2019 Goals: September Update

I meant to post this on Wednesday but I completely forgot! Since today is the last day of the month, posting it today works :) September was a busy month but I feel like I really took the time to focus on my goals which makes me feel good. It's hard to believe we are nearing the end of 2019. I guess it's time for me to start brainstorming goals for 2020!

Goal 1: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

With school starting, I have tried to make my health a priority. It has been pretty easy in the eating department as I meal prep on Sundays. That has kept me from excessive snacking during the week. John and I have been sticking to a gym schedule and I have been working hard to get my runs in during the week, even if that means I am running at 5 am!

Goal 2: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

This isn't anything too new but I have been really great about only packing lunch in reusable containers. Sometimes my lunchbox is crammed with all different sorts of containers but I make it work!

Goal 3: Reduce Phone Usage

Work keeps me busy enough during the day that most days I don't end up playing on my phone until bedtime. 

Goal 4: Try New Recipes

We cooked/baked a lot this month! I tried my mom's meatloaf recipe earlier in the month which turned out yummy. John found an Instant Pot mac & cheese recipe that we tried and ended up falling in love with! We added that to our dinner rotation. Along with those two things, I made pasta salad, pumpkin oatmeal muffins, and a delicious quinoa dish.

Goal 5: Give Back

This is a goal that didn't get as much attention the past few months. I am currently brainstorming things I can do!

Goal 6: Save Money

John and I started following Financial Peace University to pay off our debt! We are fairly new to the program so we are still learning. So far we have established a budget and set it up for October. I am excited to see where this goes!

Question of the Day: How are your 2019 goals coming along? Have you completed anything on your 19 in 2019 list, if you made one?

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!! If you read my little life update on Wednesday, then you know my life has been a bit hectic lately. It started to calm down this week and it’s about to get even better because today is my sister’s 30th birthday! To celebrate, we are going camping for the weekend! I’m really looking forward to a weekend away with some of my favorite people :) Before I head into this last day of the work week, I’m sharing some things I’ve been loving lately. 

Ponds Cold Cream

I'm not exactly sure when and why, but this was given to me by my mom. It's been sitting in my cabinet for awhile so I figured I'd take it out and give it a shot. I am so glad I did because it's amazing! It's a facial cleanser that removes all traces of make-up while also moisturizing your skin. Talk about game changer! I love it because I can use it before bed to clean my face and it keeps my face moisturized all night.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups

I found this recipe a couple weeks ago but finally found the time to bake them on Sunday. I switched up a couple parts of the recipe (I used Lactaid milk and omitted the nutmeg since I didn't have it). They have been the most perfect breakfast all week! I bring one to work each morning and heat it up in the microwave before the kids get here. They have such a yummy flavor and the melted chocolate is just so ooey-gooey and delicious! I am planning on making them again and playing around with the recipe some more. Maybe add some pumpkin pie spice and raisins instead of chocolate chips? We'll see!

Sinful Colors Taupe Is Dope Polish

This was an extra prize from my bridal shower that was given to me and I was thrilled because the color is neutral like I try to pick. For those who don't know, my engagement ring is an amethyst stone so most nail polish colors clash with it. I tend to lean towards neutral tones and this is perfect! It's a mix between grey and purple but can sometimes have a brownish hint to it? It's hard to explain but I love it! It's been my go-to nail color as fall starts to set it.

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

Friday Favorites

TGIF! Seriously, this week has been dragging on! A lot has been going on over here in my neck of the woods so I'm just dropping in real quick with my Friday Favorites. I'll be posting a little life update soon and then {hopefully} get back onto my usual schedule! I hope you have a great weekend :)

Special K Pastry Crisps

I had these in the past but had forgotten about them until I saw they were on sale this week. I picked up a box of the blueberry flavor to have on hand for snacks this week and I am 100% glad I did. They came in handy for quick snacks at work all week and the bonus is they don't produce tons of crumbs like a lot of snacks! I've have the strawberry flavor before and I liked that, too.

Half Marathon Training

I'm currently training for the Hershey Half Marathon which is October 20th. It has been awhile since I've been on a training schedule and I forgot how much I loved following one! A schedule keeps me accountable and gives me that little extra push to get out the door some days. Plus I am loving my long runs :) 

Mr. Sketch Scented Markers

This may seem lame, but I really have been loving my Mr. Sketch markers! Once I found out I was moving to 1st grade, I quickly added a pack to my school supply order. They're so much fun to use in the classroom because of the scent. I also love the color selection and the chiseled point. I could write all day with these babies!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

My Week in Pictures XXXII

How is it already Monday?! We had the nicest weekend and now I really a not ready to start the week but I guess I have to! Last week was a busy one for us and I realized I hardly took any pictures so bear with me for last week's update :) Have a great week!

Monday and Tuesday were a mix of busy and relaxing, which I apparently did not document. On Tuesday I spent some time at the park with my friend Jess and her daughter. It was nice to catch up with her! On Wednesday I came home from work in a rush because we had somewhere to be but somebody just wanted ALL the snuggles!

 He must've known we were on our way to adopt his new brother!! Our story of getting this new little guy is an interesting one so I'll write about that later this week!

Once we got back from the shelter Wednesday night, I was running around like crazy to get all the kitten supplies we needed while also baking brownies for a dinner we were going to on Thursday.

Thursday I was finally able to squeeze in a strength workout.

After the gym we went to my best friend, Cassie's, new apartment for dinner! She made us a delicious dinner of pasta, homemade sauce, and bread :)

On Friday, the kitten was finally getting comfortable with us and came out to play!

That night we went out to dinner at a really nice restaurant called The Chophouse to celebrate our one year anniversary in our house! I ordered the lobster & crab mac and cheese with sweet potato fries on the side.

I got up bright {it was actually dark out haha} and early on Saturday to run 10 miles with Ashley. We ran all around here area. We saw a ton of deer in the park near her!

Once I got home from that, I got right to work on making a big ol' bowl of pasta salad for a pig roast we were going to later in the day. John's best friend invited us because his friend was hosting it and they wanted to make it a whole big party.

It's hard to see in the picture, but this is from the pig roast while they were unwrapping it. They had cooked the pig in the ground and it was so cool!

I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I got hit by a truck so an epsom salt bath was much needed!

Followed by our typical pancake Sunday :)

And Dexter snuggles!

John is making mac and cheese for work this week so he insisted we tested it for lunch. He made it in the Instant Pot and it was sooo yummy!

Before rushing out the door to go to a Financial Peace University class, I quickly painted my nails. This was Sinful Colors Taupe is Dope. I got it from my bridal shower back in June because it was an extra price at the end. I really like the neutral tones to it although it seems to change in different lighting so sometimes it looks super dark.

Question of the Day: What was the highlight of your weekend? Have you ever attended a pig roast?

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! This was my first full week of school and I survived {though wish me luck today because it’s Friday the 13th AND a full moon...}! It was quite the week and this weekend is much needed! Tonight John and I are celebrating one month of marriage {this past Monday} and one year of buying our house which is today! Tomorrow we are going to a pig roast with John's friends and then Sunday is open for now. I hope you all have something exciting planned for the weekend! In typical Friday fashion, I'm sharing some things I've been loving lately.

Vans Old Skool

I bought these back before school started as my "back to school shoes." Yes, I wear dress shoes most days but, on Fridays we are able to dress more casual so those are my Friday shoes. They are very neutral so they match almost anything I would choose to wear. I also find them really comfortable!

Oregon Chai Sugar Free Chai Latte Concentrate

I have a feeling I posted about this before but oh well! This chai latte mix is the BOMB! I've been using it this past week two different ways. The first way is the typical chai latte way where I mix 1 part chai mix with 1 part milk and pour it over ice, YUM! Another way is I've been adding it to my vanilla protein shakes to give it a little boost of chai flavor. DOUBLE YUM! I typically buy this in the sugar free version because it's zero calories but they do offer it in a regular version as well!

Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice

Wow it's REALLY been a long time since I posted a Friday Favorites list because I read this book while I was away on my honeymoon! Pretend She's Here is a teen novel I picked up at my school's book fair last year when I was still assuming I would be teaching middle school. This book is the perfect thriller for middle school-high school aged girls along with adults like me who love YA books. It's about a girl named Emily who loses her best friend, Lizzie. Close to a year later, a run-in with Lizzie's family goes from heartening to dark within a matter of minutes. The story is full of suspense and secrets that will keep you from putting the book down!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

Honeymoon Days 5-8

Happy Hump Day! This week has been dragging on so I was happy to see it was finally Wednesday this morning. Today I am sharing with you the last 4 days of our honeymoon! It feels like it was forever ago but it was actually less than a month ago. Or maybe it just feels like it is taking me forever to post about it? Oops, haha. Enjoy!


After our busy day on Wednesday, we spent Thursday relaxing around the pools.

At one point, one of the pool side activities was bracelet making so I joined in with that!

After our relaxing day, we went to the beach party where we got fun drinks! It was due to storm that night so the beach party got moved more inland but that was okay :)

We sat on the balcony for a bit when we got back that night. Our views were just so lovely!

Friday was another busy day so we were up bright and early! I started my day like usual with oatmeal and a crepe with strawberries and bananas. I'm really missing that breakfast now!

Friday was spent at the Xplor park where we ziplined, went rafting in caves, hammock splashing, and more! Unfortunately I don't have too many pictures from that because my phone mostly stayed in our locker. However, we did order all the photos they snapped of us that day, they are just on John's computer. I'll save them for later because they were all cool!

Xplor was centered in these caves that were so cool to explore!

We came back that night to more towel friends :)

Our dinner that night was at Spice, the Asian cuisine restaurant, and it was delicious!

On Saturday morning we took advantage of one of the resort activities and took a bike ride into the local town, Puerto Morelos. The bike ride was about 15-20 minutes and then we had about a half hour to explore the town once we arrived.

We found the greatest souvenirs for Tommy- handmade Cars toys!

There was also some historical aspects of the town that we found interesting.

After spending a little bit of time on the beach afterwards, a storm rolled in.

We did get a chance to take some pictures after the storm cleared up.

 On Saturday night we went to Spice again but for hibachi this time. We were seated with a few other couples who we enjoyed chatting with the whole time! Afterwards we stopped by the Mexican night party for the drinks. It was decorated so cute! I wish I got some more photos.

On our last morning we had our honeymoon breakfast in bed. It was A LOT of food. There was waffles, eggs Benedict, fruit, breads, and more!

After breakfast we took one more stroll along the beach before heading out.

We arrived at the Cancun airport super early so we grabbed some Johnny Rockets and relaxed while we waited for our flight!

Adjusting back to the real world was so rough once we got home. Now, almost a month later, I am just really missing relaxing in paradise!