Give love, pour it out

Hey babes!

I hope everyone is having a great week, fall is creeping (not so sneakily) up on us in the beautiful foothills of Virginia.

Lately I have been in a funk, a funk of dealing with work, friendships, and just irritability. This past week I have been hurt by some people in my life and it left me feeling bitter and grumpy. That is so not my personality. I love people (well, my people but I'm working on it) and I was down in the dumps because people I loved were hurting me, how could they do this?

I spent about a day and a half feeling sorry for myself until the Holy Spirit nudged me to quit my ugly behavior. My best friend moved away so we have been doing a Bible study and texting about what we're learning, during our conversation I was made aware of how I let sin creep in and show its ugly face in my life. I saw how I was letting my hurt get in the way of loving others, and how I was letting it bring me down. While I may need to work on forgiving some people in my life, last night I felt rejuvenated and felt prompted to pour out love, not just to my people, but to all people in my life. Christ's love fills my heart, I have that blessing, and it is my responsibility to share that love with others, regardless whether I necessarily want to or not.

Today I have been encouraged by a few things and I wanted to share them with you.

"The whole point of what we're urging is simply love-- love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God" 1 Timothy 5-7 The Message Remix

Friends, I am so impacted by those words, a love uncontaminated by self-interest it is not about me, it's about Jesus, and His love is oh-so perfect.

I was also encouraged by this short lyric from David Crowder's song "I Am"

"Love like this sets our hearts on fire"

When I allow the Holy Spirit to work in my heart and my life, that's how I feel, like my heart is on fire. This feeling definitely isn't constant for me but it's all about seeking His face, allowing His love to change you, and giving His love to others.

Sweet, sweet friends, let me know if I can be praying for you or if I can do anything.

Xx,

LG

The Wagon

Good Afternoon y'all!

Last time I wrote to you, it was about #whole30. Well I didn't fall off the wagon, I jumped off and let the wagon roll off a cliff. To say that I was struggling is an understatement- I know it's super difficult and normal to experience headaches, fatigue, etc. but I was going through much more and I made the decision for my health and sanity to stop whole 30. When I told my husband and some of my friends, they were relieved because I just wasn't myself. With that said, I did learn a lot and I'm looking forward to giving it a shot again in the future.

Though I bailed on whole 30, I am proud to say that I hopped on another "wagon" and completed my first race, running the Virginia 4-miler and finishing under my goal time! I shared on instagram a little bit about my story, but I'll be sharing more about that in the weeks ahead. Y'all to finish this race was huge for me, and I am so happy that I stuck to training and duked it out- running on weekends and after work wasn't always easy but I am officially addicted to running.

I can't wait to share more with you in the weeks ahead! I hope you use the photos below as encouragement!

Xx,

LG

Whole 30 {Part 1}

Good Morning beauts!

So you may have heard of this crazy thing called "Whole 30" which is generally thought of as "that thing crazy people do when they want to torture themselves."
While I can partially agree with that, I am proud to say that I have accepted the #whole30 challenge.

What is Whole 30? If you've never heard of this, or don't know much about it, check out their website to learn more! In a nutshell (haha, Whole 30 joke) it's an initial 30 day challenge where you cut certain things out of your diet, not only is this great to detox and heal your body, but it also acts as a "reset" button for your taste buds and can really help change the way you eat and look at food. So what are you cutting out?
-No dairy (of any kind, no yogurt, goat's milk, or sheep's milk)
-No sugar (yes that includes Stevia and honey)
-No grains (quinoa, oats, corn, etc.)
-No beans or legumes (yes that means your beloved peanut butter is off the list)

There are a few other rules, but for more info take a look into the program on their website. This is my first week at Whole 30 and I can already tell a difference in how I'm getting stronger- I'm learning to combat my food cravings and surprisingly I'm starting to love my black coffee with just a little plain and unsweetened coconut milk! I have some great friends who are doing the challenge with me and I highly recommend having that support! If you're looking to set out on your own and try the challenge, the website offers great support.

I'm journaling week 1, and I'll be sharing how it went, along with my survival tips, tricks, and how to prepare! Stay tuned for more, and tell me, have you ever tried the #whole30 challenge? If you're thinking about doing it, don't hesitate and jump right in!

Xx,

LG

Fall Projects: Pinterest Style

Good Afternoon y'all!

I don't know if it is the early release of the #PSL or the cool breezes that have been visiting us, but I am in full Fall mode...the pumpkin candles are out and warm tones are all over my home now. I'm usually one of the "hang onto summer as long as possible" people, but this year I am welcoming the lovely foliage and crisp temps.

I have very few decorations for our home, though my collection is slowly building- after my Grandmother passed I was lucky enough to be able to inherit a lot of her lovely decorations, as well as precious heirlooms that have added a special touch to our abode. Since I'm building my seasonal decor stockpile there are a few craft projects I'd like to try, which is a fun affordable alternative to buying everything. Below are a few Fall projects I'm hoping to tackle in the upcoming weeks (watch, I'll probably finish them right before it's time to put Christmas decorations up, I just know it)

1. Jars, candles, and acorns. Maybe I can add a little glitter for good measure?

2. Buntings and painted pumpkins galore

 

 3. What I like to call "stick candle." If I can create this without burning my hands with hot glue, it will be an ultimate success. I'll keep you posted.

 

In addition, I'd also like to make a few painted signs- I also have some serious pallet projects in mind!  What are a few fall projects you'd like to accomplish this year? 

Xx,

LG

It's good seeing you.

Hey y'all!

First let me apologize for my absence, I could give you a list of reasons why I haven't posted that is a mile long, but ultimately it just boils down to my work and school. I mentioned a few posts ago that I had accepted a full time job! As exciting as it is to finally have a full time position, trying to adjust to that, school, life, and taking care of a puppy has meant that there has been 0 time for blogging. At the end of the day, I typically find myself in Nike shorts, running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get stuff done.

Now that I've adjusted to full time working life, I am making it a conscious effort to post once a week, of not more. (Pace yourself, Laurel, jeez).

With that being said, I'm hoping to be posting about my vacation once I finally make it to Rhode Island- today has been spent waiting at the airport while my husband and I have been rerouted to 3 different airlines and about 10 different flights.

Newport, I can't wait to see your beautiful views and New England charm!

Xx,

LG

Why proper running shoes are important.

Good day ladies!

I hope that everyone is having a great week thus far! I start my new job on Monday so I'm thoroughly enjoying my last few days of part-time work. I have so much down time, what am I going to do when I can't sip my coffee for 30 minutes and take 15 minutes to get out of bed? Grown up problems.

Anyway, today I wanted to share a little bit about my "shoe fitting experience" and how much it has changed my running and fitness routines.

So I used to be anti-running, it was literally the bane of my existence and just thinking about it made me want to throw up...fast forward to today when I couldn't get enough and even pushed myself to go .5 mile further than I had originally planned. Someone made running kool-aid and baby I'm drinking it!

When I wanted to get into running I had to be pretty cautious, I've had 4 surgeries, 2 of them being major reconstructions so I didn't want to injure myself and undo the progress that I've made over the years. I started with light interval running and worked up, when I ran my first mile I was elated! Now that I'm building up even more I found my feet and hips hurting terribly and I didn't feel like it was just because of all that my body has been through, it was my shoes.

After doing some research I learned a little bit more about the different types of shoes and what they have to offer. Minimalist, lightweight, tons of support, gel, air pump, angel fluff. It's enough to make your head spin. At first I thought that I could just fit myself with some shoes and I'd be dandy. Wrong-O!

Source: supination

Every person has different running form, feet, and anatomy when it comes to this and having a proper shoe can help to improve a lot of discomforts that runners face. Turns out, the shoes that I was running in had just about 0 support, and regardless of their cushiony feel, my feet were suffering.

I turned to a great store for runners where an incredibly helpful and knowledgable guy helped me find the perfect pair of sneaks. He fitted my feet, checked them out, saw me walk and do some other rain-dance type of stuff and voila! He picked 3 pairs of shoes for me to try. Turns out the first pair that I put on were right for my feet but I entertained the other two just for comparison. I can't tell you how much these shoes have changed my comfort and performance. Seriously y'all, if you're a runner or fitness gal, get the right shoes for you!

If you're a runner, what are your go-to shoes? I'm loving my trusty pair of Asics!

Xx,

LG

New new and changes.

Gooood morning y'all!

I hope that everyone is getting into the summer swing- any fun vacations planned? I'm dying to go on a beach getaway.

Today I'm sharing some news with you! After interviewing for almost 6 months, I'm taking a full time position with a different company. I currently work part time (and retail) so having a "big girl job" is great for me, and my husband! Is this even remotely close to my dream job? Absolutely not. I just feel blessed to have landed a full time position in this market, and to top it off, I get to work with some of my best friends!

With that being said, I'm currently trying to put together some office appropriate outfits that I can wear with confidence. I don't own much in the way of business or office clothes, so shopping here I come! With the help of Pinterest and my very own J.Crew personal stylist (she's my best friend) I'm looking for simple chic outfits I can mix and match- see some of my inspiration below!

Miranda Kerr is perfect.

Summer perfection!

How do you style your work attire?

Xx,

LG