Many of my readers may not get this post, but this is my blog and I’ll blog what I want to.

The life of a marketing automation specialist is a fun one. Most people don’t know what I do, and that’s OK. That’s the point. I do a lot of cool things that make other things happen. A facilitator of sorts. And also, a total baller.

And if you work with me and get offended by this, please don’t. It’s all meant in good fun.

Without further ado… the life of a marketing automation specialist as explained through GIFs.

When someone wants to change the email/landing page you spent 10 hours finalizing.

When a typo goes unnoticed on an email send.

When your PURL list will only export without the PURLs.

When someone from sales is looking for help to ‘send out a quick email’.

When your 25 step campaign flow works on the first try.

When you run a new segmentation.

When you’re told the campaign you’ve worked on all week is cancelled.

When someone says that your job is ‘email marketing’.

When your idea gets put on the product roadmap.

When someone messes up your data.

When you try to explain why it’s not OK to send someone 5 emails a week.

When someone understands why it’s not OK to send someone 5 emails a week.

When anyone out there finds this as entertaining as I do.

Check out part II!

I will NOT feel guilty for giving myself what I want.

I will NOT feel guilty for giving myself what I need.

This is my latest intention. I go to yoga and sweat and stretch and chant it over and over again until my mind is blank. The blankness may only last a few moments at best but those moments are priceless.

Just a month ago I sat here and proclaimed that 2012 would be more running! Look at this big list of races I want to run! Yay running!

And then, I got back in the room. Hey yoga, nice to see you again. I haven’t stopped craving that room since. I have stopped running since though.

Maybe it’s just coincidence, maybe divine intervention… but a beautiful yoga studio just opened a mere 4 minutes from my home. How I didn’t know this was happening is a shock but I found out the day before the first class from Maria on twitter and in that moment I was overjoyed.

Since then I’ve been attending 2-4 classes a week and I couldn’t be both happier and more frustrated. I’m SO happy when I’m in the room. I’m so happy when I leave. I’m so happy when I wake up knowing I have a class later.

I’m frustrated that my desire to run is zero. ZERO.

I have been on the treadmill taking long luxurious walks while watching The Bachelor on my iPad but the thought of cranking the speed past 4 mph is not one in my head.

I was feeling really bad about this. I was feeling guilty. Didn’t I just say I couldn’t wait to run more this year? I’m a fraud!

I was talking to Maria before a great session a few weeks ago about this and she said, “Well maybe this is just what your body needs right now.” You know what, I think she was right. That day during practice my intention was “I will not feel guilty for giving my body and mind what they need.”

Since that day I let go of the guilt and embraced what felt good. Not only for my body but for my mind. I work hard. I parent a 2 year old. I volunteer my time. I try to be on top of things. Why force myself to do something I just don’t want to do right now? Don’t I deserve a few hours a week to do exactly what I want and make myself better because of it? Honestly, I think I do deserve that.

This is by no means me saying I’m not a runner. I love running. I have since I was 12 years old and will continue to for the rest of my life I hope. But who is to say that hanging out the sneakers for a bit (could be a month, could be a year) is wrong? I’m done feeling that it’s wrong.

I will give my myself what I want.

I will give myself what I need.

Namaste.

Yes, I’m super thankful for my good health and of those of love. I’m thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my pantry and just generally everything about my life. Not to downplay ANY of these things but I hope that they are obvious and let it be known I am super thankful for all of it.

Now some other things I’m thankful for.

CHRISTIE IS GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND. Remember my favorite running buddy Christie? Well she is getting hitched this weekend and I am pumped for her and Douglas, as well as the festivities. It will be a great group of peeps celebrating two awesome people. I might dance myself into an ankle injury. I better stretch before the reception. No, seriously.

The new TV show, Nashville. I’m just sort of obsessed. I love me some Connie and I even hate Hayden less because of this show. I watched last week’s episode twice. OK, OK… three times.

The new Sperry store at Beachwood has opened. Seanski and I hopped over there on Sunday to inhale some leather smelling joy and pick up some new footwear.

So what are you thankful for besides the stuff I already know you are thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving!

My good friend Katie recently posted pictures on Facebook of the makeover she did on her bathroom cabinets from the standard honey oak look to a dark java color. I instantly knew I had to do it too. I saw the tutorial on Pinterest months ago and was really intrigued but was afraid it wasn’t as easy as it appeared. Once Katie confirmed it was just that easy I bit the bullet!

We built our house 6 years ago, and though I love it, it’s not my dream home. We did a lot of the standard build features and very few upgrades. Something that was standard on house built around that time are honey oak cabinetry. Urgh. It’s not that honey oak cabinets are awful by any means, but they just don’t have much character for me. They didn’t really start to bother me until a few years ago and after seeing the makeovers of honey oak cabinets to deep rich java I knew I had to have them.

I’m not going to go through a step-by-step tutorial. I will just point you to this blog, she outlines the process and also has a FAQ page. Thanks Monica!

Here’s the before of the bathroom that Mike and I use:

As you can see, nothing wrong with it. Just a regular ole vanity. Yes, there is no hardware. I kept putting off buying hardware when we built because I wasn’t sure what I wanted and then once I realized I wanted to paint the cabinets someday I continued to put it off.

Here are some initial in progress photos.

Here is before and then after the first coat:

After two coats:

After I got a few coats on I knew immediately I also wanted to do our hall bathroom as well which is very similar.

Putting on the stain is really easy. It’s a gel stain so it’s really thick so it goes on smooth and easy. The tutorial suggests the ‘sock’ method but I used foam brushes only and really liked it.

Overall I put on 3 coats of gel stain and 3 coats of poly. The hardest part of the process is the waiting between coats. I waited at least 24 hours between each gel coat. After the gel stain I waited several days before the poly. I think this is key. Dry. Dry. Dry. Then I did three coats of poly with at least 24 hours between each coat.

After everything was dry I removed all the painters tape and had Mike help me install all the hardware (which was the hardest part). I was so excited to get it all back together!

Here are before and AFTER!

Our bathroom:

Second bathroom:

I really love the way they turned out. And for the ease of the project and minimal cost I just love the difference. I spent under $150 for both bathrooms. (Keep in mine about $50 was for hardware which is also enough hardware for my kitchen too!) So really I spent under $100 for both bathroom and have a LOT of gel stain and poly left over. Which is great because after these results I plan on tackling the kitchen in the near future!

Bye-bye honey oak, it was nice knowin’ ya…

Have you redone cabinets? Please share your experience!

… because I’m not quite sure it will be one.

I’ve come to my blog so many times over the past month, started a post and then simply closed the browser window and gave up. I love blogging so much but things lately have just been nuts. I have said that before but it was never too nuts not to sit here and tell you all about how nuts it was. However, lately… just nuts.

My priorities as of late have been mom duty, wife duty and work. A whole lotta work. Though I’m weary, I’m giddy. I’m about 4 months and a few days into my new gig and I love it. Simply love it. However, I’m busy. VERY busy. Most days include 8-9 hours at the office, picking  up Miles, dinner, play, bathtime, bedtime, 2-3 more hours of work, crash, repeat. So yeah, blogging just hasn’t happened. As well as working out, cleaning my baseboards or pulling my weeds. However I find myself craving the ability to just talk about all the super awesome/normal/mundance things in my life here.

What can I tell you that you may have missed… Hmmmmm…

• Mike now also works at the same place as me. He is 3 weeks in and very happy there. No it’s not weird to work at the same place as your husband. I rarely see him and carpooling is awesome.
• I’m super excited for some fall weather. I have LOVED this summer with an extreme passion but moderate temps, boots and football… hell yes.
• We are still dealing with drama with Miles’s right ear… however today I finally left an ENT office without sobbing the most of the drive home. We are seeing a new pediatric ENT specialist who is well worth the drive to Twinsburg. We have a ways to go but for the moment we are feeling somewhat positive. I’ll take this moment and smile.
• I’m still desperately missing Vegas. I seriously think about going back every day. Pretty sure we will be going there next year for my 30th!
• I’m considering joining a new gym nearby. I’m hoping to actually find the time to go there for a tour this week. They have a 5 am class I’d like to take every M, W and F which excites me. It’s time to get back into gear. Also, I’m planning on doing a 5K in a few weeks. Time to run!
• I saw Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean in concert on Friday. Literally the best concert ever. Luke Bryan… I mean… I can’t even deal with his hotness.

I’m dying to talk fall fashion and have a post in the works. What’s on your shopping list peeps? Also, is there a single person still reading this blog?