Happy Friday Everyone!
It has been a BUSY July over here! We wrapped up our NYC trip, got new carpet in 2 rooms and our staircase, I helped drive my mom for her 2 cataract eye surgeries, started half marathon training with a couple new goals and we are starting to get back into back to school now?!! Say what?!!
One – Ollie Bear is 2 (!!), New Hamster & Humming Bird Swing
Ollie Bear turned 2 in July and I can’t believe it!! He is just the sweetest baby! I recycled some birthday celebration stuff from last year and I got him a new treat and a couple new toys. He was a happy boy! He LOVES this basket that he is sitting in for this picture. Why he loves to lay in a hard basket is beyond me, but it is his sleepy spot.
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I got him these Bonkers Purr Pops for his birthday as a new treat to try out. He couldn’t figure it out, so I had to break it into pieces for him. But, Aurora (his little sister) LOVES them! We call them her cake pops! Autumn gives her one a day and she LOVES it!!
Before our trip to NYC, Nathan’s sweet little hamster Chip passed away. He was getting old and he lived a really good hamster life. We landed up getting another hamster for Nathan and he is SO cute. He’s very shy! His name is Oreo, because he is black and white.
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Something new for me this summer is my interest in hummingbirds! My mom gifted me a feeder for them and I didn’t think I’d get any hummingbirds, but I’ve gotten a lot of them!! So, I added a perch/swing and every so often I’ll see one hanging out on it. These pictures aren’t the best, but aren’t they just adorable little things?!
Two – New Running Goals!! Some FUN stuff ahead!!
I spied a swan on my last run, which is a first!! It’s a Where’s Waldo in the first photo and then I zoomed in on the swan in the second photo.
I just started a new half marathon training season and I’ve been with my running coach for a FULL year now! I have some new goals this time around and they’re pretty significant. This summer, I thought I wanted to dust off my rowing machine and use it more. So, I made it a summer goal to use the rower 2x a week and I’ve stuck with it! I’m so proud of myself! I achieved an end result of a 30 minute row that worked from 20 to 22 to 24 to 26 to 28 to 30 (!!) strokes per minute during that 30 minute session. Yay! It was a sweat bath!!! Rowing is HARD! I’m going to take a break from the rower after the summer, I’m just not sure if it is my fave… but, I’ll come back to it!
So, my coach’s new goal for me is to add a FOURTH run to my weekly runs! So, I’ll do a workout, an easy run with strides, a long run and my new fourth run will be an easy run on tired legs (preferably the day after my workout run or my long run). This is going to be tough to fit into my schedule, so I may be doing it on the treadmill from time to time. We’ll see. I prefer to get it done outside as my coach really wants me to train outside, since I’m training for an outside race. Makes sense, right?!
Then, my new goal for myself is I’m going to transition away from the FASTer Way Strength that I was doing 3 days a week, which was arms, total body and legs. And I signed up for Track Club Babe’s Strength Training for Running. It is 2 Leg Day Workouts done on running days and 2 Core/Hips/Upper Body Workouts done on days I don’t run. So far it hasn’t been too bad and it is a one time fee, so I’ll be saving some money!!
Shop These Shoes:
And, I purchased some new running shoes to start out the new half marathon training sesh. I have been loyal to Brooks Adrenaline for YEARS, but I decided to switch over to ASICS GT-2000 WIDE shoes, because I feel I need a little more room in the toe box. I also tried out the Brooks Ghost at the store, but wanted to stick to a stability shoe. I’m going through running shoes a lot faster now that I’m running outside for almost all my runs, so I’ve been trading out shoes every 300-350 miles instead of 500 miles. What running shoes do you wear?
Three – Latest Outings
Brian’s coworker gives us a gift card to Olive & Oak every holiday season and we love planning a date night to use it! I would say that Olive & Oak is one of the TOP local restaurants in St. Louis. I booked I think 2 or 3 months out and the only time they had was super early or super late, so we had a nice 4:45 p.m. dinner! Ha, ha! They are known for their cocktail menu, oysters and a menu that changes often with unique taste offerings. The cocktail I ordered this time was my favorite of ALL TIME, it is cocktail #240! I loved the pineapple glass!
We tried the fried oysters, with a buffalo sauce and bleu cheese buttermilk. 5/5!! I ordered the beef tenderloin with creamy corn puree, grilled potato bread and tomato relish. SO good!
This isn’t the best photo, but Autumn and her friend wanted to go to a book signing for an author they both love (Lynn Painter, ever hear of her?). It turned out there were 3 authors total at this book signing. It makes my heart so happy that my girl loves to read, just like me!!
While Autumn and her friend were at the book signing for 3 or so hours, Brian and I had a little ‘date night’ at The Foundry. It is a food hall, but there are shops, a theater, a fancy putt putt golf place, etc. inside it. It has really expanded! Unfortunately, it isn’t in the best area of the city… so, that is why we drove them there. We went and got fancy grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and then for dessert I had a Rosemary Caramel coffee at Sylvie Dee’s and Brian had one of their homemade waffle cones with ice cream. I have been wanting to check out the brick and mortar original Sylvie Dee’s in Webster Groves, but they just expanded a store at The Foundry, so it was nice to go in it. It was a little weird drinking a coffee SO late, but I had gotten up at 3 a.m. that morning to take my mom to her second cataract surgery, so it was well needed and I still slept like a baby!
Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
I’ve been into mental toughness books lately. Toughness has long been held as the key to overcoming a challenge and achieving greatness, whether it is on the sports field, at a boardroom, or at the dining room table. Yet, the prevailing model has promoted a mentality based on fear, false bravado, and hiding any sign of weakness. In other words, the old model of toughness has failed us. The author gives examples of physical and mental challenges that he has gone through and how he managed them, even if what worked in the past stopped working in the present. The book outlines four key pillars: Ditch the Facade, Embrace Reality; Listen to Your Body; Respond, Instead of React; and Transcend Discomfort. It emphasizes the importance of understanding your physiological and psychological responses to stress and adversity, and using that understanding to build genuine resilience. I’m one that tends to try to push through stress or I’ll just try to ignore it. This book had some great nuggets of wisdom to help me with that in the future.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I saw this book in the store and thought it looked really cute! Sometimes I like to buy a book and read a little bit of it each morning before I start my day. My daughter was so kind to get me the first 3 books (I believe there is 5 books in all). It’s a little different from what I usually read and not what I was expecting from the cover. The entire book takes place in the Tokyo café Funiculi Funicula and involves time travel. The time travel comes with strict rules, including that the present cannot be changed, and the journey is limited to the time it takes for the coffee to get cold. The book is structured around four distinct stories, each centered around a different customer and their reason for time travel. Each chapter has a sweet ending/message.
Prayer Journal for Women by Shannon Roberts
I started this prayer journal last summer and I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it all year! I always try to have something ongoing at all times that gets me in scripture daily or a few times a week. Before this prayer journal, I did the Bible Recap, which took me OVER a year (it is SO worth it!!). I’m not sure yet what I’ll be doing next, I’m trying to look at my schedule and a few things that might interest me. I’ll let you all know once I decide what’s next!!
Five – Latest Finds
Here is my July Monthly Treatbox, it was LEMON themed, which y’all!!! I have a lemon theme in my kitchen for the summer! I got a super cute lemon towel, a Vitamin C Eye Mask, lemon drizzled popcorn, a lemon shopping list notepad and then a recipe for lemon cake and it included baking powder and powdered sugar that is lemon flavored. I need to make that recipe PRONTO! Such a fun box!! I love TreatBox and I decided to get their Birthday Advent Calendar for my birthday next month. It has 7 days of gifts! I’ll be sharing it on my Instagram Stories, follow me HERE!
Hobby Lobby has tons and tons AND tons of BOW decor right now!!! I took photos of all of the stuff I LOVE and I want to share it all on my IG Stories soon. I know a lot of you love the boy trend, just like me. But, LOOK AT THE BOW TOPPED PUMPKINS!! Oh my! I stopped in my tracks and grabbed that white + pink one. In the cart it went!!
What does everyone have planned for the last weeks of the summer? Anything fun? Nathan and I have a 5K this weekend and then Brian and I have a little vacay planned for one night and I’m super excited about it! My birthday is in August, so we have some fun stuff planned for that. I’m also dreaming about these temps dropping so my runs are a little more pleasant. I’m a fall girl!!
