Whew....I didn't go exactly a WHOLE year without posting.

Where does the time go? I can't believe it was last June that I posted. A lot has happened of course! I continue to work at Advanced Dermatology and Assure Women's Center. We got a new manager at our Dermatology clinic which has been awesome and I really enjoy the hours & people I work with. My patients always make me laugh and it is great to see them when they are feeling for the most part well :) I'm attempting to get more hours at Assure because I love the mission there! For now I'm working on being content with two Thursdays a month.
BIG NEWS! Found out my best friend and her husband are expecting their first Baby in August! Kendra has been a steady & wonderful friend that is a strong Christian women. From the beginning of our friendship I knew she would be an amazing mom and now the time as finally come! They are not finding out the gender of the baby until the big day and I think that is so exciting (and takes WAY MORE patience than I have!)
My friend Mallory and her husband are also having their first baby that they are expecting THIS MONTH! It is great seeing my friends transition into the roles of motherhood and I'm impatiently waiting for the day I can hold that little guy! At the beginning of May Kendra, Bailey and I drove to Hickman, NE for a baby shower for Mal.

6 Humans!! :)

This year has most importantly been filled with my sister and Kyle's wedding preparations! They get married in less than 2 weeks now and I almost don't want it to get here because planning has been so much fun. They are perfect for each other and have been together for over 7 years! In April, Megan had her bridal shower in Marcus at Peace Lutheran Church. The shower committee (Deb Mayer and Carla Weber along with many others) threw an amazing shower. Deb Mayer gave a devotional centered around being a devoted Christian wife. Megan opened presents all morning and got a lot of great items to stock their new house in Cherokee. At the end of the shower Kyle came in with some roses and was ready to do the heavy lifting to get all the gifts transported.

Weekend Updates & Meg's 22nd Birthday

Happy Hump Day everyone! I actually think of Wednesday as the middle of the work week because I'm working regular 5 days a week with my NEW nursing position at Advanced Dermatology of the Midlands. Today however is an unusual day because Omaha was hit with it's first big blizzard of the winter season and the clinic is closed which means I kinda feel like a teacher enjoying this snow day! I'm blessed to have a nursing job where I can learn so much about a very specific set of conditions and treatments for the skin. I really enjoy the staff I work with and it isn't a bad place for a former lifeguard that spent 6 summers in the blazing sun ;)

with monitors, cables and wires cleared out

In other news, a few weekends ago my parents came down to spend the Saturday helping with various projects around the house. My dad went right into action to clear out some space in our downstairs closet that was previously occupied by tons of random security equipment that the previous homeowner had installed in there. I was so excited to get that nonsense out of there that I forgot to take a "before" picture. 

Then we moved on to the guest bedroom closet to touch up the ceiling that was not quite completed when the house was built. Our home has a lot of character that I love but when having an older home comes areas for improvement. One of my good friends Anna will be staying with us for a few months during her Physical Therapy rotation starting in March so it is a great excuse to get the room finished off and cozy! 

Dad hard at work - looking like a Coal Minor

Finished product!

After we completed all the projects we could get to in one day, we had a delicious meal a Red Robin! Having family come into town is already a treat and luckily my sister is completing her nursing preceptorship in Omaha at my old stomping grounds, The Nebraska Medical Center. Kyle and her came down Monday night through Thursday so we Alex and I helped Meg celebrate her 22nd Birthday. Here are some pictures from that fun filled week! 

Drinks and Dinner at The Homy Inn 

Her Favorite! 

Kyle and Kobe bonding 

Dinner at The Drover

Cheesecake with Julie and Linda 

And this past Sunday was spent with Kendra, Trent, Bailey, Josh and Harper for The Super Bowl. The game wasn't excited at all but spending time with my Best Friends is never disappointing! Harper was pretty chatty and such a cute little girl in her polka dot bow headband! Kendra as always was a great hostess and I ate too many of the white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies she baked! 

Marcus 5K & Smalltown Fair {Curing #NOtivation}

This past weekend I traveled 2 hours north to my hometown for the biggest event of the year...The Marcus Fair! I grew up on a farm outside of Marcus which has a population of around 1200 people, but if you added in livestock we would be about the size of Omaha ;) What Marcus doesn't have in population it makes up for in heart! Being home for the fair always feels like being part of a big family and it is always great to see old classmates or kids I used to teach swimming lessons to.

I'm Linking up again with Mal Smiles and Life Oceanside to stay fit and cure #NOtivation!

Friday

Sisters Finally Reunited after over 2 months apart!

Got into town around 7 pm and after hugging my wonderful family, my sister and I headed up to the Methodist Food Stand for some delicious food! I met up with Trisha, Anna and Kelli at the bar and headed to the street dance. But only one drink for me because the next morning was the day of the big race! Unfortunately my mom had made some amazing O'Henry Bars (I will have to post the recipe on here!) and I inhaled them when I got home late at night...Not a good idea for running bright and early in the morning!

Apple Pie, Taverns, Taco in a Bag Oh My...

Day old Piglets!

Anna and I (Soon to be roomies in the Spring!)

Marcus Fair Partner in Crime - Trish!

Yes, We got carded...

 Saturday

All those oats, sugar and peanut butter from the bars must have fueled me decently for the 5K because I got my second best time for a 5K. My goal was to be under 29 minutes but I got 29:52 which I was still happy with. This 5K is special to Marcus because it is in memory of Michael Letsche, Hunter Heidesch and Sawyer Leavitt who lost their lives at a very young age. Sawyer Leavitt was friends with my brother and we had a moment of silence before the race started to remember these wonderful guys. 

My sister, mom and aunt Nancy participated in the 5k and my Aunt Nancy, Grandma and cousins did the 1 mile walk. After the race I showered up fast and returned to the fair to set up a stand in the fair buildings to display my Etsy Shop Items . At 4:00 pm we watched the parade and then shortly after Trisha, Brendan and I went to Germantown for some broasted chicken! 

Ready to Run!

Aunt Nancy (2nd place in her age category!)

Something Beautiful Inventory on Display at the Fair

Look at this Cutie!! Little Brady Man!

Ready to Catch A LOT of candy at the Parade!

Sunday

Went up town to watch some of the mud volley ball tournament and also try to sell some more items for my shop. I received several custom orders and sold a few items so that was exciting! The fair always goes by too fast and when I was little it was especially sad because it meant school would be starting within the next weeks. 

Mud - Volleyball Tournament 

Taelyn with Uncle Kyle

So whether you are running in a small town 5K this summer or a big city Marathon, stay Motivated! No matter what the distance is it is worth the effort ... just try not to eat a whole bar of O'Henry bars before the race ;) 

Highlights from a Jam Packed Week

I'm currently in the middle of my 70 hours in 6 days! Ugh! Between picking up extra shifts at the pregnancy center and switching my schedule so that I can have time off for the Marcus Fair, I will have worked 8 out of 9 days which might not seem too bad but with 7 of those days being 12 hour shifts it gets to be pretty tiring. However I really shouldn't complain because right now I'm getting paid as I sit here blogging and sipping on Mountain Dew (yes I know it isn't Paleo..but I needed something to keep me going).

I like this quote to the left because I often find myself praying right before work so that I can be used as the Lord's hands and feet. But the second half of the quote makes me really think of my dad and the great ethic he has instilled in his children.

My dad cracks me up!!
 

I texted my dad last night at the beginning of my shift and told him of all the hours I will be putting in. He told me Mike got a new car for college and that Meg was coming home for Creekfest. I tried to facetime with Megan on Tuesday but we didn't have a very good connection. She is pretty excited about only having one more week up at Mayo and finally returning back home for a few weeks before college (And I am really excited to have her one state closer to me!!) We talked on the phone for almost an hour about various things that sisters talk about :) I can't imagine not having a sister and I really don't know how people make it through life without one! Know that I'm getting to the age where I can start having kids, I think about how badly I want 2 girls close in age so that they can have the kind of relationship that I have with my sister. But having 2 consecutive girls isn't really up to me I suppose ;)


Monday Alex and I ate at Blue Planet after he had golfed all day with the big wigs at Omaha Home for Boys. I had never been to Blue Planet before but it is really good and has a lot of all-natural menu items that are perfect for my paleo diet. Alex had the cheeseburger (that he wouldn't even let me have a bite of!) and I had a grilled chicken salad with fresh fruit on it. We also ordered a side of sweet potato fries that were delicious! After that we stopped by Jones Brother's Cupcakes to pick up some celebratory treats for Alex's dad since he landed a job as editor of Omaha Magazine! We talked about our Chicago trip with his parents and also picked up a piece of art that Alex's dad made us for our entry way. I am in love with this piece of art and it is almost as tall as me so it adds a lot to our entry way :)

Top R - Dinner at Blue Planet // Bottom R - grilled pineapple & cucumber Tuesday night

Tuesday I went for a 3 mile run and pushed myself to see how well my time would be for the Marcus 5K next Saturday. I want to beat my personal best time which is 29:30 that I got 2 years ago at the fair. My goal is to get 28:30 and hopefully the flat course will help ;) Tuesday nights are of course "Catfish" nights and I am pretty addicted to that show because it always surprises me. If you haven't watched it you should check it out! Wednesday I had an overtime shift that went by pretty fast. One of my patients had a bouquet of flowers delivered that had white carnations in the shape of a puppy and it was just too cute not to take a picture of! Thursday night after working at the pregnancy center I finished up a wedding gift for Shelby and Brady that I made with Sharpie Marker on ceramic mugs. I read afterwards though that you should probably use "painters pens" on ceramic so that it stays better. After you are done making the design you just put the mugs in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Puppy Bouquet / DIY Sharpie Mugs / Guess that Movie / 159 days till the Beach!

 

When Alex got home from work we watched Hollywood Game Night which is also one of my new favorite shows! They had a category called "Picture Purrfect" where they take photos from movies and replace all the actors heads with cat heads...OMG! Funny stuff! Thursday while I slept Alex and Kyle went to the travel agency to book our vacation to the Dominican Republic for Kyle and Dacey's Wedding in January! So of course I made a countdown with an app on my phone... only 5 short months to go!
So usually peoples' highlights of their week are during the weekend but for me I will pretty much just be living at the hospital. I hope you have a great rest of the weekend and I will be writing soon about our Okoboji vaction we took a couple weeks ago!

Curing NOtivation

Sometimes after working 3 twelve hour night shifts in a row by my fourth day I just want to veg out on the couch with a frozen pizza and watch some reality tv but I know my waist line wont thank me for that later! Everyday and every meal I'm thinking about my health and even though I sometimes don't always make the right choices I still consider myself a healthy person and strive for that silhouette I have in mind for my body!

 

 

I think that my goal towards a in shape body comes from my many years in dance. Every since I was 4 years old I have been in a studio lined with mirror walls, leotards and tights that leave little to the imagination. My dance teacher always motivated us to be confident and proud of our "ballerina posture" and explained that it is completely normal for a dancer to glass at her reflection in a shop window every time she passes one by because we are always aware of our bodies.  I am so grateful that I have this dancer mentality and dedication to hard work is something that will never go unnoticed.

I ran track for a couple years in high school but always cursed running when I was younger. It wasn't until I wasn't told how far I had to run or how long I had to run that I really started enjoying running. Now I strive for that runner's high and am always looking for the next 5k to sign up for. This summer I'm excited to even do my first 10k and have set up weekly mile goals so that I can finish the race strong. There are a few things that I attribute to "Curing NOtivation"...

 

 

My Husband //  I mean we met at a gym so you know the guy is fit ;) He usually works out about 4 -5 times a week and eats relatively healthy. He is a great motivator to keep the junk food out of the house and go for a run instead of sit on the couch. I also used to despise running in hot weather. If it was warmer than 80 degrees there was no way I was running until the sun went down. But now after he has pushed me to run laps in 90+ degree weather I have come to enjoy the nice sweat I get out of it! And I love doing fun things like Mud Runs or Warrior Dashes with him. He is my own personal trainer and will give me encouragement when I am feeling to tired to go on.

 

Pictures // yes this may seem a little superficial but all women do it, they like to look nice in photos. Us girls pose in certain ways, make sure there is the right lighting or angle just so we don't look half bad in a picture. In photos I take I want to look back on them and remember that moment rather than focusing on how chubby my stomach looked.

 

My Career // I am a nurse so promoting health and wellness is my business card! I see my patients struggle with Diabetes, COPD and congestive heart failure....all of which get worse with added weight gain. Nursing is a stressful occupation but I don't want to use the excuse that I don't have time to workout or eat right because I have a difficult job.

 

 

Healthy Competition // Keeping up with my friends and my sister when they are working out is a big motivator. One of my sister and I's favorite things to do together is run or any type of workout that we find on Pinterest. When she is home on holiday breaks we try and at least one workout together and we are always sharing our daily exercises together so that we can motivate the other to keep hittin up the gym!

 

Chocolate // pretty self explanitory... I workout so I can eat what I want and not feel AS guilty about it. Yes I would probably see more results if I didn't endulge in the occational brownie here and there but what fun would that be!