Christmas Time!

Hi lovelies! My tree is up and my house is decorated! Is it seriously Christmas season already? I am loving every moment!!!

xoxo,

Kelley

Holiday Fashion on a Budget :)

As the holidays approach I am reminded of why I love fashion so much~ everything is embellished, sparkly and just plain fun to wear. I recently had the opportunity to go to NYC with my mom over Thanksgiving and let me tell you fellow fashionistas~ do not miss it! NYC is a haven for sharp street style, classic elegance and new and modern trends. New Yorkers aren't just fashionable... they ooze it. Every person I saw walking the streets in the new lace up booties or over the knee boots made me want to move there just a little more (sorry Hubby!:))

That being said I was inspired by some of the following trends I saw there and on the internet...

Black and tan combo- don't Katy and Blake look so fresh and youthful but with a classic elegance to them? Swoon. They are also both rocking a great trend of the moment- lace detailing. I love the femininity it brings to any outfit and Katy and Blake both ground the outfit with clean lines as to not make it too prissy. I love Blake's nude pumps to give the illusion of a longer leg too.

Patterned tights~ anyone tried them? I think they are so cute with a simple dress (in either solid or if you are feeling more daring a print) or with a great skirt. SJP does it great here with a gorgeous grey dress and statement necklace (although her toned legs don't hurt either:))

There are some truly amazing finds right now at New York and Company, Zara and H&M. I think these patterned tights would be great for a night out during the holidays or on NYE.

xoxo,

Kelley

Shutterfly Blog for Cards! :)

Check out these absolute lovelies from Shutterfly..... They are giving away 50 free Christmas cards if you blog about them! Check it out...



So classic and elegant....

With a lot of FUN mixed in.....

How cute is the sleeping baby????

Call me crazy but I love LOVE LOVE receiving Christmas cards and giving them too! I think it is so neat to play catch up on the lives of those friends you may not see all the time, but are nonetheless, important to your life. I like all Christmas cards- cartoon ones, classics, kids, dogs, you name it. Last year J and I were not quite married yet but we sent out our first Christmas card anyhow. This year I am so excited to share one of my favorite wedding photos on our card wishing everyone a great holiday season.

Shutterfly is also offering some GREAT Christmas invites as well as (Gasp!) personalized Christmas gift tags! No more writing your name fifty million times! yay!

One of my favorite invites can be found here... http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards/say-what-christmas-invitation-4x5-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93510

And the ADORABLE gift tags can be found here... http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags

Shutterfly is seriously making this Christmas an easy one for me and mine! Join in on the fun!

xoxo,

Kelley

Friday Night Football

So my computer at home has been horrrriiibbble, hence the no blog posting for forever. I am now back at school (I'm a teacher) and in my spare time it should be no proble-m-o to update you guys on everyday happenings.

I am so excited for tonight! Cougar football on a Friday night?! I feel like I am back in high school and I love it!

Can't wait to see the guy up to or drink a couple of the other beers at top..... you see what I mean about blogger? Am I retarded or is it? Ughh so frustrating.. won't let me even move my pictures.. can someone help?

xoxo,

Kelley :)

4th of July Weekend Recap

This post is a doozy.. we had so much fun stuff going on this weekend! Friday night J and I joined Jaime & Craig at PF Changs for Jaime's birthday dinner. It had been raining cats and dogs all day so we were worried about getting flooded out, but we made it! We had a great meal, great conversation, great time. They are truly wonderful friends.

Pretty pregnant birthday girl with Craig :)
Jaime and I outside (see the humidity!)

Saturday morning came around and one of my most anticipated events- DockDogs in Discovery Green Park. For those of you who have never heard of it the dogs compete to see which one can jump the farthest into a pool of water. It was so cool and a really intense competition!

This poor guy did not want to go in at all!!!

Look at the owner... "No seriously, dude... JUMP!" lol.


Judges trying to get the right measurements....

After that intense competition Mom and I made our way to the Grove for lunch. I LOVE that restaurant.. it is so neat looking and makes me calm every time I go there. We had some fabulous salads and of course some wine. :)


Very cool bar at the Grove

Mom & I :)

Mom and I hung out downtown for a while and just chatted. Then our lovely day was slightly ruined because of 2 big, fat, ugly PARKING TICKETS on our windshields. That's right, the City of Houston got us both! Apparently you still have to pay the meter on the weekend and I got slapped with a $65 fee! Ouch!

SO, of course that evening to nurse my pain, the hubs and I made our way to the local mexican restaurant by our house. Yes, we are eating healthy, but let me tell you. Kaci taught me well- I always have one appetizer plate of chips with salsa, 1-2 fajitas with chicken and veggies (flour tortilla if they have it), and skinny margaritas. It was deelish and let's just say the hubs and I had a little too much fun that night that we paid for the next day. :) A great time though.



Sunday we woke up and cleaned around the house because Grandma was coming to stay with us for the next few days. Also we are going out of town on Thursday so I didn't want to leave the place a mess. We made our way down to my parent's house for their 4th of July celebration. It was so much fun to be around our family and all the dogs.

Bella likes margaritas for sure!!!
After her margarita she wanted a nap :)

Later that night we made our way to see fireworks. It was so neat to be with my mom and brother because usually we have been with friends the last few holidays.
In the car on the way to see fireworks :)


My handsome bro
Yes, we bought matching 4th of July shirts. Does that make us a little gay? Yes. Do I care? No.


We were all feeling pretty good at this point (wine/beer all day, wine at the fireworks) and we came home to play this game my brother and mom have been telling me about- ESPN Monopoly. It was a really stiff competition and came down to the hubs and I. Unfortunately for me, he was victorious (I still need to check video on this one).


While we played, the dogs looked like this....



After that really long day the hubs and I slept in late at grandma's house and then slowly made our way down to Galveston. It was nice to just be the two of us. We hung out at the beach, had lunch and later went to the H20 bar at the San Luis pool. If you have never been there- go.. it is so cool. It has a very lounge-esque feel, a full sushi bar, and fabulous drinks. We were pretty slow on any drinks due to our previous day, but we had a great time.



Now I get to spend time with this great lady at my house for a few days before we head to Cali!!!!

I don't think I will blog again until I come back from Cali next week so have a fabulous week/weekend!!!

xoxo,


Kelley

Baby Emma & Some time with my Mister :)

How cute is he??? The Mister and I took a few quick pics in Discovery Green this past weekend en route to the Ballet (is he a keeper or what?) Side note- I am down 10 pounds here and he is down 5. :) We had so much fun that night.. went out to Damian's Italian restaurant beforehand, split a bottle of red and went over to the ballet. I LOVED it. We say the Wayward Daughter, a ballet that in all my years going I have never seen. The costumes were great and it was funny too~ good since that is about the only thing that could hold the hubby's interest. :) But he is such a trooper for coming and doing things I really love to do. (Don't worry ladies- I made it up to him with a 2 hour.. yes you read that correct.. trip to the Sears tool department). At least he got wine on his outing. :)

HOT husband with some type of power tool :)

Then on Sunday my mom and I hosted a baby shower for my precious friend Jaime who is due with her first baby girl in August. She is so cute! The future mom HATES pink so my mom and I had to get creative by decorating with all yellows and greens.

My mom, Jaime and I
Welcome sign I made for Emma

Pretty, pretty flowers all over :)

I used lemon and limes at the base of this one to add to the color scheme


Her precious cake.. the shower was jungle-themed

After we got finished with the shower the hubs and I took in a comedy show with my good friend Lori to round out the weekend. It was hilarious! Jonathan had never been to this particular comedy club and was tad wary about it but it turned out to be great. We had a few drinks (vodka water with limes (hey we are watching our weight:)) and took some pics with the comedians. They were so good! I will definitely be back!


Hope everyone had a great weekend. This is my first full week off of teaching so I am enjoying getting to rest, workout, tan and prepare homeade dishes every night for my man (oops!:))

xoxo,


Kelley :)

Red, Red Wine

So I definitely thought that my social life was going to end when I moved to the.... gasp... Suburbs. I was so used to the inner loop life- museums at my beck and call, fabulous restaurants and bars at every turn.. that the thought of moving to Spring, TX was definitely an idea I had to get used to... and fast. I was convinced I would be in rollers with 5 children by August. :) Dramatic, yes. Would you be scared to?? Ummm yes. :)

Well that all changed when my friend Lori took me out to Brix wine bar last night.. The place is gorgeous. The wine is deelish (and cheap at happy hour). The veggie flatbread we had was to die for. I loved everything about it. It is in this cute little center called VIntage Park (think Highland Village before it blew up).

So turns out, I may like Spring after all. :)

Have a great Thursday!

xoxo,

Kelley

Jiggly Parts....

Not too many jiggly parts now!! :)

Weight loss update:

SO things are going GREAT with my new healthy lifestyle. I know the last time I chatted about it I was very candid about my need/want to drop some serious poundage. Well... it is definitely happening. For the last month and a half I have been on my Coble plan :) (visit www.kacicoble.com) I have lost almost 10 pounds. 10 pounds in 6 weeks.... umm yes I'll take it! My arms feel firmer, my abs are tighter and my booty is looking smaller. :) It is all good! I am so amazed to see that this has happened! Oh and I have NEVER given up beer or the occasional beef fajita either! This stuff works!!!

THe husband has been such a sweetheart.... trying to eat healthy too to support me but the workouts= not for him. we took a bike ride and less than a mile into it he is like, "Babe, I will leave the working out to you. Not for me. " lol. He is so funny but he works a ton outside so I guess that is like a workout too.

So now that I have seen this progression I am going for it even harder. I may try to be even smaller than I was in college... who knows? I know my body will adapt to where it wants to be naturally and I am just letting it happen.

What weight loss strategies have you tried lately??

Have a great weekend... I will be having a few beers for everyone :)

Kelley

Memorial Day Madness! :)

We had an amazing time at our Memorial Day housewarming. Everyone in my family did so much to help us on our special day and we can not thank them enough! Dad, Matt & J tackled the yard and Mom and I tackled the feast & decorations. :) It was quite the family affair!

Mom & I made about 10 different appetizers, sangria, chicken, burgers, sausages and 3 desserts- we were busy bees! :)

Thank you to everyone who came out!

Our Kind Of Love

So the last week and a half has been interesting to say the least. I feel like the end of am amazing year has closed- finishing a great year as a provisional in the Junior League, an AMAZING first year as a 3rd grade teacher and of course, getting married to the love of my life. It is so often that we take for granted special people in our life.. even when we do not realize we do that.

I, for one, have taken for granted all of my close friends. Yes, they may be very few, but they are oh so special. It is even more clear how special they are when you see "friends" that just aren't. I have often tried to believe that some of my acquaintances were friends and only later on in my adult life have I come to the sad realization that it takes more than hanging out, participating in weddings and drinking wine to be a true FRIEND and not the former. I treasure the friendships that I have, mainly the amazing foundation of friendship that I have with my husband. He is amazing. Yes- we fight like any other couple. He leaves his clothes all over the floor. I nag him to fix things in our house. We argue over the dogs, over dinner, over how much my pedicures cost. :) But at the end of the day, my husband is there. He relishes in my accomplishments and after the amazing year I had teaching he was the first one to tell me how proud he was I had found my true calling in life. He is down when I am sad and mad at the acquaintances that turn
my otherwise very positive outlook into gloom & doom.

I strive to do a better job of appreciating what is right in front of my face. I may not be part of everyone's "in" crowd or even well-liked by everyone.. but at the end of the day what do I care what you say about me or if you are jealous or spiteful? The best revenge of all is to have the most amazing support system in my family, my close friends, my dogs and my wonderful, too-good-to-be-true husband.

Treasure those people in your life that make you feel good about being YOU- they are often few and far between.

xoxo,

Kelley

Lipo Cocktail???

So this morning I was on my way to work and tuned in to 104.1 by chance. Usually I listen to 95.7 on my way to school to get me pumped up for the day ahead... but they were being boring so I switched over. As I tuned in I heard this girl talking about how she wanted to get lipo asap because she could not stand to be seen in a bikini in front of her fiance's family. As I listened more I noted the desperation in her voice, the helplessness. I felt so bad for someone I don't even know. I wanted to call up and say "You are not hopeless! You are not a fat ass!," but I don't really want to be on the radio, so I didn't. But I could not help but think about my own, and probably some of your, situations while I drove.

So often we have problems (weight, money, relationships, career, etc.) that we are so desperate about, so hopeless about, that we do not know where to begin to solve the issue or tackle the problem that is blocking us from our goal. But it IS possible. I have learned over the last few years, but namely, the last month or so as I have embarked on a healthier lifestyle, that the change you want to see is completely up to YOU. So, yeah that sucks, there are no cop outs, there are no excuses, there is no one else to blame your crap on than you, but it feels really good when you take charge of your own future and goals.

In relationships if you are not being treated correctly and with love and admiration from your partner and YOU stick around~ that is on YOU. Not on the other person. I married my husband because he treasures who I am- on my best day as well as my worst. He also thinks of me before he thinks of himself and I do the same for him. THAT is a mutual relationship. Not one where you are constantly chasing the other person or wishing he did this or treated you like that. But again, YOU are the only one to blame if you do not seek the true happiness you deserve.

I have found that the same standards I set for myself in relationships are the ones I am now setting for myself in health and wellness as well. I would not put up with being treated shitty, so why would I put shitty things in my body? It wouldn't make sense.

So in a world of excuses, blaming others and apathy let's take a stand to control our own destiny. We may really like how it turns out.....

xoxo,

Kelley :)

So Boring, Right???? Or Wrong?

So this weekend is my 28th birthday.. yeeshhhh. I still remember my 21st birthday where I was getting ready at the ZTA house for a party with 100 of my closest (?) friends, all fraternity and sorority girls from the University of Houston. When I look back on that day the realization that hits me like a ton of bricks is I have not spoken to probably over 3/4th of those people since the day I graduated. But at the time I was willing to push my family to the side to party with the people who "mattered" to me. And I am not saying that it is horrible to have done that, that I would have never been so selfish if I knew then what I knew now, because I know it was an experience I had to go through, had to live for myself, had to see the changes I needed to make for myself.

I am so content this birthday to have a small brunch at home surrounded by my family, my husband and my dogs... because when you get down to it there are few people in the world who will ever take better care of you. Few people that will ever care as much as they do about your successes, your struggles, your anxieties, your triumphs and everything in between.

Yeah, I might be "boring" now and no a jaegar bomb may never pass these lips on the big bday... but gosh.... boring has never felt better.

have a great weekend,

Kelley

Would you like some extra WHINE with that cheese???

On the right.....

So this was me.... just about 3 years ago. Extremely fit and completely underwhelmed professionally and personally. Yes, I had my workouts down and my hot body, but inside I was unfulfilled. I was in a job I didn't love and in and out of relationships that I knew were going nowhere. I also questioned my own morals, my values and my belief system. In short, I was kind of a shitty person. (not at all afraid to admit it)

On the left.....

Fast forward to the present~ wonderful career, loving and supportive family and and amazing new husband and life on the inside could not be better. Sometimes it feels in life like when you get one thing really really RIGHT other things go really really WRONG. Because of my wonderful career, extracurricular activities and my AMAZING new husband my workouts/watching what I eat/leading an active lifestyle had gone down the drain. I know we have all been there at one time or another in our lives~ you fall in love and things that used to be important to you just aren't anymore. You want to be with that person and have fun wine-filled dinners all the time- and there is nothing wrong with that I have learned- as long as your fitness and nutrition is in check with that fun too.

Now to some the picture to the left may not be a big deal~ she doesn't look so bad, right? But to me, someone who has always been extremely active in dance, sports, running, etc. it is. Not just because of how I look but because of how I FEEL. I don't feel like I have the energy I want to, the focus to make my body feel as healthy as my inside feels.

All of this seemed like such a daunting task a few weeks ago- someone who had never had to worry about weight, etc having to face the facts that dang it I was chunky. During the best time of my life leading up to my wedding the dark cloud that hovered was my changed body. I wanted to look the most beautiful I ever had for the day I married my best friend. Somehow it just did not happen and I was discouraged.

About 2 weeks ago I made the wonderful decision to meet with Ms. Kaci Coble, one of my old sorority sisters. Back in the day I would never think of having to see a nutritionist or someone who could motivate me and whip me back to my normal form. But I did need it. I needed to voice my concerns and fears to someone who understood because they had done what I wanted to do and a LOT more. Kaci showed me I could still LIVE my life without having to sacrifice the old body I wanted back. And watch out world...... cause that shell is coming back. :) Check her out at kacicoble.com Thanks Kaci.

xoxo,

Kelley

Hello Blogging World! (what the hell am I thinking?)

So here's the truth......







So I decided before Jonathan and I got married that I wanted to start a blog. Not one of those really boring, say-everything-I-did-even-when-all-I-did-was-order-pizza ones, but a real good one. Something thought provoking that let people know I was a serious wife, daughter, Martha Stewart-in-training, teacher, etc. Something that would convey meaning, something that would inspire, something that people would remember. However as I embark on my blogging "career" (as many people who already blog told me it was) I find that I do not know what to write about. Rather, I suppose, that all the things I thought were not important- those day to day chats with friends and family, the runs to the grocery store, the impromptu date nights and everything in between really ARE the most important part of my life. Those day to day activities comprise the memories I share with my closest friends, my family, my pets and my husband. So dang it, why can't that be interesting in and of itself? This blog will be my attempt to keep our family and friends around the world informed of our life, but also with a great dose of our thoughts, insights, struggles, accomplishments, advice, etc. sprinkled in between.








We hope you enjoy the blogs to come and let us know when you come by so we can check out your blog too....







The above pic are some of the real "boring" things in my life everyday... and I love every minute with them.

xoxoxo,

Kelley