Set Backs.

Monday afternoon at Crossfit I was next to a girl for our cool down who was there for her first time. She just bought a month of unlimited Crossfit and she was asking me if I'd been pleased, etc. She then launched into the story of why she was here. Her story could have almost BEEN my story. She started out REALLY over weight. She lost about 100 pounds (I lost 70) and was feeling really good about it...

Then she started dating. Like myself while in a relationship, she let the pounds creep back on and after gaining more than 10 of the pounds back, she panicked. It's not that having a boyfriend in and of itself makes you fat, it's just that spending the time you use to spend pounding it out in the gym, somehow moves over to being (much more happily) spent with the guy you like and amazingly those pounds you worked so hard to get off, come back with a lot more ease.

I couldn't help noticing how discouraged this girl seemed. I felt bad for and I as I cooled down beside her trying to build her up and assure her that gaining a few pound back wasn't so bad - since she realized it early and was actively working to make the changes it'd take to balance a boyfriend AND her health goals. That's when I realized, I could have been telling myself the same thing!

We all have setbacks, it's how and WHEN we react to them and address them that really counts, right?

I may not be quite as skinny as I was in March but I'm not back to where I started either. So compared to this (my very first 'before pic)':

This doesn't seem so bad:


It's a process. And sometimes you'll have a setback. You just can't lose sight of the prize.

Love,

B

Book Club Friday & a Few Other Thoughts.

First off I had an exciting response to Wednesdays call out for snail mailers. I've already sent 5 cards out to the first few of you, and the rest will go out today and tomorrow. I am so thrilled to not only have people to mail cards too, but ones who are excited to keep the snail mail going beyond just me sending a card. I love getting mail too, obviously. Having written letter version of conversations with myself it not nearly as fun as the back and forth. So thanks for the ladies who took the challenge and sent me their addresses - I'm very much looking forward to this.

Since it's Friday and I've been diligently reading this week I have 2 books to talk about for Book Club Friday.

(side note: Heather, I love the new book club friday badge!)

I just finished (Wednesday morning) the book I last wrote about (yes, I know, I got a little slow there) which was Compact with the Devil.

It had come highly recommended by several other bloggin' book lovers and I have to say I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea - but I did really enjoy it. It wasn't a 'can't put down' for me but it was cute, a fun break from murder mysteries I've been obsessed with lately and I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure I'll rush out and buy more by the same author but it was a fun 'summer chic lit read' for me.

After finishing that I moved quickly on to read A Young Wife at the recommendation of my coworker, Madison. She finished it quickly and it was 2ish weeks left before it had to be given back to the library so she tossed it my way.

Amazons says:
When fifteen-year-old Minke van Aisma travels to Amsterdam to care for the dying wife of an older, wealthy man named Sander DeVries, she has no idea what awaits her. Within hours of his wife’s death, Sander proposes marriage, and within days the couple sets sail for the burgeoning oil fields of Argentina.

But the future that seemed so bright takes a dark turn the morning their son, Zef, is kidnapped. Dire circumstances dictate that Sander immigrate to New York at once, leaving Minke little choice but to wait for their new baby’s arrival, follow Sander to America, and abandon her firstborn.

What follows is a triumphant turn-of-the-century saga of love, betrayal, and redemption that takes readers from the opulent life in Amsterdam during the 1900s to rough life on the Argentine coast to the impoverished life of a recent immigrant in New York.

An indelible portrait of one woman’s struggle to steer her own fate, A Young Wife is a powerful journey that will stay with readers long past the final page.

I'm not too far along in the book so far but it's easy reading, and it's keeping my attention. I'm curious to see how the story develops (the proposal just happened where I'm at). The adventures havent' totally begun yet (I'm 50 pages in) but I think I'll have this one done by the end of the weekend.

Happy Reading.

Love,

B

It's Ok...

My favorite (blog) day of the week is back. And I just want to say this week that (according to me) it's ok...

...to consume as much diet coke as water (hey, my blog, my rules - I don't want to hear your lip).

...to secretly enjoy when girls stare enviously when you're on friend dates with your attractive guy friends.

...to read while you blow dry your hair (multi-tasking at it's finest, I say).

...to overpack to every trip (and every workday).

...to have a purse big enough to fit a small child, or two.

...to threaten to spank someone else's child if they don't at Target (hey, control your kid or I'll show you how it's done, I mean it).

...to never have buyers remorse.

...to be overly matchy in some aspects of life and completely uncoordinated in others.

...to wear mismatched socks to the gym, daily.

...to hate sweating in dress clothes.

...to have days you eat 1200 calories of junk food so you can keep to your diet but eat what you want.

Love,
B

Oh you like Snail Mail Too?!

Cred.

Ok, I'm about to do something bold...

See, I keep seeing on facebook, the twit, and in blog world how much my friends love getting snail mail. Well I'm a very faithful snail mailer (I sent at LEAST 5 cards a week, every week - usually more like 10). I've got probably 10ish friends that I regularly write back and forth with. But I've found recently that some of the best pen pals are my favorite blog friends like Neely and Lindsey and so you can thank these two ladies for this...

If YOU love getting snail mail and you want to get in on writing and receiving cards with me, this is your big chance. If you e-mail me your address to thequeenbc@gmail.com I commit to start the pen palness by sending you the first card (even if I get 100 addresses). If you just want one fun card from me, then my commitment ends here BUT if you want to keep the love alive and send them back, I will respond every time. I am a pretty great pen pal if I do say so myself and a firm believer in the lost art of letter writing. So, here's your chance to get in on the action (and I just ordered a bunch of new stationary so I'm extra excited about it lately). Shoot me an e-mail and we'll get this kicked off right.

Comments are still welcomed here, but I felt like your mailing addresses shouldn't be put out there for the public to see. : ]

Love,
B

Daytona Weekend.

Well well well this little road triper is back in town town - at least for a few days. My sister's pregnant, as I've shared before with my first niece! I am so excited to be an auntie for the first time in November. My sisters sweet mother-in-law asked me to help host a baby shower for Rae and Chris and I gladly accepted. I was to leave to Daytona beach midday on Friday and then Saturday after the shower Rae and Chris were going to come back to Tampa with me for 2 days at my place. They had never seen 'the batch pad' so this was super exciting. I wanted to make sure that not only did I keep up my end of playing hostess for the shower but had the house fully prepped for 2 days of my the best kind of company - family.

I agreed to do some serious baby shower baking and prep 2 kinds of muffins (chocolate chip and blueberry) as well as my Momma's famous coffee cake and bring them with me 2.5 hours to Daytona Beach.

So Thursday night between work and going to the grand opening of the new Pinkberry with friends I baked like a craaazy.



Yep - that's 26 muffins ready for transport. I didn't have another hand to show you the coffee cake as well but it was by far the biggest hit, and was completely gone by the end of the shower (my sister claims she ate most of it).

Friday morning I popped out of bed early to put the finishing touches on the batch pad as well as get my packing finished up and ready to go. The plan was to leave work at noon, run home and pack the car (so my makeup and muffins didn't have to roast in the car for 4 hours of a workday) and then hit the road by 1 pm with a Sonic in hand.

Friday morning - 8am with room cleaned and bag packed.

Leaving out 30 minutes ahead of schedule with presents, baked goods, dress, and bag in hand at 12:30 Friday afternoon - Daytona or Bust time.

I drove over and got in just before dinner time on Friday night. We ran a few errands and did a few 'prep' items for the shower.

Saturday morning I got a walk on the beach that was divine. I love walking on the beach, it's one of the most relaxing places to be, don't you think? I got to do some thinking and relaxing (in my mind) while working up a good sweat. I will say the combo of easytone shoes AND sand was pretty brutal (and a good way to break an ankle if you're not careful).

The shower was a great success. Here's my with my sister (and baby niece in the belly) at the shower:

Saturday after the shower we came back to Tampa. I finally got to show Rae and Chris the condo, and we spend the weekend eating, laying out, worshiping at church and being with our sweet friends. I loved every second with both of them. I am so blessed to have the 3 most incredible siblings. It meant so much to me to share my life here in Florida with them for a few days and it was hard to say a tearful goodbye on Monday morning.

I had so much fun playing hostess from getting up early to make them breakfast before church on Sunday (including regular AND chocolate chip pancakes):

To taking them to my favorite fro yo joint, a Bayshore drive at sunset, and introducing them around (showing them off) at church.

It's hard to believe the next time I see them they'll have my baby niece with them!

What a perfect weekend.

Love,

B

My Style Monday - Baby Shower Addition.

You'll have to forgive me for having another week of cell phone taken pictures of myself. Blah. Someday when I don't have a blackberry this will be less shameful (it takes the WORST pictures). Anywho - I'm posting my outfit from my sisters baby shower in Daytona Beach (expect another entry about this weekend later).


So here we go:



Dress: I can't remember who made it (I'd never heard of them) but it was from Ross - $14. My necklace was from TJMaxx - $9.99. And the shoes I already had and are Steve Madden wedges I found a few years ago on clearance at DSW. So it was one of my thrifiest dress up outfits. Ok fine, all my dress up outfits are super thrifty. ; ]

Love,
B

Bribery.

Photo.

I already confessed on the first week of 'It's Ok' Thursday that I bribe myself into doing things. When I worked for a Ford dealership in college I was obsessed with keeping my car perfectly clean at ALL times (even in winter sludge). Somehow after buying the 'batch pad' that obsession has moved (far) away from my car and onto keeping an immaculate house.

My car tends to collect workout clothes, work shoes (aka heels I shed as soon as I get in the car after work), tupperwares from the lunches I packed, etc. It goes weeks without a bath. Dust collects on my dashboard. You get the idea.

So as I was thinking last week about what I needed to get done I said, enough is enough - it's time to rid my car of the clutter and filth, just like everything else. So after Crossfit on Wednesday I left my car out in the driveway, grabbed my supplies, and set to work detailing the inside of my car like a 16 year old with a 'new to them' vehicle.

On lunch that day I had finally (and I do mean finally) bought replacement car mats as mine had been looking rough for quite some time. So I hit the gas station for a vacuum, came home, armor alled the inside (clean and then protect), washed the insides of the windows, purses the scratched CDs, trash, lifetime supply of sonic mints I never eat but come on my daily diet coke, and picked a few dollars worth of change off the floor, and I even got out the spot shot and spot treated any of those weird areas of the seats and floor boards that get discolored.

Finally after all that, I laid down my new floor mats and rewarded myself (see, the bribery thing is real) with one of these bad boys:

After winning an ipod touch at a hotel grand reopening recently I really wanted a way to listen to it in my car so I could stop toting around burnt, homemade CDs. (yes, I was still doing this until Thursday). I figured this would be good motivation for me to get my car clean, purged, and organized just in time for back-to-back roadtrip weekends.

So hello 2011 and adult life sans homemade mixed CDs - I think were going to get along just fiine.

Love,

B