1. Glenn is an Iron Man!
Yesterday, my rockstar brother-in-law Glenn (he shares his blog with my sister & will do a race report there later this week) ran his first Iron Man in a stellar time. We were tracking him all day and we are all so proud of him for doing such an amazing job. Training for an Iron Man takes so much dedication and time — he’s been planning this thing for a year.
Glenn has been an athletic inspiration to me for several years. He knows that working hard is just that — hard — and you gotta do it. He’s shown me that someone can go from being a complete non-athlete to being an Iron Man in just a few years. When you think you can’t, think again. He came in at 10 hours and 55 minutes and his goal was to beat 11 hours. Wow! Great job Glenn!
*[late entry]–Glenn informs me that he was not a “non-athelete” and actually won an intramural basketball tournament in college. Well, he certainly could not have done an Iron Man in 10:55 back then!
2. StickyGrams
When I saw the link on Pinterest, I was intrigued and clicked over. A cool and easy way to make your own magnets — for cheap. You pick any of your Instagram photos and create a sheet of 15 mini-magnets for just $14.99 (no shipping either!). You can do the same photo or all different ones. I chose all different!
3. Flowers
I’ve said this before but…I waited a long time to get flowers. I have dated a handful of people in my life — and sold myself so short in so many ways with most of them (which is probably evident by the fact that NONE of them ever bought me flowers, for one thing). So when I do get them these days, I really appreciate it. That’s why I was so happy to find these waiting for me last week 🙂 A lucky girl with a very sweet guy!
4. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
This was the chosen book for the club this month so I picked it up. I love memoirs and this one is reminiscent of one of my favs, Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress. I didn’t even realize that the author of “Let’s Pretend…” was The Bloggess — one of the most popular bloggers on the Internet.
While reading the book, I noticed her talking about other bloggers but when I looked up Jenny Lawson after reading it, I was totally surprised to find she was such a big blogger. Of course now I’m following her (and yes, I had heard of her before!). The book is a funny break from all the serious stuff I’ve been tackling and I’d recommend it if you are looking for a laugh.
5. Say Cheese!
My boyfriend, Rick, is notorious for buying presents early and then making you open them. This year was no different. Though my birthday is not for another two weeks, he decided to drive me to Best Buy the other day and told me I was going to pick out my birthday present. Okay then.
I have been talking about need a nice camera since we met and either he was sick of me wining, is really sweet, or both — because he got me this extremely nice present. Anyone out there love their Canon?
6. Training on the Brain
I actually ran 37 miles this week — more than normal. I almost made it 40+ today but decided after Saturday’s Tough Mudder (race report coming tomorrow!), I should probably take it easy. I’m a little sore and pretty scraped up (photos coming too). Plus, I just felt tired and…lazy.
That being said, I’ve been checking Smart Coach everyday like the weather. Not that I’m shackled to the plan but I want to stay on track. Right now, I’m dreading how I will fit in the 20-miler that needs to happen in the next two weeks.
Basically, my only option is to break it up in one day or do it before work by getting up at 4am and doing treadmill till the light hits and then finishing off outside, then jetting to work tired as all get out. Can I do it? You’ll find out!
7. Favorites
I heart Chobani so much! Not only are they usually stocked up in my fridge but this week, they sent me a gift package that warmed my heart! It included a beach towel, a tote bag, coupons, magnets and more! I’ve never seen a brand do better blogger outreach than Chobani — do my bloggers agree? Thanks for being such a great brand!
Nugo Nutrition does a great job as well. I had never heard of them until I began blogging and they reached out to me. Now, I’m hooked. I love their real dark chocolate bars in all combos — especially the pretzel with sea salt which I always grab for a snack at the airport. They have new bars coming out this month and I can’t wait to try!
Dark chocolate with chilis & cherries? I was skeptical but it was a win and I’ve been slowly eating it piece by piece from my desk drawer! The last photo is just the adorable pink boots of my little cousin Chloe — I could help but snap a shot of them!
QUESTION: What are YOU loving lately? I’d love to hear about new products/services that are wins!