November

What. The. Heck.

I feel like 2015 is just flying by. I'm having trouble processing where the last ten months have gone... Anyone else feel that?!

I've been super wrapped up in wedding planning (my dress! the flowers! ohmygosh the foooood!) and I've been working like crazy!

Which brings me to a super fun announcement....

Barbara Clayton Design has joined the digital community!

We have a website, which you can check out here, and our Facebook page is up and running! My favorite part, however, is our Instagram account!

We are having a blast continuing to develop our online presence and I really hope y'all take a look at what we have to offer!

Thanks, friends!

2015 Goals: Check in!

You guys. It's MARCH. Somehow, that doesn't seem possible. Anyone else feel like 2015 is just flying by?!

I've been thinking about my goals for 2015 lately and I decided that in order to be successful, I need to hold myself accountable. What better way to do that than share my progress with you fine folks? :)

Goal 1: Paleo and Whole30: While I haven't switched my diet over one hundred percent, I am eating totally Paleo five - six days a week. One thing that I have found to be a challenge is coming up with a good way to snack in between meals. I've been sticking with almonds but sometimes it just gets plain boring. Anyone have any ideas or advice for me with that?

Anyway, I'm shooting for April for my first Whole30. I'm spending a lot of time looking over the Whole30 website and getting recipes. Also, I've recently discovered some awesome Paleo blogs; check out Juli at paleOMG and Michelle at NomNomPaleo. Hopefully, I'll be ready when April comes around! Wish me luck!

Goal 2: Sweatin' for the Wedding: YOU GUYS. I've been doing the Couch 2 5K workout via the app and I. Am. Obsessed. I've signed up for my first 5K of the year, the Bill Snyder Highway Half and 5K from Manhattan Running Company (you can sign up too! Only $30 until April!) and I am so excited. I haven't finished the C25K program yet but I'm over half way! I've lost about 5 lbs since January 1 and over 15lbs since last January (check out the picture below!) and I'm feeling pretty dang good.

Goal 3: Career Exploration: Okay, so I've moved to Wichita and I'm working for my mom. You guys, my mom is awesome. She's funny, full of energy, and so good at her job (interior design and decoration)! I wish I could say the same about myself; I struggling a bit more than I thought I would be. I knew that this was going to be hard and I knew that I would have to do a lot of "on the job" training but shit, man. Sometimes it's super overwhelming and I can get kind of down on myself. However, I have accomplished a few things that I'm pretty proud of: 

1.) I've developed a set of Standard Operating Procedures.

2.) I've come up with a template for her new website.

3.) I've made some serious changes to her Facebook and Instagram.

None of these things are up and running yet, but I have a timeline for each one! Hoping to be fully up and running no later than June. Keep an eye out for updates!

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Thanks for reading, friends. I'm working on developing a blogging schedule and coming up with different topics for discussion; hopefully I'll be posting a bit more consistently in the (very) near future! Anyone else working on being more consistent with their blogging? What are things that you do to help you accomplish that goal? Let me know!

Engagement! Excitement! Panic!

Whoa, what the hell. Where has time gone?! I swear, it feels like yesterday was January 1 and I was getting ready for a new job, a wedding, and moving. All of the sudden, it's the middle of February and I'm already sick of Uptown Funk, and totally over wedding planning. When did that happen?!

I'd like to fill you guys in on the last couple of months, specifically our engagement story and wedding planning, because it has been a crazy awesome time!

Engagement!

Bobby and I have been engaged for nearly two months now and I still find myself reliving that wonderful day (December 20, 2014) over and over. It was seriously the Best Day Ever!

According to Bobby, he had been planning for that day for nearly seven months. He had actually asked for my parents' blessing back in May 2014! That's totally like him; he's a planner. :)

We had our annual Gingerbread House Party at my mom's home in Wichita on December 19 and spent the night there. The next day, December 20, 2014, we ate breakfast with my dad. As we were getting ready to leave, Bobby told me that for Christmas he had made a hair appointment for

 me in Salina. It was so sweet (I had been trying for weeks to set one up and it just hadn't worked out)!

After my appointment he told me he another surprise; we were going to Manhattan for a Date Night! Manhattan is one of my favorite places in the world; it's where Bobby and I met and 

it's the home of my favorite school, Kansas State University (GO WILDCATS!). I love going and we always have an awesome time!

At this point, I was mildly suspicious. I called my old roommate, Amanda, and asked her if she thought he was going to propose. She just laughed and told me that if he were, there would be zero clues. He was being way too obvious (which is true)! I laughed with her and shrugged 

my suspicions off.

We got on the road around 2:00pm and had such a fun drive! As we pulled into Manhattan, he asked me what I wanted to do first; go to Radina's for coffee or walk through campus (another one our favorite things to do in MHK). We both said, at the same time, "RADINA'S!" It's the best place for coffee in Manhattan and it's one of our favorite date places. We picked up some coffee and walked to campus.

We spent about an hour or so walking around campus, talking about our college days, taking pictures, and laughing our asses off. It was as perfect as any day could be....

As we made our way the Student Union, Bobby brought up one of my favorite memories of him... When we first started spending time together outside of work (where we met), we had this chance for a total Movie Style first kiss. We were walking towards each other and when Bobby got to me, he picked me up, spun me around, and then did absolutely nothing! He set me down and took a step back; it was like he totally panicked about not playing it so cool. It still makes me laugh to think about it. :)

We laughed about that memory together and he suggested we re-enact that moment so he could 

do it right this time. So, we did. He picked me up, spun me around, and kissed me as he set me down...

Then he said he had one more surprise for me. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a ring, and got down on one knee. He told me that he loved me and then he asked me to be his wife. I basically jumped on him and kissed him. I said, "Absolutely!" and burst into tears (looking back on it now, my reaction was pretty hilarious). He put the ring on my finger and then we looked at each other and started cracking up. It seemed totally surreal! 

We spent the next hour just enjoying being engaged before going to supper at Old Chicago, where we met. We walked in and saw all of our families and friends waiting for us! I started crying again; I was so happy to see them! Bobby had organized the whole thing and people had

 come from Wichita and Salina just to celebrate with us. It was so special and truly one of the most wonderful days of my life. After nearly five years together, Bobby and I are getting married!!

Excitement!

I'm still basking in the joy of being engaged. It is so surreal and so incredible. I am loving it! I love introducing Bobby as my fiance and I love getting to look through bridal magazines, daydreaming about our wedding. Picturing our wedding day is one of my favorite past times and I get so excited thinking about it! However, it does (sometimes) lead to...

Panic!

Wedding planning is nuts. Like, totally ridiculous. And we're still a year and a half from our day! We have to make so many decisions about where we're going to get married (In a church? Outside? Should we elope?), when we're going to get married (Is a Saturday really better than a Friday? What about a fall wedding?), who we're going to invite (Why should we invite a distant cousin we've never even met, Mom?!)... 

To be totally honest with you, I'm loving every minute of it. I've got a dress picked out (it's beyond gorgeous), my ladies of honor are just as excited as I am, and I get to throw a badass party. It's going to be freaking awesome!

Anyone out there have any tips about wedding planning? What about just some general party thoughts? What do you like to see at parties? What make a wedding super fun? Help a girl out!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my day-to-day!

Where did 2014 go?!

Whoa, hello there 2015! Good to see you!

I'm ready for the new year! There will be new adventures, new challenges, and new beginnings and I am so excited! 

But I want take some time and reflect on the awesome year that was 2014. So here is a quick recap of some of my favorite moments of the year:

1.) ENGAGED! - On December 20, 2014, Bobby proposed! We were in Manhattan, KS, having a mini-date day. We were visiting our college campus (K-State!), and reminiscing about how we meet and the last four and a half years when he asked me to be his wife! It was such a special and beautiful moment in our life together. I feel so lucky that he picked me to love and I'm absolutely ecstatic about being his wife!

2.) Lost 15lbs - This picture was taken in December 2014. It may not look like much but for me, it's a big milestone! For me, 2014 started in a fairly negative place in terms of my own self-esteem. I was at my heaviest weight ever and I living a totally unhealthy lifestyle. Around March, I just decided that I deserved to be happy in my own skin. So, I started eating better and exercising more and by the end of 2014, I had lost 15lbs. While I did not quite accomplish my fitness goals for 2014, I made more progress in those months than I have in many years past and I am so proud of myself for that!

3.) Visiting Amanda - My college roommate, Amanda, got married right at the beginning of 2014 and moved to Houston, TX where her husband works. We both knew that it was going to be hard for us; we lived together for three years and she is one of my dearest friends. I knew that I wanted to visit and spend some quality time with her. So we did! We spent a great Fourth of July weekend in Houston with Amanda and her husband, Wade. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go back!

4.) Graduating college! - Okay, okay. So technically, this happened in December 2013 but hear me out. This past year was my first year out of school since 1996 when I started kindergarten. I felt the joy (and sometimes sadness) of that fact all year! It was such a special moment of my life that it just echoed throughout 2014 for me. 

5.) Exploring Kansas - One of my favorite things about this year was starting this Hannah in Kansas blog. While it may seem like I haven't done a very good job keep up with it, it is something that I have thought about and working on constantly since September. I have loved researching things about Kansas, and exploring new places with friends! Ashley, Taylor, and Bobby helped me explore Coronado Heights and we had a freaking blast! Thanks to this crazy blog idea, I have had constant adventures with some of the greatest people ever!

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What a crazy awesome year! I am so lucky! I have a feeling that 2015 is going to be just as incredible! I have some pretty big goals for myself this coming year and I'd like to take a second to talk about my resolutions for 2015:

1.) Paleo and Whole30 - My biggest goal for this year is to switch to a completely Paleo diet and successfully complete my first Whole30! I have been slowly (but steadily!) moving over to Paleo and I really feel like this year is the year! If you haven't heard of Paleo or Whole30, be sure to check out the Whole30 website!

2.) Sweatin' for the Wedding! - Guess what! I'm getting married! And let's be honest: I have a long way to go to reach my weight goal. My goal is to lose an additional 20lbs this year through healthy eating (see resolution 1) and exercise! My secondary health goal is to run three 5K races this year!

3.) Career exploration - I'm so excited because in just a few days I will be moving to Wichita to work as the social media manager for Barbara Clayton Design! I am looking forward to learning new things and helping this company grow! 

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Thanks for reading this ridiculously long post. I so appreciate it! I hope you've had a great day and I can't wait to hear about your new year! Here's to 2015!

Weddings, Cars, Tacos!

The last couple of weeks have been so busy for me! Work has been nuts and I’ve been traveling nearly every weekend for the last month. I’ve had so much fun but virtually no time to write a post. That changes today!

One of the places that Bobby and I traveled to was Ashland, KS for a wedding! Our friends, Aaron and Shyla, got married about a week ago! 

 It was such a fun wedding and it was great to see where Aaron and Shyla are from. Because Ashland is about three and a half hours southwest of Salina we had plenty of time in the car. The route we took has us driving through quite a few small towns so there was a lot to see! I would really recommend just taking a weekend to drive through some of the small towns in western Kansas. They were so fun to see and they were interesting to research. One of the things that I researched was the price of real estate in several of the towns! The difference in house prices between Greensburg, KS and Salina, KS is crazy! I had so much fun looking into stuff like that.

On our way back from Ashland, we drove through Hutchinson, KS. Little did we know that the Downtown Hutchinson Rod Run was happening that weekend! As soon as we realized what was going on, we jumped out of the car and immediately went to look at all of the awesome cars and hot rods! There were four blocks of the main street blocked off and the street was PACKED with cars and people. It was awesome! I don’t know very much about cars but I can definitely appreciate the work that goes into maintaining some of those cars.

The whole afternoon was great. We got some beers, ate some delicious tacos, and got to check out some fantastic vehicles. Talk about awesome! We’re definitely going to check out the whole Rod Run next year!

Sunrises and Coffee Shops

You know what I really love about Kansas?

The sunrises.

They are astounding. Truly magnificent. It's like the universe just decided to step it up a notch, you know? The sky just seems totally endless and you can see for miles across the land. Every day the sun and the atmosphere create new colors that have never existed before and the place around you look different every morning.

Sunday's sunrise was no exception.

Can you believe how beautiful this is?! I know I can't.

Watching the sunrise was the perfect way to start my Sunday and it made me so happy! I think everyone should try to see a sunrise at least once a week; it can change your whole date for the better.

I just wanted to share that little piece of Kansas love from my weekend.

Okay, so onto my Purposeful Post!

Today, after work, I really needed a cup of coffee. I know what you're thinking: "Good Lord, every blogger on the flippin' internet loves coffee! Get over it already!" I feel the same way! But I REALLY needed coffee. So I ran by a local Salina coffee shop, Mokas, and it was AWESOME.

I splurged and got a mocha (just seemed right; a Mocha from Mokas, you know?). It was delicious. I don't know how they made but I was so happy after drinking it!

Mokas has so many awesome drink choices that it can be hard to choose something. But I can't wait to go back and try something new! Bobby and I are planning a Saturday morning date there and I'm so excited to grab some great coffee and read a new book. There is a great "hang out" vibe to Mokas and I ready to contribute to that feeling!

Mokas has two locations in Salina: one is at the corner of Magnolia and Ninth and the other is on Crawford, just east of Ohio.

Coronado Heights

Welcome back, friends! I only hope that you’re as encouraged by my first real post as I am! Well, here goes nothin’!

One of the many things that Bobby and I did this summer was visit Coronado Heights with our dear friends, Ashley and Taylor. Coronado Heights is located just outside of Lindsborg, KS (about a 20 minute drive from Salina); it’s a large hill that rises about 300 feet about the Smoky Valley. The Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez Coronado came to the Smoky Valley area in 1541 and used the hill as a look out and rest area. There is a castle on the hill that was built in 1932 as park of the Works Progress Administration. The WPA also built the picnic tables and observation areas that are there now.

One of the coolest things about visiting Coronado Heights was the view. It was incredible! 

As a native Kansan, I have a very strong love for the state and the scenery; Coronado Heights provided an amazing look at the surrounding farmland, grassland, and even Salina in the distance. We were very fortunate to have wonderful weather when we went; it was sunny, warm, and the breeze kept away the serious heat. If you’ve ever visited Kansas in the summer, you know what I mean! There are several different walking trails around the park and it was so fun to travel through along the paths to see the different views.

I really enjoyed Coronado Heights and I would love to go again. It was great to get out and see a bit of what our community had to offer. I can’t wait to find something else to share with you!