‘We’re officially into the LAST week of November in 2017…can you believe it? I sure can’t! I need time to slow down ASAP. I seriously had to google an age calculator the other day because for the life of me I couldn’t figure out if I was 27 or 28 years old…now if that doesn’t scream time is going by too quickly for me to catch up, I’m not sure what does! Ha! Turns out, I’m 28 and just terrible with math.
In other news, it’s Wednesday Randoms time and I’ve got a good dose of total randomness and some real “realness” to share with you today, so, here we go!
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Since we’ve been back from our trip last week, I’ve come back with a major mindset shift as far as my goals for the rest of 2017. It’s all about going onward and forward from here on out! I’m all about making my list of mini weekly goals, monthly goals and yearly goals ALL the time because it keeps me laser focused on what’s most important to me to drive me forward day in-day out. It’s SO insanely easy to get off the motivation train and choose to put things off because other things start to take priority. OR, just plain and simple–life gets in the way!
Our top priority right now is definitely getting this current flip house renovated and ready to list. With just a little bit more time left for our planned schedule of it, we have a TON left on our to-do list. A 3300 square foot flip house is nothing to sneeze at and definitely our biggest project to date. It’s going to be AMAZING, it’s just a matter of getting there. While it’s easy to get overwhelmed with our never ending project list that seems to grow by the day, we’re just trying to mark one task off at a time. With that huge chunk of our lives being occupied around the clock, it’s super challenging to balance out living in our work (aka our construction zone home) and trying to stay focused on living our healthiest (and happiest) lives. There for a little bit I lost any and all motivation to get out and run. It almost took everything out of me just to get out for a walk which was so unlike “me”. I just felt off…After that crazy cold that took me out for what seemed like forever, upper respiratory issues and thyroid/lymph node swelling issues popping up, I just couldn’t find it in me to go for a run at all! Not to mention having an under-construction-kitchen which sure doesn’t make cooking a nutritious meal that easiest/appetizing of things to do. Insert: Fast food options and convenience choices for days….So, I’d definitely say that the past few months haven’t been my brightest when it comes to trying to stay in tip top shape with my nutrition/running game. Remember when I completely missed the start line to the race I signed up for last month? Yeah…that was just kind of the tip of the iceberg or cherry on top of the cake for the past few months. With all of these things swirling around in my brain, job changes, and finding that work/life flow balance (which is a never-ending task), our getaway last week couldn’t have come at a better time. Taking my focus off of the things that had de-railed from my “norm” and turning to gratitude was a vital task for me to tackle. While I was away, I decided it’s time to re-focus my intentions, my goals and my big reason of WHY I choose to do what I do every day. I think we all have it in us when we just feel off balance and we KNOW deep down we’re not connecting the dots like we should and that’s exactly how I’ve felt the past few months. I wasn’t truly feeling the gratitude deep down that I needed to, to make me truly change my perspective of things even when it’s hard to see. I was also spreading myself thin carrying stress around like nobody’s business, not giving 100% to everything, and instead giving 50% all while trying to stay afloat mentally and emotionally. Stress, worry and overwhelm were becoming all too close for comfort and that’s just NOT how I like to live out my days. That’s also when gratitude slips away in an extra speedy manner. So, taking everything that I know to heart–I decided it’s time to reset my focus to what feels best for me, how I can get there, WHY I want to get there in the first place and how I can use these things to serve those around me. That means digging deep into my motivation space to get back on task with a plan running wise, nutrition wise and de-stressing wise. I also can’t even begin to explain how motivating following an actual running training plan is for me. It’s not that I always have to be signed up for a race to love running, but it sure does a ton for me to watch my training runs get marked off as I accomplish them along the way. I’m sure other runners can definitely relate in that aspect of things.
With all of that being said and out of the way–I’m going to be signing up for some races, (still chasing that sub 2:00 half), being all-in and intentional with my nutrition, and applying any and all tactics I know about turning off that worrier/easily stressed mindset and using my thoughts to benefit me in a much better way every day. If I can tackle these things and give it everything I’ve got–I’m excited to see what I can do to serve others around me in a whole new way. Now, I know it’s a heck of a lot easier said than done but that’s exactly why I’m writing it all down here to begin with. When I write things out it seems so much more clear to me and the accountability of it all doesn’t hurt one bit either! So there’s that. Here’s to an even better end of year goal than beginning and chasing it down like my hair’s on fire! 😉
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Now, if you’ve made it through my ramblings up to this point–Thank YOU for taking the time to do so. One of the many reasons I love this blogging community and my corner of the internet is because I know I’m not alone on this journey. I can’t even express how thankful I am for you taking the time out of your day to follow along with me here and along the way! The good, the bad and the ugly is shared here and I couldn’t be more sincerely thankful for that. AND now, I can finally get to the rest of today’s randomness that I know you’re just dying to read! HA! 😉
From emotional rollercoasters to refrigerators>>Did I mention this post was filled with randomness? I sure hope so because I’m not lying.
We FINALLY ordered our appliances for the flip house! YIPEE!! Whoever gets to purchase this home will be landing some seriously good appliances and I’m just a tiny bit jealous. 🙂 We always convey a brand new refrigerator so that’s always an exciting bonus for the buyer! But, we also ordered a really nice double oven too so this kitchen is going to be pretty amazing once it’s all said and done! I’d say it’s the nicest kitchen we’ve done yet and I can’t wait to see the finished product!
There’s also some exterior work getting done too this week which is a welcomed sight! Arkansas somehow has managed to skip through Fall and Winter and head straight to Spring for the time being with these upper 60 degree days. We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and change the garage color from the white we had it painted to originally to a darker shade to bring a better dimension to the outside overall. It turned out SO good and makes a huge difference on curb appeal! (The below picture was while it was in progress, NOT the finished product… just in case you were thinking I had REALLY lost my mind.) We have a lot more to do as far as landscaping goes and staining the back deck but we’re getting closer to starting those really soon. Somehow we always end up doing the outside work in either the hottest times of the year or the coldest….we should probably figure out how to switch that up a bit next time around. But, if Arkansas wants to stick to the Spring weather for a little while longer, we’re A-OK with that.
This week so far, I’ve been out for 4 runs, including this morning that I finished before 8AM! YAY! I have been really working hard at trying to inch my workouts earlier and earlier in the day so I’m at least seeing some progress there. My run a few days ago totally took me by surprise when I looked at my splits because 8:03 is NOT the norm for this girl! But, I’ll gladly take those times! Especially after taking off almost a whole month of running! One of these days I’d like to see 8’s as my regular consistent pace! Listening to faster paced music has been a total game changer for me! I couldn’t believe what a difference it makes!
Do you remember a few months back when I mentioned my niece and I being “pen pals” for this school year? Yeah…she sent over this gem the other day! Minus the “crazy Ant Chelsea” part, isn’t her letter the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? At least she signed the back of it from “crazy Brooklyn” or else I’d take some offense to that. 😉 Oh and doesn’t she know the way to my heart with mailing a skittles package?
Speaking of candy, I officially found the largest bag of chocolates in all of the land. Seriously, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL WORLD IS THAT?? They’re selling this gigantic bag at Home Goods for $300.00!! WHO buys that??? Whoever it is, I hope they need a new best friend! 😉 However, I’m sure every Diabetic doctor in the world would cringe at the sight of this.
…Okay, okay…I’d maybe consider it if it was Ghiradelli sea salt caramel chocolates, but it’s not so we can save our $300.00. That’s a good thing I guess.
OH and I tried these Dasani Sparkling Waters the other day on our road trip! They were surprisingly super good and much better to me than La Croix! Plus, it only had 3 ingredients which made me love them even more! You should give them a try if you haven’t already.
These two would rather have a PB&J over sparkling water any day though….
Sometimes, I think they only like me for my food, but surely that can’t be true….right?
Alright, alright that’s enough rambling randoms for today! I’ll let you get back to your hump day! I hope all is well in your world and when in doubt–I hope you’ll know that I’m always in your corner sending you ALL the good vibes, mmmmk?
Questions for YOU today! (Comment below with your thoughts!)
What’s your go-to when you feel like you’re in desperate need for a motivation change?
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to sweet treats?
Peanut Butter & Jelly fans or no? (I’m not sure we can be friends though if you say no…..just kidding!…kind of.)
I LOVE peanut butter & jelly pretty much all the time but I can’t do peanut butter & banana. Nope. never.
Have a fabulous day and thanks for sticking it out through my randoms!!!
