Friday Faves -Edition 29

 

Friday.

Edition 29.

Here we are at Friday!

Hurricane Harvey.

Before I get into my faves this week, I just wanted to take a moment to let those who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey know that you are in my thoughts and prayers

Having spent the first 36 years of my life in Florida, I am well aware of the devastation that a hurricane can cause.

Growing up with Hurricanes.

I grew up in rural Collier County and remember the trees swaying deeply as Hurricane Andrew came in and devastated Homestead.

And, I can remember watching the news for the track on Hurricane Charley in 2004 and the moment when Jim Reif announced the not yet predicted slight movement to the East that would bring Charley barreling toward Punta Gorda. Some time later, I would visit Punta Gorda and the remnants of destruction would still be visible.

In 2012, I would be living a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, in Sewall’s Point, as Sandy made her way past us as a tropical storm. I would see the churning of an angry sea. And I would watch as the river flowed beyond its bounds and up into our streets. I would nod my head in agreement that it was wise that school should be canceled due to the danger of the school buses crossing the causeways in the high winds.

I would experience the slight effects of other storms, but I would live through Hurricane Wilma in 2005. In fact, it was just 11 months ago that I wrote this post about it, during which time I was concerned about my friends and family who were in the path of Hurricane Matthew.

But I have never experienced such personal devastation. And my heart aches for those that have. I shared in that prior post about this tree above and my opinion as to why it broke during the storm.

If you look at the first photo, you will see that pine trees grow densely.

They bend together in a storm.

Their unity gives them strength.

This pine tree stood alone.

He took all of the brunt of the Hurricane force winds…alone.

And he did not survive.

I hope that all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey continue to see growing bonds of unity.

Beer.

Sorry, I have no good segway into my faves after that display of emotion…

So how about with some beer?

You all know from this post that I finished my 30 days of no alcohol.

We decided to rent Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and I thought this would be a fun craft beer of choice to go along with the show.

The movie was hilarious and the beer was tasty!

Home Renovation.

Paint.

Another exciting part of my week was that the hubby finished painting my room! Yay! Peaceful serenity! My room color is the color of choice throughout my house…Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. It’s a great neutral, but also makes me feel like I’m at a spa or by the ocean (which is where my heart resides).

I’m so glad my friend introduced me to this color!

Thanks friend!

Duvet.

Also, I finally found a duvet cover (yes, my bed could be made to look more like a magazine ad, but you know…real life and all). I’m not big on buying something just to take something that bit the dust’s place. My duvet cover finally had to meet its maker about 4-6 months ago. It’s taken me that long to find one that I like and that didn’t cost an exorbitant amount.

This one is linen and I found it at Macy’s. It was either on clearance or a really big sale. Nevertheless, I’m super happy with it. As you can tell, I’m a fan of neutrals. We don’t do throw pillows because they just get “thrown” into the chair that’s in the corner on the right. Things hanging out in that chair (like some people’s clothes. ahem) is a massive pet peeve of mine.

I did see where there are some nice covers you can get for body pillows and that can be the decoration in the middle.

Have you seen this done? What do you think?

Snapchat Filters.

Soccer life has been crazy this week. Miss Sunshine needs some physical therapy for her knee so, on the nights that she didn’t have practice, she had therapy. To keep myself occupied I played with Snapchat filters. I don’t actually snapchat, but I do love the filters. We head to Charlottesville tomorrow for a weekend in the rain at a tournament.

I know that I’m going to need to plan ahead to be mindful of my September Challenge.

Athletic Wear.

If you follow my Instagram stories, then you know that one of my 2017 goals is to participate in a 5k. Originally, I didn’t care if I walked the entire thing, I just wanted to participate in one. Well, I’ve decided that I might be a little more competitive than that.

I had some cash to spend at the sporting goods store from earlier backpack purchases. I went there looking for sports bras…but no luck. So far, I only like the Knockout Bra by Victoria’s Secret. In yoga and pilates, I spend time on my back for core work and there’s nothing I hate worse that hooks digging into my back. Plus, anything that says S, M, L… instead of a bra size, never actually works for me. Fun fact: I worked at Victoria’s Secret as a second job when I was 18, so I actually do know how things are supposed to fit.

I ended up finding this really cute Calia tank. Honestly, I’ll probably wear it all the time, not really for working out.

Running.

Yesterday, I went to see how long it would take for me to run/walk/power walk 3.2 miles. I’ve never been a runner because I get anxiety if I feel like I can’t get enough oxygen in my lungs. This is why I don’t particularly enjoy snorkeling and haven’t (and may never) been scuba diving.  I could tell the difference made by learning how to breathe in yoga and pilates. I finished it in 44.5 minutes. While I didn’t crush it, it was my first time, and I was pleased.

Since I want to make sure I don’t injure myself by trying too much too soon, I’ve downloaded a Couch to 5k app that I plan on implementing for training starting next week.

Are you a runner? Have you ever run a 5k? Or more? Let me know!

Music.

My song choice this week is because I find it uplifting and fun. I’m working really hard on me. On being me. On being happy with me. Feeling confident and strong. Making choices that move me in that direction.

Also, I had a recent conversation with Miss Sunshine about feminism. That I do consider myself a feminist because I think women should be paid the same for doing the same job. I don’t think they are lesser in any way. But I also don’t agree with the contingent (which is hopefully a small contingent) who believe that you must also bash men in the process. Those two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Because as with many divisive things… it moves us no closer to a solution.

I hope that your weekend is filled with more sunshine than mine appears to be.

Let your light shine!

Amy