Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day means so much to our family.  My older brother, Grant, is in the midst of going to Afghanistan.  He is a helicopter pilot for Army National Guard.  This will be his second trip to the Middle East.  Not a fun time for our family.  Grant is currently at Ft. Hood in training, so he was able to come back for Memorial Day.  He will come back around the 4th of July one more time and then we won't see him until he returns.  I am so proud of Grant, but selfishly want him to stay home away from everything.  Grant is a man of honor and I am so thankful for him.

I do believe I have one of the best families around! We have so much fun together and really enjoy each others company.  We have a LARGE family, so we haven't all got together in a long time, but when we do, it is always a great time.  

This year we celebrated at my parent's house with a BBQ and fire pit. 

Enjoy the pictures!  Happy Hump Day!

Grandpa, niece Molly, and nephew Brody making S'mores.

Brother Grant and Tanya

Sister Amber and Brad

Brother Andrew and Nephew Blake (Grant's son)

Sis in Law Kelsey, Grandma, Declan, and Uncle Jim

Molly, Aunt Jean, and Brody

Hubby and I

Burning some marshmallows!

Aunt Jean and Declan

Cousins playing together! I love seeing them play!

Cousins playing in the center of everyone.  You can tell the gentlemen in the back are so excited! HA

Trying out the rocking horse for the first time.

I love seeing Declan wear tank tops! Those arms get me every time! :)

My little love!

Weekend Getaway!

The hubby and I took the plunge this weekend and went out for a weekend just US.  After hearing from my lovely friend, Lauren, on her fabulous trip, I knew that Brian and I needed at least a quick getaway. So, thank you so much Lauren for giving that extra push.

On our way!

Brian and I left Declan with our good friends on Saturday and headed to Branson.  We shopped at the outlet malls and then ventured to Branson Landing.  We stayed in the Hilton Convention Center so we could just walk from our hotel.  We ate at Cantina Laredo for dinner and enjoyed ourselves.  We ate outside and enjoyed the fountains and the lake view. We then shopped at the Landing, got some ice cream, and then headed back to the hotel for the night.

Love this man!

I have to say...it was so worth it to get away.  I now want to go away again with just my wonderful  hubby.  Our days go so quickly with Declan that we forget to appreciate each other.  Brian is truly the love of my life.  He is the husband I always dreamed of having and so much more.  We have truly grown up together and I love everything about our story. 

Declan at Dinner.  The girls did his hair! :)

Weekends!

I love weekends! I honestly can't get enough of them. I would have to say I live for them. I get lots of time with my boys and I really can't ask for anything more. I love them so much! 

Our weekend started off with celebrating my BFF, Danavee's birthday. We had a quick dinner at a local Mexican place on Friday night. It was fun and delicious! 

Saturday morning Declan had swim lessons. This was his second time and he did great! The rest of the day we got to spend some quality time with family. 

Sunday we were able to spend some time with sweet Eliza. Declan and Eliza played so well with each other and them napped at the same time. 

What a lovely weekend! Is it Friday yet? 

Jillian Michaels' 30 DS CHALLENGE: May Meltdown!

Alrighty! I am doing this. I am linking up and attacking the Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. I am excited about toning up my body and holding myself accountable. I really hope I can get myself up in the morning!



Follow my blog with Bloglovin<

My Journey on Becoming a Runner

I first started running back in 2009.  I had started a new job as a school counselor and was finishing up my master's degree.  I had been doing a boot camp class through my local gym for months and met some wonderful ladies.  These ladies have now become some of my best friends.  A couple of these ladies had started running in the mornings at 5 AM.  They graciously offered to let me run with them.  I needed to get my work outs completed in the morning, so I could go to class at night. So, I went and that is where my journey began.

We would run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  We would meet at the same spot and run a 4 mile loop.  This group is what I needed.  This group kept growing and blossoming into wonderful friendships.   We all run at different speeds and we all have different purposes.  We all will start together and we all wait for each other at the end.  I am the last one in that group.  I am the slow one in that group, but guess what, I don't care.  My group has always been there for me and there is always someone  waiting for me in the end.  I tell them they don't have to wait, but someone always does.  I love that about these ladies.  On some days, one of my fast friends will even slow down and run with me for the morning.  I love them. They are truly a healthy and loving group of friends.

We have trained for 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, and even marathons together.  We have made it fun and healthy.   We tend to pick a breakfast spot, start our run from there, and then eat when we are done. :)

I have been out of the loop on running for the last year or so.  I got pregnant, had a baby, and still trying to figure out my schedule with what works for my family. But my running friends are still there.   I haven't been able to run in the mornings during the week, but I have started joining some of them on the weekends for runs.  I am currently training for my third half marathon in May.  We will be running the GoGirl Half Marathon in Springfield, MO.  I am so excited to be back in the world of running.  I am so excited to be with my friends.  My schedule is always a little crazy, so my sister has stepped up her hate for running and joined me for some of my long runs.  I love her for that.  I love that we get time together. 

I am ever so thankful for this wonderful group of ladies.  They have brought so much love and support into my life.

I am also thankful for my wonderful husband.  He has been a constant support of my running.  Sometimes I am gone on weekends for hours at a time and he never complains. 

Our group has grown and evolved into wonderful friendships.  We have seen each other grow as people and grow our families.  We are all different ages and we are all at different stages in our lives, but we all come together and we run.  We are there for each other through tough times and we are there for each other during the happy times.  We run together, eat together, laugh together, and even vacation together.

My journey and our journey as friends and runners continue.  I am so thankful I have this story to share.  I am blessed to have each one of these ladies (and gentlemen) in my life.

First ever Boot Camp Challenge, we WON!

May Day 5k

Girls Night

Bowling Night

Bass Pro 5k

Turkey Trot

Turkey Trot with the hubs

Frozen Fog morning run

Bass Pro Half Marathon

Completed FIRST half marathon

Wilson's Creek Run

Phoenix Full Marathon

Bethany's Wedding

Kim's Bday

St. Louis Half Marathon

Second Half Marathon COMPLETE

Chicago Marathon ( I ran 3 miles of it, I was preggo)

Bethany's Baby Shower

Color Run with my sister, Amber.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Dickerson Park Zoo

Declan and I have visited our local zoo a couple of times already this year. We purchased a family pass and will be seeing the animals as often as we can. Check out some of our pictures from our last couple of trips.