Happy Friday!

Happy Friday to all! I am very excited for the forecast for the next week or so, clear, sunny and in the 80's! That's my kind of weather! My goal for today: Go to the gym- run!!! I have been a MAJOR slacker in the exercise department of my life and I need to ramp it up a bit. I'm hoping the sunshine will bring some much needed energy & motivation!

Wedding season has officially begun! Tomorrow we will be celebrating with my Dad's side of the family for my cousin Shannon's wedding! I am so excited for her and her soon-to-be hubby, Nathan!!

I am next on the list to choose the book for my book group! I need suggestions!! One book I've heard is good is, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, it's written from the perspective of an autistic boy who loses his dad on 9/11. Has anyone read it?

New Things

So Colin and I have been asked to lead a young adults group through the summer for our church, I have been helping with a women's group and we decided to go co-ed through the summer and Colin is our men's leader! Last Wednesday was our first one and Colin was the only guy, so he got to hang out with about 8 girls! He's a good sport :) Last night 2 other guys came, which was really cool, it's hard to get young men to go to a church group...so we are working hard on reaching out. And Colin is great at that, he really is able to connect with people and make them feel like their job or their major in college or whatever they do is awesome. I am excited for the accountability and growth this will bring in our relationship with God.

Each week we will have a memory verse, which is great because I haven't done this since high school youth group. The girls and guys will break off for connection and prayer time and then we will come together and do some type of activity; play a game, go to the park, do a service project etc.

Memory verse for the week: "Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Exhausted!

It's Monday again (it always comes too fast!) and we spent the weekend in the Seattle area for Colin's first triathlon of the year...and I am absolutely EXHAUSTED!!! I need another 3 day weekend to make up for it! Friday I took the day off of work and we headed out of the house around 9:00am and made it to Kirkland around noon. We spent the rest of the day registering Colin & his friend Brian for the tri and then stopping at a couple triathlon stores..that was tiring, it would be like Colin having to tag along with me and a friend while we shopped for clothes and home decor! So I was tired, then Saturday was the big day we got up around 4:50 and got ready to head out by 5:30. At least the weather was nice! But there were torrential down pours the night before so it was SO muddy!!! The running course had to be re-routed due to flooding in the park where they were suppose to run, but I guess it worked out all right. The water temperature in the lake was 59 degrees, which is pretty darn cold!! Usually it's warmer but since it has been such a cold spring it hasn't had time to warm up. The water temp slowed Colin down in his swim, but he still did great! He had a great bike time and a great run time! I am proud of him :) It did make me want to do one...someday...when I get a bike. For now I will swim & bike at the gym and hopefully it will stop raining so I can do some outdoor running!


Colin and Brian after crossing the finish line. Nice work, boys!!


Colin and I after his finish

Lately it feels like we have been spending money all over the place and we haven't made much progress on our debt so we decided to purge a few things and make some extra cash! We posted 2 mountain bikes (that seriously never get used), our leather chair, our TV stand, a wine cooler we have no place for and dvd/surround sound system to sell on Craig's List. So far we have sold 1 of the bikes, the chair, the tv stand and the wine cooler, for a total of $400 extra dollars to go towards paying off our car. Yes, we are crazy!!! But it's all just stuff and someday we can buy all that stuff back when we aren't in debt and actually have cash to pay for it. And our apartment feels much bigger now! It's kind of a good feeling not to be attached or feel like the stuff we have defines who we are.

Ok, so now I am going to talk about some stuff...haha. Below is my shoe pick for the month of June. I haven't even gotten them yet and I'm already re-considering. I saw a pictures of girls who got them and they were SO cute, but they are a 3 inch heel and I am starting to get the sandal bug.

What do you think!?

Here are a few other options I could exchange them for if I'm really not feeling them when I get them.

These ones are a little different, but I kinda like them....



And these are cute too...but I'm also not sure about spending $40 for sandals. I found a really cool website, www.urbanog.com they have some really cute sandals in styles that I have seen for really expensive, but they are cheap! Which may mean cheap quality as well. Wow, the desicions I have to make in my life!!!

Oh Monday...

Today has just been one of those weird I'm not myself kind of day. Well, it doesn't help that it is Monday and that the weather has been unseasonably cold!! But I made it through the work day and now I am just trying to make some dinner, have a glass of wine and unwind. Maybe try to continue in my next book club book, "Love in the Time of Cholera." I have tried to read this book before and I didn't get very far, so I am attempting again. I got the book from the library about a week ago and I think I'm 2 pages in....anyone have any words of encouragement on this book to keep me going?! I am sure it will get better, I have been told it is good.


So, I have another obsession to add to the list. After getting my facial last weekend, I went online and purchased the face cleanser she used, it is amazing...Eminence Soy Blueberry! The product line is all organic and the flavors are so good. After using the cleanser for a couple days I decided I had to get the moisturizer too...so I did, and the best part with each order they send a couple samples! Yay! So much for cutting back on our spending....next month :)

We had a wonderful sunny Birthday weekend for Colin and now it feels like it should be October! It's cold and rainy...not cool!! I did get to enjoy the sun this last weekend.. Friday after work I laid out by our pool for a good hour or two, then Saturday I did a walk for Pregnancy Resource Center's in Portland with my women's group, then I had an appointment for a facial and laser skin treatment....probably the weirdest thing ever!! I think I was suppose to be given eye protection for the laser treatment, but I she didn't give me anything. so at one point the red and purple lights were flashing so fast and so bright I thought I might have a seizure...haha. It felt like every muscle in my face was twitching...really strange. But my skin looked nice afterwards...the things we go through for beauty! lol. Then that night I had my book club meeting (book review below). Colin's birthday was on Sunday, I felt kind of bad because I had so many things going on I hardly saw him on Saturday, so I told him Sunday was his day to do whatever! But it was my week to help with the coffee cart at church, so after that it was his day!! His parents got him a GPS system so we decided to drive around and try it out. We went to a bike shop so he could spend some of his birthday moolah on some gear (he is definitely a gear head, I think he had all of the top of the line gear before he even did his first triathlon! haha), then he decided he wanted to drive to the beach and have dinner there, but on the way he saw the sign for the Rogue Brewery and we decided to stop there instead for some burgers. Wasn't the most eventful birthday but I think he still enjoyed it.


I finished the reading "The Art of Racing in The Rain" and I really enjoyed it. It is written from the family dog's perspective...I have never had a dog so I wouldn't say I connected so much as maybe someone who is a "dog person" but I thought it was a cool way to tell a story! The story itself is sad and has somewhat of a cliche ending. It's a quick read and I would recommend it! And I hear it is soon to be a movie, which I will definitely go see!

Also, I just received the wedges from below and I love them!! They are the perfect height not too tall and the perfect color red! I am wearing them right now :) I just wish I could be wearing them with a white sundress instead of with pants!! C'mon summer!! Also, an exciting update with Shoedazzle they are now adding handbags! So now you can choose a bag or a pair of shoes each month or both!!!!!!! What else does a girl need?!?!!? Can you tell I am a little obsessed?!

Here Comes The Sun!!

Yay! It couldn't feel more like spring/almost summer!! The sun is out, it's going to reach about 75 and I am going to spend my afternoon break getting a half-priced Starbucks frappuccino during their happy hour! What could be better than that?? Maybe if I was off work and actually got to enjoy the sun...yeah that would be much better!

So I received the sandals from my previous post and one of the top straps came twisted and it was sewn in that way, so I sent them back and I am getting these ones instead. One of my co-workers ordered these in a tan color and they were soo cute! I am going with the red to add a little color to my summer wardrobe!


Ok, that is all for now :)

Can it just be summer already?!

It is May already! But it sure doesn't feel like it, in fact some areas of Portland got some fluffy white stuff yesterday....in my book that is not cool. haha. I am so ready for the pool to be open at our apartment (and 80 degree weather) so I can come home from work and lounge by the pool with a book until the sun goes down :)

I have FINALLY uploaded the pictures from Colin's trail race, below. I am constantly amazed by Colin's athletic ability!! I have never been very athletic, I try...but even when trying my hardest I don't think I would ever be awesome, but Colin can accomplish things without much training. I honestly think he could be a professional triathlete! Ok, I will probably never see him again after saying that because he will be training non-stop to reach that goal...haha :)


Before the race!


The crazy runners!! I was just fine being the photographer on the sidelines :)


The big finish! WHOO HOO!!!


Ok, so I joined that shoe club, and I received by April shoes (the heels from my last post) and I absolutely LOVE them!! It's called ShoeDazzle in case anyone is interested!! Here is a picture of the shoes I chose for the month of May. Yes, I got sandals because I am SO ready for it to be sandal weather!


So some new things that are going on...I was asked to help lead my small women's group that I go to for church. I've been going to this group for almost a year now so I know the girls pretty well, but the thought of leading was really scary to me! Am I good enough for this, do I know the bible well enough, how will the other girls react to me taking on this role..yadda yadda.. But the thing is, is that I have been comfortable at where I am at in my "walk with God" and I haven't really moved from that comfort zone, so I think it is time. I think doing this will add a whole new level of accountability to my life, and keep me on track. I've already help lead the last 2 weeks and it has been pretty easy, I mean this is a group of 8 girls, when girls get together we like to talk, so I don't have to say much at all! haha.

Life is good!