Only 10 posts in 2013? Well, this makes 11...

So this time last year, I was creating my 13 in '13 challenge. While I did not accomplish everything on my list, I had the absolute best year!  Here's a review: 

1. I missed the April race due to celebrating a dear friend's birthday in Nashville. I wouldn't trade it for anything! But, I completed 18 races all year (!) so that gets a thumbs up!

2. I did not lose 20 pounds. In fact, I probably gained weight. But at the beginning of the year I couldn't run one mile without stopping.  Now I can run three. (Well, I haven't ran in three weeks, but that's besides the point lol.)  So that gets a thumbs up too. 

3. Cruise, check!  Woot!

4. My t-shirt quilt was on my mind all year, especially as I started accumulating so many race t-shirts!  Now I have two quilts on the list. 

5. I finished one quilt, which I gave to my beautiful "niece" Olivia. 

6. I crossed a few things off the bucket list!

7. Did not get my emergency account funded.  It will happen this year!

8. Haha. I should have known this one would be a fail. I think my mama called it!

9. The tv redo idea was scrapped. Daddy told me it was junk and taking up room in his building!  Haha!

10. This one is up in the air. I still have a lot of things to work on. 

11. Didn't happen. Need to get a good camera first. 

12. I slacked on keeping track, but I have many months of saving over $100, some even over $200.  So thumbs up instead of check mark. :)

13. I love painting classes!  I took three! 

Now I'm working on my 14 in '14 list. Might as well make it a thing. 

BzzAgent Dr Scholls for Her...High Heel insoles

First things first...I have never used insoles of any kind.  Not that I haven't needed them, I'm sure.  I've just never tried them.  So when BzzAgent sent me an invitation to the Dr. Scholls for Her High Heel Insoles...I was sold.  High heels hurt.  But they are sexy!  So anything to help me last the 8 hours at work in some high heels, I wanted to try. 

My BzzKit arrived and looked like this.  I was excited!  (anyone want a coupon?)

 

I might sit at my desk for most of the work day, but getting up to go the copier/fax/back office or going outside to inspect a vehicle can wreak havoc on my feet when I don't wear flats.  So I was most excited to try these out and put them in one of my new pairs of shoes that I hadn't wore yet.  ($7 for these cute things! - can you believe it!?)

 

 

 

Even though those babies are cute, they might have rubbed me just a little on the back, but that has nothing to do with the insoles.  The insoles were awesome.  They have just the right amount of cushion and grip to make my feet feel good and not slip around in the shoe.  I had no foot pain from wearing heels when I took them off at exactly 5:00pm after work.  :)

 

WAYYYY behind - catch up post

I knew I would fall off the blog wagon.  But 4 months?  That's a little ridonkulous, dontcha think?  So here I am to catch up. This may take a while, and more than one post.  :)

June's first run/walk: Run for the Brass 5K, completed with Tara at Millenium Park on 6/8/13.  We were just a little late for the start, but completed the 3.1 miles in 41:28 (doing more talking than running, I think!)

 

May's walk: Brodhead Homecoming Hustle: 2 miler.  My good friend Bridget came from Danville to do this run!

And my loyal Rockcastle race series friend Melissa and I walked the 2 miles in 28:15.  Pretty good for walking I think.  :)

 

Melissa and I also travelled to Lebanon on May 11th to complete the Color in Motion 5K.  It is definitely the most colorful 5K on the planet, and I look forward to the next one!

 

 

Before.

 

Saw Bridget while we were there.  :)

 

After.  :)

 

So two walks/runs in a month kinda makes me addicted I think.  And definitely completes the May part of my 13 in '13 challenge.

 

April's walk was the Pacing for Paws 5K in Stanford on 4/7.  I wasn't going to be able to do the Rockcastle County race as we were going to Nashville! on the 27th to celebrate Justin's birthday, so I altered my 13 in '13 to consist of one race a month, instead of doing all 12 in the Rockcastle County Wide Stride series, and I had SO much fun in Nashville that it made up for missing the Fairview race.

 

I did Pacing for Paws by myself and was so nervous heading to the race.  It was my first time actually running a 5K as I had previously been walking all of them.  I also freak out a little when doing activities like this by myself, and I totally need to get over that!  So I ran and walked and did it in 36:43.  I was very proud of myself for having a little over a 12 minute average!

 

 

The route on this one was just a little crazy, and definitely not my favorite course.

 

 

March's race was part of the Rockcastle series, the Saint Patrick's Day 5K.  Melissa and I walked this one in 47:01.

 

 

 

February's 4K for Heart Health on 2/23 was the worst course on the planet.  It was at the Country Club/Golf Course and had a huge hill that even some runners were walking!  We completed 2.5 miles in 40:10.

 



 

 

 

 

Tennesse birthday celebrations!

We celebrated Stephanie's March birthday with an impromptu trip to Pigeon Forge.  We ate Ruby Tuesdays (Steph's favorite) and went to the Lumberjack Show, which we enjoyed, but in my honest opinion, wasn't as good as the Hatfield/McCoy show we did in March 2012.  We also went to Foxfire Mountain, which is home to the United States' longest swinging bridge.  I would recommend that trip to anyone, as they have a lot of activities (hiking, bear crawler tours, cairn making, and ziplines) in addition to the bridge.  Plus, one way to Foxfire Mountain takes you through this super awesome covered bridge.

 

Foxfire Mountain's swinging bridge

the birthday girl on the longest swinging bridge in the US

 



Justin's birthday in April took us to Nashville.  (my new favorite city, by the way)  We saw the Duck Dynasty crew at Lipscomb University on Friday night, did a tour of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, and had Justin's birthday meal at Logans, followed by dessert at the Cheesecake Factory.

I am so loving all of the adventures this year is taking me on.  My friends are the absolute best and I love spending time with them in different cities, seeing new things.

more 13 in '13 results + a Bahamas cruise!

#12: Save $100 a month.  Completed through the end of April (still figuring May). 

Janurary: 290.22
February: 107.75
March: 184.76
April: 232.06

#5: Finish all works-in-progress quilts.  One completed so far.  (I have all of the materials to finish a second one.)  The first one went to my "niece" Miss Olivia.  Ain't she cute?!

 

 

#3: Go on a cruise! and #6: Cross something off my bucket list.  Stephanie, Amy, and I have had a cruise planned since January maybe?  I was so excited about it!  We left on 5/15 and flew into the Sanford/Orlando Airport, stayed overnight, and got on board the Carnival Ecstasy on 5/16.  Monday morning, on my 30th birthday (5/20) we had to leave the ship.  I was a little bummed, but my best friends had surprised me with plans of a trip to Downtown Disney! 

 



 

 



in front of the Ecstasy at Nassau, Bahamas

 

 



 

Checking off "Play real Bingo" on the ship

 

 

Checking off "Go up in a hot air balloon" at Downtown Disney

 

 

"See dolphins up close"

 

 

"Watch the sunset/sunrise on a beach/ocean" (did both)

 

 

 

Half Moon Cay - Carnival's private island

 

 

relaxing in the sun at Blue Lagoon (my birthday excursion!)

I also checked off "lay in a hammock on the beach" here.

Characters in Flight Balloon ride

 

I can't wait for the next cruise!  January 2014 maybe?  

 

 

 



Move over Venus Embrace...the Schick Hydro Silk is in town.

If you haven't tried the Schick Hydro Silk razor, what on earth are you waiting for?  Personally, I've used the Venus Embrace razor for at least eight years or more.  Being a couponer, I have also tried other razors that I've gotten fairly cheap, but ALWAYS went back to the Embrace.  Not any more (sorry Gillette)!

I've been a BzzAgent for a few years now and I'm always getting awesome stuff to try for free or at a discount.  All they want in return is my honest opinion and for me to share it with people like you!  I was super excited when I got an invitation to this campaign.  The BzzKit came with the razor, Bzzguide, and some awesome $5 off coupons to share with my friends!  (I have a few left if anyone would like one!)

Here is how Schick describes their newest razor:  Schick Hydro Silk^™ hydrates skin like no other razor can. This uniquely designed razor goes beyond an incredibly close shave to actually care for your skin. With Water-Activated Moisturizing Serum & 5 Curve-Sensing blades with skin guards to help protect skin from irritation, the Hydro Silk^™ razor leaves skin feeling silky smooth! And it’s preferred over the leading 5 blade razor.

First, I used the razor on my underarms a few days before I trying it on my legs.  At that point, I wasn't completely sold.  And honestly, if you look at a side by side photo of these two razors, they really don't look that different.  (Except my Venus Embrace cartridge probably needs replaced!) 

However, just wait til you try this bad boy (girl?) on your legs!  Holy cow!  I always cut myself with a new razor when shaving my legs.  At least one spot on my ankle or knee.  With the Schick Hydro Silk (and shaving gel) I had no knicks or cuts!  It just glided smoothly around my knees and ankles, providing the closest shave I've ever had.  Seriously.  None of that looking like you shaved yesterday as soon as you get out of the tub! 

Now the "water activated moisturzing serum" I'm not 100% sold on.  They do suggest using Schick's shave gel, which I used some kind of shave gel, and I had great results.  However, a friend, who shall remain nameless, used this razor with water only (ouch!) and had itchy legs afterward.  So use some shave gel like they suggest and put some lotion on afterwards (we all do this anyway, right?)

However you do it, just try out this razor.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

*All opinions expressed in this review are mine.  Although I did receive the razor free from BzzAgent, I am not compensated for a positive review.  They just want my honest feedback!

End of January Update

To keep myself accountable, here's an update on my 13 in '13 Challenge.

1.  Complete all 12 County Wide Stride races.

• January 27th, Snowball Express, benefitting Relay for Life (completed!)

2.  Lose 20 pounds. 

• I'm working on it.  lol 

3.  Go on a cruise!

• Cruise is booked!  On my 30th birthday weekend, I'll be lounging on the beach in the Bahamas with two of my best friends!
• Flight is booked!
• Finally, after over a month, I received my birthday certificate in the mail today.  Going to apply for my passport next week.

4.  Start and finish t-shirt quilt.

• Not happened yet.

5.  Finish works-in-progress quilts.

• I've been thinking about it.  :)

6.  Cross something off my bucket list.

• Maybe this month!

7.  Money management

• Cruise flight is paid, down payment made on cruise, money put into general savings each pay period, as well as vacation and Christmas club accounts monthly, and getting ready to file my taxes (prepared by myself).

8.  Organize and de-clutter.

• I've done a little, but not nearly enough.

9.  Finish floor model tv redo.

• Has to be warm first!  One 65 degree day isn't enough.

10.  Be more positive.

• Should have known this would be my downfall.

11.  Take a photography class.

• One day!

12.  Save $100 a month (coupons, surveys, etc)

• Far surpassed $100 in January!  Saved $89.86 in coupons alone, $172.60 in store discounts, and $27.76 in rebates and surveys, for a grand total of $290.22!

13.  Take a painting class.

• Soon! 

Completed the 2-miler in less than 30 minutes (my goal).

Melissa and me.

Rockcastle Regional posted this beauty on Facebook.  It was just a little chilly!

Bucket List and more on #12

So this is my current bucket list.  I know there are many things I need to add to it, but it's a work in progress.  :)  I'd like to mark a few things off of it this year!

 

 

This second picture is of my receipt from McDonald's yesterday.  Not the most healthy lunch, but hey, sometimes you gotta eat what you want, and yesterday I wanted two cheeseburgers.  But I didn't have Coke, I had Hawaiian Punch.  The reason the receipt is important is because I didn't pay a penny for my meal.  The Jingit card in bottom left had a little over $6 on it from watching ads and scanning certain products at Walmart on my iPhone.  Check it out if you're interested.  Jingit

With the above savings on my McDonald's meal, January's savings/earnings so far are $91.53.  I have no doubt that this month's goal of saving/earning $100 will be met!  :)

So, what's on your bucket list?  And/or what's your favorite savings method or app?  Please share with me!

 

Number 10: Negative Nancy

Yep, my good friend James knew it was going to be a problem.  Number 10: Be more positive.  Here it is day 7 into the new year and I'm Negative Nancy already.  Blame it on Monday, or whatever you want to, but I'm just not feeling the word positive today.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever been a positive person.  I can probably find something bad in everything, although I really don't want to be THAT person.  I just can't seem to help it.

But today, it's even worse.  So, I'm trying to put on that Papaw Kincaid smile *sending love to Heaven* and get through it.  I could use your help though!  Comment below or send me a text, email, or message with your favorite positive quote!

This one fits me today:

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.
- Lou Holtz

Coincidence? I think not...

First off, if you aren't using Swagbucks as your search engine, you're missing out. Last year alone, I cashed in $45 in Amazon gift cards. Depending on how often you use search engines and the amount of referrals you get, you could earn much more than I did.

Anywho, on to the point of the post. Here was today's poll: (and btw, lets turn that no into a yes this year!)

The idea

First off, I really don't know much about blogs except I've always wanted one.  This is actually my second attempt.  I'm starting this one to keep up with my 13 in '13 resolutions, and if you'd like, you can keep up with them too!

I came up with the idea because 1) I'm going to be 30 this year (gasp!) and 2) I'm ready for some changes in my life!

Without further ado, here is the list!

1) Complete all 12 races in the County Wide Stride series
     you can read more about that here.  (Last year, I did 10 of the 12)
2) Lose 20 pounds.
3) Go on a cruise.
4) Start and finish my first t-shirt quilt.
5) Finish all works-in-progress quilts. (I think I have three?)
6) Cross something off my bucket list.  (more about that later)
7) Money management ($1000 emergency fund, pay off debts)
8) Organize and de-clutter.
9) Finish floor model tv redo
10) Be more positive.
11) Take a photography class.  (I love landscape photography)
12) Save $100 a month (in coupons, surveys, Swagbucks, etc)
13) Take a painting class.

I'm going to try to update this at least weekly, if not more often, so I can keep track of myself!  Help keep me accountable if you would like!!