I guess that brings us to June...

Overall, the month of June is a very special one for my family. We got married in June, both Jason and I have June birthdays, and even our dog was born in June! My best friend has a June birthday, as well, and my sister and brother-in-law celebrate their wedding anniversary that month. That's a whole lot of June celebrations! When I got pregnant with Ryder and we were told that his due date was May 30th, we were sure that he would be joining us in the month of June (he of course had plans of his own), further adding to the already busy month of celebrations. June has always been my favorite month, and not just because it's my birthday month. June marks the first official day of summer and is typically filled with perfect Minnesota weather. There are so many reasons why I love June that I can't even begin to list them all here!

This June I had the opportunity to take my first girls' trip. Since my BFF and I have birthdays that are just 2 days apart, we decided that we should make a weekend of it and it was decided that we would spend a long weekend at my parents' cabin on Baby Lake in Hackensack, MN. This girls' trip would be the first time that I was ever away from Ryder for more than a day, and I was NERVOUS/ANXIOUS to leave him, but at the same time I knew that this was something I needed to do for me. I missed that little redhead like crazy the whole time I was away, but my girls made sure I had so much fun that I barely noticed!

First drink of the weekend!

After pulling some strings, the girls and I were able to all rearrange our work schedules so that we could head up to the cabin on Wednesday evening and stay through Sunday. I honestly can't believe that we were all able to get the same times off work given we all work on the same unit at the hospital (and our staffing lady is a total witch...), but we did so when Wednesday came around, we were on our way. We were all so excited for our trip. So much so that someone may or may not have gotten a speeding ticket before we even got out of town...I blame Ashley for making us stop at her house to retrieve a forgotten item ;)

I'm sure the girls will love me for posting this picture...No make-up, in their jammies, fresh off a 6 hour car ride!

After our long car ride, we were all way too excited to sleep which of course meant that we had to have a couple drinks. That has always been a tradition for Jason and I when we go there - no matter how late it is, after we unpack the car we have a beer before going to bed. Can't break tradition!

This was NOT all ours...

The next morning it was rainy (boo!) so I decided to take the girls up to Walker to check out the shops, grab some lunch at Benson's, and have a couple of cocktails along the way. If you've never been to Walker, MN you are MISSING OUT! It is one of my favorite places and it is filled with all these cute little shops and the people are so nice. Heidi's dad actually grew up in Walker, so it is a very special place to her, too.

Janan, Ashley, Heidi, and I - Drinks in Walker

After spending a few hours in Walker we headed back to the cabin. Fortunately the sun was finally starting to come out, so we seized the opportunity and headed out on the pontoon. The rest of the week was spend soaking up every ounce of sun that we could find (which wasn't much...), girl talk, good food, and even a couple workouts believe it or not.

My BFF, Heidi, and I hanging out on the pontoon!

Look at that background...bliss!

 On the night of Heidi's birthday we travelled in to the big city of Longville for some karaoke at the Docksider. I decided to be the DD that night, but it was still a ton of fun hanging out with my girls and listening to people try to sing. Heidi and Ashley sang "Pontoon" by Little Big Town, and they were by far the best act of the night. They got a standing ovation and everything!

On the day of my birthday (Saturday) I decided that I wanted to spend the day and night at the cabin. That way we could all have fun and not worry about how we were going to get home. So after spending all day out on the lake, we spent the rest of the evening/night playing bean bags, sitting around the fire, and drinking way more than a person should. It was the perfect day!

Birthday shots with my dad! I think we went through 1/2 of a 1.75 bottle of tequila that night!

Sunday morning came way too quickly - as it usually does - and it was time to pack up the car and head home. After our fun Saturday night, we weren't nearly as energetic on the car ride home. Overall, it was a great weekend that I can't wait to repeat. The girls and I have decided that we will do this trip every other year (at least), so it looks like the next one will be for Heidi and I's dirty 30 in 2015. We may have to get up there sooner than that. I guess time will tell...

Until we meet again Baby Lake!

Stay tuned to the next post for our family vacation to Baby Lake over the 4th of July...

What to write about?

So I figured it out and I think I now know why I don't update this blog very often...I have NO idea what to write about which leads to some serious writer's block. When I read the blogs that I follow, I always think, "she picked such a great topic to write about...I want my blog to be this interesting/entertaining..." So, how do I do that? I'm not 100% sure, so in the mean time I will start with writing an update on the events of our summer. Pretty sure this is going to be a multi-part blog post. Let's start with May. Here goes...

May started out with the end of Spring Semester for me and the start of summer for our whole family. Our little red-head turned 2 this May (can you believe he's already 2, cuz I can't!) so of course we had to celebrate with a super fun birthday party.  This years theme was Toy Story, because our little dude LOVES Woody and Buzz Lightyear like no other. I can't even tell you how many times we have watched all 3 Toy Story movies in one day... It's a lot!

Alien Cupcakes (courtesy of Pinterest) on Ryder's Birthday

We had Ryder's birthday party at our house on Saturday, May 18th. It was a fun, relaxing, low-key event and we were so happy to share this special occasion with some of our family and friends. Jason and I had a smaller, more intimate celebration on Ryder's actual birthday on the 22nd (see cupcake photo above). Okay, back to the birthday party... As usual, I found most of my inspiration for the party following several hours of Pinterest searching and pinning to my "Ryder's 2nd Birthday" board. Seriously, what did we do before Pinterest? I'm still angry that Pinterest wasn't around when I got married!

Toy Story inspired food including Mrs. Potato Head's potato salad, Buzz's UFO burgers, Slinky's hot dogs, Hamm's baked beans, Woody's watermelon, RC's ramen noodle salad, and Jessie's burger fixin's!

We kept the decor simple and easy. I found these Toy Story print outs online, and they looked exactly like the drawings in Andy's room in Toy Story. I got so many compliments on them and have to say that they looked pretty cool. They are now hanging in our play room and Ryder loves to look at them and point out Buzz and Woody.

This one was my favorite!

The day was spent with good food, great company, and fun times. I think we call that a success! We are so grateful to all of our friends and family that were able to make the trip over to help celebrate our little man's 2nd birthday. It was truly a special day!

Who says you can't have a smash cake at your 2nd birthday?

Nothing better than a frosting covered Woody!

I was going to try to make my own cake this year, but it's so much easier to order one from HyVee. I found these cake toppers on Amazon and I think they were the perfect touch to take this cake from generic to special.

I have about a million more pictures from Ryder's 2nd birthday party, but I don't want to overwhelm you all so I'll leave you with just one more. I can't wait to start planning next year's birthday party. I'm thinking that the theme with be dinosaurs or Despicable me, those are Ryder's favorite things right now. Who knows what the next few months will bring...Thankfully I have 8 months to plan it! What are some of your favorite birthday themes? Bonus points for links to your blog. I would love to see what you all have come up with!

Kisses for the birthday boy! XOXO

There's room for YOU in my challenge group...Read all about it here!

Starting on August 5th I will be coaching a challenge group for people who have chosen to give Beachbody's newest fitness program - Focus T25 - to the test. T25 is an amazing new fitness program by Insanity creator Shaun T., designed to give you some seriously awesome results in just 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Everybody's got time for that!

T25 results just keep coming in and they are incredible! I would love to work with you and have you be a part of my challenge group. YOU still have time to join my group and change your life. To help you decide, I want to share some of the Focus T25 Results from the focus group. Prepare to be amazed!

Focus T25 Results: Jamie Lost 37 Pounds in 50 Days

You read that right...37 pounds in just 50 days. Those are what you call AMAZING results. And I'm here to tell you that YOU can have these same results.

Jamie had amazing results from her 50 days of T25! The best thing about T25 is that you only have to do it for 25 minutes a day, and you will get incredible results. If you want to lose pounds and inches fast, T25 is the fitness program for you. 

Focus T25 Results

Focus T25 Results: Tania Got Her Abs Back

Here's some more proof...

At the age of 40, post C-Section, Tania is looking better than ever! You have no excuses, anything is possible with a little will power and the brand new T25 fitness program. I know I can't wait to have a stomach just like Tania's!

Focus T25 Results

Focus T25 Results: Sean Lost 7% Body Fat in Just 10 Weeks

Do you need more proof?

If you want to lose body fat, then T25 is the fitness program for you. Look at these amazing results from Sean. He started out this program in fairly good shape, but says that T25 was a killer. And the results speak for themselves. 

Focus T25 Results

Focus T25 Results: Lee Packed on the Muscle

Still not convinced?

If you're looking to add some muscle to your body, T25 can do that too! In just 10 weeks, Lee was able to lose 31 pounds and 13% of his body fat. That could be you!

Focus T25 Results

So...HOW CAN YOU GET THESE SAME RESULTS?

The secret to getting results with Focus T25 is to follow the T25 Workout Schedule and Diet. When you focus your efforts on the different (alpha, beta, & gamma) stages of T25 and follow the nutrition plan, your results will happen. Another important piece of the puzzle to get your these results is to join my T25 Challenge Group, titled "NO MORE EXCUSES".  My challenge group will help you and the other members of the group to stay accountable! So, how do you get started? Simply sign up for a free Beachbody membership today with me as your personal Beachbody coach. Another, even easier option, is to comment below with your email address and first/last name and I will prepare your T25 order for you and send it directly to your email. 

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

What Blogs Do I Read?

So I promise you that I am really trying to be better about this whole blogging thing... You've all heard that before!

Anyhoo, I was just posting a spot on my Get Fit With Danielle page on Facebook with links to my favorite blogs, and I thought that I would include that list here. So here goes...

This first one is the number one reason why I decided to make a change. This woman, Mama Laughlin, is a busy, working mother of 2 who decided to make a change after her first child was born. Through the use of home workout programs, running, and watching what she eats, she was able to shed over 60 pounds and keep it off. She is seriously amazing and totally hilarious! Check her out at http://www.mamalaughlin.com

This next one is a blog that I found while reading Mama L's blog. Skinny Meg is one of Mama L's closest friends and workout buddies, and on her blog she chronicles her weight loss, healthy lifestyle, and fertility issues. She is also super funny and her blog is always worth reading. Check her out at http://www.skinnymeg.com

And this one is probably my all time favorite blog. Titled "Enjoying the Small Things", it's not fitness related, but it always serves as a great reminder about how precious this life we are living truly is. Kelle Hampton writes about her life since giving birth to a beautiful daughter, Nella, who was born with Down's Syndrome.  Kelle's blog has taught me the true meaning of family, life, and love. Check her out at http://www.kellehampton.com

That's all for now. More to come soon, but in the meantime check me out  and "Like" me on Facebook either at my Get Fit With Danielle page or my Beachbody Coach page.

Much Love - Danielle

My Weight Loss Journey Thus Far

I know I have shared my story with you all before, but this morning I was writing to my new accountability partner from my challenge group, and I thought that my message to her was a pretty good summation of my Beachbody journey thus far...

Here goes...

I am a 27 (almost 28) year old full-time nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I have been married for 4 years and am mommy to a very busy 2 year old boy. This past fall I started graduate school with pursuits of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, and I will graduate from that program in 3 years.

Prior to becoming pregnant in the fall of 2010 I had "let myself go" and gained about 20 (okay, let's be honest, more like 30) pounds. I was very mad at myself for gaining this weight and couldn't believe that I had let it get that bad, but I didn't try to do anything about it because I was planning to get pregnant. Basically I got lazy lazier and used my pregnancy as a crutch and a reason not to workout. On a side note, before getting pregnant I didn't workout that often, but I did find myself at the gym from time to time...nothing to write home about! 

38 weeks pregnant with little man...200+ pounds

During my pregnancy I gained about 30 pounds and on the day I went home from the hospital I weighed over 200 pounds - a healthy weight for me is somewhere around 140... I remember leaving the hospital thinking, "okay, you gained some weight, now's the time to get rid of it." Throughout the next year of breastfeeding, I was able to lose all of my baby weight and more, and when I weaned last summer I was down to 148 which is the lowest I've been in years. I felt great! I had previously set a goal to get back to 145, and I was so close I could taste it. Hooray for breastfeeding! But do you think I did anything to maintain this weight...the answer is clearly NO!

Over the next 18 months I gained back much of the weight that I had lost while breastfeeding my son, and as of this March I was weighing in at 172 pounds (only 4 pounds less than my pre-pregnancy weight). I was devastated. I knew I had gained some of the weight back but I had NO idea how much of it I had actually gained. I was angry and fell into a pretty dark depression that I didn't know how to get out of. I honestly HATED myself, which is something I am not proud to admit, but hey, it's the truth. I hated myself for gaining the weight back. I hated myself for not losing the additional pounds and getting to my goal weight of 145 when I was SO close. How could I do this to myself. What the hell was wrong with me? That's when I started talking to Naomi Peterson about her Beachbody journey. I knew that I had to do something and soon before my depression spiraled out of control (which I felt it was already starting to do).

After watching the promotional video about Turbo Fire (<---you can watch that video here) I was hooked. It looked fun and it looked liked something I could really do. More importantly it was something that I would be able to fit into MY schedule. No more trying to get to the gym in between work, school, and mommy/wife duties. I could workout during little man's naps, or after he went to bed at night, or whenever. I loved the flexibility it offered. But what convinced me the most was the real life success stories that people are having from the Turbo Fire program. You see, I've always been an instant gratification type girl. I want to see results as soon as possible, and if I don't, I quit...

I ordered my challenge pack - Turbo Fire + Shakeology (we'll talk more about the shakes on a later post), and my 1st day was March 12th. In the first week I lost 5 pounds; 9 pounds by the end of week 2. Today I am right around 154-155 which makes my total loss of 18 pounds. I have also lost over 30 inches and I feel great. This program really does work if you are willing to put in the work, this is the main reason that I became a Beachbody coach! (Another side note: must take new pictures of me and what I actually look like now. Just searched through my computer and you can only see my face and upper body...) I have set a goal weight of 140, but would ideally love to get to 135. Right now I am looking forward to breaking out of the 150s and getting closer to 145. Baby steps people!

Me with little man at his 2nd birthday party on 5/18

Please know that the reason for writing this post was NOT to gain customers or grow my Beachbody business. I simply wanted to give you all a glimpse into my life in order to gain a better understanding of why I became a Beachbody coach. I would also love to motivate other women (and men) out there who are in a similar place and need some motivation. I have been continuously inspired by Mama Laughlin - she is a busy working mom with 2 busy little boys and she has lost some serious LBs with diet and exercise. She even became a runner which is something that has always been on my bucket list. I remember reading her blog and thinking, "okay, if she can do it, so can I." I knew that I had to quit with the excuses bullshit and just do it. And can I just say that girlfriend is a serious M.I.L.F. I wish I was half as hot as her! Check out her blog for some serious motivation and some great laughs. She is super candid and completely hilarious. You'll love her!

That being said, I would love to work with any of you who are looking to try something different! I want to thank you all for reading my story and learning a little more about my journey. My new motto is NO MORE EXCUSES. What's yours?

Beachbody Update

So (as usual) I completely SUCK at this regular blogging thing...Eventually I will become better at it. I can't even tell you why I am so bad at it. I could make all sorts of excuses...full-time job, full-time grad student, mom to a VERY busy two year old, wife, etc...but the fact remains, I should be able to find more time to work on this thing...at least once per week...I'm really going to try to suck less and blog more.

Okay, enough of that shiz...

Here's a quick update on how the whole being fit and healthy thing is going. I am pleased to report that things are going very well. In fact, things are going way better than expected. I started my Turbo Fire challenge pack at 172 pounds on March 12 and as of May 24 I am down to 154 pounds, for a total of 18 pounds GONE FOREVER! I am also down over 30 inches and have gone from a size 10-12 to a size 6.

My challenge does not end for a couple more weeks, and I am excited to see what more I can accomplish in those final days. I have set a goal to be 150 pounds or less by the time my challenge ends on June 10th. Do you think I can do it? I DO and I'm going to try my hardest to get as close as I can to that goal.

But that's not my final goal. Ideally, I would like to be somewhere between 135-140 pounds wearing a size 4-6. And even more than those goals, I want to be happy with myself and the way I look. I want to wear my clothes with confidence knowing that I look good and thinking that others think that I look good. I want to wear shorts and not be concerned about the size of my thighs. And I really want to wear a bikini and not feel like a beached whale in it. But MOST IMPORTANTLY I want to learn to love myself...FINALLY!

The time is now and I am through making excuses. I can do this. I will do this. I AM DOING THIS! And since I've been having such great success with my Beachbody program I decided to become a Team Beachbody coach. Don't worry, there will be lots more info to come in my next post which will be SOON!

Okay, that's it for now. I've been up working all night and it's time for me to go home and go to bed. My patience is nearly gone and I need to get out of this place before I say something inappropriate...

It's Time to Make a Change...

Since getting pregnant and giving birth to my son nearly two years ago, my body has gone through some pretty drastic changes.  During my pregnancy I gained around 30 pounds, which wasn't too bad; however, I wasn't exactly a healthy weight prior to getting pregnant, so adding 30 pounds on top of that was, well, not so great...you get the picture...

One month prior to getting pregnant...dresses hide a lot, but seriously, look at those arms...

So anyways, I was overweight and knew that I needed to make a change, but then I got pregnant...Now I know what you're thinking, that isn't an excuse, and you're right. It isn't an excuse, or not a good one atleast. But at the time I told myself that I was pregnant and I was going to gain weight anyways so why bother trying to get into shape now. I told myself that after I had the baby I would lose the weight and get into shape...the best laid plans, right? 

So my pregnancy progressed...I gained 30 pounds...yadda, yadda, yadda...

38 weeks pregnant...Ryder was born less than a week after this was taken...notice the super baggy pants...

On May 22, 2011, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Ryder David Munsterman. He was the most amazing thing I had ever laid eyes on, and totally worth the 30 pound weight gain! I made the decision to breastfeed Ryder and within weeks the weight was falling off...literally. At my 8 week follow-up appointment I had lost more than the 30 pounds that I gained during my pregnancy...Wow! This breastfeeding thing was AWESOME!

8 weeks after giving birth to Ryder Roo...feeling pretty confident here, although that may have been the exhaustion...

As the first year of Ryder's life passed by, I continued to lose weight which was 100% because of breastfeeding. I think I only set foot in the gym a handful of times in that entire year...and sure I would go in spurts where I would do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for like 10 days, but no matter what I started, I always quit...I was losing weight from breastfeeding so why would I need to do anything else? I had convinced myself that the weight I lost from breastfeeding would be a permanent loss. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that I knew that it wouldn't be, but again, I didn't care enough about me...

Ryder's first birthday party - May 18, 2012 (wearing size 2s/4s at this point)...still breastfeeding...

By the time Ryder's first birthday rolled around I was the smalled I'd been in YEARS! I officially weighed 30 pounds less than when I got pregnant and was fitting into size 2s and 4s. I felt and looked great...with clothes on that is, underneath the clothes it still wasn't that pretty, I was one of those fat, skinny girls, you know the girls who are thin but have no tone to their boy, yeah, I was one of those...but I was still the thinnest I'd been, probably since high school. I knew that my days of breastfeeding would be soon coming to an end. Looking back on it now, I wish that I was still doing it...I kid, I kid...kind of. I knew that deciding to stop breastfeeding would most likely lead to some degree of weight gain, but I was determined to maintain that weight. Here's the problem, I didn't really do anything to accomplish that goal. Sure I would do 10 days of the 30 Day Shred here and there, but I never stuck to any program or plan. As the next few months passed by I started to gain back weight, little by little, and before I knew it I was only 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight again. WHAT THE HELL? I even tried Weight Watchers for a period and managed to lose 7 pounds in the first month...that I quickly gained back over the holidays...I continued using weight watchers until earlier this month and did not lose a single pound. Now don't get me wrong, I know that weight watchers works, I've seen it work for people I know. In fact, one of my co-workers has lost over 30 pounds since doing it, so this isn't me bashing weight watchers. I'm just saying that it didn't work for me. And I think that the reason it didn't work is because I didn't really need to modify my diet that much. I tend to eat fairly healthy. What I really need to do is get my big butt moving!


Christmas 2012

As the first of the year...can you believe it's already 2013...I knew it was time to make a change. It was time to start putting ME first insted of last. I was so concerned with making everyone else happy, but what about me? When was it going to be my time to be happy. More importantly, I needed to be healthy for my adorable little boy. I want to be a good role model for him. I want to encourage him to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. I don't want him to grow up with a mom who is a couch-potato. And most importantly I want to teach him that loving yourself is the most important thing. Do I love myself? NO! Do I even like myself most day? NO! In fact, most days I HATE myself. I hate what I've let myself become. I hate that I have let myself go to the point where I hate myself. I want to learn to love myself. I deserve to love myself. And as shallow as it sounds, I know that I won't love myself until I finally lose weight, get in shape, and look/feel better.

I made a decision to start using Beach Body. They are the geniuses behind workouts like P90X and Insanity and a little gem I have chosen called Turbo Fire. It is a high intensity interval training style workout that combines aerobics and kick boxing, and it is FUN! It has also been scientifically proven to burn 9x more fat than traditional cariovascular exercises. To help improve my chances of improvement I am also taking once daily meal replacement shakes. These are also from Beach Body and are called Shakeology. I take one Shakeology shake every morning in place of breakfast and so far...I'm only on day 4...I have been amazed at how much my cravings have decreased. I no longer want to snack all day long. The shakes are also designed to improve digestive health and regularity, and they are loaded with protein and all other sorts of good for you things. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling the effects on my digestive system already, too! So far, Beach Body and Shakeology get 2 big thumbs up from this busy, working mom.

So, the journey starts now. I will lose weight. I will get in shape. And I will learn to love myself...It's about time! I know that it will be a long journey. I know that results don't and won't come overnight. I know that what I need to do is make a lifestyle change. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to be blogging throughout the entire process of my transformation with a goal of inspiring others to make a change. Please contact me with any questions about my workouts, Shakeology, or Beach Body in general...I may even become a coach/distributor...that's how much I believe in these products! I want to thank you all for joining me in this journey, and I hope that you can all gain something from this blog. Much Love - Danielle

A Little Home Makeover

When Jason and I purchased our home back in April of 2008 we originally planned to stay there for a maximum of 5 years, and we truly viewed our house as a starter house and nothing more than that.  Well, here we are nearly 5 years later and we have NO plans to go anywhere any time soon.  When we first moved into our house I knew that we would have a LOT of changes to make, mainly cosmetic but still necessary if we were going to be truly happy here.  Shortly after moving in we began minor renovations in the form of paint and accessories.  These updates snowballed into new wood flooring and carpet throughout the house, repainted trim, new trim, a new upstairs bathroom, all new appliances, a garden, etc., etc....  In fact, more than one room in our house has been painted more than once since moving in!  Basically, it has been a labor of love to make our house into a home, and I think we are finally, almost, there.

We were fortunate in the fact that our home only needed those types of minor changes to change it from drab to fab.  The previous owners had completed some of the major updates the year before selling, which included a brand new kitchen, new siding, a new driveway, and new shingles.  We were very happy to not have to worry about those things, as they tend to be the most costly of home projects.  All that being said, there was one major improvement that was left undone...the windows!

Our home, which was built in 1978, still had all of its original windows and let me tell ya, they needed to go!  They were drafty and ugly.  Some of them didn't even open anymore either because the weights were broken or the wood had swollen from years of moisture.  And did I mention they were ugly?!?!  Now I would like to say that my main motivator in updating our windows was the cost savings that would come along with having more energy efficient windows, but who am I kidding, I wanted pretty windows!

That's where American Exteriors comes into the picture.  Last summer we were approached by a very nice man who was walking around our neighborhood talking to people about updating their windows and siding.  We had a very short conversation with this man as we did not have the funds to think about updating windows at that time.  So we gave the man our information and sent him on his way wishing that we could have said "yes" to new windows at that time.  Now let's fast forward a few months... I received a phone call from another very nice man from American Exteriors who, basically, was calling to tell us about an exciting promotional incentive for homeowners wanting to get new windows.  I decided that we should set up a meeting with one of the sales reps to find out more about these windows and see if it was something we could make work.  After all, I was sick and tired of paying upwards of $250+ per month for heating and air conditioning.  It was time for a change - and it helps that Jason had accidentally broken a window in our living room the night before they called!

The infamous broken window thanks to Jason's shoulder...nice, huh?

Long story short, the salesman came and we said "yes" to new windows.  Our salesman, Dan, is the biggest reason for our decision.  He was polite, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and patient.  Not once did he try to persuade us; in fact, several times he offered to let us think on it for a few days, but Jason and tend to be impulse people.  We knew we needed them, the price and financing was right, the timing (see broken window) was right.  We were going to get new windows!  So, measurements were taken and our custom replacement windows were in production and would be arriving in approximately 30 days.

The day of installation came.  I got up early that morning to take Ryder to daycare and get home to remove blinds, take down curtains, and move furniture away from the windows. That morning felt comparable to Christmas morning. I was so excited to be getting our new windows and I couldn't wait for the process to begin. As I waited for the installation crew, I took a few pictures of our lovely 1978 windows, put on some DVR'd episodes of Sex and the City, and made myself a latte. Here are a few pictures of our before windows:

outside before

outside of our bedroom before

outside of kitchen before

outside before

living room before

our bedroom before

family room before

guest room before

 Seriously, I think we won the award for ugliest windows. They just didn't go with the look of our home.  And I previously mentioned they barely opened, and don't  even get me started on cleaning   They were HORRIBLE and nearly impossible to clean. I'm SO glad they're gone... And now, without further ado, here are our new, pretty windows...

Ryder's room after

our room after

kitchen after (plus a new sink!)

living room after 

family room after

guest room after

outside our room after

outside after

outside after

outside after

 So there you have it. The story of how American Exteriors took our house from ugly to beautiful. And now we wait for spring to come. I can't wait to see what our house will look like with a plush, green lawn, bright flowers, leaves on the trees, and sunshine in the sky. The future, and our house, is looking promising!

Check American Exteriors out for yourself...you'll be glad you did!

Don't the new windows look great? We think so!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about our window project and how you can get pretty new windows for your house, too.