Confessional Friday: {Link Up with A Blonde Ambition}

// I confess that I bought the Jaclyn Hill Expert Box by Sigma Beauty and I am not one bit guilty about spending that much money on makeup brushes.

// I confess that I will no longer be surfing Pinterest for workout ideas while I am at the gym. Talk about instant distraction! And a huge time-waster! I am going to start planning my workouts on paper and then going to the gym.

// I confess that I bought two different types of protein supplements this week. Time to get LEAN!

// I confess that yesterday I started my first round of refinements for my Invisalign. This round I have 34 trays and will be changing them once a week. I also got one more attachment.

// And lastly, I confess that I want a trampoline... in my living room. What better way to watch TV and workout at the same time!?

Happy Friday, loves.

Affordable Workout Gear

Hello friends! I've been meaning to post this for quite a while, so here it is!

Last year I spent about two months on the hunt for the perfect workout pants. I went to Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart, Victoria's Secret, JC Penney, etc. I was looking for a capri leggings that were low rise with a little stretch. I also wanted to find something that was affordable so I could buy 3 or 4 pairs for less than $100.

I searched up and down and finally found these C9 Advanced Performance Capri Pants. I got one solid black pair and a dark heather grey pair with a blue waistband. (The grey and blue ones were on sale for $17.99.) I love these pants because they don't have the fold-over waistband that a lot of yoga and workout pants have. I also like them because they don't have a drawstring. Both the fold over and drawstring pants really bother me so I will not wear them. Also, I really like these pants because they are not fitted all the way through the knee. I don't care for tight seams that end right at the bend of my knee so these feel great. These are by far the most comfortable and flattering pair of workout pants I have ever bought.

They retail for $24.99 but I've seen them on the clearance racks before. Also, if you download the Cartwheel app, the entire C9 brand has sales that are usually 20% off. Right after the new year they had a 40% off sale so keep an eye out for that!

So after finding the perfect workout pants I got a few other items on a total whim that ended up being some of my favorite stuff.

The Danksin brand at Wal-Mart has really surprised me. I love their racerback tank. They are loose-fitted and have a lot of really cute colors for just under $6.00.

I also really like the Danskin brand sports bras. They are comfortable and hold my girls in place for my normal workouts. Two for $9.94 is a great buy!

Finally, the Danskin Performance Jacket is my jacket of choice to wear to the gym. First of all, it is a lightweight jacket that has THUMB HOLES. I love jackets with the hole for your thumb. It's like gloves attached to your jacket. Also, I got this jacket for $3.00 on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart. (I actually got two.)

Now, yes, I do know that these might not be the highest quality items and yes I know that you get what you pay for but I have had all of these items for around 6 months and they have held up. The key to keeping them nice is how you wash them. I only wash my workout clothes in warm/cold water and I never dry them in the dryer. I always hang dry my workout clothes.

So there you have a great workout outfit for right around $50 dollars. You will look cute and be comfortable so mark that off your list of excuses and get that booty to the gym!

Photo An Hour

A link up with Stephanie at Southern Mess blog and Meg at Meg O. on the Go blog.

I have been so utterly excited for this link up since last week when Steph did her post. I was so excited I didn't even know what I was supposed to do!

Thank you, Steph, for clarifying.

So I totally should have done this last Saturday on Tyson's birthday because that would have been way more exciting. Oh well. You get yesterday. Wednesday. A good ole Wednesday. Let's begin!

Just sat down at my desk to catch up on my blogs and go over the daily computer stuff. (Reading Style Me Swanky here.) Which if you are wondering is:

Check my five different email accounts.

Facebook.

Blogger.

All bank accounts (company and mine).

eBay.

YouTube.

Instagram.

And lastly check on the four forum sites I frequent.

This leads me to my 10:30am picture...

Still sitting here... Riveting, I know. But now I am writing my own blog post and eating yogurt instead of drinking coffee.

At 11:30am I had just got out of the shower and finished my makeup. Here I am picking out which lipgloss to wear and watching some YouTube.

Come 12:30 I was waiting for the guys to finish testing the engine so we could go to lunch. This is an engine that my boyfriend Tyson completely designed and engineered on his own. There is not another engine like this in the world.

FINALLY! Lunch time and MEXICAN FOOD!

Just brushing my teeth and putting my Invisalign back in. After every meal I have to floss, brush my teeth, and clean my aligners. That means three times a day! You were bound to see one of them.

Come 3:30pm I was back at the ole desk. Doing paperwork, making phone calls, perusing Pinterest and watching PinkSoFoxy on YouTube.

Pulling in to Walmart here. Yay for buying household items!

Bustttteeeddd. I got the 20% off coupon for Ulta so I had to do a little makeup shopping. I finally got the Naked 2 palette! I bought the Lorac Pro last year when the Naked's were so popular and bought the Naked Basics last year but I just could not decide which big Naked palette to get. I thought I had my mind made up until the Naked 3 came out. GAME CHANGER. But alas, I decided it was too rose toned for me. Naked 2 it is!

At 6:30 I had literally just got to the gym and jumped on the treadmill. (Hence why I had only made it nine-tenths of a mile.)

Me after a little sweat-sesh. No shame in my gym bathroom selfie!

Dinner and post-workout meal. An apple with peanut butter, celery, some pretzels, and some apple cinnamon Fig Newtons.

Winding down and getting ready for bed here. I picked up these Peter Thomas Roth peel pads at Ulta earlier so I was pumped to try them.

So that was my day! Not all that exciting but pretty typical for a weekday.

If you like, head over and read other's Photo a Day posts. I really hope this turns in to a weekly or monthly link-up. I love seeing what people do each day.

Thanks for reading!

Hello, Ay!

I'm baaaaack... from CANADA!

Yep you heard that right. I went to Winnipeg, Canada last Friday the 19th and I got home the 26th.

Although it was a work trip, it was very enjoyable.

besides the cold weather... that sucked

It got cold then snowed then got warm and then rained and the weather just could not make up it's mind... just like Missouri. haha

On our way up we got pulled over and "shut down". Typical. We are sneaky though (law-abiding-sneaky) and got back on the road in no time.

It's the real deal... By USA!

The view from our hotel.

Why did I agree to this?

We were in Winnipeg for a demonstration that was scheduled for only one day but Tyson had to fly to Victoria for two nights while we were there. This gave me plenty of time to...

1. Shop

2. Lust over stuff I can not afford

MacBook Pro, you will be mine!

and 3. Eat good food

and shop more... I got this sweet leather jacket that I am OBSESSED with!

My first Mac Paint Pot!

I also had time to get my lazy ass on the treadmill. That was fun and all (not) but what made it even funner was watching Sean shake it like a stripper.

I even lifted a little... first time working out in about a month. Thank you nose surgery!

All that hard work paid off when I... drank some booze?

wait, what?

I like Canadians. They get straight to the point.

Our hotel had a really nice pool... so I graciously went for a swim.

Tyson and I decided that you are not in Canada if you can not see three Tim Horton's from where you are standing.

These donut/coffee shops are EVERYWHERE!

So that was my little Canadian adventure! Since I've been back I've done around 15 loads of laundry, donated a truck full of stuff to Goodwill, and listed about 30 items on Craigslist. Trying to purge! We have way too much crap and it drives me NUTS!

Happy Monday!

Today would have been my dad's 69th birthday. I sure miss him!

Get up and RUN

It worked.

I got up and I RAN!

I have been one lazy mother fcker lately. No kidding. Well not in general, just when it comes to running.

My first excuse was my shoes... got new shoes.

Second excuse was it being too hot... it's cooler in the morning.

Third excuse was my music is old... it's still old but that's okay.

Alright out of excuses! So just do it, Tristan!

I perused Pinterest last night looking for some motivational posters, got a few ideas, and made this simple yet LOUD print out. I taped it on the wall beside my bed last night and when I woke up this morning, I drank some iced coffee, changed my clothes, and headed out the door. I didn't run the whole two miles... I walked, probably, 1.5 of those miles but at least I wasn't laying in bed til 10am, RIGHT!?

I suggest, if you find yourself stuck in a rut or without any motivation, try this simple/free/easy method. It might work for you, too. :-)