1. LOFT’s Color Pop Modern Skinny Jeans
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| LOFT’s new Color Pop Modern Skinny Jeans in Deep Rich Rose |
I’m not quite sure what possessed me to give LOFT’s new Color Pop Modern Skinny Jeans a try – but I’m so glad I did! I ordered a pair in Deep Rich Rose (pictured above) and Golden Honey, and the colors are exactly what I was hoping for. The denim is so soft they feel like pajamas (they seem more like a twill than a denim), and lightweight enough that they’re even comfortable to wear on these warmer final days of summer. I’ve been wearing them cuffed with wedges for a fun summer look, and plan to wear them long and paired with flats and boots going into the fall. My only complaint about these cute and colorful skinnies is that they’re so noticeable I can’t get away with wearing them every day!
2. Finishing my 2nd Half Marathon & the World’s Best Cheering Squad!
Last year I completed my very first half marathon (the Madison Mini) and this year I decided to tackle it again. My goal was to run the 13.1 mile course in two hours – and I did it!
My finishing time wasn’t as good as my time last year (1:56) but I also didn’t train as consistently this year so that’s to be expected. I’m mostly just happy that I finished – and I couldn’t have done it without the World’s Best Cheering Squad surprising me at different spots all throughout the course to keep me motivated!
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| Me with G, Kate, and Grandma Pam right after my finish! |
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| Me with the rest of my fan club! My friends Jill & Shane (the man who spearheaded the spectating expedition) with their two children Brady and Adi, and my friend Tiffany (center). |
Having my loved ones there to cheer me on was the highlight of my month!
3. & 4. Tera’s Whey Whey Protein and My KitchenAid Immersion Blender
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| My favorite post-workout recovery drink made with Tera’s Whey, and my new KitchenAid immersion blender. |
I used to drink Muscle Milk Light for my recovery drink following a particularly long and grueling run or strength-training session, but I’ve been unable to stomach it ever since shifting to more of an all-natural diet. Luckily, my friend Tiffany recently introduced me to an all-natural protein drink option called Tera’s Whey. One of the things I love about Tera’s Whey (in addition to it being hormone-free and featuring organic options), is that it was created and is manufactured by a locally owned and operated, environmentally conscious whey processing plant right here in my home state of Wisconsin!
Tara’s Whey is the star ingredient in what is now my favorite protein-packed recovery drink following a morning work out! Here’s my recipe:
Ingredients
1 c. Almond Milk (or your milk of choice)
1 c. Brewed Coffee (regular or decaf – your choice)
1 scoop of Tera’s Whey Organic Bourbon Vanilla Whey Protein
Crushed Ice
Directions
Add milk, coffee, and whey to a large mixing cup and blend for a few seconds on low. Add a little bit of crushed ice and blend again on low until chilled and frothy.
Mmmm . . . it tastes like a vanilla latte, and it’s protein-packed!
You can make this in your blender but I love using my new KitchenAid Immersion Blender (seen above in tangerine orange) instead because it’s a lot more convenient to use and clean up (it just rinses right off) than our big old blender – which is usually always dirty from making green smoothies anyway!
5. I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I didn’t really pay much attention to last month’s Olympics. (I know, I know – so unpatriotic! Feel free to hurl cans of glitter hairspray and relay batons at me in your free time.) It’s not that I didn’t care about the red, white, and blue taking home the gold – I just have a hard time committing the few precious hours of free time I have each evening to sitting on the couch and watching TV. Instead, I did other things like prepping meals, blogging, or reading, and occasionally I’d glance at the TV to catch someone’s Olympic performance (or a replay).
So, it is purely by chance, that the most memorable, most inspirational thing I saw during the 2012 Olympic Games wasn’t a lifelong trained athlete, a pre-teen with biceps larger than G’s, or a world record breaking performance.
Nope.
The thing I saw that brought tears to my eyes and made my heart swell with pride was this commercial featuring a 12-year-old boy from Ohio:
Nothing inspires me more than seeing someone try their hardest and work their ass off despite the odds against them.
When I’m driving home from work, trying to muster up the motivation to go for a run after Kate goes to bed, it isn’t the super-fit joggers I see along my commute that give me that urge to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement that night – it’s the joggers who look like today is their very first day of running.
The ones who are fighting.
The ones who look so damn determined to change their lives today as they sweat and fight for breathe and tell themselves, “Just make it to the next corner and then you can stop”. . . but they don’t stop.
They keep on running.
To the next corner . . . and the next corner . . . and pretty soon they get to say, “I ran a mile today without stopping.”
That’s what inspires me.
That’s what makes me want to get outside and join them.
That is what I love, love, love.
What were some of your things loved in August?
This post contains affiliate links.
I highlighted that same Nike commercial on a post I did back in August during the Olympics. It’s one of the most inspiring commericals I’ve seen in a long time.
http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com/2012/08/olympics-inspiration-all-around.html
As for the rest of August, it was an awesome month in our house. Five years of wedded bliss, a pig roast with 80 of our friends and family, more races, and lots of Olympics inspiration.
This week I picked up a pair of off-white crop pants from LOFT for $15 on clearance…winning!
What you said about being inspired by the joggers struggling through their runs was so encouraging – I’m definitely in that camp. I might look like I’m going to die, or Ike I might break the handle on my double jogger from holding on so tight, but I’m out there, 3 days a week right now, two toddlers in tow, “wogging” my ass off. Thank you for noticing
Thank you for your inspirational words on running. I am a reluctant runner…but now find myself training for a 10-miler at the end of September. I can totally relate to the “make it to the corner” mentality and that’s what I’ll be telling myself tomorrow since my training schedule has me running 5 miles tomorrow and I’ve never run that far in my life. Love your blog!
P.S. If you saw the awesome one-handed baseball pitcher in the Nike commercials, his mommy is my BFF from childhood. So cool!
Kar in Colorado
How did you know I was searching for a protein powder that wasn’t terrifying?! I spent hours at Trader Joe’s staring at labels to walk away empty handed. Awesome rec! TY!
I need to start running-and I cried during that commercial!
@Heidi – Great post about the Olympics! Reading it makes me wish I had followed it a little more closely – although it sounds like you probably watched enough of it for the both of us, hahaha!
@Anne Marie: Gotta love those end of the season clearance deals! (high 5)
@Ashley: Jogging with a double stroller and two toddlers in tow is even MORE impressive! Way to go, mama!!
@Kar: Good luck on your 10 miler – that’s no small feat! I hope you showed that 5 who’s boss. I didn’t catch the baseball commercial, but it sounds amazing!
@Allison: What an excellent coincidence! Here’s a more in-depth article about the product and the processing plant if you’re interested: http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=29643
@Julie S: Me too!
How do you feel the loft pants fit? I need some!
@Mindy: They stretch, so even though they’re skinnies, don’t be afraid to size down if you’re typically b/w two sizes. Hope that helps!