We're ALL IN.... again!

I've been involved with AdvoCare for over 3 years and still get excited about every cleanse/challenge I do. In 2015, over 70,000 people started the 24 Day Challenge together.  This year, over 128,000 jumped in to start the year off on the best foot. Clay and I are two of them!

2015 was a crazy year for us with selling our house quickly and moving to a temporary place, designing and building a house, moving again and of course, having a baby. Needless to say, it was often tough to focus on ourselves, so we're ready to take back control and get off this fluff!

I decided to do something a little different when we began planning our challenges- I am going to blog through it in addition to using my Instagram account.

Clay is doing the regular challenge with no modifications. He did add on ThermoPlus and Crave Check.

Since I am breastfeeding, I elected to change up the products I use to ensure Riley is safe and put together a program that's similar to the challenge. I will be using the peaches n cream Fiber Drink, Probiotic Restore Ultra, OmegaPlex, Spsrk, meal replacement shakes, Catalyst and Muscle Gain. I will also use the Post Workout Recovery.

I put together our meal plans and spent an hour or so prepping on Sunday. I like to chop veggies once, put together salads in mason jars and bag dinners to make things easier and prevent excuses.

Clay has eggs and reduced sodium turkey bacon every morning, and grilled chicken and green beans/blackeye peas every day, even off the challenge. I make them and put them in bowls to grab and go every week.

I also build mason jar salads.  Put dressing on the bottom if you want, softer veggies (bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers) next, then harder veggies (carrots, onions). Top with protein and then add your greens. These hold for 5 days or so if in mason jars and make life so much easier. Just shake it up to coat with dressing and you can even eat from the jar!

I seasoned the pork chops and put them in a bag. We were having boiled cabbage with it, so I chopped it and put it in its own bag.

Clay is having cheesesteak (with no cheese. Ha) one night, so I browned the beef and put it in a bag with sliced onions and green bell pepper after it cooled.  I can pour the bag in the skillet when it's time to cook and only have to clean one dish.

I also put together overnight oats in mason jars - just the dry ingredients: steel cut oats, flavor god gingerbread cookie, cinnamon, vanilla Muscle Gain, flaxseed. I only made three because some mornings, I'll have a shake. I'll add unsweetened almond milk to a jar the day before I plan to eat it. Prep only requires a good shake and about a minute in the microwave. Another eat from the jar meal!

I cut bell peppers into strip and bagged them, as well as carrot sticks. Snack size bags are perfect and being portioned makes it easy to eat while I'm nursing. I also bagged frozen mixed berries, spinach and chopped radishes to mix with Muscle Gain and almond milk for smoothies.

I am a firm believer in prepping for the challenge and beyond. I started this a few years ago and have done it almost weekly since. With the busyness of life, it's easy to find excuses to eat for convenience instead of health, but when I do, I feel TERRIBLE. Plus I mean, who wants to wash dishes daily? This helps eliminate some of the chores that come with cooking, and I'm all for that!

Baby 2.0: Fifteen weeks (and a gender reveal!!!!!!!)

Well, hey there, belly!  Where did that thing come from??

How far along? 15 weeks
Baby's size: Approximately 4 inches from head to booty and about 2.5 ounces.  

Total weight gain/loss: Two pounds.

Stretch marks? I am appalled to say I think I see some around my belly button.  Pretty sure this baby is higher and pushing out above my belly button.
Sleep? Thankfully it has improved a lot and I'm sleeping again!  

Maternity clothes? I can still wear my regular clothes, but have switched for the most part because it's more comfortable.
Best moment this week: Finding out what the baby is!!

Worst Moment: We went to our appointment determined to find out what the baby is and had our families and the Facebook world all excited about finding out the sex.  Well, the little stinker sat Indian style and had the cord between its legs for 15 minutes.  We had to leave the ultrasound room and see the doctor.  I spent a lot of time hopping up and down and considered standing on my head to get it to move, but fortunately, it moved its legs just enough to get a shot!  
Symptoms: I have had a lot of pain in my lower left abdomen and my back feels like it's in knots (but that's probably from all the coughing and sneezing I've done)

Miss Anything? Ummm don't think so.
Movement: I feel strong, strong pressure hard up against my skin next to my belly button. It's harder than flutters, but lighter than kicks.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Chicken.  Well, meat in general. 

Gender: It's a..................................................

GIRL!

What is baby up to? Amniotic fluid continuously moves through her nose and upper respiratory tract, helping the air sacs in her lungs develop.  Her legs are longer than her arms, and she can move all of her limbs.  Her eyelids are still fused shut for a while, but she can sense light and will likely move away from direct light that is shined on my belly.  She is also forming tastebuds for that first taste of milk! 

Meet Miss Riley!  I think she's already beautiful and so perfect!

Baby 2.0: Twelve Weeks (and life update)!

Maaaan, how life has changed since my last post in February 2014.

Shortly after my last post, Clay and I attended a marriage conference at Church of the Highlands.  It really opened our eyes to the lives we had been living for the last year and a half.  After Bryson was born, our lives changed more than we could have ever imagined.  When I went back to work, I left the house at 6:40 AM to drop him off at daycare and get to work by 7:30.  I often worked through lunch, and got home at 5:30-5:40 PM.  My nightly to do list was full, but the time to accomplish it was limited.

By the time I crossed everything off the list, Clay was often asleep.  We went weeks without spending any quality time together.  Even on weekends, we didn't want to let Bryson stay with grandparents because that was our best shot at real time with him.  Our marriage was fine, and we weren't having any problems, but with the way we had been living, it couldn't have continued.  As Clay says it, we were living each day for the next and that's no way to live.

Seriously, being a working mom is not for the feint of heart.  It takes a great deal of emotional strength, endurance and mental toughness.

At the conference, Clay felt as though God was telling him to trust that He had a plan for us.  We began discussing it and decided that it was time for me to walk away from the Corporate world and put my all into my AdvoCare business.  Making that change has been nothing short of amazing for us.  Not only is my business thriving, but our family is flourishing.  It moves me to tears to think of what it's done for us.  I get to live in the present now and really slow down and enjoy Bryson.  I don't live my life based off what the clock says any longer AND I finally get to make a difference with the work I do.

I know that what I do isn't for everybody, but it is for me, and I LOVE it.  I finally feel like I'm really working for something and not just doing a job for a paycheck.

 ________________________________________

Earlier this year, we decided to go ahead and put our house back on the market.  In April, we got an offer and had to move pretty quickly as she wanted to close and take possession in three weeks!  We said goodbye for the very last time on May 4.

We are currently renting a townhouse while we wait on our new home to be built.  I am anxiously awaiting the amazing kitchen, incredible bathroom, huge laundry room and maaaassive bonus space!  Eek!  

 ________________________________________

Before we got the offer on our house, we got two pink lines on a pregnancy test on our second month of trying.  Moving during first trimester nausea and fatigue was a whoooole lot of fun!  

We got to see him/her for the first time on April 22.  That little heartbeat was just as amazing as Bryson's always was.  Best sound in the world.  

We have A LOT of people on Team Girl - I guess since we already have a boy.  

How far along? 12 weeks
Baby's size: The baby is roughly the size of a plum (2.1 inches long and .49 ounces)
Total weight gain/loss: So far, 2 pounds.

Stretch marks? So far, so good.
Sleep? With so much going on in our lives right now, my mind doesn't want to turn off.  I fall asleep fine, but if I wake up for anything, I'm up for 2-3 hours at a time.  The crazy thing is that I'm not even thinking about the baby, but things we need for the new house, how to make moving easier with a new baby either almost here or a braaaand new baby.  

Maternity clothes? Since I wear elastic pants all the time now (SAHM uniform, you know?!), I'm in my regular clothes.  Even my tighter AdvoGear fits, but there's a definite bump. 
Best moment this week: At our 12-week appointment, I got to record the heartbeat.  He/She swam away every time I hit record.  Little stinker.  Nice and strong at 156!

Worst Moment: Nerves.  Not being able to feel the baby always makes me really nervous.  I try to believe that all is okay, but it's tough!
Symptoms: I'm following the same path I did with Bryson.  As most of the nausea passed and energy came back, I started getting more frequent headaches.  Two Tylenol and half a Spark actually help a lot.  I've also been sick with some sinus junk I can't get over.  Thanks, baby, for stealing my immune system.  

Miss Anything? Sleeping all night and liking vegetables.   
Movement: I felt flutters remarkably early.  No real movement yet, but I can feel bubbles right under my belly button a lot.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Chicken.  Well, meat in general.

Gender: Absolutely no idea.

What is baby up to? Most of the vital body systems are formed, and will begin maturing, meaning the organs and tissues will grow and develop quickly. His/her reflexes are developing, and (s)he's curling her fingers and toes AND (s)he's making the sucking motion with his/her mouth. The brain and kidneys are developing rapidly; (s)he's even beginning to teetee! With Bryson, I thought that was cute, but now all I can think is that (s)he's peeing in the water she breathes in.  Gross.  

Here is Bryson's 12-week post for comparison.

Oops, we did it again!

Hey there, blog land.  It's been a while since I've posted anything.  I've written a
few posts and never published, or decided to keep them private, but I'm back.... and for good reason!

WE DID IT AGAIN!

Baby #2 is ready to make his/her appearance in December! 

My Forever Valentine

I'm THAT girl.

You know the one- the child who cooks supper in her plastic kitchen and sets the table for two: herself and her imaginary husband.  The little girl who cradles her baby doll while singing it it sleep and telling her imaginary husband how perfect it is.

I knew at an early age that love was something I wanted.   I often had daydreams of what my adult life would look like.  I pictured the adoring husband, happy kids, loyal dog and white picket fence. I could never see my husband or children's faces, but they were always so beautiful.

Growing up in church, I learned what true love is.  When you first hear the story of Jesus and what He did for us, you know what love is.  When God's sacrifice truly hits home and touches your heart, you know what love is.  When the magnitude of that sacrifice truly touched me for the first time, it changed the way I thought about everything, including my future family.

The older I got, the more mature my fantasies became.  I still imagined my family, but those dreams became more realistic.  One Sunday evening at youth group, we divided into male and female groups and discussed finding the person God made for each of us.  That night, reality hit me like a ton of bricks and my view of my future husband changed completely.

That night, I wrote a letter to my future husband.   I can see it in my mind- purple ink on unlined paper, and well, slanted because who can write on unlined paper??  That night, I began to pray for my future husband- not that God would bring him to me because I knew He would, but that He would protect him in the trying teenager years and would mold him into  the man He intended him to be.  I was only in 7th grade, but had a clear perspective.

A few years later, I kissed dating goodbye.  Reading the book changed my dating life.  Throughout the remainder of my school years, I was very picky about who I dated.  That meant most weekends were spent at home while my friends were at the movies with new guys, but to me, dating just to have something to do wasn't worth it.  I dated sporadically, and at one point, thought briefly that I had found a potential match.  He wasn't who God had in mind.  While that realization hurt at the time, God gently reminded me that His plan is ALWAYS better than mine.  Boy, was he right!

At times, pledging myself to a man that still had no face in my dreams and whose name I didn't know was HARD.  When it got tough, I found myself cuddling up with a [lined] piece of paper and penning another letter.

March 8, 2008 was a day that changed my life, and the day that God showed me His promises are good, even if they seem to take forever to come to fruition.  That's the day I met the man God had created with me in mind, the man who would give me the most beautiful baby boy ever (totally not biased) and who would love me the way God intended me to be loved.

March 17, 2008

I can remember that night in vivid detail.  I was with my friend, Shannon, eating dessert pizza and drinking chocolate martinis (hello, sugar high!).  I walked outside and saw Clay against the rail.  He was in jeans and a dark purple Polo.  I should have noticed his eyes or smile first, but his arms caught my eye immediately.

As I typed that, I felt like God laughed.  He built Clay and put those guns on him for me.  Bwahaha.

Memorial Day 2008

My relationship with Clay blossomed quickly and was always so easy.  Conversation flowed with no awkward pauses and we had a lot in common.  (Too bad football loyalty is not one of them)  He kept me laughing and on my toes. I could let my guard down and just be myself.  He held my hand when we walked beside each other, and his hugs made me feel more secure than any ever had.  I missed him when we weren't together and wanted time with him daily.  Seeing him gave me butterflies, and even a kiss on the forehead left me breathless.  He became my sounding board and a shoulder to lean on.  Even though his Facebook-appointed title was boyfriend, it was far too shallow to describe what he was to me.  He was so much more- he was my best friend.  Within weeks, I knew that He was the one I had been praying so long for.

And then trouble hit.

Less than 5 months in, our relationship turned rocky overnight.  The next 16 months were tough.  We spent days arguing through text and nights fighting in person.  We broke up, got back together, broke up then hung out as "friends."  That always resulted in getting back together and repeating the vicious cycle many times over.  There were hurt feelings, lies, tears, anger, disappointment and distrust on both sides.  Through it all, we both felt like we were supposed to be together, but just could not make it work.  In November 2009, we called it quits for good.

(Yeah right.  Try to tell God you're changing His plan and see how He works.)

For the next month, we barely spoke.  We didn't see each other.  At all.

I jumped into two small groups and immersed myself in God and new friends.  I opened up about our issues to people I could trust so I could get clarity on the situation and to allow my heart to heal.  I specifically remember telling my friend, Amanda, about it.  While I don't remember the words she spoke, I remember the feeling that came over me.  Her words were divinely chosen and breathed new life into me.  A weight was immediately lifted from my shoulders and the hard shell around my heart began to crack and fall off.  When the conversation ended, I felt renewed, which is something I had wanted for so long.

Just two weeks after talking with Amanda, I saw Clay again.  The love I had for him was still there, but I was surprised that none of the other feelings- resentment, anger, distrust, sadness, guilt- were.  We spent the next year rebuilding our relationship.  God confirmed many times what we had known all along- that we were right where we belonged.  He used whatever means necessary to speak to us: friends, family and even movies.  Thinking back, I am so amazed at how quickly God was able to mend us when we just gave up and laid our problems at His feet.  What we couldn't resolve in 16 months took him no time.

In May 2011, I wrote to my future husband one more time.  I bundled it with the letters I had written previously, and on June 4, 2011, he finally got to read them right before I walked down to the aisle to become his wife.





We've been married for over 2.5 years now.  Our lives have changed so much since the day we met.  College classes have been replaced with jobs, and crazy professors with crazy coworkers.  Afternoons at the pool are now spent with floaties and squirt toys.  Date night conversation usually centers around the funny things Bryson did that day and how much we miss him already.  I still set the table for 2, but also pull up a highchair and we arm ourselves against food flying from all directions.  If we stay in for a movie night, it's usually produced by Disney and is interrupted by milk runs and diaper changes.  

Through all the change, a lot has remained the same.  I still get butterflies when I see him, especially when he's playing with our son.  His arms are still the safest place to be.  I miss him when we aren't together and anxiously await the end of the day when we're reunited.  He's still the first person I run to when I need to talk or need help.  Unfortunately, he's also still an Auburn fan.  Above all, he is still my best friend, my soulmate and the answer to hundreds of prayers.

Looking back at the fantasies of my childhood, my life doesn't compare.  I didn't get the things I daydreamed about, wished upon stars for, or the things I prayed about.  I got abundantly more.  Those elaborate childhood fantasies pale in comparison to reality.

Clay, 

I thank God for loving me more than I deserve, and for giving me more than I could have ever imagined.  You are so much more than I could have even asked for- I never would have even been able to dream up someone so perfect for me.  I am so thankful that it's you that God chose to be my partner in life.  We've been through so much already and I'm looking forward to many more years of adventures, firsts, lasts and everything in between.  I love you so much.  U=my<3