Sweat to Street Sunday #10

Welcome to Sweat to Street Sunday's!

Each week my fabulously fit co-hosts and I will link up with one everyday outfit AND one fitness outfit that we love!

Meet Your Hosts!

Family and Life in Las Vegas (Emily) 

Wild Things RUN Free (Charlotte) 

Running and Cupcakes (Samantha)

 MCM Mama (Erika) 

Boobs, Barbells, and Broccoli (Tenecia)

***IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW SWEAT TO STREET ON TWITTER OR PLAN ON TWEETING YOUR POST, PLEASE USE THE HASHTAG #SweatToStreet***

Sweat to Street has been created as a place to link up your favorite outfits of the week as a new Sunday blog feature. The idea is to have some fun and change it up! Each week we encourage you to post one workout outfit and one outfit you wore that isn’t fitness related.

Every week we spotlight one awesome blogger who links up with us in the previous week! Our way of thanking you for sharing your fabulous/fun/fitness style! 

  This week's featured blogger: Laura from Laura Lives Life

 

SWEAT!!!!

I've been really bad at remembering

to bring my camera to the gym!

Luckily, I did have my phone with me

during one of my lunch dates with The StairMonster!

Shirt: Lucy Moisture-Wicking tank

Shorts: Danskin

Shoes: Nike

Supersize Forehead: Genetics :)

STREET!!!!

I tend to dress a bit more casual on Fridays but

I still strive to look fashionable - not really
sure how well I do but at least I can
say that I tried - lol!

One of the perks of living in Arizona is 

the fact that April means tank & cute sandal weather!

Shirt: Old Navy
Camisole: Apt 9 (Kohls)
Jeans: Lucky Brand Jeans
Shoes: Coach
Accessories: earrings & necklace set from White House Black Market,
Fossil watch, Coach bracelets, Livestrong bracelet,
cuff (gift from my mother), MAC makeup

  Link-up Suggestions:

• follow the hosts on twitter: @FamilyNLifeLV, @Char__Latte, @MrsFitLibrarian, @MCMmama, @RunCupcake
• Feel free to follow us all via RSS as well so you never miss a Sweat to Street post!
• Snag a button and share the fun!!
• Sharing is caring! Be sure to visit pages participating in the link up!
• Feel free to share this link up on your own blog by grabbing the code here! Get the inlinkz code!
• HAVE FUN!

Remember if you don't link up, we can't choose you to be next week's featured blogger! We are so excited to see all the fashions that are shared each week!  

Why I Did the Ugly Cry

Something took place at the beginning of this week that seriously scared me. It was so scary that I cried and not the regular cry. No, I'm talking about the ugly "I can't breathe" hysterical cry. Yes, me. Me, the emotionally-stunted heartless woman that I am :)

What caused me to react this way?

This -->

And this -->

I was on the freeway driving home from work on Monday night, listening to my radio and mentally reviewing my to-do list when my car began to shake. I turned off my cruise control, decreased my speed, and slowly moved into the right lane. I turned down the radio so I could listen for any weird sounds that might be coming from the car and thought to myself "What in the heck is going on??". Suddenly I heard what sounded like an explosion and my car started veering off the freeway. I slowly but firmly started pressing down on the brake while gripping the wheel like it was a piece of cake that someone was trying to steal from me!

I was able to come to a complete stop and after saying "oh shit!" a million times once or twice, I climbed across the seat and exited the car on the passenger side. I looked at what was left of the wheel and realized there was a bigger problem than I had anticipated. Without getting into all of the gory details, I'll just tell you that the tire on my passenger side blew causing damage to the wheel hub, bumper, and grille.

What's left of my bumper

I was scared but happy that I was able to call Tom to come and rescue me. I was able to hold it together until Tom arrived at the spot on the freeway where my car was parked. My husband walked up to the car to survey the damage. He didn't say a word as he shined his flashlight on the pieces of the tire I took out of the road, the broken grille, or the bumper that was barely hanging on. He didn't utter a word until he walked up to me, put his hands on my face, and said "You did good".  At that point, I broke down and starting crying hysterically. I knew just as he did that this could have been a very ugly deadly situation. As a firefighter, he sees a large number of deaths that are car-related.

I have been a bit shaky and at times emotional since Monday night. All I can think about is how grateful I am that The Princess was not in the car with me. If she had been in the car, I'm not sure what I would have done. It scares me to my core to even think about it!!

I'm thankful that the only damage is to my car and I was able to walk away unharmed. While I'm upset that my beautiful car is broken and in need of a serious makeover, I know it could have been a lot worse. A car is a material thing which can be replaced, a life cannot.

It's all about perspective.

That's What's Up Thursday

source

I'm not going to mess up this post 

by typing mindless chatter about

how I love everything about this picture

and her physique.

I'm just going to keep quiet and 

let you enjoy the picture.

IFBB Physique Pro Ayanna Carroll - now that's what's up!

New Release Tuesday

If you tell me this song doesn't make you want to cry, I'm going to scream "LIAR!!" right in your face! This song tugs at my heart strings and trust me, it takes a miracle to do that!

I'm not sure how I have feel about Jason's new 'do and facial hair.... *shrugs*

The song is beautiful either way...enjoy!!

My 1st Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Last month I shared with you that I would be participating in Foodie Penpals. Foodie Penpals is a program that Lindsay from The Lean Bean Green created in 2011. The program has grown from 30 participants in September 2011 to currently more than 600!!! How incredible is that?!!?

Cliff's Notes version of  the program is -  you receive a name from Lindsay on the 5th of the month. You contact the person to find out if they have any food allergies, dietary restrictions, etc. The dollar limit is $15 and you have until the 15th of the month to get your box of goodies together. On the last day of the month, you reveal what you received. Got all that?!?! :) For the official description of the program and sign up if you're interested, head over to the Foodie Penpals page!

I received my first box of goodies from Cristina at An Organic Wife. Cristina is 25 years old and about two years ago, made the switch to eating organic. The following quote is from her website, "All of our meat and dairy is locally sourced from grass-fed farms. I make everything from scratch, using no additives, artificial preservatives, or colors."

After "meeting" Cristina, I've started following her blog and it's such a great read. You guys have to check her out!

My box of goodies before I tore into it!

Since I'm currently prepping, I had to be a bit more selective with the things I could receive in my box. Cristina didn't seem to mind my list of boring things I could have and really hooked me up!!!

The spread including a handwritten card from Cristina!

I oohed and ahhed at every piece of yummy goodness that was in the box! Some of the goodies Cristina sent me included 365 Organic's German Mustard, Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter, Zhena's Gypsy Tea in Vanilla Chai, and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

I have a new favorite meal and addiction. Cristina created a monster! Here's what you need:

The salmon comes out spicy, salty, and oh so tasty. Salmon plus veggies has been my last meal of the day for the past few weeks and since making it with these three ingredients, I could NOT wait until the end of the day when it was time to grub on it. I will let you know that my heart is a bit broken because my diet just changed and my sauce has been taken away from me :( I believe my reply when I was told that I had to give it up was something along the lines of "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Have no fear, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. We will be reunited soon!

Meal #2 - Cinnamon Ezekial bread & cashew butter

You will hear many competitors rave about almond butter and while you will never catch me turning down any type of nut butter, you will not hear me proclaiming my love for almond butter. You will, however, hear me declaring my undying love for Artisana's 100% Organic Raw Cashew Butter!!! This stuff is no joke!!!

Don't get between me & my cashew butter!

I literally caught myself licking the inside of the packaging just to ensure I had eaten every little bit. I sent The Boss #1 a picture of the empty cashew butter packaging and said, "You need to get this in your life. This shit cray!"

The German mustard from 365 Organic was the perfect dressing for my 5 oz chicken + 1 cup salad + kalamata olives meal. I had to remind myself that if I used all of the mustard at once, I wouldn't have any for my next salad. The mustard tastes a bit like spicy brown mustard but less tart. I highly recommend it!

There you have it, some of the delicious goodies Cristina from An Organic Wife brought into my life! Thank you so much, Cristina!! You have made me & my tummy so very very happy!!

If you're interested in seeing what I sent my foodie penpal, head over to Raven's blog Surely There's An Instruction Manual!

Sweat to Street Sunday #9

Welcome to Sweat to Street Sunday's!

Each week my fabulously fit co-hosts and I will link up with one everyday outfit AND one fitness outfit that we love!

Meet Your Hosts!
Family and Life in Las Vegas (Emily) 

Wild Things RUN Free (Charlotte)

Running and Cupcakes (Samantha) 

MCM Mama (Erika) 

Boobs, Barbells, and Broccoli (Tenecia)

***IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW SWEAT TO STREET ON TWITTER OR PLAN ON TWEETING YOUR POST, PLEASE USE THE HASHTAG #SweatToStreet***

Sweat to Street has been created as a place to link up your favorite outfits of the week as a new Sunday blog feature. The idea is to have some fun and change it up! Each week we encourage you to post one workout outfit and one outfit you wore that isn’t fitness related.

Every week we spotlight one awesome blogger who links up with us in the previous week! Our way of thanking you for sharing your fabulous/fun/fitness style!

This week's featured blogger: Toni from Running, Loving, Living

**ANNOUNCEMENT** 
You MUST head over to Samantha's blog Running and Cupcakes and check out the special giveaway she's having! It's her blog-iversary and she's celebrating by
giving away free stuff!!!

SWEAT!!!

Another wonderful leg day at the gym!

I'm working on building my glutes & hammies

because the bottoms of those competition suits

are ridiculously small! :)

Shirt: X2X Clothing - new clothing coming soon!!

Shorts: Jockey

Shoes: Vibrams Bikila

Accessories: Livestrong bracelet, Sinful bag (filled with lifting straps, 

post-workout supps, towel, chapstick, etc), gallon of water,

ipod, Miami Ink hat

STREET!!!

Tom and I were attending the wedding of a close friend
so we had to dress like grown-ups! :)

I have a lot of clothes for work & the gym but
not too many dresses/outfits for special events!

I wanted to make sure that I didn't wear the same
dress I've worn for the last 3 weddings I've attended...lol!

Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Enzo Angiolini
Accessories: bracelet (gift), earrings from costume jewelry shop,
wig from Wig-o-Rama (I'm not making this up! It's really
the name of the shop!), Coach sunglasses

Link-up Suggestions:

• follow the hosts on twitter: @FamilyNLifeLV, @Char__Latte, @MrsFitLibrarian, @MCMmama, @RunCupcake
• Feel free to follow us all via RSS as well so you never miss a Sweat to Street post!
• Snag a button and share the fun!!
• Sharing is caring! Be sure to visit pages participating in the link up!
• Feel free to share this link up on your own blog by grabbing the code here! get the InLinkz code
• HAVE FUN!

Remember if you don't link up, we can't choose you to be next week's featured blogger!

We are so excited to see all the fashions that are shared each week!

 

The Moments I Live For...

The moments I live for have nothing to do with figure competitions. They don't have a thing to do with trophies or top 5 placings.

The moments I live for center around one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given - The Princess!

Daddy's Girl!

Look at that face!

Tuesday night, Tom and I attended "Meet the Author" night at our daughter's school. The Princess, along with the other fifth-graders at her school have been working on a writing project. They were asked to write the story of their life and illustrate it. Once they completed their story, it was send away to be printed and bound.

Meet the Author night was the first time the students and their families saw their published books. Each family brought a dessert to share and students were invited to read portions of their book.

Tom and our published author!

My little lady and I!

I'm many things but what I'm most proud of is being a mom!! These type of events just confirm to me that while I never thought motherhood was for me, God knew more than I did! The Princess is such a great kid and we are so blessed!!

My crazy cute fam bam!!

The story of her life

P.S. The great thing about having a published author in the family is finally getting my husband to read ;)