Running... For Fun?! WHAT??

Although i didn't make a long list of traditonal new years resolutions i did make a list of habits to kick, traits to work on, and things i'd like to get better at. Now seeing as i am a girl and human for that matter so of course my health is on my list. I want to focus more on what i am putting into my body. As well as getting my butt up and moving more active. I was always active growing up, i danced for 15 years and played softball for 11 years, so i am no stranger to exercise. However once the activity dropped so did my metaolism, in a major way! Granted i didn't get to the size i am now quickly, it has been a slow gain over the last 5 years or so, but after struggling being in pain for so long, and finally finding an answer when i took gluten out of my diet, i have become increasingly more aware of how things effect my body. Like the box of cookies sitting on the workroom counter at work, yes there are not a ton of calories in one, however the gluten alone is enough to cause me to have to take a muscle relaxer tomorrow if i were to eat one. 

That being said one of my tangible goals this year is to run a half marathon before the end of the year! That seems like such a big goal to me, i am not one to just run for fun before the last several months. Running use to be reserved for sports, or aggravation. When i was a teenager you could always tell if i was upset because i was either going for a run or cleaning like a crazy person! 

I would love for running to become something i do just for fun, not because i feel like it will burn calories or because someone made me mad. I want to come home and look forward to a good run. So that is why this year baring the Lord comes back before Sept. 28th i will be running the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville Tennessee on September 28th, 2013!! 

I am beyond excited to do this and to be able to say i did it! My friend Audra will be coming a long for encouragement, documentation and of course shopping in Nashville!

I am hoping to get several 5K and 10K under my belt before September and Audra will be helping with this since she agreed to run the Diva 5K with me in April!! We are both a little nervous about training so fast but the fact that firemen will handing me flowers at the finish line is MORE than enough encouragement to get my hinny across that finish line! I am hoping to fun the Diva's Half next year!

Then i am already signed up for the Color Run in Augusta in October with several of my friends! 

It is going to be a year of running through dreams and goals and i am more than excited to see what God puts on my heart next!! 

 

Sasha Lately...

 Some friends and I signed up for the Augusta Color Run last night! We wanted to do it last year in Atlanta but it fill up super fast, so when we found out it was coming to Augusta this year we jumped on it quickly! Well as quickly as five 20-something girls can do anything :-)

 I can not think of a better experience for my first 5K, I'm really hoping to do more through the year.

Our team name ladies and gentleman :-) So fitting of us girls! 

So 2013 has start off with a freshness unlike any year i can remember, everything seems new and fresh and everything seems to be firing on all cylinders (man i just let my tomboy show!) 

I think most of this can be contributed to my new found passion for the Lord, i have always loved Him and desired to spend time with Him but He really got a hold of me recently about putting in the effort on my part, and i am doing my best to uphold my end of the deal. 

This year i have seen multiple and bloggers posting about their resolutions for the new year, and i don't have a list like usual this year. Instead i have verses that the Lord has really laid on my heart and even some quotes i've found while on blogs and Pinterest that He has just set on fire in my heart. So i want to share some of the things He has set in my heart to strive for this year, yes i still have goals for the year, but i want the goals i have for my life to be God centered. I don't want to get in shape simply for my clothing sake, i want to get  into shape because my body is a temple God has given me, and one He send the Holy Spirit to dwell in  and i want to make it the best possible vessel i can.

These first two are the verses God has given me over and over again to start out this year.

Ephesians 3:2- Lord i want to dare to dream the dreams You have for me again, because i know You can do even more than that! 

Luke 1:45- Lord i will hold on to Your promises even when the way You choose to set them into place doesn't always make sense to me.

This is the new mission for my life! 

What are your plans for the new year? Any new verses popping up in your heart?  

2013....Already?!

Wow how is it the middle of January already? My year started out busy and hasn't slowed down yet! 

I started out the year the same way i have the last 4 years, i rang in the new year running around packing for the Passion Conference that i would be leaving for the next day. This year was extra special and extra stressful because i was not originally going to the conference and didn't find out i was going until the morning before. For a stressed out packer like me that is big stuff! :-) 

(My favorite song for Passion 2013)

 (Candle light virgule to shine a light on slavery) #enditmovement

(65,000 college age students in attendance and raised 3.3million dollars to end slavery) 

Since getting back from Passion it has been full steam ahead with work, church, friends, and the dreaded Passion bug. It never fails i always seem to get sick after Passion it is usually my one big illness of the year, however i was sick before Christmas so the Passion bug hit me harder than usual this year. A few years ago when we got back we all had the flu and passed it back and forth several times! yuck!!

 Now that life is starting to get back into a routine (after being off work for 17 days, Praise the LORD!) I am looking forward to a new year and many fun new things to blog about, Ive already got new babies to spoil, weddings to attend, trips and hopfully lots more time spent with God and friends coming up to blog about! 

I am at a very good place in my life right now and i am so excited see what God has in store for 2013 He has already given me such a peace about where He is taking it! 

 

Swap Partners

We just got out Swap Partners from Neely, Erin, and Tracy's swap! 

I got matched with Leslie from By The Porchlight

She seems so sweet and i cant wait to get to know her better and start shopping for her! 

I always love swaps, they give you a chance to meet someone new and you end up with such sweet and thoughtful goodies. I always love seeing someones creativeness when you send them a list of interests and get to see what they come up with! 

Happy Swapping Everyone! 

Neely!

Neely over at A Complete Waste of Makeup, one of my absolute favorite bloggers is having a fabulous give away for her 1500 followers! Go enter now! 

Oh How I Wish...

I still had a summer vacation, taking a break from school and getting a real job was the best decision of my life, being in the real world and not having summer vacation is FOR THE BIRDS!!!

Although no traffic on my way to work is GREAT!!

  

 LOVE THIS QUOTE! 

Any ways i need to catch yall up on a few things happening in my life.

I attended a dear friends wedding this weekend, it was so beautiful, I am so excited for her and her new husband, I haven't known for for to long but i can see this difference he has made in her life, and just how happy he makes her, she deserves it so its truly an amazing thing to see.

 

(Me and Audra Kate, ready for the wedding)

I LOVE my church family and the ones in attendance at the wedding were an absolute riot!! From their dancing skills, to their laughing across the room at each other, Oh and their match making skills! As one of the single girls at Grace whenever we go ANYWHERE, or anyone new comes to Grace most of the church esp. the ladies try to marry us single girls off, this wedding was NO different!! By the end of the night i had been given the DJ's number several times, been married off to a guy from church, and this lovely thing landed in front of me! 

I am never one to go up for the bouquet but after being forced by a SWEET friend, i went and stood in the back, i never try to get it when i am made to go stand with the other single girls , however this one came directly at me! it fell at my feet and i realized i better pick it up, i could hear the lovely people of Grace Baptist explode in cheers and laughter, you have to LOVE such a supportive church family!!! 

I love weddings, so this was a perfect way to spend an usually crazy busy weekend! 

A few weeks ago i took a mental health day from life, i napped, laid around and when i finally got out of bed i went and hung out with friends by the pool, it was much needed since life/work have been so busy and stressful lately! While sitting by the pool chatting with friends one of my best friends said something that hit me like a ton of bricks, she is my best friend and has always been the super pretty skinny girl, i was always so frummby compared to her. She had a sweet baby girl last year and since then does not have the same body she use to, she is still ridiculously pretty however i know how insecure she feels about her body, we were talking and she said her sister in law invited her to the gym, she said she declined the offer, however she went on to say how being the way she was currently was a choice, even if she didn't like it all the time, she would deal with it when she got ready. DANG! I have always struggled with my weight, and have even struggled with an eating disorder during high school. I have always been able to loose weight with whatever fade diet i was on at the time but it was always some crash diet, never really any excersie. I was doing well last summer eating better, working out a few times a week but as soon as i stopped i gained it all back, i always gain it all back. Her comment just made me realize what a decision I was making and not even realizing it, I want to be healthy, i want to get back into shape i want to loose the weight and keep it off like i always promise myself i will. I am currently looking further into what this will look like for me, i know how to eat healthy however now being on a gluten free diet (allergy reasons) i need to know what a balanced healthy diet looks like. Any suggestions? 

I plan to take progression picture for every 10lbs i loose and keep up with my weight loose and goals on here,  I don't want to be super skinny (that was always the goal before) i just want to be a healthy BMI for my height and age. 

Please stay tuned for more details about what i am doing and how i am doing it. I have been making a decision in the past to stay unhealthy, however now i am making a decision to get kind to my body and get it into the shape it was meant for. 

 

Here's to healthy living!

It Ok Yall!

 

Its OK Yall, But first alittle update on life, tomorrow will be two week exactly from finding out i have a gluten allergy and having to go completely gluten free, and let me tell you most of my favorite comfort foods are LOADED with gluten! And its in lots of things you would never think, like shredded cheeses, who would have ever thought shredded cheese?! Any who that is for another post entirely. Last weekend was the first weekend i didnt have anything to do and i planned to get alot done, mainly clean my terrible room and put away the mountain (and i mean mountain) of clothes that has piled up on my desk, however i twisted my knee Friday so i spend that majority of the weekend in bed, which i needed, so i guess my body knew better all along.

Lastly I made an appointment with my hair dresser, my amazing but very expensive one i go to when i doing something major to my hair, shes the only one i trust for major things, Well on Aprill 13th I will be starting the process of going back to my natural color, which is blonde. I have so much dark hair dye in my hair im pretty scarred of the outcome. But i am just preparing for the fact that it will probably take a couple trips to get to the color i want. I pretty nervous though i don't really remember what i looked like blonde, but its so much easier to maintain in the summer. 

Its  OK for this to be my favorite link up and often the only one i get around to!

Its OK to get a little closer to snapping every time you get yelled at at work

Its Ok to really want to go home because you forgot your medicine this morning but you live 30mins from work so you cant

Its OK to need a vacation before you snap

Its OK to have a ton of stuff sitting on your desk to do but to be currently avoiding it by blogging

Its OK to want a change in life, BIG TIME

Its OK to be thinking of trading in my CRV if gas keeps going up, love my CRV great gas mileage but not with the payment and driving 30mins to work

Its OK to want to go to a bridal shower for a friend tonight but after such a busy week to wish it wasnt on a Thursday, getting off work on Thursday starts my weekend and i want my weekend to start by laying in my bed!

Its OK  to have just started a new bible study and are already having a hard time keeping up with it

Its OK that all of this is OK :-)

Please ignore how terrible my style was in sophomore year of high school but this is the only picture on my work computer of me with blonde hair. This is what my hair looked like before i went dark 2 years ago, i wanted a change, i had been blonde all my life so i went dark, but now im ready for another change...i think!