Category Archives: Full of Awesome

When my real life & my e-life collide

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So I’m sitting here feeding my baby for bed {real life} tapping away writing a blog post {e-life}.

My phone has been buzzing with text messages {real life} from women I’ve never even physically met before, but I have a fierce connection with {e-life}.

In the last two days I’ve checked the mail {real life} and found mail from two of the aforementioned women… a birth announcement from Brandy and a whole pack of goodies from Alicia {e-life}.

Tomorrow I’m driving up to Seattle for a tradeshow for work {real life}. I’m driving a Toyota FJ Cruiser that Toyota is loaning to me for 5 days {e-life}.

While I’m in Seattle for work {real life} I get to have a girl’s night out with a few of my favorite ladies on the interwebs…Brandee, Mandy and Mae {e-life}.

Then on my way home from my work trip {real life} I’m swinging in to have dinner with Tracy, the mind behind Liberating Working Moms, the other blog I write for {e-life}.

I just requested time off of work and will be leaving my family for 4 days {real life} for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Charlotte, NC getting VIP/behind the scenes action at a NASCAR race and Toyota’s race team {e-life}.

I guess I should just get used to calling this my life, but it still seems so unreal to me that because of my little corner of the internet I’m being given so many amazing opportunities.

Because really…my real life colliding with my e-life is a beautiful thing…


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Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Rylee Get your Gun!

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For Rylee’s first birthday, we bought her a pink single shot .22 rifle. {While it may seem a little extreme that that was her 1st birthday gift, I assure you the only reason it happened was because the company I worked for at the time was owned by a gun manufacturer and I got a sca-reamin’ deal.} It’s been locked safely away ever since. Back in October, Rylee went on her first hunting trip, and since then, she’s talked about shooting her gun. We told her that maybe this summer she’d be big enough to shoot it and let me tell you, homegirl does not forget things like that, so we added it to the Big Sister Bucket List.

We had camping on the bucket list too, but our suburban is still not back from the shop, so unfortunately camping got knocked off the list. Instead, we decided to make a day out of it and headed out to our normal camping/fishing spot to do a little fishing, a little exploring and let Ry shoot her gun for the first time.

On the way out of town we swung into my dad’s to pick up the gun. Before I put it in the back of the Jeep I opened up Ry’s door to let her see it…this was the first time since her first birthday that she’d even laid eyes on it. She looked at the gun, looked at me, then back at the gun. She got a huge grin on her face and in an awe-inspired half-whisper, said “Wooow…it’s beautiful!”

We started out with some fishing. I’ve been going up to this area fishing since before I was Rylee’s age. Never in my lifetime have I had such a great day of fishing and caught such big fish! No joke. It was kind of surreal. Literally just about every other cast in the creek and we’d have a fish on! And while the term “big” is relative for this creek, I’ve never seen a fish bigger than 8″ or so come out of the water, but Ry’s very first cast she caught a beefy 11″ trout! Every fish we caught that morning was at least 9″ long.

Her first cast in…”Daddy, I got a fish!”

One excited (and proud!) Daddy! {And my new favorite photo of the two of them!!}

Casting with Mama…

Hey look…Another fish!

Once Ry’s attention span with the fishing ran out, I let Andy fish a while longer and Rylee and I went “exploring”. We played I Spy, picked up rocks and looked for butterflies. After a bit, we all headed back to the Jeep for some lunch. After lunch was over, it was time to shoot!

We started out by going over safety, none of this was new to Rylee considering we talk about gun safety a lot but she was a good sport and listened intently. {and for the record, no the “R” on her shooting ear muffs, do not stand for Rylee, just a nice coincidence.}

Safety first! Rylee got these youth sized glasses and ear protection for her birthday this year. {Also, like the belly in the reflection!?}

Daddy showing her how to hold the gun.

Getting ready…

Learning how to load in a bullet…

Taking aim!!

A few shots with mama…

Checking out the target…

After the first few shots, I started getting too hot, so I headed back to the shade to hydrate while Rylee and Andy kept shooting. She had a ton of fun and I think it’s safe to say we’ll have a little outdoors girl on our hands!

And just like that, another thing is marked off the bucket list!

Easter Weekend

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I have no clever title for this post.

Long story short? Easter weekend rocked my socks off! Rylee was, for the most part, a total dream.

So into all things Easter related!

Saturday was filled with grocery shopping and baking and prepping. Rylee helped make strawberry swirl cupcakes before her nap. Then washed up the plastic eggs that she was leaving for the Easter Bunny to stuff with candy and hide while she was sleeping.

Sunday there was church {she was amazing!}, followed by an Easter egg hunt put on by the youth group {she was so stoked!}.

 

Then back to our house where she finally found the Easter Basket the Easter bunny hid for her {excitement ensued!} then there was family and dinner {home-smoked turkey breast? Yes please!} and lots of time playing outside {hooray for the sun!}.

I didn’t take any photos other than what I snagged on my phone, and you know what? I’m perfectly ok with that. I would much rather be soaking up the family time, the cuddles, the giggles and everything else that makes this girl herself, than running around trying to take the “perfect” shot.

Hope everyone else had a loverly Easter too!

Wait, is this real life!?

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Life has been a whirlwind lately. As per the usual, I suppose. But there’s something about traveling for 5 days that really throws things off. I was thinking this morning about how this week has seemed ridiculously LONG, then I realized it’s because I’ve worked for the last 12 days straight. Sure there was a leave early and show up late thrown in there for good measure, but yea…lots of work. Good thing I love my job, no?

So about that trip I took. Last Thursday I headed across our great country to good old, Hershey, Pennsylvania for a tradeshow for work. It was a good show. I love the industry I’m in…everyone is so nice and helpful and fun. I learned something while I was there…if you’re 17+ weeks pregnant and pack a pair of non-maternity slacks that you haven’t worn in 2 weeks, you should probably try them on before you go, because there’s a STRONG likelihood they won’t button…or even zip. I am SO glad I decided at the very last minute to throw in my Bella Band because yea…I used it.

I didn’t eat any Hershey’s chocolate while I was there. FOR SHAME, I know. But, I did get to have dinner with the amazing Krista. Seriously, she and her husband drove THREE hours one way to come have dinner with me on my last night there. Amazing. And I did bring chocolate home for Rylee.

I got home late-ish Monday night and since I’d worked through the weekend, I figured I deserved a little bit of a sleep in on Tuesday. Any by sleep in, I mean I got up at 6:15 AM. Rylee and I had a leisurely morning of cartoons and breakfast before I dropped her off at preschool and headed to work. On the way to school we passed the same park we always do and she mentioned wanting to play there so when I picked her up that night and it was still light out and not raining, I decided that we’d head to the park to play for a bit…or at least until Andy called to let us know he was on his way home. It was freaking cold, but so heart warming. I love the pure joy that comes from little ones with something as simple as going down the swirly slide.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur to be honest with you.

This weekend Andy, Ry & I are headed up to the outlets to do a little shopping because this funky in-between stage I’m in of my pregnancy is lame and I’d really like to have some cute clothes that actually look like they fit me to wear next week. And BONUS! My sister is going to meet us there and have lunch with us!

Speaking of next week? Oh holy crap I am SO stoked about next week. Have I told you what I get to do?

A few weeks ago I received an email with an invite to TWIN Camp {remember that partnership I have with Toyota?}. So anyway, next week Toyota is flying me, and some other amazing women, down to their headquarters just outside LA, to tour their facility, meet with the Totyota team, talk about things like branding, product life cycles, in-car technology, the car buying process and do some product testing/test drives. When I figured out that I’d be able to swing the trip I got excited. Then today? Then sent me the itinerary. I am STOKED!

You guys…they’re having a driver pick me up from the airport. Like, straight up one of those dudes that wears a black hat and holds a sign with my name on it! Ok, truth be told, I don’t know if it will be a dude, or if a hat will be worn, but still…I feel like freaking JLO or something!

The hotel we’re staying in? Beachside! The restaurants? Well, let’s just say when I visited their websites I started drooling! They will be a pregnant lady’s nirvana.

And not to mention I am genuinely excited to learn more about the Toyota brand, meet their team and test drive their vehicles!

I am really excited to share more about it all when I get home.

I mean really…is this real life? Am I really getting flown to LA for this amazing trip/workshop just because of the words I type on the little blog?

So, see what I mean? Whirlwind.