Becky at Choose Happy has been running a fun link up party called Currently. I am going to start joining Becky for her Currently link up series once a month. I thought it would be a fun way to update y’all on my life in a light way through photos and a blurb of text.
Excited About…
Our annual sunset paddleboat dinner date at the Boathouse! The Boathouse Restaurant in Forest Park offers sunset paddleboat dinner dates every Thursday evening during the summer and early fall! Every year they change up the picnic dinner that they pack for you and this year it includes appetizers, wrap sandwiches, Billy’s chips, a dessert and a bottle of Pinot Noir! This is a photo of one of our old paddleboat dates and I am feeding one of the ducks.
Reading
I just finished Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris and really enjoyed it. It is written by Scott, who has two other books and blogs over at The Daily Connoisseur. This book is about the author staying in Paris during college for several months with Madame Chic and her family. Scott learns a lot from watching the family she stays with and by observing other families in these months at Paris. It was interesting to read about how they eat in Paris with little to no snacks and with five course meals (including a cheese plate and homemade tarts and jams!). She also talks about how they follow more of a capsule wardrobe in Paris and wear no-fuss makeup and hairstyles. I enjoyed reading about the fabulous dinner parties she was invited to and she even includes some recipes for drinks that she drank in Paris. I enjoy reading books about the Paris lifestyle, so this was a pretty entertaining read for me. I only gave the book 3 stars out of 5, because the makeup/skincare part of the book went a little long and I started skimming through it. I would say this is a fun and light read, perfect for the summer and if you love all things Paris, like me!
Currently, I am reading Happily Ali After: And Other Fairy True Tales by Ali Wentworth. I am about half-way through this book and read most of it on the plane on our way home from Disney. It was hard not to laugh out loud on the plane (with a stranger sitting next to me) while reading it. Ali (from In Living Color) is approaching her 50th birthday and she shares her insecurity about this birthday milestone and also several hilarious stories including a worker in her apartment with a ‘gas’ problem and how she drove while deathly ill to pick her daughter up from camp… to find herself waking up in one of the cots after having a dream that may have even included penguins. You can tell she has a deep love for her husband, George Stephanopoulas (the ABC journalist) while reading this book, which I enjoyed. I picked this book, because I wanted something light to read while traveling with kids and it did the trick.
No Chipping!…
While at Target, I needed a new top coat for my nail polish and decided to try Essie’s No Chips Ahead. I usually use Sally Hanson for my top coat, but I wanted to see if I could find something that would last a little more than 3 days. I am pretty hard on my nails since I have 2 kids, tend to the home and I do a lot of DIY projects! This clear top coat is AMAZING… I get at least 5-6 days with little to NO chipping, which is amazing for me! It is nice to be able to have a manicure that lasts all week and I can do it at home.
Birthday Wishing…
My birthday is next month… how can that be? I sort of love and hate my birthday. Its nice to have a ‘summer’ birthday, but an August birthday also means that the summer is coming to a close. Which is a bummer. I love fall, but I am not looking forward to having homework with BOTH kiddos this year. Not. At. ALL. Oh, and there is the fact that I am getting closer to the big 4-0. But, still not close enough to start a before-40 bucket list… so, at least I am off the hook for that this year. 😉 I have been wanting a GiGi New York Uber Clutch for like… forevers. The python leather, the tassel… the quality and size… oh, and having my initials on it will make it even grander 🙂 (Honey, if you’re reading this… don’t forget the monogram!) I really want it in this fun magenta color, too… and, I don’t have any bags or clutches in a hot pink color, so this will be FUN, fun in the sun!
Other birthdays ideas… hmm.. Lush lotion (I’m out and not happy!), Toms Suede Booties in Taupe (size 8), a gift card to Victoria Secret and this tassel bracelet set by Molly Suzanne for only $14!
Fall Half Training
I haven’t really been talking about running much this summer over here. I usually do the St. Louis Zoo 5k in May, but it fell on my sons birthday and I decided we’d skip it this year. I really hate running in the summer, so usually May is the only summer month where I’ll consider running… so, I decided to take a look at the Fall and I am going to be running my EIGTH half marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll! I had planned on running a full marathon for the first time this fall, but Rock ‘n’ Roll decided to skip it this year. Sooo… I am planning on running a full in the Spring now, the St. Louis Go! Full Marathon. I know it is going to be a lot of work and I am scared… but, I think I can do it. I am thinking about joining a running group, so that I can train for it with other runners… I really don’t want to run a full by myself and I think the support I will get in a group will help me get across the finish line.
For the half marathon I am running this fall, I am still going to try for a sub 2:00, or any PR before 2:06:51, which is my current half best time. It is usually the last two miles that slow me down from achieving this goal. I am also planning to sign up for the Gumbo Flats Pumpkin 10k this fall, I had a PR of 54:38 last year at this race. 🙂
I also told Brian that I would like to run another Disney half marathon again at some point. I think after I run the full, I will worry about that, tho. 😉
Well, that is all I have today. Be sure to join Becky in this link up series sometime, it is a lot of fun!