Today is workout Wednesday, and yesterday was Valentine’s Day. If you are anything like me, you took full advantage of Valentine’s Day to eat delicious, terrible for your health, food(s). As if Valentine’s Day isn’t enough of a reason to eat these yummy foods, yesterday was Tuesday which means, it was also Taco Tuesday! YES. Absolute perfection. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant in town for dinner last night where I ate my entire TWO chimichanga entrée all by myself. #iAintSorry. However, my body is definitely sorry, because today’s workout will not feel too good. I’m sure of this LOL. Read More
Fitbit Charge 2 (Review)
It’s been exactly a full month since I’ve had my Fitbit Charge 2 and I must say: I LOVE IT. I mean, I really and truly, love this little thing. It’s crazy how much of an impact such a little device can have on your every day life. Read More
Fitness Consistency in Chaos
If there is one thing I have learned since starting this post baby weight loss journey, consistency is the key all of it, both eating and working out. But, what do you do when your daily schedule varies day-to-day and can even be a bit chaotic? Read More
March Goals: Accomplished?
Hello everyone, and happy (third day of) April!
I’m sure most of you noticed it’s been well over two weeks since I have posted any content. I decided to take a last-minute break from blogging during the remainder of March due to life being pretty crazy busy. Between birthdays (happy belated blog shout out birthday to my awesome sister, Taylor!), Easter, Spring, friends visiting etc. March was a pretty crazy month. I did some serious deep Spring cleaning around the house while my husband was gone for a few days traveling for work. Even he came back home and almost didn’t recognize the house himself. Ha!
Easter sort of snuck up on me this year and I wasn’t even a little prepared for it. I wanted to make Jordyn’s Easter basket myself, but like I said before, I was completely unprepared and ended up buying her one. It came with a basketball (which she loves) and some cute head bands, so it could be worse. Our awesome friends, the Jones’, were in town this Easter, and we threw together some last-minute Easter activities for the kids and an Easter dinner for a group of our friends.
For the month of March I almost completed all of my monthly goals. I fell short by ONE goal, my cooking Periscope broadcast, but it went hand in hand with me taking a break from blogging for a bit. I will try to do two Periscope broadcasts for the month of April to make up for the missed broadcast last month, though. However, all of my other goals were completed and I’ll share them below :-):
Date Night:
Our babysitter was pretty busy between school and work in the month of March which means we had a family date night instead of just a date night with the hubby and I. We went one of our favorite restaurants in town, Bert & Ernie’s, and had a great time eating yummy food. Jordyn is always added entertainment when we are out and about haha.
New Recipe:
I saw this delicious meal floating around Facebook and decided to give it a try while we had friends in town. It was SO good. The only downside was the Facebook video had no instructions or measurements besides the ingredients listed on the video. So thankfully it turned out so good!
DIY Project/Jordyn Activity:
Jordyn and I did another “joint project” for the month of March. During my Spring cleaning of the house I noticed the upstairs bathroom had too much empty space on the wall. I went to Michaels the following day and Jordyn and I bought some canvases (they were a BOGO free sale too!) and created these masterpieces. Mine is on the left, Jordyn’s on the right, and in case you’re wondering: yes, Jordyn’s looks better LOL.
Twitter Chat:
As usual, I participated in the #blkcreatives Twitter chat in March, regarding multiple streams of income. Although I could not personally contribute to the conversation, I still followed along with the chat, because I’m sure it’ll be useful to me one day in the future. It never hurts to learn more before jumping into things.
Natural Hair Style:
I did bantu knots for my natural hair style in March and they did NOT turn out the way I wanted them to which is why it was put into the ponytail on the right haha. A for effort, right? I’m not sure what happened, but hopefully my April natural hair style turns out a lot better.
Nail Color:
For March I chose my only darker green color for the theme of St. Patty’s Day. I love the sparkle of this emerald-green color. The color is called “Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow Suede” by OPI.
New Book:
I finally jumped on the John Grisham bandwagon (20 years later) and LOVED this book. Talk about changing your life and perspective of everyday life for people who are fighting different battles than ours. I highly recommend this book be read by any and everyone because we as a society so easily judge those in different circumstances than ours.
Workout Reward:
I actually worked out 21 days of the 31 days in March and felt so accomplished. I’m also only 22 seconds away from my half mile goal time. Seeing results always motivates me to keep going. I believe it’s also safe to say after three consistent months of working out, 20 days plus per month, working out has officially become a habit. Yay!
The goals I don’t have pictures of for March are my husband love/Kris appreciation gift and my random act of kindness. For my kind gesture for my husband I bought him some new hookah flavors. He loves his hookah and figured I would get him a gift he wouldn’t expect me to buy for him. Needless to say: he loved it.
For my random act of kindness, while at Dairy Queen one night getting my Oreo and Heath blizzard (it is amazing) I paid for the meal of the car behind me. I hope whoever was in the car enjoyed their ice cream/meal and pay it forward to someone else out there.
I hope all of your small and large goals you aimed to accomplish for the month of March were accomplished. Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track and work towards our goals but we just have to remind ourselves why we do it in the first place. I will be back next month to update you on my prayerfully 100% accomplished goals for the month of April.
Happy Sunday everyone and I pray you have a great upcoming week!
Brie <3
[04.03.16]
5 Pre/Post Workout Stretches
Happy workout Wednesday, everybody! I have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately, especially lifting, and have had some pretty sore days because of it. However, as most of us already know, stretching is not only amazing, it helps prevent injury while working out. I have perfected and found my 5 favorite pre/post workout stretches that are most effective for me. I wanted to share these stretches with all of you in case they will help with your aches and pains in any way.
Opposite Leg Toe Touch:
This stretch is pretty self explanatory. I touch each toe for 10 seconds and do this 2-3 times depending on how stiff I feel. You should feel you muscles loosen up with each toe touch and hold.
Foot Grab Squat:
Squatting is a huge part of my workout routine so stretching the exact muscles I use for squatting before and after is key. You will hold this position for 10-15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. You should feel your body loosen up enough to go into a deeper squat position each time.
Sitting Leg Extension Toe Touch:
This is a wonderful stretch for the hamstrings. Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. Grab you toe and pull back a little more with each count and set. You can even add some arm movement in as you do this stretch.
Butterfly Floor Touch:
This stretch works the areas for squats as well but adds in more stretching of the groin. When you get into this position lean forward on your arms, which push your legs further apart, and feel the stretch in your groin. Do this same pressure and stretch for 10-15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
Sitting Butterfly Flutters:
You will sit with the bottom of your feet touching each other and bounce your knees up and down. You should feel the stretch in your groin as you flutter your knees up and down. Flutter 10 times on each side and repeat 2-3 more times.
These exercises always leave me feeling either ready to start my workout or ready to go home after a good stretch. What are some of your favorite pre/post workout stretches? Feel free to share below.
Happy Wednesday, everybody! 🙂
Brie <3
[03.09.16]
January Goals Accomplished!
At the beginning of the year I shared a post outlining 12 goals I am striving to accomplish every month of 2016. Click here to read the post if you haven’t already. As of earlier today, I have accomplished all 12 of my goals for the month of January with one day to spare! Yeah, go me! I will share a picture of each goal for the month of January below.
Date Night:
While my Mother in law was in town the husband and I went on a few date nights this month so that was a lot of fun. Here is a picture of us at a stop light on our way to see the Hateful Eight for a day time date. 🙂
New Recipe:
I follow the Tasty page on Facebook and decided to make the shepherds pie stuffed baked potatoes for my new recipe to try for dinner. It was an instant hit and I’ve made it twice this month for dinner!
DIY Project:
I actually almost forgot to do my DIY for this month, but thankfully earlier today I was bored and decided to do one anyway. How about that timing? I re-purposed an old t-shirt I never wear into a workout shirt.
Twitter Chat:
Thanks to a good friend who is a social media strategist I learned about the “My Creative Connection” monthly twitter chat. Not only did I love the Q&A but I learned so much from the first chat to help better my blog and brand. They do this #BlkCreatives chat on the second Monday of every month. It’s safe to say they have a loyal monthly chat customer now. 🙂
Natural Hair Style:
This month I did a nice and easy, wash n’ go, natural hair style but it looked great! It has been my favorite wash n’ go result thus far. Talk about a selfie worthy hair style. 😉
Periscope Cooking Broadcast:
I did my first ever Periscope broadcast (@BrienneJamieson) for cooking. The first meal I shared on Periscope was my yummy Potato Corn & Bacon Chowder. I know it’s yummy because my family loves it and I have gotten some excellent reviews from fellow followers and readers who have tried it out. Thanks again to those of you who watched and tried the recipe!
Nail Color:
I have a drawer filled with nail polishes I haven’t worn in over a yea,r or ever, for that matter. I decided to try one of the colors I have never worn before. It’s called Russian Navy by OPI and I loooove it! I had to show it off with my lovely workout gloves while at the gym haha.
New Book:
The book I read this month was The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I love Jodi as an author so it shouldn’t come as a surprise how much I enjoyed this book, but I was still impressed and emotionally drawn in. If you are looking for a tragic yet relatable book to read I highly recommend this one.
Jordyn Activity:
Although Jordyn and I play and have fun all day everyday, I made it a point to do something each month that we’ve never done before. This month we built our first “fort” and we both had a great time eating snacks and watching TV/movies. It was the perfect cold and snowy day to do so too. 🙂
Workout Reward:
I made a commitment of having to workout at least 20 days of each month in order to reach my post baby body goals AND buy myself a reward of $25 or less to keep me motivated. As of Friday night I hit my goal which gives me two off days before starting again on Monday for the month of February. I was happy to achieve this goal!
The last two goals of the month were performing a random act of kindness and doing something nice for my husband. I didn’t take pictures of either of these “acts” because 1) I didn’t even remember to do so at the time and 2) some things don’t have to be shared through pictures. However, I will share what I did for each. While out running errands, and buying dinner for the family, I randomly decided to stop and buy some pizzas for the cops who guard the gate on base. It put smiles on their faces which made me super happy. For my husband, while out running those same errands, he had accidentally broken one of his PS4 controllers earlier that day. I bought him a card that very sweetly said “I love you” in mushy card ways and I put a Game Stop gift card in it. It made him smile and tell me how much he appreciates me so I think he loved it. Making people smile always makes me smile and that’s what it’s all about.
What goals did you set for yourself in the month of January? Did you accomplish them? If so, congratulations and I hope you have a great February as well. If not, what can you do to make sure you adjust and execute for the month of February? Feel free to share below.
Have a great Saturday evening and rest of your weekend everyone!
Brie <3
[01.30.16]
Weekly Workout Schedule
Happy Motivation Monday, everybody!
I’ve been working out consistently enough the last few months and because of this I have finally perfected my daily workout schedule. I have attempted multiple workout schedules and none of them ever really seem to fit me exactly. Instead, I decided to take the workouts from the multiple workout plans that were beneficial to me, as well as, add in a few challenging and effective exercises I have used in past experiences. After doing this schedule for a while I’m positive I will stick to this workout plan because, I love it! As I get more lean and strong I will adjust the reps and weight. However, I am not trying to get “bulky” from the lifting so instead of lifting extremely heavy for shorter reps, I will increase the reps in addition to the weight, but at a slower pace. Here is a day by day breakdown of the exercises I have been using:
Monday:
30+ minutes cardio
Jumping Jacks – 10
Push-ups – 10
Mountain Climbers – 10
Burpees – 10
*Repeat 3x with 2 minute break in between*
-cool down stretch-
Tuesday:
15 minutes cardio warm-up
Squats – 3×10
Dumbbell Lunge-Curl – 3×10
Jump Squats – 3×10
Deadlift – 3×10
Kettlebell Sumo Squat – 3×10
Russian Twists – 3×15
Lying Leg Raise – 3×15
10 minutes elliptical cool down
-cool down stretch-
Wednesday:
30+ minutes cardio
Tricep Dips – 3×10
Lateral Pull Downs – 3×10
Dumbbell Curls – 3×10
Dumbbell Flys – 3×10
Tricep Push Backs – 3×10
-cool down stretch-
Thursday (machines day):
15 minutes cardio warm up
Leg Press – 3×10
Leg Curls – 3×10
Leg Extensions – 3×10
Calf Extension – 3×10
Hip Abductor – 3×10
Hip Adductor – 3×10
Rotary Torso – 3×15
Weighted Abdominal Crunch – 3×15
-cool down stretch-
Friday:
1 hour cardio
-cool down stretch-
Saturday (optional):
20+ minutes HIIT (can use Monday’s workout by adding 2-3 more rounds)
7 minute abs (look up 7 different crunch positions if you don’t know seven)
Sunday:
OFF DAY
-be sure to do plenty of stretching-
Most of these workouts require lifting weights, and I advise starting off light, and increasing to your desired weight. Your body will let you know what is too much and what is too light. Also, feel free to alter these workouts to your liking. You may want to concentrate on a different part of your body and decide to switch things around or completely swap them out all together. Either way, make it fun, so that you want to return to the gym each day!
Have a great evening! 🙂
Brie <3
[01.25.16]
2016 Monthly Goals
We are now 8 days into the new year and I have already shared my 16 goals for the year. If you didn’t get a chance to read them you can click here to check it out. I took it one step beyond the yearly goals and decided to plan out 12 personal monthly goals. The goals range from self care (which was discussed in my first blog post of the year) to taking care of those around me. The goals range from pure fun to helping spread love to complete strangers, and I think I am thoroughly going to enjoy aiming to accomplish each goal every month. You’re probably wondering “is she looking to accomplish 12 different goals every month”? and the truth is…yes, I am. It sounds a lot more daunting than I believe it will be.
My 12 monthly goals to accomplish in 2016:
1) Date Night
My husband and I have done a terrible job of going on date nights since having our daughter. We’re new parents, who live far away from family, so we don’t trust many people with her. Thankfully my neighbor is awesome, amazing with children, and loves Jordyn too. My goal is to go on one date night a month.
2) New Recipe
I thoroughly enjoy cooking. I also enjoy discovering new delicious recipes. Every month this year I will try (at least) one different recipe a month. This already sounds delicious.
3) DIY Project
As most of you know from previous posts I love do-it-yourself projects. It’s a great down time and allows me to find my creative side. I will aim to do one new DIY project every month.
4) Twitter Chats
As a blogger who is looking to make my blog a profession, I need to get more involved on social media to work on/promote my brand. There are plenty of blog chats held by other blogging Twitter sources who give tips and exposure. Twitter chats will help increase my blog traffic.
5) Natural Hair Style
I’ve been natural since August 2007. As much as I love my natural hair it takes a bit of work. I usually opt for the easier flat ironed hair, thrown into ponytails and buns 98% of the time. With the theme of taking better care of myself this year, I will try at least one different natural hair style every month.
6) Cooking Periscope Broadcast
I’ve had Periscope for a few months and I used it all the time when I first signed up. For some reason I have hardly used it as of late, and one way to get me going again is to start live broadcasting. I love cooking so why not broadcast Jamieson Diaries recipes, live? It will be trial and error, but hopefully it’s as fun as it sounds.
7) Nail Colors
I haven’t painted my nails in over a year and a half. So every month I will paint my nails a different color to go along with the seasons. It may be small, but I’m looking forward to this!
8) Random Acts of Kindness
Have you ever had someone randomly pay for your meal? Or even do something as simple as let you skip ahead in line? When people show us kindness it makes us feel good so why not be the person spreading that same joy to others? Don’t expect to see this part posted on social media much, if at all.
9) Read A Book
I will read one new book every month this year in conjunction with reading my Bible more. I love reading and always have loved reading. I haven’t made the time to sit down and read lately a.k.a. I’ve been watching too much TV. I’m super excited to get back into my books!
10) Workout Reward
I’ve been trying to keep a steady workout regimen going. The ultimate way to get yourself to do something is knowing there’s a reward for you at the end. The catch: I have to workout at least 20 days out of the month. Say a few prayers for me that I remain disciplined and engaged.
11) Jordyn Activity/Craft
I love creating adorable crafts with Jordyn. Not only are they fun, but they’re engaging. I want to do at least one new activity or craft with her every month. From the Children’s Museum to homemade Play-doh, the possibilities are endless. Plus, anytime I get to spend having fun with my munchkin is time well spent.
12) Love For My Husband
I love my husband and we make a pretty awesome team. In learning how to take care of myself I also want to take care of my husband/marriage. My husband knows I love randomly buying him gifts occasionally, but why not do something sweet for him each month? It can range from a gift card to his favorite restaurant, to a simple card saying, “I was thinking of you”. Whatever it may be seeing him happy makes me happy.
It made me happy to write these goals out and see the changes to come this year. I believe these goals will for sure work on my goals of the “you, us, we” model I’m wanting to follow this year.I will also be posting pictures and videos as I can of my goals on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Do you have any goals you are looking to achieve in general? If so, comment some of your goals below, and how you plan to hold yourself accountable. If not, and you would like to set some goals, it’s never too late!
Happy Friday!
Brie <3
[01.08.16]
My Go To Clean Eating & Workout Resources
It has almost been a year since I have seriously started working on living a healthier lifestyle. I am by no means anywhere NEAR my health and fitness goals, but I am A LOT closer than I have been in years. I have tried the “healthy” lifestyle on multiple occasions prior to last year, but I was not as dedicated and educated on living a healthier lifestyle until I did the 28 Day Fit Girl Jumpstart Challenge in October of 2014. Since then, I have slowly been taking baby steps to teach myself the difference between diet fads and unnatural weight loss schemes, to the actual act of changing my lifestyle, and making cleaner eating choices and committing to working out regularly.
Clean eating is not a diet. I actually have learned to despise the word “diet”, and understand changing how I eat has to be a lifelong commitment. The changes will not happen overnight, but it will definitely start to show in the long run. The biggest fact I’ve learned about clean eating is, at no time should you starve yourself. When you’re hungry, you’re supposed to eat. You’re just supposed to eat healthier food vs. junk food, or not eating any food at all (leads to bingeing on unhealthy foods). In terms of working out, I learned any activity is better than no activity. You also don’t need an expensive membership to a fancy gym to stay fit either. There are so many at home or outdoor workouts available these days, which makes getting fit a lot easier.
Below I will share my favorite websites and social media people who got me started on my journey, kept me motivated on my journey, and continue to teach me how to do better along the way.
Jersey Girl Talk is a website I discovered through Pinterest while searching for lifting routines. I had been reading up on the benefits of lifting for women, and wanted to jump into it. I had lifted all through high school while running track, but it has been quite some time since I’ve lifted weights and wanted to find a beginners program of some sort. I stumbled upon Adrienne’s (the website owner) lifting for beginners pin, and really liked the sound of it. I’ve loved it ever since. I also follow her on Instagram and Twitter, where she is extremely personable, and responds to your tweets and posts if she is mentioned in them. I haven’t tried any of her recipes yet, but will be giving them a try sometime soon!
I found Fit with Curves through a friend’s post on Instagram. She had re-posted one of the exercises Tatiana (the blog owner) had shared on her own Instagram page. I’m all about seeing people doing healthy things so I clicked on her name to check out her page. I instantly loved the page, and not only because of the workouts. I loved seeing her acknowledge being fit means different things for different people. A woman with curves who is fit will not look like a woman who is fit without curves, and that is okay. Embrace it, and focus on how to become healthy in your own body. I enjoy some of her mini workout videos, and have occasionally added a workout here or there to my routine at the gym. She also has clean eating recipes on her blog I have not tried yet, but plan to in the near future. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter as well.
I’m actually not too sure how I found out about Get Fit with Nic, but I’m happy I did! I do know it was through Instagram somehow. Either way, if you’re looking for great at home and/or outdoor workouts, she is the person to follow. Gym memberships and/or finding the time to go to the gym can often be unattainable for some people. Her works are perfect for those of you who run into these issues. She often posts mini-videos of her workouts, which are perfect for those of us needing the extra “umph” to get our butts off of the couch in general. She has recently started a traveling workout session in major cities for a low fee of $10 which is pretty awesome. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
This is my FAVORITE meal prepping website at the moment. I found this gem of a website while searching for clean eating meals on, Pinterest. My Body My Kitchen, has SO many delicious recipes, broken down into separate categories, to make it easier to search for the type of food you want to eat. What makes this website the best for meal prepping is the amount of food options (so you never get bored), the amount of flavor used in the dishes (to keep you coming back), and how much he loves to make food spicy. If you aren’t a huge spicy food fan, just omit the use of the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes in your recipes. My husband HATES spicy food, so I modify his meals, and he still loves them. You can follow this page on Instagram as well.
This is my number one go to resource for clean eating and working out, because this is what got me started on the correct path to making healthier life choices. My friend Charelle told me about it back in September of 2014, and her, my Grandmother and I did the month-long challenge. The results were unbelievable for it to have only been a month. For anyone else looking for a great jumpstart to their healthier life goals, I suggest you start with the Fit Girls Guide. The major take back I got from this challenge was how to measure my food and calorie intake, correctly. Did I mention not only is the food really good, the exercises are extremely easy, and can be done at home. You can find the Fit Girls support groups on Instagram and Twitter as well.
If you decide to give any of these resources a try, I hope they are beneficial, enjoyable, and fun to do! Also, let me know what you think about them and what you like and didn’t like. Good luck on your journey and I hope these resources are helpful to someone out there. 🙂
This picture shows my results of the 28 Day Jumpstart Challenge last year.
Brie <3
[09.14.15]
Chicago Trip – June 2015
As I’m sure most of you have noticed, I disappeared from the blogging world within the last month. No need to worry, I took a break to enjoy some much-needed vacation time back home in Illinois with my family and friends. I promise I will try not to take such a long break again, because I’m sure you all missed me as much as I missed you, right? Right!
We decided to take the train home because driving 20+ hours in a car with an almost one year old was asking for trouble, just as taking two, two-hour flights was out of the question. The train takes a LONG 27 hours to get from Montana to Chicago, but it was seriously PERFECT. Jordyn was able to walk around, make friends with the passengers and gaze out of the window in amazement of everything passing by us. As a new Mom of a newly walking/mobile baby, I highly recommend this way of travel if it’s an option for you. My husband and I are very happy we made this decision.
We mainly went back home to celebrate Miss Jordyn’s 1st birthday with family and friends. On her actual 1st birthday, June 18th, 2015, we took her first trip to Medieval Times with family and extended family. The show was great, (although our knight kept losing) the food was yummy, and our waiter was awesome. Jordyn even received a rose directly from our knight during the show. It was adorable, and he was such a gentleman for giving it to her considering all of the other people in there screaming for the rose themselves. We took this awesome picture before we were seated, and Jordyn’s Godfather, Jesiah, bought us the keep sake picture to bring home with us. I’m in the process of finding the perfect frame for it to hang it up in the house. It sums up our family perfectly! LOL.
We were also lucky enough to have been home when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup Championship game at the United Center, which means, we got to go to the Blackhawks parade! My husband, my sisters and I all went together and it was such a great time. There are few things more electrifying than getting to celebrate a huge win like theirs with your favorite city (the best city) in the entire world. When the buses finally got to our section, I’m sure we all went temporarily deaf from the intense level of screaming we were surrounded by and engaged in. Being downtown Chicago for the parade even brought on some college nostalgia for myself. I spent so much of my college career walking those same downtown city blocks and riding those CTA trains and buses with loved ones. It made me that much more proud to not have just graduated from a college in a city as amazing as Chicago, but more thankful for even the tiniest of memories such as those in this awesome life of mine.
Jordyn’s birthday party was a huge success. It’s always wonderful to see so many faces you usually only get to see once a year or less. She received more blessings, love, and presents we could have ever imagined. When I tell you this is one extremely LOVED little girl, I mean it. Her party took place in one of the popular forest preserves on the north-side, and the weather held up perfectly during the actual hours of the party. It wasn’t too hot, and it didn’t rain until an hour after the party was over. The food was great, the company was even better, and the love from everyone was the best. My Aunt Gloria (who makes the absolute best cakes in the world – just ask the birthday party guests) made Jordyn’s Sesame Street themed cake and it was beyond perfect.
The day after Jordyn’s birthday party was not only Father’s Day/My husband’s first Father’s Day, but the 14th annual Ricky Byrdsong Race in Evanston, IL. This was the first year since Kris and I have been together that he was in town and able to attend. It has been a tradition in my family since my best friend’s (Kelley) Dad was killed back in 1999 to participate, support, and volunteer at the race. It only gets better each year. The YWCA Evanston/North Shore does a fantastic job each year with everything from the great t-shirt designs to the perfect entertainment. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on the dot. Considering we all had a late night hanging out downtown Chicago at Dave and Busters the night before, the initial 6 a.m. alarm was a little rough, but everyone had a great time as we always do. I told them they’d enjoy themselves once we made it out there and they did! Kris, Jesiah, Andye, Jordyn, and I even walked the 5K. A.K.A. we walked and Jordyn slept the entire stroller ride.
We decided to do a few new activities while we were home this time around as well. We went to Xtreme Trampoline with my sisters and cousin one evening. We paid for two hours of jumping time because it seemed to be a reasonable amount of time and the pricing wasn’t too bad. However, we jumped for 45 minutes before we were all laid out on the side of the trampolines trying to catch our breath and regain energy to jump again LOL. If you’re ever looking for a great leg and cardio workout, find your nearest indoor trampoline place and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Kris and I even had a date night that was finally out of the box of dinner and/or a movie. Kris has wanted to do indoor skydiving for quite some time, and we so happened to pass the iFly Chicago – Rosemont complex on several occasions driving back and forth to/from my Mom’s house to/from Kris’ Mom’s house. A family friend also recommended it while we were home so we decided to try it out. Kris was surprised when I told him I wanted to do it as well, because when I say I am the least risk taking-est person you will ever meet…I’m NOT exaggerating. I don’t even ride roller-coasters because they scare the crap out of me to give a little perspective on how big of a chicken I am, or as I like to say, I just appreciate my feet touching the ground. Well, let me tell you, I had SO much fun and would recommend for everyone to give it a try at least once!
My second favorite part of going home is the endless options for unbelievably delicious FOOD! I miss having so many of these food places around me 24/7. I’m pretty sure I cried about it at least twice while I was pregnant last year and unable to eat the food I was craving. Whatever – don’t judge me. Anyway, I have way too many food places to name to even begin to give you a glimpse of how much I eat when I am home. However, I do have very specific places I absolutely MUST get while I am home: Giordanos, (it makes me sad how many people will never have great quality pizza in their lifetime) Claires Korner, (because Jamaican food – DUH) Buffalo Joes, (single order and cheddar chips are no where near as good anywhere else) Portillos (Italian beef dipped with hot and sweet peppers, a cheese fry, and strawberry shake – you’re welcome). The other chain food honorable mentions are: Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts, and Potbelly. I was way too excited to devour my food when I received it from any of these locations, but here goes a glimpse for you.
In all the fun and amazing things we did while we were home, my favorite part of going home is always being able to see and spend time with my family. From BBQs at Uncle Tony’s house, playing UNO in my Mom’s dining room, to having brunch after church, these are the memories I will hold onto more than others. I want Jordyn and her future siblings to grow up knowing and loving our family and extended family as much as I do. As I’ve stated in previous blog posts, I come from a very large family. Not only are we large, but we’re a close family as well. Which makes it that much harder to live so far away from them. When I say family, I mean my closest friends as well. Most of my friends have become my family in the last few years and I couldn’t be more thankful to be surrounded by so many awesome people I’m related to by blood and by choice. Many people go through life without either of those options and here I am with more than I can keep up with. I often tell people, I know without a doubt there is a God, because it is not by chance I am living this life. It is not by chance my little family has so many people we can turn to and support us in our times of need. It is not by chance when a new milestone takes place in my life or theirs, we become that much closer to one another. And it wasn’t by chance I was born into the world’s most beautiful, greatest, loving, supportive, strong-willed, and FUN family!
As always you were good to us Illinois. We’ll be back for a brief round two in mid September. Have a happy and blessed Sunday lovely people!
Brie <3
[07.19.15]