Mundane Thursday, but I got a workout in and some new makeup!

So far today, it’s been a “get things done” morning!

My mother-in-law left last night after being here for two weeks with us. I’m really blessed with an awesome mother-in-law… ALL of her daughter-in-laws would agree 100% with me! She’s so helpful, encouraging and fun to hang out with. There was lots of girl talk and laughing. But, everything comes to and end and it did yesterday after I dropped her at the airport.

Smiley boy this morning!

This morning after Moses gave me an amazing night of sleep (two, four hour increments) we woke up and hit the pavement with my friend and neighbor, Jen. We walked for an hour and a half and it felt SO good! I burned some major calories!! BOOM ;) I’m slowly getting back into my workouts, mainly walking hills and doing some squats/lunges/pushups. I haven’t started an actual “program” yet, I’m still researching which one I should dive into. DO you have any suggestions???

Burned some MAJOR calories today!

When we got home it was naptime for Moses, so I got some things done around the house, scheduled some appointments, returned e-mails, cleaned, did laundry… Normal housewife duties!

Anywho, in more exciting news…  I literally haven’t worn any makeup since Moses was born 8 weeks ago! I’m not the most amazing woman when it comes to applying makeup, but I love it. Some ladies (most of my girlfriends) can get all dolled up and their makeup looks professional!! I get all dolled up and look like a first grader got a hold of the makeup brushes. BUT things are about to change. I’ve been watching some awesome youtube makeup gurus and they are teaching me how to do my makeup and look good, not scary.

In honor of this “research” I’ve been doing. My hubby bought me some new MAC makeup :D Well, the truth is, I asked him to pick up the blacktrack fluidline eye liner and he went there and they got all crazy and in his words “were talking so fast and telling him, she needs this, she needs that” and soon enough the card was swiped and he walked out all confused on how he got bamboozled by crazy MAC ladies {They are pretty convincing.. And pretty}. Anywho, it ended up in a early Christmas gift for me. Hooray!

My IG pic of the new makeup! So excited to dive in!

I’m excited to try out some looks and look all cute for our Christmas vacation to Oregon!

I hope you are having a great Thursday!

XO

Hannah

::Just being honest:: A new way of thinking...

This is a totally raw and honest post from yours truly J

2 ½ years ago I took on a HUGE goal—LOSE weight! Get HEALTHY! It was my life, it was my passion, my every thought, my total mindset was focused around this. I did it too—I lost 30 lbs of FAT! Put on muscle and never felt better in my whole life. I never starved myself, didn’t use a “lose-weight-quick” plan, never thought about throwing up my food, nor did I obsessively weigh myself. I am proud to say I got healthy the healthiest way you can do it. Eating healthy and getting active…

In this pursuit for the perfect body ;) What’s that? Right! LOL!

SOOOOOOO many changes occurred. As they do whenever you make or have a significant life change. My goals, focuses, aspirations changed. A lot of them were for the better, but some weren’t… I started asking questions like:

WHY doesn’t everyone do this?? Why don’t people lose weight? What’s with all of the excuses? {I know I had my excuses for about 5 years} What will MAKE people change? How can I MAKE people change? I posted about it on my FB, twitter, told everyone I knew, I just became obsessed with “Fit-Thinking”. I have to make everyone lose weight!!

What I didn’t realize in this crazy, one-track-mind, obsessed frenzy I was in, was that not everyone wants to make this change. Not everyone was as obsessed as I was about their body image. Needless to say, the “healthy-looking mindset” I thought I had, wasn’t too healthy. I offended people with these thoughts and couldn’t give my clients what THEY NEEDED. Even though I thought I was doing it out of love {Who wants to watch their family/friends die, be depressed or get sick because of obesity related issues you can do something about it??} The way I was going about it, was not loving.

My point of this post is not to be an advocate to being overweight or that it’s okay to shovel fast food into our mouths on a daily basis while we follow it with a HUGE soda. I 100% believe in living a healthy lifestyle, but that also means being able to have “cheats”, enjoy cake, take a rest day from fitness, be a size 8/10 without having criticism, help people find a plan that works for them and their lifestyle.

Over the last year-ish {steadily gaining weight} during this pregnancy, not being involved in any fitness/weight loss company, stepping back from FB, prioritizing and re-fueling, I feel I’ve have a “mindset change” I’ve been able to step back, take a break and my eyes have been opened. I thank the Lord for this time. Although I’ve maintained a healthy pregnancy and stayed active throughout- I’ve still GAINED… My skin has stretched and I’m a vessel for this little boy who has already stole my heart and I haven’t even met him!! Also, stepping out of the fitness industry has been huge, constantly feeling the pressure of the competitions and media can take a tole on your thoughts!!

I want to be in a place where I can HELP people. Not force people to be a certain size or weight, but ENCOURAGE them to just make healthy changes in their lives.

It really, really, really is AMAZING to have a healthy, functioning body. To sweat out toxins, fill up with endorphins, feel confident in swimwear, have energy to LIVE, fight off diseases, feel sexy and proud of the work you are putting in. I’ll never stop living a healthy lifestyle!!

After baby comes I’m SO BEYOND excited to work on my post-baby body {I dream about it everyday, lol}, which will be amazing, beautiful and any flaws will be proof that I created LIFE inside of me! I want to encourage others to join me and help people find their way of living healthy.

It’s just important to keep healthy and happy in the forefront of my dreams! There is no one-size fits all fitness plan, people are fabulous no matter their shape or size. As long as they happy and healthy!!

Over the past couple years I’ve been BLESSED to have helped quite a few ladies {And men}

lose weight, get their bodies to a place where they feel confident and sexy. It’s a passion of mine to help, motivate and encourage people. It’s also been amazing to go through this journey and discover my flaws so I can better help MORE people. Thank you Lord for showing us our weaknesses and flaws so we can work on ourselves and be better, more joyful people J

Hey! I'm still here :)

This summer FLEW by!

The last month and a half, I’ve been spending QUIALITY time with my husband. Getting everything ready for Baby Moses {who is set to arrive in +/- 4 weeks!!}.

So glad we got to spend this time together, just enjoying the TWO OF US <3 Work was super chill, we ate breakfast and had coffee on our porch every single morning. Chatting and laughing with each other is the best. {Mushy alert} I absolutely adore my husband and I’m so blessed by his love for me. We’ve been married almost 7 ½ years and he still makes my heart melt! I have so much love, respect and honor for this man that the Lord has blessed me with, words can’t even express!! He will be the best daddy to our little man – from setting up the crib with me, buying Moses’ first outfit, installing the car seat, feeling all the baby’s kicks, and listening to the heartbeat every night, I’ve seen my husband tear up, laugh and express such love and joy for this little baby he hasn’t even met yet. It’s so wonderful and I owe my successful marriage to the Lord- He is our rock, our bind and the One who has taught us how to love each other.

Now that summer is over L ß Actually I’m not totally sad about it, it just means I don’t get to see the hubs as often, our schedules are crazy opposite, school is back up and running {And YES, I’m taking TWO classes this semester and expecting a baby… It’s going to be interesting!} Dave’s continuing in his pursuit to complete his nursing degree so his schedule is off the chain… And we are trying to get organized, prepared or whatever else you want to call it that we need to do before baby comes!!

Life is good though. I hate being home alone while Dave is gone during his long days {Wed & Thurs}—Blah, boring! I chat with my dogs, but they are always napping so it’s hard to hold full conversations… {Crazy dog mom- That’s me} So, in my times alone at home I’ve been trying to keep busy organizing our budget, creating schedules, trying out new recipes, cleaning ---NESTING---, looking into new health/fitness/wellness ventures {Because I need MORE on my plate ;)}. It’s nice to have such flexibility, but when you spend a whole month and a half with someone NON-STOP and then they leave, it’s sad. I tell ya, I love my hubs, 24/7!

Anywho, this is just a post saying , “Hey, I’m here” Still pregnant, still enjoying life. Trying to get back into the groove of {Fall-Time} before I have to get into a whole new groove of {New-Mom time}.

Hope you had a FABULOUS summer!!!

XO

Hannah

{Toxic} Relationships

                     Today I’m sharing on the topic of “toxic” relationships!

We ALL have them in our lives --> they are the people/relationships in your life that you may or may not constantly be around. They can be family members, co-workers, acquaintances or even someone you’d call a close friend! Whoever they are, their words or actions either hurt you, bring your spirits down or just provide an awful dose of downright rudeness when it’s totally unnecessary.

Whether their comments are small or large, they can hurt and COMPLETELY derail you from the joyful life you were put on this earth to live. My husband and I have experienced this first hand and have over the last couple of years really focused on finding those positive people and relationships to surround ourselves with and ignoring the “noise” and negativity of the toxic ones. 

A little over two years ago we took a HUGE leap of faith and moved across the Pacific to Maui, leaving ALL family, friends, acquaintances, EVERYONE! We knew TWO people here in Maui, they were the sweet couple who moved over here with us. Those were the only two people we knew. Dave & I both grew up in a towns where you’d run into someone you knew every single time you left your house, so this “knowing not-a-single-person” thing, made for an interesting twist in our lives. When we moved, HUGE transformations happened in both of our lives and our marriage. We lost a combined weight of 100lbs, we COMPLETELY changed our eating habits, our views on health, our thoughts on family, our relationships with ourselves and each other and the Lord. We realized that even though we lived a pretty fab life in Oregon, we were not living the life intended for us… The move to Maui was exactly what we needed to CHANGE out of the toxic habits we held! The Lord has done a work and there are no words to describe how amazing I feel and how thankful I am for that work. 

After about 6 months here, after we had our “transformation” ;) Or whatever you want to call it… We started looking into the relationships we had back in Oregon and ones we were making here and realized how many toxic relationships we had in our lives. Not always was it a toxic person, but it was the way we carried a relationship with them or how we handled ourselves around them, it wasn’t healthy. We weren’t friends to them and they weren’t friends to us. It was just toxic, stagnant, no give. When we saw how much changing our mindset had transformed our whole lives it was crucial to look back and see what exactly the root of our issues were and how we could fix them. Most of the relationships have been healed due to us changing and the other person never even knowing there was an issue... Other relationships have had to be mutual, where both parties had to take a step back to get to the point where they feel comfortable and confident to step back in. Then sadly, there are relationships that just didn’t work out. You do what you can, but obviously not EVERYONE can or wants to be your friend and vice versa! 

It’s important when you’re {cleaning up} your relationships that you realize, it doesn’t have to get nasty. You don’t have to say everything bad they did or rub their mistakes in their faces. Handling it with love and respect is the best way to go. It’s inevitable that people will come and go in your life… THAT’S LIFE! Sometimes there will be a relationship that will be OH SO hard for you to give up, but they don’t respect you or support you or give you the love YOU deserve. {Those are the toughies} But I can’t stress the amazing feeling it is to get rid of the negative and surround yourself with positive, uplifting and respectful people. People who cheer you on, even when you’ve set a CRAZY goal. People who are there when you fall, even if you’ve fallen 100 times over the same issue. People who laugh with you and don’t talk behind your back. People who will tell you the TRUTH with love and help better you. Be open to criticism, but don’t let people walk all over you. Be open to change and positivity. Your life, goals, dreams, mindset, relationships, health and wellness depend on YOU to be open to having healthy relationships and positive fellowship. 

I REALLY wanted to share this because it’s been a HUGE help in my life, to know my true friends and be okay letting some go. I have rock solid relationships with people who LOVE me. I have best friends who I’d do anything for and they would do anything for me. I have friends who are closer to me even living 2000 miles away from them than people who live down the street. Living a balanced, healthy life is my goal and making sure my friendships and relationships are balanced and healthy aligns with that goal and makes for a pretty happy ME :)

XO Hannah

6 months preggo & so thankful for DADS!

It's was a super lazy week for me last week... Not for the hubby though, so I made it my goal to just be THERE for him, encourage him when he was overwhelmed and make sure he's getting fed! He is such a hard worker and as a RN student/hubby/soon-to-be-dad/worker his life is absolutely crazy- While I'm enjoy a more leisurely life until Moses comes, I may as well help my better half out.

Pregnancy Update: 6 months along- Feeling really sleepy this week, back pain {Physical Therapy is helping with that}, heartburn {Tum, Tu, Tum, Tum, Tums!!!}, lots of baby kicks & flips. Overall, not bad-- Can't eat a thing past 4-5pm without feeling super uncomfortable, so I've been juicing, making a shake or eating some protein pudding to get my nutrients.

I've been doing a lot of learning, soul-searching, internalizing... Whatever you want to call it! I've been really trying to work on my mindset and myself. There are a few things that have come up over the last couple weeks that I'm not to happy about. Just the way I approach certain things in life and the fear that I carry with me. Fear is such a handicap-- It's a crutch too. It holds me back from reaching my potential, stops me from being authentic, gives me reasons to make excuses. It's just ugly and the way I let it into my life is ugly. So, lots of praying, spending time in the scriptures, chatting with a guru, my hubby ;) He is SUCH a go-getter, positive, doesn't let anything get in his way type of person. Fear in the areas I struggle with, don't even phase him! I'm so thankful for him- WOW! It's been a learning week, which isn't always fun-- But it's necessary. I have HUGE goals for myself and I won't reach them without digging deep and getting rid of the fears I hold on to. My motto right now-- "Let your faith {and dreams} be BIGGER than your fears." More bold and beautiful Hannah in the works, lol... Stay tuned!

Another fun thing this week was Father's Day-- Dave's first one! He's been an amazing father to our fur-kids for years & he talks about little Moses with excitement in his voice, so it was fun to celebrate him today with some special lovin'.
To MY dad, who is the best father I could ask for! He's loving, hard working, has a huge heart, kind spirit and chose to take ME as his daughter! He didn't have to adopt me and could have been just been my "step-dad" but he stepped up to the plate when no one else would and raised me. We have argued, butted heads, disagreed- I've given him more than his share of teenage girl attitude, but he's loved me every day since we've met and I'm grateful for that. He's also going to be the greatest grandpa ever!    
{Sad that I couldn't find a pic of us :/ but I'll see him in 17 days, when I visit Oregon & I'm taking pics}
I also want to shout out to my father-in-law. His crazy passion for Christ as my youth pastor and pastor has influenced my life in more ways that I could thank him for. Also, his love for my mother-in-law has benefited my life as their son loves me unconditionally because of their amazing examples of a Christian marriage.
To my gramps as well-- He tops the list as one of my most favorite people on this earth. He is one-of-a-kind, he loves me, he has a huge heart {though he covers it with his toughness} and I have so many fun memories with him.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL!

XO Hannah

The Bump Gets Advice! Who knew?!

10 things I didn't know about pregnancy:


Having a baby bump automatically signals people, complete strangers, to:

1- touch you
2- Stare at you
3- tell you their birth story (doesn't matter if you are in a line at the grocery store, in the stall next to them peeing, or anywhere!)
4- show you what breastfeeding did to their breasts
5- comment about what you should or should not be doing
6- Suggest an epidural
7- ask how much you've gained
8- comment on how the baby name should be spelled
9- SET NIPPLE CREAM IN YOUR CART, stating-- You have to have this!
10- give you a handout on why vaccines are bad (who carries those pamphlets in their purse??)

Now, not all of these things are bad, I just smile and nod. I just had no clue how vocal women can be just because they see a baby bump!!  I've received some great advice from some complete strangers... I've also received some horrible advice (:

This is exactly what I think to myself as I walk away from these people...

Anywho, my thoughts for today!

XO Hannah

Getting Rid of the "Debbie-Downer" Mentality!

HELLO!!! This is a confession/learning situation post... 

This morning I was totally struggling with being content, or the lack of... Uugghh! Most of the time I look to the positive things in life and live “glass half full”, but for some reason I let the small {insignificant} things take over my mind. Negativity is like a poison to me, some people can live their whole lives being a Debbie-Downer and letting life get the best of them. Not I! I thrive on positivity and endorphins!

I woke up and was super irritated with the smallest little issues, some say to blame it on pregnancy hormones—But I take full responsibility for my negativity in this instance. I was just letting these issues become an elephant when it was really only the size of an ant.

After Dave left for work {He was eager to leave me to my issues, I’m sure!} I knew I needed to do something to get out of this funk! I sat on the porch as he drove away and started writing down all of the things that were bothering me. I read them over and over and it suddenly occurred to me; I was creating this victim attitude towards these small issues that, in the BIG picture, mean NOTHING! I was bringing down my husband, totally ignoring the pups, causing a fuss over absolutely nothing… I felt like a total loser.  So, I laced up my shoes, grabbed my water bottle and headed out for a walk –FRESH AIR- exactly what the Doctor orders in these situations. After my walk, I came home and turned on a prenatal yoga video {STRETCH}, sat and took deep breaths. Thinking about that list and cancelling out all of the situations I wrote down, with positive thoughts instead of negative. I know this sounds all new-age-y and spiritual, but it really wasn’t.

I needed solitude, where I could be alone with my thoughts, focus on the blessings that will come out of these situations that seem “bigger & badder than life” and MOVE THE HECK ON! Sometimes you have to give up the good to get to the great!

Thank you Lord for helping me see!!

What I learned: We are all dealt certain situations in life that totally suck! Some worse than others—WE are the ONLY ones who can either look at the positive through these situations or focus on how horrible they are. There is no one who will do it for us.

Dwell on the negative or positive? It’s totally your decision, but when I took a few deep breaths and got rid of those negative situations, I felt like a MILLION BUCKS. The hubby cam home to a HUGE apology, clean house and dinner. The pups got their pettins, and I got my “happy” back.

Have you ever been in this situation?? Do you let the "debbie-downers" take you down??

XO,

Hannah

Definitely look a happier than I was, LOL-- Sweat out your issues! It works!