YOU are a work in progress! Sunday Soror Shenanigans

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hey, wassup, HELLO!  both my boy's birthday's have passed and my BFF is now happily hitched...so, i'm officially back. life happened for the past 2 months and i'm not apologizing for it or anything, but i did kinda up and leave this space without saying a word, i know #noshedidnt #ya #shetotallydid. however, i hope you've been following me on Insta cause i'm definitely still active there, aaaaand i recently joined the awesomeness that is Periscope (fitfoodiele)!!! it was a bit scary at first (still is) as there is no editing, no filters, no nothing... just you and your camera, broadcasting live from your mobile device.  sometimes i have a plan...sometimes i do not... so luckily there is a delete option, haha.  anyway, i'm just having fun with it. i know i'm all about fitness and food 200% of the time, but there is so much more to LIFE and fit foodie le. some stuff i'd love to share, some stuff i'll gladly keep private.  i know people use social media for different things, but i have grown to stop taking it SO DANG SERIOUS!!!!! and let's not even start with the comparison crap (bodies, material things, status, etc) i mean really.  say this with me with conviction: 'God has big plans for ME and i am on HIS timeline.'

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got it? believe it.

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you know when you KNOW you need to go do something but keep avoiding it and making excuses every. single. chance. you get? for me, that thing was sprints. i have not run full speed in i don't know how long but i KNEW that's what would get my butt back into gear and rev up my workout motivation big time!  and well, they DID.  i've been eating clean as often as possible and sticking to my 6 Pack USA plan for the most part--->but<--- i have been walking a fine line (and going overboard more often than not) when there is an abundance of a particular food around (shrimp fried rice, cake, pizza......).  and um these past 2 months i've had plenty of all 3 with all these parties!  that's nothing new with me though. so, to keep things 'under control' and still enjoy those foods in moderation, i have to go out in the street or on the track and get uncomfy every now and then.  the trade off is always worth. i cooked up 400 cals in 30 min before heading to teach my Preggo Patties this past saturday morning!  a post on that is coming up soon:). here's the bad news-- because i hadn't ran so fast in so long, that all over itchy sensation tore my legs UP.  yep, it really is a 'thing' and there is a scientific explanation for it. ugh. i can't stand it though! has it ever happened to you?  only way to cure it though is to KEEP RUNNING, and keep working out. consistency, consistency, consistency.

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my body responded immediately, so sunday morning i woke up (late) feeling SO good!  i got to put on this gorgeous H&M dress (that was the perfect shade of pink) and meet up with my Sorors for brunch. we are turning two on June 30th! skee wee!  we dined at North Italia and you know i have the pics to prove it.

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we started with yogurt, granola, and berries for the table,

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then, BRUCHETTA BABY!!!!!, (check out their menu for details)

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and i got the egg white veggie scramble with fresh grated parmesan on the side (yes i had just eaten eggs at home for breakfast lol), smashed fingerling potatoes, and grilled sourdough bread.

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we ordered french toast for Chiso and gaaaaaaah, it was as incredible as it looks.  

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the 'food makes me happy!' dance! the fruit was a no-go for him though. twinsies <3

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happy early anni to us!

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 - pretty girls -

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- AKAtch 22 -

i have a First Line Brands Dri Sweat Flex headband to give away in my next post, so get ready!

don't forget to follow me on Periscope and Insta ;)

Q: what food comes to mind when you hear the word BRUNCH? 

le

33 candles

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this past tuesday, april 7th,  started out how it normally does for me- up at the crack of dark, coffee, then gym to teach my Lifetime HIIT class.  only this time, it was my burfdaaaaaay! thanks for the pic, Sonny, LOL #skillz

i expressed to a few girlfriends how i wanted a makeover for my birthday this year (since most of my time is spent looking like the complete opposite).  my plan was to head to see my beautician and get this hair blown out after class, but idk, i just didn't feel up to sitting up under a dryer after that workout!  even wanted to go get my makeup done at Mac or something but nope, i changed my mind. why do i make getting 'beautified' such a hassle!? #storyofmylife  plus i was gonna be up in the gym the next day so.... i talked myself outta that one (again) and saved a few dollars. the braids are coming back VERY soon. time to convert this afro bun into a braid bun, haha.  anyway. the simplest of things bring me the most joy at this point in my life.  i'm not big on parties (for the kids, ya, for me, not at all) so spending time with my fam and eating good is the best thing ever in my book.  p.s. material gifts are added blessings that i always welcome with open arms though *cough* #fitgifts *cough* :) :) :)

i got back from class and Sonny told me to get dressed so i was like

okaaaaaaaaay!

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some of the best eateries are right in our own back yard! Sonny does his research and finds great places for us to try, like this one: Jupiter Pizza & Waffle Company

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this jewel is tucked away in the heart of Sugar Land Town Square and was as perfect as the weather that day.

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just testing out and playing around with Sonny's new phone while we waited for our food!  He recently upgraded to the Samsung Note 4 and i am head over heels for the camera on this thing.  i need these megapixels and i am anxiously awaiting to upgrade to the S6 myself.  it was actually released today, woo hoo!  the pictures are incredible and make my S4 pics look like an 8 bit nintendo game. ok i'm exaggerating but the differences are crystal clear to me. #punintended

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we started out with sweet potato waffle fries for our appetizer (Chiso even ate a few!)

and i enjoyed every bite of the Hail To The Kale Salad. fresh kale, strawberries, goat cheese, roasted sliced almonds, in a sesame vinaigrette.  YUM.

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Sonny: can you order something you normally wouldn't make and eat at home this time?

me: ok, got it.

#FAIL

i got the La Grange omelette: red pepper, mushrooms, chicken breast, and spinach which came with a gorgeous Belgian waffle topped with everythang you see up there!  Dego agrees it was pretty magical.

Sonny ordered a dish affectionately named: The Fat Bastard. salty bacon, poached eggs, and fluffy waffles!

food is art. and i'm loving close up shots these days.

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i love quirky, fun, unique stuff like this!  they might not be the first to do it, but it's the first i've seen a restaurant use a classic paperback for the receipt/credit card/pen holder! love it.

if you think my hands are full, you should see my heart. grateful to GOD for these knuckleheads and turning another year older. i was one full, happy mama.

'i don't want my children to follow in my footsteps.  i want them to take the path next to me and go father than i even dreamt possible.'

next up, a mini shopping spree! don't mind if i dooooooo! the BEST purchase i made that day: 2 good bras.  loooong overdue for that.  breastfeeding makes 'the girls' fluctuate like crazy, so i held off on getting one for the longest. proper support is important!  it can make or break an outfit IMO.

then we dropped the boys off with their granny and grandpa and headed to a scrumptious dinner at Flemings with a special surprise guest:

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my bro has been overseas for my last 2 birthdays, so i was elated to be able to celebrate with him this year.

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AND this big ol' cake he bought me that i could not stop picking off of and finally got outta my house TODAY. lol.

 thank you for everything, Sonny.  marriage is not a noun...it's a verb.  it's not something you get, it's something you do. every single day.  marriage is not easy and like everything else in this life it takes an effort to thrive and succeed.  as long as God is His leader, i'm prepared to follow this man wherever he leads our family. i'm on his team and arm for life.

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hellooooo, 33!

nice touch!  i received this birthday card,

and a box of chocolate truffles from Flemings! sweet.

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the boys ordered gigantic steaks,

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and i failed #again at picking something different and got the bbq salmon & baby bella mushrooms. :) asparagus and creamed spinach were our al la carte sides, and i started with a wedge salad w/ ranch dressing on the side.

6 Pack USA clients, look away LOL!!!! we ended dinner with a birthday song and a   BANG.

singing happy birthday
singing happy birthday

cause i still don't! #awkward but i sure did appreciate it. we all split a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream. 

thanks for reading and for the SWEET birthday messages via voice, text, Instagram, and email! 

le

ABB 5k 2015 + consistency is your BFF

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 go time!  i do believe this is the longest start line i've ever been in.

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it took about 9 minutes just to get to the very front and start running! all that body heat kept us warm though.

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 i left my house late (unsurprisingly) and with the street closures and all ended up parking pretty far.  i pretty much ran a dang 5k through downtown before the race started!  i don't ever pay for parking downtown if i can avoid it; i'd rather walk and just save a few bucks.  i was tempted this time though cause i didn't want to be late, but i made it, whew.

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#atomicphotobomb & #selfiewhilerunning. the reason for that face is because i was contemplating that 24 min PR i set the night before!!!!

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so i didn't find the white rabbit to follow but i DID find a black gorrilla. or whatever that was. i had to speed up to get this pic cause he was BOOKIN' IT.

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stats were posted tonight and my official time was 26:41!  i did set a PR of 24, but i'm thinking if i actually take the time to train correctly then maybe i'd actually hit it or come close smh! i love the challenge and i'm up for it.

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done!  grateful to cross yet another finish line. i just can't get enough of that feeling.

2015-01-17_09.02.081so Sonny has been in Nigeria all week long for work and was supposed to touch down in Houston at 5am this morning. however, his flight was canceled and he had to hop on the next available one.  i sure would have loved to see him at the finish line, but i did find two of my gorgeous Sorors there, Ayesha and Crystal.  they are both doing the full marathon tomorrow; run hard ladies and good luck!!.

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last shot before heading to catch the tail end of the boot camp class i teach with Brian every saturday.

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adding to my medal and t-shirt collection!

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after boot camp? a leg workout with my trainer, @showtimefitness of course!

 'what seems impossible today will one day become your warmup.' yes. i remember running my very first 5k a few years ago and not moving or lifting a finger afterwards for like 3 days straight! i was crazy tired & super sore and could have easily said 'screw running'and never did another race again. one of the hardest decisions we face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder. well, i chose the latter! how do you get better at something? DO IT MORE! no earthly idea how many 5 and 10ks (1 half mar) i've done since then but because i refused to quit, consistency had me up in the gym post-5k yesterday beasting through an intense full body workout with my trainer @showtimefitness. and you better believe there's a full marathon on my to-do list! just keep going. don't quit. consistency is key.

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i actually love being trained as much as i love to instruct the trainings with my own clients!  Brian is awesome at what he does and i always learn more than a handful of things from him.

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then... i headed to Luby's for dinner to celebrate. i can ALWAYS count on a great, tasty, healthy meal from there.  i don't care that the population is 80% senior-citizen per my husband!  i have so many childhood memories from Luby's. it was a sunday, after church staple for my family growing up.  anyway i got the salmon, steamed cabbage, seasoned carrots, pickled beets & cucumbers, and...... 20150117_161233_1 yes. THE BEST EVER. if you don't like mac n cheese we cannot be friends!!!!!!!! i earned it and i enjoyed every single bite.

WHAT big fitness goal have you set for yourself this year?

 

le