November

This month has been such a fun and relaxed month for me. So THANKFUL for the many Blessings in my life. For Family, Good Health, Friends, Cooking tons of food, Mellowing out more with the girls, the changing colors (Not that Texas gets much of it).....the list is long and I'm aware of how good it's been.

December is a whole new ballgame for my family. Besides the holidays, we have birthdays, anniversaries and  several school functions and work events. It's Bananas.

I'm sticking to my thoughts and feelings from my last post and I'm refusing to stress and panic about it all. I'm surprisingly ahead of the game this year (Famous last words for $1000!) but it's such a good feeling to not be overwhelmed or freaking out over gifts and the growing list of things to do!

I'm more just looking forward to more family time and more cooking a ton of food. Not having it stick to me or make me feel guilty is an added bonus.

Anything you are Thankful for as we say goodbye to November? Anything you are especially looking forward to in December?

Let me hear them!

-Britt The HLC

Just a Thought....

Sitting here listening to the new and FANTASTIC Sleeperstar album while enjoying my free Starbucks on a cold morning and I must say, these are the moments I truly enjoy the most.

With Thanksgiving a week away I usually find myself at a huge panic as it always feels like the holidays sneak up on us, not this year though. I find that while on this journey of healthy living, I've found more balance in all things. It's not just the eating better and being more active part that seems to have benefited me more but the entire uncluttering my life of all negativity in all its forms. Friendships, relationships, social media, negative thinking, self doubt, fighting to control things NOT in my control to even nixing certain TV and music....it all adds up.

I'm far more relaxed, I don't find myself worrying about every little thing like I used to. I used to get overwhelmed so easily and now...hardly at all. Don't get me wrong, it's still a journey, the process is very much still in place. However, if you look at who I was 2 years ago to now, it's a clear and wonderful difference. Who'd of thought that it would be so easy?! Joking of course because it's totally not an overnight change at all and there were times in every front be it living healthy, living life or the living free part where I wanted to throw in the towel and just go back to not caring for myself, putting my happiness aside to make others happy with me was far easier as I yet again, Cared about the wrong things! My priorities have changed with having my own family and that has been the biggest help of all. Their support, their love and their understanding of what I needed to find and gain for MYSELF has been the best thing of all.

Ironically enough, it's never been about a number on a scale as so many people often assume and the most questions I get about this blog are about weight loss. No, it's about yourself as a whole. If you truly work hard to better yourself, the weight is just an added bonus, however it's way down low on that list of things you are rewarded by.

Find your strength, Find your voice, set goals for yourself and never take no for an answer when it comes to your happiness and overall well being. It's about and for YOU. Not anyone else and everyone is DIFFERENT.

Bring on the Holidays, the hoopla, the extra sweets and family. I'm totally ready.

September Foodie Pen Pal REVEAL!!!

I love doing the Foodie Pen Pal Program. I'm not as consistent as I used to be, but every month that I partake I always meet these amazing Bloggers and healthy minded people. This month was no different! I seriously love telling my fellow Bloggers about doing this because besides it being fun, you get yummy goodies from different areas. How cool is that?!

If you are interested in learning more or signing up check out all the rules and info at yet another awesome blog I love The Lean Green Bean

Now for the good stuff.....
My Foodie Pen Pal was Rachel. Check out her blog Oh Simple Thoughts (seriously, cutest blog site I visit.). She is fairly new to the Foodie Pen Pal program and I always tend to spoil my people a bit with lots of snacks. However, Rachel gave me probably one of the top 3 boxes in the 3 years I've done FPP. She either has amazing intuition, superior stalking skills or is very much like myself. Just check out these goodies!?

Such a lovely sight after a busy day.

 Justin's Nut Butters? Be still my heart, I literally go through this stuff at a ridiculous pace. I will say I was good and only ate one straight from the box with some nut thins. Ironically enough, I sent her some as well.

We all know how I love coffee and yet, I don't drink it as much as before since I'm doing more tea and water. So when I read this I thought, Blueberry cobbler? That's a little out there. I couldn't have been more pleasantly and deliciously surprised. This tastes so good and isn't overly fruity or sweet. It's rich and smooth and a wonderful combo. LOVE. it.

Check out the website: Strange Brew Coffee House and help support local shops!

 Then there were these gems. To be honest, they did not last long, especially after the Hubs tried the dark chocolate ones. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Also from Strange Brew Coffee House. Holy Yum.

 Finally, there was THIS. Rachel made me some of her homemade Spice Tea Mix.

IT SMELLS LIKE CHRISTMAS.

Even the Hubs, who is NOT a tea drinker, asked me to make him a cup Saturday Morning on our first cool morning of Fall and he liked it. I add a small bit of milk and a teaspoon of agave nectar and one time even added a orange slice to it. Perfection. Citrus and sweet. So good. I learned the hard way though NOT to inhale to closely to the mix because you will inhale a little and it's no longer Christmas smelling when your choking. (Only I could pull that off, but it seriously smells so wonderful!)

Thank You Rachel! You spoiled me and introduced me to some new faves.

Sadly, with this months trip and our crazy schedules, I declined participating this month. Check back for another reveal post in November or even check out the ones from the past. :)

-Britt The HLC

Simple Sunday

Sunday, the day of rest and relaxation, or as for me and my family, a day of friends, fellowship, food, family and FUN. I love Sundays.

True it's busy, with church, small group and last minute weekend wrap ups but it's also just my one day to not have EVERY. LITTLE. THING. Penciled in on my planner. I confess I'm THAT person who has everything planned and on numerous calendars through out the house, my purse, and yes even on my phone.I'm not a stickler on details but I like to know what my week looks like so I can be prepared. I'm a planner.
Not on Sundays though.
No. Sundays I know where I need to be and when. I enjoy myself, I spend time with family and sometimes even allow myself to take a nap. Life gets far too busy and we often tend to neglect giving ourselves the time and space to just unwind and not go 100mph.

Besides, these two refuse to slow down on the whole growing up thing....

So, it may be 1am but I'm going to sit here, eat my string cheese and pita chips and not think too much on the sink full of dishes awaiting me or the cluttered living room that looks exactly like two kids went crazy and brought in EVERY toy they posses and left me to find like a drunken scavenger hunt. I'll enjoy the solitude (for now) and simply just enjoy it.

Here's to the Simplicity,
Britt

Just an update....

I would say being pregnant puts a bit of a damper on the whole being healthy format but honestly, I've only gained a pound so far. (sure that's going change at my next appointment)

I've been on bed rest for over a week now due to braxton hicks and I must say I don't understand how they can consider it rest when your twice as tired as normal and boredom drives you crazy. Evan took me on a drive the other night with Avery just so I could not stare at the same four walls. It was a nice change for an hour!

So now with my BH being a huge bummer in my pregnancy I can no longer work out or go for my daily walks. So I went through some of my favorite sites and blogs and looked into a lot of low impact exercises regimes for pregnancy I also went to the Mecca known as pinterest for healthy recipes and other helpful ideas.

Any of you fellow healthy minded bloggers ever have to change a regime due to pregnancy or illness? What worked for you?

 I'm starting yoga on Monday as well as doing more toning excercises for my upper back and arms not with a goal or anything in mind but just to say active during my pregnancy. As far as healthy eating, this baby craves good stuff so far (Pie is healthy right!?). Seriously though, I can't get enough fresh fruit and veggies which was exactly how it was with Avery and water is the only thing I drink besides unsweet tea on  occassion. Which as a Texas girl is just crazy to me but I can't stand sweet tea when I'm pregnant. I tease Evan that it's a form of paternity since his family is all about UNsweet tea and only when I'm pregnant do I like it as well as a few things his mom makes different from me.

I'll close with my latest baby bump pic. We find out Tuesday what the baby is, is it weird that I'm nervous? I was totally wrong with Avery and this baby has me clueless, I have no clue what's in there. No inklings, no feelings or hunches.

XOXO,

Britt The HLC

Update & Such...

I realize I am failing at blogging lately, trust me it's not intentional. Life has been busy this summer and I just haven't had much free time. Which will be changing soon. :)

So whats been going on lately?

• I went super Blondie and chopped off my hair. (Loving it!)





•  Due to my volunteer gig at the shelter I am now fostering kittens, I currently have 5 little guys and a litter of 2week olds with the momma still taking care of them, my poor hands and legs look like I've been running through bushes.





• Wedding season of course.



• Plus staying busy with the baby bump. I'm 16wks today and we find out if we are team Pink or Blue on the 21st!!!!!

Baby bump @ 14wks

• Throw in a camping trip, Ranger game, pool time and family time, it's just been a fun and busy summer.

How about you?!

Body Image Tuesday

I haven't done one of these posts in awhile, yikes. Quite awhile.

I love how honest I can be here, like my little domain of truth and honesty that I block off my negative thoughts and excuses from that I find myself bickering with internally everyday. You all know what I am talking about, don't deny it.

So true story......

I've gained 13lbs. Oh yeah, out of nowhere I'd say but at the same time...I've slacked off big time with my normal regime of eating better, sleeping more and not drinking soda. Add in I'm on 2 new medications and there you have it. 13lbs.

I will also say  that despite this little news shocker, I'm totally OKAY with it. I'm not crying about it, feeling guilty or down. I feel great about how I look and yes, I can tell in some of my newer clothes that I need to get back to my healthier eating and living habits but it's just a different stand point than I used to do when I gained a bit of weight or suddenly couldn't seem to lose weight.

I have accepted who I am and what my body looks like and no longer having the stress of those unrealistic thoughts and weight goals has been such a sweet relief and an amazing turn around for me!!

Don't get me wrong though, it's spring. My butt will be in the gym more and running more with the warmer temps, not too mention....swimsuit season? Hello!

At Cracker Barrel, my one weakness for food.

It's safe to say that for me, Healthy living has become a bit different than I once thought and scoffed about it being. 8 months of little changes have had a HUGE impact on my self image, my food knowledge and even friendships. It's not about the number on the scale, what you eat or don't eat, how often or not often you work out....it's just about making the attempt, finding what works for you and trying new things before quitting and NEVER losing focus on your goals.

What works for you?

Britt The HLC

Closure and Reality

After reading the update from her amazing blog I had to take a few minutes to let my emotions out.

They finally found Sherry. She gets to go home, her family gets to restart the grieving process and they get what we all get, her family, her town and running community, friends, students.

Closure.

Although I doubt any of us truly figure out the whys of this senseless and tragic murder of a woman simply doing what so many of us do everyday by random strangers consumed by drugs. It truly saddens me to know that we are not safe anywhere. Sherry was in the comfort of her run, surrounded by the country she loved and grew up with, I doubt she had any inkling to what would happen to her a few miles from her home just minutes after getting out of bed beside her husband and  setting out as she did every morning.

I simply can not understand any of this.

I hope her family rests now with her being home finally at peace, I hope they  get justice with Sherry's murders going to trial soon and I hope they know how, even though it's not under the greatest of circumstances, far from it actually, just how much of an impact Sherry has made on SO many people across the globe.

During the virtual run I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k and saw so many others wearing their Sherry bibs in her honor and I knew then it was worth it. To pay tribute to another fellow runner when it's clear to me how much of a community it truly is.

Be safe, fellow runners. Be passionate, be free and always remember why we run and often who we run for.

-Britt The HLC

Hubby Moment #13579

My Hubby, Evan. He gets me. He knows just the thing I need to hear sometimes or when humor is needed to un serious a situation or thought process I'm in. How precious he is and blessed I am. So to honor him and share in our "Dorkness" I have decided to add a few random convos between us in a post here and there and dub them "Hubby Moments".

Hubby Moment #13579

Me:  (Giving the pouty look in the Dr. office) "Seriously?"
Evan:  "What? Did we forget something in the car?"
Me:  "Look, I've gained 2.3lbs since last month!"
Evan: "You mean you've added 2.3lbs of sexy ladyness to yourself!" *purrs* (then realizes the nurse is still in the room with us) "Er..I mean, you mean you've added...2lbs of AWESOME to yourself? I could have told you that. Keep it!"

LOL

He turned beet red and looked at a magazine while the nurse went on with my vitals, she was snickering at him and trying to keep it together. When she left the room he smacked my leg with the magazine.

Evan: "Why didn't you tell me she was still in the room!?"
Me: "Excuse me? Last I checked your eyes worked fine"
Evan: "Obviously since I was staring at your butt and thought you were getting at me for it and not paying attention to who or what was going on!!!"

When the Dr. came in she said Hi to him and as she shook his hand she said "So you like the ladies who have Awesome, I hear?"

His beet red face was priceless and we all got a giggle out of it.

Caution: High Hopes Shattered Ahead.

Today has been brutal.

I was so excited to share with you my joyous news tonight and instead, I'm fighting back tears and internally punishing myself for yet again getting my hopes up. Many of you, who are sweet, devoted readers may remember awhile back when I talked about us getting a dog someday and how we were just waiting to find the right one. Well, last week, I found him. "Goldie"was a stray found and taken to the Denton  Animal Shelter and would be available today if not reclaimed. He caught my attention and my heart quite quickly. 6-8 years old, male, neutered Golden Retriever. Or as I call my dream dog.

I talked it over with Evan almost jokingly but instead, he asked more about him and once he saw how excited I was to show him pictures and talk about him he too was hooked on the idea. We emailed the director who answered several questions and asked us questions, she was excited for us to come this morning and get "Goldie". I posted it on FB, I shared his picture I even wrote on the shelters wall about how excited we were to get him and bring him home. We cleaned the house, organized, made plans for how to introduce Gus and Paris, bought food, a collar, leash, crate, etc all ready for this morning.

We arrived at the shelter to see "Goldie" playing with a few other dogs and wagging his huge tail in excitement, I was so happy to see him and know he was ours! We went inside, checked in and waited our turn as there were 5 people also in the lobby. Then someone asked a simple enough question to someone else as Evan and I told the officer we were  there to meet Amy and sign our paperwork for "Goldie".

"What?! I'm here for Goldie!" Said this older woman sitting in a seat and staring at us in suprise. This woman walked in directly in front of us and I signed in after her. When Amy came into the office the woman stood up hurriedly and let Amy and the officer know that she was there to pick up Goldie and she had been there first. I was flabbergasted. Was this lady really going to be so rude?!

Amy looked at us and asked if I was Brittnye, I said yes and she smiled and let me know how happy she was to finally meet us and how excited she was to have me start volunteering next month (Something I start on March 10th). Then the woman made another comment on how she hoped they weren't holding animals for friends of workers.....*sigh* I just met Amy, we don't know her personally at all.

The officer was not as friendly as Amy, and said they didn't hold animals and it was a first come first serve basis. He then had us write our names down on a piece of paper, folded them and had Amy draw a name to see who got "Goldie". My heart broke as she read the other womans name and not mine.

Just like that, my early birthday present from Evan was taken from me. All with the dog being in my sight! I just sttod there not sure what to do while Evan rubbed my back. Amy handed the woman the paperwork and asked if we wanted to look at the other dogs available, which we reluctantly did. Since I follow the FB page, I knew who was available and none of the other dogs tugged at me like "Goldie" had. when we went into the dog room and walked down a few kennels Evan grabbed me asked if I was okay to which I started crying my eyes out. I know, seems stupid to cry over this, my main concern was he would be adopted which he was but still....we did so much to make the house ready for him and it was like we were bringing home a new baby. I was that excited about it and I waited all weekend to allow myself to get to that point of letting my guard down to have everything be changed in an instant.

So I cleaned myself up, we looked at a few cats and then went back out to the yard to watch the dogs and play with a few. The woman came outside and started asking a volunteer about "Goldie". She didn't even know his story or if he was neutered. She had seen him on petfinder after her husband had told her to look for another Golden after theirs passed away 6 months ago. The fact that she lives in the country and has had other goldens made me feel a little better....but this woman then had the gall to approach us and ask us what we had planned to call him. When Evan told her we were going to call him Samson, she made this weird face and said "Oh. hmm well, we're naming him matador but Matt for short." She had heard we had a child and then said "We live in Gainesville, you can come play with him if you'd like!"

BLESS my husband and his sweet heart because after that I wanted to be rude to her, I wanted to make her feel low and throw Avery into the conversation for a kick in her own chest for taking a dog from a toddler but I didn't. I just smiled and wished her the best and went back to chatting with the volunteers and Amy. I seriously don't know if the woman was trying to be rude or intentionally hurtful but it just shocked me.

We got in the car and I just told Evan to ignore my tears on the way home. I truly am thankful for his sweet words of encouragement and understanding, he knows my heart so well and he knows just how badly I wanted this dog. A dog. I never go crazy over dogs, I've always been a cat person and the last time I owned a dog was 2003! Something lately though has me wanting one so bad!!

We looked at some Golden rescues today but it's 2-300$ to adopt and the process is crazy. I also read on several sites that they won't adopt to a family with a child under 5 years of age.

Yeah, the hits kept coming.

Evans best friend drove in from Fort Worth soon after and we spent the afternoon with him. I was Thankful for the distraction because my mood went sour fast and I have had such a crummy afternoon. I'm hoping an early bed time after a nice hot bath can help me shrug this funk off. I hate feeling this sad and defeated!
Ugh.

Over & Out,
Brittnye

I'm so excited!

*Cue horrible 80's music*



That's not fair, I love 80's music and it's not all THAT bad....



I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I want you

We shouldn't even think about tomorrow
Sweet memories will last for long long time
We'll have a good time, Baby, don't do worry
And if we're still playin' around boy that's just fine.





Update later for the reveal!


 

See, I'll even share a picture of my excited face.

Actually, Avery took this at random during lunch yesterday and I just found it on my phone haha.

Happy Tuesday,

Britt The HLC

Run For Sherry Arnold

I almost forgot to post my Run for sherry pic. I wore this bib with my race bib on Saturday and I saw several others honoring her during their 5ks as well.

I was asked by a handful of people what it was about and told them her story and how to check out This Blog for more details and over all running goodness to read. No matter what the cause, what the event or who the person is, always do what you feel right for a cause you believe in.


-Britt The HLC

Ready, Set, RUN!!

The new year has officially been here for two months and that means my goal to run at least three 5ks and (Possible) a 10k is off and running. My first 5k of the year is Saturday.

Evan, myself and my friend Beth will be up bright and early to head to Dallas for This Yummy Run . Evan picked it so of course it had to be food or sugar related. There's a chocolate party afterwards so I'm sure it'll be interesting to watch people stuff down chocolate after running 3 miles. :)

On top of doing the 5k on February 11th, I'll also be involved in the virtual run for Sherry .

Many of you don't know Sherry, but you know her story. She's the Montana teacher who went for an early morning run and never came home. She was simply doing something she loved before starting her day and a random act of violence took her away. I'm sure many of you read her cousins blog and have heard about the virtual run this Saturday. Once I read it I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I'll have my race bib and Sherrys bib on during the race.

When I started running, I never thought it would bring me in a circle of some amazing people. Through twitter, the blogs and face to face people I have met at runs and the gym and on the road doing what we love to do I have learned so much and received so much positive energy and comments and motivation. I love it!

I'm truly grateful for some of you awesome ladies. Thanks for keeping me consistent and pushing me to go farther and do more.

Sept. 2010- The start of something BIG in my life.

October 2011- My first 5k

2012 is going to be so fantastic, it just keeps getting better and better.

Happy Wednesday Friends,

Britt The HLC

Patience is Key

I know I said earlier how I would keep Evan and I's TTC stuff mainly in the Family Blog but tonight I just feel that it's more fitting on the HLC.

Many of you lovolies know Evan and I have been going for baby #2 for a few months now. We're in no rush by any means and we're okay if it doesn't happen as easily as it did with our other two pregnancies. I have my fears, Evan has his. I have my stress days of thinking this whole process is just for the birds while Evan has no complaints on the whole process so to speak. :)

2 weeks ago I went in for my annual "HOORAY I'M FEMALE" visit as I like to call it. It was with a new OB/GYN since we can't go to our amazing Dr. Emmet since we moved. I went to this person based on how many of my friends suggested her and how much they like her and I found out why. Dr. Dooley was super sweet and we had a nice talk before I had to strip down to that oh so trendy paper sack they call a gown. I had my exam which had a few jokes told and laughter in the room (I can't stand the quiet during those type of routine exams and usually make jokes to make it more relaxed, she was all for it) and then after I dressed we went back to more serious conversation.

I have had two miscarriages before having Avery and I never opted to have them tested or anything to see why they happened. The first one I had, I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was having the miscarriage (around 6wks). I was also young and not with Evan and in a dumb phase of life as I refer to it. With our first pregnancy, we had no issues whatsoever and it was during my second sonogram that they told us there was no heartbeat (10wks3days) I pretty much went into this numb daze and remember going home and waiting for Evan to come in the bedroom before losing it, not because I lost the baby, I was in complete denial throughout that horrible 5 days of letting nature take it's course, but because I felt that I had failed him. Not just Evan, my whole family, my friends. I refused to accept that we had lost the baby and opted out of a DNC. To this day I regret that decision due to what it put Evan and I through.

Dr. Dooley went over my medical history, my pregnancy issues with Avery and the notes on our first pregnancy and sent me to get a very thorough and detailed lab diagnostic done on me as well as a sonogram to make sure nothing was amiss. It was a 4 hour process. I gave 11 vials of blood and had the not so friendly sonogram done and have been patiently waiting for our follow up appointment on the 23rd in which she asked that Evan be at as she will go over the results. She pretty much told me there won't be anything she wont know about my body when the results come in. Even with that being done I was in the process of ovulating and she said to "Go for it now". So we will also be tested to see if this is our month to get a Positive test. If we are not PG, we will put it on hold until May.

So many things have changed for us since we had Avery. It's been 3 years of positive changes BECAUSE of her. The way we slept, ate, drove, and lived did a crazy 180 because we suddenly had this amazing baby girl and we wanted her to have the best and that included her way of viewing the world. After all the complications we had during her pregnancy and the hours I spent on bed rest. it made me seriously figure things out for myself on the type of changes I needed to make.

I eat healthier now, I sleep when I can, I drink more water, I work out and run a lot, I'm very active.
Which is where I think some of my nerves in getting pregnant come from.  The risk of miscarrying is of course there, the medical issues that will surely happen again are as well but more so in my head is the thoughts that becoming pregnant will mean no more gym, no more running and eating nonstop. I know I can do classes and light training but overall, this healthy lifestyle I have adapted to is about to change a lot!
Dumb of me to fret over, I'm sure.

With that said and swirling in my head, I also can't help but get giddy at the thought of looking like this again.

Can you see me with a belly like that doing a 5k? I can. May be one of the last to cross that finish line but if I was healthy and had the go ahead from my Dr. I'd so do it.

Guess we'll just wait and see what 2012 bring us.

XOXO-

Britt The HLC

Free For All Friday!

TGIF.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, I get to be outdoors with my family more and it also means early morning runs and the farmers market tomorrow. I'm currently jonesing for some sweet blueberry's so I can make some muffins tomorrow. True, I could walk to the Kroger up the street and buy some but so help me, the ones I pick from the farmers market are 10X's better and about 1/2 the price I'd pay for store bought.

I must say, since my family started this living healthy transition I fell into the mindset of counting calories as being a must, working out was a must and eating only this and that was a must. Forgive me, that was stupid. If you wanna go and live that way and it works for you, AWESOME. For me and my family though, it's just miserable. I've learned over the past 2 weeks it's simply about a few key things.

* Drinking plenty of water
* Getting enough sleep!
* Working out when it fits into YOUR schedule.
* Simply knowing the right version of what you want to eat and having healthy options.
* Not skipping meals.

There's much to learn when it comes to being healthy and you will get so much advice handed to you from family and friends. Simply do what you feel is right for you and try things until you know what works for you. I'm not counting calories or dwelling on the weight loss part of this transition for me. If I'm taking care of my body by exercising and eating healthy, the weight will take care of itself. I do love hearing what works for others but I also just have to say, to each his own. Don't judge me for what I choose to do for my family, I won't judge you for doing what you do for yours.

Just live healthy! Just live. :)

I plan on doing just that......