Lack o' Motivation

Source: a-fitspirational-blonde.tumblr.com via Christina on Pinterest

Lately I've been more drained than ever. I feel as though I only do three things:

1.) Work
2.) Eat
3.) Sleep

I work all day, dealing with some pretty stressful things too lately... I come home help put on a meal and eat it then I promptly fall asleep on the couch until the hubs comes and wakes me up and I move to the bed where I lay awake for an hour or two and eventually fall back asleep. Riveting! I know this isn't going to last. I know my body is preparing for this little one and I should be grateful that I am getting as much sleep as I am now. And I am. But I'm ready to feel like my old self again. Motivated, productive, inspired...

Today although I feel like crap (got little sleep thanks to my neighboors kids having a party) I have some major motivation to get my house/baby stuff in order. I hope that by the end of the day today when I get home I still have that motivation - you never know.

1.) I have three baskets full of clean clothes to fold/put away
2.) I have another basket full of clothes, blankets, towels, bibs etc for Vincent that needs to be washed and put away
3.) I want to order his bedding today
4.) I need to sort and organize all of our wonderful gifts from our latest shower
5.) Put together items that need to be taken back (some dupes)
6.) Take back said dupes
7.) I need to start Thank you cards
8.) I should pack the hospital bag within the next couple weeks because hey - you never know.
9.) Make a list of things we still need to get before his arrival
10.) Deposit checks/money from shower to buy said gifts.
11.) Put the finishing touches on his nursery.

I reallllly hope I find and hold onto some motivation because we have less than 7 weeks and I still have a lot to do. I am ready and not ready for him all at the same time. I am ready to meet him and kiss him and start our lives together but I dont think I am quite ready mentally and emotionally for this. This experience is going to be life changing for both Mike and I and I think I need some more time to prepare for what it all means. I just need to do it, right? I just need to wash his clothes because i'll be happier once he is here and I dont have to worry about it. I just need to sort through the heap of gifts because once it's all organized i'll be able to enjoy the last couple weeks before he arrives in peace. I'm just going to do it. No matter how tired I am. Ok i am going to go take a nap now. Hah just kidding.

Yes.

I am not going to lie to you. I didn't watch the Superbowl. I was far too tired to even care. I heard the game was pretty good, the half time show was meh... but I kept hearing everyone talk about the Clint Eastwood commercial. Being a Michigander and living right outside of Detroit, this commercial really struck a cord. Take a watch for yourself.

2011 in Review

This year has been one carazy year. Tons of fun stuff to reflect on, so lets take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

January - brought in the new year right.  Spent it with family and friends drinking, eating, dancing, singing.  It was perfection.  I find that over the years, going out and going crazy lost it’s appeal.  Staying in and bringing in 2011 at home felt right.

Went on photography adventure with my mom in downtown Birmingham

February – Mom and I with the help of my wonderful husband who drove us to Ohio and waited anywhere between 5-6 hours for us to get through all the lines where we met the Pioneer Woman and got her book signed.

I also started my new job as an HR manager.  SCARY!!!!!!!!!

March – Started making my own Ice Chai Latte’s – YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!

April – I talked about my favorite things

 

May – Mike and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary by keeping it low key.  We went out to lunch, saw a movie, had some ice cream and had dinner.  YAY!

My mom won tickets to the Oprah show’s very.last.show. no joke.  So we took the train down to Chicago and spent 3 days there sight seeing and having a wonderful time.

June – We got rained out in a big way.

July – Did some more with my photography, once again using Birmingham and Royal Oak as my muse

Treated myself to a lovely massage

Saw a Tiger Game with Mike and Family.

- Took our first pregnancy test and it came back positive!!!!

August – We celebrated a bunch of birthdays including

- My dad
- Mike
- My nephew

We also found out we were officially pregnant!!!!!!! Due in March!

September – Mike and I visited Washington DC and some friends.

October – Celebrated my birthday by visiting Saugatuck on the west side of the state with the Hubs.  We stayed at a very cute bed and breakfast, walked around the town, had a delicious lunch and bought a painting for our kitchen.  It was lovely!

 

November – Celebrated our 4th Thanksgiving with one another, Prepared for the holidays

Got a shellac manicure for the first time that lasted like 17 days.

 

December – Celebrated our 5th Christmas together, started putting the nursery together, paid off 2 credit cards (woot) Saved more money for baby fund, and ate a lot!

2011 was amazing.  No joke.  I am so grateful to God that he has blessed me and my family with goodness this year.  I traveled this year, I met new people, I tried new things, I failed at others, I saw a lot of movies, didn’t read nearly half as many books as I wanted, started a new job, found out we were pregnant, found out we were having a baby boy, kicked ass with our finances, and learned to love more and truly be grateful for all our blessing because life is good.  Looking forward to an amazing 2012

'Tis the Season

It's right around this time we all decide to give a little more than usual, try a little harder to be nice, remember to send cards to those we haven't bothered to pick up the phone just to chat in months. I do it too. The whole year I get wrapped up in me, my life, my problems... and once again the season comes around I am reminded that this season is much more than the gifts under the tree, the perfect decorations we set up in our home, the gingerbread candle we burn on our coffee tables. It's about Jesus, who was born on this day to live and die for us. It's about giving than receiving.

I wish I was better at applying these things year round - remembering and actively participating in my faith on a constant basis rather than a holiday basis, being nicer throughout the year to those around me whether or not I know them, to giving more than receiving, to not being selfish and remember that I am only human. I am imperfect. I get caught up in "making memories" and building traditions. And while those are magical things, I have to remember it's not everything. Sitting down and reflecting on all my blessings. I have so many. And remembering that not every aspect of my life is going to be perfect. Nor should I want it too. I am seriously blessed. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with emotion thinking how God has blessed me. How am I so lucky?

We are doing an Adopt a Family at work. The family is going through hard times, hard times I hope I'll never have to endure. They have three small children and the parents want to be able to provide something to their children... I can't say I blame them. So I signed up to purchase a couple gifts for the children. They wrote out what they wanted (toys) and I went to Target to pick them up. I didn't think too much about it that day, just grabbed some stuff off the shelves, threw them in my cart and checked out. A couple days later, I brought them back out to wrap them and I just stared at the presents and almost started crying. I was able to do this for that family. Me. It's not like I am rolling around in the dough, yet I was able to provide those parents a couple gifts for their children to open on Christmas day. That's a blessing. That I was able to do that for that family. Now I am not looking for kudos on doing a nice deed, I am simply stating that at that moment in time I didn't realize how lucky I am to give this season.

I am going to make a conscience effort to do better not just this holiday season but year round because God has blessed me enough to where I can. Tis the season to do better to be better and to give!

Fall Bucket List

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It's my favorite season yo! AND it shall soon be my birthday month. Less than three weeks away! Hooray! I love fall. The cool air, the sun shinning, the starbucks pumpkin spice latte's and salted caramel mochas, the scarves, the boots the feeling of closing out another year and making the last couple months speacial. I want to make sure I make time to really enjoy the season so I have come up with a couple fall bucket list items I want to accomplish this season. Here they are, in no particular order:

1.) Go apple picking
2.) Make Leaf Art
3.) Go on a hayride
4.) Make homemade caramel apples
5.) Go to a pumpkin patch and pick out some pumpkins
6.) Carve pumpkins and cook seeds
7.) Make fall cookies (Hello, chocolate chip pumpkin cookies)
8.) Make a pie....from scratch!

Hope you all are enjoying this fall weather - if you get it! Michigan had a beautiful weekend with lots of sunshine and crisp breezes! Have a great rest of the day!

A-Z: ME!!!!!!!!!

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A. Age: 25
B. Bed size: Queen - wish it were a King
C. Chore that you hate: Washing dishes. It's the worst!!!
D. Dogs: the sweetest little Yorkie - Mimi. We love her so
E. Essential start to your day: Shower.
F. Favorite color: Plum Purple
G. Gold or Silver: Both - Equally!
H. Height: 5'5"
I. Instruments you play: A little Piano
J. Job title: HR Manager
K. Kids: Our little Mimi and one in the oven!
L. Live: Metro-Detroit
M. Mother’s name: Marcella
N. Nicknames: No nicknames since H.S.
O. Overnight hospital stays: never - amen
P. Pet peeves: Cockiness, Overly Judgmental
Q. Quote from a movie: "It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. Sometimes it takes a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see. Ask yourself, how many people in the world can truly make you feel rare, pure, and extraordinary?" - Marley and Me
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Older Bro - Martin
T. Time you wake up: Around 6:15 AM ugh!
U. Underwear: Yes.
V. Vegetable you hate: Broccoli and Cauliflower - ew
W. What makes you run late: Laying around and not moving faster.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: teeth, ankles, right hand, chest, head
Y. Yummy food that you make: Chicken Enchiladas
Z. Zoo animal: Giraffe!

August...you creul beeotch

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August has been one of the most insane months this year. My work had three recruiting sessions this month which meant I was traveling every single week 2 hours away, interviewing, background checks, orientations, and more. We have a couple week reprieve then we are back on the road again. I am playing catch up with my e-mails, paperwork and trying to keep everything straight. We also had 5 birthday's and an anniversary to celebrate. But alas, I feel pretty content today.

My poor house is in shambles. My car needs an oil change, a good vacuum and a wash. My purse is in two different purses currently, I need to stock up the house, I need a new shower liner thing because mine is getting nasty, I need to clean a sink full of pots and pans, I need to catch up on laundry, and I need to pack for our vacation. We are also going to make time to see my brother and my sister in law when they come in Wednesday night. We are shooting for Thursday and Friday. So as you can see, my August has been absolutely chaotic right down to the very last days.

I also saw something very traumatic this month, it was the first time I ever had to call 911 and it was the 2nd worse thing i've seen in my life. It makes me thank God for my blessings and those who I keep close and cherish. It makes you realize that life is precious and we just dont know. We are playing out our lives, but let's be real - we have no control. None. We experience the things we do for a reason, we are placed in each others lives for a reason and God is protecting and watching over us at all times. I know this. I thank God for putting me in that place that day, regardless of how hard it was, so I could learn another very valuable lesson. Thank you God, thank you.

That was a lot to unload about this month... but since I haven't opened my laptop in ages and im barely hanging on with Twitter, I wanted to touch base and talk about this crazy ass month. I've never felt closer to God than I have this month... and I am happy for that. I hope you all have a splendid rest of the month, and I'll try to do another post before I leave for our vacation. Take care!

Inspiration: Yellow!

 

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My mommy.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and best friend.  Words cannot describe the love I have for her, or the fact that I have to talk to her a couple times a day, or how she just gets me.  I love you mom, more than you know and I wish you all the happiness and love in the world.  Love you lots. xoxoxo.  Your loving daughter.

Downtown

Today has been such a fun day! My mom and I decided to have a fun day out in Downtown Birmingham/Royal Oak area. As I waited for her to arrive, I hung out with the little one. She and I played on the bed with her toys... I just love her!



Afterwards, my mom stopped by and we were off. We had such a great time going in and out of shops, sipping coffee, eating the most dfelcious, smallest cupcake on the face of the earth. We met some interesting people, looked at some amazing (and expensive) items and topped off the day with a great movie and a delicious dinner at DeLucas. It was a great day, and luckily even though it was cold, we had the sun shinning down.

























I had such a great time with my mom. And I was so excited and proud that I learned some new tricks with my camera. It has been far to long since I picked it up, but when I did it felt like I never put it down. :)

Thanks for the great day Mom! Love you :)

Hooray for love!

I am happy to announce that my brother and this long time girlfriend of over 6 years will celebrate with family and friends this weekend as they begin their journey as husband and wife. I am so honored and happy that both Mike and I will be standing with them as they exchange vows and commit their lives with each other. I couldn’t be more happy and excited for them and wish them nothing by the best in life. So this weekend, we will all make the journey up north and spend the weekend partying and celebrating this happy event.

Congratulations Marty and Melissa, I love you both so much!