My Healthy Frugal Stylish Vacation Part 2

If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook you already know I had a great time. I've bragged enough about it. It was truly an awesome trip...I may NEVER have the opportunity to do these things again, EVER!...Leave my three kids and husband for three days to fly across the U.S. to watch the Track&Field Olympic trials, walk the runway as a model for Oiselle, and hang out with some of the fastest coolest people on the planet...and MC Hammer!! It was truly an amazing experience!

Here are some of the highlights of my vacation:

*A week before the trip, my super stylish friend Kara volunteered to be my personal fashion adviser. She knows I often struggle in that department! She helped me pick out the hottest outfits and made sure I had all the right 'equipment' to pretend to be a super model for a day. Without her, I probably would have looked like a scruffy mom (my normal self) on vacation, but instead, I felt like a million bucks!

*When my trip was just starting, at the airport in Florida, after I had checked in for my flight and was standing in line waiting to go through security, I realized I had left my wallet with my ID at home. I'm so dumb! Long story short, I called my friend Jo who came to my rescue, even at 5:30AM, and saved my vacation! She's my hero!

*United Airlines hooked me up with a $600 voucher and free dinner for delaying, canceling, and rescheduling my flight on the way to Eugene. I finally got there, 5 HOURS later but $600 richer. I'll use my voucher to go on another mini-vacay soon. Anybody wants to watch my kids next weekend?! I'm kidding...kinda.

*I got to watch the 1500m semi-finals and the 3000m Steeple, which are my favorite track&field events (besides the 800m and high jump) at the trials on Friday. So exciting to see the fastest runners in the country performing right there in front of me! Crazy!

*I got to meet some of my Oiselle teammates in real life. I also got to meet All the Oiselle staff, including the founder and CEO, Sally. It was a little weird at first...I knew so much about them from emails, twitter, facebook, etc, that I felt like a STALKER while talking to them!! ...but once my awkward self got over that first strange feeling (I know what you're thinking: Mrs Frugal awkward?! No way!) I had a great time hanging out with everybody! They are all just as awesome in person as they are on the Internet!

*As I was in line to check in for my flight out of Eugene, Olympic athlete Amy Hastings (winner of the 10k race earlier in the week) was standing right behind me! OMG! OMG! I had to talk to her!! Our plane ended up being delayed (of course!) and she told me she was going to drive to Portland and reschedule her flight to leave from there instead. She also said if I wanted to do the same, I could ride with her! OMG! OMG! I got on the phone with United Airlines as quickly as I could to try to reschedule my flight, but it just didn't work out! I had to leave from Eugene...without my new BFF Amy Hastings...too sad...but at least I got a picture!

See, the whole three days were packed with action and I loved every second of it, but what I loved the most was what I learned about the things that DIDN'T happen on my trip:

*I DIDN'T experience any drama...you know what I mean?!...when you shove a butt load of women in close quarters there's a 99% chance somebody is gonna get clawed. Women can be catty, that's just the truth. I was expecting it, I was ready for it, but it didn't happen. All Oiselle team members were super friendly and uniquely awesome. I felt welcomed from the second I stepped foot in Eugene. See, what I learned was: Oiselle is more than a brand, it's a culture. It's women supporting, inspiring, encouraging, empowering women through running. All the cute, colorful, great fitting clothes are just a small part of it. I left Eugene feeling blessed, loved and proud to be part of that culture.

*I DIDN'T do a good job as a super model. In fact, I was probably the worst one in the fashion show. Im not exaggerating! I totally blacked out when I got on stage. I was so terrified, I panicked! ...but the lesson was: I tend to only sign up for 'challenges' that I know I'm capable of succeeding. I like the sense of accomplishment, yet 'just accomplishing' it is not enough, I have to be the best, or close of being the best, other wise, I find an excuse not to participate. I thought being a 'super model' would be fun/easy/cool. I was wrong. I knew from the second I walked in the place, it was out of my league...totally NOT easy...but I did it. I didn't freak out, I didn't make excuses, I didn't walk away, I didn't quit. I faced my biggest enemy: perfectionism. I got on that stage, I sucked at being a super model, I survived. They say victory builds confidence and defeat gives you a humble attitude. It's beneficial to experience both. My over-confident self needed that punch in the face!!

*I DIDN'T enjoy the time away from kids and husband as much as I thought I would. In fact, I missed them terribly. My family is my strong hold. They know me well: The good and bad. They love me. They are there for me. We share everything, I mean EVERYTHING. While I was gone, I felt like a huge part of me was missing. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the break. I did. I needed it... but after those three days were over, I was ready to go back to normal life...cooking, cleaning, wiping butts, etc! Sometimes in the midst of all the chaos, it's hard to see the big picture. It was good to step back for a moment, sit, and admire all my blessings. Being a wife/mom is exhausting, but I realized that there's nothing else I'd rather do.

Gosh!! I learned so much! I know I have said it a million times already, but I can't help it: My trip to Eugene was a once in a life time experience!! I'm thankful to Oiselle for such an awesome opportunity. Friends, I'll go ahead and apologize in advance, since I know I'll be BRAGGING about this trip for at least a few more months. I'll probably tell the same stories over and over again. I"ll try to remember to be HUMBLE about it, but if I start to act a little over-confident, y'all please remind me I suck at being a 'super model'!!

Now quit reading crap on the internet and go for a run!

My Healthy, Frugal, Stylish Vacation

Since I have become a mother of three, my life has been super chaotic. The days are just a blur. I run around all day, confused, desperate, tired, caffeinated, chasing crazy energetic kids, praying that 6pm comes soon, so I can feed them dinner, bathe them, and put them to bed...I know, mothers are suppose to pretend to have it all figured it out...but honestly, I don't. I'm actually too busy trying to figure out how to raise my kids, to pretend to be something I'm not. I usually go to bed a few hours after all the kids fall asleep. Most days, I'm passed out by 9pm...Super lame, I know!

Ok, Anyway, this is how this whole vacation idea started: I mention in my last post that I'm now a runner for the Oiselle team, right? Well, Oiselle was planning to have a fashion show to reveal their latest collection of awesome running apparel the same week as the Track and Field Olympic trials in Eugene OR (track Town USA). I Love Oiselle, I love Track and Field, and I had never been to Oregon before, So I knew I had to go. Thanks to my amazing Mom, Mother-in-law, and husband, who held the fort together while I was gone, I was able to enjoy 3 whole days of pure awesomeness. Vacation, vacation, vacation!My next couple of posts will be about my trip and all the crazy stuff that happened, so stay tuned to find out all the juicy details, or ignore them, if you don't care.

Dress to impress!

I feel like a 10 year old girl writing all my personal little adventures on my diary. Except instead of waiting for my little brother to find my diary, read all my secrets and broadcast it to all the neighbors, I have skipped the middle man and posted it directly on the internet.


On a different note, I’d like to share one other frugally green idea.
A few weeks ago, I was invited to a bachelorette party. My good friend from college was getting married and she wanted me to celebrate with her.
To be honest, although I was honored to be invited to such special event, I did not want to go. First of all, the party started at 8pm, and usually by that time, I’m already in my pajamas. Secondly, I’m a stay-at-home mom, and the words “make-up”, “bar” and “limousine riding” are definitely not part of my job description. Also, my wardrobe consists of lots of t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. I don’t own anything fancy at all.
I thought I had many valid excuses not to go...until, the day before the party when I decided to clean up my closet. I found many “treasures” in there, including an old pair of skating shoes with duck tape holding the soles together (I told you we were frugal), a hand full of dead roaches, and a collection of old bridesmaid dresses. I tossed the shoes and the dead roaches away, but I kept the dresses. I tried them on, one by one. I remembered all the special weddings I got to witness and all the fun I had celebrating those special days with my friends. Then I remembered my own wedding. I don’t want to get all emotional here, so I’ll skip all the mushy-mushy details, but I’ll tell you this: I loved every minute of my special day, and I still love being married to my best friend.

So, I decided to step it up, set aside my excuses, put on something cute, and go celebrate a once in a life time day with my sweet college friend.
What did I wear? One of my old bridesmaid dresses. I’m not kidding...A golden, strapless dress...It was a long gown originally, but I cut it to knee length and hemmed it myself. I wore it with a brown leather belt and shoes. (It looks a little wrinkled in this picture, but it looked fabulous at the bachelorette party!)
Total cost?!
Cute cocktail dress: FREE
A glass of sweet tea at the bar: $2
A night full of fun with a good friend: PRICELESS