Five on Friday

Another week has flown by, and no wonder- with school creeping up (T minus three weeks!), summer seems to be moving faster and faster! Last week, I was all about working out, eating healthy, and lovin' life... This week has been a little more about eating... Just eating. Crappy foods, like movie theater popcorn (you know we added that drizzly butter), cake (in my defense, it was the girls' dad's birthday...), and one too many Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches. I attribute these greasy, heavy culprits to how bad I've ended up feeling by the end of this week! I've felt super lethargic, and on top of that, early Thursday morning, I woke up feeling like I had swallowed rocks. I thought it might go away after some water, but nope. Thankfully, after some medicine and rest, I seemed to have kicked that tonsillitis to the curb. Now, it's just some congestion, but you didn't come here to hear me complain! Here are my five positives this week:

 

Cue the cute blogging linkup courtesy of Christina of Carolina Charm, Darci of The Good Life, April of A. Liz Adventures, and Natasha of Hello! Happiness

1. Birfday fun! One of my ultimate best friends is finally 21! Tonight, I'm going to Clemson to celebrate Kara's big birthday! Sadly, I won't be joining the girls in Asheville, because I have to move out of my apartment (yay, moving... not.), but I'm glad I'll get to spend some time with her!

 

Happy birthday to someone I've shared many a laugh and cry with over the last 14 (!!!) years. From our awkward beginnings in Brownies, to our first concert together in middle school (FOB and the All American Rejects, naturally), to our cheerleading terrors (and other, actually fun, times) in high school, to our changes in college, we've grown up together. Now I know you're rolling your eyes at my cheese-ball-ness, but I've been really blessed to spend those times and share those memories with you. LOVE YOU LOTS, KARA! WOOOO 21!!!!!

2. Zumba! Although I haven't been hitting the gym half as hard as I did last week (I think I didn't take a Zumba class one day last week), I still am lovin' this cardio par-tay! Salsa and hip-hop music pulsing through a studio filled with women ready to dance and sweat for an hour! 

When I was in high school, I got the nickname "Smiley" from one of the sweet women working upstairs at the YMCA- she loved the way my pony-tail bobbed as I elliptical-ed perkily. Sadly, that perkiness didn't ever last longer than 20 or 30 minutes on said elliptical. This time around, when I renewed my Y membership for the summer, I took advantage of the free classes offered, and since then, I've had several more instructors and workers comment on my always-present smile. My response? Always something along the lines of "Hey, if I'm gonna be working out, I might as well be having fun, right?!" And I mean it! I feel silly grinning in class, especially when I catch myself doing it, but there is not much I love more than feeling like my butt is being kicked into shape!

3. Movie magic! In the past week or so, I've seen two movies I'd recommend to almost everyone! The first? "The Way Way Back". John and I went to the obscure Manor Twin movie theater in Charlotte to see this indie flick. This movie was funny, sad, and above all else, authentic, which made it incredibly powerful. Definitely something I'd see again, encourage everyone else (13+) to see, and probably something we'll see winning awards. Only downside? Steve Carrel is a huge jerk, which is weird to watch!
Thankfully, Steve's voice is much less jerky (and much goofier, especially when he says "go-urls" instead of "girls") in Despicable Me 2, which I saw yesterday with the twins (and the big, buttery bag of popcorn...). This movie was probably as cute as the first, which is a pretty high standard of cuteness!

4. Work! I adore the girls I'm nannying, and I'm really lucky they are so sweet, polite, and fun! When they were gone the week after the Fourth, I missed them- not to mention that pay check ;) I think I've earned more respect with my vast knowledge of Neopets (please tell me someone else remembers these...) and a couple fun activities, like a mall scavenger hunt!

 

Sadly, my drawings aren't so impressive...

It was a little challenging to find a scavenger hunt online that wasn't too competitive (no fighting!), didn't require the girls to split up (there's only one of me), and wouldn't make the girls point out any specific people in the mall ("Oooh look at them!" Cringe.) I just made a couple silly things for fun, like find a new favorite Bath and Body Works scent and "style your sister" in an outfit of your choice!

5. LuLuLemon running shorts. I wasn't a fan of some of the company's kooky business practices I'd heard about, but as soon as I tried on a pair of the company's shorts, I understood what the positive fuss was about. They are hands down the comfiest shorts I've ever worn, and they make running easier, allowing full strides. I got lucky finding a black pair (AKA matches every tank and tee) in my size on clearance, which is essential, with the store's semi-ridiculous prices. The only problem (other than the necessity to find them on sale) is that I can't remember the actual name of the shorts.... Wish I hadn't gotten rid of that tag so quickly! Oh well, that just ensures I won't be spending any more money on them :)