Smile, it's Sunday :)

Today is a very low key day and we are loving it. It has been raining since Friday so we are pretty limited to what we do, not to mention, potty training an 8 week old puppy in the rain. She is a champ. Its day 2 1/2 since she has been in our family and she now cries by the front door when she needs us to take her out to 'go potty'. Its awesome. Lets hope it keeps up!

This weekend was a constant battle: Fur-mom & Fur-dad v. Valor & her crate; Ziggy was the non-opinionated audience. This girl HATES her crate. Ziggy sleeps fine in a crate and he hangs out in it during the day when we are at work- no problem. He actually enjoys it and sometimes goes in it even when we are home and aren't sleeping. Valor on the other hand.....

She SCREAMS all night in that gosh darn crate..poor girl. We know she is a puppy and a very young one at that, so we are totally understanding. Is it REALLY that bad to have a nice comfy bed, a toy, and even one of our shirts (we read this might help- a fact that definitely proved false in this house). 

Any tips for crate training? She hasn't gone potty in our apartment or crate. She seems to have the idea down...its the crying when we are gone thats going to be tricky...

We will see how 4 hours in the crate will be for her tomorrow morning...sorry to all our neighbors..I am praying for the best. 

{{our day was spent looking at this adorable face}}

{{and watching our 11 lb Daschund and 6.5 lb lab/border collie mix play}}

 {{Before a super early morning potty trip. Sleepy girl.}}

 {{Coffee at home. }}

 {{My amazing hubby cleaned our entire place when I was at the grocery store.

He even re-decorated this little bench we have in our living room.

That is a photo of us my senior year in college at one of our favorite beaches back home}}

{{Lakers v. Celtics}}

{{love when I can watch the Lakers}}

I hope you are all having a blessed Sunday. Appreciate the time you have with those that you love. As much as we are outdoor people, it sure is nice to be spending time with my husband and puppies inside...its always fun no matter where we are!

Our new puppy...

Yesterday, my friend and I went to Blue Bell Creamery for a tour (pics and post to be up soon). On the way home we decided to go to the local SPCA..just to LOOK. Well..that look turned into a million texts to my hubby complete with photos and a lot of 'awwwwww's. Needless to say, I brought home an 8 week old lab mix. All she wanted to do was cuddle and she was so cute! After I crossed the 't's' and dotted the 'i's', she was on her way home. Well...first stop...PetsMart. We had to buy a new kennel, leash, toys, etc. Once we brought her home and introduced her to Ziggy..they were friends right away!

She has had many names here in the last 12 hours- ranging from Zoey or Tex (short for Texas) or Dakota to military themed names of Sierra, Charlie (my favorite), Scout,  or Zoomie (meaning 'pilot')...we just have no idea what we want to stick with! Plus...most names just sound awkward when paired with 'Ziggy'- we didnt really think it through when we named him that..But it fits him perfectly!

Here are some pics of our little girl :)

{{Playing with her in the puppy room.}}

{{On our way to PetsMart to get her swag}}

{{Sleepy girl after PetsMart}}

So....now on to picking out a third and FINAL name option...hmmm...

New update: Just picked out a final name! Valor aka Val. 

Valor (noun): boldness or determination in facing a great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery (dictionary.com)

Five For Friday

So this weeks Five for Friday is going to be Five letters. Friday's Letter's comes from one of the cutest blogs I have came across Adventures of Newlyweds (Click on the link up and check it out!) So, I am linking up for Friday's letters today!

Dear Husband, you are my superman. Thank you for always helping me with anything I ask for. You wake up when its dark, to head off to school early then a full day at work and you come home at 8:00PM when its dark {again} and are always happy. Thank you for always smiling :) I love you. I cannot wait for this weekend. Even if its full of homework, studying and ordering chinese food in...its going to be great!
Dear New Readers, thank you for following me and checking in on my blog :) I really appreciate your encouragement and comments and I can't wait to continue reading your blogs and writing my own blogs- I think we are going to be a great team.
Dear Ziggy, your 11 pound bundle of cuteness makes up for your weirdness. I am so glad we found 2 chew toys that you can not destroy within 0.5 seconds. We need to cut the habit of you jumping on my lap when I am on the computer and getting right.in.my.face...which you are doing this very second....
Dear Texas, it is finally setting in that I am leaving you in a couple months and I am really going to miss your awesome food and summer weather spring. I have 2 more months to make my mark and you better be ready.
Dear New Readers, you get two because you are THAT awesome. I encourage you to take this weekend and go above and beyond. We all (myself included) like to take the days we have and keep to ourselves, relax, rest, sleep-in...Take this weekend and, amidst all the amazing relaxation, let those around you know that you love them and that you appreciate them. A quick phone call means a lot to anyone. Our generation gets so used to texting and e-mailing that we forget how appreciated a nice, quick phone call makes someone feel. Give it a try! The worst thing that can happen is you don't call back again..right?!


Have a blessed Friday. I am off to an ice cream factory with one of my favorite Aggies..I will let you know how may ice cream flavors I stuff my face with taste.

Mornings

Are you a morning person or a night owl? For us...both my hubby and I are total morning people. I'm talking up and out by 6AM (during the week). Our pup is definitly NOT a morning person. It is a battle to get him into his kennel in the morning. He hides under the pillows and burrows deeper and deeper everytime a lunch is packed, a backpack is zipped, a dish is cleaned, a light is turned off...oh man when the LAST light gets turned off its the final warning and he knows it. If our dog could..he would dig a hole in the couch cushion, hide it in, cover it with pillows and make us find him until it was at least noon. Once noon hits..hes ready for the day. Lucky for us- He is 11 pounds and I have two arms..one to hold him and one to open his kennel door with. Ziggy: 0 Me: Undefeated

{{NOT a morning person dog}}

Reasons why I love the morning:
1) BREAKFAST. my favorite meal of the day.
 *During the week: I go straight for some good 'ol oats and a cup of decaf coffee. As I am driving
   to the gym I snack on about 3 power bar protein bites- these keep me going for my entire
    training session. MAGIC I tell ya!
   *Weekend breakfast brunch are mine and my hubbys favorite! We always go out to eat one day during the weekend. I mean..who wouldn't love sitting across from this man early morning on a Saturday sippin on a soy vanilla latte?

{{Forever my breakfast date}}

2)  PRODUCTIVITY. Now- in college- most of my friends were more productive at night- nope not me. I'm a wake up early and finish the paper so I can enjoy the sunshine type of person.
3)SUNRISES. There is something special about sitting out on the beach and watching the sunrise. To me, its God's promise of a new day. Its hope. Its life. Its a way to remind yourself that whatever happened yesterday..its over..gone...don't let it ruin your today!
4)The GOOD MORNING SONG. This is now my alarm clock. For those of you that struggle waking up in the morning- listen to this song right when your alarm goes off. I love it!

5) HOPE. We were given the opportunity to wake up today. God knows that we have the potential for greatness and He has faith in us to fulfil it. Wake up knowing that you are here TODAY for a reason. We are faced with challenges, decisions and opportunities every second of our life- each day makes an impact on our future. Use every day to your highest potential. Sure, we wake up discouraged sometimes and yep, life can seem tough- but with constant reminders and dedication- that discouraging attitude will leave and you will be victorious. I saw a tweet a while ago and it just stuck with me: "Wake up feeling unstoppable because no man can stop what God has already started!" THAT, my friends, is what really gets me going in the morning.

I hope that whatever you are struggling with this morning- that you would give it to God and go about your day achiving greatness. We are here for a reason. Lets do our best, be our best, encourage others, and change this generation!

Have a blessed morning and afternoon!

My weakness.

{{These babies.}}

I am so happy that Girl Scout Cookie season isnt year round. I can usually control what I eat... until these are ALL OVER THE PLACE. at my work. at the grocery store. on my mind.  Everywhere I tell ya. Good thing my hubby is as infatuated with these tagalongs peanut butter patties as I am- its 50/50 in this house. <3

We bought a box last Friday- gone by Sunday morning. Once again..I brought home a box last night- to surprise him. ALMOST gone...5 cookies left..lets see how long the two of us can keep those in the box. HA are you kidding me?! It wont be long..

So please girl scouts, as much as I adore spending $4 on 15 cookies...and as AMAZING as they are...you need to hide from us when we enter the store. Or even better...and probably less effort than hiding...put up a sign that says "SOLD OUT" and take it down once we leave.

I have been kicking butt on my workouts with my personal trainer the last few weeks. Yesterday- we did tabata. (if you dont know or havent ever done tabata I HIGHLY encourage you to do it. I think I will post a workout on here one of these days if your interested) Anyways...you do a total of 2 minutes of push ups, sit ups, squats, pull ups and erg (row) 800 meters- broken up into various time intervals. Yesterday- I hit my personal best of 398 reps! Today..I also hit some personal bests. My philosophy: the girl scout cookies are enhancing my workout performance. Sounds valid- right? 

 Just kidding. I have put SO much hard work and sweat into the last 12 months of these workouts that I am FINALLY seeing an increase in my abilities...took a year before they were truley noticable. But during that year..there were little changes being made every single day that brought me to where I am today. I know that if I keep up these changes (sans girl scout cookies..) that next year will be an even bigger accomplishment. ALWAYS give it your 100%. ALWAYS keep going. :)

Before I sign off and get some much needed school work done- I will leave you with this:

James 1:12 "Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."

Whatever you are facing today know that it will come to pass and that you will be victorious!

PS. I also put this blog on bloglovin so you can follow me there! :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Smile- it's Sunday!

Sunday's are our favorite days in this here household. Church. Spend time outside. Spend time together. I've decided that I am going to be more proactive at taking photos of these said Sundays :)

((We have no idea where our beautiful red camera is..its escaped. So...these are all snapped using our wonderful iPhone 4's.))

Breakfast at Tiny's No. 5. Cutest place. I love their food. I ordered Blueberry Pancakes- my favorite. Hubby decided to order the healthy alternative Fried Chicken and biscuits. I wouldn't even try it- nope not a trooper. But he LOVED them. I had to snap a photo of this southern comfort. When in Texas...right?

{{ Honey, we're not in California any more}}

We love enjoying the sunshine and 75 degree weather. So we went on a nice 5K adventure. As it usually works, I get my iPod going and my Nike+ GPS all ready and off I go. I'm more running for time. My awesome husband and our child dog keep up a few minutes behind me (see: male dogs marking their territory on every single tree). I am always amazed that our little 11 lb doxie is ALWAYS running and keeping the pace.

{{my main squeeze(s)}}

 {{Hubby snapped this photo while Ziggy and I were warming up. He blends with the shadows!}}

{{Smile Ziggy.}}

{{us. hot sweaty messes. refreshed after a run.}} 

Not including a photo of the flooded kitchen we came home to. I don't want to remember that when I go through these photos again :) HA! 

{{A 5K run isn't over for the dog until he gets to have Frosty Paws Peanut Butter Doggy Ice Cream}}

{{see: one spoiled dog}}

 Nothing better than ending the day listening to one of the greatest Young Adults pastors preach James chapter 1. Loved it.

{{Keep it 100. Be real. Be genuine. Be true. Be who HE made you to be.}}

{{Be dedicated. Don't let anyone or anything take you away from your purpose to live for God.}}

{{Stay loyal. Go where He tells you to Go.}}

{{God's promises are "yes" and "amen.}}

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Sunday! 

Remember: You are God's most prized possession. Nothing can keep you from the love of God <3

Five for Friday

Today is all about 5 reasons why this week was totally awesome! Yes, there were ups and there were downs. Yes, every single second is a blessing. And yes, there are wayyyyy more than 5 awesome things that happened this week...so heres just 5...

1. One.Night.Stand. Basically what this event was, was a ton of young adults from ALL over Houston worshiping One night. We took a stand for this city. A stand that says "we are confident in our world. and we have the courage to change it. and we will show light to this dark world." It was INCREDIBLE! We raised enough money ($15K) to build and sustain a well in Ethiopia through Charity Water. Not only are the youth bringing change to this great city- but we are bringing change to the world!

2. Leap Year. We got an extra 24 hours to make it count! I spent that day encouraged. Encouraged for whats ahead. Greatful for whats past. and ready for whatever is next!

3. RODEO! I already talked about this and posted pictures. but yes- this is one for the books.

4. Finding out I'm going to be an aunt! Shocked. Surprised. Confused. and now- super duper excited! I cannot wait! Miss Braylee Mae is due in July. I wont be anywhere near the fam but I know that whenever I do visit- I will get to see her :)

5. Conquering a difficult workout.  I have a personal trainer. I run alot. I lift until I cant lift any more. I squat until my legs wont let me stand up straight again. I do push ups until I can no longer push my self up. and I do sit ups until I get bored. I eat healthy {{minus the girl scout cookies}}. I drink lots of protein shakes. Unless a workout hurts- its not a workout. Anyways..today..I go to training..he has this hard workout for me. and I didnt even break a sweat! He kept making me change things to make it harder and I was still getting through it! I LOVED IT! BEST FEELING EVER!! Now...I know that Monday's training sesh is going to be INTENSE!



Since i'm new to blogging- I want to meet more bloggers and have more followers. This is an awesome idea!

^I couldn't get her link to work so Find Hollie here. She came up with Follow friday. #ff AWESOME!