The End of 2015... And a Big Leap

I'm just going to be completely honest: this year has not been the best.

In less words than I have time for this morning, it just wasn't the year I hoped it would be. Granted, I learned a lot this year. I have some amazing memories with my little guy and our family. But here I am on the last day of 2015 and my mind and soul are restless.

A couple of weeks ago, I had this song stuck in my head. It was popular in, like, 2004 I think.

 I've got it all, but I feel so deprived. I go up, I come down, and I'm emptier inside. Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing and why can't I let it go? There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. Cause the more that I'm tripping out thinking there must be more to life. Well, there's life, but I'm sure there's gotta be something more.

I just took you down memory lane for, right? It's a Stacie Orrico song, a one-hit-wonder kind of thing; she's not even writing music anymore. But I spent days humming that song in my head and finally bought it off iTunes and blared it in my car driving down the highway. And I realized that's definitely how I've been feeling for the past few months... There's gotta be more.

Four (technically just three) years of teaching are in the books, and I am willingly admitting that I'm unhappy with my job, yet again. I love my kids, love talking to them and learning with them, but teaching--planning lessons, dealing with administration, dealing with Common Core, dealing with PARCC, dealing with lots of other things--is not my happy. As a matter of fact, I feel lower in my career than I ever have. It's affecting me at my job, obviously, in my home life, and in my personal life.

I called my mother squawling like a child the Wednesday before school was out for Christmas break.

"I have never been so disappointed in myself or so unhappy in my life!" I cried to her. It was very dramatic.

"Listen to me, listen to me," she said in that motherly voice. "You've got to calm down. Calm down, get a grip, and we can talk."

I finally chilled out and was able to speak calmly. I told her that although I've been complimented numerous times on my teaching strategies and lessons, it didn't override the dozens of times I'd been corrected and told that I need to do this better, change that, fix that, don't do this that way. I was finally admitting that I was just miserable and knew that this was not what I was supposed to be doing.

"I've been praying about it for nearly four years now, Mom," I told her. "I know this is not what God wants me to do."

"Then change something," she said, so I decided to.

I'm returning to work Monday morning with a smile and a good attitude because I'm a team player, and I will do anything to succeed and help my kids reach their goals. However, I will also be informing my boss, an amazing principal, that this will be my last year to teach and that I am looking for work outside of public education.

I don't need to explain myself further, I don't feel the need to justify my decisions. I just know in my heart that this is what I need to do. I am almost finished with my Master's degree in English, and I fully intend to finish it and still have a dream of teaching at the college level (my dream job to begin with), but in the meantime, I've got to figure out exactly what I want to be doing to make my life happier, more fulfilled, more balanced, at this very moment.

Which leads me to the leap.

I began using ItWorks! Products in April of this year, and as most of you who've been reading for a while know, they helped me shed nearly twenty pounds over the summer. I fell in love with the products I used and the way they helped curb my appetite, give me energy, and slim down to become a healthier mom and wife. I began praying about becoming a distributor in the summer and nearly made the leap, but decided not to at last minute. To be honest, I didn't want to be another person selling something on social media.

My results in just SIX DAYS earlier this year!

But I've had more than a handful of people ask me about the products since I used them to help me lose weight, and each time I've thought: This is money I could be making! I am a product of the product--I could sell this stuff because it did work for me!

So yesterday--yes, just yesterday, after another friend contacted me about the products, I signed up to become a distributor on a team with a girl (and a few other women) I personally know and have seen succeed with ItWorks!

Right after signing up, I felt this wave of relief come over me. It was such an exhilarating, refreshing feeling. I had this total feeling of peace... This is what you're supposed to be doing, Kate, I thought to myself. Keep teaching, keep trying your best at school, and that excitement you've lost for the classroom? Push it towards this.

It's all going to work out.

If by now you're rolling your eyes thinking Oh no, not another annoying salesperson, stop those rolling eyes and listen to me. I am a product of the product, and I used to get SO annoyed with ItWorks! people. You have no idea... But then I finally decided to try the products and fell in love. This is my personal promise to you, dear friend and blog reader: I will not be annoying. I will not post fake-sounding ads or unrealistic pictures (sorry, but some of those have got to be doctored by really crazy sales reps), and I will not push my products on you. But trust me, these are products I use and believe in, and I am so happy to become an official ItWorks! Distributor!

Want to be my first customer? Visit my site by clicking here! You'll find my number there where you can text me if you'd like more information!

I think 2016 is going to be a fantastic year. I wish you all a Happy New Year!

"Everything Fits!"

I'm working on a post detailing what we've been up to over the holidays, but today's post is going back in the direction of health and fitness. Although I've put on a couple of holiday feast pounds (and for the first time ever I'm not at all worried about it), my progress with weight loss definitely showed in the Christmas gifts my mom and dad got for me this year.

I'll never forget waking up on Christmas morning two years ago in 2013 and stepping on the scale in my bathroom, horrified at the number it flashed back at me. I have no idea what possessed me to weigh myself on Christmas morning, but I'm so glad that I did. It was the wake-up call that I needed, and I'm so proud and thankful to say that I now weigh nearly forty pounds less than I did on that day two years ago.

I also remember opening gifts at Mom and Dad's... My mom is one heck of a shopper, so she collects Christmas gifts (clothes) for us all year. I remember pulling shirt after shirt, dress after dress, out of my enormous Christmas bag, thankful to even be receiving presents on Christmas morning, but at the same time, I was humiliated as I held and admired each piece, knowing that hardly any of it would fit me. They were all such pretty, and some of them expensive, pieces... I'd already made my mind up that morning that I was going to change my bad habits, and the clothes just made me all the more determined.

Well, fast forward to this year. Again, another humongous bag stuffed with clothes and t-shirts. But this year, I admired each piece with appreciation and confidence.

"Do you like your stuff, Kate?" my mom asked me.

"Yeah!" I told her. "I think everything is going to fit, too!"

My mom gave me this kind of incredulous look... "Yeah, I think it will too." I don't think she really understood why I was so excited about stuff fitting.

So when we got home Christmas night, I laid out some of my clothes from my Christmas bag and began trying them on. There was much more in my bag, but below are three of the t-shirts my mom got me.

 

 

 

ALL of the t-shirts above are size LARGE. Do you know how long it's been since I worn a plain size large t-shirt? It may not seem like much to some of you, but I'm used to XXL t-shirts "fitting..." 

But the size large shirts above are perfect!

 

Since my sorority days when humongous t-shirts were it, I haven't bought that many t-shirts, so I haven't really noticed how huge an XXL shirt fits me now... But in the first photo of this post, the gray shirt I have on is a 2XL and whoa... That's quite a large shirt!

 

She also got me a pair of pajama pants (size large that are amazing) and a dress from a boutique that I love (XL). I didn't get pictures with those, but they are both perfect fits!

 

When my husband walked into our bedroom and saw me trying on my Christmas gifts, he asked me, "You like what she got you?"

 

My response? With pride and humility: "Yeah! Everything fits!"

 

 

Kindness.

Generally speaking, my life is not a lot of drama. Aside from the occasional missed credit card bill, flat tire, or out-of-order espresso machine at Starbucks, very little happens that upsets me. 

However, there is the occasional incident. And the most recent one reminded me of one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my young life.

Two weeks ago, a friend approached me about a favor he needed done--quickly. He needed an essay written on a book he hadn't read, and he knew it was a task I could easily do, especially considering it was a "side job" I maintained in college and post-grad. I happily agreed to write the paper once I saw the essay outline and realized how easy it would be for me. Time-consuming, yes. But easy. 

We met for early dinner that Friday afternoon so we could discuss a few more minor details of the essay, as well as give me the book needed for the assignment. Before leaving, my friend told me he’d see me in a few days to pick up the paper. 

“Sounds good,” I told him before going to get Vaught. 

It took me most of the weekend, but I had the assignment ready for my friend to pick up from me Tuesday afternoon.

That is, until said friend’s significant other, whom I do not know at all, came into the mix. Let me also make it clear that she is ten years younger than I. Count 'em--ten. 

My friend soon informed me that he was bringing his significant other to my house to pick up the paper (weird) because said significant other needed assurance that there was nothing going on between me and my friend (weirder). It was extremely odd, but I said Okay and told him the book and essay would be in my mailbox for him to get (at this point, I knew that was the better route). I also must include here that my husband, working out of state that week, was aware of all that was happening. He was as dumbfounded as I was. 

It doesn't end there. My friend’s significant other had also written a derogatory comment towards me on my friend's Instagram photo for all the world to see (yep, it went there). I was more offended than I was angry, and it bothered me that my friend didn’t seem to want to delete it. In fact, my friend instigated it further by suggesting that I respond with something equally distasteful. 

But it’s on your photo, I said via text. Please take care of it.

Sounds fair, right? Reluctantly, my friend finally removed the comment.

By the time I left work Tuesday, I was irritated. My friend had begun acting so odd towards me that I’d pretty much decided to not give him the essay—despite the fact that I was completely finished with it. 

Please, Kate, my friend begged, Don’t do this, don’t let me fail.

My thought: I don't really see how that's my problem?

By the time I got home from work, I’d surpassed mad. I was livid. The childish text exchanges had continued on, with my friend informing me that his girlfriend would "start all kinds of shit" (yes, those words exactly) if he came to get the essay alone, despite the fact that I'd repeatedly told him he was getting it out of my mailbox. 

Is this beginning to sound as bizarre to you all as it does to me?

It was only five o’clock and I was angry at the world. I’d decided I was not giving my friend the essay I’d written for him—the essay I’d written after staying up late Friday night reading a book I’d never even heard of just so I could write a quality paper. I put only the book in my mailbox for him to pick up. 

About an hour later, something came over me. I was eating dinner with Vaught when I realized that although I had every right to be upset, I didn’t need to be angry. I remembered that my friend was younger than me, less mature than I, and I couldn’t really blame him for acting the way he did when his girlfriend started trouble. 

I realized that’s what my friend is used to. That’s what he's involved in on a daily basis. It was ignorant of me to expect his significant other to behave differently. 

Edited to add that just this morning (12/28/15), my husband realized he had a direct message from my friend's significant other on Instagram. We laughed at her crazy over our morning coffee. 

I also realized that although my friend needed to learn a lesson on what it actually means to be a friend, I didn’t feel that it was up to me to go back on my word in order to prove a point simply out of spite. 

I knew he (and his overseer girlfriend) would be coming by soon, so I stopped in the middle of dinner and went to my office. I plugged my laptop into the printer and printed out the five-page argumentative research paper I’d written. I taped a note to it, informing him that I did my very best and hoped it would earn an A, and I ran to my mailbox to put it in. Luckily, the book was still there, so I knew he’d not come by yet. 

Shortly after that, I heard someone pull up outside my house. I peeked through the peephole in my front door and saw a car sitting in front of my mailbox, an arm reaching in. 

I never received a thank-you, just a text at nearly midnight, which went unanswered: I’m sorry, Kate. 

I don’t think my friend acknowledged what I'd done for him one time that day. I didn't receive a single thank-you, perhaps because he was too busy trying to pacify an insecure girlfriend. 

I didn't stick to my word to receive gratification though... I did it because it was the right thing to do. 

I don’t write this post to show what an amazing person I am-- I'm not. I do not always do the right thing, and I can be petty and childish right there with the rest of them sometimes. 

But I will say this: had I not given him the essay, which I’d happily agreed to write a few days prior, I would have ended up feeling awful. Is it my fault if you fail your English class? No. But I'd told my friend I would do something, and to go back on my word, under any circumstance, says more about me and my character than it says about him. Whose character am I responsible for? Mine. 

I went to bed completely at peace with the situation. I put this gem on Instagram before falling asleep. 

By Tuesday afternoon, my friend really didn’t deserve to be treated nicely. He didn’t deserve the essay I’d worked so hard on and was so proud of. But I knew inside that by going back on my word, I’d not only be hurting him but myself too. 

Treating others the way you want to be treated can be a one-way street; it often means that you show much more kindness than you’re shown. I learned this lesson long ago, but I found myself extremely grateful to have been reminded of it, even at the expense of damaging a friendship.

I've not spoken to my friend since the incident and don't intend to any time soon, not because I'm holding a grudge, but because I think it's important that he figure things out on his own- and I told him that. There's a few things I feel he should learn about friendship and loyalty and honesty... And kindness. I highly doubt he reads my blog, but if so, Hey kid. 

Believe me when I say that the peace and gratification you get from doing what’s right always overrides the guilt and shame you may feel after acting out of spite. The lesson wasn't  mine to teach, and even though things took an unfortunate turn, I'm really glad I was able to help someone out. I'm glad I stuck to my word. 

Cultivate kindness. You won't regret it. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated. Be kind because you are kind—not because people deserve your kindness. I promise it pays off. 

Who are you? How did you get here?

We are two days from Christmas, one day from beginning the familial family gatherings...

And I've never felt less Christmas-y in my life.

I feel you, Santa.

I haven't felt like buying Christmas gifts, though I finally got it all done. Well, most of it.

I haven't felt like baking any Christmas desserts, something I usually enjoy.

I haven't felt like listening to Christmas music hours on end. I usually live for the day after Thanksgiving, when 104.5 begins playing only Christmas music, but I've hardly listened to it.

sc: kcpace12

I just can't get myself in the Christmas spirit, and I can't quite put my finger on why. This year has flown by, and it seems like the holiday season snuck up on me too fast. I'm almost ashamed of how much effort I've put into my job this semester. I know being a grownup comes with its challenges, but I've never felt so stressed out in my life.

So, I say to this grumpy, sneaky little shadow that's come over me: Who are you? How did you get here? It's a very uncomfortable, unfamiliar feeling, and I feel as if it's almost constantly nagging at me, daring me to provoke it. Tell me I'm not the only Christmas-lover feeling this way this year?? And no, I do not blame the weather at all, but it's definitely not helping.

As 2015 comes to a close, I'm reflecting back on all that's happened this year, and I'm figuring a few things out--about myself and about what I want to do with my life. More on that later on.

One thing that sparks the Christmas fire in me just a little? Vaught. I am so excited to see him open Christmas presents in the next few days. His daycare is amazing; they bought TONS of toys and goodies from Dollar Tree and let the children "choose" gifts for their families and friends. Vaught ended up choosing a total of 15 gifts, and they're all wrapped and ready to be given. The funny part is that I wasn't there when he "chose" the presents, so I have no idea what each person will get! Eric and I were so tickled just thinking about it when we picked up the gifts last night.

I'm hoping that I'll wake up tomorrow, Christmas Eve, and my mood will have just magically changed. Even if it doesn't, I know I'll be alright, for I'm keeping in mind the true reason for the season: the birth of Jesus, my Lord and Redeemer. I'm blessed and thankful that even through a rough patch in my life, He gives me something to celebrate year-round.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

What's in My (Diaper) Bag?!

The diaper bag is, hands-down, one of the most pivotal factors of mom fashion. Your diaper bag says a lot about who you are as a mom, which is why I chose a standard-sized, gray chevron-striped bag with lots of pockets for the little things.

And what's even more important than its appearance? What goes in it, of course! When Vaught was a newborn, I carried absolutely everything a mom might possibly need with a tiny baby, and I still never had all that I needed, it seemed. Now that he's bigger and more independent, my diaper bag weighs a lot less and traveling with Vaught is not nearly as nerve-racking!

Even still, there are a few key items I absolutely cannot be without!

1. One outfit change
No matter what, I always have at least one spare outfit or even just an extra onesie for Vaught. You never know when a bottle spill or diaper blowout will occur, so we absolutely must have a change of clothes on standby.

2. Sippy cup
This is especially important for those long car rides when Vaught is fussy but not quite hungry. A sippy cup with a few ounces of water or milk always does the trick! They're also good to have while grocery shopping or going to appointments; Vaught loves his sippy!

3. Huggies Wipes
There are few things that can't be cleaned or sanitized with a good baby wipe, and I love all of Huggies' wipes! Luckily, Vaught's skin doesn't seem to be sensitive, so any type of Huggies wipe works for him.

4. Hand Sanitizer
Need I say more?

5. Huggies Little Movers Diapers
Perhaps the most important items in the diaper bag are the actual diapers! I am so glad to have found the perfect diaper in Huggies Little Movers! Available at your local Sam's Club, these are the perfect diapers for your little one on the move!

Vaught is officially toddling, and he is everywhere! The fun truly has begun, and my little tot is exploring the world. Thankfully, Huggies Diaper Brand has never let us down, and Huggies Little Movers is our new favorite diaper!

These diapers are incredibly soft and flexible, especially in the back and leg openings. The SnugFit waist ensures that your baby's diaper stays in place like no other diaper does! Another of my favorite qualities in Huggies Little Movers is the DryTouch®  liner, which absorbs on contact so baby stays dry throughout all of his adventures, and the new and improved LEAK LOCK® technology provides the protection and security you need between changes!

I am so proud of the milestones #MyHuggiesBaby has reached, and I know he couldn't have done it without the help of Huggies Little Movers!

Head to your local Sam's Club to try a box these amazing diapers today, available in sizes 3, 4, 5, and 6!

How Thermos is Helping me SMASH My #HyrdationGoals!

With 2016 just around the corner, I've spent some time thinking about my fitness goals for the new year. I definitely think I smashed my goals in 2015; I lost weight, became a healthier wife and mother, and put my health and happiness at the top of my priority list. These will all definitely still be on my list of goals to smash in 2016, but it's not a new year if I don't tweak them just a little!

One of the biggest things I have focused on in my fitness journey is staying hydrated with lots and lots and LOTS of H20. Guys, water is AWESOME for you, and I can't stress it enough! Up until a few months ago, I was drinking around 150 ounces a day, but once I returned to school as a teacher full time, my water consumption slowed drastically, and I could definitely feel it; I would often feel sluggish and lazy, and it took me a while to realize that my body was simply confused about why it suddenly wasn't as hydrated.

Since then, I've been making a point of drinking more water, and that's why I am so glad to have discovered Thermos® Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid. I'm not kidding when I say this fantastic Thermos® product is hydration's new hero! By downloading the Thermos® Smart Lid app from the Apple App Store, this bottle will track your water intake throughout the day, notifying you when you've reached your hydration goal, as well as when you're in danger of overhydrating (yes, it's possible)!

Thermos® Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid also measures the temperature of what you're drinking, and if that isn't cool enough, it can be synced automatically to your Fitbit account every time you finish a bottle of water! Now, I don't have a Fitbit, but I have friends that do, and I know this feature would be an awesome way of keeping track of that water consumption!

You don't have to have a Fitbit though; just download the Thermos® Smart Lid app on any iPhone or iPad device with iOS7 or later, and your Thermos® Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid will keep track of your hydration right on the app!

I am thrilled to have partnered with Thermos® to introduce you guys to such a neat product! If you're looking for something to help you smash your #HydrationGoals for the new year, you absolutely must check out the Thermos® Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid!

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December Blog Challenge::: #OOTD

Ugh. I am really terrible at this whole blog challenge thing. Today's post (was supposed to be yesterday's) is my OOTD (Outfit Of The Day for those who didn't see the #ootd hashtag literally blow up on Instagram a couple years ago).

I really wish I had on a cuter outfit to share, but we've got NINE school days left until Christmas break, and I am going for comfort every single day until then.

I'm wearing a light gray cardigan my mother got me from TJMaxx last summer. I was really pregnant at the time, but I remember loving it with a black or white t-shirt once I had Vaught and the weather chilled off. I'm wearing a plain white v-neck from Target underneath. I'm pretty sure I got this from the men's section when they were $5 each in July!

I have on Jennifer Lopez jeggings that I found at Kohl's back in the summer, and they are absolutely fabulous! I have three pair, and they are my go-to work pant! I'm also sporting my favorite pair of short, chestnut Uggs today. I will gladly admit it: I have and will always love Ugg boots! I have FIVE pair of these amazing wintery boots (the short ones are my favorite)! If that makes me a basic bitch, I will gladly be a basic bitch :) 

Like I said, I am all about comfort this week and next, as we are SO close to Christmas break! I'm so excited for the two weeks off I have definitely earned after a stressful semester!

3 times I didn't cry when I should have

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being "one of those moms," but I'm proud to say I'm not one. I would honestly describe my parenting style as "whatever." Of course I keep a good eye on our little guy as he's learning and exploring his surroundings, but I've let him play in the dog's water bowl on several occasions, as well as allowed him to crawl inside the dishwasher at least once. I've not locked our cabinets or plugged up the outlets (my mother-in-law is going to be calling me on that one).

**I began writing this about a month ago, and since then we have locked our cabinets, but Vaught is my and Eric's child, and locks do not necessarily stop him.**

From about six weeks old, I've let pretty much anyone hold him and play with him, and I've eaten my words on plenty of things I said I'd never do as a mother (except co-sleep, which we haven't done at all). Another thing I've not done very often? Cry. I cried a little when I met him, but since then, my eyes have remained pretty dry for the most part, at least when it comes to Vaught.

Below are three times I didn't cry when I probably should have.

1. Wellness Shots
Not going to lie: it was difficult watching him scream for a few seconds for those first six week shots, but I was totally tough about it. I remember whispering "Be a tough guy" to him, and he stopped crying after a few seconds. Since then, I've been a real trooper through shots, though those one year ones were a doozy. He's so tough though! Even through a nasty finger prick at his last appointment, he didn't cry one time.

2. First Day at Daycare
This is probably the strangest one. I was working with my mother at the time, and we both joked about what a difficult day it was going to be. Well, until it wasn't. At all. I loved where I sent him for daycare and though I had just met the women who took care of the eight or so children who attended, I trusted them one hundred percent. I remember dropping him off with a kiss and having a fantastic day at work! It was the same when I moved him to a daycare a few miles from our home when I began my new job. I'd heard wonderful things about the place and everyone there is so welcoming and friendly. Vaught is so happy every day when I pick him up. Actually, I have yet to hear him cry when I drop him off, and he's always happy and playing with other children when I pick him up in the afternoon!

Our little guy the morning of his first day at daycare!

3. First Birthday
I honestly expected to cry on September 25th of this year. I woke up and went into his room and looked down at him. Come on, tears! I thought. They never came. I just remember feeling so strong and proud. I made this, I thought while looking at him. I carried him and sustained him and delivered him easily and healthily a year ago. I am his mama. Pride. That's what I felt on his birthday, not sadness. I am so proud of him and thankful for having him in our lives. I am completely in love with him. God could not have made him any more perfect or beautiful.

Abraham Lincoln is quoted for saying "Whatever you are, be a good one." I love that, so I'm simply going to put the maternal twist on it... It matters not what kind of mother you are; just be a good one.

December Blog Challenge::: A Day in the Life

For today's post, I'm linking you back to a post from September, where I gave you all an inside look at the life of a mom, wife, and sixth grade English teacher!

Not much has changed since I wrote this post, aside from the fact that we're at the point in the school year where I've tied the knot in my rope and am hanging on for dear life. By that, I mean that although I do love my job, my fire has almost completely burnt out and am just counting down the days until that glorious Christmas break! Any teacher will tell you that this feeling is all too real. Starting Monday, every day between now and December 18th it's messy bun and a dab of concealer. I'm lucky if my socks match.

Although I was a little late posting the first challenge post, I'm loving doing this so far! Click here for the first post on how I came up with my blog name!

December Blog Challenge::: Meaning Behind My Blog Name

A few weeks ago, a fellow bloggy friend on Instagram posted the photo below.

She is participating in the December Blog Challenge, and I am too! I'm not a part of the "blog squad" that she is, but this still looked like so much fun, so I'm giving it a try!

For today's post, I'm going to share how I came up with the name for my blog.

I started my blog back in 2010. I was a sophomore at Ole Miss and was also writing for the student newspaper. I love writing, and I think I've shared that passion with you all many times! If there is one talent I have that I am certain of, it is writing. Give me a pen or a keyboard and just set me loose; I love it and am so passionate about it. So, I wanted to turn my thoughts, crazy and wondrous as they were, into words on a blog. So, using my gmail address, I started a blog on Blogger.com. I can't be for certain, but I think the name of it at the time was "Just Sparkly." It's super cheesy, I know, but "sparkly" was my catchphrase for a short time.

"Hi, how are you, Kate?"
"Oh, just sparkly!"

Seriously. I didn't blog for very long before losing interest. I came back to my blog three years later, and I believe I named it "Whine, Wine, and Run," with the intention of making it an account about my journey on my way to running my first half marathon in February of 2014 (I ended up canceling my run due to getting pregnant).

Finally, at some point, and I can't tell you exactly when, aside from the fact that I know it was in early 2014, I decided to name this blog "Keeping Pace." I'd also considered "Changing Pace" or "A Change of Pace," but for some reason Keeping Pace just sounded more like me. I use my blog name not only to mean that readers are keeping up with me, but I'm constantly changing and figuring out more about myself… I also like to think of my blog name as a means of finding (and keeping) the real me as I learn more about myself on this journey.

I absolutely love my blog and all of the neat opportunities that have come with having it. I love filling you guys in on my life and fitness updates. I love sharing my family and sweet little Vaught with you all. I love when companies/businesses reach out to me for a product review or an advertisement on my blog. I just love connecting with others, and Keeping Pace allows me to do just that!

As always, thanks so much for reading this little corner of the world I call my own :)

Kate