Field Trip Fun

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

Second graders took a trip to the Soil and Water Conservation in our area today.  They learned all about animals, habitats, and plants that are native to Alabama.

We walked along a path and then climbed into a ‘lookout’ with a gorgeous view.

We watched as a guide dug through the swampy water and pulled out lots of little critters.  He found several crawfish and a few eggs/larvae.

We learned lots of new things about wetlands and how they are beneficial to us.

And we finished off with lunch a Cici’s.

Well, the kids ate at Cici’s, and then the moms went for a real meal at Casa Santiago.  Cheese dip is the way to my heart 🙂

5 things right now

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

1. My five year old told me this morning that I was ruining her life. All because I vetoed her restaurant of choice for lunch. (She was kidding as she said this, but I envisioned the future and teenage years and it wasn’t pretty!)
2. In my real life, I am the library media specialist (new, fancy title for librarian) at our school. Next week is the book fair, so I’ll be super busy. I have a blog for our library, too. If you’re interested, check here.

3. The weather has been gorgeous around here lately. In Alabama, you never know what the next day will bring, so we’ve been enjoying it as much as we can!

4. On Thursday, as we walked out the door to school, Max followed. He jumped in the car with the girls and it took me a full five minutes to get him out. He really wanted to go to school with us!

5.  While watching youtube videos on the top books from 2013, I saw the Clockwork Prince ‘series’ pop up several times.  I’ve read several books by this author before, so I started Clockwork Prince this week.  So far, it hasn’t disappointed me!

Pocahontas is in the House!

in Family, Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

Kyndall’s 2nd grade program was this week.  The theme was “Famous Americans.”  The kids chose which famous American they wanted to be, and Kyndall chose Pocahontas.  She was gorgeous.  And I’m not partial at all.

She did SO good saying her part.  She said “I am Pocahontas.  My real name is Matoaka.  I am an Indian princess who assisted colonial settlers at Jamestown.  I was one of the many daughters of a powerful chief named Powhatan, who ruled more than 25 tribes.”
Posing with Mrs. Stephens.  Kyndall has been SO blessed with wonderful teachers in her short school career!
Left to Right:  George Washington, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Kyndall as Pocahontas, and President Barack Obama.
Left to Right: Sacagawea, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and our Pocahontas.
I was so very impressed with this program.  They had every famous American you could think of–from Olympic athletes to Martin Luther King, Presidents, Presidents’ wives, George Washington Carver.  And every student came up with a costume to go with their part.  Super cute and lots of fun!
Personal note:  During the program, Kyndall kept trying to talk to me.  Now, keep in mind, she is standing on a podium in front of several hundred people.  I deciphered the message that she wanted me to take lots of pictures.  One time, she was doing all these crazy hand signals and I had no clue what she was trying to tell me.  After the program, I found out she wanted me to get on to Libby, because she thought Libby was being loud.  Libby was sitting quietly, but was apparently mouthing the words to the song.  Typical Kyndall 🙂

 

Exciting News!

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

I have exciting news!! This year, I have been chosen as an Athleta Esprit de She ambassador.  I’ll be participating in the RUN Atlanta 10k on November 6 in Atlanta, Georgia.  They offer both a 5k and 10k.  I would LOVE for you to join me.  You can get more info here.

You may also view other ambassadors and their stories here.  You can also purchase Esprit de She gear here.  This is my favorite.

Esprit de She is partnered with Girls on the Run.  Per their website:

Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity-based positive youth development program for 8 to 13 year-old girls designed to develop and enhance girls’ competencies to successfully navigate life experiences. At Girls on the Run, trained and supportive coaches and volunteers teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K running event. The goals of the program are to develop and improve competence, unleash confidence through accomplishment, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults and make a meaningful contribution to community, all while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.
I am so proud to be part of such an amazing organization and I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store!

Much Ado About Nothing

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

We’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing the past several days.  On our second no-snow snow day, we went to eat and to walk around the mall.  It was too cold to do much else, but the girls did ride on the ice cream truck:

I stared a new book and I’m completely wrapped up in it–Nora Roberts Dark Witch.

This is book one of a trilogy.  Book two is scheduled for release on March 25, 2014.If you are looking for something new to read, pick this up (or download it, if that’s your thing!).

I’ve ran a little here and a little there.  I did squeeze in a 7 mile run on Wednesday night, but only a mile and a half yesterday and zero miles today.  I’ve succeeded in letting go of the stress with a training plan.  If I run the ‘scheduled’ amount, great! If I don’t, that’s ok too.  I feel confident that the Callaway Gardens Half is going to be a good race–whether I PR or not 🙂

In other news, I discovered youtube.  Ok, maybe that’s not fair-I’ve always known about youtube.  I’ve discovered an addiction for youtube, specifically workouts and makeup tutorials.  Find my channel here.

Resolutions for 2014

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

This year, I really thought hard about my resolutions.  I decided to pick the most important things I wanted to do, and work on those.  Small steps to a better me (and us—my family!).  After much tossing and turning (I do my best thinking at night in the bed), this is what I decided.  This year, in 2014, my resolutions include:
  • Church.  We go to church every Sunday, but lately we’ve been doing just Sunday school or just church service, not both.  That needs to be changed.
  • Cooking.  I don’t do it, but I’m going to start.  My goal is to cook a real meal (not cereal or oatmeal) at least 3 times a week.  To start, that’s probably going to consist of spaghetti, taco salad, and breakfast-for-supper, but I’m hoping I can branch out.
  • Do more active things as a family. Obviously, I plan to continue my running. (I have several races on the schedule in 2014 that I’m super excited about!) I think our family is pretty active already, but we can always improve on that. More bike rides, rock climbing trips, hikes, etc. AND I’m signing J & the girls up for a few runs, too! =)
  • 30 Before 30.  Finish it, seeing as how this is my LAST year in my 20’s. (Everyone says the 30’s are awesome though, so I’m banking on that!)
And that’s it.  I don’t want to overexert myself, because then I’ll just give up.  If I can achieve these four things (which is really more, considering the 30 before 30 list contains multiple items), then I think 2014 will be a pretty successful year.
Do you have any recipes to share with me?
What are you resolving to do to in 2014?

Post Holiday Break

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

Merry Christmas!! (Yes, it’s a day late, but that’s ok!).  Right now, we are northbound on the interstate and by this time tomorrow, we’ll be SNOW SKIING!! I have never been before and I’m beyond excited!

We had the best Christmas.  The girls slept until almost 8am. All the grandparents came over to see what Santa brought and we spent the morning visiting and playing with new toys. Perfection.

I’ll have a full recap of Christmas festivities and our family skiing adventure as soon as we get back. Until then, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram(@CourtneyHWest), and Twitter(@CourtneyHWest) for regular updates! Happy holidays!

Workout Rewind and A Christmas Partying Weekend

in Life, Unscripted, Wellness, 0 comments

I’m noticing a trend with my workouts lately.  I do REALLY well at the beginning of the week, and then not so well at the end.  The end of our week just seems to get busier somehow?!?  This week went  a little like this:

Monday:  4.5 miles on the treadmill with my new friend Lipstick Jungle.

Tuesday: 4.5 miles on the treadmill.

Friday:  4 miles on the treadmill.  Making my way through Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle.

And that’s it.  Total miles this week = 13.

No long run that is very much needed for this training.  No outdoor runs at all.  My plan for this coming week is to switch it up a little–I’m going to attempt a long run early in the week (Monday or Tuesday) and then the shorter runs towards the end.  We’ll see how that goes. 🙂

Yesterday, we had Christmas with my Dad’s Dad’s side of the family (That’s not confusing at all.) for brunch and then Justin’s Dad’s side for lupper.  (<–Yes, that’s my word.  If there is a brunch, why can there not be a lupper?)

Via Instagram.  Our Papaw ALWAYS makes deer jerky and gives it to us for Christmas.  We look forward to it every year!

And then, today, we had Christmas with my Dad’s Mom’s side of the family.

We rounded out the weekend celebrating my cousin’s 13th birthday.  She is officially a teenager, and I can’t believe it!

How was your weekend?

Any winter training tips to get me ready for this half at the end of January?

What I’m Loving Wednesday

in Life, Unscripted, 0 comments

Five things I’m loving right now.

1.  This coffee.  I think I may have a problem.  With this cold weather, I’m drinking between 3 and 6 cups daily!

2.  This shirt from Oiselle.  Well, ANYthing from Oiselle, but especially this shirt.

3.  Christmas shopping with my girls.  <–Yes, I just said that.  They are awesome shoppers.  PS:  Stay tuned for a funny West girls’ shopping story coming up later.

4.This Ulta lip crayon in Bon Voyage.  Super moisturizing in this cold weather, and a pretty color too.

5.  Planning for 2014 in my new calendar.  I LOVE these calendars from Target.  I think I’ve had one every year for the past 5 years.  I am especially loving writing in race dates in this new calendar! I have one half per month scheduled from January-April!! Yay! 

And ONE more thing I’m loving– Gearing up for my 2nd Annual Favorite Things Party!! It’s this Friday night.  Here’s a sneak peak:


What are you loving right now?