Friday Faves
Hi friends! Happy Friday, and YAY for the weekend. I’d love to hear what you’re up to. Thank you so much for the comments on my last post. I was like AHHHH when I posted it, but am so thankful for your kind words and love.
It’s been a bit of a week, and the hurricane situation took a bit of an emotional toll on me. I kept it together because I didn’t want to freak out the girls, but I held in a lot of worry and stress. I was worried about the little ones, we deliberated a lot before we made the decision to pack up and leave, braved the traffic (whoa the traffic), and stayed in a hotel to protect the fam.
Even though we enjoyed the weekend together, and stayed safe (<— what really matters), there were a lot of little things that added up. It took 9 hours to get back from Atlanta, instead of the usual 3 1/2. And on the drive, Bella proceeded to get sick all over the Pilot. I was laughing so hard I was crying, and then Bella hopped onto my lap and got sick all over me…. like WAY worse than she got the Pilot. I mean at that point, all you can do is laugh… and then pull over for a roadtrip outfit change and major hand washing. My poor car.
A necessary donut stop because everyone needed a little sweet treat after being in the car for an eternity.
We arrived home to no power, but thankfully no major damage. There were a lot of limbs and rubbish all over our property, but no flooding, no smashed windows, or trees that had fallen onto the house. There were a LOT of trees down in our neighborhood, so I’m thankfully that no one seemed to encounter major damage in our area. The fact that we didn’t have power made me even more glad that we spent some time away. It would have been our third day without power, and while it’s a bummer to throw away an entire fridge full of food, there is so much worse that could have happened.
I couldn’t help but feel guilty mentally complaining, because in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that bad, and I know so many people who experienced far worse over the past couple of weeks. But still, I’ve felt a little cranky and emotional.
While I have felt a little off, I’ve also been reminding myself of the good things about the week:
-We got to spend extra time together. Even though the girls don’t usually sleep very late when we’re all in the same hotel room, I love having all of the family together in a room. I’ll often wake up during the night and check on Liv, or check the baby monitor, and I feel so comforted and sleep so well when our baby chicks are sleeping close by.
-We got to do some fun things together before the storm hit: lots of great eats, meeting up with friends, exploring, shopping, and the Children’s Museum.
-The girls are TROOPERS. They saw the whole experience as a fun adventure, and even when we got home to no power, they loved having a candlelight picnic and dancing around with their glowsticks.
Another way to maintain gratitude and take joy in the the little things is this little weekly Friday Faves roundup. No matter what else is going on, it’s always fun to take some time to compile the things that are making me happy, and I love to hear about your faves, too.
Here are some of the highlights from this week:
(It’s 60% off right now)
This arrived in a recent Stitch Fix box, and I LOVE the color and off-shoulder cut. It’s light and flowy, and one of those awesome transition-to-fall pieces. I’ve been wearing it with gladiators, but will definitely throw it on with a sweater and booties as it cools down.
(It hassssssss POCKETS)
-These mini lanterns and BBW candles. When we came home to no power, it made me happy I’d stocked up on a few of these from Amazon to have in addition to our big lantern and smaller flashlights. They’re very bright LED lights, and pop open. You can change the setting from bright, to low, to strobe. If you collapse the light, it works as a flashlight. I’ll probably order a couple more to have on hand for emergencies.
We also lit a lot of candles, and I was so happy I’d stocked up on some new ones from Bath & Body Works. (They’re $12.50 right now.) The lavender one smells amaaaaazing and I had a coupon for a free one, so score.
-I’m trying to pace myself on pumpkin things, but this pumpkin ice box cake and protein pumpkin pie yogurt look amazing.
-Slow cooker chicken Moroccan stew.
-Tips on parenting from the guru of all things.
-Lifting weights again! Wahoo! So far this week I’ve done two strength and cardio workouts, and also taught barre. Class was smaller because of everything going on this week, so I did about half of the workout as I was teaching. It felt awesome, and I can slowly feel my strength and flexibility creeping back.
-Not really a fave: I started this book, and I’m not sure if I’m going to finish it. The first few chapters have been heartbreaking, and after the week, I really wasn’t in the mood for a sad read. If you have any lighter, fun book suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Also, if you’ve read this book, does it get better? Or is it like a 300-page Debbie Downer?
-These pickled veggies from Trader Joe’s. I’ve been adding them to wraps, salads, tacos and eggs for an extra spicy, tangy kick. I had to throw them away because our fridge was off for so long, but will definitely pick more up on our next Trader Joe’s roadtrip.
Hope you have a happy Friday and I’ll see ya soon.
xoxo
Gina
*Friendly reminder that Barre Bootcamp registration starts MONDAY, so meet me here for the info Monday am (or check your inbox Sunday night) if you’re going to join the party. Spots will go quickly! I can’t wait.
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Do you have power back now?
we do – thank goodness!
Yikes, that sounds so stressful and sounds like you definitely made the right decision about leaving. I’m glad your family and house are okay!
thank you! i was glad we decided to leave, too
hope you’re having a good weekend!
Great to hear everybody is doing great including your home 🙂
thank you! <3
You have every right to feel those feels! That’s scary stuff! I wouldn’t have thought hurricanes would be cold either?? Apple Annie’s in Wilcox, Az is on our agenda this weekend! Here’s to all things apple!
have the best time at apple annie’s! i miss it 🙂 please eat some pie for me
I wish I could pace myself on the pumpkin items, but once they hit the store shelves, they magically end up in my cart.
they’re only available for such a short time! gotta live it up 🙂
Friday Favorites — a normal weekend with errands and workouts and a much-needed massage.
Ditto on the emotional toll of the hurricane and laughter at awful moments to help with the stress of everything. The past two weeks have been one big blur of time. The pre-hurricane anxiety is for real, and it’s been exhausting. It also made me appreciate my friends. First those in FL with me whom I stayed or who stayed with me, and those from afar who blew up my phone with non-stop text messages.
so glad you were surrounded by lots of love during such a crazy and stressful time. happy you’re ok <3
We went through Katrina so I feel you about the hurricane stress! We rode it out here in Louisiana but I would NEVER do that now with kids. You made the right decision to leave and I’m so thankful that you and your neighbors did not have significant damage.
Throwing food away hurts my heart so badly but yes, you are so fortunate that is all you had to throw away! (which I know you know!)
Way to look on the bright side and be grateful for the positives. Family being safe far outweighs any negative’s.
oh man, i can’t even imagine
thank you! even though it was super stressful, i just wanted everyone to be safe. it was fun camping out with the fam and dogs for a little while
What a stressful week, way to find the positive! I am glad you guys were able to get away and be together during the storm and that your house didn’t have any major damage.
thank you so much- hope you had a good week <3
Good on you for seeing the positive in a not so great situation.
I totally get you on the sad heavy books….check out “Delicious!” by Ruth Reichl. The author has an extensive food background but manages to intertwine it w/ history, romance and some eclectic characters.
SO thankful the hurricane is past. We’re in Jacksonville and rode it out at home (totally fine here – the worst part was the fire alarm going off in our building FOR 5 HOURS at 3 am during the worst of the storm. With our two little ones. Ugh.) The stress of waiting and watching was killing me! I’m glad you made it out and back home safely with little damage!
Being without power with littles would be a NIGHTMARE! And I know a lot of people in Florida and Southeast had to deal with terrible trips home. Sorry you went through all of that — but you are right to look on the bright side of all the time you had together. LOVING that red dress. Hope your weekend goes well, friend! 🙂
I need a feel good read right now myself. I’m struggling through lying game which is well done but not the kind of read I could use right now.
You should read “The School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister (there is a follow up, “The Lost Art of Mixing.”) It is about a cooking class, and each chapter tells the back story of one of the participants and relates their experiences to the dish the class is cooking that week. There is a lot of touching humanity (and a LOT of Food Porn.) It’s a little fluffy, but I really enjoyed it and the sequel!
That dress!! I love it! And ordered it 😉
The hurricane was pretty scary! Sounds like you had a rough time with the drive and losing power. We were in Disney World and had to evacuate to Atlanta in order to get a flight home. Took us 14 hours to drive from Orlando and I was basically a wreck by the end of it all too! I’m glad you’re all safe.