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October 16, 2017

1 Mile a Day Challenge

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Wow wow wow wow wow…. I did NOT realize how long it had been since I had blogged. I didn’t mean to leave this little space of internet for almost a year, but it happened! It’s been an interesting year and I’ll recap a good many things eventually (one of which being, my engagement!!) All in all, I have missed blogging like crazy over the past few months and I’m excited to be back here.

Boosterthon

First, let’s chat real quick about my new job update over the past year! I made the switch from Northwestern Mutual to Boosterthon this past January. Northwestern Mutual made a lot of changes and I was not very happy with my updated responsibilities and role within the company. My sister started working with Boosterthon last Auguest, so when I was looking for a change, I reached out to her about opportunities within the company. She recently accepted a promotion in Birmingham and I was able to accept her position in Jackson. It worked out perfectly, you could say.

What is Boosterthon & What does an average day look like?

Boosterthon is a fundraising company for elementary schools. We use a fitness & character based two-week program to raise funds kicking off with a Pep Rally and ending with a Fun Run. In a few words: It’s a whole lot of FUN! We work around a school schedule. Over the course of the two weeks, we’re offering challenges, motivating students, visiting their class rooms, playing games with them, and sharing character lessons.

1 Mile a Day Challenge

One thing that I absolutely LOVE about this company is the person growth that they encourage and reward! There is always a monthly challenge offered and for the month of September, it was the 1 Mile a Day Challenge. Have you heard of this challenge before?

I had recently heard about doing a 1 Mile a Day challenge from my friend/co-worker, Amy. Amy has been doing 1 Mile a Day since January 1st and has rocked the challenge up to this point! A few days before they announced the challenge, I was chatting with Amy about possibly doing this challenge for the new year like she did. Then, Boosterthon announced the challenge and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test it out.

What I learned:

It gave me the confidence to do what I set my mind to do: I have given up on other 30 day challenges before and this showed me that once I set my mind to it, I can do it! This was one of the first challenges I completed 100% all the way through. It’s all about commitment.
I can push myself: There were a few days that I did NOT want to run and days when I would have loved to just walk, but I pushed myself to always run no matter what. Also, I ran a few sub 10:00 runs which was empowering for me. I’m not a fast runner and those runs always made me so proud. There were 5 Fridays in September and 4/5 of those were Fun Run Days, which are extremely exhausting. I wake up way too early to do it in the morning, so I had to push myself to do them after Fun Run Day when my body hurts more than it ever hurts.
Disciple, Reward, & Commitment: I felt really disciplined by the end. It’s not a “Will I?” attitude, but an “I will.” attitude. Every day got easier mentally because I had continued to build that habit. Also, the reward of the medal from Home Office kept me moving forward day by day, step by step. Halfway through, I asked myself “Why would I give up now?” I kept working towards that reward! It was a committed mindset that kept me from giving up.
Accountability is KEY!: Luckily, I had my friend Amy who was proof that this challenge can be done and on days when I wasn’t feeling up to it, I would text her and she would provide encouragement. Also, I was posting on Facebook and Instagram so I knew people were watching and cheering me on.

Overall, I really LOVED this challenge and I definitely plan to do the year long challenge for 2018 like my friend Amy.

The fun part about the September Challenge is that Boosterthon offered rewards for completing it! If you did the 1 Mile a Day every day in September (30 days) then Boosterthon would send you a medal. I’m excited to get that in the mail soon! Another really cool reward they offered – that I had NO hope of earning haha, but that I think is super cool – is that the person who logged the MOST miles in September, would win an Apple Watch! YES – an APPLE WATCH! How cool is that? The girl who accomplished that had to average about 9 miles a day though so surely she’s training for something?! Right?

Have you ever done the 1 Mile a Day Challenge?
Would you be interested in doing the 1 Mile a Day Challenge? If so, for how long? A week? A month? 6 months? A whole year?
Has your company ever gone through a reorganization that caused you to seek something different?

July 12, 2015

One Month in One Post

Good Morning my long lost friends! It just so happens that I disappeared for an entire month from blogging – wow! How did that even happen? I missed y’all, but I definitely think the time spent away was refreshing and necessary for me. I have felt bogged down all summer with commitment after commitment, all great things, but too many things! Today I’m just going to share some random stuff with you from the past month, blogging was not on the brain, so there is no way I could go back and create decent quality blog posts about what all has been going on the past 30 days, so hold on to your seats as I zoom through one month in one post!

30 Days to Healthy Living

I started the 30 Days to Healthy Living program with Arbonne (Ask me how you can get a great discount)! Me, Nick, and our friend Shaina are doing it right now. We’re currently on the 7 day cleanse and I’m definitely noticing a change in my body. I feel great, I’m confident in my skin, and my running has been going very well. Due to our current diet, we’re eating very healthy for the most part! I won’t lie and say we haven’t had a cheat or two, but I’ve been impressed with some of the meals we have made so far! Also, if you’re on a healthy eating diet, Which Wich can be your best friend! They have a lot of options for a healthy meal since it’s completely customizable!

Professionalism

I started feeling very professional lately. I bought my first “big girl” purse and it’s one that holds your calendar and files nicely in the side pockets. I’m the worst about buying cheap-o purses and literally wearing them down until the “p”leather has worn completely off. It’s gross and ugly and I should feel ashamed, but I’m not good at investing in things for myself. That’s where Nick comes in – he finally told me that I needed a new purse and not a crappy one. I needed to invest in myself and get one that would last years, so I finally did! I love my coach bag and they were having a 50% off sale at the outlet on the day we went (who am I kidding? They probably have that sale all the time but I would never know it!)

I also got my own business cards for Arbonne. I definitely plan on this being a good business for me. I love the products and the people I surround myself with in this company, but I’m currently studying for my Series 65 test at my 8-5 day job so I’m holding off on getting serious until I can pass that test and get the burden off my shoulders. Although I’m not heavily doing the business, I wanted to at least have business cards if people ask and I’m so glad I ordered these ADORABLE ones from Vista Print. Also, they were cheap. #winning

Houston, TX

Nick and I took a trip out to Houston last month to visit my cousin! Remember her from Jamaica?! Yeah, I can’t stay apart from her too long – I get all sad and mushy because I miss her so much. It turned out to be the perfect relaxing trip. We barely did anything while we were there except hang out by the pool and enjoy ourselves. My cousin and I took a few ours to ourselves for a pedi & some girl time, then met back up with the boys for a visit to the Shack where Nick ordered the most ridiculous burger. I already miss my cousin and I’m looking forward to our next visit. While we were there, we stopped by Nick’s great uncle & aunt’s. They were so sweet and we enjoyed our time with them. Luckily, Nick may get a few job leads because his Uncle was an engineer for NASA and has a lot of connections. Although I think both of us would be happiest in Florida, I certainly wouldn’t mind living that close to my cousin and her family!

July 4th Weekend – Gainesville & Orlando, FL

Surprise, Surprise! We made another trip to Florida. I’m honestly not sure why we don’t quite our jobs and just move there. We’re slightly obsessed. You just wait though, we’ve been brainstorming even more ways to master the art of Disney vacationing! We have another trip planned in August (for longer than a day) and if all goes according to plan, then I may have some serious tips to share! We headed straight to Orlando this time around and found our way to the Captain’s Grille again (side note: I should start doing Disney Dining Reviews!) It’s one of our favorite places to go now. Luckily, Trey and Kathryn were able to drive down for the day and experience Animal Kingdom with us which was a heck of a lot of fun. I didn’t see the Festival of the Lion King this time (womp womp) but I almost saw Tracy Morgan. Yes, he was there and Nick, Trey, & Kathryn all saw him while I missed him by a hair – EVERY SINGLE TIME! I’m so oblivious, it’s depressing really. I’m such a fame fan – I get excited over any famous person. After Animal Kingdom, Trey & Kathryn headed home while we found ourselves at Epcot. The weather turned terrible so we headed back to David’s and got some early shut eye so we were ready for Saturday at Hollywood Studios & Epcot (again!) Our lunch on Saturday was a Disney Princess Dining experience at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and we were thoroughly impressed! The rest of our weekend was spent in Gainesville and we visited World of Beer, ordered Pizza in, and played a mad game of Mexican Train Dominoes. I also completed a 5 mile run to get me ready for a 10k I have next weekend.

Boating

We’ve been taking the boat out a few times this summer after work and it’s been nice and relaxing. When you go after work, not a lot of people are on the water. Both times I’ve been out with the boys, there have been thunder storms looming near us. We still manage to have a great time though! This past time on the boat, before me and Shaina arrived, Nick and Danny got us flowers along the bank of the reservoir. I have never seen such a long stem!

That pretty much wraps up the past month. I’m in the middle of studying for the Series 65 test and next week I’ll be in Milwaukee for our company’s annual meeting, so you may not see much of me around here until all of that rolls by. I have plenty of posts that I’d like to write, along with some great new recipes to share, but it’s finding the time to write them! Let me get through next Thursday and we’ll be on the up and up!

A few other random highlights:

I’ve been training for a 10k, my knee is doing GREAT! I’m excited to say that I’m now registered for the 2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon. Kathryn (Nick’s sister-in-law) and I are doing it together and I can’t wait to experience her first half-marathon! Since we’re Annual Pass-holders we were able to register before public registration opened up. I will probably stick very close to an Engine 2/Health Starts Here diet. Nick swears that he would never have been able to finish the Marathon (with zero training) if it had not been for that diet.
I’m driving down to New Orleans Friday night before I fly out to Milwaukee and I am way too excited about eating at Seed again!
Nick and I have another Disney trip planned for the end of August. I have an Arbonne training in Orlando and we decided to use some vacation days and actually do a full on Disney experience. Usually we’re doing quick day trips when we visit his brother in Gainesville, but we’re going to do Disney campgrounds and a Dining Package on this trip. We have a few new things up our sleeves as far as making our trip efficient and worth every penny! I can’t wait to share some of our stuff with you and I may do a full on “Everything you ever wanted to know about planning your Disney vacation!” blog post. Seriously, we’re pros at this point!
I am taking on the responsibility of Program Director for our local Girls on the Run Chapter and I’m over the moon about it! I love this wonderful program and I love the girls who participate. I can’t wait to see what this position holds for me and I hope to make a huge impact on the organization.
I have resigned from Mississippi Women Bloggers – I was being pulled in too many directions and although I’m sad to leave my position, I felt a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. I’m thankful for the community and glad to still be a part of it, but I needed to make space for other things that I’m passionate about right now. I sincerely hope they find the right replacement and that it’s someone who has the time and passion for the job!

Hope y’all have a wonderful week, I may or may not be back sometime this week, but once I get through annual meeting in Milwaukee and passing (fingers-crossed) my Series 65 exam, I should be back on that blogging train, my friends! This summer has turned out to be insanely busy, but absolutely spectacular!

Tell me what you’ve been up to this summer!

April 27, 2015

Dunn’s River Falls

Good Morning! Did you miss me? I know, my consistency has been about once a week this month ha, but it’s been nice to take a small break. I’ve been working on one of my 2015 goals though and that’s getting braces. It hasn’t been the funnest experience of my life at this point and I don’t imagine it getting any better since all I’ve had to deal with so far are spacers. The brackets aren’t even on yet and I haven’t had my teeth pulled, so that week will probably be the most miserable week, but I do believe it will all be worth it in the end! Wish me luck.

BREAKFAST

It’s been difficult to eat a lot with my spacers in, but I’m getting a little more brave as time goes on and I decided to do my old favorite – cinnamon raisin ezekial bread with peanut butter and banana. It just now occurred to me that I forgot the honey & cinnamon on top. I only did one slice this morning instead of two because I knew I wouldn’t make it through two whole slices with my spacers in. I also have some Pineapple Kona tea steeping in the kitchen right now. I’ll probably make myself a smoothie before leaving the house as well.

JAMAICA

Wow… that’s been forever ago! I still miss it. I would not object to being on the beach right now with a book in hand and the sun shining down. It’s finally time to share about Dunn’s River Falls though. I had been waiting on the flash drive from my cousin with the pictures. She had the full blown water proof camera, so we brought that with us on the excursion and the pictures turned out great!

We met up at the excursion desk that morning around 9:30am. We decided not to do the booze cruise and to take the bus instead. We both agreed that we didn’t feel like we missed out on anything when we did this and it saved money so I could get a massage later in the week. We met a super sweet couple that had just gotten married, so we stuck with them throughout the trip. It’s a little chaotic when you arrive, but we finally made our way to the falls and we had a tour guide to start us off. I was a tad surprised when they wanted us to hold hands during the entire climb up because I felt that if one fell, we would all fall. Turns out, that’s definitely the best way to go – so we formed a line holding hands all the way to the top.

The guys who led the way would stop at certain points along the route for photo opportunities. They would take our picture with their fancy camera in case we decided to purchase a cd of pictures and they would also use your camera to take pictures. It was very convenient. I felt that the excursion was the right amount of time too. I never thought it should be time to go and that we were dragging on, but I also didn’t get too disappointed when it ended. Don’t get me wrong, I could have done that again the very next day because we had so much fun!

We decided to bring as little as possible with us. My cousin brought a small shoulder bag and that’s where we kept her camera, a little money, and our clothes during the trip up the falls. It worked out great. I decided to leave my shirt on because I was a little nervous about my top coming off, but Karla did just fine wearing her swimsuit and never had any issues. We definitely encourage you to wear your hair up. It didn’t get in our way and I’m sure it made the trip much easier. It’s pretty shaded, so although I would recommend wearing some sunscreen, you don’t really need to worry about reapplying or wearing a whole lot. The water can be a little chilly, so be prepared.

One thing that we were not sure about were shoes. We debated whether or not we should purchase water shoes or if we could wear some tennis shoes or sandals that we brought with us. We were 110% thankful once we arrived that we decided to purchase specific water shoes from the gift shop at the resort. Do not wait until you arrive to the falls and do not purchase them along the route. They have a place where the driver will stop on the way there for you to “rent” shoes. They’re NOT worth it, in my opinion. We were so glad we chose to purchase the water shoes at the resort. I thought about wearing some active sandals that can get wet, similar to choco’s, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I would not have felt that my toes were safe. There are a lot of rocks, obviously, and a lot of places I could have cut a toe or pulled a toenail.