Because I can...: derby

Now that running isn't taking over my time or my finances right now, I'm loving all the other little things that bring me joy. I know I've talked about it once before, but I joined the #100happydays project and I believe I'm on day 42-- it truly does force you to think about what happened in that day that made you happy. Sometimes its hard, but that is the idea is to learn to appreciate all the little things. For more information you can visit their site HERE. I know Elizabeth recently joined as well and is loving it too!

Every heard the expression “leave the racing for the horses”? It seems that I’ve embraced this concept for 2014 as the only ‘racing’ I’ve done this year have all been relays. In the spirit of taking this expression to a whole different level, I decided its time to FINALLY watch the horse races. In a last minute decision earlier this week I am taking a ½ day tomorrow and driving up with the roommie and 2 of her friends and will get to experience the Kentucky Derby in person. I lived in Louisville for 2 years, but actually never made it to Churchill Downs- I know, I know- lesson learned to actually live it up in what your city is known for..

As luck would have it, I already owned a dress. I love red, but sometimes feel it draws too much attention so I don't wear it often.

Embraced my inner crafter and bout a cheap hat ($8) from Walmart and snazzed it up!!

The mask in the photo I bought for tonight's Arcade Fire concert. Although a little strange, they announced for their shows they'd like if people wore formal attire or mask etc. Of course you don't HAVE to do it, but everyone I know is, so it should be fun as I love costumes / excuse to wear something you otherwise wouldn't.
I believe the warmer temps are here to stay which means 2 of my favorite things:

Dress season - I've worked hard for these arms and legs- time to show them off!

And pool season! Although the water is still too cold to get in and there are flower buds everywhere, its still pretty to look at while laying out!

Sadly my townhome does not have a pool, so come June when I'm moved in I will be be an adopted guest of a few friends who do have pools :)

New Keurig

A little over a month ago my Keurig finally died. It was a sad day for me since I love my flavored coffees along with the convenience of not having to clean up afterward. Mama J had a ton of Kohl's coupons that were about to expire and asked if I wanted a new one. I'm trying to work on minimizing how many gadgets I have + at the time I didn't know what type of counter space I would have, so I downgrade to the single serving Keurig in this fun emerald color. It's so cute, space efficient, and the color compliments my stackable mugs so well!

My mom (dad I love you too no worries). Often times daughters can butt heads with their mom- not sure if its an estrogen thing or what, but I've seen it time and time again. After listening to stories I hear from others about their (lack of) relationship with their moms and frankly how awful they are to them, I realize how lucky I am to have a close relationship with her and that she likes to goof off just as much as me

What is is that you're loving right now? If you use Keurig coffee, what is your favorite flavor?

Is it really almost May?? I've been on a blogging hiatus because life got in the way, which actually can be a good thing. I have tossed around the idea of scrapping the blog altogether, but truth is, I gained some valuable friendships through the blogosphere which then led to some amazing adventures. Who knew you could gain so much from a little spot on the internet?

I may not blog as much, but I'm not going anywhere. The last few weeks have been busy with so many things changing. As far as workouts- I'm still running 1-2x week, getting in some t25, but definitely not as strict as I was. As for everything else..

Living Situation: The roommate and I went house hunting (for rent) in East Nashville. I was a little sad to be leaving Franklin area and not looking forward to a long commute, BUT it would be worth it to save $$ for 1 more year by having a roommate whom I love. She dropped a bomb on me the other week that after all that time looking at houses together she wanted to get her own place- crap. Through divine intervention I happened to find a townhome in my desirable location that is double the size of the place I live in now, and with a roommate, I would only be paying $50 extra. I feel more at ease getting to stay in the area AND having more space #everythinghappensforareason

Job Changing: A spot opened up in our market that I've wanted for almost a year now. I have been shadowing the existing person for about 10 months and have taken on part of their role in addition to mine, so my thoughts are I'd be a shoe in for back filling her position. My boss is super pumped for this opportunity (I'd still report to her) and told me she can't wait, soooooooo I'm pretty confident I got the new role which would be another pay increase- score! I nailed the interview yesterday, so I should know for sure at week's end / early next week the final verdict. This couldn't have come at a more perfect time as I'm trying to save everything up toward purchasing a home next year.

Boys...I try not to digress on here often about men, but I have seriously thought about creating a blog to document all my dating adventures. Living in the south I have discovered a whole new breed of men which I deem to be the most dangerous- I call them the "not an asshole, asshole". These are the good guys- super Christian, incredibly nice, engaging, they have their shit together, and they are relatively normal. When you're with them everything is fabulous and you have a great time. Then you learn they 'can't commit', yet their actions repeatedly say otherwise so you stick around because everything points to them being interested in you. 4 months later and you've finally had enough of the nice guy act and realize nothing will change and deep down he's an asshole but doesn't realize he's being one. It's honestly the worst because they truly think that as long as they tell you they can't commit, that excuses the rest of the boyfriend behavior. These ones are hard to spot at first, so tread with caution. Wouldn't you know that as soon as I say good riddance to one, a new potential comes knocking on my door? This one so far is in the "finally, this is exactly how a guy SHOULD act" category, but its the early stages so I"m sure plenty can change week to week. More to come on this one.

Now on to the less juicy stuff but still fun..

Client visit to Charlotte- everything went well and we finished up 4 hours earlier than anticipated. We tried to get on earlier flight back home and as luck would have it, despite spending $1,000 to change my flight last minute (president of my market was with me and approved it), they were oversold and I couldn't make the flight. I very calmly talked to the agent letting him know that our company just shelled out $1,000 to get me on the flight and since I am not able to get on, I shouldn't be charged that amount and only have the initial charge on my card for my first flight. Apparently being nice works and they cut me a check for $1300- $1,000 to refund, $300 extra for inconvenience. The kicker was I was able to get on the next flight which STILL got me home 2 hours earlier than my original flight #winning.

Ice seats we won in trivia to one of the last Predators game. Below was the boy of about 4 months, prior to everything fizzling out.

One of my bfs Emily is a fabulous entertainer specializing in fire throwing / breathing / swallowing, acrobatics, hula, and aerial yoga. We finally convinced her to teach a class and boy was it hard. I couldn't stop laughing at how much I stunk. Luckily a few of us convinced her to give us some private lessons in her garage before the next monthly class.

I dog sat for a week which only further confirmed how much I want a dog. In other news, it is officially pool season here- so glad we don't have to wait til Memorial Day!!!