i'm loving on..

I've had this shirt sitting in my closet for the longest time and have yet to pull it out!

Chiffon is a complete weakness of mine but I always think it has to be a fancy occasion to wear the lux fabric but decided today was a good enough day to throw it on. Also, how great is teal and red together? New favorite color combo :)

Speaking of new favorites..

this Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel 

is my new addiction. The "Fire" color you see below is currently on my fingers...and toes.

Is that a nail polish no no? I don't even know, nor care much because it is that great!

Do you have a favorite fabric? Fav nail color?

Do tell!

I don't do crazy rain.

Have you ever driven in crazy rain that comes down in sheets instead of drops?

with crazy thunder?

and crazy lightening?

at night?

me neither. until last night!

I am an AZ girl, if you know anyone from AZ you know we cannot drive in the rain and I am not afraid to admit it. Imagine this: eyes busting out of my head, back straight as a rod, knuckles literally white from my grasp on the steering wheel, and jaw chomping the heck out of my gum. I was nervous.

How the heck did I end up behind the wheel during an insane Illinois storm? Well it started out with a game of bball. Kimball and Jordan went to play basketball with some guys from work and husband wanted me to come along. After several games we decided to take off, Kimball went to take off his shoes and an old calf injury from his days of wrestling spazzzed out! (as the wife i was two seconds away from calling 911 as he was lying on the floor, leg straight out with his calf muscle going crazy) Luckily, it calmed down and he was able to get up and limp out to the car but we weren't about to have him drive and get a cramp all over again! So, I got behind the wheel right as the storm hit. 

Obviously, we didn't die! But we did go 35 mph on a 55 mph road...the whole way home. Don't hate people, I eventually got us home! I'm just glad my sweet husband and good friend, Jordan, were there to tell me I was doing great and talk me through the whole thing as I freaked out the entire way. 

Can you imagine if I was alone? Or had kids in the car with me? I need to get used to driving in crazy weather so I don't freak out in the future! Have you ever driven in weather that had you praying out of your mind? Do tell! 

am i crazy?

Mkay, I'm about to get deep on your booties.
I pride myself on having a super up-beat and loving blog. I love to look on the bright side and think of all the good things that are happening, hence the name "because i am blessed" but there's been something that I sort of just can't shake and I just really feel like blogging about it. No, I'm not about to get depressed on you I just want to see if I'm crazy or more normal than I thought.

So, here we go. I just ran a half marathon. I trained for two months, ran over 100 miles and did everything I could to train properly and get the right advice and so on. History real fast- I am not a runner, I've never been good at running and I've tried numerous times to get better. There have been points where I would be running for weeks and only get up to 2 or 3 miles and that would still be hard for me. I'd come home in tears with frustration boiling as I could not understand why I couldn't do something I tried so hard on. When I decided to do a half marathon I was an anxious wreck. I needed constant reminders that it wasn't impossible and that after training I would be able to get my endurance up and complete this goal that I had had for so long and that had always torn me down every time I attempted it. My husband and mom didn't hear the end of it and I am so grateful for their patience and upbeat attitude that helped me throughout the whole process.

 I finally decided to do it, and doubted myself every step of the way. The week of I felt like I would pass out I was so nervous; I just couldn't believe that I would be able to do it considering how horrible I used to be at running. Even standing at the starting line I looked around me and saw all these fit, runner bodies and felt sick thinking I didn't belong there. During the race I felt great and right after I was so relieved but I never felt the sense of accomplishment. Everyone was telling me what a great job I did and that it was amazing and so on and it made me feel great! I was so grateful for family, friends and blog followers being so sweet and congratulating me but I didn't feel different! Maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion but for the last four days I have tried to be proud of myself, tried to say "you did it! that's a big deal!" but then instantly the thought comes that it's not a big deal and that a ton of people run that race everyday.

I feel so silly posting this and am still trying to decide if I even will. I guess I'm just frustrated. To have a goal seem so out of reach and to finally touch it, have hold of it and then not have the sense of pride and accomplishment that I thought I'd have. Is this normal? 13.1 miles seems less and less amazing every time I think about it; why can't I just be proud of myself and understand that it is a big deal? An important thing to know about me is that I don't have low self-esteem. I don't toot my own horn or love everything about myself but I really don't think this is some self-destructive thing going on; I guess that's why I am so confused as to why it's happening. To go through every thing that I have gone through to get to the point of being able to run that race and do well and then to not be happy and understand the magnitude of it, or rather not have that sink in, has been extremely frustrating.

I guess the point of this post, if I do post it, is to ask if this is normal? Does this sort of thing happen after big achievements? At the beginning of this goal I would think it was crazy that I didn't feel elated and proud of myself at the end but now I can't bring myself to feel that way at all. Why!? Please tell me this has happened to you. Am I normal or crazy?!

p.s. I still feel very blessed to have been able to be healthy enough and have the support to achieve this goal, I am in no way saying I regret the hard work I put into it and hope that this post does not distract from the overall cheerful attitude I try to keep on my blog.

My Husband- The Genius.

Kimball did not only pass Level I of the CFA exam,

he absolutely PUNISHED it! We got the email this morning confirming what I knew all along; 

my husband is a genius. Only 38% of the participants passed and husband not only passed but he basically aced it. The scoring is done by chunks of percentages and in all but one area he scored over 70%! People usually freak out if they get between 50-70% but husband is too legit for that :)

I am extremely proud of Kimball and all the hard work, studying and dedication he put into ensuring a good score on the exam. I don't know anyone so self-motivated and able to stay so focused when studying for something so time consuming and difficult!

So now it's proven, my husband is a genius! He can no longer deny it :)

I can't believe I was so blessed to get hold of such a wonderful, sweet, intelligent and hot hubby!

If you know my husband send him a text or write him on facebook to congratulate him on this major accomplishment; it'd make him feel really great if you did!

Thanks!!

My First Half!

And so it starts!

 this is mile 3, after this the trail went through a natural forrest reserve for the remainder of the race- it was beautiful!! 

 *this is me mid-sentence on the last tenth of a mile of the race...see below for what was said :)

FINISHER!!

mouth full of banana.

 the most supportive husband ever!! 

Ahhh! I did it!

Let's start at one o'clock in the morning the day of the race. Husband and I woke up to the sound of horrifying thunder and lightening coming through our curtains...crap. The race would continue through rain, extreme heat and snow but at the first sign of thunder and lightening the race is canceled. The rest of my night included restless sleep and nightmares of two months of training going down the drain with the race being canceled.

Luckily, when we woke at 6 am there was no sign of thunder or lightening, just an extremely overcast, dark sky. As we got to the race it was evident that it would be a very wet race. And we were completely right. It rained and rained and rained the entire race (minus a few minutes during mile 3 and 9) But let's start at the beginning...

Let me tell you, after two months of training it was an extremely odd feeling standing at that starting line surrounded by extremely fit people ready to run 13.1 miles. It seemed like the day would never come but there I was and whether I was ready or not it was happening!

I'll refrain from sharing every thought I had as I ran 

but I distinctly remember my thoughts at every single mile marker.

mile one: why the heck am i doing this?

mile two: why the heck am i doing this?

mile three: why the heck am i doing this?

mile four: okay, finally getting into my groove.

mile five: where the crap is the mile marker!? THIS IS THE LONGEST MILE EVER!

mile six: I feel amazing! (i missed mile marker 5 so when I saw mile marker 6 i was beyond happy to realize i had just missed 5 and that it wasn't the longest mile ever)

mile seven: i'm going to rock this race! (i was super ahead of my mapped out time)

mile eight: okay, the rain really needs to stop. (completely drenched at this point)

mile nine: out of gas...completely out of gas.

mile ten: okay, no joke i'm really done. (shoes starting to fill up with water)

mile 11: two more miles...can i do this!? (shoes sloshing with water)

mile 12: ahhh! okay i can do it!

mile 13: I DID IT!!!

13.1: i'm never doing this again.  (hahaha lies)

As I came around the last corner and saw the finish line my sweet husband was standing not too far off taking pictures of the little old me crumpled over and shuffling down the road as I yelled to him " *I'M SO FREAKING TIRED!" The men around husband laughed and said "you're almost there!" I love how motivating race people are! 

During the whole race people would cheer each other on, it was such a comforting thought thinking, "they probably hurt as bad as i do and they are still going!"

Oh, and hint- if the race description says "rolling hills" it means the whole races is hills. KILL ME! I trained on a tread mill...I don't do hills! But I rocked it despite and took my little baby steps up the hills to save my knees, just like daddy taught me!

A sore hip, sore ankle, two calluses, only one blister, and two old lady knees later I was done and proud of what I had accomplished. My finishing time was 2 hours, 35 minutes and 38 seconds. During the last two miles I realized I would not make my 2 hour 30 minute goal but was set on finishing before 2:40. And that I did! All in all I'm just happy I finished :) Today, two days later, is my most sore day but I am definitely not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be -- bonus!!

Thanks so much for all the support and well wishes! It was a great experience and despite the dedication it took I think another half is in my future :) I am so grateful for an extremely supportive husband who knew what I was capable of and helped me build my confidence and for a family that, despite the miles of separation, made sure I knew they were proud and there for me and gave me tips and tricks that saved me during the race! 

because i am blessed.

13.1 miles!!

Coming from a family of runners I've always wanted to get into racing and when I found a half marathon in the little city that we are living in during the time we'd be here in Illinois I thought "perfect!" So I signed up for it and ran my miles and ate my runners food and read runners world magazine and on and on and on. And then it's the week of and I realize 

"wait..i'm about to run 13.1 miles." 

Yup, it's finally hitting and I'm sort of freaking out! For the past week I have fallen asleep to images of myself just dying as I try and run the race. I try to replace them with images of me doing the classic arms-in-the-air-crossing-the-finish-line pose with a huge grin on my face but it rarely sticks as my subconscious is thinking "yeah, right". But weather I am able to summon the energy to be enthusiastic at the end or not I'm going to finish!

My dad has been my greatest supporter (right next to husband) and is definitely my go-to guy for anything running. He's done numerous marathons and is just crazy amazing at anything having to do with running. During one phone conversation we, of course, were talking about the race and he said there are only 4 rules.

1.you finish

2.you enjoy yourself

3.you never STOP, if you have to walk that's okay but you never stop

4.continuation of #3- anything that involves moving forward constitutes as not stopping (hahah)

So I'll keep these firmly in mind and remind myself everything two seconds that time does not matter! I just want to finish! 

After running a grand total of 102 miles for training, 13.1 miles doesn't sound that long. My last long run consisted of 10 miles last Saturday so 3 more miles shouldn't seem too scary, but I'm still an anxious wreck. 

Weirdly enough the closer it gets the more excited and less nervous I am! I'm just going to go with that feeling and have as much fun as possible :)

We just picked up my packet, number and goodies so I'm all set to go!

p.s.Pray that it isn't humid tomorrow morning! It's been in the 90's with up to 70% humidity...death! But I'm going to do it no matter what and it really will be fun!

 I'll let ya'll know how it goes!!

i'm loving on..

Lately I've been looooving on waterproof mascara.

I'm a Maybelline girl, all the way.

I'm not really a make up person, now don't take that the wrong way

it's not that I don't need make up I just have no idea how to do make up! So I keep it simple.

But mascara is a MUST considering I have the blondest eyelashes you'll ever see.

Waterproof has become my new best friend. 

You can cry during your favorite chick flick,

take a shower,

go swimming,

rub your eyes,

put eye drops in

etc 

etc 

etc! 

and the lashes stay lush! (so cheesy, but so true).

I realized yesterday that living in Utah (well not right now but we're usually living in utah) waterproof is sort of a must year round.. 

summer- swimming non-stop

fall- crying because i'm freaking out about school (okay, slightly dramatic but I'm trying to make a point)

winter- crazy snow every morning that completely undoes your mascara-applying morning and makes your fellow students think you are just a complete idiot and don't understand that mascara does not go on your eye lids but just the lashes (seriously hate that)

spring- crazy rain...*see winter for details

see! year round girlies, year round!

I'm probably the last person to make this connection but I'll just pretend I'm incredibly smart and not totally behind on beauty secrets that everyone already knows :) 

Get a little dolled up this weekend,

hope it's a great one!

they got me.

now i remember why i never buy fruit snacks. 

i spent over 2 hours in target today and the 3 for $5 deal was screaming at me! i'm that person who is drastically swayed by marketing and advertisement ploys. i see a commercial for some kind of food and my tummy says 'yes, go get that' etc etc.

husband always makes fun of me.

example--i came home with all the makings for s'mores a few weeks ago because at the store they had a display with it all together, nice and simple.so good goin' all you advertisement people, there are people who fall for it!

as for the fruit snack purchase i don't think it helped that it was 2:30 and i hadn't had lunch and i was talking to my bestie on the phone which is always enough to distract me from important decisions like whether or not to buy fruit snacks. whatever the reason, they ended up in my basket and now three packets are gone.

please tell me i'm not alone in this!

MARVELous!!

CAPTAIN AMERICA!

Yes, you heard correctly. 

Husbands work gave out free tickets to

the premiere of Captain America...

the movie I've been dying to see..

early..

and free..

heck to the yes!!

We're really into Marvel movies, call us crazy

but they are always done extremely well, always clean and 

they always leave us wanting more! 

I hope we have at least one boy because we will be the coolest parents

for superhero lovers.

(you think i'm kidding but husband, the holder of all knowledge that is legit, knows like everything about every superhero and all the avengers, etc etc. gonna be the best daddy ever? yup.)

Bottom line- movie was AMAZE-ZING and you need to see it when it comes out

on the 22nd. You poor people have to wait! But it's worth it so get excited :)

p.s. special thanks to jordan for taking this pic on kimballs iphone in the middle of a movie theatre...with the movie critic man sitting right next to me (well..with a chair in between..apparently even though the movie is packed and people are wanting in the man gets three chairs to himself...psh, selfish. I feel like someone who doesn't want to be annoyed with other people during the movie would understand that clicking your pen over and over and over again IS annoying! just saying.)

i'm loving on..

yup, bubble blast 2.

I have this habit of getting strangely addicted to games

on my phone that no one has ever heard of.

I suck at angry birds, cannot figure out those stick figure running games

and fruit ninja is a joke.

But ask me to pop bubbles and I'm all over it.

I am currently stuck on level 10 of pack 40

Each pack consists of 100 levels so yes, I have gotten through 4010 levels

(I dare you to laugh at my awesomeness)

My score is 3894 but considering I know no one who plays this game

I couldn't tell you if that's a respectable score

so I'll just pretend like I rock the 

Bubble Blast 2 world and call it good :)

This little guy is a good friend to me when husband is at work

and I'm just not ready to get out of bed.

(which is usually before 10..don't judge, it's a slow summer)

I'm pretty positive you can get Bubble Blast 2 on any touch phone,

try it! I need someone to talk Bubble Blast with :)

Hopefully this weekend will not be filled with too many of my green, red, yellow and blue friends!

I'll tell you how that goal goes.

what to do: solved.

me minus 4 ish inches...

I've had a bunch of requests for new hair photos,

sorry I've been such a flake!

I only cut off about 3 and 1/2 inches,

I wanted to make sure it would grow back soon ish if I didn't love it.

And, okay okay, I'm a wuss!!

After spending two years waiting for long hair again I didn't want

to just chop it all over again! 

I don't know if this is my favorite length

and I found out I DO NOT like lots of layers in the back.

New hair cuts are always hard to get used to but after a bit

of trial and error I've come up with a few favorites.

click here to see what "before" looks like :)

What are some great middle length hair doo's?

Do share!

because i am blessed.

our weekend!

Husband got off work early Friday

so we went to Steak and Shake for dinner

(don't let the name fool you..so good!)

The shakes were to die for and I will be making 

daily trips during happy hour.

No pictures of our delish meal, lo siento.

Saturday I had my 9 mile run.

Only two more weeks of training and the race will be here!!

After my run we went for a swim but only stayed for

about an hour 

it was a ca-razy day at the pool.

note to self: saturday afternoons = a billion little splashing kids

Next we headed to Pinstripes

a classy bowling alley.

yes, I did say classy. 

They show you to your lane, give you free (comfy) socks,

a waiter comes to see if you'd like dinner or drinks while you

lounge on your luscious couch in between turns.

seriously, classy.

And 'senspive! Luckily we're the King and Queen of coupons

so we spent a whopping 4 dollars for shoes.

I felt like I needed to go home and throw on a cocktail dress

(that's basically what everyone else was wearing).

After Kimball beat me,

by only 3 pins,

we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings

(ohhh my yummy)

After our tummies were full of wings, ribs and fries we headed home to watch the 

Season 4 premiere of FLASHPOINT! 

HOLLA!!

Sunday was one of the laziest yet here in Illinois

but it was much deserved and very much enjoyed!

Wonderful weekend with wonderful husband :)

p.s. to all ya'll who keep asking about my hair and what the final decision was 

i'm surrrry! I did cut it (only about 3 inches) but i'll post some pics that show the difference soon, promise!

because i am blessed.

i'm loving on..

Today I was walking through Nordies and I saw

 the greatest 

wedge I've ever seen.

I moved closer to examine the fine piece of footwear and 

was not surprised to find it was produced by the 

master of great shoes,

Steve Madden.

It's like Steve Madden designs shoes thinking

"what would kelsey just love?"

and succeeds. every time.

I have yet to come across Madden shoes I do not love to bits!

So, today I'm loving on Steve Madden

and cute wedges in all their glory.

lots of red, white and blue.

The fourth of july was so great!

The day started off with the Hoffman Estates city parade 

that was complete with about 7 fire trucks, a lot of baton twirling, tons of candy

and one...yes just one..float.

oh, the beauty of small towns :)

After swimming the afternoon away we headed to Sean and Heidi's 

for BBQ, good conversation and fireworks

After the real fireworks and all the sparklers were gone we pulled out 

some other fireworks we had brought

but they were COMPLETE duds! 

After a bit of sparks green smoke started oozing out and that was it!

lame.

So what do guys do when the wow isn't big enough?

yup, they set it on fire.

Don't worry, we put it out with plenty of stomping and water!

It was the perfect end to a wonderful long weekend.

Now husband is back at work 

but at least we have a short week!

Hope ya'll had a great fourth and felt patriotic all the while :)

because i am blessed.