Summer Bucket List

Have I ever mentioned how much I love summer?! Oh wait, I'm pretty sure I have ;)

I love that days are longer, the pool is a weekly staple, nights are later and for some reason there's always this feeling of being a little more care free. Now let's not forget I'm not talking about the good ol' days of summer (you know when you didn't have to work)... now THOSE were the days. But... you can still have fun over the summer even if you are forced to be an adult ;)

I love making seasonal bucket lists because it forces me to add some fun into my day-to-day life! So below are my Summer Bucket List items that I'm hoping to accomplish this year!

1. Hike the Incline! Located in Manitou Springs (all you need to do is google is and you'll know what I'm talking about). I have a love/hate relationship with this mountain but always feel so accomplished when done and it makes for a fun day trip!

2. July 4th Fireworks/s'mores. I LOVE Fireworks! I definitely want to catch some this year either in our neighborhood area or a fun sporting event always has great fireworks!

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3. VACATION!!! I can't wait for our vacation and will share more info when it gets closer to the time

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4. Farmers Market. I love going to the Farmers Market especially in the summer! We love going to the one near our church and eating lots of yummy food! (And by eating I mean grabbing the free samples) ;)

5. POOL Days! Nothing says summer more than the smell of sunscreen and chlorine! I definitely want to be at the pool at least 1x/week this year

6. Day trip up to Vail! I love going up to Vail with my hubby, walking around, eating lunch and hiking. It's simply the best and I can't wait to check this one off the list!

7. BBQ with friends! What says summer more than a bbq?! Definitely want to check this one off multiple times this summer!

Dreaming of summer

Ahhh... summer. I am loving the mild weather and am so excited for spring and summer!! One of many house projects we have upcoming this year is our side yard. Our yard is not very big, so a full grassy lawn is not in our future. Below are some of my ideas and wish lists. Mainly I want a place for white lights, comfy furniture and a fire pit. I love the look of grass growing in-between the concrete, although I don't think my husband finds that all too realistic with our yard, but hey a girl can dream, right?? I love white lights in a backyard, to me it screams: SUMMER, SMORES AND LATE NIGHTS!! And by late nights I mean I'm usually in bed by 9:30 

*All pictures from Pinterest and Houzz.com

I'm not sure the built in benches would work for us, but don't you love this look?? And again, love the fire pit!

We are definitely wanting a fire pit, but again our yard is pretty tiny. So, something similar to below is  more what I'm thinking! thoughts? 

If these pictures don't get you excited for summer, well I don't know what else would! When we complete our project I will definitely post our finished product! :)

Whole30 Journey... for real this time.

Let me preface this post by saying I am 100% aware that I have said I am doing Whole30 many times before, but this time is for real. This time I have no excuses. This time I am prepared (slightly dreading it) but ready for the journey. I am tired of having stomach aches all the time, I am tired of being tired, I am tired of inflammation in my hip, I am tired of random acne breakouts and I am tired of my excuses. I am so excited because my husband has decided to do it with me this time, so we are tag teaming it and it is so helpful! 

We went grocery shopping yesterday (easiest grocery trip ever)! Meat, vegetables, eggs, fruit and healthy fats. Done.

I will be documenting my Whole30 journey on this blog and give my honest opinions, feedback and difficulties. I will be honest throughout my journey and when I say I feel like crap I will truly mean I feel like crap! ;)

Today is Day 1. Today has been easy so far. Although it's only 10:30 in the morning... We woke up, worked out and had our first meal.

Meal 1:

Eggs cooked with ghee

Avocado

Bacon

Sauteed spinach

tea (unsweetened)

Water

There you have it ladies and gents. Our first meal and 2 more to come. If you are on the fence or have absolutely no desire to complete this plan I challenge you to change your mind and give it a try. I highly recommend reading the book because it helps you understand the reason/point of completing this program. 

HAPPY MARCH!!!

Is it just me or is everyone else sick of this cold/freezing/awful/hate it weather?! I've never been big into the snow/cold unless it's Christmas so sunshine and 70's can make an appearance any day now! I cannot believe it's already March 2nd?! Where does the time go? Oh, and if you've been reading this blog you know that I say that almost every time I post. Since the year is pretty much moving full speed ahead I decided to write down some of my March goals. 

1. Focus on my own life. With Facebook, instagram, twitter, vine, pinterest and all other forms of social media it is so easy to get caught up in everyone's life and their "best moments" that you lose sight of your own life. Or maybe that's just me ;) 

2. Choose to focus on the Lord and spend time in my Bible each day or morning.

3. Workout 4x/week (You'll here me say this all the time, but you'll be proud to know I've been sticking with it 3-4x/week!)

4. EAT HEALTHY. I mean, how many stomach aches do I need to get before I realize eating bad is just not my thing. I"m working on it.

5. Plan a get together 1x/week with friends. 

6. Have 2 couples over for dinner. 

7. Read a book. 

Ok, those are my March goals. Pretty attainable I would say. What are your goals this month?

Ramblings

Hey Everyone!! :) Happy Monday and umm HELLO gorgeous weather!? Seriously. I have officially decided to break up with winter until December 24th and then it can go away again December 26th. I am not a fan of cold, cloudy or snowy weather. Done. 

I can't say I've really been crazy busy over here but for some reason I haven't blogged since mid-January?! I am really going to try and get better at this. Below are just a couple of things that have made me pretty excited over here... aka shopping.

I got this tote from Urban Outfitters and I am absolutely IN.LOVE. It's reversible and really good quality! They have a ton of different colors, I chose the brown/purple. If you are in need of a good sized tote for work, school or life in general definitely go check these out! 

With my 2015 health kick and training for my 1/2 marathon, yep that's right people I'm actually sticking with a health goal I decided new workout gear is a must. I am that person running on the trail in a raggy (I don't even know if that's a word) and shorts that are too big... SOOO I decided to get some cute leggings and a tank to go with it. If you hurry into Nordstrom right now these are on sale and I'm obsessed.

I haven't got these yet but here a few more items on my "soon to buy" wish list!

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I've decided I need some cute lounge sneakers to just wear with an outfit or go on a walk. I don't always like wearing my running shoes just while running errands I feel like it wears them out quicker!

Speaking of running shoes, I need some new ones. I honestly go for style and then comfort (I know so lame) so these are some I have my eye on...

I am a big fan of Asics and have been wearing them religiously for the past 8 years. Here are my favorites and can be found at Runners Roost

Gel Kayano 21

GT 2000-3

Soon I will have a recap on my recent getaway to Chicago with the hubs! 

Hope y'all have a good week!

2015 GOALS

2015 GOALS

(pictures from Pinterest)

Hey y'all!! Can you believe it's 2015?! Let me preface this post by saying I will be rambling for 99% of it, so if you can have patience with me... here I go ;)

I know people say this all the time but I honestly felt like 2014 was a blur. One minute we were ringing in the new year and the next it was Christmas. I have never had a year fly by so fast, and it made me realize 2015 I want to slow down, cherish moments and stop looking forward so much. That sounds strange since I"m writing a post about 2015 goals, but one of my main goals this year is to not plan and look ahead so much. Stop, focus on the moment and be thankful. In 2014 I turned 28 and at first I thought... ugh so.old. (I know, don't judge me, that's still very young) and then someone said, be thankful you're 28. Some people never live to see that age. SO TRUE! Why would I ever complain about being 28?! This year I want to focus on first and foremost my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am learning every moment of every day that without Him I can do nothing. Without the Lord I am nothing. Without his Grace and Love and Faithfulness where would I even be? To me, that is the most wonderful place to be in, looking to Him for all things in my life. 

Now you're probably wondering when the heck I'm going to write about my goals... ok ok. Here I go:

1. Study and focus on the Lord every day, even if it's for 5 minutes in the morning.

2. Be kind. Choose to show God's love towards people. Everyone has an off day, so I want to learn to cut people slack. (Unless you're that idiot driver who cuts me off... then no.) ;)

3. Focus on HEALTH (A whole different post). I don't want to look at health as skinny, or a # on the scale this year. I want to feel good. Feel healthy. Have energy. Exercise. Look at food as nutrition.

4. Workout as much as possible. I don't want to necessarily put a # per week on this because I don't feel like that's realistic. Every week or day will hold a different challenge, but I want to focus on working out as a somewhat priority in my life this year.

5. STOP PLANNING AHEAD! Now I know there is a degree of planning that is necessary as an adult, I get that. But I have a tendency to plan so much that when things don't go exactly how I think they should it throws me in a fit. No, seriously. I throw grown-up tantrums. It's a problem... ;) I want to just take each day as it comes. Enjoy every single moment. The good, the bad... everything. I know who holds my future and I want to rest in that.

6. Be more spontaneous. I have a tendency to stick to a schedule, go to bed around the same time and during the "work week" prefer staying "on schedule" I do find this to be important but I also want to be more open to randomly doing different things even if it's on a "work day" :)

7. Travel! I LOVE traveling and experiencing new and familiar places. I want to travel more even if it's a short weekend trip!

That's all for now. I'm sure there's bigger and smaller goals but for now this is good. I will update as the year goes on!! :) What are your big and small goals for 2015?! 

Merry Christmas!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (one day later)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends!! I am thankful to know the real reason we celebrate Christmas is to remember our Savior's birth. It was a wonderful season and I am enjoying our white Christmas! Having snow on Christmas Day made it all the more magical! 

Today... (the 26th) I am now taking down all Christmas decorations, cleaning the house and getting ready to start fresh for the new Year. So cliche, I know and yet it makes me feel ready to start the new year off with a clean slate! :) 

Come back soon for my FRESH START 2015 posts! Health, fitness, fun, 2015 goals....etc. :) 

Again, Merry Christmas!

Skipping over November

I've decided since I am so behind on posting I'm just going to skip over November... haha ;) I am in full Christmas mode over here. Christmas music 24/7, decorating, decorating gingerbread houses... and the list could go on. This holiday season I really wanted to get my shopping done early and focus on making memories! So, below is my Christmas Bucket List :)

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1. Make Gingerbread houses- CHECK!

2. Drive around, drink hot chocolate and look at lights

3. Decorate the house- CHECK!

4. Watch Christmas Movies (White Christmas, The Grinch, EVERY.SINGLE.HALLMARK.MOVIE...etc.)

5. Go down to Union Station for date night (It's decorated so pretty for Christmas)

6. Get a chocolate advent calendar - CHECK

7. Have all presents bought and wrapped by first weekend of December- almost there!

8. Bake. Bake. Bake. (I mean... it's a standard rule to gain 5 pounds over the holidays) ;)

9. Go down to the Broadmoor for brunch

10. ENJOY every moment of the Christmas season! :) It's my favorite time of year!!

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Date Day 1.0

This past Wednesday my husband and I spent our first day off acting like Denver tourists! In a previous post I had expressed my excitement about having a day off together each week, and the first day did not disappoint! First stop... fresh juice of course! :)

This is my favorite new place... EVER! Forget Starbucks I would rather have a delicious fresh juice! Oh, and ignore that mine is almost gone in this picture! ;)

Nekter Juice

Next stop... down town to the new Union Station! We had so much fun! I had no idea how amazing it was inside, with restaurants, shops and even a hotel! I felt like a real tourist and didn't mind it one bit! 

Oh, and of course it's not an adventure without our photogenic photos ;) 

This is his: "Please do not take a photo of me" I mean... if you couldn't tell! 

This is his... "Fine... this is all you get." I'll take it! ;)

I'm so happy to be here!!

This is me trying to jump in front of Union Station. And this is my husband trying to capture it. FAIL.

And one more to show how happy we are! ;) We had the best day and I am so happy we get to spend more time together! Bring on the next week!

Nails like no other!

 I LOVE having pretty nails, but hardly ever do because I'm too busy picking at them, biting them, too busy to paint them (and when I do, it looks like a 3 year old did it), and quite honestly pedicures and manicures are NOT in the budget for awhile.  

As a teacher, I try to present myself professionally and stylish.  To me, part of that look includes manicured hands (and feet, especially when we're in group and the kids are glaring at my toes, awkward!!).  Is it weird that I care how my cuticles and nails look on the projector cam?  Well, I do, because believe me…I still remember my teachers that dressed funny and smelled gross...and I don't want to be remembered in the same way, with yucky hands or feet hahaha!!

I was invited to shop on an online Jamberry party and the products definitely caught my interest!  Read the chalk board to learn more:

What stood out to me were the ADORABLE patterns and fun color combos, and the fact that I wouldn't have to paint my nails.  

This reminds me of Frozen, and I love them for winter!

Pretty in pink

SO CUTE for fall! I want this set!!

They work on toes too!

Don't forget, little girls like having pretty nails too!

I finally gave in and purchased a sheet, and I cannot wait until my order gets here!  

I know I have some stylish ladies in my life, and I wanted to be sure and share this cool (new?) trend with all of you.  I've decided to host an online party, and I hope you indulge in a little shopping to satisfy your girly needs!!

Here are the online details:

Follow this link to purchase through our party: Buy Now!

For more updates on the party, follow us on Instagram @ajlifestyleblog
and join our Facebook group

For more information contact Daysha:

dayshaklun@gmail.com

Spread the word, consider hosting your own party, and earn free stuff!!