Category: Currently I’m Crushing On

Five on Friday {2.5.16}

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Good morning! TGIF! What a week it’s been- phew! I am so ready for a relaxing weekend… I feel like I’ve been on the go since last Friday. I ended up teaching 4 classes in 3 days, which is something I haven’t done in MONTHS, so it definitely was a shock to my system! They were all great classes, though, so I can’t really complain 🙂 Last night was my first sweat-KICK class at Foster Fitness and it was a total blast. I think there were about 22 fitties who showed up, which was more than I thought there would be! Everyone was pretty new to my style of cardio kickboxing, but they gave it their all and totally killed it. I was one happy/proud instructor 🙂

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Even though that was my highlight of the week, let’s talk about some other high points!

1 & 2: New Coats & Engagement Photos– I know I talked about both of these things in my weekend recap, but I felt as though they were worthy of a spot in my Five on Friday posts, too. I just can’t get over the fact that the blue jacket is a $450 Calvin Klein jacket that I got for $44!! I’m always slacking in the jacket department, so getting these was a step in the right direction for me. I’m in search of a new long down jacket- anyone have any good recommendations for where I could find one? Also, isn’t Janelle fantastic? We are totally loving the photos she look during our engagement photo session- I’ll have a full recap of that including outfit details next week!

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3. Stripping While Sleeping– Ok, not really stripping per say, but I thought it was hilarious as I reached under the blankets at the foot of our bed and found 3 pairs of socks… my feet and hands are always cold so I go to bed with socks on most night. However, I tend to kick them off at some point throughout the night since I am a HOT BOX when I sleep. I wake up sweating more than I’d like to admit, which you’d think would make me go to bed in less clothes, but I’m always freezing when I go to bed so I bundle up and strip later. Weird, right?

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4. Running Outside in 60* February Weather-With today’s weather, it seems like this was years ago! I’m happy I was able to soak up some of the unseasonably warm weather earlier this week during a 4 miler lunch break run.

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5. Dressing Like Spring… in February- Ok, I guess there’s a theme for this post: outfits/fashion and unseasonably warm weather 😉 When I woke up yesterday and saw that it was 55* at 6:30am I took a double take. I’m totally loving this thin sweater from Loft that I picked up last week- paired with my new Lucky skinny jeans, favorite booties and light jacket made for a comfy outfit!

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I hope all of you have a fantastic weekend! Thankfully ours is much more lowkey than last weekend. I have to basically read a 400 page book for book club on Tuesday so that’s definitely what I’ll be doing 😉

Questions for you: What do you have going on this weekend? Were you able to take advantage of the warmer weather this week? Have you found any good shopping deals this week? Do you have any weird habits or things you do when you sleep?

Five on Friday {1.29.16}

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Good morning! I had some of these drafted to post last week, but I ended up getting home later than expected after the blogger event at Social so I didn’t have it in me to break open my computer and finish the post. I’m sure you didn’t lose sleep over it 😉

Are you guys having a good week? I am! As I mentioned on Wednesday, I’ve been focusing on yoga this week and it’s been really great! I’m a little nervous for next week, though, because I’m teaching 4 classes in 3 days- way more of an intense schedule than I had this week! It’s all good, though- I’m excited for all of the events and classes I have lined up 🙂 here’s some noteworthy Friday things for you today:

1. Chromecast- RM finally took the plunge and got us a Chromecast so that we can start streaming Netflix through out TV. Also worth noting, we finally upgraded his subscription to be from receiving DVD’s in the mail (Yes, he was still requesting DVD’s to be sent to him!) to be a streaming subscription. We had already started recording Breaking Bad episodes on our TV so we’ve been watching them there, but once that is done it will be nice to be able to just stream Netflix. Welcome to 2016, Monique & Roberto.

2. Wedding room block/Registry- We’ve received an update on who has booked their rooms for our wedding and it’s SO exciting!! I seriously can’t wait until the big day is finally here. I am also obsessed with our wedding registry. While it was a little stressful and overwhelming at first (what to register for, what do we want/like/need, where to do it, etc.), I’m kind of loving it now. I check it daily and add new things- the worst that can happen is people don’t buy them for us- big deal! I’ll also admit that at first I didn’t think we needed anything, but then I realized that this may be the only time (for a long time) that we are able to start fresh and having matching everything- the Type A in me LOVES this.

3. Trillfit Event on 1/31– Looking for a workout on Sunday? Consider checking out the Trillfit event at the Hotel Commonwealth from 10am-2pm. From their site: TRILLFIT presents BRUNCH + BURN, Boston’s first wellness day party. Join us at Hotel Commonwealth for two high-energy, sweat-inducing workouts, delectable + healthy brunch bites, on-site beauty treatments and more . Celebrate your 2016 resolutions, grab your squad, and get live to a set by TRILLFIT’s own DJ Nick Bishop. 10AM: TRILLyoga with @LadyDork (60 min – *bring your own yoga mat*), 11AM: TRILLfit* with Melisa Valdez (60 min), 12PM – 2PM: Brunch + Day Party. Sounds like a blast, right?

4. Easiest Buffalo Wings– RM’s brother sent him a recipe from Bon Appetite (I think) and we decided to whip them up for the game the other weekend. We usually do wings in the crockpot using RM’s signature honey-garlic recipe he created on his own, but this recipe is WAY easier and faster. Get this- you just bake the wings in the oven at 450* for 35-45 mins, take them out and toss them in a mixture of 2tbsp butter and 1/4 cup sriracha. Could you get any easier? NOPE!

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5. SWEAT-Kick Event 2/4– I’m saving the best for last! If you follow me on social media, I’m sure you’ve seen me advertise the launch event for my first class at Foster Fitness, which is next Thursday at 5:30pm. The gym is in Wakefield and the event is going to be a blast- we will run through some cardio kickboxing combinations, throw in some bootcamp exercises and core work at the end and then refuel with protein shakes and salads from sweetgreen. If you’re interested in coming to the FREE event, please let me know- I would love love love having the support from friendly faces in the crowd!

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And that’s that! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Tomorrow is a busy one for me/us, so I’m happy to have taken a half day today to hang out with my sister and have some time to amp up for the weekend.

Questions for you: Do you have a Smart TV or Chromecast where you stream Netflix or Hulu? Did you watch Breaking Bad? What was the best part of your week? What are you looking forward to this weekend?

 

Five on Friday {1.15.16}

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Good morning and TGIF! This has been a whirlwind of a week for me. For starters, I had to go in the office on Monday, but on top of that we were going live with a new program so I was in trainings/testing of that for pretty much all of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which really threw a wrench in my normal schedule! But, everything went well and the program developers are super cool guys so it could’ve been a lot worse. I also had some good workouts and made some headway with a new fitness adventure, so all is good!

For now, though, let’s focus on the fact that it’s FRIDAY! Anything good planned for the weekend? We have RM’s sister’s going away party tonight (she’s moving to Atlanta) and then I’m teaching tomorrow morning and then hopefully meeting my parents for lunch in Portsmouth before visiting my friends Kia and Christy and their brand new baby girls 🙂 Whatever you have on the agenda, I hope you have a blast, smile and laugh a lot, drink some vino and get some movement in!

Five on Friday:

1. Chin-ups- I may not have reached my goal of 10 unassisted pull-ups/chin ups, but at this point I am just focusing on what I CAN do. The other day, I went to the gym and ran and then decided to try and do some chin-ups. I hadn’t done any in a while and was surprised to find myself able to do 4 with relative ease (last one was a little tough!). I’ll take it!

 

2. Meal Prep– Although this is a time consuming activity, I’ve learned over the years how worthwhile it is for me to spend time doing it. Whether it’s prepping a bunch of root veggies, chicken and kale or actually making a meal (casserole, soup, meatloaf, etc.), knowing I have the ability to go in the fridge and grab healthy food quickly and easily is a really good thing. I’m often busy during the week between social engagements or teaching so it’s hard for me to spend time making fresh dinners each night. Meal prep leftovers for the win!

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3. I can’t get rid of my cold! I know I am not alone in this because RM has had a cold for going on two weeks and I know of a bunch of other people who have also been sick, but it doesn’t make thigns any better! I haven’t been sleeping well and I’m tired of blowing my nose. Womp 😦

4. Dry weather doesn’t bode well with my hands- Throughout the warmer months, I always forget how DRY my skin can get during the winter, in particular, my right hand. I mean, look at this! Does anyone have any good lotion/moisturizer suggestions? I’m so bad at using hand creams, mostly because I hate the feeling of lotion on the palms of my hands (weird, right?), but this is so not sexy so I need to do something!

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5. Getting back into a consistent training routine– Although I’ve worked out consistently even throughout the holidays, my training schedule hasn’t really been consistent. My workouts over the past month or so have kind of been all over the place and while that is absolutely better than not working out at all, I am excited to get back to a normal and planned routine and schedule. I was finally able to make it to the gym during my lunch break yesterday and was so happy when I stumbled across Stephanie’s Burpee Bookend Full Body Circuit earlier in the morning. Some days I’m really focused and know exactly what I want to do, but there are others (like yesterday… and lots of days over the past month) where I really have no direction with regards to what I want to do. Her workout not only made me excited to get to the gym to try it out, but it also left me with shaky legs as I walked down the stairs after the workout was finished. The 50 burpees to start and finish the workout were killer… and I loved it!

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Have a great weekend, friends!
Questions for you: Tell me something making you smile this week? How have your workouts been lately? Does the cold, dry weather make your skin look like leather, too? What’s going on this weekend? 

Five on Friday {1.8.16}

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Well hello there! It’s been a hot minute since my last “Five on Friday” post, huh? I guess I just figured well all had better things to do on Christmas and New Years and visit B2B, right? 😉 Before we get into the post, can we just stop for a second and think about the fact that the holidays have officially come and gone and that most of us have nearly completed our first full week of work since likely way before the holidays? Yikes. Time flies when you’re having fun I guess, right?

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the weekend! Any fun plans? We have my company’s holiday party tonight and then Saturday we plan on doing some shopping/holiday returns (maybe some wedding registry stuff??) and meeting up with another couple for drinks. Sunday will likely consist of a coffee visit with my cousin who is in town and then hopefully some relaxing, because SUNDAY.

Here are my Five on Friday items for the week- enjoy!

1. Me Before You and After You (both by JoJo Moyes)- Have you guys read either or both of these books? If not, stop what you’re doing and go to the library or order them off of Amazon. They were both such good, good books. So good that I barely put them down and was able to finish them each one in less than 3 days. We just talked about them at book club and it was awesome to get to hold onto the goodness of them for a bit longer. For those of you who have read them- what was your first thoughts on the title “Me Before You”? I’ll share mine in a reply to your comments! Also, per usual, book club at Jessi’s was awesome. I totally over-ate (which I rarely do), but only regretted it for how uncomfortable and sick I felt after… I did not regret all of the food I ate because it was delicious!

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2. The Resolution Recap/Photos– It was such an honor to participate in the Resolution by PMC fundraiser ride at The Club by George Foremann III last weekend. And, thanks to so many gracious people donating, I raised over $100 more than my goal- whoop! I had to share some awesome/funny/intense photos that the photographer captured of me. I guess he wasn’t joking when he tracked me down after to tell me that I was “really intense”, haha!

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Team “Just Keep Spinning”! and the fabulous Turnstyle Cycle instructors.

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(all PMC pictures were taken from here and were shot by 13Photography)

3. Champagne is always a good idea-  I mean, need I say anymore? This wall hanging is amazing- it’s almost like they made it for me (but, no, unfortunately I did not buy it for myself 😦 )

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4. New hat- I got some really great gifts for Christmas, but I have to say that this hat from RM is probably one of my most favorite gifts! I use any excuse I can to wear it… literally!

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5. #2015bestnine- I loved seeing everyone’s #2015bestnine photo collages all over social media at the end of 2015 and I have to say, mine pretty much summed up all of my best memories from the year for sure! Wedding, wedding, more wedding… oh, and working out 😉 What was your best memory(ies) from 2015?

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I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Catch y’all next week!

Five on Friday {12.18.15}

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Good morning! This has been a bit of a crazy week because I was in the office on Monday and then in South Carolina Wednesday and Thursday and I’m home today. Needless to say, I had a hard time keeping my days straight, but what I DO know is that today is FRIDAY, and that’s pretty awesome, especially after a ridiculously long travel day home yesterday due to flight delays.

Seeing that it’s Friday, let’s get to “Five on Friday”!

  • I’m having fun wedding planning!… Finally! I really did not enjoy it at first, but, like so many of you told me, it did get better once we booked the venue and date. So far, we have the venue, date, photographer, dress and band- I’d say we are doing pretty well! I also have some ideas for our centerpieces- thank goodness for Pinterest 🙂 The only sucky thing about this whole process is that we have to wait until July for the actual event!
  • Farm Fresh Eggs- enough said. My parents always get farm fresh eggs from their neighbor and they give us a dozen every time they see us and I have to say- they are just the best! We buy the organic, free range eggs normally but those still don’t hold a flame to the real deal.

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  • Vega One Coconut Almond Nutritional Shake– I tried a sample of this at Whole Foods the other day and was totally sold so I bought a few sample packets and even with just water it tasted delicious!

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  • Lift class at Foster Fitness– If you’ve been reading B2B for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve started frequenting a new gym (getting my butt kicked, get comfortable being uncomfortable). I had been going to the Fast & Furious class which is a mix of cardio and light/medium weights, but this week I finally made it to a Lift class and loved it! I am having so much fun getting into heavier lifting and the feeling of getting my name up on the board was unbelievable!

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  • REM-Fit Tracker– The company sent me a few different products to try and although I didn’t like one enough to review, I did enjoy checking out their REM-Fit tracker! Even though I already have a FitBit, I was interested in checking out the REM-Fit to see how it compared to the FitBit, what I liked better, what I liked less, what it could do or not do compared to the FitBit.

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Overall, I liked the design of the REM-Fit a lot. I liked that you could see the date and time on the front and you could see the various tracking details as you scrolled through by tapping on the left end of the device.

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My only complaint is that I found it difficult sometimes to hit the right spot to be able to scroll through my tracking details. Otherwise I liked how light the tracker was and that not only did it come with 2 different colored bands, but also a holder that you can clip onto your waistband or somewhere else a little less discrete than your wrist.

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One thing I thought it had over the Fitbit was the ability to get you points for things other than just steps- it warranted you points for all sorts of daily exercises which is great for the days when I may not have walked a lot of steps but I did get in a kick ass weight lifting workout! The tracker also gives you points for sleep, but it’s not automatic so you have to click on “log sleep”, which isn’t a huge deal, you just have to remember to do it 😉 Thanks to REM-Fit for providing me with this new-to-me activity tracker! (Disclaimer, I was provided with the product but was not paid to write this recommendation. The thoughts are my own!)

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And that does it for me today. I was supposed to go into the city to meet a friend for drinks but after getting home at 2:30am after 11 hours of travel, I’ve decided to lay low tonight and catch up on my DVR. Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you have a blast!

Questions for you: What’s on tap for the weekend? Have you finished all your Christmas shopping? What’s your favorite protein powder? Do you buy farm fresh eggs ever?