Today kicks off day two of the conference and I’ll also be speaking on a panel today, so I’m feeling a little nervous! Hopefully some of the jitters will go away soon, but I know I’ll be able to breathe a little easier once I’m in the clear and will just have sessions and workouts to enjoy.
But now it’s time for your usual Things I’m Loving Friday post! Below you will find a list of things I’m loving this week. As always, I’d love to hear about things that are making you smile in the comments section of this post. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
This was an impulse buy at TJMaxx over the weekend (I know I’m not the only one who cannot resist their gourmet treats section!) and it totally blew me away. I thought it would be a nice little treat but I had a hard time not polishing off the entire bag in one sitting. It was sweet, buttery and oh-so-good!
When I travel on blog-related trips, I often use my phone to try to stay on top of my emails so I don’t end up totally drowning in my inbox when I finally sit down at the computer. As I’m sure you all know, using data on a phone is the fastest way to drain the battery, so in preparation for IDEA, I bought the Merkury Innovations charger for $12 on super sale through HauteLook to help give my phone a little juice when the battery gets low. So far it’s working well! I just plug my phone into the charger (it also works to charge anything you can plug into a USB cord) and watch the battery level come back to life!
In two weeks I will be helping judge this event one evening and I cannot wait! Fire in the City is a competition dining series where local chefs sign on to create three dishes using mystery ingredients that are revealed on the day of the competition. (Kind of like the TV show Chopped!) Guests and guest judges will vote on the dishes and select a winner who will progress to the next round. Fire in the City takes place over several weeks and the winner will receive a grand prize of $2,000! I’m looking forward to a fun date night with Ryan and some delicious food prepared by some of the top chefs in Charlotte.
- Using BirchBox Samples While Traveling
Ever since I started subscribing to BirchBox last year, I’ve accumulated a small sampling of perfect travel-size beauty products. While I use some at home, I’ve saved a bunch to use when I travel because they’re the perfect size! Hotel beauty products often seem rather watered down to me, so I love having some high-quality beauty products on hand. During my trip to Anaheim this week, I’ve been using Fleurs de Tempes volumizing shampoo and Klorane dry shampoo(<—my new favorite!!) from past boxes and loving both!
- Remembering Robin Williams
When I found out that Robin Williams passed away on Monday, I felt a lump in my throat I couldn’t ignore. His passing affected me in a way I never realized a celebrity death could. I’ve been a fan of Robin Williams since his days as the Genie in Aladdin and his wonderfully entertaining role as the lead in Mrs. Doubtfire. And then there was Good Will Hunting, Patch Adams and Hook. Dead Poet’s Society. More favorites. But it was his standup that truly wowed me. Ryan and I had the pleasure of seeing him perform live and walked away in awe of his talent. He could take a single thought and run with it and his standup DVDs are go-tos in our house whenever we need a laugh. The ability to make millions smile and laugh is such a gift and Robin’s warm demeanor made him seem approachable, gentle and genuine.
I’ve found myself reading Robin Williams’ quotes and tributes from those who loved him over the past few days and here are some I found rather poignant: Zelda Williams (Robin’s daughter), Mike Rowe, Norm Macdonald. I love this quote from Mike Rowe that I think captures the way many people feel who didn’t really know Robin at all but loved him for his talent and his incredible ability to entertain and make us laugh: “When I heard about Robin yesterday, my first feeling was shock. Then, a kind of sadness, too shallow to call grief, but to too real to ignore.”
- Uppercase Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Tory, the winner of yesterday’s Uppercase giveaway.
“I just got a new library card last night since I moved. Cannot wait to start reading again – thanks for the recommendations!”
Tory was emailed first thing this morning!
Question of the Day
- Share one thing you are loving this week!
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I can’t wait to hear all about the conference! I wish I could have gone but it was bad timing, unfortunately.
I really like Klorane’s dry shampoo too but I tried a mango coconut one from Alterna recently and it smells amazing!
Break a leg at your presentation today! I’m sure you’re going to rock it 🙂
Happy Friday!
Good luck on the panel. I’m sure you will do great! Remember there are others there fi support you!
Have a great time at the conference! I too grew up on all of Robin’s movies and am deeply saddened that he is gone. I know life is short, and I hope one day when I have kids I can show them my favorite movies of his and they too will love them and carry on his special charm.
Word— I cannot deny the gourmet snack section at TJMaxx. They just have the best stuff!
You’ll be great on the panel today! Best of luck! And what a heartfelt tribute to Robin Williams. ♥
I’m so glad you got to meet some of the Les Mills trainers. Josef is a great guy, and he was the trainer for some of my advanced BODYPUMP instructor workshops in the Bay Area. I wish I was at IDEA as well, and I’m sure you will be great on your panel. As far as Birchbox samples, I’ve received both of those too and loved the shampoo. It’s so nice to have fancy travel-size products on hand. Enjoy your day!
Sounds like such a fun time! Those coconut crunch things sound like they’d go great withmy coffee right now. DELISH.
those looks like great birch box samples!
Good luck on the panel! I know you’ll do fantastic!
This weekend, I’m loving my new husband who is taking my out on an archipelago cruise tomorrow! Gotta love living in Scandinavian seaside town 🙂
Happy weekend!
Thank you!! And have an amazing time on your cruise! Sounds fabulous!
The webshow “Emma Approved” on YouTube. It’s a modern telling of Jane Austen’s Emma (brought to you by the same people who produced the brilliant “Lizzie Bennet Diaries”), about an event planner/wannabe Oprah-type, and how she also tries her hand at matchmaking. This week was the big romantic reveal (that anyone who has read the book or seen the movies is all too familiar with), and with all the terrible things going on in the world right now (Robin Williams; Lauren Bacall; Ferguson, MO; Israel/Gaza), it was nice to see a sweet, romantic episode that reminded me of some of the good in the world. If you haven’t watched it, you totally should!
The passing of Robin Williams definitely hit me strangely, and differently than I thought a celebrity death could, like you said. We’ve grown up watching him, and have so many childhood memories from his amazing movies. It’s a very surreal event, and my heart just breaks for his family!
COsmos is SO dangerous. They make a caramel one that is just amazing. And impossible to stop eating. Have fun at the conference – can’t wait to hear about it!!
Oh I know!! So delicious!
You’ll do great at your presentation! Birchbox samples are awesome! I had to stop my subscription because I was accumulating too many. Maybe I should just start traveling more instead! 🙂
Beautiful words about Robin Williams. I felt the same way and still cannot believe he is gone. What a loss. This week I am loving my new waterproof iPod that I get to use while swimming. Listening to music in the water makes the time go by so fast!
I also tried Klorane Dry Shampoo from my Birchbox and loved it, however, I ended up splurging and buying the full sized bottle and it only lasted me about 5 uses! And I don’t even use a ton of it at a time! Definitely not worth it to shell out the money if it’s only going to last a few times 🙁 Just wanted to caution you!
wow $12 for a portable phone charger is great!
That portable phone charger is such a great idea! I’m glad you’re having such a good time at IDEA. I love Tara Stiles and she posted something the other day about being there…go meet her!! 🙂 Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
I’m hoping to do one of her workouts!! I saw her in the hotel lobby last night and was a little star struck. 🙂
Coconut crunch flavoured snacks?
The world has shifted. 🙂
Hahaha!
Enjoy the conference – it sounds fantastic! I’m loving the last of these lazy summer days. I’m not ready for fall yet!
I am loving the starbucks iced coffee that I’m currently sipping… YUMMMMM!
You’ll rock that presentation! The weather here’s been unseasonably cool this week, so I’ve been loving long walks around a local lake. With baby due in less than a week, I’d be lying if part of my motivation weren’t to get labor started 😉
The portable charger is a brilliant idea!! I would LOVE to hear you speak. I bet you are amazing! (Although I would have mad jitters too!). I still can’t really believe Robin Williams passing is true 🙁 It definitely makes me want to go back and watch some of his classics (and oddly enough, I was thinking about Hook recently!).
i’ve been doing Birch Box for years now and i’m such a fan of their sample size products for traveling, too (which i do almost every weekend, so it’s so convenient to have this stash of stuff). i agree, that dry shampoo was awesome, and i dug that shamp/cond line too. i found Miss Jessie’s stuff b/c of them, and i’m totally hooked on that haircare line.
I just started Birchbox and am obsessed! I also love glossybox too 🙂
Enjoy the conference! Good luck speaking on the panel. I’m sure you’ll rock it. 🙂
Such a beautiful remembrance of Robin Williams. I feel exactly the same!
Portable chargers are the BEST thing!! So convenient!
I was so sad about Robin Williams’s death too. I didn’t think I’d get that sad about a celebrity dying that I had never met. I’m so jealous you got to see him do stand up. That must have been a real treat!
BODYPUMP at IDEA!!! So cool!! 🙂
I too was shocked about Robin William’s death. 🙁 He was so talented!
Coconut is my new addiction so I will definitely try those Cosmo Crunch Creations! Another new obsession are Flash Tattoos! They are temporary ones with a rather metallic finish that end up looking like jewelry pieces! So beautiful!
Have fun at the conference!
Good luck on your panel! Can’t wait to hear how it goes. 🙂 I’m loving that I get to see my best friend tonight! She moved back to town for two weeks before moving out of state, so I’m going to soak up our time together.
Hope your panel went well! I’m loving the new playlist I just created on spotify. 🙂
Love Cosmos popcorn! SO good. perfect snack.
I definitely understand the Robin Williams sentiment. 🙁
But yay for BodyPump with LesMills trainers! I actually take from Rebecca every week – she’s a good friend of mine and one of the people I was talking about in my previous comment (but I wasn’t sure what she was doing yet when I commented). I hope you got to meet and talk with them afterwards. Did you do any of the other Les Mills sessions?
I love that #4 shampoo from Birchbox, I keep trying to convince myself to buy the full size but I’m too cheap, especially with beauty products!
I totally agree with you on the phone charge and the birchbox samples. I travel a ton and both of these things have been so handy, plus I love trying out new products and have found some I can’t be without!
I just recently discovered that portable chargers are a thing. I need one. I never remember to charge my phone and it’s usually at 15% or less.
Oh my gosh, Robin Williams. Mike Rowe’s quote was actually perfect in describing feelings about it. Ugh, such a shock and so sad.
This week I have been LOVING a sugar free mocha from a local coffee shop. mmm mmm mmm 🙂
I totally agree on the using birch box stuff while traveling. It works so perfectly!
I felt the same way about Robin Williams passing. I didn’t realize how effected I was by it and I had a tight knot in my stomach. That goes to show you how one person can really have an impact on millions of people!
I am sure you did great at your presentation at IDEA World. I hope to be there next year 🙂
I just bought one of those phone chargers at Target yesterday. Best thing ever invented.
This week I am loving the weather! It looks like it’s going to get hot and sticky again this week, but there has been a wonderful cool breeze blowing all week and I’ve really enjoyed being able to stay outside for more than 5 minutes without sweating my butt off! It also makes for some delightful running 🙂
I have that charger, too! It’s great! However, it recently died and I can’t figure out how to charge it up again. It was great while it lasted, though!
I didn’t know Mike Rowe had a blog- thanks for the link! 🙂