Five for Friday: Friday Inspiration

Sharing some words of wisdom on this beautiful, sunny Friday... because we all need a little inspiration sometimes, right? (Or is that just me right now?) Today's Five for Friday is mainly for myself, but I'm sure there is someone else out there who needs it today. Enjoy!

Perspective

I'm having one of those days. Sigh. It's the plain ol' truth.

I make it a point to unsubscribe from junk email lists as often as I can, and I've done a pretty good job at freeing up my inbox. One list that I've stayed on, however, is the "Daily Thought" list from Real Simple. There is just something about getting that simple image with a provoking saying on it that tends to ground me or give me just the pause I need in the morning. Here are a few thoughts I've saved for days like today:

 

 

That Pie in the Sky (Or at the Lake)

You may have noticed, here and there, references to the current Big Thing going on around here – it’s been a bit behind-the-scenes, but as of this past weekend, I’m officially ready to share. Drum roll please……..

My parents have made something amazing happen. They have fulfilled a major dream of theirs. They bought a LAKE HOUSE!!

For as long as I can remember, my family has always talked about The Lake House (capital letters required). It’s been the “someday,” “when dreams come true,” “when we win the lottery,” "pie-in-the-sky," pipe-dream thing for my parents – they love to be at the lake, and the idea of owning their own special place was always in the backs of their heads. Visiting The Lake House, fixing it up, retiring there, the whole nine yards, has been regular conversation in our house. In fact, it sort of became a running joke – “Dad’s on the computer again! Searching for The Lake House!” “Dad picked up another real estate brochure – maybe it has The Lake House!” In the last few years, as my sister and I finished up with college and such, my dad has started talking to realtors and actually going to look at houses. A weekend here, a weekend there, house after house. It was such a big dream, he and my mom wanted to find the perfect house. And the perfect house just never really presented itself. They weren’t willing to settle when it came to The Lake House. So it remained a lofty goal, a “someday when we’re older…”

And then one day, earlier this summer, they found it. The Lake House. The one they’ve always looked for. It had everything they’ve always put on the “want” list – the screen porch. The garage. The dock. The fireplace. The big driveway. The house was kind of old, but it was in great condition. The appliances worked. The paint was fresh. The price was right. And suddenly, The Lake House wasn’t such a faraway dream anymore. It was right in front of my mom and dad. And so, they took the cross-the-Grand-Canyon leap, and they bought that house. They made their dream come true.

House-warming gift from the realtor!

Keys to the house!

Dad with the very first carload of "stuff" for the house

Left at the fork in the road...

Proud home owner!!

My parents, obviously, inspire me in a lot of ways. I think they’re great. I think they’re wonderful people, and parents, and have set an amazing example of how a marriage should be for my sister and I. I know that the two of us were never the easiest kids to raise, and there were times when we all made each other crazy, but looking back, with a more mature eye, I see how truly great my sister and I had it. This purchase, though, this is something entirely different. My parents have taught me how to have dreams, how to have goals, and then how to make those things happen. They set their mind to something, and they took all the steps to make sure it happened. They worked hard for years, and they saved their money for years, and they took baby steps far in advance so that, years later, they'd be able to do what they wanted to do. It was a long process, but they were patient – so patient – and waited for exactly the right house to come around. And they got exactly what they deserved, exactly what they’d worked and waited for for so many years. They got The Lake House. And the minute I stepped foot through the front door this past weekend, it felt like home – it felt like it had always been ours. I cannot wait for the years to come and the memories that we will make at that house. I can’t wait to have Thanksgiving there this year, and to bring my babies there someday. I can’t wait to play on the dock every summer, and chase the dog that I’m pretty sure my parents will have someday. There is so much that awaits us with this house. It’s already a dream come true, but it’s going to get better with every visit.

I am so proud of my parents, and so excited about what’s in store for them. I know that they are going to make this house their own, and it’s going to be absolutely perfect. They have earned it. They deserve it. And I get to reap the benefits of having amazing parents.

The Lake House. Finally!

View from the dock

Tres de Mayo!

First things first. I got my mom the funniest birthday card:

Really. I can't stop laughing! Found a whole rack of these "real photo" cards at Wegmans and had a good giggle in the card aisle over all the pictures and the phrases inside. Love it!

We feasted last night for my mom's birthday dinner! Among other things, we had:

Crab legs!

Edible Arrangements (part of this came with me today for breakfast. YUM.)

Salmon!

Maybe the most perfect summer beer?... I'll have to have another to decide ;)

I made a blackberry sauce and poured it over good vanilla bean ice cream for a little birthday treat - it hit the spot after our delicious dinner! As we were cooking and eating, we were also watching our beloved Capitals play - and the game went into TRIPLE overtime last night! It was absolutely nuts. Sad to say, the hometown team couldn't pull off the W last night. With just over five minutes left in the second game, the Rangers scored. We're down in the series 2-1 now, but don't you worry - the fat lady ain't singing yet! Game 4 is Saturday afternoon (right in the middle of my sister's bridal shower!) and you bet we will be cheering loud and proud and rocking the red!

We're having a Cinco Tres de Mayo potluck at work today, and I made crock pot salsa chicken (of course!) - the whole house smelled AMAZING this morning when I woke up, and I will admit that I actually thought about "forgetting" my dish so that we could just eat it ourselves! I am excited to share this recipe with my coworkers, though, because I'm pretty sure they will all love it as much as we do. Can't wait to get my fiesta on at lunchtime. The only thing that would make it better would be a margarita or two!

Thursday Thoughts:

Yeah.

Gym-spiration and pet peeves

Yesterday, when one of my best gym buddies, Caity, texted me and told me that she was going to yoga & BodyPump back-to-back, I immediately thought, “no way!” Two classes in a row seemed like too much (not sure why, but I just had a complete mental block to the whole idea), so I told her I’d see her at Pump. When I got home from work, though, I quickly changed my mind, and told Caity to save me a spot at yoga!

Let me tell you – it was great. I loved the hour of stretching and mental exercise that was yoga, and then rolled straight into weight lifting like it was nothing. I felt so good! When I got home, I was full of energy and got a bunch of things done around the house that I normally wouldn’t have done. Gotta thank Caity for suggesting I push my own envelope – Wednesdays might start being my back-to-back class nights!

In the span of those classes, I experienced two things: a gym-spiration, and a gym pet peeve. First up, the inspiration!

There was a girl near me in BodyPump who seemed like she was sort of new (at least, I’d never seen her before – who knows!) and she asked me a couple questions during class. I liked feeling like I knew what I was talking about! Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that it seemed like she was watching me during a few of the songs (again, could be completely wrong, but this was in my head!) – and let me tell you, it was such a motivator! I felt encouraged to really focus on doing my moves correctly and pushing myself to work a little harder to set a good example for this girl. I wasn’t lifting more weight than usual or anything like that, I just wanted to ensure that, for example, my hands and feet were in the right place and that my posture was good. I could be completely crazy, and this girl could have been a pro and looking out the window in actuality, but having it in my head that she was looking to me as an example completely pumped me up. Gym-spiration! I know I have those people in class who are the ones I watch to see how they are doing things, so thinking that I could be that person for someone else is pretty inspiring!

 

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On the other hand – I saw not one, but two(!) of my gym pet peeves last night. The first is the girl on her cell phone during yoga – are you joking?? She had it on vibrate, but it was laying on the floor, so when it started going off, it seemed super loud! Then she picked it up and sat on her mat texting, while the rest of us were moving from pose to pose. Now, who knows, maybe she was having a family emergency, because she did eventually pack up and leave the class, but seriously? At least run out into the hallway to do whatever it is you need to do on your phone. The lights are dim and the music is low in yoga – I don’t need the fluorescent glow of your phone lighting everything up back there.

My second pet peeve is people who come into a class and then, instead of following the instructor, do whatever they want. For real? You’re opting to come into a class, where there is a set routine and a person leading you. If you want to do something else, go onto the regular floor! It makes me crazy when everyone is doing the same motion, like lunges, and there’s someone else who’s throwing everything off. Note: I don’t mean people who are modifying moves, such as for injuries or such. I mean people who refuse to go on the same counts as the rest of the class, or who want to do a completely different move than the rest of the class. There is a difference between someone who is modifying, and someone who is just doing their own thing!

Google Images is so great :)

I don’t mean to sound super bitchy or anything like that; I just think there is gym etiquette! If you’re working out surrounded by other people, in a group environment, there are just rules that you follow. It’s only polite! What’s your biggest gym peeve? Do you work out alone so you can break all the rules?