fitness friday.

i am currently at lake powell, but before i left i asked my personal trainer to walk me through a short workout that i could do everyday that would not require weights or cardio training, but would keep my heart pumping and my muscles strong.

so you dont really have an excuse - you can do this outside in your yard before dinner or in front of your tv during the bachelorette. try this little workout on for size and tell me what you think.

exercise 1 - push ups. 10 reps
it doesnt matter how you do these, girl style or as i say "real ones" all that matters is that your back stays flat and that you abs stay tight!

exercise 2 - reverse crunches. 12 reps
for this you will start laying flat on your back, feet extended out in front of you. from there lift your body pulling your knees into your chest while peeling your neck and upper back off of the floor using only your abs. try to go all the way to the floor each time, but if you need to extend the legs less each time that is fine - just make sure that you are getting in all 12 reps.

exercise 3 - plank. 30 seconds
hold your abs tight the entire time and make sure that your hips and shoulders are not rounded, but stay flat as a board.

exercise 4 - squats. 20 reps

make sure that you keep all of your weight in your heels and your knees shoulder width apart, this will ensure that your quads are burning by the end!

exercise 5 - burpies w/ pushup. 10 reps

repeat this set four times, trying to get faster each time! Good Luck!

around

as you may be able to tell, i am completely enthralled with learning to use this new camera.

neighbor, brianna's potted flowers on the front steps of our house.
the dirty hose on the side of our house that lends to feed flowers and wash cars.
a rose creeping through the fence into our driveway.
the view from our right front lawn.
the urban aspect of our front yard, that might save our lives one day.
another group of roses trying to make their way over our driveway.

i love our little home - however small it might be, the summers emphasize all of its beautiful and very redeeming qualities.

lets ride.

i got a bike for my birthday - thats just how rad my husband is.

a few saturdays back we mosied on down through the streets of provo and found ourselves buying maple bars, baclava and milk at provo bakery. talk about the perfect afternoon.

monday moment.

a few weeks back i had the chance to visit my grammy in oregon who was then in the process of being moved from her home of 30+ years to an assisted living home in salem oregon.

in short, the visit was wonderful.

i sat on her bed while she sat in her wheelchair and held her dainty, weathered hands while we chatted about memories that she had from when her and my papa met. she asked me how my love life was and i kindly reminded her that aaron and i got married almost two years ago and that i was happier than i have ever been in my life. i sat next to her while she ate dinner with three other elderly ladies from the home and watched as she wrote all of her children and grandchildren's names on her paper placemat in her infamous perfect cursive. i massaged her wrinkled hands while filing and painting each of her fingernails and laughed with her while we tried to decide on which nail to place the tiny, gold butterfly decal. i sat beside her while she and my mother and aunts sung old songs from their childhood and saw the light in her eyes as she remembered each word and note.

i love my grammy and although someday soon she may not even remember my name i am so grateful for the memories that i have made with her through the years and for the incredibly talented and supportive woman that i have to call my grammy.

image via flickr

thats right folks,

the oldhams are escaping our rabbit hole of a home and headed to warmer waters for a week. here we come lake powell, see ya later rain!
i know that you are worried about not hearing from me, but i have planned for a few posts this week so stay tuned in!

its the little things in life,

that make life worth living.

example, the moment when the below three year old opened the back door to her house and yelled "there is a pecker!".

waiting.

as i sat waiting at the auto shop for the ac to be repaired on our car i took the chance to use the camera that we have on loan from my fabulous sister in law - its funny how much more beautiful all the little details seemed from behind a lens.

shout hooray.

i had a birthday - the most perfect birthday.

a day full of french toast, bike assembling, zupas, aquarium tour, shopping, dear friends and family and best of all undivided attention from my best friend.
and for your viewing pleasure, below is a video of me talking through the three inch thick glass at the penguins, whom, might i add, i am obviously in love with.

i am so pleased

with the feedback from www! so i want to take some time and hand out a few suggestions that were requested.

Q - where do i find sweet t-shirts?
A - j.crew. there is no doubt in my mind that their t-shirts are by far the best investment because they are both well made and fashion forward while offering options from super flashy to extremely subtle. just take a lookie at the ones below.
i found all three options in the sale section for under $20 - go see for yourself (jcrew.com).

www

since none of you readers have written in with outfits/occassions that you would like assistance with, then i am left to blab on, as usual, about whatever i dang well please. sooooo - today i will talk about my go-to outfit.

every girl has gotta have their "go-to" outfit. ya know, the one that you could wear everyday of the week and sometimes do because you dont see the same people everyday. the one that makes you feel bangin even when the weather is super gloomy and its that time of the month. the one that compliments your skin tone no matter the lighting and people compliment you on your eyes while wearing it. ya, that one.

not every girl is going to have the same "go-to" though. while mine might be jeans and a t-shirt, yours might be leggings and a blouse, or an a-line skirt, a cami and a cardigan. regardless what it is, you need to find an outfit that makes you feel smokin hot so that on those not so hot days you dont have to stand in front of your closet while having a mental breakdown {does anyone else have those days?}

with that said here are a few examples of outfits that i reach for when nothin else is working for me and i guarantee if you have seen me within the past week i have been wearing one of these outfits:

fedora/forever love ($8) t-shirt/h&m ($12) jeans/old navy ($25) flip-flops/target ($19)

t-shirt/thrifed ($8) navy pants/anthropologie ($39) gold toms/nordstrom ($52) revlon polish in 'gum drop'/smiths grocery ($2)

i hope that i have proven that you dont have to buy high price items to feel great about yourself - now its your turn. what outfits make you feel the best on a day to day basis?

your gal pal, www

mr fix it.

i had no idea that my husband knew how to fix cars - i guess i have a lot more to learn about him.

sometimes,

i get to watch this little doll.

those are very good days.