Water water everywhere...

How To Stay Friends During Election Season

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0000

JoAnne and Laurie in passionate conversation.

Social media has created a wonderful outlet for people to connect with each other and voice their opinions. Unfortunately those opinions can also serve to divide us and cause big rifts in good friendships. Before things like Facebook and Twitter we tended to have small circles of friends in similar stations of life to us. People whose paths we crossed on a regular basis were generally the only folks with whom we had meaningful conversations. Whether or not we want to admit it, we tend to surround ourselves with people with whom we have a lot in common. Mothers of young children in a middle class suburb usually end up friends with other mothers of young children in a similar income bracket. More often than not that means the world that shapes our opinions is similar and it can serve to reinforce our own perspectives.

It's really easy to form a very strong opinion and have it backed up continuously by those around us. Politics and religion especially tend to be polarizing subjects, but even parenting styles and entertainment can be dividing. Once we have chosen which side of an issue we are on we have a tendency to go "all in" and start to believe that anyone with the opposite view is either stupidly ignorant or willfully evil.

That's just no way to live. How boring life is when everyone is just like you. How bitter and angry people get when they insist that everyone unlike them is somehow trying to do them or the world they live in harm.

It's really hard to reach out and "friend" people that hold passionately opposite views from me. I might think someone is really cool and smart and then suddenly they post a link and go on a rant and my opinion of them plummets. There was a time that I stupidly believed that if you called yourself a Christian you simply must have a particular political ideology because the opposite is unbiblical. That was ignorant. No one holds all the right answers and if you truly believe you do, this blog post isn't for you. It really is worth the trouble to open your eyes and mind to other points of view on a regular basis. At the very least it helps form a more educated and easier to defend position.

Hopefully you see the benefit of making friends with "different". The opportunity for learning when you form a solid relationship with someone unlike you is huge. So how do you maintain that friendship during election season? How to you keep from "unfriending" or "unfollowing" them or saying something that gets you permanently ignored?

Focus on your similarities as much as possible. Remember, for example, that she's a mom looking out for her kids just like you are.
Find common ground on issues you disagree on.
Believe the best about them. Assume good intentions. Assume they might just have a different means to the same end.
Discuss in good faith. Be honest and not insulting.
Be willing to listen. That means hearing and considering what they are saying, not just thinking about how you're going to respond back.
Be willing to read and do you research before you engage in a topic. Try hard to refrain from repeating verbatim the talking points of one-sided media sources.
Be willing to admit when you don't know something.
Be willing to admit when you may have been wrong.
Know when NOT to engage. Some people and their opinions are too blinded to try this with.

As you can see, maintaining these kinds of relationships and engaging well with people requires a huge dose of humility and some hard work. But I believe it's worth it.

If it doesn't work? There's always "judicious use of the hide button on Facebook" as my lovely and different friend, Sarah Bessey, says.

10 Things I Think While I'm Running

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:50:00 +0000

So even though I've been running for more than a year now and I'm consistently doing around 3 miles every run, I'd still consider myself a new runner. Why? Because I still spend most of my run thinking about my run. There are very brief occasions when my mind wanders and I can ponder something more interesting but especially right now while I'm in race training I am very focused on the mechanics and feelings of running.

I read an article recently that talked about how our brains work better when we think less. In turn our bodies work more efficiently when we we can do certain physical maneuvers instinctively instead of consciously. This is true for things like martial arts and football. Yes you have to train mentally first to be able to get to the place where your body moves correctly without thinking, but once you get there you move even better.

I'm not there yet with my running but I believe I will be someday. I know people that are able to solve all kinds of problems in their heads when they run. Friends speak about creative inspiration hitting while they run. Certainly it's a stress reliever, even for me.

So here are ten things that go through my head, I swear, every single time I run. Every time. All these things. Some are kind of hilarious even to me. Some are really stupid and should be banished from my head.

1. "What's that twinge in my leg? Stop that. You are not gonna get injured, stupid knee/hamstring/IT band/foot."

2. "This is gonna make me feel so awesome when I'm done. So why doesn't it feel awesome right now?"

3. "I wonder if I'm hydrated enough? Maybe that's why I'm dragging."

4. "Darn it I have to pee. Apparently peeing three times before I left wasn't enough."

5. "Breathe slower. Big breath in through the nose...man why are my nostrils so tiny and narrow?"

6. "I love this song! Let's see if it's the right rhythm for my pace. This song is just a tiny bit slower than I recall. Or maybe I'm faster now...yeah, that's it!"

7. "Wonder if anyone I know drives by while I'm running. Probably not."

8. "This is getting hard, my legs are getting heavy. Remember, I'm running for the glory of God and the rescue of orphans. Keep going." (this is my mantra)

9. "I feel awesome like I could go forever. Don't slow me down you stupid traffic lights or cars pulling out."

10. "Am I done yet? Ouch. (Insert lame excuse here.) Think I'll cut this a bit short today. Next run I'll do more."

Sometimes I do cut it short, sometimes I don't. But I'm always thinking about the next run.

Can you relate to any of these?

This post is linked up at Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday...check it out for lots more great lists.

Together For Them Adoption Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Eighteen months ago my husband and I started something of an interesting adventure. I had been doing a lot of reading and you know reading can really open your eyes and mind and get you in trouble. I knew there was something unsatisfying about our lifestyle of luxury and comfort. There was a gut feeling inside me that following Jesus meant life should be about something more than building wealth.

Our friends, the Cordes family, sent us a letter explaining their plans to adopt a little boy from Ethiopia. They also mentioned starting a life group at our church focused on the care of orphans. My reaction was to go "all in" with them but Mike gave me a lot of push back. I was reading Radical, by David Platt, and started talking about altering the way we live, especially in terms of money, but my husband had no idea where I was coming from. I convinced him to join the new life group and even host it at our house so that he couldn't make excuses to bail if he hated it. He knew I wanted to adopt or foster but he was happy with our family as is.

We met some awesome people in our new group, 1:17, and read book after book about God's heart for the orphan, for the desperately poor and hungry, for the widow and the outcast. We watched as God did amazing things to help raise funds towards bringing orphans into forever families. We prayed together, served together, ate and laughed together and even mourned together. Eight families made plans to adopt and one made plans to start fostering. We celebrated as two families brought their sons home and prayed fervently as several others encountered lengthy delays and have had to wait much longer than expected.

This weekend we have an exciting opportunity to nurture and maybe even grow our little community with a heart for unwanted kids. Alliance 1418, the network of Houston area churches with adoption, foster care and orphan care ministries that we belong to, is sponsoring a first of it's kind conference here in Katy. The Together For Them conference will be an incredible opportunity to learn first hand about all the ins and outs of the adoption process, the foster care system, caring for orphans, and how to parent your adopted kids once they're home. There are some fantastic speakers and there will be a great time of worship as well. Lunch is included with the small cost of $10 per family.

Together for Them

Saturday, Feb 25th

8:30-3:45pm

Kingsland Baptist Church

Katy, TX

I hope that you'll consider coming and learning about the possibilities, even if you're just a little bit curious. God has an amazing plan at work for these kids and for the families of those who will answer the call.

Fashion Friday! My Expanding Wardrobe

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:43:00 +0000

You may remember that one of my top ten reasons for eating healthier was to make better use of all the clothes in my gigantic closet that I couldn't fit. Well I'm happy to tell you that so far I'm down ten pounds and I have no idea how many inches, but it's a lot. It's definitely one full jeans size. So not only has eating healthier helped me lose weight, but all the running, core work and yoga have also toned me up a bit which also makes clothes fit better.

I still have a way to go in my plan till I reach my goal, but the key is that I have a plan with incremental, achievable goals and I'm implementing it. This all kind of sounds like bragging to me and I don't want it to...I want you to know what's possible and what a huge difference even a very small goal like ten pounds can make in how you look and feel. Here's a post from January for comparison purposes. You may not be able to see the difference in these photos, but I assure you it's a whole size difference.

January 22

January 24

January 29

February 5

February 12

As a reward for hitting my first of many health milestones in 2012, I headed to Target for the debut of the designer collaboration with Jason Wu. The were out of all but a size 16 in the one dress I truly loved and I'm very happy to know that a dress that size would look like a giant burlap sack on me these days. I did find this simple white shirt with a stylish silk tie that I snatched up as my prize.

I look forward to hopefully posting more updates on my shrinking size/expanding wardrobe project. If you have questions about where any of the clothes I'm wearing come from, hit me up in the comments and I"ll be happy to share!

Review: A Droid RAZR For This Verizon iPhone Girl

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

Exactly one year ago I wrote a review of my brand new iPhone 4 from Verizon Wireless. I have been a loyal Verizon customer with the same phone number (still with a Philadelphia extension) for over a decade. I have had a long line of great mobile phones through Verizon, including Samsung flip phone, an LG flip phone, and a nice pink Blackberry curve that I grew to despise while everyone around me carried iPhones. But I held out for Verizon to get the iPhone because my AT&T friends bitch endlessly about dropped calls and no data coverage. So glad I did.

Recently Verizon Wireless approached me about joining their new Ambassador program and it seemed like a natural fit. This week they sent me the latest and greatest in their line of awesome smart phones, the Motorola Droid RAZR with 4G LTE. It's supposed to be lightning fast on the 4G. So I'm anxious to take the next couple months and compare this new Droid RAZR with my current iPhone 4. To that end, I made a little video of my first impressions.

10 Unromantic Ways I Celebrate Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

1. Usually we hire a sitter and have a date night the Saturday closest to Valentine's Day. Instead this year I volunteer to spend all afternoon and evening photographing dads and their little girls for a dance at our church. Meanwhile my husband feeds, entertains, bathes and puts our boys to bed.

2. Plan to attend a special Valentine's Day lunch...with my grandparents...at a potential retirement home.

3. My husband's birthday was last week and I shower him with awesome gifts. Consequently I use up all my gift ideas and fail to come up with anything for today other than a card.

4. Tell my husband not to buy me a stitch of chocolate because I'm on a diet.

5. Over the past week I find zero time to head to the store without at least one child in tow. Which means I did not buy them any cards or gifts, at all. #EpicMomFail

Obviously not taken this year.

6. Normally unfazed by such things, of course I get a huge dose of PMS hormones and cry with guilt over my epic failure to demonstrate my love for my family through gifts on a Hallmark holiday (my love language, not theirs.)

7. The day before Valentine's day I find out my cleaning lady has a sick kid and can't come. Hosting life group that night means I have to clean but only have time to focus on the areas where company will be, so a romantic bath in a clean jacuzzi tub won't be happening today.

8. No sleeping on clean sheets either. See #7.

And the most unromantic thing of all?

9. Waking up sick as a dog on Valentine's Day with swollen glands, a throat burning like fire and a head full of snot. Instead of a romantic kiss my better half helps me get the kids ready for school while I throw on some sexy sweatpants and start popping pills.

10. As he walks out the door he whispers "Don't worry about dinner, honey, we can just order a pizza."

Now that is what love is all about.

This post is linked up over at Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday. I bet there are some much nicer Valentine's posts over there.

Grammy Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:26:00 +0000

Never too much Dave Grohl

I am a certified fanatical music nerd. Maybe you noticed that with all my blog posts about music, but I have a tendency to forget it. I think myself a pretty average fan most of the time.

Then Grammy time comes around and I am compelled to give it way more attention than it really deserves. There was a time when the Grammys seemed to go off the track and reward a whole bunch of crap music. That time seems to have been fading away a bit in recent years, with some really talented lesser known artists getting nominated and even winning. Last year my heart was warmed when they let Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers actually perform their incredible music. It also seems that people are beginning to recognize real talent once in awhile, like the phenomenal voice of Adele.

Did you know that they award 78 different Grammys? Variations in category abound. 68 of these awards are done during the pre-telecast which I discovered you can view live online! So guess what I was watching all day. The ones I care most about are Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Album, Song and Performance, Best Contemporary Christian Song and Album, Best New Artist and sometimes I'm into the Pop stuff but very often not. This year though, my long time favorite band the Foo Fighters (who I have seen in concert about a half dozen times) were up for a ton of awards in lots of categories.

Ok so some highlights.

Best Surprise of the Night

The very fact that The Civil Wars performed even a bit of their Grammy winning song Barton Hollow before introducing Taylor Swift amazes me. Suddenly everyone loves them and deservedly so. I saw someone tweet that their first show was 18 months ago and now they're on the Grammys...that's not so because I've been following them very closely since early 2009 when they performed at Eddie's Attic and then released the mindblowing EP Poison and Wine. I was a fan of Joy Williams before she got together with John Paul White to create The Civil Wars but I never expected their meteoric rise to success because people with their kind of roots usually don't enjoy instant mainstream success. The interesting thing about The Civil Wars is that when they sing together there is usually a sexual tension you can cut with a knife even though they are each married to other people. Well last week Joy announced she is expecting her first child and last night during their much-too-short song I saw none of the usual chemistry. I hope they don't lose that now that they are playing for much less intimate audiences.

Most Infuriating Moment of the Night

Every time Chris Brown took the stage, which was at least three times by my count. The Grammys billed him as some kind of triumphant comeback and it made my stomach turn. The kid beat his girlfriend to a bloody pulp, got a slap on the wrist of five years probabtion WHICH HE IS STILL SERVING, and routinely calls people f*ggot and throws chairs through windows. For this he is rewarded with two Grammy performances, a multi-platinum selling album and a Grammy award. Even more horrifying are these tweets from women last night. I believe in grace, and second chances, but consequences and apologies are also very important and we are sending the wrong wrong wrong message to young women everywhere.

Funniest Twitter Commentary of the Night

I have a tie for this one. It's tied between the moment Bon Iver won Best New Artist and when DeadMau5 took the stage. My friend Craig Hlavaty wrote this terrifically funny bit in the Houston Press about what happened when Bon Iver won. ("Who the Eff is the Ron River?") Now arguably his music is not new to those of us geeks in the know, so whether he should get best *new* artist is somewhat questionable, but his music is undeniably great. Then there was the big electronica number with David Guetta and DeadMau5. Lots and lots of "I don't get this" tweets and even more hilarious "What is up with the light up Mickey Mouse head?". I'm sorry but DeadMau5 is awesome and makes incredible music that I always want to dance to. That head is the latest and greatest improvement of something he's been wearing for years and fans like me love it.

In the end Adele swept the Grammys with her amazing raw talent combination of voice and songwriting. She deserves the accolades and listening to her acceptance speeches in the thickest cockney accent you'll ever hear is both amusing and endearing. I'm sad Mumford and Sons didn't win anything for their incredible song, The Cave, but perhaps this means they won't get overplayed and ruined.

So what were your favorite moments of last night's Grammys?

I

Running Progress Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:57:00 +0000

Today I want to share with you the awesome progress I have been making in my running, just to encourage others of what is possible. Trust me when I say that if I can do this, anybody can do it. Like so many things in life, I believe running is about 90% mental. Nobody starts out jumping off the couch and running a marathon. The hardest part is not even starting, although that's pretty hard. The hardest part is sticking with it, despite a body that rebels against it with soreness and injuries. My body definitely does that, but my brain and soul don't let me give up.

So now that I'm in a training group I've been running or doing some kind of interval workout four times a week. That puts my legs in a perpetual state of soreness as the muscle fibers breakdown and build themselves stronger. I've learned that this state of soreness is a good thing, because I've watched my speed improve a lot. I keep track of all my runs with an iPhone app called Runkeeper. When I'm outside it tracks everything I do by GPS. When I'm inside on the treadmill I have to enter the stats. Outside is best because it shows me an exact breakdown of split times.

Back at Christmas when my sister was here we did 2 minutes running followed by 2 minutes walking. It was hard for me and slow. At the beginning of the 5K training program we did one mile time trials and my time was 12 minutes 56 seconds. That was with zero walking. Right now I'm doing 5 minutes running followed by a minute of walking, repeat indefinitely, usually for about 5k. My last couple runs averaged 12 minutes and 20 seconds per mile, INCLUDING walking.

So a bit about the body rebelling. A couple weeks ago I started having knee pain, something I'm all too familiar with. There are many many blog posts from back in 2005 when I first started running and developed runner's knee in both legs so badly I could hardly walk and ended up in physical therapy for months. Also last year when I began the couch to 5K program I had this happen too. It sidelined me for a week or so but new, custom fit (very expensive) running shoes solved the whole problem. So this year as soon as it flared up again I bought new shoes. Problem solved again.

Next there's the asthma. I hadn't had an attack of my exercise induced asthma in a very long time, so long that when my inhaler ran out I did not refill it. So when I finished a nice outdoor run last week and was left coughing my head off and wheezing for air it was a complete surprise. I let it go thinking maybe it was just a fluke thing, but then after another solo run where I really pushed for speed I got another attack. So I called up the doc's office and found out I had to be seen to get another inhaler. I marched in and explained the situation to my favorite physician's assistant who it turns out is a competitive runner with exercise induced asthma too! She advised me to use the inhaler BEFORE I even start a run.

On my days off from running I often do yoga and use the elliptical machine at the gym. The elliptical is really an excuse to catch up with my friend Kristi (whose blog Baby Food Steps is awesome, btw). Well last week after a not very strenuous half hour on the elliptical I felt a weird pain in the back of my thigh, just above the knee. It twinged only when I stepped a certain way, but especially when climbing the stairs. Frustrated, I decided I'd better ice it and rest it for a few days.

I really really hate injuries that knock me off my training schedule. REALLY. I'm addicted to running now, to the progress I am making and the sweat and the endorphins that leave me full of positive energy for the rest of the day. But I refuse to let injuries stop me. I also refuse to push myself through injuries because I know that only patience and rest can keep them from becoming much worse. Holding myself back is actually pretty hard to do, but I know when it's important.

After several days of no activity I went to yoga class and took it very easy, modifying every pose to never fully stretch my hamstring. That's actually a lot harder than it sounds. When evening came and I had walked around all day with no hamstring pain I decided that the next morning I would resume running and see how it went. So this morning I got up and dressed pretty warm (it was 36 degrees and windy), puffed on my inhaler, and headed out on my usual route. I tried not to push the speed too much so I was surprised when my app kept telling me I was running consistently under 12 minutes a mile. Even after a couple of miles I felt like a million bucks. When I got back to my house after a bit more than 3 miles I really felt like I could have kept going, but decided to stop. I could breathe!! I wasn't even close to gasping for air, my breathing had been slow and steady the entire run. My inhaler worked wonders and my hamstring didn't give me an ounce of trouble.

So next I will kick it up to at least 6 minute intervals and extend my route out to four miles, since the race I'm running in March, Run 4 The Children, is that long. Yay progress!

Pinterest Tips for Guys

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Pinterest is the hot social media platform of the moment. It is suddenly the number one driver of traffic to retail websites, even more so than YouTube and Google + combined. Pinterest is a wild hit with the non tech savvy population and most especially with women.

Smart men are interested, but as my friend Jason remarked upon joining yesterday, it can at first seem like "estrogen overload". I don't know the demographic breakdown and I'm sure it's evolving dramatically every day right now, but it is clearly dominated by women.

So it makes sense that when a guy signs up and Pinterest suggests which of his existing friends he should follow, he's going to end up seeing a huge number of feminine pinboards. It could prompt the guy with average intelligence to conclude the platform is only for women and he'll see no benefit. But writing off Pinterest entirely is a mistake and I'm pleased to be following at least a few chaps of above average social media acumen, not to mention great style. (I recommend following Brian Block, Caleb Gardner, and Philip Edsel just to name a few.)

So my first piece of advice is the same thing I said about Twitter years ago...don't follow everyone that follows you. Don't follow everyone of you Facebook contacts that happens to have a Pinterest account. Skim through the pins of each person you follow and make sure they have something to offer, something that interests you. Unfollow those with only a handful of girly pins.

Some of my various pinboards

Here's my biggest tip: when you decide which people to keep following, go to their list of boards and selectively unfollow the most gender specific ones. For example, unless you have a major fetish, it's unlikely you, a guy, would be interested in my Shoes! board. Same goes for My Style. However guys might dig my Inked board or my Stuff I Want To Eat board. My photography board is pretty genderless, as is my board full of running quotes. I even have a Men's Fashion board, though I need to find more stylish guys to follow so I can fill it up.

Who doesn't love food?

My last piece of advice is to create your own unique boards for specific interests and do searches to fill them with pins. That's how I made my Inked board, since not many of my friends are into pinning tattoos. It's also how I made my Office Renovation board which is for a real project I'm currently working on, not just some home fantasy.

Once you've got a good group of peeps to follow and a bunch of focused boards, you'll find it easy to pop into Pinterest for a few minutes at a time and quickly repin your favorite finds for safe keeping. It's much easier to stay on top of than Twitter or even Facebook, and it's the perfect end-of-the-day brainless activity for me to wind down with after hours of creating content and marketing it.

Channeling Charlie Sheen.

Happy pinning!

Got any more obvious suggestions for guys that I missed? Leave them in the comments!

This post is linked up over at Kristen's Works for Me Wednesday.

10 Songs I Love to Run To

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:44:00 +0000

I have learned to love running. I get an amazing rush of positive energy when I'm done that lasts for hours. It makes me super productive in other areas of my work and homelife. Of course it burns huge calories and is helping me lose some extra pounds too. Competing against myself in terms of getting faster and shaving time off my runs is pretty cool too.

A good playlist is really essential to me when I'm running alone and not with my training group. I have shared some of my playlists in the past but I have a new one that is totally keeping me pumped up during my runs. So here it is!

1. Mat Kearney - Hey Mama
I reviewed Mat's album Young Love and I still say it should win a Grammy.

2. Matchbox 20 - Let's See How Far We've Come
Found this older tune in my library and it's the perfect tempo and lyrics for my runs.

3. Jimmy Eat World - Always Be
Again, perfect tempo. Love everything this band does.

4. All-American Rejects - Move Along
Another older song with great lyrics for running.

5. We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices
Super fast so I feel the urge to step it up and push a little.

6. MuteMath - Spotlight
Have you seen this video? If you haven't, go watch it. These guys are so talented.

7. Green River Ordinance - Rise Up
Yes I know I had this song on at least two previous lists. It's THAT GOOD.

8. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
My lists can't be all pop music, gotta through some of that hipster stuff in too.

9. Foster the People - Helena Beat
Everyone uses Pumped Up Kicks at races, but I vastly prefer this song.

10. Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Old school pop-punk. Reminds me of high school.

Bonus! LFMAO - Party Rock Anthem! Because seriously, this song is crazy infectious and makes me feel like dancing every time I hear it.

So if you want to add some new tunes to your workout, check these out! This post is linked up over at Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday. There are lots of other great posts there that you should check out!

Pinterest Makes Cooking Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Superbowl = crockpot chili

If you aren't using Pinterest yet, I strongly suggest you check it out right away. You may have noticed a slight Pinterest-y (yes, that's a word) theme around this blog of late. It is a lot like scanning through a magazine to look at all the pictures without reading any of the articles except for that one that grabs your attention and pulls you in a little deeper.

Except this magazine is perpetually published with new pictures. Oh and MY FRIENDS are the ones picking the photos.

I trust my friends, they are smart. They generally have very good taste. Even those who have different taste that I do have good taste that is worth checking out.

Ok back to cooking being fun. I've written many many MANY times about how I don't particularly like to cook. I usually would much rather eat out at a restaurant where the food is lovely and hot and I don't have to prepare it or clean up the mess. We are spoiled and do this quite a lot, which is wasteful and excessive both in dollars and in things like calories and fat.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken!

One thing that has totally changed my desire to eat out is the big change in my eating plan I've made recently. It is totally possible to eat at all the same restaurants as I had been while on a diet, but it is nowhere near as much fun. In fact sometimes it's downright torture, the way the whole place smells of fried food and the menu is covered in photos that make my mouth water. All of which include a abundance of cheese, bacon and bread.

I'm drooling just thinking about it. So yeah, sometimes I actually want to avoid all that temptation.

Another thing that makes cooking fun is having people to cook for that really, genuinely appreciate my cooking. My husband sometimes does, but not really as much as my grandparents do. They eat in restaurants every single night so when I cook for them at home they tend to gush over it with appreciation.

Finally what made cooking super fun this weekend was Pinterest. I have a board FULL of photos of food that look divinely appetizing to me. My biggest issue in the past with cookbooks was the lack of pictures. Pinterest has essentially allowed me to create my own cookbook of my very favorite foods without anything I want to skip over.

When I started the pinboard I wasn't on a diet and you can tell. The beginning is full of recipes with cheese. And things utilizing crescent roll dough.

But lately I have found things that are much healthier and don't look too terribly hard to make.

Parmesan crusted asparagus

On Saturday I knew my grandparents were coming to dinner so I planned accordingly. I found this recipe for crockpot barbecue chicken that says you can start with frozen chicken breasts, so I threw everything in the crockpot that morning. Then I also decided to try this Parmesan crusted asparagus I saw that looked delicious and not too hard. It turned out to be more time consuming that I imagined, dipping and coating all those little asparagus spears. I won't likely make it again, but boy were they delicious! Next time I'm gonna try this recipe for roasted broccoli that sounds very good.

I also made a birthday cake on Saturday and learned that plain homemade cakes are a thousand times tastier than the prettiest storebought cake.

I loved using the crockpot so much on Saturday that I decided to use it again Sunday to make chili to eat during the Superbowl. We weren't having a party or anything but Mike didn't want the game interrupted by a big dinner, so chili seemed perfect. I put it together right after church so it was ready to go at supper time. It was the best chili I have ever made by far.

1 lb ground beef (next time I'll try ground turkey)
1/2 a red onion
1 small green bell pepper
1 big can of kidney beans (maybe 27oz?) undrained
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
2 packets of chili spices
1 10oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis undrained

You brown the meat along with the chopped onion and pepper. Then you mixed in all the other stuff and cook on low for 6 hrs or high for 3ish hours and voila! I threw a tiny bit of jack cheese on top when I served it.

In conclusion, I am definitely going to being using Pinterest for cooking ALL THE TIME now.

Awesome T-shirts I Would Love to Wear

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Down here in Texas a cute t-shirt with jeans and boots is perfectly normal attire for a soccer mom like me. Even better if you have cowboy boots or a sparkly belt and earrings to dress it up! While t-shirts are still totally casual I do think they are a step up from my gym clothes, which I tend to wear a lot only because I spend a lot of time at the gym.

I have become very selective about my t-shirts over the years but here are a few that I found that I would gladly wear.

First up we have some classic Geek Chic. Yes, I'm a stickler for good grammar. There are occasions in my writing I will purposely ignore certain rules of grammar (like not starting a sentence with And) but they are not by mistake.

Available at etsy, found via Pinterest.

Then there is this whole genre of Texan wear that can get a little obnoxious but we Texans can't help the fact that we live in the best country...er...I mean state.

Available at t-shirtguru.com, found via Pinterest

Along those same lines is this cute shirt I found that expresses exactly how I feel. Houston gets a bad rap a lot, but I love it here. Bonus! Sales of this shirt benefit Spacetaker, an awesome local arts organization.

Available here, found via Pinterest

Then of course I have to feature at least one running/workout shirt, right? This looks too cute to actually exercise in though!

Not sure where to buy it, but found via Pinterest

And finally here's a tshirt that is actually a little less casual and a little more pretty. I do love gray shirts.

Unfortunately I can't find a source to buy this shirt either, but it was found on Polyvore. I think it implied you could make this with a big tshirt but I don't sew. If somebody figures out where to buy it let me know in the comments!

Help Me With My Diet!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:50:00 +0000

Ok people, I know you have opinions. And you have knowledge. You've tried stuff and read stuff and now I'm calling on you to share it with me!

So you know I've been on this "eating healthier" plan along with running like crazy and still working out at the gym. I have been religiously tracking my food and aiming for a daily caloric target of about 1200. I started off a little lower than that but I'm petrified of my metabolism slowing down too much, and since I'm burning about 300 calories a day with exercise it seems like 1200 should be the minimum.

Keep in mind those calories aren't my only guideline, I'm trying to keep them as low fat and high fiber calories. I've moderately increased my veggies, dramatically increased my fruits, and reduced and changed my carbs. The only refined carbs I eat are the occasional handful of goldfish crackers or baked tortilla chips.

My means are generally like this: breakfast is a bowl of cereal (honey nut cheerios) or oatmeal or a high fiber english muffin. Plenty of coffee too. Lunch is a big fat apple, some almonds, or possibly a turkey sandwich on wheat thins. Maybe a healthy choice or lean cuisine on occasion. Dinner is usually chicken, veggies and a salad. Maybe a small portion of potatoes. I also usually have one skinny latte a day. I figure the skim milk is good protein and calcium without a lot of calories or fat. That's often right after a hard workout.

A lot of days I end up with way less than 1200 calories and usually end up with some kinda carb to make up the difference before bed.

So I have heard lots of theories about cutting out dairy, cutting carbs entirely, even cutting fruit. I'm just not sure how to get more meat, bean and veggies in. Convenience is king in my house.

Anyway the scale isn't moving as fast as I'd like it to. Maybe I'm just impatient, but maybe there's something different I should be doing. So I'm wide open to your suggestions.

I REALLY want your opinions. Lay it on me.

History Revisited Through Music

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:34:00 +0000

Yesterday I began the daunting task of reorganizing and renovating my office. I don't actually do any work in my office because the space stresses me out. It may look neatly organized to the casual observer but to me it is one big pile of clutter. The desktop computer is more like a doorstop and the bookshelves are overflowing.

One of the first things I decided to do was to pack up our extensive CD collection into a storage tub and stick it in the attic. Mike and I both love music a ton and over the years have amassed hundreds of CDs, but now of course everything is digital. I have multiple iPods and an iPhone and I never use my CD player anymore.

So I sat down on the floor with a storage tub and started going through each and every CD we owned to make sure the disc was in the proper case and set some aside for a future garage sale.

It was a really interesting experience, going through all those CDs, much like looking at an old photo album. Music has played a huge role in my life and obviously in Mike's life too. I remember well buying my first few CDs in middle school, often very obscure "modern rock" stuff like Voice of the Beehive, They Might Be Giants and The Las. I still have the Red Hot Chili Peppers CD "Blood Sugar Sex Magic" with the parental advisory mark blacked out in hopes my parents wouldn't find it. They did and confiscated it for awhile. It's still one of the best albums of the 90's.

There's a big bunch of chick music CDs that I brought to the marriage, like a ton of Tori Amos and Alanis Morrisette, and there's an equal amount of classic rock from Mike's side. What was always interesting to me were the duplicates...albums we both bought independently before we met that showed overlapping taste. Those were Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Live and the Foo Fighters mostly.

What I didn't remember was the phase of angry, angsty hard rock Mike must have gone through because there are a LOT of albums I can't stand by bands like Limp Biskit, Tool and Korn. Yuck.

My country music phase is evident and did not last at all. I have zero interest in keeping all the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw albums I bought. Alternative music is timeless to me, country music is most definitely not.

And of course there is our extensive jazz collection which began when the two of us enrolled in a class on The History of Jazz for our art elective in college together. That was a great class and we really enjoyed listening to albums and even attending a few concerts by guys like Thelonius Monk and Wynton Marsalis. Miles Davis' album Kind Of Blue is pure masterpiece, plain and simple.

The afternoon walk down memory lane was a great one, a good opportunity to remember the people we were before we were married for 14 years. I think it's great for a married couple to think about what drew you together and what your courtship was like.

It's too easy to forget.

In Which I Turn Into a Ball of Mush

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:33:00 +0000

This new year has ushered in a new awareness for me that my youngest child, Alex, will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. With an August birthday he'll probably be the youngest in the his class but likely the tallest anyway and he's ready so we aren't red-shirting him. He's been in daycare/preschool three full days a week for the past three years.

He has also been home with me on two days a week for the past three years. For at least the past year that has been very enjoyable time, one on one with my little man. Granted I do put him in childcare at the gym for a short workout those days, but we also hang out at our local coffee shop, hit the grocery store together and play games together.

So one day earlier this month we were strolling through the grocery aisle on a Tuesday morning when it dawned on me that my little buddy wouldn't be with me to do that in a few short months. It made me surprisingly sad.

My older kid had two years of Kindergarten, one private and one public. For whatever reason I remember no melancholy over his going five days a week, or even taking the big bus home from school every day.

But Alex is my youngest and I admit he probably gets treated a bit differently than his brother. I notice how he's losing his baby belly and how he has peer to peer conversations with his brother. I hate that I can't pick him up and carry him, even though I used to hate how much that hurt my back. He still is in a big silly phase and uses made up language all the time that remind me that he's only four.

A couple nights ago he crawled into our bed at 5am. I miss cuddling in bed with my babies so much that I'm inclined to let him stay but Mike was having none of it. It was becoming habitual and getting earlier and earlier in the morning. So when we told him he couldn't stay he burst into babyish tears and I totally melted. In my early morning haze I had no resolve in me and selfishly wanted him to stay so Mike took over and walked him back to bed. In the end we all got another couple hours of sleep we wouldn't have had.

Kindergarten registration isn't till April in our district, but I'm dreading it. I'm not ready for my baby to grow up just yet. Is this why some women just seem to keep having babies? I suspect it is.

My 2012 Word of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hubbell) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:00 +0000

My friend Alece has this thing...this community of people who choose one word to live by, focus on and define the year. I admit that I thought it was just a bit to simplistic for me. I prefer concrete goals with actionable steps and milestones along the way. Yeah, I'm an engineer.

But this year when buzz was spreading about people choosing their "one word" for 2012, I gave it a few minutes of thought. I'm already on a path of living very purposefully, very intentionally. That's what this whole blog is really about. I already feel mostly full of gratitude, joy and contentedness. So what would I want to change about my life to improve it?

The word "Hustle" popped into my head. I think mostly because of how freakin' much running I've been doing of late.

So why would I, someone who relishes being totally chill about everything, want to hustle? Miss Type B, plan lots of margin in the schedule, no need to get stressed out...that's me. Well the word "hustle" does not necessarily mean to do everything faster. But it does mean to do more...to do the work...to keep the effort level up...to not get lazy and not get too relaxed. I have a tendency to get a bit too relaxed, and then I wonder why my blog isn't growing as much or my clothes aren't fitting as well.

So in 2012 I have promised I will hustle. I have already started that with my intense running schedule and my analytically tracking of every calorie I put in my mouth. You may have noticed a sharp increase in blog posting as well. Hustling means staying on top of things and putting a few more irons in the fire. It means pursuing my dreams a bit harder.

It does NOT mean working so much I start to get stressed out. It means pushing just a little more while still maintaining the balance I cherish.

So what's YOUR one word for 2012?

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?