Weekend Review: The Color Run

Well I had a busy and fulfilling weekend. I had a Sunday School teacher training on Saturday morning and yesterday I had more fun that I've ever had sober (ok that's a huge exaggeration but it was freaking awesome). I'm turning today's post into a Color Run post. Enjoy!

Pre-race Rue:

Notice the huge bags under my crazy eyes. I don't function well early in the morning. 

My full body pre-race shot. Check the tutu, that's how I roll:

My friend LA and I getting ready for the fun:

 Post yellow station:

Post pink station:

Post orange station:

Post blue station and finish line:

As you can tell I like my own face! I didn't realize I had taken so many selfies until I started to write this post. Good lord I'm self absorbed!

This is one of my favorite shots, before it looked like we were in the middle of a disaster with colored dust all around us.

 Waiting for the dust to settle:

That was seriously intense. I couldn't see anything around me and I could barely breath. Also, I've been blowing blue boogers out my nose. I'd still do it over though!

 This shot still doesn't give the amount of color I had on my face justice:

Post race full body shot:

 That about sums me up:

 Stopped to get some post race yummies at Kiki's Mexican Restaurant:

This is when I realized just how colorful I was! Again, notice the crazy eyes.

 The Hubs met us there and just loves taking pictures of me mid bite:

I was eating the chicken mole. YUMMMMMMMMM!

 Here's a shot of him mid bite to make up for it:

Let me tell ya, Gibbie did not like the paint on my face. She came to me but then asked what was wrong with my face and went straight back to her papa.

 I am easily amused and thought the site of me taking off my headband was hilarious:

 Also, sans socks is a funny sight too:

I would highly recommend The Color Run to you as long as you don't suffer from asthma or any other respiratory disease. Also, have some one check you over after your shower to make sure you got it all off. The Hubs noticed a big blue spot on my arm this morning!

Next up is Run or Dye and my goal is to be able to run that entire race. In February there is a half-marathon and I'm really considering training for it. Do you run? Have you done any really awesome races?

Saturday Link Roundup

Today's party/shindig/roundup is brought to you by a sleep deprived and dehydrated mama. I better get in shape today because tomorrow I'm doing something absolutely awesome that I've been wanting to do for a while...

This is what I'm doing tomorrow!!!!

Nothing makes me laugh more than when the cast of SNL cracks up in the middle of skit.

This guide to stains will come in handy around the house. Stains are icky. Eeww.

I would absolutely love to go to WhoFest in Dallas. So awesome!

I can only hope I'm as awesome as these parents one day.

Yet another hair style I'd love to have but fear I'm too old for.

I really wish I could afford to buy these return address stamps! I especially love design #2.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Flashback Friday

I might have woken up on the right side of the bed today. I'm starting to feel more positive and I might be on the way to getting out of my slump. I have to be happy on Sunday because I'm doing The Color Run and I think it might be illegal to not be happy during the race. Tomorrow morning I'm going to a Sunday School teachers training so that should be fun too. For now, enjoy some pictures!

Here's a few very early pictures of Gibbie:

 This is the view from our first apartment together. It was pre-Gibbie and it was so amazingly nice. We lived off of two incomes AND didn't have diapers and formula to buy. This was the last time I looked out the back door:

 I'd say this little girl was a better trade for the apartment view:

 I sometimes have way too much fun with my own camera:

 Here's Gibbie in San Antonio earlier this year:

We were on the zoo train and we were all having a lot of fun. Here's me and Best friend E:

What are you doing this weekend?

Thankful Thursday

I've been MIA lately. I'm not in a happy place and when I'm not in a happy place I tend to journal but not blog because I don't want to spread the doom and gloom I'm feeling. Today I have things to be very thankful for so I'm going to spread the love.

*Gibbie's doctor's appointment being this morning. After what happened last thursday and not getting a confirmation call yesterday I was on high alert for something to go wrong today. I had The Hubs go in and make sure we had an appointment before I got out of the car because it was raining and he was afraid I'd hurt someone.

*Gibbie's health. The doc said she's doing great though she is small. She's in the middle of the chart with her height but she's in the bottom end of the chart with her weight. He's not concerned because she's obviously healthy. I have to remember that her maternal grandmother and great-grandmother as well as her paternal grandmother are short women so she's probably going to end up like them.

*Having a husband who takes time off to go with us to pediatrician visits. He's been to every well check up except for one and his sister went with us to that one. He never wants to miss anything important in his daughter's life.

*The roof over our head during this crazy rain. It only rains really hard and long here once every 6-7 years. The last time was a crazy flood that washed away parts of buildings and roads in 2006 and I honestly have no recollection of the time before that because I never paid attention to weather pre-adulthoood. I'm blessed to be warm and cozy and the roof isn't leaking anymore. I love the rain but I know that for some it is terrible. A few months ago when our roof was leaking I felt desperate and I know there are those who are going through the same now and I wish I could help them.

*Weight Watcher's candies. So good, especially frozen!

I hope you're all having a wonderful Thursday and I'll try to be back soon with no negativity in my life.

Saturday Link Shindig

Everyone has a link party, welcome to the link shindig, which is basically the same but with a more fun name!

These yogurt cookies look like a lot of fun and easy to make. I doubt I'd put the frosting on though, they look delicious without it.

Living in a household with one Buddhist, one Christian, and one little girl that loves church even if she's not sure what it's all about yet I love to read articles about people who identify as both Buddhist and Christian.

This looks so yum but I despise the fact that it's called Cookie Dough for Preggies. I'm not preggies but I still think I deserve this.

A relaxation website that guides you to calm. Unless you're looking at the beach scene. That one stresses me out because I can tell when the video stops to loop.

I want this vintage oven in my kitchen so bad. Of course, then I'd have to redo the entire kitchen. Who wants to pay?

I really love this Camp Director Tote from Mod Clothe. I can imagine stuffing some books in it and heading out to have some fun.


Have a wonderful weekend lovelies and I'll see you Monday!

Flashback Friday

My Time Hop app hasn't been working well lately which is so annoying. Hopefully they'll get an update with bug fixes soon. Here's some awesome pictures anyway!

The first known picture of Gibbie and The Hubs as Papa:

This is probably the first picture of me and the Gibbs. I look lovely, I felt even more lovely:

 She's always been such a happy girl:

Even while making funny faces:

 Sometimes I think she's a cat because she crawls onto my lap when I'm working:

 She also thinks it's ok to switch phones with me and thinks I won't notice:

I kind of miss that high chair. Now I can't strap her down and make her eat:

Attack of the fifty foot Gibbie:

 This was the reaction when her balloon floated up to the vaulted ceiling and I didn't have a ladder to get it down:

 Crying always wears a girl out:

Thankful Thursday

I'm so angry today that it's hard to be thankful. I'm really trying to calm but I don't know how to just sit and calm myself. I vented to my husband who said that he thought I should have a whiskey, so I did, and it helped, but I'm still angry.

Allow me to vent just a bit and then maybe my head will be cleared enough to list the things I'm thankful for. I called last week to make an appointment for Gibbie's 3 year check up. The lady at the doctor's office said that she had openings the first week of September and we scheduled it for September 5 (today). The Hubs stayed home from work to go with us and the appointment is actually scheduled for the 12th, next Thursday. That would be the second week of September so I am angry though I should just be glad that Gibbie is happy and healthy and there's no concerns that had to be addressed today specifically.

Then I took Gibbie to the park around the corner. I was shocked that I got her to leave without throwing a fit! We then went to check the mail and walked home. We went in front of a house on the opposite side of the street and a teenage girl came running out in a panic with no shoes on acting like she was terrified. She scared Gibbie with her quickness and I just tried to pull Gibbie along and reassured her that the girl wasn't coming for her and kept walking. I kept peeking back and the girl, who had ran to her car and quickly looked through it before slamming the door, was just staring at us. We crossed the street, the girl was still watching us. We got to our house, the girl was still staring at us. At this point I figured she was just waiting for someone and not actually watching us but looking down the street.

We get home, start to relax, the door bell rings. I answered it and there was the teenage girl with a teenage boy with her. He looks at me, then at her, then asks her, "is this her?" What the holy hell? So for a few seconds no one says anything so finally I ask what was going on. The girl says nothing but the boy says that she thinks that I went through her car! WHAT THE HOLY HELL!? At this point it takes every ounce of energy to not hit one of them. Instead I just ask why she thinks I would go through her car and then when she runs out of the house I didn't try to run off or hide but instead casually walk away with my very slow three year old in tow. She didn't know. Then I asked why, if I had taken something from her car, I would just answer the door instead of pretending I wasn't home when her and her friend come to accuse me. She didn't know. I ask her if she really thinks I would take something from a random person's car who lives just a few houses away from mine while I have my kid with me in broad daylight. She didn't know. Finally, I asked her if she felt grown up while crossing her arms and giving us a dirty look and scaring my child as I'm walking home from the park. She didn't freaking know. I'm really trying to tell myself that I'm glad they came and addressed the issue with me instead of doing something ridiculous like call the cops. Both of them apologized for bothering me. The girl says she was just paranoid because she has had her purse stolen from her car before. I just told her to keep her car doors locked and shut the door as they walked away looking less deflated than when they showed up.

Adrenaline is still rushing two hours and one whiskey later. I have a terrible headache but I am glad that at least so far I'm not having an anxiety attack or stuffing my face with food because God knows I'm an emotional mess right now. I am having a hard time being a good person right now so I think I'm going to nap after posting this and hopefully the negative will melt away.

So, let me say that I'm still thankful for things in life even though today is a shit day.

*The Hubs always makes it on this list but anytime I need to vent or I'm in the midst of an anxiety attack he always makes time to talk me down and let me say what I need to say or cry into the phone when I can't seem to get any words out. If he can't talk he calls me as soon as he has a few minutes to give me all of his attention. I know that men are wired to fix things but he has learned that when I talk to him about a problem it's not because I need him to fix it for me but because I need him to listen. I think he still thinks he should fix it but he doesn't usually act on it.

*Lonely grocery trips. I used to feel lonely when grocery shopping alone. Now I think of it as a relaxing hour long vacation. Usually I stop at Starbucks on the way to Albertson's and leisurely go isle by isle checking everything out. I tend to remember absolutely everything on my list when I'm alone (and then some).

*Yoplait Greek Yogurt only being 100 calories. Silly, I know, but I really love Greek yogurt and with Weight Watchers I thought I'd never be able to have it again without using a huge chunk of points on one snack. Yay for 2 points snacks!

*Days of Our Lives which makes me realize that everything that happened this morning is nothing in comparison for facing prison for killing a man who was about to kill your ex husband because your fiance's father hired him to do it because the ex husband is sleeping with your future father-in-law's ex wife. Oh yeah!

Here's a picture of Gibbie at the park to even out the negativity:

Wordless Wednesday: Goofy Afternoon Edition

Dear Self

Dear New Hot Body I've Been Working On,

     I'm so sorry about what happened last week. I know I promised to always be true to you but I got weak. I've been true for so long and I hope you don't leave me over my infidelity. I swear to you that chocolate cake meant absolutely nothing to me. It was a cheap thrill and I won't let it come between us again. The extra sleep in the morning? It's all over, I'll be back up at 6:15 every weekday morning from here on out. The beer? Forgotten! I've stocked up on grapes to freeze just for you!

     I can feel you slowly slipping away and I really don't want to lose you. I promise I'll do better. The cake is out of the house now anyway and that last cupcake, I swear I'll save it for the kid. I'll work on us, I'll put in all of my heart again, just please don't leave me!

Love,

202.2 as of yesterday even though I was under 200 three weeks ago.

PS.

The Color Run is less than two weeks away and I'd love it if you were there for me.

Stay at Home Mom vs. Working Mom

I am a stay at home mom. The first year of Gibbie's life I suffered from cabin fever because of it. I know now that I didn't do it right. I took the stay at home part literally and because of that I was very lonely and sad though I never did have postpartum depression (surprisingly). Now, however, between MOPS, LWML, Stroller Fitness, and the bible study I go to, Gibbie and I keep ourselves very busy (and sane).

For a brief moment I did consider going back to my supervisor position at Levis in our outlet mall after my maternity leave was up but because it was only part time I would be working to pay for day care and not have anything left over. That didn't make sense. The Hubs and I both wanted Gibbie to be brought up in a way that made sense to us and not let someone else do it their way .

Finishing my degree is still on my to do list but one of the reasons I haven't gone back to school yet is because we don't have a childcare option. Ideally, someone in our family would watch her, I'd finish school, then I'd go back to work with a very flexible schedule so that I could still do the PTA stuff I've dreamed of doing.

With all of that said I do wish that I had the ability to provide for myself and my daughter if (God forbid) anything at all should happen to my husband. At this point, though I do sell Pampered Chef, I would lose the house and car and probably have to move in with Satan my sister unless there was a miracle of a full time job that didn't require a degree and paid very good money.

Posing this question to Facebook and Tumblr I almost assumed everyone would say they'd stay home if they could. I did get a few with that answer but one friend said she was very glad to show her girls what being an independent woman is about. Of course that made me wonder if maybe by not having a degree and staying at home is going to end up sending Gibbie the wrong message. The social media consensus is that working from home would be perfection. It's such a hard decision for me to make. My mom stayed at home and I thought it was wonderful but she did literally come from a very different generation. The Hubs' mom always worked full time and it was a great example but he was alone a lot. I'm really just hoping that I can find a nice balance with The Pampered Chef and I'll be able to boost my business and not have to worry about anything at all.

What would you do if given the choice?

Links:
This is the article that got me thinking about this topic.
This one seems a bit harsh but I get why she says what she says.
I love this blog and the writer recently quit her job to be a stay at home mom to her two children.

Finally, here's a picture to fulfill your cuteness quota for the day: