Go Away Sickness, I’ve Got Plans!

After a solid 11 hours of sleep, I woke up this morning feeling much better and with a fever of only one degree higher than normal!

 

This is fantastic because…

 

 

The Jingle Bell 5K is today!! I know, I know. You guys are probably thinking more rest is in order, and I agree. However, there are several reasons why I’m thinking about running the race anyway:

1. I feel better than I did yesterday!
2. I had to drop out of the race last year
3. The race is only 5 minutes away from my house – on foot
4. The start time is at 1:00 pm

Yesterday involved little movement. At work, I was actually thankful no one stopped in to inquire about the gym. Once I picked up my race packet and headed home, I remained horizontal for the rest of the night watching VH1’s Entourage marathon. I tried walking Niko <—bad idea. I tried doing laundry <—bad idea. Ergo, I gave in and gave my body what it was loudly requesting –>REST! <—good idea 😉

Plus, my appetite was no where to be found yesterday!! It was craziness. And every time I did eat a little something, I experienced more stomach pain.

 

I wanted nothing more than to demolish this Fresh Market Vegetarian Pizza!!!

   

I didn’t get very far…

Luckily, my stomach troubles didn’t get in the way of the husband’s birthday on Friday.

While Shane was at work, I was up to birthday mischief!

I think this is his favorite present I’ve ever gotten him. Ever.

He’s thanked me at least 10 times this weekend. It’s the G25 wheel and clutch/shifter for car games.

Fast forward 5 hours of Shane playing Need for Speed, and it was wine time!

We caught the very last rays from the sun as it was heading toward the west.

 

 

No, Niko! That’s my wine!

Clarabelle always gives us the stinkeye when she’s the only one not on the back patio.

  

 

After having one small pour on the patio, I took Shane to a little wine cafe here in town called, A Renee’s.

   

They have a wine shop attached to it – my favorite wine shop – and this year they opened a cafe!

While there, we split a cab franc and a petite syrah.

I loved the syrah! I must buy a bottle soon!

For dinner, we headed to Baxter’s, Shane’s favorite steak restaurant here in town.

 

It’s a pretty snazzy restaurant located next to the airport.

 

This is where my stomach started talking to me. However, it didn’t stop me from eating a roll and a half and ordering the only vegetarian thing on the menu:

 

Salad – imagine that! 😉 It was a delicious salad with apple and smoked gouda, though.

By this point, I wanted nothing more than to end the night with some half caff coffee.

 

The perfect way to finish off an indulgent night!

I’m sure glad my sickness waited until the end of the night to rear its ugly head. The weather also did a 180! On Friday it was in the 70’s and today, the high is only 40 something… That will sure make for a collllld run this afternoon! Better bundle up 😀 And after the run, my family is coming up for another birthday celebration for Shane! Hear that sickness? Go away, I’ve got plans 😀

Hey…I think that’s my appetite!! Better go test it out with some breakfast 🙂

Sickey Mickey

Hey guys! Happy Saturday!! 🙂 It’s a dreary one over here, but I don’t mind because

A) yesterday was incredibly gorgeous. I mean, I went for a four mile run in a tank top and shorts and sweat like it was July!! Truly awesome.

and

B) I’m a sickey mickey.

All night long last night, I tossed and turned feeling feverish, achy, and with an upset stomach. My “coffee” this morning didn’t come from coffee beans.

 

   

I wanted nothing to do with coffee. That’s how I know it’s official.

Go enzymes, Gooooooo

Sleeping in a lofty three hours later than usual is pretty telling, too.

And not wanting breakfast for another three hours after that is just blasphemy!! And when my stomach did finally get symptoms that it was empty and needed food, all I wanted was toast. The thought of oatmeal actually made my stomach churn.

Ezekiel cinnamon raisin English muffins w/ raw almond butter and TJ’s jam were OK on it, luckily.

And of course, I was just bragging about my immune system. Why does that always happen?!

I should have known something was up when I turned down a mini pumpkin spiced birthday cake after dinner last night:

 

Me!? Turn down dessert?! On a weekend?! And it was pumpkin spiced cake?!

Yep. I’m a Sickey Mickey.

Unfortunately, I’m also working at the gym for a few hours today. I wasn’t scheduled to work, but a few days ago the other girl asked me if I could watch the gym for her – and I was feeling fine then!! 😉

Yesterday the husband’s birthday celebrations were a complete success (and a blast!) but my brain’s a little foggy to go into detail just yet. For now, keep on sharing your current obsessions as well as what natural beauty products your loving!! 🙂

Peace out, friends 8)

How many times per year do you get sick? I usually only get sick to the point of being knocked flat on my butt once a year – and I don’t even feel that bad now. So hopefully this sickness will take the place of the yearly knock-me-on-my-ass one 😉

Obsessions Series – All Natural Beauty Products

Hey there 8) Happy Friday! Power yoga was AWESOME last night. Just like I remembered it. Amazingly quick paced and awesome from the vinyasa repeat beginning to the shavasana preparation during Lynrd Skynard’s Free Bird. Oh…and my triceps = jello now. Heh

So how we doin’ this morning? I just finished training one of my early morning clients. Good times!

I’m a wee bit sleepy, though, because I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this:

 

 

I’m obsessed with the Steig Larsson novels! No really – obsessed! This is the third book of the series, and though I’m getting a little confused with all the new names, it’s still riveting! I’ve been on a real book reading kick lately. Such a good time-passer.

What book are you into lately? I really want to read Chelsea Handler’s books soon, too!

Another thing I’m obsessed with lately?

This butter! Kind of random, sure, but this is seriously the best butter I’ve ever tasted. I picked it up at Fresh Market the other day, and I’m so glad I did! For some reason it spreads more easily than regular butter, too.

Speaking of obsessions, I’m going to start a little series here on Running Around Normal that will involve posts about current obsessions. They can be on anything from food to house cleaners, but the point is a fun way for us all to share what we are loving lately!

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Obsessions Series: Natural Beauty Products

So for today’s  series, I thought I’d give you all an update on the natural and organic beauty products I’m loving right now. It’s been a while since I’ve touched on the subject, so I thought I’d give you the run down! But instead of just listing them off like an infomercial, I’ll give you my “beauty routine” instead, k? Lez go!

After waking up in the morning, the only thing I do to “beautify” myself is wipe away any leftover mascara under my eyes from washing my face the night before. Then I get my work out on. I’m not one to impress others while sweating up a storm, knowhatimean?

Post gym: I immediately take a shower. Here’s where it starts. First to get the scrub down in my hair. I wash it first with my beloved Moisturizing Shampoo:

 

Alterna Caviar ‘Poo

This stuff is not only free of the garbage that’s in most shampoos..

 

 

But combined with its conditioning other half, it makes my hair silky, smooth, and not weighed down at all!

 

And the best part? It SUDS!! I’m not a fan of shampoos that don’t let you work up the bubblies. The conditioner has no silicone in it, either so the hair doesn’t get that heavy film after multiple washes.

Anyway, while the conditioner is doin’ it’s thang, I move on. To the body wash!

  

For my body wash, I just use St. Ive’s – whatever scent I grab first. It does the job without too many additives.

And to get a deeper scrub, this stuff is golden.

 

 

Can’t go wrong with the Apricot Scrub – a cult item, this gets the job done right. It says it can also be used as a face exfoliant, but not for me. It’s a little too rough on my face, but perfect for scrubbing the body.

What IS good for exfoliating the face, though, is my over-priced, yet beloved over-sized toothbrush.

 

 

AKA – the Clarasonic. I got this a few years ago as a pre-wedding gift, and I love it. It exfoliates my skin without harsh chemicals or scrubs, and it makes it radiant and clear! It just needs to come down in price a little. I mean, come on! But still, it rocks.

 

buzzz

When I use my Clarasonic, I’ve been using it with this face wash:

 

Juice Beauty’s Organic Cleansing Milk

It’s too gentle for the night to remove all my makeup, but perfect for the morning. It’s not my favorite (that’s coming) but it’s perfect for using on an already clean (ish) face.

After toweling off, I use my most favorite beauty product. EVER.

 

LaVanilla Body Butter in Vanilla. I’ve been using this for years, and I don’t intend on stopping. It smells heavenly, and feels like velvet on your skin. Love.

Once I’m good and moisturized, I put on some smoothing serum.

 

  

So Aveda isn’t really ALL natural, but it does a fine job.

Up next! Primping the pits.

Still loving this stuff!!

Now it’s time to apply our make up. Well, almost – in 10 minutes. For now, we pat this under the eyes:

 

 

then wait 10 minutes until its fully absorbed.

Now it’s make up time!!

I always apply concealor first. I’d been using this mineral concealor from Loreal, but it just didn’t cut it. Now I use MAC moisturizing concealor. After concealor is applied, I go straight to the face:

 

 

I mix these two tinted moisturizers (only because one’s too dark and one’s too light and I’m too cheap to go by a shade that’s perfect right now – why waste?) and apply.

Unfortunately, that’s where natural/organic makeup application ends. The rest is all synthetic, but it usually ends up looking a little something like dis:

 

Work, work,yadda yadda, play, play, now it’s time to wash the day away!

Best at-night cleanser evaaa:

 

This cleanser is all natural, but suds up like a regular face soap. And the smell is incredible! If you’ve ever smelled Aveda Dry Remedy Shampoo, it smells exactly like it. I actually look forward to cleaning my face at night because it smells so amazing 🙂 It does wonders for my skin, too! I’ve tried other natural and organic cleansers, and this is #1 by a long shot. Honestly, I’d probably use my Clarasonic at night instead of in the morning with this stuff, but I shower in the morning, and like to use it in the shower because it’s a hassle to bend over the sink and use. But anyway. I digress.

My night time moisturizer alternates between

Good ol’ coconut oil

I usually just use this under my eyes but sometimes on my entire face after washing before bed. It’s such a good moisturizer – and obviously all natural 🙂

And then other times I use Korres Yogurt Cream – which brings me to my only “weekly beauty routine!”

Once a week, I apply the Korres Yogurt mask to a fresh face for about 10 minutes before I rinse off.

 

        

Following the mask, I always use the Korres Yogurt Cream. They tout being for dehydrated, oily skin. I tout they’re amazing. After a few weeks of consistent use, I noticed my skin was less oily, but more radiant. And it just feels nice on my skin 🙂

So there ya go! My beauty routine. I used to be into all sorts of masks and scrubs, but who has time anymore, really.

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What natural and organic beauty products are you loving right now?

Do you have a once-a-week beauty routine you do?

Have a fantastic Friday, friends!! 😀

Happy Birthday to my amazing hubby today!!!