Matthew's Dirty 30 Weekend...

Now that Matthew's birthday has come and gone, I can finally relax! I started planning a surprise party for him last year and I am amazed he still had no clue when we walked in the door. 

It all started with the idea of a Mad Men themed party. After collecting ideas on Pinterest, plotting where it would all take place, and making invitations the theme started coming together!

Being the crafty person I am, I decided it was much cheaper to make my own invitations. I found an example I really liked and the put my graphic design skills to use recreating them. I also found adorable miniature Manila file folders at Hobby Lobby and began stocking up!

I sent out the invites about a month in advance because some people invited lived out of state so I wanted to make sure everyone had time to make travel arrangements. After those went out it was a waiting game until the party!

The week of the party, I told Matthew I'd be unavailable until 6 pm due to our office moving and that I was the point of contact. Not entirely true ;) but it bought me the time I needed to get ready! The day of the party, Matthew decided to take work off (ie: home all day). This threw a slight wrench in my plans but I was able to pull everything off. I had packed a suitcase a couple days prior just in case! I left him a card explaining that he would be picked up around 6pm and I would be there at his final location. Then I left for work and the madness began!

I worked for a few hours, went the the gym, got my nails done, and bought alcohol for the evening. After doing all of that it was almost 4 pm and I still had to check in to the hotel, shower, and get ready! I was running a bit behind schedule and my stress levels were pretty high. Not to mention I hadn't slept well for a couple of weeks leading up to it from all the stress! Haha! Luckily I have some pretty great friends and family that were there early to help me set up and get ready!

I sent an Uber to pick Matthew up at our house and tracked it all the way to the hotel. When he arrived, I told him to wait in the lobby and I'd be there in a minute. I quickly got dressed, finished my make up , and ran up to the elevator. When I saw him in the lobby he was still surprised and kept asking what the plan was! After dropping his bag in the suite (I made him stay outside the hotel entrance while I went to the room) we made our way up to have drinks and a fancy dinner.

During dinner, I was pretty sure he had figured out something else was afoot. I'd later find out he was still completely clueless. After our fancy dinner, we made our way down to the room where everyone was waiting to surprise him. When we opened the door, he was completely overwhelmed and shocked at the 50+ family and friends that were there! 

Group Picture

After mingling and thanking everyone for showing up, we made our way to the casino floor for a night of fun! I'm so grateful for all those who were able to make it and help me pull off the surprise of a lifetime! I don't think I'll ever plan another surprise party, too much stress!!! Haha!

Group Picture - Take #2

Group Picture - Take #3

The Hansen family drove all the way from Utah to celebrate Matthew's birthday!

He still has no idea what is about to happen in this picture :)

Late night lady selfie.....with those weirdos in the background

My parents also drove all the way from Utah to celebrate with us!

Matthew's family also dropped by a little while to celebrate!

xoxo,

Megs

Mid-Year Happenings...

Wow has the first half of the year just flown by or what?! I can't believe it is already the end of June! This year has been quite the whirlwind thus far and it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Here's a quick update of what we've been up to lately:

Matthew: between podcasting two shows a week, working, and helping me out he has been pretty busy. Recently (2 weeks ago) he was able to sit on two different panels at Comicon in Phoenix. This was a pretty exciting deal and since they had a decent turn out, he is hopeful they'll get asked back next year. 

Embree: she has finally learned the value of sleeping in!!! We no longer have to take turns getting up with her on the weekends which is really nice! Other than that she is a happy and healthy pup!

Megan: between work, school, and the gym I feel like I'm always going a mile a minute these days! I'm almost done with my second grad school class and am excited for a week off before I start the next one. I've also been really concentrated on my fitness (update on that in a different post). 

Our year thus far in pictures (a lot of the reposted from Instagram):

In Januray we said farewell to Rojo and bought a new car! This one has AC which makes me a very happy lady!

We went to Greer AZ at the beginning of the year. It was a nice weekend getaway with friends.

Matthew went snowboarding for the first time while we were in Greer.

Of course we went to a Suns game :)

I got to see Miley Cyrus in concert which was actually a lot better than I thought it would be.

We spent a day at the horse track with the Jolkovski family. Isn't Ryann a cutie?!

We played in our first Sloshball tourney. #wegottheruns

I went to CA on a work trip and got to visit this cutie and her family!

We played in our second Sloshball tourney. #titsburgfeelers

We spent Memorial Day at the lake with Matthew's family.

Matthew learned how to paddle board and is pretty much a pro now!

We got to see some of Matthew's favorite comedians, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray. He also got $5 for telling an awesome joke and both of them signed it.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year and can't wait for the rest of the year. We'll be going to Georgia and South Carolina, Matthew's turning the big 3-0, Thanksgiving, My birthday, Christmas, and hopefully more trips in between!

xoxo,

Megs

The Weight Loss Chronicles: Transformation Tuesday...

In honor of transformation Tuesday, I am writing this post. Over the past year, I have been trying very hard to be healthier, lose weight, and regain my confidence. It's been a struggle I've faced on and off through out my life.

When I finally started to get serious about my weight loss journey, I was consistently in the gym 4-5 times a week and after 3 months I hadn't seen much progress. My measurements fluctuated and I gained about 10lbs. Frustrated and unhappy, I finally decided it was time to talk to a doctor.

In August of last year, the doctor determined I hade hypothyroidism. This wasn't too surprising since my mom was diagnosed with it several years ago. I started taking medication and by the new year my levels were in a normal range. I also made the decision to stop taking birth control at the end of February. Although most doctors say that birth control doesn't contribute to weight gain, I beg to differ. I gained a substantial amount of weight when I first started taking it and should've realized something wasn't right.

Flash forward to March of this year. I still wasn't seeing the results I wanted! After taking a couple of weeks off from the gym, I decided that I needed to stick with it!....and....I AM SO GLAD I DID! 

Over the past 3 months I've lost around 14lbs and I'm still going strong. I've also lost inches everywhere. Over the past month I started taking photos so I could see my progress. I know it may not seem like much but for me it is enough to keep me going!

Disclaimer: these are not photos I would normally be willing to share. Yes the mirror is dirty. Yes I took these right after working out. 

June 3rd vs June 16th

Just between these two pictures, I lost a total of 3 inches over all. Over the last 3 months I've been focusing on eating smaller portions, getting in 30 mins of cardio, and pushing myself at the gym. Even though I'm only there 3 times a week, I make it count! 

So to all of you out there struggling, just keep going! Be consistent and don't give up! After a year I'm finally seeing the results and there were a lot of days I wanted to give up. 

xoxo,

Megs

Memories & Hopes...

2014 is here! Kind of crazy another year has flown on by. 2013 was a great year for us...we finally moved out of an apartment and into a home, took many summer trips to visit family and friends, saw two amazing concerts, celebrated birthdays, and rang in the new year with friends.

I have a lot to look forward to in 2014...starting my Masters program (wait?! What?! Haha still can't believe I'm going back), taking a trip to Myrtle Beach, celebrating Matthew's 30th birthday, celebrating our 3 year anniversary, and I'm sure many more things that aren't even planned yet!

xoxo,

Megs

Turkey Day & Christmas 2013

{Happy Turkey Day from the Renfros}

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. I love spending time with family and I love eating turkey. This year we stayed in Arizona with Matthew's family. We had a great feast and enjoyed the family time.

{Mini Apple Pies I made for Thanksgiving}

{Gifts for our adopt-a-family}

We were also fortunate enough to participate in an adopt-a-family program for Christmas this year. We shopped and bought presents for a family of four whose son is currently receiving cancer treatment at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

{Merry Kissmas}

We were lucky enough to stay in Arizona for Christmas this year. My parents decided to make the trek from Utah and spent almost a whole week with us. It was nice to see them and enjoy the beautiful weather while they were here. 

On Christmas Eve, we went over to Matthew's aunt and uncle's house for dinner. His aunt Lisa cooked some delicious Italian food. We also did a white elephant ornament exchange. After opening presents, we watched A Christmas Story.

Christmas morning we woke up and opened the few presents under the tree. I got a Fitbit Force, a sweater (which still hasn't been delivered....but it's worth the wait), make up brushes, a cookbook, and a picture my dad drew. Matthew was spoiled this year, he got a Fitbit Force, socks, shirts, a Microsoft gift card, a picture my dad drew, and..................an XBOX ONE! 

He had no idea that I was surprising him with a new xbox. He thought my clever wrapping contained socks or underwear. I wrapped the controller in several different boxes. When he finally made it to the controller box he said "Now that is just mean." Looked at it for a minute or two, then looked at me with a huge smile and said "No S#!t?!! Where is it?!" I had a feeling it would take him a minute or two to put it all together. I was so worth keeping it a secret. 

The rest of Christmas day was spent lounging around. It was nice to take sometime off of work to unplug and enjoy family time. I always enjoy spending time with our families and making memories. Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve.

The Big 2-5 and Concert Shenanigans...

I can't believe I'm 25!!! My birthday has come and gone for this year, but I was definitely spoiled. Matthew finally bought me my kitchen aid!!! I love it and I have been baking up a storm since I got it. This year for my birthday, we went to dinner with some friends and then to a comedy hypnotist show. It was a very good birthday....even though I'm another year older (boo!)

In November, we got the opportunity to see the lovely Kate Nash in concert (again). She did not disappoint. The venue was pretty small which is always really cool. We hung around after the show to get a photo op and have her sign a couple of things. Matthew was so excited to meet her.

In December, we FINALLY got to go to the Justin Timberlake concert. I had been looking forward to it ever since we purchased tickets back in June! If you have the chance to catch this show, it is SO worth it! He such a talented musician and performer. We enjoyed every minute of the show and are even considering going back in August when he comes through again.

The Weight Loss Chronicles: Thyroid update...

About two weeks ago I had a follow up appointment with the doctor. I did a retest of my TSH levels as well as testing a couple of other things related to the thyroid. I suspected that the dosage of medication I was on wasn't right. I was still feeling tired more than a normal person should. I also hadn't lost much weight maybe 3-4 lbs. However, my clothes were starting to fit a little better. 

When I met with my doctor, my suspicions became reality. They started me on the lowest dose which didn't make much progress in the 2 months I had been taking it. My TSH levels started around a 5.2 and had only dropped to about 4.5 in 2 months. My doctor informed me that she would like to see that number at a 2. So she upped my prescription from 50 mcg to 75 mcg and I have to retest around the end of January. 

With that being said, I am feeling a little less tired than before. I've been on the higher dose for about two weeks now and my measurements seem to be going down. I haven't had them taken and will probably wait until after Thanksgiving haha! I've also started working with my trainer for an hour every Friday. He paired me up with another woman who has thyroid problems and he works us pretty hard every week.

xoxo,

Megs