Favorite spots

Do you have a favorite spot? In college there was this gorgeous tree, everyone called it "the tree." It was where we would go on a late afternoon and read on the lawn, where couples would have romantic picnics, and the place that every photographer in the area used as a gorgeous backdrop. The tree was always my first stretching stop when I went for a jog. It was magnificent, inspiring, and peaceful.


Later, when I met Bryan, it became our spot. It was the place we talked for hours, the place we studied the Bible together, the place we had picnics, and eventually the place he proposed.

The other night we both got home from work and decided to revisit our spot.  We found a park bench, leaned back and soaked in the breeze that swished over the intercostal water.

Sometimes life is so busy, its nice to be intentional to enjoy the things that bring us happiness and joy. It was the perfect pick me up in the middle of the week.

 

The Cooper Restaurant and FroYo

Yesterday I woke up and got in a 3 mile run followed by 30 mins speed-walking. I totaled 5 miles which I feel pretty good about these days! (Still learning to take it easy for medical reasons)

Later, during my lunch break, Bryan and I met his boss for a celebration farewell lunch. Bryan recently accepted a position at a university and his boss wanted to congratulate him and send him off with positive regards. She is definitely someone whom he learned a lot from and we will miss seeing her. We are definitely excited for the future too!

We went to an amazing farm-to-table restaurant called The Cooper. It was phenomenal. I ordered the falafel kale tzatziki hummus wrap and a side salad and was not disappointed. Every bite was infused with flavor!

Bryan ordered the blackened mahi burger with a side of sweet potato fries and they definitely stole the show! 

They were perfectly sweet, salty, and slightly crisp- just the way I like them!

We will definitely be back to this place! 

The atmosphere was great- with huge open floor plan and mixed indoor/outdoor seating. 

It was so nice to sit down with Bryan's boss and so nice of her to treat us. I felt like a chapter of Bryan's life is coming to a close as he moves onto a new career path.  It was so neat to see how all the people he worked with really appreciate and respect him.  I am so excited for all the things God has in store for the next chapter! 

After lunch, I went back to finish out my day of work from home and before I knew it it was 7pm!  Bryan and I went to meet some good friends of ours at our favorite Froyo place in Palm Beach Gardens- Yogurtology. 

I had chocolate with oreos, s'more bites, chocolate covered waffle cones, chocolate chips, and frosted animal crackers. It was a perfect way to end the day. 

Have a great Wednesday!

Photos: Google Images

The Power of a Positive Attitude

WORK OUT: This morning I ran an easy 3 miles at 6mph (I am slowing way down from my normal 7.5mph pace to give my body a rest during this season for various medical reasons) followed by walking 30 min at 4mph pace on my treadmill. I finished the last episode of Parenthood on Netflix. It was a tear-jerker! Now I need to find a new show.

Last night, I went to a girlfriend's house for our monthly dinner club. We started this group about 2-3 years ago and rotate to each others houses each month for a 3 course meal. It is a great way to stay connected in each others' lives and enjoy new tasty recipes made from scratch.

Last night was a special night, one girl announced her husband's promotion! She now can be a stay-at-home mom which is something she has always dreamed of. The only bittersweet part is they are moving to DC. We will miss her deeply.

Another announcement last night was a pregnancy! I love celebrating the joys in each of our lives together. I think all to often we tend to think of the negative things in our lives. What is going wrong in our lives. What could I have done better? Why wasn't I faster in that race? Why did I have to get behind a slow person on the road? Why am I always late? etc etc ETC.

I heard a great message yesterday on Serious XM radio about how God actually allows those negative things to happen in our lives to grow us. It's not about what is happening to us, its about what happening for us. Next time we are caught in a negative mindset or an unhappy situation because of someone else we need to remind ourselves that this is an opportunity to grow and learn. Also God allows us to cross paths with negative people so they can see how we react.

I found this quote the other day on Pinterest.

It's hard to be grateful in adverse situations but sometimes that is what we are to do to grow and shape us into even better people. In various trials, consider it per joy (Paul writes in the Bible). 

Today I choose to focus on the why not the what. Why am I placed in this situation? To grow and show God's love to those who need it most. 

Hope you have an amazing day! Find something to be grateful for and focus on it :-) 

Life in 2016- Baby Showers, Fireworks, and Froyo

So I am going to try to write more frequently this year! It has been too long! I have still been running each day- I have cut the mileage dramatically to give my body a rest. I average 3 miles a day and speed walk about 2-3 miles. Somedays I don't run at all and just speed-walk 6 miles (about 90min). It's amazing how my legs still feel and look toned even without the running. Speed-walking is really no joke! It's nice to not be drenched in sweat at the end of a workout every once in a while too! (Thank God for Dry-Shampoo!) 

Last month I went to a friend's baby shower. It was so fun celebrating her little boy! I have about 6 friends that are pregnant right now with their first baby and it is so exciting! Soon, Bryan and I will be joining this group and we cannot wait to be parents!

For New Years 2016, we ended up going to a friend's house to watch the Michigan State Football game. It was so fun. We had turkey sliders, and a huge table of snacks, chocolates, and dips. A perfect way to ring in the new year in my opinion. It's so funny to think how much my idea of fun has changed! haha. I love low-key good conversations with close friends and would choose that anyday over a huge loud party with lots of booze.

Last year, Bryan and I went out for the celebration with another couple. It was fun too! I guess it just nice to mix it up each year!

The year 2015 was such an incredible year! So many blessings, trips to TN, Palm Beach Island, and Orlando. Every year I am married to Bryan gets better and better! WE will be married 4 (GASP) years in October 2016! Below is a recap photo of the year.

Another thing I love is how my little nephew is getting so grown up! Below is a pic of a text conversation I had with him the other day on my sister's phone. He is so sweet. Words cannot describe the love I have for him.

Our life lately has also been including LOTS of Fro-Yo. We found this place called Yogurtology that actually has toppings and bottomings for your froyo and cup dividers for different flavors. They do it right!

Well, that's a little recap of my life lately! I hope you are all enjoying the blessings of life each day and remembering to savor the good moments when they come your way! God bless! 

Hannah

Life Lately

I haven't written in forever it seems! These past few weeks have been Weddings Galore for us! We had a wedding last Saturday and then the following Friday. Who doesn't love a dinner party celebrating love? 

One wedding was an outdoor affair at a golf course, while the other one- an inside dance party.

I love it when Bryan gets dressed up! In his perfect world everyone would wear work out shorts and t-shirts everyday, but doesn't he look so handsome in a suit?

Aside from Weddings, we have been keeping busy with volunteer events, church, work, and leadership development courses. Life is busy, but busy is good! 

My nephew came to visit a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved spending time with him! 

Seriously I cannot get enough of that kid!

As far as running, I have been consistent but not doing any serious training lately. I have been keeptng to my 5 miles a day 5 x a week routine and it is working for me for now. 

New Nike Running Shoes + Running on the weekend in the sunshine = PURE HAPPINESS! 

Have a great night! I hope to check in on here more often!

XOXO,

H

Gluten free banana blueberry pancakes

Hi friends! It's been awhile!

Thought I'd pop in to share a delicious recipe i had for dinner last night. Yes, that's right, we had breakfast for dinner and it was additively perfect!

The best part?  You don't have to make breakfast the next morning with the leftovers. Any morning that starts with these babies is a beautiful one!

Here's the recipe, hope you enjoy!
Mix together
3 eggs
3/4c coconut milk
1tsp vanilla
2 ripe mashed bananas
2T coconut oil
1.5 C gluten free flour of your choice (I used oats, garbanzo flour, and soy flour for an added protein punch)
1tsp baking soda
1T lemon juice
Dash of cinnamon
Optional: add in organic frozen or fresh blueberries (I found they were too crumbly to flip so I ended up adding my blueberries as a topping instead)

Grease pan with extra virgin olive oil and pour batter into 3 inch rounds
Let cook 1-2 minutes then flip and cook 1-2 minutes more

Serve immediately with fresh blueberries, Greek yogurt, and organic maple syrup. Enjoy:)

I Love Art

Blank canvases. Every time I sit down to write a blog post I am overcome with the excitement of a blank page to fill with the details of my life. I am so thankful for this creative outlet.  Which is a perfect lead-in... I am so appreciative of art in general- whether it is music, writing, painting, or whatever. I love seeing firsthand how people express themselves in creative ways.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending ArtiGras Festival.  It was a huge event, marked one of the top 20 art festivals in the nations, that invited artists from all over to display their works of wonder.

My mother-in-law, her friend, and I spent the entire afternoon browsing the art on display.  The weather was gorgeous!  High 70s and breezy sunny.

I was drawn to one particular artist who carved small fairies to hang from the ceiling.  So whimsical and cute. 

I ended up not buying one, but one day I would love to decorate a little girls room this way. 

Speaking of rooms:  We decided on a paint color I think!

What do you think?  We are going to do our living room/kitchen/dining room in the color circled above.  I am going to try to pair it with orange tones like the pillow listed above.  For a fresh and modern look.

After all the art-viewing I took part in, I decided to also buy a blank canvas and attempt to create some sort of abstract piece for our living room. I will keep you posted.

MY RUN:
So far this week, my workouts have been very sporadic due to the business of my work schedule. but I did decide to go for a few nice jogs after work.

Whenever I can I try to get outside to enjoy nature.  Even if it is in a residential area. 

 

Last but not least, here is a picture of a little bit of nature in a vase.



Bryan brought them home for me the other day. What a sweet hubby he is!  Not to mention, extremely hot stuff, especially when using tools to fix up our house :-)

I married a good one ;-)

Hope you have a great weekend!