Liebster Award + Buff-Up Your Man

A big thanks to Melissa at Freeing Imperfections for nominating me for the Liebster Award I really like reading up on other people’s lives, and the survey that goes along with this award is just perfect for that.

11 Questions

1. Peanut butter or chocolate? Oh this is so hard! Why do I have to pick just one?! I guess if I can’t put them together, I would have to go with chocolate. I’m not a fan of any sort of nut butter on its’ own.
2. Where did you get your blog title? I honestly came up with it, because I was sick of living a lie and pretending about this. I wanted to be truthful, relatable, and realistic.
3. Have any nick-names? Lots of people call me Allie, some family members call me Al, and my dad likes to call me Big Al once in a while. Cool.
4. Who is your blog idol? I gotta say Courtney over at Sweet Tooth Sweet Life. Hers was the first blog I have ever read and I look up to her big time.
5. Are you a jewelry person? If so, do you have a special piece that you wear every day/a lot? Yes, I am a big person. Every day I wear 3 earrings in each ear, a necklace holding a heart Luke bought me years ago and a locket my great-grandma gave me before she passed away, my “friendship” bracelet I share with Luke, my class ring, and my grandma’s old wedding ring.
6. Describe your perfect candle scent. Spiced cider from Bath & Body Works.
7. What was your favorite childhood birthday present? That would probably have to be the ring my mom gave me on my 13th birthday. It’s silver with an opal stone in the center and all these pretty designs. It meant so much to me at such a young age and still does.
8. Would you rather be stuck in freezing cold or extreme heat forever? Extreme heat, all the way. I can’t stand the cold.
9. What’s your favorite social media right now – Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or something else? Gotta go with Instagram! I just got into it, but I’ve recently learned to love it.
10. Favorite holiday and why? Christmas! As stressful as it is, I love seeing my family and the happiness that seems to surround the entire month of December.
11. What motivates you to blog? I love that blogging allows me to be myself. This sounds crazy, but I feel like most of you understand me better than the people who I see in my everyday life. It’s a place where I can talk about my life and what’s actually going on, where I won’t be judged. I also adore reading all of your stories! <3

11 Random Facts

1. I just cried at seeing a preview for both Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies on ABC Family this weekend.
2. I watched the first 2 seasons of Pretty Little Liars in less than a week.
3. My favorite celebrities ever are Ellen DeGeneres and Jillian Michaels. What I would do to just spend one day with them….
4. When I was like 11 years old, I was on the cover of some teen magazine for “wild and crazy hair.” My family and I were on a boat and it was standing straight up. It was like, J-14 or something like that. I wish I could find that!
5. I cannot handle when I have a messy e-mail inbox. I read or delete every single thing that comes in and don’t like to keep more than can fit on one screen on my iPad. OCD at its’ finest friends.
6. When I was in high school and I used to work out with my friend Emily, we would walk/run a mile on the treadmill and thought that was absolutely insane.
7. One time in college I went out to eat and to the movies by myself and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.
8. Another time in college my friend Audrey and I went on a mad hunt around our little neighborhood to find someone to open our bottle of wine. We wanted it. Bad.
9. I met the Jersey Shore cast in Italy in 2011.
10. I can get by on 5 hours of sleep, easily. It’s pathetic and really unhealthy. I need more hours in the day.
11. When I eat Starburst jellybeans, I only eat the yellow, pink, and red ones. I can’t stomach the other flavors.

11 New Questions

1. What did you do today?
2. How old do you want to be when you have children? Do you even want children? If you already have kids, how old were you when the first one was born?
3. How long have you been blogging?
4. What is your favorite exercise?
5. What is the food you eat most often?
6. What is the coolest place you have ever been?
7. Who do you look up to most in the world?
8. What is your job? Do you enjoy it? Why or why not?
9. Favorite summer-time activity?
10. What is the best advice you have ever received?
11. Do you like pickles?

Nominees

1. Dena @ 40 Fit in the Mitt
2. Brittany @ Britt’s Blurbs
3. Caitlin @ Chasing Chels
4. De @ Cooking for the Other Half
5. Nicole @ Fruit N’ Fitness
6. Jessie @ Jessie Loves to Run
7. Ashley @ Life and Fitness by Ashley
8. Kate @ Quarter Century Southern Living
9. Brooke @ Running in Heels
10. Carly @ Snack Therapy
11. Becky @ Olives N’ Wine

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Now onto a new workout. So I’ve been training Luke over the last couple of months to help him gain some muscle. He has gained like 18 pounds, mostly of muscle. He’s been working his a$$ off! So congrats babe Here’s a sample of a chest/back workout we do. This is certainly something you can do, but also something you could share with your man to whip him into shape

Chest and Back Workout!
Elliptical warm-up (5 minutes):
8.0 resistance, 2.5 minutes forward, 2.5 minutes backward

Circuit 1 (15 minutes):
Ball dumbbell chest press (15 reps, 15 weights)
Seated stability ball military press (15 reps, 20 weights)
Dead lift (20 reps, 15 weights)
Standing barbell curl (15 reps)
Repeat 3x

Enjoy your Wednesday. Halfway there loves <3