On This Day | 5.4.17

Holy cannoli! It's MAY?! I feel like it was just New Years Eve! 

Anyways, my usual "On This Day" post is here!

This was the last 5k I ran. It was a very fun race---very entertaining to say the least. If you've never been to Ada Hayden in northern Ames, you definitely need to go take a stroll, bike ride, or rollerblade on a nice day.

 According to my caption, I ran it with 0 lower back pain. Some time in 2014, I tried dead lifting 250+lbs. (not exactly sure...it was HEAVY) with awful form and hurt my back. I had pinched a nerve in my back before, but something was really wrong this time. It made everything difficult, especially running. So zero lower back pain was a big deal and it still is. I can feel my lower back tense up and get achy when I do the most ordinary things--vacuum, pick up sticks in the yard, getting clothes out of the dryer...I get a monthly massage and see the chiropractor just as often to make sure I get ahead of injuring myself again. So moral of the story, take care of your lower back people! 

Two Things In Life

I want to start off this post with this quote today....

It's hit home the last couple of days.

Blake found out that he has a type 4 SLAP tear. The worst of the 'types' in other words.

A really big bummer for us, especially for him.

But we will do what needs to be done & the comeback will be even better! Right?!


Anyways, this quote showed up on my Pinterest feed & it really resonated with me. I've just felt like I've let a lot of little things get to me lately mixed with being tired, and I haven't dealt with them the best way. We all have those days...But I have vowed to make a solid effort in remembering this quote with all the days to come whether it deals with work, LipSense, my friends, Blake, cleaning the house (lol), working out, etc.

Here's to better days!

Here's an attempt at a pic from last weekend with my crummy iPhone 6...Ha! We had a scrumptious dinner at Unkies and some tasty beverages. Date night is always da best!

On This Day | 4.27

This picture still fascinates me.

Although I wouldn't dive right into this water, I would love to be there in person in the beautiful weather and super sunny sun. Know what I mean?

I'm trying to think positively since our weather here in Iowa has gone to crap the last couple of days.

Cheers to Thursday, though!

A More Serious Note

Happy Hump Day ya'll!

I'm currently obsessing over Garden Tomato & Basil rice cakes and Sun Dried Tomato Mozzarella Laughing Cow Cheese as a snack. Seriously thee most flavorful snack! ...And bonus -- low cal, carbs, and fat. Can't beat that!

..........

On a more serious note...

Blake has been battling a painful shoulder for about a year. He's been to the doctor multiple times, had an MRI, etc. We were told, no surgery would be needed, and he took a month off from the gym like he was told. It started to feel 'much' better and he went back to the gym only to feel the irritation begin again. He has put some muscle back on that shoulder, but it's still bothering him. He has been doing physical therapy the last few weeks to work on whatever is going on only to be told by the PT that she was pretty sure he has a labral tear.

He went to the Dr. on this last Monday whom told him he's very sure it is a labral tear. He has another MRI this Thursday to confirm and then we will go from there. This MRI is the one where they inject some dye into his shoulder...it's over my head (knock on wood, I've never had to do this)!

So we both have been stressed out & a little scared what this could mean for the (near & far) future. I don't EVER say this so you know it's pretty serious...but if you're creating a 'prayer' list, I would please ask that you put Blake on it. He's come a long ways since we started dating when he first started getting into bodybuilding. It's a level him & I connect strongly on! So it would really bum me out if I was going to the gym by myself for many weeks/months to come. (This isn't about me, I know. But it's a full circle of what will be affected.) He's great at lifting, and he works extremely hard--to say the least, he pushes me to constantly strive to work harder and be better, because I love this bodybuilding life, too. It's tough to watch someone so passionate go down for something that isn't 'fair.' Here's to a heck of a lot of well wishes, positive reinforcements, and lots of deep breaths!

The Cozy Corner

In between reading my 'monthly' book, work, LipSense, working out, and trying to keep up with 'my' shows, I try to find some time to put my house together.

This past weekend, my dad let me borrow his (huge) truck to haul some furniture my mom was holding at her house / refurbished for me. You seriously should have seen me trying to drive my dad's truck. I have a tiny Ford Focus that is considered a "larger" compact car that I can seriously park almost anywhere. Blake sure got a kick out of it!

Anyways, so this chair started with me in my Ames, single bedroom apartment. I miss that apartment sometimes...however, I do not miss the monthly payment for that apartment ($$$$$$$), (what sounded like) an elementary PE class going on on the floor above me, and the constant smell of curry & (not allowed) dog in the hallway.

I'm excited my leopard chair is making an appearance in the 'new' crib. I call this..."The Cozy Corner." Very suitable for my reading habits and just a place to hang out (and for Beebs to sleep)!

We have an awkward space from the living room going to our stairs so this fits in it perfectly.

Now...to decorate the walls and get a rug!

 (Pics of the dresser my mom did to come!)

On This Day...2013.

Since I missed my "On this Day" yesterday, I thought i'd share some fun pics that showed up on it today!

This photo would be from my 23rd birthday in Des Moines. Lol...I laugh every time I see this.

If i'm doing the math right, this collage was made shortly after my friend Kayla's bachelorette party (where the pic of the left is from).

Ahhh sweet memories...

Easter Weekend 4.16.17

My weekend started off with an impromtu girls get together with these two wonderful ladies!

 Saturday was a much needed pamper & shopping day. I went with Jen, Taryn, & Nikki to get a mani and get myself moving for the day after Friday nights happenings.

We have lived in our house for almost a year, and a couple of weeks ago my mom came over to help me FINALLY hang up some decorations around the house. We don't have a TV downstairs (*yet*) so we decorated the fireplace. I'm a HUGE fan of gold decor, so my mom made the & canvas out of gold TACKS! How cool is that?! I won't lie, I found that steal of a SPRING sign, the gold jars, and the gold frame in the "dollar" spot at Target. Which is now known to me as the $3-$5 spot. The white candle sticks were bare until this weekend. The final touch...the faux (green) plant balls is what I like to refer to them as. 

The rest of Saturday was spent doing laundry, reading (Get Over Your Damn Self), and sleeeeping. Lots of cat naps happened with all of the rain we got!

Sunday. Easter. Blake and I got up late. Go figure. Decided to get dressed up and go have a late lunch. It was such a beautiful day!

Of course, with all of the ridiculous amounts of terrible food we consumed over the weekend, we had to head to the gym for a sweat sesh. I did my 2nd leg day of the week, while he did back, abs, and cardio. He just started going to physical therapy for his left shoulder/arm. So hopefully we will see some improvement in pain in the upcoming weeks!

I didn't capture much this weekend due to the fact that I feel like I am always carrying or on my phone and I vowed to set it down more than usual this weekend. It's something I should practice more often because it was refreshing not constantly refreshing my social media news feeds. :) See what I did there?