Thanks sista!

My sister-in-law Amber mentioned me in her blog entry about getting into shape. Now I feel guilty for being lazy and not following through on the fitness goals I've set for myself. So now that I've been called out, it's time to get back on track and tone up!

I leave for California on August 14th and am determined to work out every. single. day until that date. I worked out last night for the first time in weeks, so that's a start. I figure if I can make it until August 14th, I will be motivated to continue when I come back from vacation.

Since we all need a little visual stimulation, how about a few photos from (you guessed it!) pinterest. If these won't make you get off your lazy ass, I'm not sure what will :)

Next month's vacation

I am pumped for August for a few reasons.

1. My first vacation at my new job. A whole week off to relax and re-charge and have fun!
2. My brother's flying in from Michigan for a visit. I haven't seen him since I visited him and my sis-in-law last summer.
3. Our road trip to California to see family and explore and take amazing photos :)

Typically when we head down south, we spend 90% of our time with family. This time, we're expanding our horizons and taking more time to see new places and venture off on our own.

We will be spending a few days in Chico, a day in Sacramento and a few days in San Francisco. I can't wait! This will be my husband's first trip to SF and my first time being back in probably 20 years. I want to do and see as much as we can while we're there. 

That's where my BFF pinterest comes in handy. Looking at other people's gorgeous photos gives me an idea of the places I want to visit while I'm down there. Enjoy a few of my favorites :)

Planning for our dream house

My husband & I were talking about the future today and the fact that our 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up in 3 years. I really want to have a big (but casual) vow renewal/anniversary party with all our close friends & family. We got married so young that we really had no clue what we wanted, nor did we have much money to spend. I'd love to have a "re-do" so to speak, but much less formal and much more fun :)

The more I thought about it, the more I'm convinced we should hold off until our 15 year anniversary. Why? That would give our current house time to increase in value and give us a chance to save up for our dream house. Then we could have an amazing party right at our own house. We would love to buy a piece of land and design a house the exact way we want it. We've talked about this for years and only intended to stay in this house for 5 or so years, but our house value tanked and there's no way we can sell anytime soon. So instead we wait and save money and get ideas for our future house.

Enter my newest obsession: Pinterest

Please tell me I'm not the only one that spends hours each week browsing and lusting after the gorgeous ideas/photos/inspiration! I can't get enough of that site and have already gotten some great ideas to incorporate in our future house. Below are some of my favorites that may not be feasible for us, but it's still fun to dream, right? :)

A huge deck is a must!

Love this bold door.

How cute is this front entrance??

I'm digging all the white for this living room.

Or maybe something fun & colorful like this?

Gorgeous dining room.

AMAZING pantry!

Nice & bright (& huge!) kitchen.

I've always wanted a little reading nook. This is adorable!

I want our office to be bold & fun like this one. Perfect for meeting photography clients.

If we ever have kids, I would LOVE to have their book displayed like that.

Cute nursery idea.

ADORE this guest bathroom!!

I kind of like this clean, simple master bedroom. It would need to be bigger though :)

Master bathroom: yes, please!!

Or this one.

Best closet ever, am I right?! :)

Gorgeous loft space.

Lots of space for gardening :) Or...

I freaking wish!!

Now we only need to win the lottery within the next 8 years and we'll be all set ;) It's always good to have lofty goals, isn't it?