Happy Hump Day!

I hope your hump day is rolling along nicely so far! Mine started off with a kick butt 6 AM Barre class at ToddPilates. I am always so impressed by all the people who get up bright and early to work out week after week. They never cease to amaze me.

After class, I headed home and tried to wake the beast (E is not a morning person). As I sat down to enjoy a cup of hot water with lemon, I saw one of the books I am currently reading sitting on the coffee table and thought I would share. I am actually reading three different great books right now on various subjects. I am usually not a person that reads multiple books at one time, but these three were just too good to wait on.

First up, is Chia Vitality by Janie Hoffman. I was sent this book by the wonderful people over at Mamma Chia. In Chia Vitality, the author, Janie Hoffman, describes her struggles with an autoimmune disease and how incorporating chia seeds into her life helped her overcome it. She discusses in detail how chia seeds can help boost your stamina, help you lose weight, and feel more alive. It is also packed with delicious healthy recipes. I just started reading yesterday, so I promise to report back with a full review and GIVEAWAY soon!

Next up on my reading (well, really listening) list is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

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I actually downloaded this book using Audible so I could listen to it while I drove to and from Houston this weekend. If you have never listened to a book on tape while driving, I would highly suggest it. Having something interesting to listen to made the trip fly by. I've also been listening to it while taking my daily walks which is nice as well. Plus, I am in love with this book!



This is so not your typical self help book. The story begins with Gretchen riding a bus and thinking about why she isn't happier with her life. She has a loving marriage, two great kiddos, she loves her job, lives in New York City, and just generally has a wonderful life. She decides that there is so much in her life to be thankful for and happy about that it's a shame to let all of that go to waste. As a writer and avid reader, she sets out on a quest to read as much about happiness as she possibly can.

After gathering all of her resources and information, she decides to dedicate a year to finding more happiness in her already great life. Each month she focuses on a different area such as her marriage, parenting, or her job, and sets resolutions to work on for the month. The book tells the story of this year from her point of view. Gretchen actually reads the book herself and her sarcastic, witty personality makes it all that much more entertaining.

I consider myself, like Gretchen, to be blessed with a wonderful life; however, I all to often dwell on what I could be doing better or worry about things that are out of my control. I am only to the month of May in her journey, but I have definitely had a couple of revelations so far and picked up many helpful tips to help me keep in perspective what truly is important. I would highly suggest this book to everyone!

Now what kind of pregnant lady would I be if I wasn't reading some kind of baby book right? Well have no fear! Book #3 on my reading list is The Happiest Baby On The Block by Dr. Harvey Karp, M.D
This book discusses how the 5 S's can help your baby sleep better, be happier, and avoid colic. It actually goes into a lot of great detail on what different doctors theorize cause colic and why they are incorrect. Additionally, it discusses how other cultures have soothed their babies for centuries and why westerners may be missing the mark when it comes to helping our little ones find comfort.

The overall premise of the books is that babies need 5 things to be comforted when they are first born.....
1) Swaddling - They need to be swaddled to feel safe and protected.
2) Side/Stomach Position - They prefer to be on their side or stomach which can aid in digestion.
3) Shushing - A shushing sound imitates what they were used to hearing in the womb and is therefor very comforting.
4) Swinging - Babies are used to constant motion when they are in their mothers womb, so a swinging motion helps to soothe them.
5) Sucking - Sucking actually triggers the calming reflex in babies.

Dr. Harvey Karp describes in detail how each one of these helps to soothe babies in it's own way, but also why doing them all together is the most important (and often most missed) step. It is totally worth the read if you are a mommy-to-be or have a fussy baby at home. Of course, I haven't actually put any of this to use on Annabelle yet, but it's fascinating none the less!

So there you have, the three books that are currently occupying my brain space! Now, it's time for some breakfast.

What are you currently reading?

In health,

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Howdy Friends,

Sorry for the MIA status, but life got a little hectic when we got home from San Fran. We were trying to catch up with work and recover from the trip so I never got to post a recap of our last day. Better late than never right? I still can't believe our trip is already over. It was seriously one of the most amazing vacations I have been on and the perfect way for E and I to spend a little quality time together before Annabelle arrives.

Our last day was spent walking down the Wharf and Embarcadero to explore a few last things we hadn't hit yet.

First up was Giants stadium! It was opening day, so the atmosphere was electric! It was so neat to see all the Giants fans surging into the stadium. There were people everywhere tailgating, playing catch, and soaking up the gorgeous northern California sun!





On our way to the stadium we stopped at The Ferry House for a quick snack. We came across this amazing gluten free bakery, and I enjoyed a cinnamon roll for the first time in almost three years. It was beyond delicious and after a morning full of walking, I was one hungry mama!




We grabbed lunch with one of E's friends from College, Ryan O'Bryant. He moved to San Francisco a little less than a year ago so it was fun to get to catch up with him. After lunch, we rode the trolley back to our hotel to do a little packing. We both ended up passing out as soon as we sat down on the bed. That's what 4 days of walking 10+ miles a day will do to you. When we woke up, it was just about sunset so we decided to head down to the pier to watch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge. However, when we got there, all we saw was fog. It was the absolute thickest fog I have ever seen. Everyone talks about how foggy the bay can be, but until then, we hadn't experienced any fog. It was so neat to see! It was so thick you couldn't even see the bridge. The second picture below is the bridge from roughly the same spot at three different times throughout our trip.



The gym in our hotel was under construction while we were there, but that doesn't mean working out was impossible. Like I said earlier, we walked a ton every day and I tried to squeeze in body weight resistance exercises in the room as well. Check out this no equipment required hotel room friendly workout!



Give it a shot next time you are stuck in a hotel room with no gym at your disposal. I'm off to finish a few things and whip up some Sunday dinner. I hope you all have a great week!

In health,

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Happy Monday Friends!

Woah, what a weekend! I headed to Vegas to celebrate the wonderful Kelley Smith's bachelorette party! It was so much fun to get to spend time with some of my best friends and celebrate Kelley and Eric getting married in May. Kelley has been my best friend since 2nd grade, so I couldn't be happier for her and her upcoming big day.

Think you can't have fun in Vegas without drinking? Think again. This prego lady rocked Vegas without a single drink (duh!). :) On the first night we got in pretty late so we just went out to a low key club in our hotel for drinks.

On Friday, we did a little shopping in the morning and then headed to the spa. Kelley's fiance Eric, purchased us all pedicures. What a keeper! Since we were having a spa service done, we had access to all of the spa's amenities such as a whirl pool, sauna, salt room, and more. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Later on that night, we got decked out and headed out for Sushi Samba and a night out on the town to celebrate! Baby Annabelle of course got in on the action.




It was so much fun! By Saturday, we were all feeling our lack of sleep so we went for a leisurely brunch around 10:30 AM then headed back to the spa to lounge. Later on in the afternoon, we headed over to check out the Cosmopolitan hotel and eat dinner at Scarpetto. It was delicious, but not my favorite. After dinner, it was off to watch a Cirque De Soleil show! Well, after we stopped for ice cream of course.


It was a great time with great friends, but I am definitely one tired mama now! I've got lots of rest to catch up on for sure!

Baby G Update


About mid photo shoot, Champ decided he wanted in on the action so he came over to pose with Annabelle and I!




How Far Along: 24 weeks (6 months in normal people speak)

Size of Baby G: Annabelle is about the size of a cantaloupe this week.

Movement: Annabelle is definitely a mover and a shaker. She still moves the most at night, but now pretty much anytime I sit still for a long period of time, I can feel her moving. I think she's going to come out in constant motion.

Exercise: During the last update, I celebrated because my hip flexors were feeling better so I was back to my normal cardio sessions. Well..... I think I jinxed myself because I dislocated my toe shortly after that. I had to spend most of last week trying to stay off of my foot as much as possible while the swelling went down. Finally, it subsided and popped all the way back into place during my Thursday morning Barre class. It's amazing how you have an instant feeling of pain relief as soon as it is all the way back into place. Now, I'm back on schedule walking 3-4 miles a day, teaching my classes, and squeezing in 2-3 strength workouts a week. Core work is definitely getting harder and harder so I'm modifying more and more. Minus the toe snag, I am feeling pretty good. My hips are definitely still giving me trouble and hurt on and off throughout the day, but I think that is just something I am going to have to deal with for the next 4 months or so. She's worth it! :)

Cravings: Still loving grapefruits, potatoes, and ketchup. I also love watermelon, but I love it when I'm not pregnant too. I've been trying really hard to make sure I am getting plenty of protein in with lots of eggs, lean meats, and whey protein. Additionally, I've been trying to increase my greens intake with big salads and green smoothies.


How was your weekend?

In health,

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Hi Friends,

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty wonderful I must admit. We had the pleasure of going to Kansas City to for one of E's cousin's wedding. One thing that I love about E's family (among many), is that EVERYONE comes in for weddings. He has family in Virginia, Vegas, Colorado, Dubai, Virginia, Arizona, Texas, etc... and everyone comes! It's amazing! They are like mini family reunions. We always have an amazing time when we are all together and love catching up with each other. We have successfully had a wedding every summer for the last 4 summers so it's been great! Sadly, I think this might be the last one for a while.

E's cousin, Lindsey-Leigh, was the bride, and what a beautiful bride she was. The groom, Nick Garrett, is a party and a half so we knew it would be a fun wedding. We took most of the pictures on my mother-in-laws camera, but I wanted to share the ones I have. I'll do a full recap later. The wedding turned out to be gorgeous. Here is the happy couple cutting their cake.

After cake, it was time for a little dancing. These two are some of the funniest and most outgoing people I know, so I was definitely expecting a crazy first dance. When they came out onto the dance floor for a normal first dance, I was a little surprised (but just wait).


However, Lindsey-Leigh and her dad did do quite a fun father daughter dance! John-Boy was such a trooper. :)



We thought the dancing was over, and then this happened. Oh yes, Justin Bieber happened on the dance floor! Here is the Nick and Lindsey we all know and love. Nick had an etire dance choreographed with his ushers to Justin Bieber's "Baby" song.




This was more what I was expecting from Nick. He had the entire room rolling on the ground laughing. It was fantastic!

Although we were crazy busy on Saturday setting up for the wedding, I did manage to squeeze in a quick workout on Saturday morning. I was running short on time, so I went for quality over quantity!

I knew the workout was a success, because I could already feel my legs getting sore by the end of the day on Saturday.

We flew home on Sunday and got home just in time to finish laundry, go to the grocery store, and get ready for the busy week ahead. After the butt kicking I gave myself on Saturday, I was itching for another HIIT workout this morning.


Both of these workouts took about 30 minutes and left me breathless and drenched in sweat. You don't have to log a long workout to see results. Working hard for a shorter amount of time can give you just as great results (if not better) then lugging through a 1.5 hour steady state workout.

Next time you are pressed for time, give one of these workouts a try!

I'm off to teach my last Pilates class. I hope you have a fabulous Monday!

In health,

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Hi there long lost friends,

How are you? I've been away from the blogging scene for almost a month, and let me say I have missed you guys! When we first got to Florida, we were busy moving in, finding our way around the big city, and getting settled into our new jobs. Here's a little recap of the craziness!

I started work two days after we moved in and headed off to the first annual QiFORZE Master Trainer Summit a week later. It was a whirl wind, but a complete blast!


After returning from the Summit, I was in full gear getting ready for the semester to start. I am the group exercise coordinator at Florida State's student recreation center, so there was a ton to get done before the students came back in late August. I am so excited to be back in the campus recreation setting and absolutely love my student instructors. They inspire me each and every day!

We have settled into our sweet little neighborhood. I can't get enough of the beautiful Spanish moss and love taking Champ for walks around the lake.




We have officially adopted Florida State as our home away from home football team. The games are so much fun, but it is definitely different from Aggieland.



We have made some amazing friends already, and I have started teaching again. I went almost a whole month without teaching aerobics, and I thought I was going to lose my mind! That is the longest I've gone since I started teaching 6 years ago.

E is incredibly busy with his Ph.D studies, but I know he is enjoying it deep down inside (as much as you can enjoy statistics I guess). He is now studying the logistics behind financing sport stadiums, the reasons why players choke, and the repercussions of NCAA sanctions on teams like SMU instead of preparing large corporation's tax returns. :) That's a pretty vast improvement if you ask me.

We feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to go on this adventure together, and I am excited to be able to share it with you all. Don't worry, it won't be all football and Spanish moss. I have tons of new gluten free recipes to share with you, some exciting new workouts, and much much more up my sleeve. Thanks for hanging in their with me as we got settled in.

First up on the recipe list is my new favorite zucchini hummus. By adding zucchini to your hummus, you cut the fat and calories in half while increasing your daily veggie intake. I'll have the recipe up for you tomorrow!

What have you been up to this past month?

Has anyone else had any big life changes happen to them?

In health,

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Happy Memorial Day,

I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone who has served in the armed forces and fought for our freedom, and especially to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. You and your families will be forever in my thoughts and prayers. We are all so blessed to live in such an amazing country with so many brave men and women who fight every day for our freedoms. Thank you!



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Even though we had an extra long weekend, it flew by at the speed of light because we were immersed in wedding festivities for our friends Joseph and Chelsea all weekend, and when I say ALL weekend, I really mean it. We partied from sundown on Friday to noon on Sunday! We felt so blessed to be able to share Joseph's and Chelsea's special day, and I wish them nothing but the best! :) We also got to catch up with a lot of old high school and college friends, which was a ton of fun as well. Instead of spelling out every detail, I thought I would just show you!

Let the fun begin!

The rehearsal dinner

Everything is ready for Mr. and Mrs. Briers!

The wives/girlfriends of the ushers!

All the Aggie girls! :)

As you walked into the reception.

What a gorgeous cake!

The head table

E and I at the reception!

Had to save the best for last!! Aren't they too cute!

Congratulations Jo and Chelsea! We are so happy for you!

I hope you all have a Happy Memorial Day!

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend?

In health,

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