Husband Talk

I know I occasionally gush about my wonderful husband, but please bare with me as I share some exciting news.

You may or may not know that he is a fanatical sports fan, which I have always found endearing. Most of the time at least.

Not only does he love to watch and talk about all things sports, he also has a passion for writing about them. And he's quite good if I do say so myself! Call it his journalism degree or sheer talent, but that guy has what it takes.

A few years ago he started a blog about the Raiders (check it out here), and while I didn't understand the brilliance of it at first, I have come to realize what a fantastic tool it has been for my husband to get his name out there. Today Chris' blog is the largest Raiders fan followed blog by a non-credentialed journalist. That's pretty amazing! And he's now got close to 1200 followers on Twitter! Yeah, it's kind of a big deal.

So what is the point of all this? Well, it's not just to tell you how amazing he is, but to share that this weekend he was invited by the executive producer to be a guest on ESPN 1420. And last night, that is exactly what he did. I was so sad that I couldn't listen to it because I was teaching a class, though I'm sure he was wonderful!

What I find really cool about this whole thing is they found him. And you know what that means, people are starting to know who he is!

I love that my husband is pursuing what he loves and I couldn't be a more proud wife!

Keep it up, my love, the best is yet to come!

Dream Job Made a Reality

Happy Friday sweet friends!

I have some extra exciting news to share today! Yesterday afternooon I was offered a personal training position at a place my "job dreams" are made of!! We have been praying that a wonderful opportunity like this would come up and I am beyond grateful it is finally a reality. I am so ready to get started!

Without going into too much detail just yet, I will be training at a personal training studio where I can offer private sessions on my own schedule without the hassle of having to sell products, work floor hours or fight for clients like I would in a gym setting. The studio is amazing and full of the best equiptment! I'll definitely keep you updated as I make this wonderful transition and put my degree back to work!

This weekend I am looking forward to celebrating a lot, getting my business cards made and even a boot camp class tomorrow morning! Although Chris and I had talked about having a little Super Bowl thing, it is honestly the farthest thing from my mind right now...we'll see how that plays out.

Have a lovely and exceptionally grand weekend!

Deep Yearning

Have you ever felt like you were meant for something more than what you are doing? Like you have a gift or talent that desires to be nurtured to it's full potential?

Lately I have been very restless. Like I can't sit still because I just know I need to be doing something different. This all started because of a cupcake bakery near my house I just found out is for sale. Of course the last few days I can't stop thinking about it. And then there's my mother-in-law constantly telling me about her friends who want to pay me to make meal plans for them. And of course the personal training comes into play with friends and family. Basically, I have this whirlwind of thoughts in my head as I am dreaming about the numerous possibilities.

I have tried to think of the things that have made me most happy and here's what comes to mind: first and foremost is being a wife. There is not a single role I have had in my life that has given me more satisfaction than being the wife of my wonderful husband! Taking care of Chris' needs and finding ways to constantly make him feel loved is by far my favorite role. My desire to nurture has been in me since I was a little girl and I've always known I wanted to be a wife and mother. Secondly, helping others acheive health and fitness goals. I love that friends, family and others who are aware of my degree come to me for advice about exercise, nutrition and their general health! Last year I helped my Mom lose 30 lbs and it was such a great feeling to see how good she felt and to know that I helped her do that! And the last thing that comes to my mind is serving people through food. I get so much joy out of cooking for others, grocery shopping, finding healthy alternatives to recipes and having people over for meals.

So, where does that leave me? Several peole have told me to just do it! Just make some business cards and train or do meal planning etc., but that just seems so scary to me. I mean, don't you need a plan? Experience? The planner inside me tells me to make sure there is stability.

I fear that if the planner wins, I will be stuck at a job just because it pays the bills and I would never be okay with that! I have always been restless when I am not challenged and utilizing my strengths. Everyone who really knows me knows that I am incredibly passsionate about things I love. I should be doing something I am passionate about!

I'm sorry this post is so long and truly I am talking to myself here, but I just can't stand to not be doing something I was meant for. We were all made with a unique purpose and design and I believe we truly feel His pleasure when we are fulfilling that in our lives.

What a year! Bring on 2009!!

As we have rung in the new year, I am filled with excitement and wonder of the many new adventures and trials we will face this year, but I must admit I am a little sad to see 2008 in my rear view mirror. I would like to take a minute to reflect on the past year and share some particularly wonderful things that have happened.

1. Well, the biggest and obviously most exciting thing would be Chris and I getting MARRIED!! This, by far, was the highlight of our year! I would do every single moment of planning again (even the stressful parts!) I cannot imagine sharing my life with a more amazing man and having the most incredible wedding to remember!


2. Our Honeymoon! Ha, we would! Besides the actual day, and night, of our wedding, our honeymoon was the most wonderful week to take a breath and celebrate the huge commitment we had just made to each other. Plus, when else will we be care free enough to order room service almost every morning?!


3. Finding our apartment and making it our Home. This is something I have been dreaming about for years! Seriously, we have been so fortunate to find such a great apartment where we can have Abby. No matter how great the places are that we live in the future, we will never forget our first real Home!


4. Our trip to Chicago! Not only was this our first married trip, but such a cool opportunity for Chris to spend with my family. We had such a blast!


5. Our friends getting engaged and married! I absolutely adore weddings! What a blessing to take part in such a happy time with those we love! I can't wait to see what beautiful brides Emily, Stacey and Jessica make this year!


6. Learning to be frugal. While maybe not the most fun thing in the world, understanding the responsibility that comes with taking care of ourselves has been a really cool journey. Besides, we're Newlyweds, surely we can find things to do without spending money:)

7. He ups and downs that come with "real world" living. This past year, Chris and I have really learned what they don't teach you in school. We have had some real disappointments with jobs and some great victories. Thankfully, we can come out of the year saying, "We're in a good place".

8. Celebrating our first holiday season as a married couple! This was, hands down, our best Christmas together! Being able to start our own traditions as a family is such a wonderful thing!


9. Getting to know the intimate things about my husband. Don't worry, I won't get too personal, I just mean those things that you can only know about a spouse. Even though we dated for five years before getting married, there were things I didn't know until the last six months. I think that is pretty cool:)

10. So, this last thing actually happened at the beginning of the year but I feel is important to mention. My internship at Cooper. I could not have asked for a better internship. I took so much away from my time there and the experiences I was able to have. I am truly thankful to have worked with the Best!

Hopefully you too have had a year full of happy memories! Now I guess it's on to another year full of opportunity and I am excited! Every year I make goals for myself. This year my list is a pretty hefty one:) The biggest physical goal is to complete the Chicago Marathon!!! I can't wait to start training!

Wishing you a year full of fresh starts and new adventures! Bring it on 2009!

So...I got a job!

I seriously have not had a free minute to blog in the last 3 weeks! Two days after my last post I had the opportunity to apply for a job. I immediately jumped at the chance and sent my resume over the next day. I received a call the following day to interview that Friday! Well, as luck would have it, I got the job and started the following Monday, December 8!! So you see, my schedule and lifestyle have been radically changed, for the good of course.

So what's the job you ask? Well, I am a loan processor for a company called Cology. We process student loans. I actually have a bit of experience in this field from an accumulated 7 or 8 months of working at Wachovia during various break in college. I was informed about the job from a previous connection at Wachovia. It just goes to show you how important connections really are!

This may confuse you since I got my degree in Exercise Science and and I was previously teaching group fitness classes. Well, sometimes things don't work out the way you think:) You see, with the way the economy is going, TruFitness unfortunately couldn't afford to add on additional fitness classes as they had hoped. So, through much payer and conversation with the group fitness manager, I decided that I needed to focus on other things, like bearing some of the financial responsibility to our family. Thankfully, we ended on great terms and there is always a possibility of teaching part time later on. The really cool thing is, now that we have doubled our income, I am able to pay for additional certifications and join a great gym to stay in shape! My hope is that by mid to end of next year, I will be teaching pilates and/or yoga.

The bottom line is, I am loving my new job and have been given a renewed sense of confidence. Trust me, Chris never pressured me to find another job or anything like that, but he is constantly reassuring me that I have abundant talents and would be a positive asset wherever I am. That is definitely helpful!!

I must say, the first week of working 8 to 5 with a 45 minute commute each way caused for a little grumpiness on my part, but I quickly came to appreciate carpooling with my husband and taking lunch together:) Maybe I forgot to mention that our offices are across the street from each other! How lucky is that?! Getting to spend that extra time together during the day has made up for not having dinner on the table when he gets home and my grocery/laundry Mondays:( The adjustment has been smooth and I have had to remind myself how incredibly lucky I am to have a great job in this tough economy, plus getting a paycheck before Christmas! May we always remember how great our God is and count the abundant ways He takes care of us!

Now that you are all caught up:

Merry Christmas!! I hope it was amazing and you were in the presence of those you love! Chris and I had the best day! We had such a special morning with each other in our own home:) Waking up next to my new husband made for a wonderful start to our day!! We shared the rest of the day with our families (thankfully, they are so close we didn't have to travel!) And since we both had Friday off, we stayed in our pj's and relaxed all day! Talk about a great weekend!

Wishing you a great year's end!

Love and peace,
Kate