Five Things That Scare Me The Most

I'm not the bravest soul on the planet, a lot of things will make me sweat. Here's a list of the top five. 

1. The dark. I'm TERRIFIED of the dark. Who knows what's out there?! Sometimes when I'll get home at night, I'll run to get inside the house. I know it's silly, but I just imagine robbers or other scary animals and feel if I'm inside, all will be better.

2. Drowning. I'm not the best swimmer. I can manage to stay above water, but one time when I was younger, that wasn't exactly the case. We were at Emerald Point with girl scouts or a church group, can't remember which, and I wanted to swim out to the pirate ship. I made it to the deeper end and got tired. I was holding on to the rope for dear life but thankfully the lifeguard saw my struggles and brought me back to the shallow end. The fear and panic of knowing you're getting tired and possibly will have your lungs fill with water is scary. 

3. Being alone in a house. I don't like it. I would prefer to be with someone. 99% of the time my mother is home, however, that didn't use to be the case. I'm paranoid and think that someone is going to break in. 

4. Heights. I don't mind bridges, flying, or even being high up. I guess what I should have said is being high up on ledges or mountains and looking over. I don't like knowing that I could slip and fall a very long way to my death. I won't get too terribly close to the edge if I'm high up. If I'm going down a steep rocky path, I'll scoot down on my butt cause I'm afraid I'll lose my balance and tumble to the bottom. 

5. Getting in a car accident. I'm not sure anyone who isn't afraid of this or WANTS to do it, but I was drawing a blank for #5. Especially after my last accident, I want to avoid them at all cost. 

The Table

My long lost friend, Kelsey, and I were overdue for a date to catch up on what had been going on in each others lives. We had been wanting to try The Table for a long time and after seeing several posts on Instagram decided to give it a try. We set our date for last Saturday.

This place was super cute, ya'll! It took us a second to figure out how to order, since the menus were printed on sheets and put in a basket by the front door- which we completely walked right by without noticing. Once we had the menus, we were good to go. We walked to counter to place our orders and both of us ended up getting the Pimeto Cheese Sandwich, mine with pasta salad and fries with Kelseys. I also got some macaroons to go since I had never tried these before. It was all very good! I bit pricy at $9 for the sandwich, but good nonetheless. The Table offers a variety of food and lots of fancy coffee drinks. It's open from 7am-2:30pm and closed on Sundays. If you're downtown and haven't tried this place out yet, give it a try! You'll be very pleased!

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
-1 Corinthians 10:31

You Can Always Go....

DOWNTOWN!

I'll give it to the city of Asheboro, they've worked really hard the past few years to turn our downtown  into something nice. I went there the other day to a new restaurant, The Table, with a friend and was shocked at how nice it has become lately. I'll give a review of the restaurant later, but today I went to take some pictures to give you a tour of lil ole downtown Asheboro.

The Table
The new restaurant in town. There's certainly no other place like this in town and everyone is always raving about this place. I'm shocked that they were able to turn the building around into this restaurant. 

The Mill

This houses a restaurant and another little shop. The farmers market is also here.

The Farmers Market

It has local venders and farmers that come out each day to sell local produce and such. 

Right around the corner on Sunset are a lot of cute shops and businesses. One of them is the Sunset Theatre. It's been there a LONG time and recently they've renovated the old theatre and do plays and show old movies here. 

They painted this a few years ago by the rail road tracks. I think its so neat. The trains light actually shines at night. 

Bicentennial Park 

This is a neat little place where you can take your dog, go for a picnic, enjoy live music on the weekends, or just go sit on a bench and people watch. 

Finally the last stop on the tour is The Mill Lofts. There used to be an old, run-down building in the middle of town. At one point I think it used to be a company that made chairs, I'm not sure about that though. Anywho, over the past year they have turned it into really cute apartments/lofts. This is a mural on the other side of the street from the lofts. 

I'm really impressed with the work they've done to downtown Asheboro, now if they could just do some work to get business in the mall..... 

No FOMO

FEAR OF MISSING OUT 

Wade and I watched an episode of  Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family the other night. For those who aren't familiar with this show, it's a 'reality' show about the rapper, Mac Miller. While I think he's a bit out there, as are most celebrities, he made a good point on this episode. 

Basically, he was saying that people have this FOMO disease and are constantly on their phones and on social media. They have a fear that they're gonna miss out on something, but in reality, they're missing out on whats going on around them in the present. He ended up taking his friends on a camping trip without their phones for the weekend. 

I've thought the same thing for awhile, but admit I've been one of those people. With technology, new apps, games, social media, etc., it's easy to get caught up in that. Recently I deactivated my Facebook account. It's one of the BEST things I've done. I would find that, out of boredom, I was just scrolling through and checking to see what everyone was doing/posting. I realized that I didn't care what people were complaining about at that moment or what they were eating/doing. Seldom did I see good, positive, uplifting posts (maybe that's saying something about my friends on Facebook?). I will admit that it is a good way to keep in touch with people you may not see often and at times I did like to see engagements or baby announcements. However, I think I'm better off without it. 

I guess what I'm trying to say with this blog is that I think it's sad to see what our society is coming to. I heard a statistic the other day that said we are now spending twice as long dining out at restaurants than what we used to ten years ago. It's not due to slower wait staff or longer cooking times, it's due to smart phones and social media. If you can't go out to dinner, and enjoy the company that you're with enough to leave your phone alone, somethings wrong.

So here's my bit to try and help our growing problem: I'm going to attempt to not use my phone after 7pm to check Instagram, e-mails or play games and to leave my phone in the car while going to dinner. Maybe others will take Mac Millers advice and try to change their habits. 

I found this photo and thought it was appropriate.

Happy Monday! 

Go smile at someone!

How to: Date a Bodybuilder

My brothers girlfriend, Alleson, wrote a similar blog about how to date a Kayaker so I thought I'd give it a spin on dating a bodybuilder.

I met Wade at the gym through a mutual friend, Adam. In the beginning we were just workout partners, or let me be real, I had no clue what I was doing in the gym and needed guidance; Wade couldn't see yet that I was obviously the best thing that had ever happened to him. He fell for me soon after ;) (how could he not??)


1. Learn that's it's OK to be a 'bro'. I'm constantly being called this and it used to offend me, I mean, what girl wants to be one of the guys? But now I don't even think twice when I hear 'bro' because I know they mean nothing of it; they know I still have my girly side, I just like to lift weights.

2. Embrace the gym attire: straps, wraps and all. Weight belts, knee wraps, wrist straps, and such aren't the sexiest thing in the world, but they are important. They help get the job done safely so learn to love them. And if you date a sweetheart like mine, he'll even custom make you a pink monogrammed belt for you.

3. Know correct form and learn from constructive criticism. Countless times I hear, "Oh my, look at that!" or "What are they doing?!". I'll be the first to admit that I was probably one of those people that the dedicated gym rats would have talked about my form- now I'm one of those gym rats. However, there are times when I get told by Wade how to better my form. It's hard not to get offensive and yell, but I truly know he's trying to help me and not humiliate me.

4. Know your macros! Never heard of 'macros'? Neither had I. It stands for macronutrients, such as fat, protein, and carbohydrates. When dieting or leaning down, these are vital for any bodybuilders diet and they will track these daily to make sure they are get just the right amount.

5. Learn to love peanut butter. I don't know the fascination, but apparently all body builders LOVE them some peanut butter. I can buy Wade a jar of peanut butter and it wouldn't last a week.

6. The gym comes first. I can't tell you how many times we've said no to something or left early so we  could make it to the gym. Even on most of our cruises, we usually made it to the gym a few days.

7. Know what muscle you're working and SQUEEZE. Working out with Wade is great. He knows what he's doing and wants to make sure I do too (and I say he's taught me pretty well). He's constantly touching the muscle that I'm suppose to be training and reminding me to squeeze it as I'm working it.

8. Never skip leg day. Just don't.

9. When he makes you shed tears at the gym, it's a good thing. I'll admit it, I cried at the gym one day. Not a sobbing cry, but tears were shed nonetheless. We were training legs and Wade was pushing me telling me to do more (he knows my limits) and it hurt (a good hurt though) and at the end I had tears.

10. If you catch him checking out another's girls but, it's OK. Because chances are, he's probably checked out other guys butts as well. Bodybuilders can, and should, appreciate the work that others have put in. I even find myself saying, "check out her butt."

11. He may not buy you a dress, but he'll know what work out tanks you'll like. Every now and then Wade will surprise me with a new work out tank top. He does such a good job at picking them out and knows what I'll like. I think it's so sweet.

12. Enjoy bodybuilding competitions. I've been to two, with another one coming up. They are long and sometimes can get boring, but they are definitely interesting and you should at least experience one in your lifetime. People work HARD for these shows and it's neat to see their final package- fake tan, oil and all.

13. Appreciate everything. A LOT of stuff goes into bodybuilding. Money for gym memberships, protein and supplements, and work out attire. Sweat, tears, and time at the gym. Time and money spent in the kitchen preparing meals. He'll be by your side through it all, willing to help in any way.

Being in this lifestyle and dating someone in it has it's ups and downs. However, I honestly believe that our relationship is so wonderful due to this lifestyle. You spend most of your time with them and we have the same goals and priorities. Not to mention the physical aspect of it is nice to look at.  

Easy Peesey

For all you non-cookers out there like myself, heres a throw-it-in the pan recipe that is ready in no time. I think I found it on Pinterest over a year ago and have made it once before.

On a side note though- currently the thermostat is set to 79 degrees in my house, in the middle of July... not to mention I just got done cooking with the oven. Needless to say, I'm currently typing this in my bra and shorts while sweating. If you see my father, someone please inform this man of what most normal people set their theromstat to. 

Continuing on... 

Heres what I'll be having over the next few nights: Chicken, red potatoes, and green beans.

Here's what I did: 

Cut the chicken in little pieces, threw in green beans (the receipe said any kind of green vegetable would work. Canned or fresh), and threw in red potatoes (cut). The receipe called for a stick of melted butter to be sprinkled on top, but some of us are watching our figures, therefore I just used a 1/4 of a stick. And then top it with a pack of Italian dressing seasoning. Top with aluminum foil and throw that sucker in the oven for 30-45 minutes on 350. 

Here's what it looked like before cooking: 

I also sprinkled a little bit of Cilantro on top of everything just for fun. 

Can't wait to eat! 

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

-Genesis 1:29

A Look Back

I like to occasionally look back through old photos and reminiscence on good times- I get it honest from my mother, who is constantly looking through photos. In doing so, I realize that I've had a VERY blessed life with many adventures and wonderful people along the way. I've been more places than most and I don't ever take anything for granted. There's nothing special about this blog except to share with you some of my fond memories and favorite photos and to let me relive some past experiences (that is since the age of digital photograpy- I'm not going to bother scanning photos.) 

(There's no particular order to these, though I did try to group them somewhat)

Running

I've entered quite a few runs in the past two years. From not being a runner at all, I've completed multiple 5K's and three half-marathons in the past two years. I'm kinda relieved to say that for now my running career has come to a halt- and I'm ok with that. (I now focus more on  weight training and while I do still do cardio, usually it doesn't involve running.) However, while I was running, I always liked to have fun doing it. The Color Run, Foam Fest, Running with the Bulls, and The Diva Series were some of my favorites.

Cruising 

Lets be honest- I love cruising! For me it's one of the best vacation options for me. It's cheap, the food is great, and you don't even need a passport to leave the country. I've been on seven cruises to date and continue to look at more. 

Mermaiding

I've got a thing for mermaids. Don't know why, just do. I find them absolutely fascinating. When I was first starting to get to know Wade, he told me of a place in Florida where they had a live mermaid show. So of course I had to go. I saw the mermaid show (drug him along with me) and got to meet one of the mermaids too! Then at Halloween I WAS a mermaid (and always will be at heart). I won a costume contest too, complete with a trophy! 

Adventuring 

It's very seldom that I find something that I will not partake it. Very seldom. The more spontaneous and more random it is, the better. 

I was asked if I wanted to be a chaperone to a bunch of high school kids to Disney World. 

The Price Is Right game show came to Greensboro. (I've ALWAYS wanted to be on the Price is Right and this was the closest to the actual thing that I was going to get) 

I took a selfie with a Zebra at the Lazy 5 Ranch. 

Went skydiving. 

Got in a sharks cage. 

Jumped off Compression Falls in Boone. 

Kissed a Sting Ray 

Went on my first snow boarding trip spur of the moment.

Concerting 

I've been to many a concert. Mostly country concerts in the summer that involve sitting on a blanket in the lawn section but we ways have a great time. The Dave Matthews Concert is one that I'll never forget- it POURED on us. Literally a monsoon. And of course we weren't under shelter. We were soaking wet by the time it was over, but it was definitely a memorable experience. 

Water-Sporting 

I'm not that great of a swimmer, but I LOVE the water nonetheless. My father and twin brother are HUGE into kayaking, so of course I had to give it a shot. Rafting is probably more my speed, but I can say that I have crossed white-water kayaking off my bucket list. On one of our cruises, I got to try paddle boarding and that was lots of fun as well. I hope that's something I can continue to enjoy in the future. 

Traveling 

As I was saying earlier, I've been blessed to have been able to go to so many different places in just my 26 years. I've been to Ireland, the Bahamas, Vegas and out West, New York, Florida Keys, Jamaica, Hawaii, Chicago and several more. Each place I've ventured to is always fascinating in some way or another and since I never travel alone, it's always nice to share my experiences with friends/family.