Num Num

I couldn't resist .... I love these little pieces of chocolate goodness, but now am regretting my purchase (bit mostly because I got the limited edition of Lindt chocolates too, ha).  So tasty and such a treat!!

Ahh, what's your favorite Easter candy?

In Depth Conversation

This is absolutely the.funniest.video!!!!

What better than a twin to share an in depth convo with :)


*After nannying triplet 2yr old boys, I still pray for multiples!

Much Needed Touch Up

Our townhouse has needed a little TLC after 4.5 years

of normal wear and tear ... scuffed walls, banged base boards,

and this lady finally had enough!!

I was on a mission to touch up the walls (random)

AND had a sudden desire for it to be like new.

Gabe's response, "What made you think to do this?"

I only rubbed up on the wall once, splattered on my pants twice, and flung it on the carpet three times!!!  I call that a success for a rookie.

Images found on Weheartit.com 

Thankfully, paint comes out pretty easy ... and it was only white.

Happy weekend to you all and cheers to being domestic!

Target vs. WalMart

Now, we all can admit that we once shopped at a dreadful Target or Wal-Mart stores, whcih was totally run down, in a bad part of town, and can even be scary to walk to your car.  

CNNMONEY.com had an article where two recent price comparisons of grocery and household goods revealed that Target's prices are lower than at No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart. 

BUT, I want to discuss the new state of the art Super Target & Super WalMarts that are clean, pristine, and offer all of it's fabulousness!  In the Seattle area, I can count slim to none nice WalMarts, but Dallas is an entirely different story.  I personally LOVE Target because (re-read the sentence before) AND their location to my house makes it obvious, but I have to be honest that I am jealous of the WalMart my sister-in-law shops at in the Greater Dallas Area.  It's beyond dreamy .....

Are you a loyal Target or Wal-Mart shopper and why!!

I've Learned

One of the MANY reasons I love my husband is for his positive outlook on life!  I can honestly say, Gabe gives the best advice, steps back and gives an unbiased opinion, and is an overall a genuine good-guy.  He sent me a link this evening, which is kind of ironic because I swear he's said a few of these before :)

From Stumbleupon.com

I've Learned-

that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned- 

that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned- 

that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned- 

that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned- 

that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned- 

that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

I've learned- 

that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

I've learned- 

that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned- 

that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned- 

that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned- 

that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned- 

that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned- 

that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned- 

that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned- 

that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned- 

that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned- 

that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned- 

that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned- 

that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned- 

that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned- 

that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

****Which ones is most applicable to your life?

Benchmark Angie

Gabe and I had a date at NWCF (Northwest Crossfit)

this past Friday night with a benchmark workout.

Angie:

- 100 Pull-ups

- 100 Push-ups

- 100 Sit-ups

100 Squats

A prescribed workout consisted of completing all reps for each movement and then transition to the next exercise as fast as possible:  Start with kipping pull-ups, then transition to push-ups chest to ground, then sit-ups with shoulders flat on the ground then touch your heels, and finish with squats below parallel.  We had the option to modify the workout by breaking up the reps however we wanted (4 rounds at 25 reps each or 10 rounds at 10 reps each, etc)

This was my first time completing Angie .... and I am SO proud to say I did it prescribed.  It was tough, and the 100 pull-ups took me a good 12 minutes (arg), BUT I completed it sub 25 minutes!  AND couldn't be more thrilled for it to be over.

still.so.sore

Thrilled beyond belief

Seattleites love 

SUMMER even more,

but one season at a time!

Images found on Weheartit.com

Xoxo, K

For Japan With Love

I received an update from one of my Japan buddies that all of the Pfizer colleagues are safe and their families has been confirmed.  Can you imagine?!  He expressed their concern with the development of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accidents and the fear surrounding the disaster changing constantly.  It breaks my heart.

My thoughts are with all of Japan!

If you want to participate or donate, click here.

Sept 11th (NY) Jan 11th (Haiti) and March 11th (Japan)....

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Nation will rise against nation, 

and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, 

famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events 

and great signs from heaven ...."

Luke 21:10-11

Rebelled

It's St. Patty's Day ....

and I didn't even wear green.  Whoops.

weheartit.com

AND, I'm not even going to make up for it by drinking a beer, 

or green beer for that matter.  Just another Thursday to me!

Sorry .... I'm not sorry.

St. Pattys Day Dash

The Smith Clan happily participated and ran for a great cause.

It was the 27th Annual St. Patty's Day Dash, 4mile jaunt through Seattle!

It was a dreary day for a run, but we broke Gabe in with his first "organized run" in a memorable way -- soaking wet!  He has been my biggest cheerleader this past year (Beat the Bridge 8k and Jingle Bell 5k), and volunteered him in my crazy event like the Metro Dash AND our next event, the Warrior Dash in July!

Getting ready to get our run on ... with a sea of people.

Rob, Gabe, Mennen, me, Jen, Jon

AND post run ... Wet little leprechauns!!

Me, Kelsey (so weird having a friend w/ same name), Mollie, Emi

Kyle and Gabe

Little Pandas!!!

I wasn't thrilled with my time since I have been sick all week and it was rough with lungs feeling out of "whack."  I am still finishing up my round of antibiotics ..... but what-ev!!  It was fun and completing it with Gabe was one for us to write down on the books.  He was sweet to stay with me, but he could have shaved another 7 minutes off our 31:42 time!

I was shooting to beat my 7:30 pace from my last 8k.

Better luck next time when I'm not sicky :(

Who's it going to be!!!

Yes, I will be glued to the TiVo watching The Bachelor tonight!

Probably like the rest of ya'll  ....

Ohh, awkward moments, weird scenes, and my love for reality TV!!!! This is when PST kills me because I have to stay clear of texts, emails, blogs, facebook, etc.  Although, I have read two completely different spoilers, SO at least I will be shocked when he picks Emily or Chantal, yay yay!

I actually like the final two, but hope he picks sweet Emily!

Metro Dash 2010

I just realized I completely forgot to post about the Metro Dash in Seattle!

The start of the "Little Panda's" ...

Such a great experience with my Crossfit buds

Izzy made this video to sum up Metro Dash, love it!!

Tire flipping, gauntlet jumping, stair running, tabada fun, and burpee goodness ... little taste of the joys of crossfit :) 

And a few hours later, we all survived!

The Winner Is

I used RANDOM.ORG to generate the winner of the Apothica Giveaway, and I cannot figure out for the life of me how to paste the widget on here.  So, you will just have to trust me :)

AND, the winner is 

Amanda @ New Adventures 

Loved your Tweet:

"Really hope I win an amazing #apothica gift card from 

http://kelseyandgabriel.blogspot.com/ I already have it spent!!"

8:22 PM Feb 16th via web

First magnetic measuring cups ... and now $50 to Apothica.com!  

Successful Surprise

Now, that I excited all of you ..... 

I ventured down to Texas with a mission to surprise 20 of my sweet family members for my Granny Gayle's 80th birthday!!!  

I told them all that it would be too hard to fly to Dallas and drive three hours to the lake for a day and a half party, but in my heart I just knew I just couldn't miss everyone celebrating without me.  Selfish I know!  Granny Gayle is a cancer survivor, the matriarch of our family, and someone who has had a huge influence in molding me into the woman that I am!!

It has been a whirlwind since the party got rescheduled the night before I was suppose to leave town last month when Dallas got dumped on with snow.  Then, my Paw Paw got really sick this last week and we almost had to cancel the party this past weekend all together.  Thankfully, it went off without a hitch.

I still can't believe we pulled it off!

The family was all mingling in the den ... and I pop through the back door

and say, "I heard there was a birthday party!"  

HAHA it was so fun :)

Me, Granny Gayle, and my beautiful cousin Garen

All the girls playing catchup:

Arrie, Gaylen, Me, Ginna, Garen

Then we get our game face on and play cards like the 

good ole' days at ACU.  Liverpool .... My favorite card game by far.  

AND, it brings out my competitive side.

Lots of cuddle time for Paw Paw and Gracelynn Gayle

*We have an picture exactly like this five years ago with all Gayle's hats on when she had peach fuzz from chemo.  She has come so far, and we are in awe of her strength as it's been a journey!

Brooke Family has grown to 23 people!  Everyone present but sweet hubs!

What else do you do when FIVE cheerleaders are together!!!

So thankful for family - These are my sisters I never had!

And now all we do is laugh and look at babies!

And fill a room with love love and more love!

Garen surprised us all with the most amazing gift - a book of photos of our sweet lady of her entire life with all her loved ones.  It will be beautifully displayed on my coffee table, forever!

AND, how precious are these three girls, my nieces!

Berkley (15mths), Gracelynn (6mths), Paisley (12mths)

Thanks to the Glasscock's for hosting such a fabulous party!

I sadly missed my Grandmother Joy's 80th party this past year, and Gabe's Grandfather just celebrated his 80th birthday too.  I just wish I didn't have to miss out on all the fun living so far away.  That's when it makes me so regret living so very very far away.  

**I had so many more photos to upload, but I met my quota and am figuring out if I want to upgrade my account or find another means to upload photos.  More later, and the Apothica winner is next!

Thumbs Down Blogger

Bloggers - Have you gotten the nasty-gram below:

Looks like I take too many photos and am being forced to buy more space?

'Whoops! You're out of space. 

You're using 100% of your 1G quota 

for photos.'

We know a post isn't complete without photos, 

and I am just DYING to upload about my

little secret I've had up my sleeve the last two months!!!!!!!!!!!


*No girlies I'm not preggers, hehe :)