Water water everywhere...

Fashion Friday: Shoes with Bows

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:01:00 +0000

So one of my favorite boards on Pinterest is just for shoes. (If you don't follow me on Pinterest, you should!) Not necessarily shoes I actually want to buy, but more like fantasy shoes that catch my attention and are totally my style.

As an aside, curating my favorite fashion pins on Pinterest has absolutely helped me hone in on my personal style in a way I never expected. I highly recommend this if you want to find a way to shop more selectively. I thought my 15:30 project last year would help me narrow my style, but it really didn't. Pinterest, on the other hand, definitely HAS helped.

So I discovered that I have a major thing for bows. I find this fact a bit surprising, but the evidence is right there on my shoe board...half the shoes that caught my eye had some kind of bow. So I'm gonna show you a few of my favorites today!

Found on Pinterest via Laurie Turk from Lulu's

Found on Pinterest via Leslie Ma from Bakers

Found on Pinterest via Leslie Ma by Betsey Johnson

Found Pinterest via Ashley Mattocks on ebay

As you can tell, I really love stiletto heels. Unfortunately my knees do not love them, as proven this week when I wore them to host a Tex-Mex girls night at my house. My knee pain is likely patella-femeral syndrome from my running, but stilettos really seem to exacerbate it.

So I guess I really need to find more flats with bows :)

Check this out, as part of Fashion Friday this week, we're giving away a $75 SpaFinder gift certificate. Just link up your fashion post!

Tips for Great Landscape Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:48:00 +0000

Landscape photography can be really fun and yield gorgeous results. It usually involves being outside and taking time to appreciate your natural surroundings. Unlike taking portraits of children, landscape photography can take a lot of time and be done slowly and very mindfully.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation for my local photography group by Tom Haynes. The talk was called Listening to the Light and focused on his landscape photography, mostly taken around Big Bend park here in Texas. Today I thought I'd share a few highlights I took away from the presentation.

Become a weatherman.
Learn to read the light and predict how it will change with time.
Don't use any artificial light.
At sunset, wait for the sun to drop below the clouds and light up the bottom of the clouds.
Some of the best color can come even after the sun drops below the horizon.
Look for areas in the foreground that can reflect the light.
Slow down, think, take time.
Wide angle lens makes the mountains seem smaller.
He doesn't use a tripod because sunsets are dynamic.
Bracket your exposures.
Use aperture priority, usually around F/8.
Break the rules sometimes.
Long telephoto lenses can compress things together.
100 mm macro lens is good sometimes.
12 mm ultrawide, he refers to it as his "cloud lens".
10.5 mm fisheye
Black and white shows texture.
White balance is always set for daylight.
"Fortune favors the prepared".

Have you tried any landscape photography? Where was your favorite location to shoot?

Roadtrippin' to Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Last weekend I did something kind of crazy for a working mom my age, but it was fun and worth it. I took a roadtrip with my friends in the band, Forlorn Hope, to see them play a gig in Austin, TX. What's so crazy about that? The show was on Sunday night and we all had to drive back the same night to get up and go to work the next morning.

In case you didn't know, Austin is about 2.5 hours away from where I live. Mike stayed with the kids while I grabbed my camera and joined some of the wives in one vehicle while the guys piled into a truck hauling a trailer full of their gear. Because of the trailer the guys could only drive about 60 mph so our girls vehicle sailed past them and arrived in Austin much earlier. Some other friends of ours met us there later on too.

The drive to ATX was a scenic one.

Riding with the girls was fun because we are all already in the same adoption focused life group and are good friends. I plugged in my iPod to share some good music and in between chatting we sang a few familiar worship songs together. We had dinner with my friend Trish's awesome brother-in-law and the world's smartest toddler who entertained the heck out of us.

The funniest part was when we arrived at the club and heard the opening "band", a bunch of white high schoolers rapping about drugs and bitches while their mom, dad and little sister sat listening.

Finally the guys played their set while I took photos and video. The big difference between this and previous gigs was that the sound guy at the Red Eyed Fly was excellent and the mix was great. Not mindblowingly loud as it was at Fitzgeralds. Forlorn Hope has two percussionists, Mark and Richard, and they did a great drum "solo" that I caught on video here.

Afterwards we hopped across the street to the weirdest little pizza joint ever and had a few more laughs before piling in our vehicles around 11 to head back to Katy. If you're ever in Austin, I do not recommend Hoboken Pie. Nope.

The drive back was incredibly tense because the thickest fog I've ever seen had settled over south east Texas. The ENTIRE trip home we had less than a quarter mile visibility and sometimes we had to slow to 20 mph because we couldn't see anything at all. I'm very grateful to Mark Ferow for driving me home so safely.

We rolled in around 1:30 am, unloaded the instruments and I went home and crashed. Of course Alex woke me up at 6 am and I worked all day with Nathan home sick. Then I had my first day of "hill training" with my running group. Boy was I tired.

But it was totally fun and worth it and I'd do it again. In fact you can do it with me again on March 4th. :)

Remembering Joe Paterno

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:21:00 +0000

I took these photos than 5 years ago.

Yesterday the world lost one of the most positively influential human beings it has ever seen, Joseph Vincent Paterno. You may think I'm crazy or exaggerating but that's probably because you simply aren't aware of the massive scope of his impact, as most people aren't. To say that this humble football coach impacted millions of lives would not be stretch if you consider the impact that Penn State University as a whole has had on the world in the past six decades.

You see, Penn State wouldn't be what it is today if not for Joe. When he arrived at the University in 1950 it was just a cow-town farm school. Today it is a top tier research university, churning out hundreds of thousands of exceptional graduates and dominating fields like engineering, meteorology and nursing. Those achievements might not have been possible if not for Joe Paterno and his emphasis on winning football games while educating boys and turning them into men of character.

Penn State consistently had the highest graduation rate of football players among all Division 1 championship level programs. Joe did not ever allow his players to even skip a single class, something I and all other students do routinely. If he caught a player in their room when they were supposed to be in class, they got benched. He made it clear that school was the first priority. Joe was grossly underpaid relative to his peers for decades and yet he poured millions of his own money into academics at Penn State, including building a massive library which bears his name. His "Success with Honor" mantra became the PSU brand and attracted millions, maybe even billions, in research money across numerous fields of study. There are currently more than half a million PSU alumni spread out across the US and the globe and every single one of them has been impacted, whether they acknowledge it or not, by Coach Paterno.

It would take me more time than I have to explain to you why this is true but ever Penn Stater knows it is. When I chose Penn State over several other excellent schools it wasn't because of the football team. My high school didn't have football, I had no interest in watching it, and I didn't even buy season tickets. I chose to come to State College for the globally recognized Scholars program and for their top five Chemical Engineering department, yes, but also for a certain family pride vibe I felt during my first campus visit. They called it being "Penn State proud" and I liked it.

I was fortunate enough to live in a building where I had breakfast with the football team every morning for three years. Joe didn't come to breakfast every day, but he did very frequently. There were many occasions when he'd be leaving the building around the same time I was, only to stop and chat with a handful of students including myself. His smile was infectious and in all seriousness he would usually tell us something like "Study hard." and "you'd better get to class, you're going to be late".

He was the one person besides my own father that consistently reminded me why I was there, to study and learn. Not for football games or parties or boyfriends.

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things."

My affection for Joe Paterno and his wife Sue run deep, as if he were my own grandfather. I even stopped by Joe's house just last summer on my short visit to State College. The last few months have only solidified the feeling of family that we as a deeply wounded Penn State community feel for one another. So together we mourn and together we celebrate the legacy of a man who encouraged us to be better. We Are Penn State.

Fashion Friday: Winter Color

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:09:00 +0000

When it's really cold in the middle of January it can be tempting to dress a little bit like the weather, that is gray and dreary. I know I gravitate toward black and gray in the winter because here in Houston we really can not wear black in the summer. At all. It's rather limiting actually.

But I believe in color. Lots of it. I think that especially in the winter a bright pop of color can help bring cheer to yourself and those around you. I mean doesn't how you dress heavily influence how you feel? I know it does for me.

So here are a few bold and not so bold ways I used color in the past week. My favorite outfit last week was this bright pink sweater I got at the Gap a couple years ago but never wore. I finally took the tags off it and paired it with my nice dark rinse jeans from LOFT and when it was time to head outside I grabbed this adorable reversible vest I got at Target. It's chocolate on one side and pink on the other. I finished off this look with my favorite silver shoes from Nine West, my new pewter bag from Coach and some cute silver jewelry. I felt cute in this for sure.

Scarves are a really great way to add color to your basic neutral winter wardrobe. It's hard to tell in this photo but this scarf is pale pink and shimmery. I also wore a pale pink with black trim top from LOFT under this thin, fitted cardigan from Talbots, and my LOFT jeggings (because curvy girls can wear jeggings too!). The gray boots were dirt cheap at Old Navy and got many compliments at church on Sunday, including one from a four year old boy in my Sunday School class who sat on my lap and played with the buckles during storytime.

This third outfit, I have decided, is less than flattering. I love the color of the top but maybe it's the print or maybe it's the bagginess of the pants that just don't work. They were comfortable for sure but a more fitted thigh certainly would look better. I got that purple necklace and matching earrings from my sister for Christmas (from Charming Charlies) and the comfy brown shoes by Naturlizer were shown in a previous shopping video of mine. This goes to show that you can always add bright color to your wardrobe with your jewelry!

So tell me, how do YOU add color to your wardrobe when it's so cold and gray outside?

Photography Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:06:00 +0000

Well it's been a busy posting week around these parts. I'm pressed for time and the posts I have in mind to share with you all require considerable time. So since many of you have told me you come here for the pretty pictures, here ya go! All of these were shot at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX.

Oh and don't forget to read my note at the bottom!

Your turn: Tell me your favorite and why. Give me some good critical feedback!

What is PIPA and SOPA? Why is it bad law?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:28:00 +0000

Isn't protecting IP (intellectual property) a good thing? Why wouldn't we want to protect copyright? How could ending online piracy be wrong?

Listen up...I make my living on intellectual property as an engineer, a photographer and a writer. Protecting copyright is a massive passion of mine.

But so is liberty, freedom of speech, and free market capitalism in an economy driven in this country by creativity, innovation, small business and the open exchange of ideas.

Both bills proposed in Congress, SOPA and PIPA, will put a swift and sudden end to all those things on the internet.

For more information, check out this very clear and simple description of the proposed laws and how to take action to stop them. Or watch this video explanation below.

And here's another video with thoughts from a bunch of internet famous people including a few blogger friends of mine.

And finally for a little humor on the situation in song...

Do you want to lose the internet we know and love? Facebook and YouTube? I doubt it. Don't think that because Obama says he won't support SOPA and the bill has been "shelved" that means the fight is over. It's far from it.

Call and email your U.S. Senators now. I already did three weeks ago and while TX Sen. Cornyn has told me he is listening to both sides and carefully considering the bill, the response I got from TX Sen. Hutchison was clearly in favor of passing the bill.

Ten Motivational Quotes for Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Last night I had my first one mile time trial with the Katy Fit 5k training group. A week ago I tried this on the treadmill just to see what I might expect and came out around 13:35 minutes. That's pretty pathetic if you ask me. I ran with the training group on Wednesday night for more than 2 miles and I ran again on the treadmill Saturday for a bit more than 2 miles.

Last night I had someone running beside me for the entire one mile time trial. I'm not sure if she slowed me down or sped me up but she definitely kept me going. I finished the mile in 12:56. That's a big improvement and it is motivating. Then we ran another mile and half in intervals.

I'm sure it also helps that I have fundamentally changed how I eat and in the process have dropped 6.5 pounds so far. I don't see myself quitting that process anytime soon either and I'm optimistic I may actually hit my goal weight by the time my Run 4 the Children race happens in March.

Today I wanted to share with you a bunch of awesome motivational quotes with images I have found across the internet. Some are from Facebook and I don't know the original source, most are from Pinterest.

1. I love how simple running is. Can be done virtually anywhere.

2. This is one of my favorites. So true.

3. Never in a million years thought I'd be a runner. I am.

Found via Pinterest from joemarelo.tumbler.com

4. Fierce.

Found via Pinterest from thehealthychange.tumbler.com

5. This is the complete truth.

Found via Pinterest at 1.bp.blogspot.com

6. I used to hate sweat with a passion. Not anymore.

Found via Pinterest from wanttobehealthynhappy.tumbler.com

7. Are you gonna be strong today?

Found via Pinterest at weheartit.com

8. Perfect for computer addicts like me.

Found via Pinterest at staleymc.blogspot.com

9. Meeting my personal pain barrier straight on.

Found via Pinterest at WeHeartIt

10. Fortunately I've already seen my body changing after 2 weeks.

Found via Pinterest from WeHeartIt

Bonus! In honor of my one mile time trial last night. As my friends keep reminding me not to worry about the actual number.

Found via Pinterest at jillconyers.typepad.com

This post is linked up at Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday!

8 Best Dresses of the Golden Globes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:28:00 +0000

You love fashion as much as I do. You had to know that I would watch the Golden Globes with massive anticipation, not to see who won what awards, but to see what everyone wore!

So without further ado, I give you my own personal best dressed list.

1. Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab. I'm a sucker for strapless and this iridescent blue is just to die for.

2. Evan Rachel Wood in Gucci. Come on, peacock feathers? Yes please.

3. Freida Pinto in Prada (you're gonna see a trend here). She called this fabric "fuss free". Perfect.

4. Kate Beckinsale in Cavalli. This girl knows what works on her body and never misses.

5. Sophia Vergara in Vera Wang. Love the color and the cut but especially the little flair at the bottom.

6. Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta, for ONCE looks breathtaking. That color is so perfect for her.

7. Viola Davis in Emilio Pucci. Who knew Aibileen could look so downright FIERCE!

8. Zoe Deschanel in Prada. Yes I love Prada and I loved the color and cut of this gown. If only she'd really done her hair.

Just as a refresher, here's my recap from LAST year's Golden Globes!

Ok your turn. Tell me who YOU loved last night?

Fashion Friday: Closet Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:17:00 +0000

A new year brings about in me a strong impulse to organize my life. I don't think I'm alone, since I see retail ads in January heavily focused on products used for storage and organization. Even though we have tried to discourage people from buying us a lot of stuff for Christmas and we buy our kids less, it always ends up that we get a lot of new things we need to find places for. Plus there's the whole daunting task of putting Christmas away for the year, which is what really kick starts that desire to clean and purge I have.

This year is a bit different because of one factor: Pinterest. I admit that I have fallen head over heels with this visual idea board, and recently it has led me to some awesome ideas for better organization in my home. One of the best ideas I discovered was so easy to implement, I tackled it yesterday.

Found via Pinterest from Browne Eyed Belle

This is one of those "why didn't I think of that?" kinds of revelations. I happen to have a very large closet with plenty of rod hanging space but I have plum run out of shoe and boot storage space. (wee bit of a shoe problem...) So now shoes were starting to pile up on the floor and on top of each other...what a mess. I knew this would be easy and have a huge impact on the space.

Just look at this disaster.

So first I scoured my closet for skirt hangers with adjustable clips. I had plenty and just had to switch some skirts to hangers with stationary clips. One thing that surprised me was just how many pairs of boots I really had. My favorite pair was being stored in it's giant box slid under my clothes. So I got rid of that box and several other boxes.

All this spurred me on to weed out, clean out, throw out and organize the rest of my shoes and then my clothes too. I filled several bags with things for a garage sale in the spring and moved them up to the attic for storage. Then I decided to sort the remaining clothes by color, something I've never done before. While doing that I suddenly realized that grouping by color might actually help me put a wider variety of outfits together. We'll see.

Purple, blue, green, orange, pink and white on one side,
black, grey and brown on the other!

Also yesterday I made a quick trip to Charming Charlie's to return a dress my sister bought me for Christmas that was too small. There I stumbled up this amazing hanging jewelry organizer with clear pockets on both sides. I snatched it up immediately and went home to empty out my broken jewelry box and two drawers crammed full of jewelry. To say I have a lot of jewelry is an understatement. I still keep the fine jewelry elsewhere, but this is a great way for me to see and choose from all my costume baubles.

Gold and colored stuff on one side, silver on the other.

Then end result is a closet that feels even bigger than before and full of space. I feel very fortunate that I really do have more space than I need, but part of that is because I don't feel the need to "hoard" stuff. Life is so much simpler when you aren't completely overwhelmed by your stuff.

Look, empty shelf space for more shoes!

One of my next projects will be to renovate an old chest I got from my grandmother that I also keep in my closet for things like tights and lingerie. Some new paint and drawer pulls and I think it will be gorgeous...but I have no idea how to do this so...anyone local want to help teach me?

The chest I want to redo.

You may be wondering where my husband's stuff goes. Well that section of the closet is behind me in all these photos and still pretty messy. I'm gonna tackle organizing that part this weekend.

Review: Chick-fil-a's New Chicken Tortilla Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:26:00 +0000

Yesterday I saw a video from my dear friend Sarah Pinnex about Chick-fil-a's new chicken tortilla soup and grilled chicken nuggets. They both looked delicious and healthy. So today after my morning workout and a trip to Costco with Kristi, I popped into Chick-fil-a for lunch with my preschooler.

Chick-fil-a is a good choice for me while eating healthier because I like their salads a lot, particularly the southwest chicken salad. I don't care for most other fast food place salads.

Today I saw they offered the new chicken tortilla soup in two sizes, medium and large. I asked how big the medium was and decided that 8 ounces should be plenty to fill me and hopefully stay under my goal of about 300 calories.

The tortilla chips come in a separate packet and I only needed less than half the packet to give my soup the desired crunch factor. This adds about 35 calories to the soup. But since the soup is remarkably only 230 calories, that's no problem for me! It's low in fat, high in fiber and protein, which means it should leave me feeling satisfied longer. The only concern for me might be the high sodium, since pretty much all soups with flavor have a lot of sodium, but sodium is one thing I'm not worried about. Sodium causes hypertension and water retention, both of which are pretty easily reversed by vigorous exercise, something I specialize in.
The soup had a really nice spice to it, and was very thick and filling. I love food with a little heat and this soup does have that. I need to learn how to cook at home with just the right amount of heat to liven up healthy veggies and lean meats. Spice does a lot to make up for a lack of butter, oil or sugar.
So I have found myself a new lunch staple in the Chick-fil-a chicken tortilla soup. At less than $3 it's a steal too. I combined it with a giant Diet Dr. Pepper and wasn't hungry until dinner.
Now if only I could quit diet sodas. Babysteps...

Chicken tortilla soup works for me!

10 Reasons to Eat Healthier

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Last week I posted about how I bought a new scale and it kick started my plan to really eat healthier and lose a few pounds. Mostly I whined about how hard it is to make healthy choices and cut my calorie intake dramatically when I've been indulging for so long. So while I sat at Chili's waiting for my boring Guiltless Grill chicken sandwich and broccoli to arrive, I decided to make a list of motivating reasons to keep making good choices.

1. The new scale clued me in that I'm officially outside the recommended zone for BMI. I had no idea. Gotta fix that.

2. I have half a very large closet full of clothing that doesn't fit me. Some used to. Some was wishful thinking. It's time to expand my wardrobe without spending money.

3. Dropping pounds will help me run faster. Duh.

4. I'd be much more inclined to go back to vlogging and doing more "What I Wore" posts.

5. I'm a high genetic risk for heart disease. My dad died of heart failure at 49. I take that very seriously.

6. Eating healthier will even out the sugar fueled extreme highs and lows I feel sometimes.

7. I really do want to model healthy eating for my extremely picky, carbaholic kids.

8. It's a fact that eating healthier means less dining out, especially on fast food. That will automatically save me money. It's obscene how much I spent at McDonalds last year.

9. Perhaps I will learn to be a better cook! Cooking at home more should make this happen, but looking to add flavor to good foods will also help.

10. I will feel less guilty around my extremely health food conscious friends like JoLynne and Kristi from Babyfoodsteps. I know they don't mean to make me feel that way, but it can't be helped.

So I think this is a great list that I will keep handy when I'm tempted to give up and revert to my lazy, indulgent way of eating. I'm down four pounds anyway and I already feel much better.

This post is linked up at OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday...check it out!

A Very Texas Christmas 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:48:00 +0000

Penn State Hires Bill O'Brien?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:31:00 +0000

Forgive me, loyal readers looking for fashion advice or pretty photographs today. I just feel the need to get some things off my chest. Twitter and Facebook do not allow me the space.

Last night ESPN broke the news that New England Patriots quarterbacks coach, Bill O'Brien, has been hired as Penn State's new football head coach. To replace Joe Paterno. It has taken a full two months since the board miserably fired Coach Joe to find a replacement and the recruiting season is almost over. In the meantime DC Tom Bradley has stepped up as interim coach and shown remarkable character and leadership. His players are behind him, the lettermen are behind him, and most of the alumni and fanbase would love to see him keep that job.

Unfortunately I knew he wouldn't get the job. I think anyone paying close attention knew that because of his ties to "old PSU" he wouldn't get it. I think it's downright sad that new AD Dave Joyner did go ahead and interview him, Coach Larry Johnson and Coach Vanderlinden for the position when these guys really never had a fair chance.

First of all, I'm hopping mad that as of 11am this morning Tom Bradley still hasn't heard anything from his boss, yet ESPN and the whole rest of the media world is talking about his job. The simple fact is that O'Brien should have been told to keep his damn mouth shut until Joyner told his staff and players. That's easy enough to put in the contract.

Second of all, I'm furious that Joyner kept issuing arrogant statements about how the job was attracting great candidates, there was tons of interest, and PSU knew exactly what they were doing in stringing out the search this long. Just last night during the men's basketball game he made these same statements, even saying that a coach would be in place in time to take advantage of the big recruiting weekends coming up.

As it turns out, that's a bald-faced lie. The position was toxic and no one wanted it. Plus Coach O'Brien has said he will continue coaching the Patriots through the playoffs, while apparently also being head coach at Penn State. So let me get this straight...he's going to take two full time salaries for as long as the Pats keep winning? If they happen to make it to the Superbowl, he'll still be with them AFTER college football signing day. Meaning he'll have missed any and all opportunity to recruit for this year. (As a side note, I was personally sued for doing something similar to this...my former employer sued for back salary because they thought I had already started working for a competitor. They were wrong and didn't win, but I'm just sayin...)

Coach O'Brien might end up being a good coach. Color me highly skeptical. I do not want a guy known for losing his temper on national television and swearing like a sailor during games. He has no idea what Penn State is about (or used to be about) which is not winning football games. His college coaching record is abysmal (1-22 at Duke, anyone?).

After the scandal, PSU President Erikson promised transparency and openness from now on. Penn State's board of trustees and administration have given us nothing of the sort since then, especially in this search process. This was an opportunity to do something that would unite and heal a broken and wounded family, and instead they continue to fail at decision making and especially at communication.

I am utterly disappointed.

Pushing Through the Discomfort

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:23:00 +0000

We spend so much of our lives trying to avoid pain. After all our founding documents give us the freedom in the "pursuit of happiness". Isn't trying to find happiness what life is all about?

Nope.

Not even close.

I feel like a broken record on this here blog when I say that building our character is more important than being happy, and the place that most of that growth happens is in areas of major discomfort and struggle. It seems counter-intuitive to human nature but I believe in seeking out opportunities to face our fears and meet them head on. Lean into the discomfort a little.

So this brings me back to this week, when I finally bought a new scale to replace the one that hasn't been working for months. I knew I hadn't been eaten healthfully and I knew my close didn't fit the same but I hadn't actually weighed myself since well before my broken foot sidelined my workout routine. Stepping on the scale yesterday was the kick in the butt I needed to do more than just run. I knew I had to change the way I eat.

Now I am not really an over-eater, but I have a massive sweet tooth. I like good, buttery, sweet, fattening foods. I also really like beer, wine and margaritas. I'm addicted to convenient, processed food.

However I have been through Weight Watchers years ago and I know what it takes. So I measured out the right portion of cheerios, peeled that orange and avoided all the crackers and cheese in my house. By dinner I was really hungry and craving my comfort food. We went to Chilis because it was kids eat free night and I stared at the menu.

Normally I would order a margarita and a grilled chicken sandwich. The one with cheese and bacon on it. Or a burger. Or worse, the honey chipotle chicken strips. It really isn't fair the way they put those macro photos of juicy bacon and cheese and burger all over the menu.

I kept remembering what the scale said that morning, visualizing it. I really wanted some fries. I tweeted about how uncomfortable this whole thing was and how I needed encouragement. Twitter came through, I ordered the guiltless version of the grilled chicken sandwich and wrote a list of motivations while I waited.

The truth is it tasted pretty good. But the night was far from over, because after we got home and put the kids to bed I just wanted chocolate in the worst way. I grumbled and complained and was generally cranky, but I didn't eat any of the leftover candy bars or cookies or anything else for that matter.

I pushed through the discomfort and went to bed with my stomach rumbling.

This morning the scale read 2.5 lbs less. I know that's kind of a fluke thing since I'm just getting started, and I know one day is not much on this long journey, but that's enough to keep me motivated for today.

Wordless Wednesday: Lovebirds

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:25:00 +0000

Captured at the Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid in Galveston, TX on New Year's Eve.

Running in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

I mentioned yesterday that I plan to kick my running up a notch in 2012. Last year was my first ever year as a serious runner. Thanks to a new four mile race that my adoption ministry organized last March, I set out on the Couch to 5K program beginning January 1st last year. I followed the program all the way through the Run 4 the Children in late March and completed my first race!

Then summer came and distance running got harder. I did some runs late at night and some very early in the morning, but mostly I relied on the treadmill. I was inconsistent and rarely could get much beyond two miles before I got bored and tired and quit. But I kept up the two mile runs fairly regularly, and even joined a weekly social group that did a "beer run" every Wednesday night.

That lasted until I catastrophically broke my foot (fifth metatarsal) in late August and was completely sidelined for months. Major bummer!

The doctor said I could resume jogging two weeks after my cast came off, but there was no way in H E double hockey sticks my foot was ready by then. I started with some biking and elliptical but even walking was very painful. In late November I tried jogging and found that running actually hurt LESS than walking due to the shorter stride, but after a few runs my foot got pretty sore and I found myself very frustrated.

I started the Couch to 5k program from the beginning. It was hard to revert THAT far back in my training, but it had worked once and I really didn't want to push myself to injury.

Then my sister arrived for the holidays and we ran together. She just had a baby and claimed to be grossly out of shape but I know better and her peak before baby was much higher than mine before broken foot. Still she was happy to go at my turtle pace and I really loved having her along. Our first run was my typical two mile route but for our second run she asked if we could go further and I opted for two minute run/walk intervals. It worked REALLY well we did 5k.

Sad to see her leave, I did the same 5k loop again this weekend into a strong headwind. It felt great but I am still so slow and more determined than ever to keep up the training three times a week. My goal this year is to kick my time from last year's race in the ass. Last year was 4 miles in 52 minutes. Starting where I am now that should be easy if I keep at it for the next three months. My goal after that will be a 5k in 30 minutes. Then we'll see.

Stay tuned for periodic updates, new running playlists, etc!

Welcoming 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:49:00 +0000

2011 was a good year for me. It got off to a bit of a rocky start but definitely finished strong. Business was really good for my main company, Entex. Opportunities through blogging were way up and my network continued to expand and strengthen in unprecedented ways. My photography continued on strong, though I purposefully chose to not market my portrait services due to a big shortage on time this year. I had more fun with personal projects I did for free anyway.

The year marked good spiritual growth for me as well. What started last year as a desire to know the heart of God more turned into a tidal wave of learning and a major paradigm shift in thinking. I don't really know why in the previous 34ish years of my life in a Christian home and a Christian school I never got the compelling call to do something for the poor and orphaned, but now that I've seen it I can't turn away from it. It's completely undeniable to anyone who takes the whole of scripture seriously that God's heart is with the least and He commands us to get off our butts and help them. For me that means changing the way I live and mostly the way I spend money. The American dream has been shattered and ruined for me and I no longer fantasize about a life of luxury or retirement on a beach somewhere. It's been hard and I'm not totally there yet, but it is what it is.

So that leads me to 2012 and my current state of restlessness. While I'm content and grateful for everything I've been blessed with, I continue to have this underlying feeling of compulsion to do more. The last couple days my Facebook and Twitter streams have been filled with talk of resolutions and a desire people have to improve themselves and their own lives. While I do plan to kick my running up a notch and eat better, my first desire is not to make myself better in some way. My first desire is to make someone else's life better...to make the world better as a whole if there's some way I can. I'm constantly searching for ways to do that. It starts with a foundation of prayer, continues with how I spend and give money, but I know there's more.

Why? Because the love of Christ compels me.

To be continued...

Christmas in iPhone photos!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:49:00 +0000

The huge tree at The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch.

Wrapping, wrapping, wrapping.

My sister's kids, getting on a plane to come see me!

My kids, waiting to see their cousins.

The happiest baby ever, ready for Christmas Eve church.

Christmas worship at The Fellowship.

Taped the boys into their bedroom on Christmas Eve. Did not deter them.

Christmas morning, opening presents before dawn.

The happiest baby chats with me.

Beyblade battles!

Who can resist a pretty baby in a basket?

Merry Christmas to All

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Happy Christmas Eve! I can't believe how relaxed and on task I have felt the past week. Not stressed at all, everything coming together in it's own time. I have made a concerted effort to bask in the glow of the season and soak up the anticipation of advent, especially the spiritual events and moments that give glory to God.

So continuing with a theme of finding and sharing wonderful new music, I just had to introduce you to a song and an artist I just discovered. The artist is Ross King and while his whole holiday album is terrific and unique, I am completely obsessed with his song Merry Christmas to All.

It's pretty rare that our worship pastor leads us in a song I have never heard before in church, so on the first Sunday in December when the band sang Merry Christmas to All, my curiosity was piqued. The lyrics are magnificent...lyrics usually catch my attention first.

Can you hear the baby crying?
thats the sound of God denying himself
Taking on the form of man in flesh
Can you see the virgin weeping?
Thats the pain required for keeping Gods great promise
to deliver us from death

Merry Christmas to all mankind
The King is coming just in time
Into the dark, His light will shine so bright and beautiful
Merry Christmas to all

Can you hear the angels singing?
Oh thats the sound of freedom reigning and ringing
Like a bell declaring peace, the war has ended
Can you see the shepherds coming?
Like a prophecy, a symbol of His prodigal, returning
to the father who, so humbly, condescended

Merry Christmas to all mankind
The King is coming just in time
Into the dark, His light will shine so bright and beautiful
Merry Christmas to all

Can we hear the nations crying?
Or have we closed our ears? Somehow justifying
how we celebrate the humble birth of Jesus
Do we see the poor and hungry?
Will we meet their needs? Or close our eyes and spend our money
on things we know will never satisfy us

Did you catch that last bit? Does it ring a bell with what I've mentioned here before about the Advent Conspiracy and how we seek to celebrate Christmas differently? By spending less, giving more, worshiping fully, and loving all.

Yeah so it turns out Ross King is local...as in he leads worship in Bryan, TX and has been writing music and touring around for quite some time. Given the lyrics of this song I was somehow not shocked that he is an adoption and orphan care advocate, with three adopted kids of his own. Bonus, right? Color me sold on digging into his music more.

Oh yeah, and the hook to this song is super crazy contagious. That means sing it or hear it once or twice and you won't be able to get it out of your head. So not kidding.

So here's the story behind the song and a little acoustic version. I wanted to show you the full recorded song but I'm apparently a moron and cannot figure out a simple way to embed the song itself here. You can hear a bit of the recorded version at the beginning of that video, and on the Amazon widget below.

Glimpsing into My Kid's Heart at Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Last Saturday my wonderfully patient husband conceded that he had no agenda for the day and agreed to accompany me and the kids on a few Christmasy errands. On the forefront of my mind was acquiring more Christmas bling for our yard. We already had all our lights and decor up from the previous year, complete with various colors and a few flashing strings, but I have been on a quest for the perfect yard display since our animated moose bit the dust a couple years ago. The problem is that I'm cheap, and the idea of spending $80 on a shrimpy wire deer is not a good one to me.

However this year I had more inspiration. My sister and her family are flying in from Richmond, Virginia to spend the holiday with us. Last week on Facebook my sister posted that her family had gone on a "tacky Christmas lights" tour, which had prompted my four year old nephew Timothy to declare, "Dad, we need more lights." Knowing my sister, I can just picture her lovely brand new house with a sprinkling of very tasteful white lights and perhaps a few wreaths or holy garland. The fact that she used the word "tacky" says it all.

So that morning we ventured out in search of added tackiness to thrill my niece and nephew. Our third stop was Walmart, a store I almost never set foot in. It's the newest and nicest Walmart you'll ever see, but it doesn't matter to me, it will never hold a candle to Target or HEB.

As we pulled into the parking lot my seven year old Nathan asked his dad and I if we had any money. "Nope, no money at all, Nathan." he joked.

"Well how are we gonna BUY anything without money?" said Nathan, sounding more and more like he had something in particular in mind he wanted to get.

For the past few weeks Nathan has been in "Can we get..." mode, asking for stuff more and more often in every store as he joins me Christmas shopping. My answer is always the same, "No, we aren't buying ANYTHING because Christmas is coming very soon and you have to wait." The boys have been watching TV commercials and pouring over toy ads making the longest lists for Santa I've ever seen. I keep warning them that Santa doesn't bring that much, they need not be greedy, and that there are tons of kids around the world who will get no toys at all this Christmas.

After all, they already helped wrap presents for bunches of families of cancer patients who wouldn't have gifts otherwise.

My husband Mike replied to Nathan, "Nope, no money, we're just going to go LOOK at stuff." Then he chuckled, "Of course we have money, Nate." To which I chimed in "But we AREN'T getting you anything, remember?"

Then Nathan looked at me and said with the most gentle eyes ever, "But Mom, I just want some money to put in the red bucket to give to the kids whose families don't have money for presents."

I glanced at the door of the Walmart and saw the Salvation Army ringers and realized that was why he had asked in the first place. My heart swelled as I dumped out my wallet into the hands of my two boys and watched them run up to the ringer and stuff the bucket.

Review: We Bought a Zoo (Warning to Parents)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:34:00 +0000

For the past few weeks my family has been watching lots of fun family holiday programming on TV. We have seen the TV commercial for the new Matt Damon movie, We Bought a Zoo, at least a dozen times. So when I was offered the chance to preview the film with my kids this week I was thrilled and treated it like another lovely holiday treat for our family. From the trailer I was REALLY looking forward to seeing it. It looked like a fun kid movie with tons of adorable animals creating the main comedic plot. Plus…bonus! Matt Damon! Cameron Crowe directs! It HAS to be good.

I really should’ve been smart enough to know Cameron Crowe would not make a kid movie. He has made some of my very favorite movies, like Almost Famous, Singles, and Say Anything. He has never made a kid movie. Never.

Nonetheless I took my four year old and my seven year old. They sat through Chipwrecked with rapt attention, not squirming or uttering a peep other than appropriate laughter so I figured they would be golden with this movie. But We Bought A Zoo starts out with background about Matt Damon’s career as a newspaper writer, which is barely relevant. I wondered how soon they would get to the animals, as I eyed my four year old.

We soon find out that six months before the film begins, Matt Damon’s wife died and he is left alone to raise his adorable 7 year old girl and a 14 year old boy. The boy is in bigtime trouble at school, and the dad is having local moms throwing themselves at him. In the first five minutes of the film. It made me a little uncomfortable right from there, since my seven year old might understand ENOUGH of what was going on for it to be super confusing.

Then they show all this super graphic and dark art that the boy has been drawing that reveals his tortured soul. I get that it’s necessary for the plot, but that plot is soooooo not for little kids. I really didn’t like my older son seeing those drawings. It could give him nightmares.

Then there’s Matt Damon’s brother, played by the ever charming and funny Thomas Haden Church, who clearly only cares about getting his brother laid again. His obviously beloved wife died a mere SIX MONTHS AGO. C’mon.

And again? NOT A KID SUBJECT.

So about thirty minutes into the film we finally get a glimpse of some animals. And when I say glimpse, I mean it.

About thirty minutes in is also when the completely inappropriate for small kids language starts. I’m not talking about crap or damn either. I could live with that. When the brother yelled “Sh*t!” I almost jumped out of my chair and wanted to throw my hands over my seven year old’s ears…although of course it’d be too late by then. I think it was the precious little girl who said “What the hell?” and it was most definitely Matt Damon who yelled “ASSHOLE!!!” at a porcupine.

I sat there wondering if somehow I had been mistaken and maybe the movie was rated PG-13. This subject matter and language went WAY beyond “parental guidance suggested” in my mind. I confirmed later that it is indeed rated PG. I also confirmed that I'm not the only one who thought it was marketed as a great movie for kids of all ages.

By this point my four year old had stopped watching the movie. He was squirming, begging for a snack or my phone to play with, and crawling in and out of my lap. He wasn’t misbehaving or distracting anyone but me….YET. But I was getting more worried about what my very serious seven year old was soaking in.

The scene that finally prompted me ushering us out was when the young teen boy was approached by a young teen girl who lived at the zoo. She was homeschooled and seemed a bit socially awkward or maybe just desperate for peer interaction, but she got so close to the boy that she was sitting completely pressed against him, her face inches from him, and I was really concerned they might kiss. I have much less of a problem with adults kissing in movies than young teens that JUST MET kissing.

They didn’t kiss, but the sexual tension was there, it was thick, and it was enough that since I couldn’t be sure of the PG rating I got worried my kids might see even an implied sex scene (more likely between the adults) so I bailed.

My awesome kids were so great about being forced to leave before the end of the movie, something I HATE doing myself. I love movies and insist on seeing the end of even the worst of them.

I had a discussion with Nathan about how there were too many bad words and I asked him if he heard any. He hadn’t noticed any. I asked if he knew any bad words. He thought and said “poop?”. I explained that wasn’t so much a bad word as much as something we discourage joking around about. Then he whispered in my ear so Alex couldn’t hear, “Oh my God?” which I confirmed. I explained that lots of people may say that but we don’t, because one of the ten commandments in the Bible is to treat the Lord’s name as sacred and special, not as a thoughtless phrase or curse word. Don’t get me wrong, my language when not around my kids is far from saintly, but even then I try to be mindful and choose words carefully.

So all in all, that turned out to be a big learning experience for me and teaching moment for Nate. But I’m super frustrated by how the film is being marketed as a kid movie. It’s just NOT. I’m not that uptight as a parent either, I swear. But I personally wouldn’t even take a 10 year old to see it. I think it’s probably AWESOME for teens or adults to see on their own. Would make a great girls night. I can’t wait to see the ending myself.

You should probably read my dear friend Stacey’s review to get the upside for teens and adults. There seems to be a BIG upside, but it was lost on me in this case.

Oh but the cinematography? Was absolutely lovely.

A Musical Christmas Treat for You from Josh Wilson

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:30:00 +0000

This week I discovered an awesome new Christmas song that I fell head over heels for. It's called Jesus is Alive and it's by Josh Wilson, an excellent singer/songwriter I've already highlighted on this blog months ago.

Well in searching for a video of the song, I found this incredible video of Josh playing a billion different instruments at once and looping them to make one completely awesome Christmas carol. You've got to check it out.

And then of course you have to hear the actual song Jesus is Alive too. You can listen to it and purchase it here if you like:

Christmas music is just so uplifting to me and reminds me of the amazing, incredible hope we have because of God coming to earth. Do you really believe that? Does that make a difference in your day to day? It does for me and I couldn't imagine my life without that kind of hope.

And with that I wish you a very Happy Holidays in these last few days of preparation. I hope it's not stressful for you.

Wordless Wednesday, Deep in December

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:44:00 +0000

More holiday portraits!

Santa is slightly darker skinned these days :)

At the Community Christmas tree lighting at the Fellowship at Cinco Ranch.

Outtake from a holiday photoshoot of a friend's family...my kids had to tag along.

Behold the Lamb of God

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:35:00 +0000

Last night was a night I had been looking forward to for at least half a year. A year ago I attended a live performance of Andrew Peterson's holiday tour, Behold the Lamb of God. It's a masterful collection of beautiful original songs that tell the story of the incarnation beginning in Genesis. A masterpiece, for sure. I have the album (and if you don't, buy it NOW!) but there is nothing quite like hearing it live. Live music is moving in a way that a CD or an iPod can't be.

So I was excited when John Cordes said that our church would be performing Behold the Lamb of God themselves at Christmas this year! We have some very talented instrumentalists and vocalists that lead worship on Sundays, plus John invited a few more musicians who were skilled on instruments like the viola, cello and mandolin. They have been working on the music for months now, since this summer, and last night it paid off. I was moved but I knew exactly what to expect. I heard expressions of awe and wonder after the concert from others in attendance, most of whom had never heard the music before.

Seriously if you want to celebrate Christmas more meaningfully and keep it focused on the story of God's redemption of man, get this album. Here's just one performance by Felton Troy, singing Deliver Us, which was Israel's frequent cry in the Old Testament as they waited for their Messiah to come.