Our Move

Well, we made it! We are officially residents of North Carolina, and after today, I will have a new state driver's license, which may be a little hard for me to swallow, but at least people won't inspect my ID like it's fake every time they ask to see it.

We have been here for about three weeks (minus a week for a family vacation we took), but I want to go back to pre-move to document some of our last days in Houston.

When we first decided on coming to NC, my mind already started worrying about how in the world we were going to get all of our stuff here. On the other hand, Matt's mind started planning the best roadtrip ever! After much persuasion, I talked him into NOT driving a 28-foot UHaul truck with our entire house in the back, our dog in the passenger seat, and my car being pulled behind by a trailer (making the entire ensemble about 40 feet long! Did I mention HE wanted to be driving the thing? Ya, all of that terrified me and gave me nightmares (and I am not exaggerating about the nightmares).

I knew that in order to ruin his "best roadtrip ever" plan, I had to come up with something good, so I did my research, and I found some companies, and one in particular that matched our budget, that would send our stuff across the country to let us meet it there. The company we used was called U-Pack, and it was exactly what it sounds like... YOU (us) PACK. Here's the deal: you pack everything you own in boxes, and then a driver comes to your house, drops off a trailer and then leaves. You then pack all of your boxes/stuff in that trailer as best you can (crossing your fingers that it makes the 1,200 mile journey without being completely destroyed). Then, for a small fee, you can actually choose the day your stuff is delivered to your new house. So, this is what we chose to do.

I wasn't aware at first, but I apparently married a master-packer, which is awesome. Single ladies, add that quality to your "Must Haves" for your future hubby. Seriously, he worked so hard to get all of our things packed and packed well. I owe our stuff not getting destroyed to him. Just check out some of our furniture items... #saranwrapisyourbestfriendwhenmoving <-- that hashtag should be trending.

Once we had everything pretty much packed, we took a quick trip to visit as much of our family as possible. Since my family all lives in Houston, the trip was really to see Matt's family. We got to visit both of his grandmothers, both of his parents, and his brother and our new sister-in-law. We also got to do two Texas-things that we hadn't done before. While we were in Waco visiting his brother, Sam and Sam's wife, Shannon, we went to Magnolia Market (the Texas "landmark" made famous by the hit show Fixer Upper. We also went to the Fort Worth Stockyards with Matt's mom while we were in Fort Worth.

We got back on a Saturday, and the trailer and movers came on Monday. We ended up hiring two men from a small moving company to help us load all of the boxes and furniture into the trailer. They were clutch, because they were speedy and knowledgeable about how best to pack everything in the truck. Here we are right before closing up the trailer. And below that, what our house looked like afterward. 

A very confused golden retriever and three tennis balls. Crazy, Since everything was now packed, we had planned to stay a couple of nights at my parents' house before going to the bayhouse for the Fourth of July. During our last couple of nights in Houston, some of our amazing friends threw us a Texas farewell party. We left some dear friends back in Texas and can't wait for them to come out to NC! 

After leaving Houston, we went to Galveston to stay for the Fourth of July holiday. We were there for five wonderful days, and got to spend some quality time with my family before leaving Texas. 

We came back to Houston Sunday evening, and here we are bright and early Monday morning to start our journey east. 

We drove all day on Monday, leaving at about 5:30am from Houston, stopping a few times for gas, bathroom breaks, and food, and we arrived in Atlanta, where we were staying for the night at about 8:00pm after the time change. We checked into our hotel, and immediately left to go get dinner. When we got back, we cleaned up and went to bed in an attempt to get some much-needed rest. The following morning, Tuesday, Matt woke up at about 3:30am to get on the road to meet our moving truck which got to our house at about 11am. My mom and I left at about 7:30am to make the 5 hour drive to our new home. After three days, we had every box unpacked and all pictures hung on the walls.

We left for a family vacation on that Saturday, so having everything mostly finished was a priority of mine. It felt great to be able to leave knowing that we wouldn't have a ton of work to do when we got back. We loved getting to spend eight days in Palm Springs playing golf and hanging out by the pool without any unpacking looming ahead. I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted, but here are a few from the golf course on the day of our family tournament and from the pool (with Matt's lifeproof-cased iPhone).

We got back to North Carolina on the 18th, and we hit the ground running. Matt is already in his second day of official orientation, but he has been working and studying for a couple of weeks now, and I have been working in my classroom for a couple of days, but mostly enjoying being in our new home with the dog, running errands, and exploring this new city.


Will update more soon! Happy Thursday, friends! I'm off to get my new driver's license! Fingers crossed they let me! ;)

Summer Lately

Last week, our church participated in Houston 1:8, an inner-city mission trip. One day, I hope we have the opportunity to travel to another country on a mission trip, but so often we think that the only "unreached" people are outside of the United States, not true. There are unreached people on the other side of the state, in the neighborhood over, down the street, and even next door. It was such a blessing to get to serve a group of unreached people in our own city. Matt and I, along with one of Matt's closest friends, were Recreation Leaders for the week, so we got to love on and play games with (and sweat with, see below) over one hundred kids. Being a middle school teacher, I am around kids all the time, but I loved getting to see how Matt interacted with the little ones and how attached to him they were. I pray that these children's lives were touched by their VBS leaders last week and that if nothing else, they will begin to wonder and ask questions and seek answers about our awesome God. I pray that they know how very loved they are.

After a fabulous week serving the Lord, I knew I had a fabulous reunion weekend planned with my roommates from college. With life evolving, we do not get to see each other as much as any of us would want, but even being apart for so long, it was as if no time had passed. We didn't have anyone take a really good, posed picture of all of us, but we managed to capture a few of the highlights from the weekend.

   

   

    

Even after staying up WAY TOO late the first night, a few of the girls woke up and did 21-Day Fix Pilates Fix with me (above, left). We were all sore the rest of the day! But, above (right) is a picture of what we did the rest of the day, so the soreness obviously did not bother us too much. It was so fun getting to catch up and talk endlessly about everything.

   

Still on cloud nine from all the fun we had. I love these girls with all my heart and am already looking forward to the next reunion!


Matt started his second season of Summer Softball--double headers. Thankfully, my parents came to support for the first game, but the second game, which was WAY past my bedtime, it was just the pup and me. She found entertainment in a soccer ball we found, but every time Matt got up to bat, it was as if she knew. She would jump up and watch him, just like her mamma. Such a little human!


   
















Hope you are enjoying your summer, too!

4th of July

As always, another holiday weekend at the bay did not disappoint. While I have time in the summer off, most of my family does not get to enjoy that luxury. But, this weekend, we did. The whole gang was there by Thursday evening, and we enjoyed 3+ days of sweet summer together. 

One of the highlights for me was definitely getting to spend some time working on a project with Matt. My parents had brought an old gate from their old house down to the bay a long time ago with the intention to use it in some way. But, almost two years later, and it was out by the trash, waiting to be picked up. I moved it from the trash and into their garage a few weeks ago, only to find that it was back by the trash. Thankfully, it still had not been picked up, so this was the weekend something had to be done, or it would be a goner. 

When the rest of the family went on an afternoon fishing trip, we stayed behind and got to work. In true 4th of July fashion, an American Flag. 

I had painted the entire fence white the day before, so that we had a blank canvas. First thing we did was use measuring tape to decide how thick the stripes should be. I wanted the stripes to be as authentic-looking as possible, since I knew the stars would be... less than authentic-looking. Once we decided on a thickness, we began placing painters' tape in place of where the white stripes would be. 

Above is a picture of what the flag looked like after it had been completely taped. Then, I started spray painting the red stripes. Once I was about three-fourths of the way finished, Matt sweetly asked if he could finish the red stripes. I had gotten so in my zone that I had forgotten that he was there to help. :) So, he finished up the red stripes.

Once we removed all of the tape (see above), we re-taped/covered what we needed to be covered in order to paint the blue section.

I wish I had taken a picture of this next step, but I got too excited and forgot. But, I took an Exacto knife and cut out a star shape in a piece of cardboard. Then, we used that as a stencil, and sprayed white paint into the stencil to create stars in various spots of the blue section. And then after letting it dry....

It makes me so happy to DIY with my sweet hubby. He is very creative and enjoys a good project, too. 

So, what else did we do this past weekend? Well, we hung out in the canal- floating, kayaking, paddle-boarding, AND Avery got a new life-jacket. Yes, she can swim, and actually maybe a little TOO much. Since my parents' house is on the canal, there is always a chance she could go in purposefully or accidentally and no one is right there to pull her out. Therefore, the life-vest. It calms my nerves, and she looks adorable in it! 

Don't you just want to hug her?

My mom always overdoes herself on food. She made this red (and blue) velvet cake. It was delicious! And look how pretty it was!

              

     

This is one of the reasons I am currently hosting a 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge group right now. I have over 20 people who have committed to eating clean this week, and today is just Day 1. Just look at all of those bright colors?

Don't worry if you missed this 5-Day Clean-Eating Challenge. I'll be doing it again in August. But if you are really interested in getting healthy and making a positive change for you and your family, 21-Day Fix is where it's at! Commit to 21 days with me!

Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability = Success.

We can do it together! Comment below or send me a message if you are interested in knowing more!

I just finished my first round of 21-Day Fix and drinking Shakeology and am LOVING how I feel. Today, I am still doing it, but I'm looking for people who want to join me in this journey!

I will leave you with one last picture from the weekend with my family.

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July, as well! 

Happy Monday!

Edamame Quinoa Salad

Before we get to the recipe...

This past weekend was the first weekend of summer, and I got some much needed R&R. Matt was traveling through South America for work, so Avery and I had a date on Friday with the vet. We had been wanting to get her microchipped, even though she is an inside dog. But, inside dogs get out, too-- you really never know what could happen. And as you can probably tell from reading any one of my posts, Avery is a very important part of our little family of three. Anyway, since it was time for another round of shots/check-up for her, I added 'getting microchipped' to the list of things that we wanted to have done at that appointment. We have been to the vet's office a lot--I mean, as much as any other two and half year-old dog needs to have been to the vet, and every time, she has loved it! Except for this time. For some reason, she hated it! At one point, she literally jumped on my chair and tried to hide behind me. Poor thing!

         

         

Finally, though, she was microchipped. Officially! Now, if anything were to ever happen to her and she is lost/found by someone else, any vet's office or shelter will be able to contact us. Money VERY well spent if you ask me! She was still pretty apprehensive about the whole scenario, however. She hid and barked the whole time until we were out the door. 

Once all of that was over, I decided to pack up with Aves and head to the bay. It was the perfect recover-from-the-last-week-of-middle-school-before-summer weekend and the perfect start to summer. Saturday night was Galveston's monthly "Art Walk," where various galleries feature artists and stay open to the public later than normal. There were a few restaurants with live entertainment and some other fun things going on. We had never been, so we decided to check out a local restaurant (called Press Box) that we had never been to and then explored the Art Walk.

On our way back to Houston, my mom and I decided we wanted to try some new recipes that we had seen in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine, one of the many read while laying on the beach. Edamame Quinoa Salad. Is your mouth watering yet? It is the perfect mixture of a light side dish, but that is filling at the same time. It also screams summer because of the lime juice. Definitely a must-try! Here is the original recipe that I altered only slightly. I actually do not like cilantro. I realized it when I was in high school and ordered the BBQ Chicken Salad from CPK, which is delicious, but had a strange after taste that I could not stand... cilantro. So, there ya have it. Therefore, I opted out when making mine...

Edamame Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 T EVOO
- About 1/4 tsp Salt (or to taste)
- About 1/4 tsp Pepper (or to taste)
*Optional- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:
-Cook quinoa according to package, and set aside.
-In a large bowl, combine edamame, corn, and tomatoes.
-Add in the cooled quinoa.
- Mix in lime juice and olive oil.
-Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**The only reason we used red quinoa was because they were out of white. While maybe not quite as easy on the eyes, it still tasted delicious!

Let me know if you have a chance to try it and what you think! 

P90X Days 8-17 | Memorial Day

Before I talk about this past weekend, let's talk P90X. Today I completed Day 17 of P90X, and I am proud to say that I am still as motivated and committed as I was on Day 1.

Here is what I did on Days 8-17:

Day 8: Kenpo X, Ab Ripper X

Day 9: Chest and Back

Day 10: Plyometrics

Day 11: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X

Day 12: Yoga X

Day 13: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

Day 14: Rest

Day 15: Kenpo X

Day 16: Chest and Back

Day 17: Plyometrics

There are a few things I have already learned about myself throughout this process, even after only two and a half weeks:

• One thing that I have realized from this challenge to myself is that I have not been drinking enough water. I had to make that adjustment immediately. Every day, but especially when you are exercising regularly, water is an essential part of your diet. 
• Another thing that I have learned is that you would rather have "quality over quantity" in your work-outs. Upper body strength was not something I ever worked on heavily. Even in high school, as a softball pitcher, your strength comes from your legs. It has to, or you will throw out your arm. Needless to say, upper body strength/arm strength is something that I lack. The Chest and Back work-out is a variation of different push-up routines and pull-up routines. This work-out kicks my butt, but I love it. And through this work-out, I have come to realize that it is much more important to execute each exercise correctly (quality) than to rush through repetitions without focusing on form (quantity). 

Now on to Memorial Day Weekend...

Y'all. Three day weekend. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. We headed to Galveston as soon as we could on Friday after work. A mini-vacation was exactly what we needed. Although, it was a little bit of a tease, since it seemed like summer, but it is not summer yet.

It is also very easy to forget why we have this holiday. I am forever grateful for all of the men and women who have served/are serving our country. They deserve way more than one day of remembrance. Thank you!

Like I said above, we went to Galveston for the weekend with my family. It was a wonderful and relaxing long weekend full of beaching, boating, sunning, eating, and laughing.

Saturday, we went out on the boat and fished and then spent the day at the beach. We took it pretty easy. Then on Sunday we blew up the big float for lounging in the canal (pictured above). And then we took the boat out to go tubing (pictured below). Look at hubs, such a stud.

[Let's get something straight real quick--I do not take risks. I do not like water that I cannot see through. I cannot see through Galveston water.]

Okay- so we took the boat out tubing. As you can see, I was pressured/forced onto the tube with the one other person in the family that is just as petrified of risks as I am, my Mom. I guess we know who I take after. This is us right before our ride (on which we told my dad that he was not allowed to let us fall off). I think I may have even threatened that if he knocked me off, I would be crying when I got back into the boat.


    

        















As much as I would NOT like to admit, we survived and were fine. We faced our fears, and we were not knocked into the water (where who-knows-what lives).

That evening, we introduced the family to Kuub. It is a great yard game that does not require much skill, because no one is really wonderful at it (or everyone is), but nonetheless, it is fun.

After a big dinner, we had fully intended on teaching my sister how to play 42 (dominoes), but being a competitive family, she and my brother started building towers with the dominoes, and here is what happened...

I have a video on my phone of this tower tumbling to the floor right after this picture was taken, but we won't post that. 

This morning, the fun-filled weekend came to a close. We cleaned up and packed up and headed home. My favorite part about the trip home is that Avery acts like a dog for about the first 15 minutes of the car ride with her head out the window with wind in her hair, and then crashes, crawls up into the front seat, and acts like a little baby. I love it. 

Although I was able to fit P90X into our vacation, I still ate like I was on vacation. My dad assured me it was allowed. However, I went to the grocery store today for this week's meals, and there will be some healthy eating over at the Bormann house this week. For you, that means there will be some healthy recipes coming your way! 

Or at least healthier! Be on the look out for this one coming soon. This was dinner tonight! Hubs loved it, and so did I!

How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

Are you getting your body beach-ready?

Let's do it together!