Love {& Marriage}

Someone I look up to once told me that love is a choice.
And now, I know exactly what she meant.
Each morning when you wake up, you choose to love.

You choose to love your hubby no matter how many times
he leaves his cap, shoes, or clothes in the living room floor.
You choose to love him even when he uses the lasagna scoop to flip meat on the stove.
You choose to love him even if he doesn't rinse his dishes the way you'd like him to.

And you know what?

He chooses to love you too.

Even though you buy the wrong kind of Oreos.
Even though you don't fold his socks the way he likes them.
No matter how much you fuss over the little things he does wrong differently than you.

Yes, love is a choice.
And it's a choice I will make every day, for the rest of my life.

Long Overdue

We spent the weekend in Austin, with our friends Eric and Jenny.
And baby Reese, Sweet baby Reese.
It was a weekend that was long overdue.

We got there Friday night.
Brandon and Eric sat in the back yard for a while.
They talked, over a few beers, and I could tell that this was exactly what they needed.
Time to talk, to catch up.

And visiting with Jenny,
that's exactly what I needed.

On Saturday the boys went to a softball tournament.
They played all day.
Jenny and I slept in, enjoyed lunch at Mighty Fine Burgers,
and spent the afternoon playing with Reese.

Oh, Reese.
Last time we saw you, you were a baby.
How fast you've grown!
You're a little person now, and we love you so much!
We can't wait to come play with you again.
But until then?
We will hold onto the memories of you smiling as you say 'Emmie',
and how you reach your arms out for B to hold you.

You see, a year ago this would have been a normal Saturday.
But now? This time is treasured.
Weekends like this don't come around very often.
So when they do?
We soak in every. single. minute.

Facebook Dilema

I've been thinking a lot lately about my facebook account, about if it's really beneficial to me. Sure it's fun to scroll through and see who's doing what, who's dating who, and who "likes" whose post, but is that really a good use of my time? And do I even enjoy it?

How many times a day do I scroll through the news feed and find nothing that interests me?

And let's talk about the "friend" list. Are these people really my friends? Do they really need to see the few pictures that I post or the conversations that I have with my real friends?

But then I think about what I would miss if I deleted this account. If I had no access to a news feed.

Britt's wedding video: LOVED it. And would I have seen it anywhere other than facebook? Maybe. But probably not. And all the adorable pictures of Reese, Andie, Rhys, and all the other precious babies that I only get to see via facebook? I would miss them. And what about Katie and Edward's new baby? Will I even know when it's born?

But maybe if all of these pictures and updates weren't right at my fingertips I would take more time to actually keep in touch. The old fashioned way. Maybe I would make more phone calls, write more e-mails, and schedule more visits. Maybe that's what I need.

Or maybe I'm just overthinking this...

Court's Bachelorette Bash

Two weekends ago we drove down to Port Aransas for Courtney's bachelorette party. The weekend was so much fun! We got there on Friday, spent time at the pool that night and all day Saturday, and went out Saturday night. We drove home on Sunday, all running low on sleep, with fun new memories to cherish.

Here is a photo re-cap of the weekend...

Love you, Court!

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was full of friends, food, music, and fun! On Friday we went to Taste of Addison with a few of our friends from B's work.



{Taste of Addison}



When we first found out about this festival {which included lots of food, drinks, and great music} B told his friends that we may not go since I was running the next morning. Yes, he was about to turn down live Texas Country music, for me. I told him that we could definitely go, and we agreed to not stay too late. 



{Our view from the Dos Equis tent}



We got there and walked around a while. There were carnival rides, arts and crafts vendors, several concert stages, and lots and lots of yummy food. Once we decided which of the sixty-something restaurant tents we wanted to eat at, we got in line to place our order. I had seen people carrying margaritas that looked so good. Boot cups, pinapples, coconuts, glo-in-the-dark cups... You name it, they served margaritas in it! But, B reminded me that I had a race in the morning, and since I am a major lightweight when it comes to alcohol, I decided against the margarita in the oh-so-cool cup. Oh the sacrifices of being a runner..ha!



{Dinner from Taco Diner}



We ate, visited with friends, sat in the special guest Dos Equis tent. That's right, we were special guests...



{Inside the special guest tent..Sarah and I were matching!}



And after listening to a little Wade Bowen we called it a night. It was a fun, relaxing evening. And did I mention it was all free??

The next morning we got up and went to my first 5k...

{Read more about the 5k here}

We then headed to Mansfield for a softball tournament that B played in with our friend, Hunter. Hunter and B were roommates in college, and it was so good to see him and his wife, Lindsey! The tournament was at the Field of Dreams complex, which was really nice.



{Each field is designed after one of the historic major league fields.}



B loves playing softball, and he hasn't had the chance to play in almost a year because of his work schedule. So it was fun to get to watch him play again :)



{That's B... He did great!}



After our long day Saturday, we spent Sunday relaxing and hanging out at the hotel. It was a great weekend :)

First 5k: Completed!

We have had such a fun weekend! The best part, for me, was running my first 5k. Here's how it went...

I had been looking forward to this all week. It was the day of my first 5k. The day I would accomplish my goal. For some people, people who have been running for years or people who are natural born runners, this wouldn't seem like much of an accomplishment. But for me? It was huge. It was something I set out to do months ago. Something I worked hard to accomplish. Something I am proud of.

Let me start by saying that B has been my #1 fan. From day one. And this hasn't changed.

On Friday night he handed me two 12oz. bottles of water and told me to finish them both before we went to bed {in preparation for my run}. Does he know how small my bladder is? Even though there was no way I was going to drink all that water right before bed, it made me smile to know he was just as excited about my run as I was :)

We got ready for bed, I laid out my running clothes, and we set our alarms for 6:30a.m.

As soon as my alarm went off my first thought was "Why do people schedule these things so early in the morning??" I am not a morning person.

We got dressed quickly, I grabbed a water and a granola bar, and we were on our way.

We got there with plenty of time to check in and warm up. I got my race-timer-thingy {the strap that goes on your ankle and tells you your time at the end}, pinned on my number, did a quick warm-up run, and it was time.

Everyone's advice to me was to remember to run at my pace. They said to stay in the back and told me not to worry about keeping up with the other runners. So my plan was to start off in the back of the group from the starting line. But it all happened so quickly that I just had to jump in and go.

When the horn blew I was standing in the middle of the group, closer to the front than I wanted to be. But I had my music playing {Pandora pop and hip-hop power mix}, and I was ready to go.

{That's me in the pink shorts.}

So was everyone else. For the next few minutes I watched out of the corners of my eyes as the other runners flew past me. I stayed positive and reminded my self that this was my run, and that no one else even mattered. But by the time I rounded the first corner I just knew that everyone had passed me.

"Don't look behind you," I told myself. "Who cares if you're last?"
{If I was actually the last runner, I did not want to know.}

I kept running. At my pace. And as I rounded the second corner I noticed that I was no longer getting passed. Everyone was starting to spread out, and I felt like this was my run. I could do this.

As my confidence started to build, I decided to glance back. Just to see if I was last.

To my surprise there was a whole group of people behind me! I laughed to myself. How silly of me to have even worried about it!

At this point I was feeling great! This was just another run, on another trail, in another city. The weather was perfect, slightly windy with the sun peeking through the clouds. As I ran I tried to soak everything in. The crowd, the runners, the great organization that this run would benefit. I was loving it.

As I ran I noticed the diversity in all the runners. There were people of every age and every race. There were doctors, nurses, and receptionists. There were married people, single people, moms and dads. There were even runners who were not people...

{Princess will begin the C25k program as soon as I get home ;)}

I finished the first half of the race and felt confident I could finish the second. I always compare new runs to places I have run in the past. I told myself "I just have to run around our neighborhood in Corpus one more time."

Before I knew it, I was getting close to the end. As I rounded the last corner I could see it. That was such a good feeling. I couldn't help but smile as I crossed the finish line.

{Mission Accomplished}

My first thought: When can I do it again?!

{Sweaty, tired, and hungry.}

My second thought: Where are we going to eat?? {Haha..}

{Post-race migas and queso..yum!}

We went to Cafe Brazil, my favorite breakfast place in Addison. It was the perfect brunch after my run.

I loved my first 5k! I am already thinking about when to sign up for another one, and today I looked into the 'Bridge to 10k' app for my phone. I do want to get a few more 5ks under my belt before training for a 10k, but it's good to be prepared, right??

**Thanks for the "Good Luck" calls and texts...You know who you are ;)

First 5k coming up!

I am running my first 5k on Saturday, and I can't wait! I have been preparing for months, and I know I'm ready. I did a short run early in the week, my outfit is picked out, and I pick up my race packet tomorrow. The only thing left to do is decide which Pandora station to listen to ;) I'll let you know how it goes!

{Pre-race run earlier this week at Zilker Park in Austin.. LOVE the trails there!}

**I will be running in the Prosperity Place 5th Annual Fun Run and Family Festival in Frisco, TX. To find out more about Prosperity Place click here. 

A lot has changed, but it's still the same...

I just had a wonderful visit with a friend.

We talked and sipped on green tea frappuccinos.

It was a good conversation.

A conversation we hadn't had in a while.

We talked about life, marriage, jobs, our husbands' jobs,

family, friends, houses, future houses,

new cities, previous cities, future kids,

and everything in between.

As I drove away I thought about how much had changed since I met this friend.

But then I thought about how much is the same.

We are still two girls sitting cross-legged,

sharing our hopes, dreams, and fears with one another.

Both thankful to have someone to listen,

 and understand exactly what you are saying.

And that is something that I hope will never change.