Category Archives: link-up

runners tell all: how and why I started running

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Today I’m linking up with Amanda and Beka to talk a little bit about running! Running is a big part of who I am, so I am pretty pumped about this series.

I started running in January 2009, when I left to study abroad for a semester in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.

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Before I began my adventures abroad, I dedicated a lot of time to going to the gym. I knew that I wouldn’t have gym access in Riva, so I decided I was going to run to stay fit. (Not to mention that our wedding was just two weeks after my return to the States, and I had to be in shape!)

I started out by going a distance that felt “far” to me, which was probably about 2.5 miles at the time. I increased my mileage a little over the semester and started to feel healthier and see a change in my level of fitness. I started to lose weight, and realized that going to the gym all those years really wasn’t helping me the way I thought it was.2052_651510700233_3279_n

(my roommate, Katherine, and I about to go run. Photo credit to our roommate Amanda!)

If I hadn’t studied abroad, I’m not sure I would’ve become such a dedicated runner. It’s just one more reason I’m glad I went to Europe 🙂

sand or snow? the boys behind the blog #9

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Welp!  It’s another post from me (Michael) in the glorious “Boys Behind the Blog” series!  I know, I know… you’ve missed the posts, as I haven’t done it every month.  But, there’s a gift card on the line, so you know I’m in!  So… here we go!

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

If I could live ANYwhere, I’d say it’d be a house in the mountains, with a nice view, and a small little pond/lake.  I love hearing the sound of running water, as well as the views of mountains.  Maybe something like this?  (assuming it has a decent internet connection)

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Photo from http://wallpaperswide.com/serenity_4-wallpapers.html

2. Sand or snow?

I’d probably go with sand.  I enjoy the relaxation that comes with the beach and the sound of the crashing waves.  When’s the last time anyone just sat and relaxed in snow?  I’ve certainly had enough of it this year!

3. What Winter Olympic sport would you rock at?

I honestly have no idea.  But, maybe speed skating?  I’ve always been pretty fascinated watching the athletes fly around corners and I may or may not be guilty of trying to mimic them when I roller blade.  And as a biker, the aerodynamics of it all is pretty fascinating too!  I mean… look at this guy!

Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Veit_Dubiel_2008-11-02.jpg

Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Veit_Dubiel_2008-11-02.jpg

4. You’re cooking a romantic dinner- what is your go-to dish?

Spaghetti?  Haha…  I don’t know if I have a specific “go-to” dish.  It probably would be some sort of pasta with garlic bread.  Then brownie sundaes for dessert!  I know… not too creative.

5. Fill in the blank: This year, I gave Tara a __________ for Valentine’s Day?

Since Tara’s birthday is right with Valentine’s Day, it’s always a little tough to figure out what to do.  And to top it off this year, there was a TON of snow.  But, I was able to surprise her with a new Kindle Paperwhite.  I had actually been thinking about getting one for her for a while, but then she mentioned it a week or two ago.  I’ll take it as a sign!  So, that ended up being a combined birthday and Valentine’s Day present.  Love you buddy!  Glad you’ve already enjoyed it as much as you have!  🙂

Linking up with Stephanie and Mallory today!

five on friday: the cute and the crazy

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ONE. We visited Daddy at work for lunch one day this week. I think it’s obvious that they both loved it 🙂IMG_20140205_233752We also played with ALL his highlighters.
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TWO. This little boy… is seriously so CUTE! We had a mini-photoshoot just to get a picture for his birthday invitations. It was hard with two little tornadoes running around our makeshift set, but we got a couple of adorable shots like this so I’d call it success!_MG_1263-2

THREE. Where’s Kaya?IMG_20140207_114023

FOUR. This picture encompasses almost everything she loves: her toy car, wearing necklaces, and listening to music from the bluetooth speaker. I also love that her tongue is sticking out!_MG_1253

FIVE. I love this wild-smiling, crazy-haired girl (who climbs on everything)._MG_1248

Happy weekend!

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

five on friday: snow days and teething

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Happy Friday!

ONE. Our furnace went out this week. Again! It has been working overtime with these insanely frigid temperatures, so I’m not too surprised (although it does seem like something is always breaking around here). Our maintenance guy came first thing in the morning, and we were warm again before too long.

We did have a surprise 3 inches of snow the night before though, so this pretty much sums up our Wednesday:

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TWO. Kaya has been teething (times four) this week. Teething rings actually come in handy now, since she finally knows how to use them. Is this not the saddest face you ever did see? She breaks my heart!_MG_1214 THREE. When I walked into our bedroom and saw this, I cracked up. Apparently, Jax must look bored, so Kaya brought him a bunch of toys and snacks (and my wallet, just in case he wanted to do some online shopping, you know…)! He just kept sleeping._MG_1210FOUR. I love the crazy faces she makes when she “reads” to us. She’s been climbing up into her rocking chair lately, and seeing her sit there with a book just melts my heart._MG_1201

FIVE. I know this song is kind of old news… but I’ve listened to it probably five times a day every day this week. I’ve been doing Google surveys for a few weeks, which gives you money to use on apps or music. I’m finally getting so close to getting this album! 🙂

Happy weekend!
Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

five on friday: ice, ice cream, baby

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ONE. Obviously, our most exciting part of the week was announcing our pregnancy! We got a whole lot of love, both in real life and on social media. I’m feeling so blessed and excited to be able to share this special time with everyone.

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TWO. I feel like I’ve been talking about the weather a lot on here lately, so forgive me… but how can I not, when I have a sheet of ice on the INSIDE of my sliding glass door? It’s become a game for me to keep opening the weather app to see if I can capture a screenshot with the lowest temperature (clearly, there must not be much to do here in the winter in the mountains…)

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THREE. This is actually from last week… but it’s just too adorable to not post. We had a date to Dairy Queen, and after a few bites of sweet sugary goodness, Kaya performed the craziest little dance.

I love our family date nights.IMG_20140113_192833

FOUR. The weather may be dismal, but on the bright side, we’ve enjoyed cuddling up with blankets and Jax! Sometimes, he rests his head gently over my tummy, right where the baby is. I love it. I could not have asked for a sweeter dog.IMG_20140122_114245 FIVE. I’m also in love with this picture Michael quickly took of us on Monday. I’m trying really hard to get into pictures, because I know that one day our kids will look back and want to see them. These are precious moments 🙂_MG_1085

Happy weekend! 🙂

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

five on friday: lollipops and arctic temperatures

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ONE. Kaya had her first lollipop ever this week. Cotton candy flavor is a big hit! (Also, I had no idea how messy a lollipop could be. She definitely should’ve worn a bib for this…)01102014photogrid1

TWO. I can’t even believe that this was our weather from Monday night into Tuesday morning. I know that some northern states had it way worse than this… but still! We survived (and obviously I missed a run because I was not going outside in it)! I’m grateful that we had power and hot water, because I know that some people across town did not. One of the pipes at our church actually burst and flooded half the building.IMG_20140107_113042

THREE. Does it get any cuter than babies in winter hats? Kaya was such a trooper this week and was well-behaved for a meeting I had that lasted almost three hours. I just won’t tell you how many cheese crackers she ate.IMG_20140108_135956

FOUR. This dog… I love him to bits. But Jax, here’s a newsflash: crayons are NOT food. IMG_20131030_092546

FIVE. I love her happy morning smiles.IMG_20140109_083758

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

five on friday: a lifetime supply of hot fudge

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ONE. We had a blast on New Year’s Eve (with a bunch of our crazy pals, of course)! Quite a few people were still out of town- we definitely missed them! Bryan and Miriam were visiting from Georgia, so it was great to catch up with them and just goof around (and eat a whole ton of chips and salsa).

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TWO. We might be guilty of making ice cream sundaes three nights in a row this week…

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THREE. I whipped up some homemade hot fudge for the sundaes… a whole quart of it. Lesson learned: always read the recipe yield! I’m pretty sure we’ll still be eating this batch of fudge when we’re wrinkled and gray, sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch yelling at the neighborhood kids to get off our lawn.

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FOUR. Michael’s holiday vacation is over, so he went back to work yesterday. I’m grateful we were able to enjoy so much time together. It feels a little lonely without him home, but it’s been good to try and get Kaya back into her regular schedule. I wish the Christmas season never had to end… but I guess we can just start counting down to my birthday and Valentine’s Day now!

FIVE. Kaya is so beyond crazy and fun. I am loving this age. She makes me laugh so much!

Happy weekend, friends!
Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

five on friday: bubbles, cookies, and friends

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ONE. Kaya is obsessed with bubbles! It’s the cutest thing ever… the only downfall is that she’ll ask you to blow them all day long, and it’s just not really possible to blow bubbles in every situation!_MG_0466 She gets so excited! This picture cracks me up (and I might’ve started singing “the hills are aliiiiive, with the sound of muuuusic” when I saw it)!_MG_0475 TWO. She is in love with the Christmas tree. Michael showed her how to crawl under and around it (why, I have no idea), and then she also just loves to shove her body into it and use it as a scratching post._MG_0525

THREE. Her little giggle is the best. She loves this dancing Snoopy (she even laughs at herself when I show her this video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX83cFIsYFI

FOUR. It feels like I have been baking almost nonstop this week. I love giving cookies out to friends and scarfing down a few myself, so it’s worth all the time in the kitchen._MG_0507

Having a cute helper doesn’t hurt either 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4Y0wn3S8M

FIVE. I hosted our play date this week. We had four awesome ladies and babies here, and it was a great time as always. I am so thankful for all the new friendships we’ve made this year. It’s been amazing to watch our babies (and ourselves as mothers) grow together!_MG_0553

Happy weekend! 🙂
Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

pancakes or waffles? a post from michael

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I’ve seen this link-up come and go for a few months, and I finally asked Michael to participate this time, so here are his answers! It’s so fun to see him write a little something about himself!

1. What is your favorite cereal?

My favorite cereals (because I can’t pick JUST one) would be Frosted Mini Wheats and probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

2. Pancakes or waffles?

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making waffles, of course!

Definitely. absolutely. without a doubt. Waffles! Especially if they are nice and hot and still gooey from chocolate chips! Makes me want to get up and make some now!

3. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

I would say that one of my favorite holiday traditions would be baking goodies and going around to deliver them. Why you ask? I love visiting people, maybe singing a quick carol, and making them smile with some yummy goodness. And no, it’s not my favorite because I “have to” taste test them. 😉

4. Finish the sentence: All I want for Christmas is…

my two front teeth! Sorry… just had to. Honestly, I would love to be able to go on a family trip somewhere where it’s just us and we can enjoy time outside and have fun. Too bad Christmas is super cold. So, maybe we’ll have to make it up later!

5. What was your best moment of 2013?

It’s hard to pick a single moment, as there have been lots of moments. I try to do my best to pick out little “tender mercies” as they appear. I’d say that most of them are circled around watching Kaya grow up, learn to walk, learn to express herself more, and just be so much fun! All of her smiles, running and wrapping her arms around my legs, and her little kisses are the best! Being a dad just rocks!

Linking up with Stephanie and Mallory today!

five on friday: santa baby and mrs. fix-it

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ONE. We’re getting ready for Santa! Some of our decorations are up, but it has been slow-going over here. Having a toddler makes it a little harder (we just really want to relax after she goes to bed)! The tree is up and only partially lit, so hopefully we will finish that this weekend. IMG_20131205_102953 TWO. I’m not even sure how this happened… but Kaya and I got to sleep in until 9 am on Wednesday! I can’t even remember the last time we did that! Somehow, Michael got up and ready for work without making much noise. Kaya’s still been tired from our Thanksgiving traveling last week, so she’s been sleeping a few extra hours. It was pretty much heavenly.
THREE. I feel like an [unsuccessful] Mrs. Fix-It this week. Our dishwasher hasn’t been getting things clean… so I unscrewed the vent to clean it out and see if anything was causing a blockage. I found some gunk, a piece of plastic, and a dime! I’m not sure how the dime got in there (I’ll just blame the people who lived here before us)! Needless to say, it’s still not getting our dishes clean so the maintenance guy should be coming to fix it for real. We also tried to watch “Elf” this week… and the DVD didn’t work. The disc has a little wear, but I wouldn’t even really call it scratched. I tried window cleaner and then furniture polish on it (two tricks people claim to work)… and nothing. Sad day.
FOUR. I bought these bibs a few weeks ago and have been loving them! I was disgusted by the pile of dirty bibs I always had waiting to go in the wash (and they never seemed to come completely clean, either), so I wanted something I could wash in the sink right away after she wears it. So much less mess!pelicanbibs FIVE. Sometimes, I still see a little baby when I look at her. I wish she could keep these cheeks forever.IMG_20131206_132942Happy weekend! Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!