam dunk backup crew, but we didn't do half bad for whatever stunted focus we had on what our instructor was trying to show us. We're not awesome dancers, and that's ok. 

We are however, apt to nail a good pyramid at any given moment. Maybe not the first time... obviously.. but when we get it, we're good! 

hahahaha

Ladies, you're a riot. 

Dance class ended, so we made our way a few blocks down to Jackalope, a tap room that looked like The Eagle in Cincinnati blended with every other rustic-esque bar I saw in Phoenix. 

those 2 darling sisters!

We grabbed our brews from the bar and found ourselves a cubby spot on the stairs outside. Cheeeers to you, Britt!!

and the other sister! 

cheers to you, b!

random asics picture.. team tennis shoes here.. 

Before we left, we obliged a photo opportunity from a pretty wall on the other side of Jackalope, in the only way we knew how... 

layla. cori. kalyn. kelsey.

handstand practice

Back at the homestead, we tested Brittany's guessing abilities, something that I will never again underestimate! We each bought Britt a pair of underwear, and when it came down to guessing who purchased what, she was 6 for 10, and guessed the first 3 in a row correctly. Nailed it, B! 

brittany, the queen of guessing! 

And then.... came the prep for our second and final night out to celebrate Britt's final soiree as a single gal. 

had to snag some with this girl.. love you, kp! 

And the night out! 

the bridal party, minus mandy

kara. britt. dalia.

philippines & mexico here as the "brown girls" hahah

It wasn't as wild as last night, but it was just as late when we returned to our little house on Holley. Layla had the excellent idea before we left to do before & after mugshots, and I'm so glad she did - they came out great! 

Tomorrow we head back home, but not before what I'm sure will be a few more surprises and a little more laughing. For now, gooood night! 

xo | cmd

Nashvegas Bound: Britt's Bach!

'Tis the seaaaason! 

Okay, well not yet, but we're quickly approaching the wedding season, and there's no better way we figured to kick that off than with a Nashville bachelorette weekend to celebrate Brittany's last few weeks as a single woman.

britt & wayne | 4.1.16
can't wait! 

I started the morning off by dropping Sydni at school; I won't see her again until Sunday night [sad face], so it was fitting and fun that we were able to sleep in a little and head off to school together. From there, it was rental car pick-up, luggage loading and then leaving..... right?

Well, almost: 

thank you sasha..... 

^^ My perpetually-delayed everything dog, Sasha, managed to finagle her way off her tether in the backyard today, and in the course of the 7 minutes she was out there anyway, tumbled through some sort of mud and came back in to greet me looking like this. Typical Sasha. 

So after I cleaned up the dog and the trail of chaos she dragged in with her, I departed for the first leg of the journey: Pick up Kara and meet Kalyn in Lexington. The journey begins! 

Kara and I drove to Lexington, where we rendezvoused with Kalyn and continued on to Nashville: 

hello, super photoshopped nashville picture i pulled from google..... 

[^ the picture I took as we entered the city included the AT&T Batman tower, too, but looked more like it was taken from a 2001 digi cam, sooooo.... ]

We arrived at the house we'll be inhabiting for the course of this weekend, where Britt & Co. were already assembled. The cast was complete, and we readied ourselves for a full roster of bachelorette-based activities. 

It's awesome when a group is comprised of various - and very different - walks of life, personal interests, careers, political views and whatever else there is that can vary [so basically anything goes]. I met a few of these women for the first time, and realized very quickly that we come from the same planet, but from very different worlds. 

And ya know what? I loved it :). 

To my cousin Maricor, the Sephora manager & makeup artist extraordinaire: 

These women are your tribe, seriously. I don't know how ya'll do it, but I'm flat out impressed - and a little jealous - that ya'll can draw all over your faces for hours with this makeup stuff
& still manage to not look like you got attacked by a box of crayons. Ya'll are talented, and
I..... am lost. High five, you make-up queens!

look at those artists :p 

After Dalia, Layla, Kara and Brittany came to the rescue, Kalyn and I [the two with the least amount of makeup ability] managed to put on faces for the night and did so with minimal mistake. Success!

Some highlights from the pre-trip:

i didn't do too bad on my own :) 

i hardly ever get to see this girl anymore.. jess, you're such a beaut!

the bride getting her gear!

freakin' adorable!

love you b! happy bach!!

the sisters, aka the blonde kardashians.. haha
kalyn. brittany. kara.

And then it was off to Merchant's for dinner!

cheers to this girl haha :) 

yummmmm! 

with the lovely powell sisters
brittany. kalyn. cori 

kalyn. cori. jess ♥

oh, the antics.. 

[top left] britt. maddie. jess. 
[top right] dalia. jess. layla 
[bottom] cori. kalyn. layla. kelsey. britt

Our original plans [I thought] were to get dinner and then head home for the evening, but once we'd filled up on delicious food, we thought we'd take advantage of already being in the heart of downtown Nashville. So off we set...

the tribe! 

It was an interesting evening from the time we set foot outside of Merchant's, but still a fun experience. We retired to the house via Uber with sore feet and a few fun surprises still in store.

Kalyn's birthday is Thursday [my present to her is back in Lexington in the trunk of her car.. haha], but Brittany pulled some stops to do one gift before the night was over.

the almost birthday girl :p 

Pajamas were all around, which was a great way to phase out the night, in the company of 9 other hilarious women.

the "brown girls" here to represent the philippines & mexico! ;) 

And yes, this is a backdated entry... it got late, and we got tired.

bedtime! 

See you in the morning, for our Studio Goddess dance class!

xo | cmd