Aggie Bound

HOWDY!

If you don't follow me on social media, the cat's been out of the bag for about a week now...

I'm transferring to Texas A&M starting in the Spring!

I mean, I've always been an Aggie, but I get to make it official and have an Aggie diploma on the wall along with that sweet shiny bling on my right ring finger!

Nick and I are starting a legacy.

Nick is the first in his family to attend college!

I'm literally like the last college eligible "Kim family member" (in this generation) to go to college...ironically, I'm also the oldest.

Anyway, I'm over the moon excited.

If you get the fortunate experience of growing up in Aggieland, you either grow up drinking the "maroon kool-aid", or you end up pouring it down the drain.

By the time I was a senior in high school, I was one of those who poured that kool-aid down the drain.

I said "screw this", and I became a United States Marine.

My younger sister also had enough of this "Aggie cult", and she ended up going to University of Texas to be a Longhorn (go ahead and hiss).

It wasn't until I joined the Corps, moved out to California to start my adventure that I became fiercely homesick.

The one thing that gave me comfort was watching the Aggies play football on TV in the Fall.

It made me miss home, and it made me miss being around "Aggie culture".

I was fortunate enough to have some amazing leaders as a young Marine who pushed me to do off duty education when I wasn't deployed.

As a young LCpl, I would work from 6am until 6pm, eat chow, get out of uniform, and go to a local community college to take classes.

But of course with deployments and training, I stopped taking classes.

At the end of my tour on recruiting duty, I had a conversation with my Capt about my hopes for finishing college.

I told him my dream was to finish my degree at Texas A&M, and that I was willing to wait until Nick retired to do so.

That's how bad I wanted an Aggie ring.

Funny how God works sometimes, because instead of waiting until I was 40 to come back to CS to go to my dream school, HE gave us such a unique and once in a lifetime opportunity to come back to my hometown so that my husband could come to school here!

I knew this was also MY chance to pursue my dream.

So here I am today...

I'm a 4.0 student on the Dean's list at Central Texas College, and I get to go to that big maroon campus outside my front door in the spring!

We attended the Aggie vs. Mississippi St game last night where the Aggies BTHO Mississippi St, 30-17!!!

That makes us 5-0 this season!!!!

It makes it really exciting that they are doing so well since this is the grand opening season of the brand new Kyle Field!

I was getting a little tired of wearing maroon every weekend, so I switched it up yesterday, and went with white and maroon accents.

Tailgate fashion sure has evolved over the years.

Gone are the days of just throwing on a cotton "Maroon Out" tshirt, and heading to the game.

For the fashion enthusiasts, gameday/tailgate fashion has become a fun way to dress in your school colors while looking chic.

The cutest little tailgater in Aggieland!

This kid would scream, "I see Aggies!!! Aggies!!!" whenever he saw a sea of Aggies wearing maroon. 

He also refuses to go to bed in anything but a maroon shirt....

I think we've already brainwashed this future Aggie...

Obligatory family photo in front of Kyle Field.

They say "the bigger the bow, the bigger the fan"....right?!

I'm a southern mama who loves little southern girls in big bows....what can I say?

Can't quite make the "Gig 'em" thumb...but we'll take "#1" for now!

The little girls.

One of my favorite traditions is watching the Corps of Cadets march into Kyle Field on game day.

They have to coolest cadence (and this is coming from a Marine, y'all!).

Nick has officially drank the "maroon kool-aid"...

Look at the grin on his face.

The largest stadium in the SEC, baby!!

We found a couple midshipmen, and some other ROTC Corps of Cadets guys for a quick photo op with D!

Aggie nachos...

They were as delicious as it looks...

Oh, and I DID go to the gym in the morning just so I could indulge in these cheesy goodness....

We had such a blast at the game!!!

This next weekend is a bye week for the Aggies, so we get a break before the next big game against the Tide (Alabama).

We are planning a huge tailgate for that game, and we're all really excited!

Thanks for all the well wishes and congrats!

Thanks, and Gig 'Em!

Red Ribbon Week

This past week was National Red Ribbon Week.

"The National Red Ribbon Campaign is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week."

(source: NFP.org)

Each day last week had a dress up day for Red Ribbon week.

I think I was honestly more excited than Dannika was, but she was pretty excited about it too!

Monday was "Join the fight against drugs"...CAMO DAY!

Of course, we went for Marine Corps cammies...would you expect anything else?!

Nick even let her be a "Gunny" for a day.

Tuesday was "Team up Against Drugs"...wear your favorite team shirt/jersey.

"Who's your favorite team, Dannika?!"

"THE AGGIES, OF COURSE!!"

Wednesday was "Wear red day"....

Thursday was "Follow your dreams, don't do drugs"...PAJAMA DAY!!

This is what Dannika calls her "Elsa pose".

And lastly...

Friday was "Drugs are out of character"....dress up as your favorite storybook character.

Of course....Dannika went as....

The teacher actually had all the kids bring the book that correlated with their costumes.

I guess that was a clever way of keeping kids from coming to school in their random Halloween costumes.

To end Red Ribbon Week, we were invited to attend the Kindergarten pumpkin festival at Dannika's school.

"Will the real Elsa please stand up?"

Dannika actually has two Elsa dresses.

She has the original Disney store one, and this Etsy knock off that she is wearing.

The Disney store one, we saved for Halloween trick or treating since it's full of glitter.

The knock off was more practical for every day wear.

Making candy corn hand prints.

I'm so glad that Nick gets to be present for little things like her pumpkin festival.

I feel like the last 5 years was worth it for these next few years that we have together as a family!

It really brings to perspective when someone tells me...

"Sometimes you gotta suffer a little to have a little comfort later..."

Mom Attire and Team USA attire

I love fashion.

I love getting dressed up.

I love looking cute.

I love putting "my face" (make up) on.

Especially after spending the last 10 years of my life wearing cammies to work everyday with my hair in the same bun, wearing no make up....

I totally appreciate the freedom to leave my hair down every day and look cute!

But let's be real here...

After baby #2 came along, all that looking cute all the time went out the door. 

I put on make up, do my hair, and wear cute clothes for church, going out to dinner, or if I'm going to my husband's office (cause I want the people he works with to think I'm SO put together all the time...hahaha).
That, and I don't want to embarrass my dear husband.

Honestly, this is what I wear almost every single day.

Nike running capris, UnderArmour semifitted running jacket, and my hair.....in a bun......
Yes, after 10 years of wearing it in a bun for work, I thought I'd break free from it, but it's such an easy hair do.

It's just so low maintenance and comfy.

My day revolves around Mattis' nap time, Dannika's preschool time, and MY work out time.

This outfit gets the job done for me every day!

I went in my closet today and realized I own more running clothes and work out clothes than regular clothes.

That's a problem cause I have like 20 pairs of jeans hanging in my closet with dust on them (seriously...DUST!).

I like my "mom attire".

Hey, at least I'm not wearing mom jeans!

And speaking of attire...
There has been a lot of "hatin'" going on about the Team USA opening ceremony sweaters.

I personally sorta liked them.
They're very patriotic.
There's a reason why I love them even more.
I read this LA Times article this morning, and instantly went from just "liking" the sweater to "LOVING" it.
You can click the link and read the entire article.
Basically, every bit and piece of manufacturing this sweater is American.
It took 12 hours to make each individual sweater.
They're made in America in a factory owned by South Korean immigrants who don't outsource jobs out of country.
 Just a couple who immigrated here for the "American dream" who started their business in their small LA apartment. 

But this is just my opinion....
and my blog :)

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Favorites Lately

I am a big believer in what you put in your mouth has a bigger impact on your weight loss than anything.

You can run 10 miles a day, but if you go home and eat cake and junk food all the time, you're not going to see results. 

I love to snack.

I'm always craving a little something here and there all day long (no matter how big and satisfying my meals are).

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and I don't like decadent desserts, chocolate, cake, etc.

It doesn't mean I don't crave sweets though!

But when I crave sweets, it's not something quite as indulgent as normal people crave.

Lately, I've been going through my "sweet tooth" phase.

What's my favorite healthy snack that satisfies my sweet tooth?

I love celery sticks and peanut butter.

I always buy all natural peanut butter, and I always check the ingredients to make sure that the only thing in it is roasted peanuts!

No added sugars, preservatives, oil, etc. etc. etc.

Then to make it a little sweet (since all natural peanut butter has no added sugar), I drizzle a little bit of honey into it.

I like doing it this way cause I can really control how much sweetness I'm putting into it.

It totally satisfies my sweet cravings!

I know most people are reading this thinking, "Really? That's your SWEET craving?!"

Seriously...for a girl who doesn't enjoy desserts, this is it!

I blame it on my Korean upbringing.

Koreans usually don't finish a meal with dessert, and after a nice meal, most Koreans eat fruit as their "dessert".

Most Korean restaurants you go to will give you orange slices or watermelon for dessert after a meal (and it's always complimentary)!

Another thing I don't drink is juice.

This goes back to the fact that I don't really like sweet things.

My unhealthy liquid that I can't live without is diet Dr. Pepper, and I only have that when I'm enjoying a cocktail (more on that another time).

But water does get pretty boring, so I like to spruce up my water.

Lately, I've been digging this...

I just fill up a large pitcher with water and drop slices of cucumber and apple into it.

It gives my water such a refreshing taste, and I seriously go through a 2L pitcher a day!

Sometimes, if I don't have apples, I'll either throw some lemon slices in there or squeeze a lemon directly into my water.

I tried apples and lemons once, and it was just too much acidity in the water.

I feel like I'm at the spa when I'm drinking it.

Another few "favorites"...

This knit beanie/mitten combo from Old Navy.

This adorable "monster" onesie from Gymboree.

This cute flat brimmed cap from H&M.

Channeling his inner Vanilla Ice....

Also, I am very aware that he clashes.

I was just trying his new hat on him....calm down folks.

And this adorable hat from H&M also.

I used to drive a fancy shmancy, overpriced German made vehicle when I lived in Cali (and had a job).

I traded it in for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited when I moved out here to New England.

I am SO glad that I did!

The 4WD seriously gives me a little more confidence on the icy, slushy roads here.

And my last favorite of this post...

Pregnancy 35 Weeks

Here's my post from 26 weeks for anyone who wants to compare.

How far along? 35 weeks! Just a month left!!!

Total weight gain/loss: STILL...I have no idea. I refuse to look at the scale when I go into my Drs. appointments. The intensity of my work outs has slowed down significantly though. It's a lot harder to move.

Maternity clothes?  have two favorite Maxi dresses...

This blue and white nautical striped dress was purchased from Destination Maternity. It's super light cotton, thin, and comfy!

I bought this one from Target's maternity line. It feels really heavy when it's just on the hanger, but wearing it is a different story. It's really comfy and does not feel heavy at all. I love the layered bottom of this dress

Besides these two favorites, I LIVE in maternity capri pants (all purchased from Destination Maternity and one pair from Target), and tank tops (I have one in every color...also purchased from Destination Maternity)

This is tank top. I got them on major sale, so I ended up purchasing it in black, lime green, hot pink, and gray. 

Stretch marks? Nope...still zero (praying it stays that way!). I didn't have any with D either. I have really good skin from my mom, and it's not prone to stretch marks.

Sleep: Eh...some nights I sleep well, some nights I don't. I started getting heartburn at night when I lay down, and my back has been hurting.

Best moment this week: Going to the Natick Town Square since my hubby got off work at 1400 (2PM) to get homemade ice cream from from a place called "Park St. Ice Cream Shoppe". It has a total old school vibe, and it's been around forever. They have pretty delicious ice cream. My favorite being the mocha chip.

Miss Anything? I am still missing a good cocktail (a vodka martini, please!). I also miss being able to breathe comfortably, and not waddling when I walk.

Movement: This boy!!!! AGGHH! He moves SO much, and he's ALWAYS kicking the crap out of my upper right side of my rib cage! It's painful! My baby girl NEVER gave me this much pain when I was prego with her.

Food cravings: I crave sweets. I'm pretty good about it though. When I'm not prego, I am NOT a sweets/desserts person AT ALL, so my hubby and my daughter are welcoming my pregnancy sweet tooth since they get to indulge with me.

Symptoms: heartburn...only at night when I lay down for bed (extra strength Tums are my savior). I use the bathroom about 3-4 times a night (so annoying). It's hard to take a nice deep breath. I get the occasional Braxton hicks contractions (something I never experienced with my 1st pregnancy).

Have you started to show yet: yep!

Here I am today!

Gender: still very much a boy

Labor Signs: Just a little Braxton Hicks

Belly Button in or out? Out...ish. Some days it pokes out, and some days it doesn't. It hasn't decided, I guess...lol.

Wedding rings on or off? On..I don't have any swelling (so far). My rings feel pretty loose actually.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm happy cause my due date is getting closer!

Looking forward to: Holding our little man, finishing his nursery, and having a cocktail!

Filtering My Thoughts on Social Media

 It's no secret, I'm on social media (Facebook and Twitter) a lot.

Being in the Marine Corps, it's tough to keep up with everyone back home.

With friends moving to and from all over the place (thanks to military life), it's nice to have one place on the web where I can have ALL my people in one place!

I am a sucker for cute baby pics, pics of my friends kids, pics of my friends, pics of my friends doing random things, and I even enjoy looking at pics of food that some of my friends love to post.

I also love reading the daily ramblings, doings, and thoughts of my friends.

I am also pretty vocal on there.

While I TRY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to stay away from politics and controversial topics, sometimes, I throw in a little opinion from time to time (usually starts a heated debate, and I either delete the post altogether or ignore it).

I have a tendency to blurt things out on social media without thinking, and sometimes most of the time it doesn't come out as intended.

You can't exactly type your emotions onto the computer screen.

example:

Wow! Thanks a lot for inviting me!

One person can read and interpret it as me showing gratitude to someone for inviting me to "whatever".

Another person can read that and interpret it as sarcasm towards someone who did not invite me to "whatever".

I also tend to overgeneralize a lot of things on social media, and a lot of people take it really personal. 

Fact: I never post anything that is specific to anyone without either tagging them or mentioning them by name. If I don't mention a name, it's a generalization.

 I posted this yesterday on facebook, and it "irked" a few people (thankfully just a few and not a lot!).

This offended a few people (the ones that like to post their motivational work out and crossfit memes).

Maybe I shouldn't have posted it at all, and quietly "hid" those people's posts from my newsfeed.

Actually, yeah...that's what I should have done, but I didn't...too late.

I don't want to "unfriend" all my friends who post these things! 

That is ridiculous because A LOT of my friends actually post these "memes".

I love all my friends for different reasons...their quirkiness, kindness, humility, sense of humor, etc. etc. etc.

I was just noticing a LOT more of those "workout inspiration" posts on my newsfeed with a bunch of ripped, fit people....not what a pregnant girl who feels fat wants to look at.

I'd rather just see actual photos of my awesome and fit friends doing their WOD's, 5K's, half marathons, and marathons.

I want to see posts about the 18 mile run one of my friends went on this weekend, and her encounter with a rattlesnake while training :-)

So I said my piece.

Not intended towards anyone in particular...

 it was just in general.

My intentions are normally not mean spirited, arrogant, ignorant, or annoyed, but I can see how sometimes it came be perceived as such.

It's just so hard to put your emotions into your posts, and some things need to be said with a certain tone of voice for it to really get a point across.

For people who know me in person know that I am really talkative and vocal in real life...just like I am on social media.

I love social media, and I'm very proud of my family.

I like letting people know about the awesome things my 3 year old does, and I like posting pictures of my family...because I truly am proud and totally blessed.

I just want to share a little of my joy with the world.

I just as much love it when my friends on social media invite me into their little world and share their families, friends, thoughts, and ramblings to me...even things I don't agree with.

I feel privileged to have such a diverse group of friends from all walks of life.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Check out D and her wild hair!

D is quite the fashionista. She picked this entire outfit out herself...hat and Easter basket included!

The sad sad pup.

My weekend pinterest project. I painted my pantry door with chalkboard paint! I can't wait to start writing on it!

Before church this morning

Man and his dog