Thirteen for Thursday

1. We went to Menard's for the first time last Thursday night. How have I never been there before?! I love it. We scored these adirondack chairs for only $14!! I have been waiting chairs on our front porch forever and these were perfect. They aren't the real wood ones, but if I spend over $100 on a chair I will not put it on my front porch. If these get stolen, at least they were only $14. They are so comfortable. It was fun to sit outside and drink our coffee Saturday morning. We even talked to neighbors. Good times.

2. Friday night we watched Last Vegas. I didn't want to see it, but I actually ended up enjoying the movie quite a bit. Garth's family came over Sunday and it was fun to catch up. My SIL made these amazing banana nut muffins that I'm obsessed with. 

3. The Country Music Awards were on Sunday night. I loved Stevie Nicks performance with Lady Antebellum, Kip Moore singing "Something 'bout a Truck" and Darius Rucker singing "Wagon Wheel." Other than that, it was kinda a bore for me. I'm just not digging the new country songs on the radio right now. What is wrong with me?! This is alarming to me. I am and always will be a country music fan. I'm hoping this will pass.

4. My boss got me on April Fool's Day last week. There is this punching bag in the president's office and it usually floats around the office to sit where someone is on vacation. I came back from lunch and turned the corner to this guy in MY chair. I definitely freaked out a bit. Good one!

5. We told our small group last week to go on without us. I say we stepped down as leaders, but G says that sounds like we resigned. Whatever you want to call it, we are no longer leading a small group and it's weird. We have led a group for 5 years so this is uncharted territory. It was the best decision for us right now. We just cannot be the leaders we want to be and invest the way we want to invest. We will only get busier once G goes back to school next month. The friendships will continue and I'm so thankful for that. I cherish the friendships. The goal is to meet for dinner once a month. I am excited for that. 

6. This was a really great post for me to read Monday. It is such a good reminder to focus on the positive. Why do I always focus on the failures? I was so down that I ate too much Sunday night. But this post helped me see all the good things I'm doing. I'm doing Insanity in the mornings, walking 50 minutes at lunch, drinking lots of water, eating less processed foods, getting 7 hours of sleep, and watching my portions much more than before. That is progress. It's these little steps that will end up making a difference in the long run. They are becoming habit. I can't expect perfection, but i need to just keep on going. Keep pushing in the right direction.

7. I'm obsessed with these Hi I'm Skinny Sticks. They are really flavorful and addicting. They satisfy that salt craving with only 140 calories. Sold! New fave. I think I like them even more than popcorn and that is really saying something.

8. We started watching Friends With Better Lives and it is pretty darn funny. I mean, James Van Der Beek is in it. What's not to love about that? 

9. I have a quote on my desk that says "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." It is such a good reminder to me, the hater of change. It's not that I hate change. I just love consistency and thrive on that so when something spices that up it takes me time to adjust. This quote is a great reminder for me right now as my position at work is changing, my boss is changing, my desk is changing. Change. Change. Change. It's all really positive. It is actually what I wanted. I do not like the accounting side of my position and they are hiring someone to take that on so I can do more of what I love - buying parts! I'm excited for it and I am embracing all the change. I'm thinking of it more as - "how can I grow from this?" 

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10. One of my favorite movies of all time is Father of the Bride and one of my favorite houses of all time is that house. It's on the market. In my dreams I could buy this house. Swoooooon.

11. G bought tickets to the Manchester United game at Michigan stadium. To say he is excited is a complete understatement. He is beyond excited. The tickets were expensive and the game is over my birthday weekend. I should get a Wife of the Year Award for this, no?

12. I loved this article 18 Chances You Will Not Regret Taking. Numbers 17 and 18 hit me especially hard because they are what I'm really trying to work on lately. Why is it so hard to be where we are? Why are we always looking ahead? Why can't we enjoy the moment we are in? Why can't I truly soak up life and LIVE? I find myself saying "When I get back to my goal weight..." But I can't put my life on hold just because I'm not where I want to be. Life won't be perfect at my goal weight. I need to soak up the moments that make everyday special. Life goes too fast to not savor it all. 

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13. I love this! I want this T-shirt! I really do feel like it's a badge of honor that we survived it. It will be int he 60s at the end of this week. Ahhhh! Skirt weather! Spring has sprung!