Love

Fitness Friday no. 19

| The Bee Life

Happy Friday!! This week flew by, woah! I don’t even know where it went, not to mention a lovely summer cold has also greeted me this week. It’s kinda of the worst especially with this humidity. Anyways! Enough negatives, onto the positives. I wanted to do something different for this FF, especially since the last  Fitness Friday (No. 18) I’m still feeling not so hot about myself. So I wanted to focus on the positives, along with ways to grow and ways to get there.

My Week’s Highlight: Ran a total of 8-miles, B and I got out twice this week and ran together. The mileage and running with B are two things that haven’t happened in a long time and it felt great!

Area to Focus: Continue to eat and plan meals better.

Active Change: I’m going to rearrange some things in my finances and change my spa membership to a gym membership. Body and mind over nails (sorry nails).

Inspiration for the Week:
17Ultimately we have to do things that keep us happy and healthy while finding a balance in doing just that and pinpointing what is manageable. I am happy with a lot of things, but I could definitely be happier with the way I feel about myself, mainly because I know what I am capable of vs. what I have actually been doing.

Cheers to an active weekend to work into the upcoming week!

 

Weekend Recap – Family Fun

| The Bee Life

Whenever my weekends are especially fun, it always makes Monday’s that much harder but it’s the good weekends that also help plow through the work week!

This weekend was certainly a busy one and non-stop.  My parents arrived in town Friday afternoon and we had plans for “happy hour” at my aunts before we went to Twilight at the Zoo.  Well “happy hour” lasted a bit longer than expected and between the good company and the heat, we never made it to the zoo! Whoops. Instead we went to a late dinner at a local wine bar and got some yummy pizza (yes, cheat day!)

Saturday we woke up, enjoyed some fresh coffee and then started the day with an appointment at a potential wedding venue. It was an awesome venue, but not sure if it’s the one. From there we ran a few errands and then picked up the pups to hit the road to my aunt and uncle’s house.  We went boating with them and my cousin Hailee for most of the afternoon.  It was a perfect day to be out on the water and work on the tan.  We used to go out on their boat almost every summer with the rest of the extended family but haven’t done that in yearrssss. So it was fun to be back out on the lake, go tubing and enjoy some beverages and laughs with the family.  It was especially nice to spend some more time with Hailee, as I get older, I try not to take for granted the time I get with my cousins we all used to see each other so much and now it’s rare treats!

We all took turns tubing. I always forget how intense it is, it’s always a little scary yet thrilling thing to do, I definitely scream a lot and laugh (my voice was a bit scratchy the rest of the night!) haha, my Uncle Ron does a good job at stirring and getting some waves.  B and I went out twice and survived the first but I fell off the second time.  My dad and B also hit some good waves and got some air, so much that the tube was flipped upside down!  We were definitely all sore the next day. #GettingOld But, in between tubing we did relax and enjoy the lake, sunshine and company.

Eventually we headed back to my aunt and uncle’s house for a cookout, to eat the yummiest marinated chicken breasts, corn on the cob and fruit salad. It was perfection. We ended with some apple crisp pie before hitting the road back home. It was a long day! We definitely all slept good.

Sunday we went to church and the brunch (at our favorite spot; Jammy Buggars) we then headed to the house and squeezed a few small home projects in, so my dad could help us out with!  It was another beautiful day, finally cool (and by cool: low-80’s) so we enjoyed a little puppy play date with our neighbors and got a few other things done around the house.  Another great weekend in the books and another week of life to live.

Here’s to a successful week!

Latest Obsessions: August Edition

| The Bee Life

Starting out on the first Friday of August, here’s what I am obsessed with lately!  Even though it seems like summer is coming to an end, it still feels like we are just getting started and have a lot more hot days and weekends to enjoy! So I hope you enjoy and share in some of these latest obsessions.

Kate Spade: Outdoor & Home
I first saw some of these gems at a Hallmark on steroids on our Denver trip.  It was the Hallmark location in Cherry Creek. And it was amazing! I also thought the plastic cups with fun lemon patterns, polka dots and other bright patterned pieces were perfect, especially for summer. I don’t know if I would actually spend the money on these, but I feel like everyone needs a good set of entertaining plastics ‘glasses’ or wine glasses.  And everything else is just too cute and perfect to keep summer lasting!

latest obsessions - the bee life
01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

Our Engagement Pictures
We have been getting teased with small batches of our engagement pictures since we first had them done in mid-June.  It’s been a little torturous waiting to see what the rest look like after getting teased with the first 5 and then a week later 5 more… but they have definitely been worth the wait! I received the latest batch of the most current and I honestly can’t stop staring at them. I’m a hypocrite for mocking every other bride-to-be who posted a million engagement pictures one right after the other on social… so I am definitely pacing myself from blasting them all! So you all get the first peak of the next batch. *smiles*

Photo credit: timothylogan.com 

Silver Picture Frames
Sooo… Marshall’s has been killing it with elegant, classic silver frames lately.  I first bought a few for my mom and FMIL to give them a picture of when B and I got engaged, but now that we have these awesome engagement photos coming in I need more! The pictures just pop in the frames whether its a color or  black & white photo. I was half tempted to buy all new frames for our living room, but quickly realized that was a bit ridiculous … but maybe it’ll still happen.

What’ve you been obsessing over lately? Leave a comment below & let me know!

TGIF!

#EmnBWed – The Date

| The Bee Life

Woah, it’s August 1st!  Where has the summer gone? Where has 2016 gone? I can’t believe it!

It was late-May that B and I decided on a date, August XX 2017, and it seemed like a long ways away, but now that it’s August 1st, we are inching closer to the year-mark. Ah!  It always seemed like we had more than enough time to plan and figure things out.  But now it definitely feels like it’s go time. I know this next year is going to fly by.  The good news is we’ve made some, in my opinion, serious progress over this past weekend!  Go us!

IMG_1882_TLO_CCweb
Photo cred: Timothy Logan Photography

Now, I’m not going to give out specifics because that would be too easy, I need to build the suspense for all of you.  But things are definitely cranking and over this next month I know a few other details and specifics will be finalized.  B and I are both getting excited, and I love that B is getting excited, involved and helping make decisions.

As we’ve started figuring out a few details, a million other little ones seem to pop up in it’s path… and as I start exploring those little paths the price tags keep adding up, a couple grand here, a couple more over there… there are a few things we will definitely need to be creative with and already have some ideas on how to do just that.  I can’t wait to share those little details once we get a few more of the bigger ones finalized.

Part of me, is ready to get this done and marry B, and just elope.  Another part of me is so excited to see our dreams come to life for our special day. So I think I’m going to wait and take the ladder.

Cheers to August!

Wednesday Reminders – Friends

| The Bee Life

One of the hardest parts of starting my new job, one-month in to the date, is not spending the entire day with my best friends. Yes, that’s right, one of the things I am most grateful for from my previous job (besides all of the experience) is the friendships I made. I truly think that was the greater purpose of me working there for the years that I did and starting when I did.
Wednesday Reminders - Friends - the bee lifeIf it weren’t for the amazing people I met,  life would be very different, my career would be very different.  Dramatic? No. These people have inspired me to dream bigger, work harder and fight for what I want.  They’ve also helped me laugh when I did not want to laugh, to take the lunch break to walk and gossip instead of stewing at my desk over an email. Sneak away for impromptu drinks “after work”, doggy play dates and team lunches.  They were my sounding board for life and professionally encouraging me to ask hard questions, dig deeper of myself and want more.

I was so hesitant to leave my job because I loved so many of the people I had gotten to know over three years and spent all my days with.  But I knew I had to make a change for me, and that they would still be up the street (literally).  I was also partially afraid that I would never see some of them again, other people I was close with have moved on or got new jobs and it just wasn’t the same. But since I left, not a whole lot has changed, lunch walks and coffee dates still happen, team lunches and happy hours, group texts and bitmoji’s and now even some snapchat fun.

We help inspire each other, learn and grow from each other, build each other up and laugh at each other, cry with each other and even borrow sneakers.  We help each other to try not to take life so seriously, give the hard truths when it’s needed and just listen to each other.

I have realized (especially) lately how lucky I am to have so many strong fierce women around me, (you all know who you are!) thank you!

XO

#EmnBWed – The Dress

| The Bee Life

So a few weekends ago, I surprised my mom with dress shopping. We were walking to a nearby boutique (she didn’t know where we were going) and on the way there, I said, “Ok! We are going dress shopping!”  She replied, “We Are?!” She was excited and surprised about it for sure. I went into the appointment with the mindset of not finding a dress and just wanting to try on a lot of different styles and options to see how they looked and figure out what I like – but that quickly changed. I quickly started figuring out what I liked, and what I didn’t like. Butttt I also liked a lot of different styles.  The boutique we visited blew me away – they had unique, well made dresses in lots of different styles and fabrics, not to mention what seemed like unlimited customization options, well unlimited based on your budget. *winks* This was all confirmed after visiting a chain wedding dress store.  All the dresses seemed cheap, over done with lace and bling and just completely lack luster.  Although it was good to have the comparison, I don’t think I’ll be bothering with any stores like that again. FullSizeRender (2)FullSizeRender (3)FullSizeRender (1)FullSizeRender
So I thought almost all of the dresses I tried on at the boutique looked really good, not to sound full of myself, but they did!  It got hard narrowing them down, especially the styles that I really liked. Luckily, some of the styles/looks just weren’t what I’m going for. For example – the last dress was AMAZING, if we were having a winter wedding that would definitely be a top contender along with the full beaded dress (it was SO heavy). The other part I loved about the boutique is that the owner would pair different dresses from a designer to make a new dress; observe above in picture #2!  It truly helped envision and create a dress unique for you.

I ended up going back the week after with Katie (surprising her too), so I could share the experience with her and also show her my top contenders after going with my mom. Having one-on-one shopping trips with my favorite people is definitely not the conventional way, but it’s my way of making special memories with each of them.

When Katie and I went back, I think we found the dress. Although I’m not sure I will get that feeling, of just knowing, but I think I’m pretty darn close. It’s so pretty.

So here is my advice to first time bridal dress shoppers;

  1. It’s OK to say NO!
  2. Don’t be afraid to speak up or ask questions, especially when it comes to price
  3. Go to at least one smaller boutique
  4. It’s OK if you don’t get THAT feeling, just pick what feels right
  5. You don’t need to know all the shapes/styles by name, just have your pinterest board ready!
  6. The decision might be harder than you think!
  7. Think accessories with your dresses; belts, necklaces, veil, hairstyle, shoes. Every little detail will tie into your overall look and vision!
  8. Invite as many people (or not) as you want
  9. Take pictures
  10. Enjoy it!

Unfortunately, the dress won’t be shared until our wedding day – so you’ll have well over a year for that one! Bum bum bum!

Weekend Recap – June 24

| The Bee Life

Remember how all your weekends are booked? And before you know it the weekend is over, and the work week is looming. Ugh!! Not to mention, this past week didn’t even seem real, or that anything productive happened, I have a feeling this week will be the same. But any who…

This past weekend was a fun one, and one of many consecutively booked weekends. My parents came in town on Friday, I had Friday off, so it was nice to run errands in the morning, take Moz for a walk, vacuum the house, and then spend some time with my parents before our plans. We surprised my parents (but especially my dad) with a tour and tasting at a local distillery, Cleveland Whiskey.  One of the game changers for Cleveland Whiskey is that they speed up the maturing of the whiskey, and can produce an aged tasting whiskey/bourbon within 2-days! They’re not a favorite in the whiskey world, but they’re definitely shaking things up, and their drinks are tasty and innovative. My dad is definitely a fan! I enjoy the whiskeys in my manhattans, *smiles.*

 

Saturday was a busy day, I had a few surprises up my sleeve for Mom, more details to come at a later date *winks* needless to say, she was surprised and I think she liked what we ended up doing! The guys worked away at the house, and we (my dad and B) finally installed our new storm door on the front, it’s all open so you can see our pretty blue door!  It looks awesome!  My aunt and uncle came up for dinner, so we all went out along with G&P. We went to a new spot, at least for us called Forage. I was pleasantly surprised, the food was really great, especially the appetizers we ordered: pretzel sticks, calamari, and devils on horseback, OMG, yum.  I really need to get in a better habit of snapping some pictures before we dive into the food… telling you it was good without showing you half defeats the purpose!  B and I will definitely be going back for a date night.

Sunday, B was itching to do something around the house – so why not on a 84+ degree day do decide to do some sweaty gross yard work. We made small progress, but progress still, which is huge when we want to finish the project since we figured out all the kinks (hopefully) with our test round today!  Getting more items crossed off our to-do list, woo!

Today, marks a new chapter and journey in my professional career, it’s not how I imagine it would be, but I think that’s part of life’s journey of growing and evolving and continually finding and pursuing things we love.

Please send me your positive thoughts and energy this week!

XO

 

Our Engagement Photos – Sneak Peak

| The Bee Life

Okay blogger-verse, you’re getting the first look at some of our engagement photos, I repeat… FIRST LOOK. I haven’t even posted on social media!!

We took pictures this past Saturday, and instead of doing the standard sunset photos, we opted for sunrise at the suggestion of our photographer.  Our photographer, Tim, is a friend at work who I talked into doing our engagement pictures, although a photographer, he doesn’t typically do engagement pictures. He is so talented, so I knew they would come out amazing.  We ended up going to three different locations with three different outfits over the course of 4-hours, it was exhausting, but also really fun!

Enjoy the sneak peak:

IMG_1311_TLO_CCweb
Photo Credit: Timothy Logan Photography
IMG_1344_TLO_CCweb
Photo credit: Timothy Logan Photography
EBEng_Polaroid250_PolaroidChocolate_061316web
Photo credit: Timothy Logan Photography

The last photo was taken on Tim’s 250 Polaroid – a camera that is nearly extinct as far as finding or getting film.  This was the last one that we took with the Polaroid, and it was definitely the winner, third times the charm.

I can’t wait to see how the rest of the photos come out, but Tim said there are over 700 pictures for him to go through and edit/touch-up, so he will send them as they come. I absolutely love what I have seen so far (B does too!) !!

XO –

Gift Guide – Father’s Day

| The Bee Life

It’s less than a week away from Father’s Day! Here are some ideas in case you can’t think of something different or unique this year for your dad.Dad

  1. Booze – If you’re dad is like mine, he like’s a good scotch or whiskey.  Now is the time to indulge and buy something a little more expensive for him to enjoy! If you don’t live near your dad (but will be seeing him soon) you could also plan a sampler pack of local favorites near you. My dad is particularly fond of a whiskey made in Cleveland – so he wouldn’t be sad if I bought a few for his bar!
  2. Beer/Scotch Tasting – Part 2 of gift number one would, could be to plan a weekend trip to a favorite brewery and partake in the tasting festivities. Of course, you’ll pick up the check! It’s a fun way to enjoy one of Dad’s favs and create fun memories.
  3. Golf – Plan an outing or buy Dad lessons! To make this even more personal, make a golf gift basket filled with a new outfit, a sleeve of balls, new golf gloves, a new towel to get him looking snazzy this Father’s Day while he’s hitting the links.
  4. Manual Labor – Since my dad is always helping us around our house whenever he is in town, it’s time to offer up an opposite treat and give him a weekend pass to use our services to help get some projects done around his house! I am sure this would be a welcomed treat (not to mention, would make mom happy too!)
  5. Get Crafty – Think about something that your dad has been wanting or needing; and make it! Some ideas; a custom bottle opener (perfect for my Dad’s new garage), a decorative tie rack, or a fun piece for grill accessories!

Father’s day is this upcoming Sunday, June 19th – don’t forget to get Dad a card too!