Two Meatballs : Ohhhh hello Squats…remember us?!?!?

January 23, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 4 comments

The day has finally come!!!!!!! We are working out with Sandra!!!! And we couldn’t be more excited. So I picked sara up in Brandon’s big ass truck and we were on our way. Here are some selfies before we get our asses handed to us……you’re welcome!!!!!!!!

Oh hey Sandra!!! We’re here!!!!!!

So no shocker……..we warmed up on the treadmill.

It was so great to see Sandra and catch up for minute. But she is a total badass and we dove right in!!!!! We started with squats on the trx

And then with two twenties we did squat lifts

Back on on the trx for push ups

And did did more on the bosu ball

One arm sqaut lifts

Bosu sun ball climbers

Back on the trx

Awful diamond push ups

With the weights we did a twisty ab thing!!!

Baby crunches with with weight

And then sara murdered these dead one leg lifts

It was such an amazing workout. It feels good to have a routine again! We can’t go 5 weeks ever again.

I know my butt will be feeling it tomorrow. So we ended the workout with some measurements! I went first…and I was kind of terrified . It had just been so long! A couple of things went up a little but I did go down in my thighs though! So I have some work to do!!!!

Sara!!!!!your turn!!! She went down in just about everything!!!! Wahoooooo!!!

Last workout before the weigh in!!! See you there!!! Xoxo

Two Meatballs: Primpin’ Ain’t Easy!!!

January 22, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,best bobies date goes to kelly, bobies through the years, company holiday parties, hair makeup nails tan, hi kelly, i live for the applause, love my job, love my life, marriot downtown, sammie cole, samuel cole salon, SNL fantasies, sober bobies, The Bobies, wamily, work familytwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Jenny and I talk a lottttt about The Bobies as you read yesterday on her post…so for those of you who don’t know what they are all about, here is a little run down. Being stylists, December is an extremely busy month for us, so Samuel Cole Salon has always had its holiday party in late January. But 7 glorious years ago Joelle decided we should do superlatives. So I wrote up a ballot,

had everyone in the salon vote each other a Most Likely To situation (but more like a good ribbing not like best smile!) and we wrote skits about each person and then I thought what if we gave out an actual award (cover a gatorade bottle in tin foil and glue a pic of their head on a spoon Kids in the Hall style) and thus the Bobies were born! Here are a few of my own personal ones…

Over the years I’ve gotten Most Likely to Make out with you, your best friend and your boyfriend all in one night (#imalover), Best Mentor/Worst Influence Ever and (stop reading now mom and dad) Most Likely to Show you a dick pic whether you want to see it or not! Haha…all true! Over the years things have changed and evolved and our company has grown so much. Each year, Joelle and I spend probably 40 hours compiling, writing, getting our comedic genius on and practicing our skits! And this year has been no different!

And honestly this is all of my dreams coming true. One night a year I get to live out all my Saturday Night Live fantasies of singing and making people laugh. It has turned into a full on roast! So let’s take a little stroll down memory lane…our first Bobies was at the restaurant formerly known as South in North Hills…everyone got dressed up to the nines…spray tans, makeup done, evening attire and fake hair galore!

This is our first performance!

Year two we had at Bone Fish…much to every other diners dismay…I got hammered before we started this year so it was a struggle!!!

This was also Jenny’s first Bobies and she joined the decorating commitee and also sang opera for everyone! The next year we upgraded to a hotel…bc it was the only place that would fit us anymore. Joelle and I also instituted a one glass of wine pre Bobies policy…the show went much smoother this year. Welcome to the Marriot Downtown…

Then we switched to the Renaissance at North Hills for the following year and Howard McLaren came…we all died! #whoseshe?!

Then we gave The Sheraton Downtown a go and we’ve been loyal ever since! This is three years ago…

Two years ago…

And last year…

Joelle and I decided it would be hilarious to rock the same dress…and spoiler alert…it was! My dress didn’t fit anymore but I tried on her dress that was 5 sizes smaller than mine and it almost fit!! #progress #majorADD

But it’s more than just getting dressed up and getting a Bobie…there are lots of awards of recognition for performance and commitment…they are called The Biggies…

Then there is dinner and dancing…

Photo boothing it up…

Partying…

And some serious love…

I don’t know if you’re picking up what I’m putting down but basically it’s the living greatest night of the year! We literally countdown every year…

People get hotel rooms and the party lasts all night long. It’s so great o be together outside of work and hang out with everyones significant others who have become family. Being part of this incredible company is a gift that I am thankful for everyday, but nothing brings that out more than The Bobies. The whole night is a high. My sister has been my amazing date for 6 of 7 years (My bestie Katie came year one!) if you couldn’t tell from the pics above and we have the best time! #sistersleepover

This year will be a totally different experience bc I won’t be drinking or epically hungover the next day. I know there was some trepidation from my coworkers…part of the bonding is drinking together. But I have come to learn that I am actually wayyyy more fun sober and this night will be no different!!!! I’ll also be only 16 days away from a year of sobriety from the night of the Bobies…ahhhhhh!!!! I have my spray tan booked, extensions in, dress in my closet, spanx purchased, nails with Lee, makeup booked with Krystal, hair booked with Jenny, and practice booked all week with Joelle.

This year has flown by and as crazy as it sounds, this Saturday is the big show!!!! I literally can’t wait!!!! Now, I’m off to bed to rest up for this crazy busy week…fingers crossed that I can maintain my weight this month…right now I’m up 4…eeeek!!! Xoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

Two Meatballs: #indecisive

January 21, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 5 comments

It’s that time of year!!! The Bobbies are upon us! So excited……..I know Sara and Joelle have been busting their butts this entire month preparing for the most fun night of the year! What is a girl to wear. The first week of January Sara and I went shopping and I found something really cute in 15 minutes. Wow!! That was a first! Shopping in regular stores really helps. I have so many more options these days. Shopping really helps me control my food intake. Because I stay busy and I enjoy it so much. So of course I couldn’t keep myself from looking for as many different options as possible. Needless to say…….I returned what Sara and I bought in the beginning of the month. So it is 5 days before the bobbies and I have finally decided on what to wear. Do I work well under pressure????? Am I that indecisive?????? Am I trying to fill my time with shopping so I don’t eat?????? Have I traded in my food addiction for a shopping one?????? All of it!!!!!! Well come on this journey with me!!!! I started at h&m.

Oh wow what a cute dress!!! A great way to squash a good mood………..try on something that can’t go over your boobs. And of course while you are trying to get into it you hear the infamous sound of seams being busted!!

Ok! Well let’s try something on to get spirits high again!

Adorable……..I don’t need this right now!!! Bye bye flannel. Hello tight dress!

I can see my belly button……..that won’t work….ahhhhhh and so tight! Next store…….express!!!!

Well i I like this !!!! But I am kind of short for this skirt length. Not sure…….I.need To bring it home and check my own mirror!!! Mirrors are all different….right?????? That’s a thing?!?! On to Verona.

Not bAd…but I should probably take my shoes off, not cute! #ladieswalkingontheirlunchbreaks. And let me just take a moment and say….a year ago I would have never gone shopping in my tennis shoes!!!! I feel more active when I wear them.

I just don’t like this next one.

This is one doesn’t fit.

Love be this wine color dress

Hate the shape!!! #nightgown

And here are the others!!!

Going back for these jeans!

that was fun!!! I think I buy and return because I love shopping. Well I am sure you will see us on Facebook this weekend and you can see what we both wore. Love you guys!!! Crazy people don’t know they are crazy, just sayin!!!!

Two Meatballs: Activity Points for Days!!!

January 20, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,5k training program, bitch you not 21, diving deep, dressing room no thank you, fat girls in little coats, fleet feet, Fleet Feet Raleigh NoBo, Forever 21, fun dates, h&m, hi kelly, I prefer to change clothes on the floor, its a thing, Marbles, nature, Not ready for jumpsuits or shorts yet, stay active when you are busy, stop eating cake pops, sweaty shopping, time with familytwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Hiiii you guys!!! I am trying sooooooo hard not to gain weight this month. I’m doing my damndest not to be overwhelmed but I am not really nailing the pre planning thing. More than a few cake pops have found their way to my mouth. So what’s a girl to do?!? Be as active as humanely possible in your extremely limited off time. And that is exactly what I did. Friday afternoon I asked if I could pick up Chase from school. It’s been ages since we had a solo date…and I feel like as a second born myself, time alone with anyone is soooooo valuable. He is the sweetest boy. I came to preschool to spring him early…this shot is blurry but he is packing up his book bag like a grown up!

Then he came out and I said what do you want to do today…to which he responded…I know we probably can’t but how about Marbles…to which I responded…we can do whatever you want which ws met with a squeal!!! My parents made a big deal when we were little about taking us out on solo “dates” and I love continuing this tradition. I feel like my role in their life is to give them time. In their normal lives things are rushed and hurried and get dressed, time for bed, brush teeth, don’t do that, do your homework and all of those things are so important. So when I get them alone I try to never so no. I let them know the time frame we have and if they want to spend the entire time smelling candy then we gon be smellin some candy(this really happened one time). We drove down to Marbles and he told me all about his day and how he has Monday and Tuesday off and how he’s gonna visit GiGi…this boy loves to talk. #mytwinny Then we looked for haunted houses and he wanted me to tell him real ghost stories. Ugh I love him. Then we arrived and it was on. This kid knows what he likes!!!

He bounced all over the place…we made and delivered pizza…

Cooked some more…

Learned about money…

Got our sports and exercise on…

But mostly we posted up in the animal center…this kid is obsessed with dogs…

He named his dog Chase and told me I could have a bunny…we named her Foo Foo….

Then we ADHD’ed out hard…

After three hours of playing and exploring we were sweaty and ready to go! He got some real marbles and a can of Pringles in the gift shop and then this little cutie decided we should hoof it up 5 flights of stairs in the parking deck!!! Ugh, thanks for getting me moving more little bunny.

And what a wonderful view of the city I love…

Then it was time to pick Wyatt up..Chase did not want to go…

So I got another opportunity for some solo time. I walked (more activity points) to go pick Wyatt up from school…

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood…

And I love to surprise this kid. It was so sweet to see him so independent and walking with his fellow 8 year old buddies…

Then he realized he was bleeding profusely from the knee…eek and he started walking like sucha weirdo!

Time for Nana to save the day!

Then it was Monopoly time!!!

And finally Wyatt wanted to show y’all how he prefers to kiss me now…#ihateit

What a fun day with my little nuggies!!!! Oh how I love my family…what could make this day better and more active?! A shopping date with my favorite meatball!!!!???? Jenny picked me up and we headed to Crabtree…talk about activity points…

nothing is sweatier than trying on clothes under florescent lights! H&M here we come!!!

#findthemeatballs #landofcrotches

Then we both tried on our dreams…for me a jumpsuit, for her shorts…

#doublefail #cameltoefortheladies!? We both really struck out tonight…on to the land of age acceptance and a reality check…Forever 21! This is when it got really sweaty!

annnnnd hilarious, I feel like you can hear us laughing!!! Get ready for an ill fitting photo montage!!! Cue clubby music and the judgmental faces of America’s youth…

Obvi we are adverse to stores dressing room policies or ever being apart!!! #excusemeladies

We both really struck out but had the best time doing it!

We were pooped…time to make everyone at Pottery Barn nervous!

Then it was off to bed to prepare for my ultimate activity point of the weekend…My Fleet Feet Raleigh NoBo 5k training program. I decided to stay in the walking group but to push myself to go faster today…plus I really loved my coach Jennifer last week!

So I got bundled up and headed out…

I know it is hard to believe but I get situationally shy sometimes and the first 5 minutes of this class every week I revert to a first grader. I get nervous and feel slightly out of place. But Carrie led us in some dynamic stretching and it wasn’t quite as cold this week so I started to unshy. Then I grabbed my name tag

and we were off and on to a different course today!

We went a mile and a quarter over the Wade Ave overpass…I had never been here and it was lovely!

Almost to the halfway point!!! There were five ladies in our walking group today!!! Everyone was so nice…I love making new friends!

One of these lovely ladies was Laura, a teacher and my new walking buddy! She set a good pace and we had an awesome chat which always makes the time fly!

Before I knew it we were past the hill of death and headed straight for the finish line!

I love how this program makes me feel…I love being in nature…i love making new friends with this amazingly supportive group of people. Fleet Feet, thanks again for this opportunity. I’m learning so much about myself!!!! Can’t wait to see my walkers again! Next Saturday we have our 7th annual Bobbies Gala for Samuel Cole Salon and the Saturday after that I’ll be in NYC but the Saturday after that I’ll be back!!! Love you guys!!! Then amazingly enough I found myself at breakfast with my mom, dad Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve…Steve needed new shoes so we took him to the NOrth Raleigh Fleet Feet…obvi I can’t get enough of this place!

Now I’m really exhausted!!! Time to snuggle with Jenny and discuss all of our problems, what we would like to improve and why I’m so immature in the relationship department…more to come on that later!

What a fun filled, busy weekend…hope yours was the same!!! Love you guys…here’s some inspiration for the week!

Two Meatballs: I’ve been cut off!!!

January 16, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 5 comments

Hey it’s Jennnyyy!!!!!! I have to say …….this is the healthiest me, I have ever known. I am LIVING a healthy life style. This all feels like second nature……..at least for today!!! Today was the first time it felt easy. My mind really goes food crazy most days…just fantasizing about all kinds of foods. I get real food pornish on it!!! But today my mind was at total peace. I haven’t felt this way….in a long time. Looking back, When my food intake was at its worst,that was even more unsettling. I knew what I was doing was making my life more challenging. It was that lack of integrity that Sara and I always talk about. I didn’t know how far removed I wAs from those feelings two years ago. I think I started removing emotions from my daily life if they could not exist, or support my food addiction. That’s how strong it can be!!!! Insane. I didn’t even know that until I started typing it!!!!!!!! So……it’s official….we haven’t seen Sandra in a month!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhh…scary!!!!! We miss herrrrrrrr!! We have just had scheduling conflicts. And I need some workout ass kicking in my life. I never kick my own ass as hard. But I have learned a lot from her and working out at the gym alone is better because or her and worse all at the same time. So this morning I went to the gym!!!!! In shorts!!!!!!

Feels like middle school gym period!!!!! Only better, because I get to do my own thing….alone!!!!! Feeling strong this morning!!!

I was was feeling so good, I decided to weigh in a fleet feet today for tons of fun! Holy shit!!!! Down 3.2 pounds from January 3rd weigh in!!!! I really needed that! So excited to tell Sara the good news, we decided it was time for a selfie!!

#lightandbright #markdebolt #bestcareer

this feeling good thing is really starting to snowball . Brandon and I decided we needed to take more ownership and better care of our finances. . Let’s revisit our budget!!!! So Brandon punched out the numbers.

And i I could not read him!!

I did get defensive and embarrassed when I told him how many times I get Starbucks.

So i I got a stern talking to. Chill out on the Starbucks!!!!

So how did we do……..

some things we are doing are really good! We got rid of cable. Saving a ton!!!

Others, we were really not doing well, like overspending at Starbucks!!! Unofficially cut off!!!

Knowing is is the first step to change!!!! Embracing the change 2015!!!!

Life starting to feel In control……….checkkkkkk

thank you for all of your support!!!

Two Meatballs: The Tale of Two Saras!

January 15, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,coping mechanisms, emotional wakes, get your head in the game, my family is my reset button, overwhelmed, take esponsibiltytwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Hey you guyyyys!!! Most of you know a very specific version of me…it is my true self. She is shiny, bright, funny, quick, full of love for life, never met a stranger, fiercely loyal, loving, inappropriate, passionate, hardworking, focused, evolving, loud and honest . In the spirit of continuing the week of deep diving, lets see how I lose this girl!!! So the month of January is my busy season. Between the prepping for the salon meeting and creating a team builder, writing and practicing The Bobies, performing at The Bobies, my new 5k training program, personal and business travel, a total hair makeover for both the meatballs courtesy of Natalie,

and then all the regular stuff like work, the blog and my friends and family and then throw in my raging ADHD…this month is heavy on the activities! I love love love being busy, but every so often I get really overwhelmed. I have high work expectations of myself and I like to do things immediately when asked…this can only happen when I have a normally full plate! Overwhelmed is my weakest/worst version of myself. When I pack even more on my already full plate, I start obsessing and I lose sleep, which makes me cranky and coffee dependent, which makes me even more intense and laser focused (BITCH), which makes me want to comfort myself with food (which explains the 1.2 pound weight gain for Ton of Fun #hahai’mdoingthiswrong), which makes me want to skip the gym and sleep in and all of the sudden I’m angsty and disappointed and really frustrated at myself because I know better. #whenyouknowbetteryoudontalwaysdobetter #itsathing I know that being overwhelmed is my worst trigger. I really try to set myself up for success at every turn. And when I’m on, things are great. I meal plan, I have set laundry days, my house Is clean, I get ahead on the blog so that doesn’t loom in my brain, I know what to expect from myself exercise wise…but when I throw so much more in the mix I start to sink and my normally happy, sunny, joyful, funny outlook and attitude becomes dark, nit picky, bitchy, sarcastic, judgmental, irritated, angry…a real joy to sit next to on the life bus am I right ladies!?!I know that this is not new information coming from me, but I want to develop this more and talk about what happens next. I know that these are human moments but I want to take more responsibility for the emotional wake that I leave behind me. My mood is contagious and I want to spread goodness not anger. I have a lot of power with my moods. I used to resent that I didn’t feel like I was allowed to have a bad day, but really what it is is that when you give off good vibes people want to be around you…you lift them up! I want to always lift people up and never drag them down or make them feel bad…but that is my go to when I’m overwhelmed. I get snappy and go for the jugular. I pick fights for fun. I talk mad shit for no reason. I ruin days… who knows even lives!!! Bahahah not really #hopefully And none of these things do I pride myself on. They all give me an emotional hangover that I can’t afford anymore, not with my goals of becoming Oprah. So what’s a girl to do?! Well first off I want to be grateful for all of the opportunities that I have signed up for. Second, I want to remember that I asked for allll of these things. Perspective is very helpful for me…why complain or resent something that you willingly signed up for. I want to stop dreading things and go into every situation with a loving heart. Next I need to learn how to effectively prioritize. It is unrealistic for me to expect myself to take on so much and be able to do quality work and turn it back around immediately. I need to complete one thing at a time to the best of my ability with a positive attitude, then move on to the next most important thing instead of obsessing over time tables. I am NOTTTTTT a laid back girl (are you picking that up!?), but I would like to adopt some more go with the flow tactics. I need to make a schedule and stick to it…this will include when I have to go to bed by!!!! I will plan my meals for the next couple of weeks and schedule gym visits in my phone! I owe it to myself to get healthy and a busy month is just part of life not an excuse to eat poorly and be a total bitchface to everyone. What am I working this hard for in my life if I’m too unhealthy to be around to enjoy the fruits of my labor…or if I alienate everyone around me with my shitty attitude.!?!? It’s time to hit the reset button. I am telling on myself big time. It’s the tale of two Sara’s and I don’t want for people to get two such varying versions of me especially when I know who I really am! I don’t want to hold people emotionally hostage with my poor planning, so I’m making the change today. Thank you for letting me get this off my chest!!! So, how do you get yourself out of a perpetual state of overwhelmed!? My family is my reset button. So this Sunday after working on the salon meeting and The Bobies…and squirelling out hard with my bosses…

I went home and whipped together my now infamous shredded brussel sprout salad

and met my family over at my sister Kelly’s house for a Sunday Dinner…and drawing and fun and snuggling and kissing and a yummy paleo meal! I mean how much fun can a little Beard clan have?! First up, drawing!!! Chasey is learning how to spell!

This is the text I got the next day after we practiced writing Mo (that’s me!)

Wyatt was all snuggled up in Kelly’s bed and politely asked me to leave when I tried to snuggle up with him! Ha #ineedalonetime

Kelly was making the yummiest smelling roasted chicken, lemon roasted cauliflower and mom made bacon wrapped sweet potato bites…

Which quickly turned into wrestle/snuggling…we all have ADD!

Wyatt finally emerged from his dungeon…

And we started a drawing competition….I lost!!! Paw Paw and Wyatt won and Chase was the Dugde as he called it!

Which inevitably turned into this…

Which led to a dramatic reenactment of Chase throwing a fit!

Dress up…

Which turned into be a vampire, be a kitty, be a dog!

Which turned into a game I made up called give me your best kiss…look how passionate this child is #handonface #mytwinny

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I have the snuggliest family! Which turned into try this healthy soda! #peachpear #kbtheymadeadrinkafterus!

#yum Which quickly turned into a healthy dinner…

Which turned into my favorite part of the night…telling stories and laughing hysterically at the kitchen table! #areweItaliantooJenny!?

Which turned into snuggles with my Chasey Poo…and one more story! #brokennose

The family night came to an end bc the kids needed to go to bed! But this reset was exactly what I needed to go take stock of my avoidance and conquer it head on by cleaning, cooking and Crest White Strippin it up #ifyourenotwhiteningyoureyellowing

Then I went to bed early so that I could be well rested for tomorrows salon meeting. Jenny and I met at Whole Foods and had a nutritious breakfast. All of these things helped set me up for success and more importantly gave me the perspective that I always desperately need…girl, you signed up for all of this. If you can’t do it with a positive attitude and a loving heart, don’t sign up for so damn much! Look forward to the great things in your life instead of assigning negative feelings bc you aren’t managing your time well. Don’t punish others for your decisions!!! Here is to a happy attitude and a positive emotional wake!!! And in the end, what in the world do I have to complain about…the funnest life!? #boohoo Love y’all. We will post something fun next week…Jenny and I just got real deep up in this piece this week!

Two Meatballs: I Believe I Can Fly!

January 14, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,5k training program, codependency, empowerment, Fleet Feet Raleigh, hi kelly, I believe i can fly, inspiration, limiting beliefs, lowered expectaitons, motivation, new runner in town, NO BOUNDARIES, outdoor exercise, rewrite your story, self evident truths, shackles, Ton of Fun, try before you decidetwomeatballsgetfit View all 12 comments

I had a lot of revelations this weekend. This is Sara!!! Hiiiiiii! Generally speaking I am a confident person. I don’t generally feel like I limit myself. I feel capable of so much. But, recently I have realized that I’ve gone through life thinking…wow, everyone else really has their shit together and that I was doing alright but def on the struggle bus for a lot of things. Normal life things seemed a little tougher to me. To me, it always seemed like things came very easily to others…like organization, eating healthy, exercising, school, becoming a grown up through the “normal” channels of getting married, having babies, having a pet, cooking, domestic issues, keeping a tidy car, not murdering people who won’t move up in the Starbucks line in a timely manner and finances. But in reality, everyone is fighting their own battles and struggling with their own demons. Most people aren’t as open about things that aren’t going well, bc it’s scary to put things that aren’t perfect out into the world…it’s easier and for sure more fun to talk about what is going right! I think that that is what felt so isolating to me. I always felt upfront about airing my imperfect laundry and when no one else chimed in, I assumed that their silence was further confirmation that these things were not a problem for others and that I was indeed a total mess of a child. But, that just isn’t the case. Which to me is the most freeing thing!!!!! I don’t have to do things in this unrealistic Martha Stewart perfection way I’ve convinced myself is right! I just have to find something that works for me and stick to it…or switch it up when things are no longer working. #freedommmmmmmmmmm Now that I know that everyone struggles, I can shelf that shackle that has been holding me back. I have also realized that my words to myself are very powerful. I have lots of truths that I tell myself….I’m not an outdoors-y girl, I’m not responsible enough for children, I’m a bad driver, I’m not athletic, I’m not very domestic, I’m intimidating, I’m not a runner, I’m not a pet person, Maybe I’m meant to be single…the list of my self evident truths is endless. I don’t want to have limiting beliefs. My boss Joelle always says, if I don’t know how to do something, it’s not that I can’t do it, I just need to learn how. Well….genius. So this weekend I really got outside of my box and signed up for Fleet Feets No Boundaries 5k program. You guys, this sentence includes so many things I’ve always told myself weren’t a part of my life, like leaving my house…before 8 am on a Saturday…. when it’s 25 degrees…to go be outside…for an extended period of time…to exercise with strangers…to learn how to run…3.1 miles. I can’t stress enough how much has changed in a year!!!!!!! I was beyond nervous and soooo ready to bail…especially bc Jenny works Saturdays and she couldn’t be my codependency partner in health. But I went to Target the night before with Jenny and got a new warm hat, gloves and hoodie, went to bed early and told myself, you signed up for it…you have to go. And I did. First I put on every single item of clothing I own. #couldibewearinganymoreclothes!? #iliveforlegwarmers

Then I met my sweet pal Karen…doing something with a friend is genius…you are so much less likely to bail! #meatballsub

And we stood outside learning about all the different training groups for the 5k program! I actually saw a lot of familiar faces from the Ton of Fun event and simultaneously lost all the feeling in my toes!

It was fahhhh-reezing balls…then we met with our mentor, Jennifer. Karen and I being total novices chose the walking group!

And we were off!

Today was just a mile…kind of a get to know the program and each other day! Our mentor Jennifer was so great and inspirational. We walked together and told each other our stories. She told me how she had gone from never running in her entire life to being a mentor for Fleet Feet. She got me really pumped and we did a nice, fast paced mile together and between the conversation and me trying not to become hypothermic , the mile was over in no time! It also gave me the confidence to next Saturday move into the walk to run 2 group! Jennifer…it was the living best meeting you..thanks for motivating me and to help me believe that I can do this!

Karen and I survived!!!! And we had all of our limbs when we came back!

Then it was weigh in time for Ton of Fun!!! Da na Da na Da na!!!

Karen lost 4 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahooooooooooo!

I gained 1.2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More on that later in the week!!! Haha I love you Karen!!! So glad we are getting healthy together!!! So on my car ride home was actually when I had all of the above revelations. As I was pulling onto the Wade Ave exit I thought…how many other things have you held yourself back from bc you decided before you even tried it that it “wasn’t for you”?! I am notorious for telling people…not with that attitude!!! If you come to me and say I can’t meet my numbers this month I will always say not with that attitude!!!! But you guys, why wasn’t I saying it to myself?! From now on, I’m changing my story and telling myself I can do anything…and if I don’t know how to do it, I simply have to learn. Bye bye shackles…I no longer want to be the one holding myself back from all that life has to offer. Thanks to everyone at Fleet Feet who reached out to these Two Meatballs! Y’all came into our lives at the perfect moment and the opportunities that y’all have given us have motivated and empowered me to feel capable of more that I ever knew possible. So, if you find yourself with a bunch of truths…re-evaluate them!!!!! Maybe you are more than you give yourself credit for. Last lesson of the day…GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY! Love y’all.

Two Meatballs: am I fat because I’m Italian?!?!

January 13, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Guess what ………….it’s Jenny!!! And of course not!!!!!! There is no way I am fat just because I’m Italian!! That’s ridiculous…….I know, but it is really easy to blame it on that, or my mother, or my grandmother. But it is not them either. ( I always kind of think of My big fat Greek wedding) I always feel like Greeks and Italians are distant cousins. That bleached mustache is classic Italian!!!

I love watching movies. Especially those like Good fellas. A good old Italian gangster movie. All of them have parts, where the family gets together for a big Italian dinner. I always found this part so relatable! This women could totally pass as my grandmother.

The Godfather

The sopranos

I loved eat, pray, love. Especially when Julia Roberts goes to Italian and openly talks about the food, family and weight she gained!

These scenes have to be in there!!! It is who we are. Not only is every holiday and birthday centered around the table with way to much food for 8 people, but every Sunday it is the same way!! That is how we celebrate and give thanks, and have quality time. We would sit around the table for hours!!!! And I loved it growing up. I loved hearing old stories and seeing my parents crack up with all the old people. My grandmother took so much pride in her sauce, and making every noodle, every meatball, and pretty much everything in general. I was named after her and our bound was instant. Her house smelled of bleach and sauce. So comforting! When my parents got divorced I was 8 and we moved in with my “Nanny and Popper” for 3 months. This might be when the comfort food eating started. Nanny would have given me anything I wanted. I am sure she just wanted to see me happy and smiling again. I was sad my parents were separating, and I had to move and go to a new school. All I had was my comfy Italian family. Who hated to see me and my brother and sister down. This is when I remeber seeing physical changes in my weight. I think it is really confusing as a kid because you don”t really think you are doing anything different then other kids. They are all eating with there families right?!? but I would sleep over my friends house and go to bed still really hungry and it all kind of became more clear. But as a kid I felt powerless to change it. At some point you just decide this is who I am. I didn’t want to be different then my family. SHOCKER……I still don’t. Which is why I think Christmas was tough for me. My family is my comfort. I am trying hard to rewrite the story in my own home. Always trying to having healthy snacks like cucumbers.

We only have water and milk in the house. And I make hot paleo comfort meals as many nights a week as I can! Tonight we had paleo ratatouille!

I think it was great becuase I made it and got to share my pride for good healthy with my family! I love Brandon and London and myself to much to drop the ball. I slipped up for a while but it feels and taste really good to have integrity. And I know that comes when I play by the rules. Thanks for your support guys! i will get to my goal!!!!!

Two Meatballs: How Much Fun Can Two Meatballs Have…A TON!!!!

January 9, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,#tonoffun, ASICS, clients who are family, Empower Personalized Fitness Raleigh, Fleet Feet Raleigh, free sneaks, group fitness programs, losing weight as a community, Losing weight together, meatball nation, networking, out of the comfort zone...literally, parking lot workouts, raffles, Roots, sports bra fittings, support, swag, Ton of Fun, walking outside...what a concept, we got our own table at an event y'alltwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

The wait is finally over!!! We’ve cleaned up the mess from the weigh in…

And January 3rd has finally arrived and the kickoff to Fleet Feet Sports Raleigh’s Ton of Fun was upon us! If you haven’t heard yet, this is a fantastic initiative started by Fleet Feet Raleigh to unite the community to collectively lose 2000 pounds…together! www.fleetfeetraleigh.com/tonoffun

You guyyyys, this was our first major event…where we had a booth!!!!! So exciting and we were so honored that they even wanted us to be a part of it!!! And we were kind of nervous all at the same time…what will it be like, what should we wear, ugh its raining and cold but we are going to be working out but need to look cute right!?…you know that kind of important stuff! #imablogger But we put our big girl workout pants on and and packed up our things and headed to the Wade Ave Fleet Feet!

We brought our chalkboard #sosmart, our most stunning before and after pic on a magnet board, our KC Batik #meatballnation tanks, we got little business cards made with all of our social media avenues printed on them #grown,

my kitchen table cloth, two sets of R+Co products to raffle off and our shiny bright attitudes and loud mouths…I’m not sure I realized that we only talk in yells!!! I mean, somebody look at this booth!

We got put right in front of the sports bras which seemed perfectly fitting (pun intended) and we were instantly distracted by all of the shopping that we wanted to do! #FOCUS

We were joined for the event by all the amazing coaches and fit specialists at Fleet Feet…

Paul from ASICS…

This little cutie, Jenn from Roots…

And the awesome group from Empower Personalized Fitness Raleigh…our next door neighbor booth…

After we set up and met everyone (and took a million pictures haha), we joined the group walk at 10am with coach Mary Ashley whom we instantly fell in love with and lots of lovely ladies!!! Walking outside is a total foreign concept to us!!!

While we were walking which btw…walking outside is amazeballs…hello nature…we ran into my client Catherine and her husband Harry #smallworld and our good buddy Nikki’s good buddy!!! I love a small big town!

It was so fun chatting it up with everyone and before you knew it the mile was over!!! #success

As soon as we walked back in I spotted my sweet client Karen…she was signing up for the challenge!!!

And getting fit for new shoes and checking out all the Empower Fitness has to offer!!!

Then I turned around and there was my sweet pal Meg…she also signed up for Ton of Fun and we talked about a paleo dinner night and yoga class for the blog!!! #letsdoit #someonetellLila

And then the entire Puckett clan showed up, signed up, got shoes and worked out! Love y’all!

Our buddy Natalie stopped by and signed up too!!!! #missyou

We had so many visitors and so much support from loved ones!!!

My sister dropped by and sweetly surprised us!!! Jenny has named her the President of our fan club! Then my super supportive parents came in and my dad even broke his ultra white New Balance obsession by getting a new pair of kicks!!!

#twinning #ilovewhenmyclientsmeetmyfamily

Speaking of new kicks…Paul from ASICS gave us both new shoes…our first corporate swag!!!!!!!! I’ve never been so in love with a colorful pair of shoes before!!! AND sooooo grateful!

We did not understand what was happening at all and were convinced that we had heard him wrong and that we would be accused of shoplifting haha…he came up and said I want you to try some shoes, give me your sizes. So he came back and said keep them! And we were like, and then give them back?!? Like test them out in this class and then return them!?!…it seemed too good to be true. We asked him to confirm a thousand times that he meant that these awesome new ASICS were living with us forever…AND THEY WERE! Ugh, thank you soooo much! #ASICSfanforlife

Then the ladies of Fleet Feet fit us for a new sports bra that they wanted us to test out…swag number two of the day!!! Ahhhhhhhh, everyone is so kind and y’all are really helping us get fit…in style!!! #icantstopbeingcheesy

Yayyyyyy!

Then the raffles began!!! Karen won a month of free classes at Empower and a pair of socks from ASICS…best day ever!

Sweet Sue won our prize!

Sue came in with her friend Petra and told us an awesome story about how they met! #hiphopdancingbesties

We joined these awesome ladies and our new pal Yolonda for a noon workout class with Empower! This class was no joke! Here is the before of our group!

Let me just say, it was freezing and raining…and we were working out in the most crowded parking lot in Raleigh…talk about outside of your comfort zone…but when at a Ton of Fun…

We did a self paced three round circuit. The first round you did each exercise 20 times, then 10 times and then finally 5! This was sooo hard…but the music was great and Tiffany walked us through the exercises!

Then we warmed up…#grapevine

And the competition began…whoever finishes first wins a water bottle!

Jenny got first and I came in second!!! We have come soooo far!

It was so fun participating in all the events and getting to know everyone. We are actually participating in the challenge to lose a ton of weight!!! So we both signed up and got weighed in!

And wrote down our goals for the next 12 weeks!

Ok now it’s time to hydrate from these ass kicking workouts! Time to visit Mary Ashley’s booth!

All of the sudden it was almost 2 and the day was winding down. You guyyys…sooooo many people showed up! I think in store they had 40 people sign up for the challenge. We met some incredible people and got to work with some really awesome folks. It is hard not to feel inspired to get fit and lose a ton of weight when you are surrounded by so many fitness advocates. It was also really cool to play both sides of the fence here. On one hand we were here to share our story and show that anyone can save their own lives and find their path to fit and to remind people that getting healthy takes a village. On the other hand we are literally participants in this challenge bc we are both still overweight and wanting another layer of community and accountability. The class and walk were amazing. Meeting so many people who are on the same journey and encountering the same post holiday struggles as we are was incredibly bonding. And to everyone that we know who came out to support us and this amazing program…we love y’all so much!!! Honestly it really means the world. And to everyone that we got to meet and had the pleasure of working with, being inspired by and working out with…we are so glad to add you to our circle of workout buddies and accountability partners. Jacob, Carrie and Natalie, Carter and everyone else at Fleet Feet, thank you so much for welcoming and embracing two loud, childlike nuts. This was a blast…it was literally a Ton of Fun!!! If you didn’t get a chance to come out, there is still time to sign up! http://www.fleetfeetraleigh.com/tonoffun

Another blurry pic courtesy of my delayed phone! #upgradeya Love y’all.

Two Meatballs: Nobody Skips to a Cockfight!!!

January 8, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,animals, bleep bloop shit, cocks, Coon Rock Farm, don't wear your nice shoes to this place, Family, Farm to Table, farming life, free range chickens, health yeah, healthy new years, hi kelly, Hillsborough, kale yeah, local produce and meat, mud butt, NC, piggy wiggiestwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Hey you guys!!!! How are those New Years resolutions going?!?! We are in such good places with food and exercise that we decided to kick off 2015 New Years Day with a full circle field trip! My old next door neighbor and bff Katie’s little #verytall brother Joe, invited us to tour Coon Rock Farm; the place that he works and lives. So me, Katie, Jenny, Brandon, London, Kelly, Wyatt and Chasey Poo piled in for a road trip to the beautiful town of Hillsborough for an awesome day!!!

#fail/win/whoknows!

I drove Katie, Kelly and the boys!

We had a lovely ride and literally couldn’t wait to get there!

45 fun filled minutes later we arrived at Coon Rock Farm…aptly named after a Coon Rock, which what the hell is that!? #bleepbloopshit #madewyatt’slife

We were greeted by Farmer Joe and his hugenormous elk of a dog, Snowflake…our respective tour guides for the day.

So much to do and see already!!!

First up…tractors and equiptment…

Then we took a nice, muddy walk through the fields to find the new baby piggies!!! #exercise #newyearnewyou #activitypoints

A few selfies for the soul…

And then my favorite thing on earth…little snarfly, snorty, babelicious, wilbury piggie wiggies!!!!

I want to openly weep when I see those cute little wiggly butts and curly tails and how they prance and they have hair…ugh! I heart pigs #hipearlovepeach This momma pig gave birth to these even littler even cuter angels just last night! How lucky are we!?!

Dey are sooooo wittle and precious bittle baby porkies!!!! If this place wasn’t a mud pit for days and surrounded by an electric fence and if I didn’t think that Momma Sow would murder me I would have been all up in that piggy wiggy mix!!! #dream #bucketlist #snugglewithbabypiglets

Then we slipped and slid up a murky muddy hill to find a sea of veggie greenery!!!

Looks like somebody dropped their tiny sombrero #speedytherat

Then we continued down the path to a sea of swirly twirly chickens!!!

#ohthatsfreerangechickensmeans #eek

We came to a chicken party and a cockfight broke out!!! The boys excitedly skipped in that direction to see the action take place…hence the title! Then we meandered (waded) through more mud (quicksand) to get to the super serial grown pigs #manbearpig #pigbearman

They were terrifying and aggressive as hell…how could my sweet little angles turn into these brutes?! Time to jet! This is how muddy Chase got…

This is how happy he was to be in the mud!

Conversely, this is how I felt…

Thanks everyone for holding my hand…literally! Onto the greenhouses!!!

An impromptu Smowflake photo op…

Another walk to more greenhouses…

#farmerjoeleadingtheway #sweetboys

Another impromptu family photo shoot…

Then into a haunted barn with one hundred thousand cobwebs…ie spiders…

And finally…to where the magic happens!!!

The meat, eggs and veggie storage!!! You can purchase farm, fresh local goods straight from the source!!!

We made our final purchases…I walked away with bacon, breakfast sausage, a dozen eggs and a skirt steak for $35!!! Then we learned some more!

We even learned how chickens lose their feathers #ick

Took a few more selfies…

Some classic photobombs…

And some last minute farm love before this train left the station…

What an amazing day spent with loved ones, getting exercise, learning where our food comes from, connecting with nature and walking away with healthy, local food. Farmer Joe!!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to give us such an awesome, educational but mostly just the most funnnn tour ever!!! It has been so great seeing you Tedrows so much over this holiday season…I don’t ever want it to end!!! Best way to celebrate a New Year yet! Love y’all to the moon…to the moon I say!!!

Between the meat I bought today and the delicious veggies Joe gave me for Christmas…I made this lovely meal. Literally farm to table! Xoxo

Two Meatballs Get Fit

We had so much fun getting fat together. Now we're going to have even more fun getting fit!