Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It Has Arrived!

Surely you all know the "it" I speak of....

Most responsibilities have flown out the window....no real obligations...the sun stays with us late into the evenings...and darkens our skin along the way...alarm clocks are set more for formalities...and snooze is hit multiple times just because...lunch dates with friends...vacations with loved ones...basically I get to do whatever I want.

Yep...it's summer time!

It's crazy how quickly my body adjusts to its summer norms.  I've only been on break for a few days, but already can't seem to get out of bed before 9am.  And really, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

My morning routine has begun to consist of working out, spending some quiet time with Jesus, and watching my DVR'd Live with Kelly and Michael. (Although the past couple of days have been previously recorded--seems a bit ironic.)

Back in February Scott hooked me up with the T25 Cd's.  Shaun T, creator of Insanity, made the T25.  It's very similar to Insanity (from what I've heard...I've never been insane enough to try it), but it's shorter.  They are all only 25 minutes.  Click here for the official website.  It's three levels of 5 weeks each.  Alpha, Beta, Gamma.  In a few days I start Gamma.  Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous.  One of my favorite things about it, besides it being so short, is that you can do it in your own home!  My clothes don't have to match, I don't have to get in my car and drive anywhere, and I don't have to mess with crowds of people in a workout class that really isn't even that good. I've definitely noticed my legs and arms have become more toned and my abs aren't lookin' too shabby.



My family has a beach vacation coming up in a few short weeks that has added extra workout motivation.  We've rented a house at Carillon Beach and I couldn't be more excited!  My entire family, grandparents, and Scott are all in for the fun!  MaKenzie is spending the summer down in Panama City again with Student Mobilization, so she'll get to visit as well.



Scott is also a teacher, so both of us having the summer off makes for double the fun!  We've enjoyed spending the days outdoors riding bikes and planting flowers in his yard. 


And, I think I've mentioned he's a grill master....we celebrated our first full day of summer with a steak dinner, complete with dessert pizza. Yum!



Summer also finds me doing very random things at random times, simply because I can.  The last few days I'd noticed my scalp was so dry.  Like itch like crazy, hard to fall asleep dry.  So last night at 11:45 pm I found myself googling dry scalp remedies.  And in typical Google fashion, I was inundated with options.  I refused to put eggs or mayonnaise in my hair, but thought apple cider vinegar wasn't too extreme.  So there I sat on my bathroom toilet at midnight, letting my vinegar hair soak for a few minutes, and I found myself smiling and thinking to myself, "I love summer."  Needless to say, I rolled over this morning with a mouthful of vinegar hair, but no itchy scalp!! Totally worth it. 

Happy Summer everyone!  I hope you find yourself doing something completely random at midnight on a weeknight just because it's summer. 

Monday, May 12, 2014

May-Time Magic

May is one of my favorite months for several reasons.

1.  It's my birthday month (Yes, I'm one who loves the idea of an entire month of celebrating!
2. Several other important birthdays are celebrated (Cade's, Grandma Sauder's, my Papa's, and sooo many friends!  Seriously, in college a group of us named ourselves the "Mayniacs" because we were all May birthdays.  We're cool.)
3.  Mother's Day  (Can you tell I love any reason to get together with people I love and celebrate?!)
4.  The end of a school year and SUMMER TIME!
5.  32 oz drinks at select gas stations are 99 cents
6.  Sonic Shakes go half price after 8pm

So basically, I'm up for a good party and a discount drink!  Happy May, people!!

A couple of weeks ago, MaKenzie ran her first full marathon in the Oklahoma City National Memorial Marathon.  Wow.  Let's just say it's a whole new level of crazy, determined people who participate in such an event.  While down there, we were able to tour the National Museum for the memorial.  I had visited the outdoor portion, but had never toured the inside where you see more of individual's stories and news coverage from that tragic day.  It really is a sobering experience to walk around and be reminded of just how precious life is.


The marathon was supposed to start at 6:30am (woof), but with some rain and lightning delays, things were underway around 8:30.  Luckily there was a parking garage for thousands of us to get close and comfy under to stay dry.  MaKenzie did awesome!! It was so fun to drive around to different spots on the course and cheer her on.  At one point our car got blocked in from closed streets for the race, so my mom, dad, and I walked to a nearby McDonald's for a little breakfast action.  We felt so guilty to be sitting there eating our meal while she was running her tail off.  We didn't mention this stop to her (Sorry, Kid!).  At mile 21 I jumped in with her and ran for a short distance. Like a distance equivalent to running to the end of a long driveway....let's not be too crazy here.

Last weekend Scott and I traveled to his hometown of Concordia for a fun weekend with his family.  He's a country boy through & through and I'm beginning to think he'd like some of that to rub off on me. :)  Our weekend was complete with a fishing trip and shark-tooth hunting.  I bet you wouldn't believe me if I told you I caught the biggest fish out of the group....within like 5 minutes of casting.  Yep.  I was pretty much meant to be a fisherman.  I'm sure Bass Pro will be calling me for my endorsement anytime now.

Check out that bass!
I enjoyed fishing so much that Scott got me my very own pole for my birthday!

Cute dress credit goes to the Kid.  And Reese gets credit for helping me open gifts :)
Scott and I traveled to Great Bend this weekend to celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day.  We've been quite the road warriors lately!  It was such a fun weekend full of a zoo trip, bike ride, yard games, great food, and a Dairy Queen birthday cake!


I also picked out these super cute Toms for my birthday.  (Thanks Mom and Dad!)


I'm counting down the days till my normal summer routine of sleeping in and laying pool side with my Sonic drink in hand! 8 days to go!