Hope

Some days you just need a little encouragement... God is God and God is always good. My faith is everything that I have. No matter what I/we have been through, God has always carried me/us through! My trust is in Him!

WE HAVE GRASS!!

Oh my goodness gracious! We have been waiting 7 months for sod! It's finally here!!

Brad and I moved into our newly built house in November of last year. The weekend that we moved into the house, we found out that we would not be getting sod due to the fact there there was none to be had! Since there was a drought here in Iowa, the sod that was being laid in people's yards ran out very quickly.That meant...no sod for us...or anyone else in our neighborhood that had built around the time we had.

However, this June we FINALLY got our sod!! They came to our neighborhood on a Monday, prepped the yard all day, brought the sod in on Tuesday, and then... there was grass - in our yard. Hallelujah!

We've been watering it and watering it and watering it. It's starting to look really good and hopefully it will take root soon and start growing like crazy! We've had some interesting days and nights doing the "Sprinkler Dance," but we are more than excited to finally have some grass! In a few weeks, the fence will go up and the dogs will be free! (Well, they'll be free to run around inside the fence.) I took a few pictures (after it rained all day today Woohoo!) and will be keeping everyone updated on our new grass as well as the landscaping that we plan on doing ourselves!

Front

Backyard

Yay for grass!! More to come...

Dog Shaming [V. 4]

Oooooh doggies... There is never a dull moment!

For some reason, my sweet big man looooves to pull out the stuffing from, well, anything! First it was a pillow (an older one), then it was Brad's old comforter (I was NOT sad about that one), and then it was his first doggie bed. I don't get what it is about the stuffing? I think he just likes digging his little nose in there and ripping things out. Bad dog!

On Friday night, while Brad was at his United Way charity golf event for Deere, I spent the night shopping and eating out with Kate, went home to move sprinklers around (because w have grass now), took the pups for a walk/run, and hunkered down on the recliner for some relaxing TV time. I heard a noise in the office and didn't take much notice to it since the dogs had been running around the house playing. It sounded like they were running in and out of the kennel, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. Abe came out and laid on the floor, but the rustling noise continued. Again, didn't pay too much attention to the strange noises.

Well...I should have. When I went to get the dog beds to put in our bedroom, I walked into the office to find this. Please see the picture below.

Seriously?? Look at all of that stuffing! So, I pieced together what had happened.

Abe has to stay in the kennel during the day, because he likes to chew #clearly. Belle stays int he office with him, but she is not in a kennel. Abe must have chewed a hole in his bed during the day and started pulling out a little bit of stuffing (because I didn't notice it when I let him out of the kennel). While the dogs were playing that night, Belle went into the kennel, found the hole, and ripped out all of the stuffing.

Hence, the Dog Shaming photo below. Please enjoy our pups naughtiness. (Sorry for the blurriness...it's terrible - but this was a hard picture to get!)

Until next time...because we all know there will be one!

InstaLately

June 17 - 21, 2013

Top: bad doggies / cloudy skies

Middle: Mayo / gorgeous scenery / date night casual

Bottom: cheat meal part 1 at Bdubs / cheat meal part 2 - I love sprinkles / sleepy puppy

Friday Letters [V. 11]

Dear All:

HAPPY

 Mine looks like this...

#anotherIowafail

Dear Home/Yard: 

FINALLY!! We have grass. We have literally been counting the days since November 2012 for our grass to come!! That would be 294 days of waiting for grass. Yep, you read correctly - 294 days. I added them up. 

Now that we have our beautiful sod in our yard, we can begin the sprinkler dance. Helllloooo water bill! 

Dear Husband:

Happy 10 month Anniversary! We didn't really get to celebrate on Tuesday (other than our love cards), but we will have a nice dinner date tonight! I love you bear!!

Dear Furman University:

Thank you for sending me this letter! I'm excited to finish up this last class (from Iowa, not SC!) as of Aug. 1 and graduate with a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages on August 10th! Woohoo!

Dear LiveFit Trainer:

We're still kicking butt. I decided to slow down dropping weight (since I didn't have too much to lose anyways!) and add a few calories to my diet. We're still training hard and Kate and Ryan are doing awesome! The workouts were great/harder this week! Ab update: still rockin' a 4 pack - almost there! My motivational "quote" for this week. Eat. Train. Sleep. Repeat.

Dear Country Music:
This is what I am loving right now... See you in July (in St. Louis) Blake!! 
;

   

Happy Friday y'all!

What I Believe...

One of my favorite blogs is "He and She Eat Clean." I love their clean eating recipes and motivational blog! Recently, I discovered one of the personal blogs of one of the authors ~ @Tiffany Staples. Her blog is such a good read for faith, training, and fit mommy hood!

She wrote a post about what she believes about our faith, training, and her body. I could not have said it better. Tiffany, I am giving you all of the credit on this one! I could not have written his as well as you, so I am quoting you! Every word that she says is how I feel about training, my faith, and my husband!

What I Believe...
"First and foremost, I believe Jesus Christ is Lord. He was created in the image of God, came to this Earth to spread the gospel and paid the ultimate sacrifice for my sins, your sins and the sins of others when he was crucified on the cross, buried and rose to ascend to Heaven to his rightful seat next to God.

I also believe that my body is precious. I am perfectly made by God to what HE wanted me to be. I MUST be cognizant of the fact that I cannot permanently change certain things about my body as in eye color, height, etc but I MUST also understand that the body He gave me is a gift. A gift that I must take care of by working out physically to be as healthy as he intended for me to be, to reveal what he intended for me to look like and for me to have the strength and physical ability to carry out His work.

My body is not only my gift - it is also my husband's. Although I see nothing wrong with taking pictures of a body that I have worked hard to possess, I understand that my body is a gift for my husband to view, privately. On my site, you will NOT see any nude or implied nudity photographs or in any way make sexual gestures or references in photographs. I WILL inspire women with my physical accomplishments but will NOT compromise my Christian integrity to do so.

With all of this said, please understand that my feelings and convictions are MINE. They may not be yours and I respect that and I love that about YOU! I will be your biggest cheerleader, but please understand that I may not want to partake in the same activities/actions you are. Please be respectful in return."

Ah! See? Perfect. Our beliefs are ours. We don't "look down" on anyone else for how they live their lives and we ask that no one "judge" us for ours. We trust that God gave us this passion of fitness and nutrition to inspire others and glorify Him. We respect every one's feelings as their own and would not "push" ours on anyone else, but if we can help anyone with fitness and  nutrition then we are more than happy to help!

Happy 10 Months of Marriage to Us!

I can't believe it's been 10 months already!! Time really is flying by already!

Being married is the bestest...ever. In the world.

InstaLately

June 10 - 16, 2013

Top: {neutrals + green} / more tornadoes / Brad "grilling" on the deck

Middle: loveeee / love notes from the hubs / pink!

Bottom: cuddle bug / stormy sky / Saturday morning run

Friday Letters [V. 11]

Happy Friday y'all!

Dear Husband:

I know last week and this week have been craaaaazy busy at work. I am so proud of you for working so hard and being so dedicated to what you do! I also love that we have such a supportive marriage! I hope you like your new shirt and the love notes I've left you! Keep on truckin' on baby! You got this!

P.S.~ Thank you for the sweet love note you left me :)
P.S.S ~ Best DIY project I have ever made!

Dear Iowa:

I have had about enough of your weather. Alright already! Monday: Sunny. Tuesday: Cloudy. Wednesday: Tornadoes and "torrential" thunderstorms. Thursday: Muggy and cloudy. Friday: Thunderstorms and Flash flooding. I mean...really?!? It's summer!!! #SnookieWaaaa

Dear Saturday:
I am excited for you to get here for several reasons: 1) sleeping in, 2) it's #sexylegsSaturday 3) double date Cheat Meal night!, 4) Fro-yo with sprinkles - my life will be complete. The end.

Dear Pups:
I'm sorry the weather has been TERRIBLE. I promise we will take you on a run and/or walk every night when the weather is nice. Poor babies. At least we got to run last night!

Dear Abs:
Oh yea... This makes me happy! This training program is awesome and I am proud of how hard I've worked! I feel no shame in showing off hard work. I train every day, eat clean, and have some serious self-control. Boom. Done. My husband appreciates me taking care of myself too. (Look for a post next week explaining why I train the way I do.)

Dear Southern Pride: 
Yep, still here!

Amen.

SPD ~ Pin That! ~ DIY Chalkboard Herb Pots

Saw it. Pinned it. Actually Did it.

Ahhh summer. I have missed the SPD link-up (with Steph@BEAUtiful Mess and Katie@Keep Calm and Carry On)for a few weeks! Yuck...let's juts say I have missed my DIY and crafting time due to finishing up the school year, craziness at work, training, and finishing 2 classes! Whew! Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get back to my crafting ways!

This week for SPD, I decided to make the Chalkboard Herb pots that I have been eying on Pinterest! I have been nursing my herbs for quite some time and just needed something cute to plant them in! I have been using these fresh herbs in my cooking! I've always wanted to do this, so I was glad I found this fabulous pin!

So...I made my own!

What You Will Need:

• herbs
• terracotta pots
• chalkboard spray paint
• painters tape
• twine
• hot glue gun

Happy pinning!

10 Reasons for Loving Marriage

Therefore shall a man leave his father 
and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: 
and they shall be one flesh. 
~ Genesis 2:24, KJV

There are several Daily Devotionals that I get through e-mail or read online for wives and women. One of my favorites is the Time-Warp Wife. As a Christian wife, I realize that I must seek God daily/hourly to be the wife that God intended me to be for my husband. I know that God prepared me, throughout every situation in my life, to be a godly wife to Brad. I also know that it is my responsibility to continue my relationship with Jesus and grow in Him daily so that our marriage can be a light to those around us. We take our relationship with Jesus and our marriage very seriously. Our goal is to love each other as Christ loved the church so that we can be an example to others, as well as fulfill our role in God's plan for our lives.

Marriage exists to display the merciful

covenant-keeping love of Christ

and the faithfulness of his bride.

~ John Piper, Momentary Marriage

 

Today's post from the Time-Warp Wife was so sweet! I had to copy it and give it my own twist! So, here it is....

10 Reasons for Loving Marriage

I Love...

1. Finding a Friend. Isn't it every girl's dream to find a man that she can share her heart and soul with? To find someone who would know me better than anyone else? I'm so grateful to have a live-in best friend. Brad is my best friend and I am his. I'm lucky enough that he tells me all the time...like this!

2. Spending the rest of our days together. It's exciting - and reassuring - that we will spend the rest of our lives together. We are both 100% committed to this relationship...for the long haul! I can't wait to grow old with my hubby.

3. Sharing our nights. I can't even explain how amazing it is to know that the man I love is next to me all night. I love getting pulled into his big strong arms and cuddling all night. I love that it feels weird sleeping alone when he is out of town on business or working at night.

 

4. Growing as a person. I am a better person because of Brad. Something about him calms me and makes me feel safe. I can get away with being "Southernly nice" in front of everyone else, but my hubs sees me at my worst and he still loves me. He's the kind of man who loving tells me to "get it together" and I'm very ok with that! He's a godly example to me and I appreciate his leadership.

 

5. Walking by his side. Yep, you read that right. I enjoy being the woman at his side. And yes, I smile really big when he walks in the room. "Beside every good man, is a good woman." I proudly am the girl on my husbands arm. He holds my hand everywhere we go to show me that he's proud of me too. Even better, I love that he always reaches for my hand.

6. Someday we'll be parents together. Our future babies will be blessed to have Brad as their father. He's a big teddy bear, but he has high standards. I know that when we do have kiddos, he will be my rock (he already is) and theirs.

7. Laughing and loving fun. One of my favorite things is to see my husband laugh...and I mean really laugh. Yep, we work on our relationship, but we enjoy it every minute too. We have fun together being silly, cracking jokes, "imitating", sharing secrets, etc. Like I said, he's my best friend.

8. Bringing in the balance. Balance is a good thing. Yes, Brad and and I are almost copy/paste of each other, but in the areas that I am weak, he is strong and vice versa. He is my other half. He completes me and I complete him. As he likes to tell me, "I can't do this life without you."

9. Enjoying the romance. My hubby is definitely romantic! Yep, we've been married less than a year, but he still surprises me with thoughtful gestures (putting gas in my car, picking up the house, etc.) and "just because" flowers and/or gifts. He leaves me love notes, writes me love letters in cards, sends me cute texts, and takes me out on regular date nights! We love dating each other and I know we will for the rest of our lives!

10. Being a light to the world. People are drawn to a loving relationship. Like I said, we continue to work on our relationship. It's not roses and daises every day. Our overall goal is to love God, love each other, and love others. Who doesn't love seeing a couple who is madly in love? I know I do!

I love that I can brag on my husband. I think wives should do that more often! I love him with all of my heart and soul. There's no one else on this earth I could ever be with. He's my one.

 

This quote was taken from "our song" and our First Dance..."My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw

Gym Rats ~ Stylin the Headband

The Bishops...we like to laugh...a lot. (And by "the Bishop" I mean, Dad and Momma B, Sister and Brother Bishop, Sister and Brother Pilcher, and of course the two of us.) In fact, many of us (ahem...Matt and Karen) tend to encourage/cause situations that result in minutes...hours...even days of laughter. Love it! You know those deep, belly hurting laughs that may, or may not cause tears? Yep, that's our family. And it's awesome.

Back in February, Matt and Karen gave Brad the coolest headband. Ever. It's peachy-pink. It's striped. Its for the gym. It has his name on it. Epic. (His excitement about the headband can be seen below.) (If you haven't caught on to the sarcasm yet, go get some coffee and then come back.) ;)

As Karen would say..."Olivia Newton Brad."

So, since Brad was given this headband, we decided to make full use of it. And yes, I said "WE." For your amusement and maybe even some laughter...please enjoy the following "headband" photos.

And yes, these photos were taken at our gym...while people were watching, staring, and pointing.

Doing work!

The "Gym Diaries" may, or may not continue...

InstaLately

June 3 - 9, 2013

Top: {flannel + cowboy boots} / caught those pups on the bed / {snow leopard + heels}

Middle: chicken and asparagus / lacy back / enjoying the deck

Bottom: {'Merica + cowboy boots} / sweet man / statement necklaces

Friday Letters [V. 10]

Dear Friday:

It's Friday. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This week at work...I tell ya...right Sister??

Dear Iowa/Mother Nature:

You are not listening to my pleas for sunshine and warm weather. Let's have a reminder. I. Am. From. The. South. I like warm weather, the sun, specifically 90 degree weather, and the sun. Did I mention I like warm weather? I'm a beach kind of girl, so these clouds and rain and cold days in June are just not going to work for me. Let's fix that, now, shall we? Please and thank you. 

Dear LiveFit Trainer:
 So far, so good. All of our meals and workouts are on track. I need to weigh tomorrow, but I'm prety sure I've dropped a few pounds! I feel leaner and my pants and shirts have become a little more lose! Thank you cleanse (last week) and training program (this week and the next 11 weeks)!

Dear Neighborhood:
I got all excited on Monday....because of the picture below! One, it was semi-sunny, but two, the guys were out back tearing up our yard, grading it, and putting down top soil. Does this mean we get grass soon??? The fence guy also gave us our estimate and will finalize with us on Saturday. Is this actually happening? Yes!! I can't wait for our grass and a fenced in YARD for us and our pups! 

Dear Husband:

One, I will never get tired of calling husband. Mine all mine! Two, thank you for being a man that loves Jesus and wants to pursue me and our relationship with each other and with God each and every day. You are my rock and I would not make it in this life without you. Thank you for being a godly example to me and to others. You are my favorite human. I love that you're reading this :)

Dear Self:

God is God...and God is always good. Remember this...always.

Dear Family (in SC):

I miss you so very much. I love you and think about you all the time! Just wanted you to know :)

Happy Friday y'all!