Friday Favorites v.111

I am officially less than a month away from my 30th birthday. Only freaking out slightly.

Okay! Let’s talk Friday Favorites.

1. Anybody else eyeing one of those 40oz Stanley tumblers with a handle? I collect cups and water bottles like no one’s business and really want to add this to my collection!

2. It’s supposed to be 80 degrees this weekend. Halleluiah! This girl needs some sun.

3. This week has been a great week for me weight-wise. I’ve consistently been at a new low all week and am only 2 pounds away from reaching my next goal!

4. My roundup of headlines from Monday’s Boston Marathon.

5. Look at how precious my mamaw is Easter egg hunting at her assisted living home. They do such fun things for the residents there and I am so happy she is in a good place!

6. Emery loves all things Elmo and this cute little set on Amazon might just have to become someone’s newest pajamas.

7. Uhm, I think I love these shorts. Might need to add these to my cart ASAP.

8. Murphy loves hanging out in the driveway while Emery plays with her chalk. He thinks he’s our big and bad guard dog.

Friday Favorites v.110

Four blog posts in one week?! Who am I right now? The blogging bug bite me hard this week, so I’m running with it. Since I haven’t done one of these in a while, let’s dive in –

1. The last couple days have brought some interesting weather. While I’m not a fan of the rain, I am a fan of the warmer temps! We caught a break in the rain on Tuesday and spent the afternoon drawing with sidewalk chalk. Such innocent fun.

2. Vionic shoes. Since my second go-round with plantar fasciitis, I’ve been looking for some more supportive shoes to wear at work. I bought this pair in black and these in white last month and have been wearing them daily!

3. Season 42 of Survivor. Ryan and I watch every Wednesday and this is just as good as last!

4. Blade and Bow candle. When I visited the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in March, they had these lit all over the gift shop. They smell amazing so I bought one for my home.

5. My new Simplified planner came in the mail on Thursday! This is the 6th of 7th year in a row I’ve been using these planners and I’m in love with all the new designs.

6. One of my best friends has started a new website/social media channels promoting all things OBKY (my hometown and current town) and I love it! She is a champion for small/local businesses and everything she does is just so dang creative. WKY friends – go check it out!

7. THE BOSTON MARATHON IS ON MONDAY.

8. Of course, we have to end with Murphy! This guys celebrates his 7th birthday later this month and he still has just as much energy as the day we brought him home.

Friday Favorites v.109

Well since it’s been forever and a day since I’ve done one of these, so lets get started!

1. Emery Jane turned one month on Monday! I can’t believe our baby has been here for more than a month. Parenthood has been a wild adventure and I can’t wait to see grow and learn.

2. Can I still sing the praises of the Oiselle rogas?! I loved them before I got pregnant, wore them all 40 weeks of pregnancy (including to the hospital to be induced — see the picture of my brother and I before I left for the hospital below!) and now I’m wearing them postpartum (and all the same size).

3. Chick-fil-A’s mocha cold brew. UHM YES PLEASE. Give me all the caffeine.

4. Among Us. My husband always plays games on his phone but I’m not one to usually join in. Well he convinced be to download Among Us and now I’m hooked we play against each and my brother (and lots of strangers) and it’s addicting. I love it!

5. Tried a new-to-me restaurant on Wednesday — Chicken Salas Chick. 10/10 I had the Sassy Scotty (chicken salad with ranch, bacon and cheese) and the spicy pimento cheese. SO GOOD. I can’t wait to go back and try all their other flavors.

6. Ryan and Rose pacifiers and cutie clips. I was gifted a set at my baby shower and EJ loves them. & I love all the cute styles and colors.

7. Harry Potter Clue. Ryan and I love to play board games with family and friends so he recently snagged Harry Potter Clue. It’s so much more than the regular Clue and the Harry Potter theme is a plus.

8. I let Murphy out to play in the backyard and the next thing I know he is sunbathing on the patio furniture.

What are some of your favorite things from the week?

Friday Favorites v.108

This week seemed to drag on and fly by all at the same time. I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday due to an awful cold and a low fever, so my days have been all out of whack. We had some nice weather in Kentucky earlier in the week, but now it’s back to cold and rainy. I am so ready for summer!

But let’s move on from the negative and talk about some of my favorites from this week!

1. My love for Oiselle is strong and Kara Goucher’s new line is amazing. I want one of everything, please.

2. The first signs of spring showed up this week! We had two days where the temps were in the upper 60s/low 70s! Sadly, we’re back to cold and rainy today but warmer weather is coming!

3. My brother comes home from college for spring break! His 21st birthday is Sunday, so I’m excited to take him out for a legal beer.

4. This has been a favorite since it dropped, but Sucker by the Jonas Brothers has been on repeat for days. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

5. Murray State won the OVC Tournament last Saturday and are going to the NCAA Basketball Tournament! Ryan and I both graduated from MSU so our love for the blue and gold runs deep. GO RACERS!

6. I’m going to see some community theater tonight with a group from my work. While this isn’t something I do a lot, it’s fun to get out with different people and support something local!

7. Meet the women taking back the streets of Chicago.

8. I had a little photoshoot with Murphy outside our new home earlier and I am obsessed with how cute he is. 

Friday Favorites v.107 on a Monday

Since life has been crazy, let’s do Friday Favorites on a Monday! I meant to hit publish on this post last week and then time got away from me. Oops.

1. This is definitely interesting. Congrats to all who got in!
2019 New York City Marathon Entrants By the Numbers.

2. Recently tried out the new trampoline park in Owensboro and it was so much fun! Definitely reminds of all the years my brother and I spent doing flips on our trampoline in the backyard. 

3. Ryan and I were responsible adults last month and open two IRA accounts. Even if I’m not 100% sure how it all works, it feels good to know we are saving for our future!

4. A 3-foot-long snake stakes out prime 5k spectator spot in tree before Memphis race. UHM HECK NO.

5. Ryan has got me hooked on NBC’s Blacklist. After rewatching The Office and Parks and Rec a million times, we decided to try something new. I’m also watching ALL of Gilmore Girls in order and I love it. (I’ve seen most of the episodes, but not in order)
Also, #TeamJess FOR LIFE.

6. I’ve decided on my next race! More on that later this week 😉 Hint: it’s a shorter distance!

7. 18 household items runners should toss—and 5 to keep. For those of you who want to get a head start on spring cleaning.

8. LOOK AT THIS GOOBER. He gets so pumped for playtime (aka me throwing his stuffed hedgehog across the living room 400 times)

Friday Favorites v.106

Haven’t done one of these in a while, so let’s get to it!

1. Cupid’s Crunch recipe from juliewendell.com. Y’all. This girl has the best blog for party planning! I’ve been following her for about two years and she is so creative and comes up with everything you need to host a fun get together. Her recent Valentine’s post had this recipe in it and now I’m dying to give it a try before next week!

2. We recently got a Raising Canes in Owensboro and it’s becoming a new favorite. Chicken strips make up a good chunk of my diet (let’s be real here) and Canes are top notch.

3. While I use an academic planner (August 2018 – August 2019), most of the people at my office use a regular calendar year planner. One of the women bought a ton of fun stickers to use and shared some with me! Now all my planner entries and notes have fun stickers and it makes so happy.

4. LADIES. Read this – Why Women Wear White, A Brief History Of Political Fashion.

5. My post from earlier in the week about my recent membership at my local YMCA. I’m adventuring out to some fitness classes (which was one of my goals for 2019!)

6. Peanut butter and barries RX Bar. MY NEW FAVORITE. Most of them taste like dates (yuck) but this one is delicious.

7. All the new Oiselle! I want one of everything, please.

8. Walks with Murphy! Even when it’s not warm outside, we try to get out every day for a walk around the neighborhood. Murphy loves to smell ALL THE THINGS and I get to check out the new houses going up. 

Friday Favorites v.105

It’s the first Friday of 2019! So I decided to celebrate with a Friday Favorites post 🙂

1. Last night I watched the Taylor Swift Reputation Tour on Netflix and ohmygosh it was awesome. I’ve never been to one of her concerts, but last night I had a two-hour concert in my living room. If you’re a TSwift fan — check it out!

2. This really should be 1A, but I have come to love All Too Well.

3. My goals for 2019.

4. For Christmas, my husband got me Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. I made my first recipe from it (a simple frittata) and I think it went well! It tasted good and I didn’t burn the house down (win-win!)

5. I don’t think I mentioned this on the blog, but I got the iPhone XR and I LOVE IT. Such an awesome camera, so much space and it’s red (there are a number of colors you can choose from). If you’re on the fence — get it!

6. No, runners, you don’t have to “earn” your food. PREACH.

7. The dark chocolate chip peanut butter Perfect Bar has been my latest go-to snack. I found them at Aldi last weekend and I love them! They have a little more sugar than I prefer, but I only eat half a bar in one sitting, so it’s not that big of a deal.

8. This sleepy boy is always my favorite. 

Friday Favorites v.104

Popping in today with a Friday Favorites post — something I haven’t done in a while!

Things are finally starting to settle down over here, so I’ve had more time to blog! I have several great posts in my drafts folder that I’m working on and I can’t wait to share them with you all.

But first, let’s talk favorites.

1. Last week my boss gifted me a new Corkcicle since my other one was starting to peel (I accidentally put it in the dishwasher a few times). I love the fun colors and the larger size. I also use the Corckcicle metals straws and I love them. I swear drinking from a straw makes me get so much more water in than if I was drinking straight from the cup.

2. Forget Christmas sweaters, I want these Brooks Christmas sweater shoes!

3. Super random, but such a welcomed favorite this week — gas is down to $2.10 in western Kentucky! So pumped (ha! get it? pumped…)

4. Another Mother Runner released a new gear testing column and this one is all about safety and light gear for running in the dark. So many great options to help keep us all safe! (Also, DST is dumb and I hate that it gets dark at 4:30 now).

(Adding this vest to my Christmas list ASAP!)

5. What to wear running in any weather. Always good to know!

6. MISS ME MORE BY KELSEA BALLERINI. YouTube it now.

7.  I finished teaching my last class tonight. Next week is finals and then I’m done teaching until August!

8. This goofball got some new toys on Black Friday and this Christmas cactus is his favorite. He loves loves loves to rip the stuffing out of it.

Friday Favorites v.103

I’m pretty sure tomorrow is supposed to be the first official day of Fall, but it sure doesn’t feel like it in Kentucky. We’ve had temps in the 80s and 90s all week and even the humidity is still pretty brutal.

The theme for this week’s favorites post is fall and running (two of my favorite things!)

1. Eliud Kipchoge crushes marathon world record at Berlin Marathon. HOLY CRAP HE IS FAST. One of his best post-race quotes is: “I’ve run 2:00. I have run 2:01. The next is actually to run 2:02 so I have 2:00, 2:01, 2:02, 2:03, 2:04 and 2:05.”

2.  YAS. THIS. M-E-G-H-A-N-N

3. 60+ easy painted pumpkins — number 5 is my favorite! My house is already decorated for fall/Halloween but these would be so cute for a family activity.

4. Oiselle’s guide to this season’s knickers, capris, and tights.

5. In the journalism class I teach, we watched Spotlight this week. It’s such a good investigative reporting movie and I highly encourage you to watch it if you haven’t.

6.  My best friend came over on Tuesday to work out and holy crap I am still sore today (it’s currently Thursday as I’m typing this) I’m actually starting to worry a bit because it’s only my right calf that is sore and it even hurts to walk. I’m tried foam rolling and massaging it (it’s like behind my knee and around the upper part of my calf muscle) but so far no relief. I’m thinking the photo below shows a pretty good example of my pain.

7. My boss got a Flexispot bike this week and it is awesome and now I want one. (Actually, I’d be happy with a standing desk…maybe that will happen at some point!)

8. This is how I feel about it being FRIDAY!

Friday Favorites v.102

I am so excited for this weekend! We are really starting to make our house look like a home and it’s been so much fun. I have a long to-do list for this afternoon and tomorrow — but I’m ready to get started.

But first, let’s talk favorites from the last two weeks.

1. So I’m couple weeks late on this, but Oiselle launched their Crest Collection! I’m in love with every piece. I’ve really been eyeing the team long sleeve and the race day half zip.

2. NEED. Hocus Pocus is my jam.

3. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. You can help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital put an end to childhood cancer by becoming a St. Jude Hero for the 2019 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon and 1/2 Marathon.

This race was my first marathon and I had such a great experience in Nashville. The fact that you get to help a great organization is just icing on the cake!

4. Shalane and Elyse’s chocolate peanut butter cups.

5. Not a mom yet, but love this – Can we just let runners who are breastfeeding moms do their thing?

6. I posted about this earlier in the week — but I have my treadmill back and it’s up and running!

7. This adorable story about a local kid who is pushing another fourth grader in a running stroller during a sanctioned cross country meet. I am so happy and proud that change and inclusion in running community are happening in my hometown.

8. Someone is still getting used to the new house.