Five on Friday

We made it to the weekend and I can hardly believe it! Things have been non-stop since I got back from CA and honestly, it looks like it's going to stay that way until the last week of July. I told Stephen we I need to not plan anything for like 2 months starting August 1st lol This also explains why I haven't been able to get any more California posts up... maybe late July it'll happen? It's anyone's guess at this point.

One
Today is the final final day for my Tone It Up Bikini Series!! This was a strict, 8 week nutrition and workout program and it totally worked for me. I've always loved doing the Tone It Up YouTube videos but this was my first time doing the Bikini Series. It was 8 weeks of hard work and a lot of dedication. Did I mess up on my nutrition plan and miss some workouts? Of course, especially with all our traveling we did but for the majority of the time, I stayed true to the program and it shows. The most exciting thing for me is the new muscles I can see!! I've definitely lost inches, toned up, lost some weight and feel healthier.

After week 8, we all did the seven day slim down which is a very clean eating and intense week to de-bloat and make your muscles pop. This was probably the hardest week because I wanted sweets all.the.time. which didn't happen the first time I did the 7 day slim down. I'll be taking my final pictures early this morning - still not sure if I'll share them here but I definitely will on my TIU instagram account.

I thrived on this program because Katrina and Karena provided us with workouts to do every day and a clear guide on how to eat. If I don't have someone telling me exactly what to do, I won't do it... I need some rules to follow lol Even though it was a great program, I'm glad it's over. I am going to enjoy the looser eating and won't feel as much (self-inflicted) guilt if I do eat off the nutrition plan. I definitely will not be going back to eating the way I was (even though it wasn't that unhealthy) because I want to continue the momentum and not go backwards.

Two
To tack onto what I said above, TIU released their own protein bars at Target and oh my, they're amazing! Stephen wasn't super excited for me to get them since they're a little on the pricey side but very comparable to legit protein bars but I got 2 packs so I could have reinforcements for the 2 weeks I'd be gone at work conferences. I shared a picture on my TIU instagram and ended up being featured in their recent blog post about protein bars - how funny!

Aside from the excitement of the instagram picture, this post is super informative about what to look for when buying protein bars. I wish I had this months ago! I might not continue to buy their bars all the time but I will certainly follow the rules they gave us :)

Three
There are all sorts of people having babies within our group recently so today my (pregnant) friend and I are throwing a quick diapers and desserts party before lunch. We told everyone to bring a pack of diapers for 2 soon-to-be dads and stop by a conference room real quick to get some sweets. I stayed up Tuesday night making their diaper cakes. Stephen graciously helped me and cut the bunt banners I made with the babies names. Can't wait to see it all come together later today :)

Four
We are super excited to head down to my BIL and SIL's house for the weekend! We can't wait to relax, swim and spend time with our niece. I've gotten some videos of her swimming and she's a little fish so we're super excited to see her in action!

Five
Wednesday, we had been in our house for 2 years and so I wrote a big blog post about it. I had to laugh because Facebook reminded me that on that day 4 years ago, we got our wedding license! It's so funny to see how 2 totally different, yet really big days happened on the same day, 2 years apart.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!