Team Hamilton Advances

Back in the winter Linc and I decided to try playing tennis together. This was the first time we have tried playing competitive mixed doubles in a league. There is a great program in the southeast called T2 Tennis. All you need is a partner and a home court and you've got your team! It is a flex league where you schedule your own matches with couples within your driving radius.

We began the season against a couple who brought their own 12 pack of beer and cheering section. After playing two tough sets (with them chugging in between every game) the alcohol must have finally kicked in and we were able to beat them in the third set! Three matches and one forfeit later we were undefeated and headed into the Play Offs!

We had a bit of a rocky start to our first round of T2 Mixed Play Offs. After a week of emailing and trying to set up a time to play the opposing team waited until an hour before the match to tell us they weren't actually going to show up. We entered in our score of "Won by Forfeit" and immediately contacted our Round Two couple. With only a a few hours notice they agreed to have the match on Tuesday night and we drove over to their club to play. You can see from the picture below (or from the post title) what our results were!! Yay!! Round three here we come!!

Still Shredding

I have done the Shred video 3 out of 4 days since bringing it home and am very proud of myself for pushing through the pain! I took Friday off because I could barely walk down the stair case and thought I might have a tennis match later on in the evening. We didn't end up playing, but by then I was too lazy and sore to get up! This morning I woke up and took my pups on a nice walk to help loosen up my muscles and stretch out my legs. I am sure they appreciated the fresh air too and it got me pumped to get my workout in during the morning!

I really thought I was in pretty good shape until every day when I reach the strength training in circuit two of this workout. It is really kicking my butt and when Jillian says she wants us panting she was not kidding! The cardio sections have already gotten much easier- I attribute that to my hours on the court playing tennis- and abs aren't too bad until I get to the bicycle kicks in circuit three. So far I only last about ten seconds with those and then have to do normal sit ups. Afterward, even though I feel like I am going to die, I am able to recover fairly quickly and my heart beat is back to normal within a few minutes.

I added a little counter to the side so I can help keep myself accountable and I figure I could post a little update here and there since so many of you were curious to know how it's going. I know that I won't be able to do the workout every single day for 30 days in a row (a girl's gotta rest!!) but I am confident that if I include this video in with 2-3 days of tennis I'll be ready for a bathing suit in no time! Hope you all are motivated to get out there and move it a bit today! Happy Saturday!

Answered Prayers

Two years ago my mother was diagnosed with high-grade
Hemangiopericytoma, which is a soft tissue sarcoma.

What does that mean to the average person?

Cancer

It was a rough few months after her less than routine surgery but I was able to be there since I was living at home at the time. All of the reading online about her type of cancer was certainly not uplifting and made us fear the worst but she is a fighter and managed to recover! She goes to her oncologist for CT scans every few months and her most recent one was on Tuesday.

After waiting anxiously for two days to find out the results I am so proud to announce that her scan was clean and there was not a tumor at the original site!! There was a small spot on one of her lungs that they will check again in three months but we are just so excited that her tumor has not come back.

God has been so good to us during this experience and I thank Him every day for the time I get to spend with my mom. She is one of the most important people in my life- strong, caring, loving, and so supportive! Thank you to all my friends in real life who have been lifting my mom up in your prayers lately. I am amazed every day at the blessings God continues to provide us! xoxo

Thirty Day Shred

Back in January I joined Weight Watchers (see #22) to help in my never ending journey to loose a few pounds. So far I am down 12 pounds (WAHOO!!) and quite satisfied with the results, but with bathing suit season only a few weeks away it's time to get serious! I have recently seemed to hit my plateau- where my current diet and exercise routine is not enough and I need to step it up a notch in order to keep loosing weight. I don't have a gym membership and Jazzercise wasn't cutting it anymore and even though I have a treadmill in my bedroom that is about the worst form of torture I could put myself through! After doing some research online I decided to try the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video. She's one tough cookie and the trainer for the show Biggest Loser.

I play tennis at least twice a week and feel fairly in shape but I was excited to add a little something different to my weekly regime. I actually watched the work out routines online before trying them myself and thought that doesn't look too hard...I am laughing now because if only you could have heard me during this intense, non stop 20 minute work out. Panting. like. a. dog. and crying out for mercy! I had Linc take a picture of me after I was done and I don't think it shows exactly how purple my face was or the fact that I am totally soaked through with sweat. That smirk even makes me look like I'm feeling a bit energized and ready for more. Not the case!! She (meaning Jillian) said it should be easier by day 5 and then I'll be ready to move on to level 2. Yikes...what did I get myself into? Day one down...29 more to go! Wish me luck!

Anyone else out there ever try the Shred? What other workout videos do you guys do in order to get ready for beach weather? Let me know! =)

This Is Why...

...you should always wear sunscreen.

Even when it is overcast and raining...

This happened on Sunday after my three hour long tennis match. So not only was I bummed that we lost in a tie breaker in the third set but I got home only to realize that I was lobster colored. My partner and I were even joking on the court that we hoped we wouldn't get sunburned since the weather was so crummy (hahaha) and it took the home team about an hour to dry the courts off enough for us to even get started =( Now I know...SPF 70 no matter what!

Weekend Review

I have not had much to write about lately as I sloooooowly crawl towards my 100th post. April is pretty low key for us and since Spring Break there has not been a whole lot going on. This weekend was filled with tennis, as they have been for some weeks now! Linc and I finished our last T-2 match and are proud to announce that we are Division Winners!!! The finals start this week and we are excited to get our new bag tag! My ALTA team did not fare so well and I lost my fifth consecutive match in a tie breaker in the third set. I was so bummed afterward and really frustrated. I thought I played really well and have been improving a lot this season so I wish it would show in my record! We only have one match left and I think we'll be done until summer USTA.

Friday, after a busy day of CRCT and dealing with some parent issues I went to happy hour with the girls and then Linc and I went on a date to a sushi buffet. It was delicious and we left stuffed! We both must have been exhausted because minutes after getting home we were both asleep on the couch! I woke up a few hours later to let the pups out and move to bed but couldn't get Linc to wake up! After tennis on Saturday we took Linc's car to get an oil change, walked to lunch at a local dive, and watched some of the Family Cup on TV. That evening we headed over to Matt and Becky's house for dinner and to hang out with Mark and Jane too. They are always such great hosts and we ate, drank, raided their children's Easter baskets, and talked until about 2 in the morning!

I went to church at Brownsbridge for the first time on Sunday (I normally got to the North Point campus) and even though I missed Andy live it was still a great service. I met a new couple, Candace and Joel, who I sat with and hopefully I'll run into them again! The next two weeks don't have much going on and then May arrives with birthdays, the end of school, weddings, and summer!!

Spring Break and Easter

I cannot believe that Spring Break is over, it went by so fast! Thankfully we are in the home stretch before summer break with only 30 days left to go! My kids have CRCT these next two weeks and after that it should be smooth sailing. My vacation was pretty relaxing. I spent the first few days vegging out around the house, hosted my small group, and hung out with my friends from school. After that the whole family traveled to Orlando to spend Easter with my sister, brother in law, and their new baby Jax! I have not had time to go through the pictures from the trip so I have to thank my mom for letting me "borrow" these collages! We flew out on Thursday morning and arrived in Orlando just before lunch. After meeting baby Jax we headed out into town for lunch and a little shopping. Friday the rest of the family arrived!

Nathan Family gatherings are all about the
delicious food and great company!

Friday we enjoyed sight-seeing and touring around Baldwin Park.

We went on a boat tour of Winter Park and saw Mr. Roger's house!

We had a great time at dinner and then the Wine Bar.

We enjoyed a beautiful Easter morning service at church.
(even though the car got towed while we were inside!!!)

We ate a yummy Easter feast complete
with Nathan's famous cheese rolls!

I LOVE being with my family and am so thankful we were able to spend this holiday together. Kristin and Ryan were great hosts and little Jax is so adorable! I can't wait for her to meet her cousins in a few weeks when they all come up to Atlanta for Alex's graduation. It's going to be a puppy extravaganza with all 6 dogs in one little house! I hope everyone had a nice Easter!

ONE. midtown kitchen

There are so many great restaurants hidden around Atlanta that you would never really know existed if you hadn't found them online first! Last night a group of us from work that are on Spring Break headed over to ONE. midtown kitchen for dinner. We had recently gone to their sister restaurant- TWO urban licks to celebrate my birthday in style! These restaurants are in the most obscure places and if it hadn't been for the teeny tiny sign on the side of the road we might not have ever found them! ONE. is right in the middle of a neighborhood and you feel like you're entering some secret club as you walk through the giant metal door and heavy black curtains! Inside is a hip and trendy open area dining room with a great huge bar. We were seated right next the window with the beautiful skyline of Atlanta as our background.

The food was unbelievable and while we enjoyed a few drinks before ordering we were able to notice the huge portion sizes being served to the tables around us. Since there were only three of us we started with a Meat and Cheese Plate and split some Caesar salads. After eating those we also agreed on splitting our dinner too and out came the of entree of Steak Frites- Chargrilled Hanger Steak, Parmesan-Herb Fries, Red Wine Shallot Sauce. Yummy couldn't even begin to describe it! We finished off our wine and enjoyed fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream with a molten chocolate cake underneath. So glad I went with these girls and we were able to share all this delicious food!

We left full- not stuffed and headed into Vinings to watch a local band play at a bar called Blind Willy's. Lingo is a group of college kids that are so very talented and we stayed listening to their performance until the bar closed at 12:30! Being the very tired teachers we are that never go out on a weekday we headed home after that and I managed to sleep in until 10am! My pups must have known I needed a few extra hours! The rest of my day is being spent packing and getting ready to leave for Orlando to visit my sis and her hubby for Easter! My mom and I fly out bright and early tomorrow morning and the rest of the fam will meet us there on Friday. Looking forward to some toasty Spring weather! Hope everyone is having a great week! xoxo

A New Spring 'Do

I love getting my haircut and recently have had an obsession with short hair. The longer my hair is, the wavier and frizzier it gets. It is really thick and has a mind of its own! I went this morning to my favorite stylist in the world- Olga- and had her create a new look for Spring. Although you wouldn't know it was Spring since it snowed the whole time I was there!!

She chopped off about three inches and at the last minute we decided to try out some highlights as well! She just happened to have enough time in between appointments so I figured it was meant to be! I have never colored my hair before so I was not really sure what to expect. I think the colors she chose are pretty natural and makes me feel like a little kid again! My hair has continued to get darker the older I get so it was nice to add some golds in there and lighten it up. She also removed a lot of bulk and I could not believe how much hair was on the floor when I we were done!

These pictures are not the best because I look like I just woke up (I literally rolled out of bed and went to get my hair done!) so excuse the lack of make up. I will definitely take some more tonight because my girlfriends and I are meeting up for dinner at One Midtown Kitchen! Yay for spring break and getting to go out on a Tuesday night!

Le Maison Rouge

Linc's company threw a lavish "Moulin Rouge" themed event last night to celebrate the continued success of one of their games. Guests were invited to Paris on Ponce and encouraged to wear burlesque attire! I went a bit more tame as a can-can dancer in a beautiful black dress that my talented mother worked on for a week to make more period appropriate! Linc dressed to the nines in a tux with tails, top hat, and coordinating vest and bow tie. If you've never seen it, Paris on Ponce is an antique store but if you follow the red path all the way through the building you will eventually come upon the entrance to Le Maison Rouge- a large room filled with comfy couches, draping red curtains, and a stage for performances.

We were greeted by two cabaret dancers and led into the room where people did not even recognize me! When I arrived a few minutes earlier the valet asked if I was part of the show! If only I had known what kind of show we were in for...After a yummy buffet dinner and passed hors d'oeuvres we were surprised with an actual burlesque show with some very scantily clad women! The same girls who had greeted us and a few others we hadn't seen performed a peep show of sorts that left me blushing! We danced the night away when they were done and some of us even can-canned on the stage. It was sort of like an adult prom and we had such a great time. It also just happened to be the start to my Spring Break and I could not think of a better way to kick it off! Hope you're having a great weekend too!

Seriously?!

One of my boys came to school this morning wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the rapper TuPac on it...

smoking marijuana...

with glitter and sparkles all over the joint.

I just do not understand how his parents could possibly think that would be acceptable in SECOND GRADE!! Some parents...wow...and people wonder why I want to home school eventually!

Oh, Etsy!

The other day I discovered how much fun Etsy can be. I spent hours at my computer searching all the different categories and found some really great items that I would love to have and some I bookmarked for the future! When I stumbled upon this little painting I knew I wanted to get it for our guest room. If you haven't noticed, I love Jack Russell Terriers and have two of the most spoiled rotten pups in the world! Another love of mine is the beach and our entire guest room is modeled after Kiawah Island, SC. Everything in that room was hand picked because it reminded us of where we got married (not to mention our favorite vacation spot). What better way to combine two of my favorite things than having a JRT sitting on the beach! And is it just me, or does that pup kind of look like Tessa?

It only took three days for this painting to be mailed from California and I can't wait to hang it up! The best part is, it also only cost $12!! That's right- an 8 1/2 by 11 painting for only $12! How can you beat that? I may have found something even more dangerous than Target...because with this site I don't have to get off my lazy butt to find some of the cutest (and inexpensive) handmade things! If you've never been there before, check out etsy.com and don't say I didn't warn you! ;)