Hello, hello! I’m checking in with your usual Things I’m Loving Friday blog post a little late today because I got caught up at the gym after teaching first thing this morning. It’s instructor evaluation time at my gym and having my boss take my classes always makes me a little nervous even though everything thankfully went well. Sigh of relief! I apologize for the delay, but I’m happy to be able to pop in during a late morning break to chat with you guys about what we’re all loving this week!
Hopefully you have some fun and relaxing plans on your calendar for Memorial Day weekend! Ryan and I are staying in town but have plans to hang out with friends, fire up the grill and enjoy just about as much time outside as possible.
And now it’s time for your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we all share a little bit about what’s making us smile most this week. Feel free to play along in the comments section below!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
I started reading Me Before You earlier this week and finished it in a puddle of tears last night. The story was captivating, emotional, thought-provoking and beautifully written. I know this book peaked in popularity a while ago, but if you’re a little late to the game on this one like I was, I highly recommend it. Also, apparently Me Before You is going to be made into a movie next year!? I’m sure I’ll go to see it, but I almost feel like there’s no way the movie can capture all of the raw emotion I felt while devouring the pages of this book. Perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised?
- Apples + Cheese
My obsession with hard cheese and fresh apple slices continues! It’s one of my go-to snacks (I’ve frequently been eating it after dinner as an evening snack this week) and cannot get enough of the sweet juicy apples and salty cheese. A winning combination! And this week my cheese of choice has been Londoner Cheddar Cheese. It’s sharp, creamy and very smooth. I can’t get enough!
- Ugly Heart by G.R.L.
This is the catchiest song I’ve heard in a while and I cannot stop blasting it all the time! It’s upbeat, girly, playful and super fun. Love it! It also makes me want to be in a girl group, but I suppose for that to happen I’d have to actually learn how to sing… or dance… or play an instrument. Dream big, right!?
- This Boot Camp Workout
I broke this workout out of the archives earlier this week for a boot camp class I taught at my gym and it was a huge hit! It’s definitely a challenging one, but since it’s so fast paced and jumps from one circuit to the next, it keeps boredom at bay and always seems to get good reviews when I use it in a gym setting!
Directions: Complete each separate station for 3 minutes before resting for 20 seconds and moving onto the next.
- Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Floss
I am incredibly picky about floss (I get the heebie jeebies when it gets caught in my teeth and doesn’t glide right through) and this floss is simply the best. I’ve been using it for years and Ryan and I both swear by it. Flossing is never fun, but this floss makes it less annoying since it’s smooth and, as the name accurately implies, glides seamlessly through even the tightest spaces between my teeth.
- Around The Web
10 Ways To Make The Best Fruit-Infused Water
30 Minute Boot Camp Workout (Thanks to PopSugar for sharing my workout!)
Why A 10-Minute Workout Is Better Than None
- Memorial Day Sales
Woohoo for great sales this weekend! Here are a few that caught my eye:
Old Navy – 25% off your order + Up to 50% off everything
Express – 40% off everything
Nordstrom – Half Yearly Sale, up to 40% off
Macy’s – Extra 20% off with code HOORAY
Athleta – Save $25 on $150, $50 on $250, $150 on $500 with code HEATINGUP
Gap – 40% off regular-priced styles with code SUMMER
Banana Republic – 40% off with code BRSUMMER
- CVS Gold Emblem Abound Healthy Snack Pack Winner
Congratulations to Jennifer K., the winner of the CVS Gold Emblem Abound healthy snack pack! Woop! Jennifer was emailed this morning. Thanks to all who entered!
Questions of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
- Tell me about one thing you’re looking forward to this weekend!
- What song is making you ridiculously happy right now?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I bawled my eyes out reading Me Before You too. Going to Tahoe for the long weekend is what’s making me happy this week! Have a fun weekend, Julie!
I was seriously SOBBING last night!! It’s such a good book! Hope you have a blast in Tahoe. So gorgeous there!
I was a mess of tears throughout that book – SO GOOD. That author has a couple other great ones. Buy an extra box of Kleenex for all of them 😉
What’s making me happy is I’m about to head to Chipotle for a big ol’ burrito bowl. YUM!
That & a canoeing trip planned for this weekend!
heck yes, chipotle!!! you may have just inspired my lunch… have fun canoeing!
I am looking forward to the Sam Hunt & Billy Currington concert tonight with some girl friends! We are planning to float the river tomorrow but the weather hasn’t really been that great lately. So if floating is out, we’re going to do some wine tastings around downtown Gruene, TX!
floating/tubing = the best!!! so much fun!
Omg! I moved from Texas to Illinois, and am seriously missing floating down the Guadalupe river! Gruene/New Braunfels is the best place ever! I hope you get to float!! With all the rain y’all have been getting, it should flow nicely!
You won my heart with apples and cheese! I love cheddar with apples- perfect combo!
Omg, apples with a sharp cheddar cheese is the best snack in the whole world. I’m definitely with you there.
YES!!! I ate some after the gym this morning, too! 🙂
That’s so funny that you posted about floss. My fiancé and I were just having this discussion last night. He uses the stringy, waxy stuff and I can’t stand it! I’ve been trying to get in a better flossing habit but I feel like I avoid it just because of that stringy feeling. I’ll have to go buy this one and proof to him that life is better with smooth floss.
Hope you have a great weekend!
oh my gosh, that stuff is the worst!! it seriously makes me cringe! I feel your pain!
Looking forward to my nephew’s 2nd birthday party tomorrow and seeing all of our family. I’m loving Please by Sawyer Fredericks! So happy that he won The Voice this season!
I liked him, too!!! I missed the finale, but I’m happy to hear he won.
First of all – THANK YOU for the sale run down! I’m traveling out west for a wedding in the mountains, and I need a packable dress option. I’m loving maxi dresses and skirts, but I think a skirt and casual tank is TOO casual. I’m struggling with dress options for some reason – nothing is jumping out at me!
I’m loving a long weekend! My family is going camping on a hidden gem of a private lake. Yep – the WHOLE lake and property around it is all ours! But it’s bittersweet. The property is for sale, so this could be the end of our annual getaway to kick off summer, and my brother in law is moving his family to the opposite coast. So we’ll be soaking up all the family fun we can stand!
I need a good book to read so I may have to order this one!
This week I have loved having my husband home after work more! He is getting his Master’s in Finance and his Spring semester just ended! I am so proud of him but it is nice to eat dinner together every night instead of just 2 nights a week!
I am so pumped for the weekend and literally counting down the hours until my work day is over at 5! I am going to brunch tomorrow and finally going to see Pitch Perfect 2 with one of my best friends! And then having a BBQ with friends Saturday night. Then Sunday after church we are driving a little over an hour to stay with my parents! I am so excited to get some quality time with them! Then Monday we will see my husbands family 🙂 Family Time is the best time! We both took off work Tuesday so that we would have a day to recoup and relax. Again, so excited!
I hope you have an amazing weekend with your little fam!
Sounds like a wonderful weekend. Hope you enjoy Pitch Perfect 2 as much as I did! It’s hilarious!
Sure, Memorial Day sales are great, but what I’m REALLY loving is that we live in a country where selfless people willingly sacrifice so much, even their lives, for our freedom and security. <3
Cheese and apples is such a good combo! I’m glad I’m not the only one who ended Me Before You in a puddle of tears! It was so moving but also so sad!
Thanks for sharing that song! I’m listening to it right now and love it!
Isn’t it so catchy!?
You’re right, that is the BEST floss!
so many great sales this weekend! i’m going to try to avoid shopping by spending as much time at the beach as possible and just enjoying the fact that my white jeans are seeing the light of day again.
I’m LOVING this weather and the fact that in a mere 6 hours I will be in Nantucket for the weekend! So excited to spend time at the beach with family and friends! So dangerous you just informed me about the Nordstrom sale… that could be scary for my wallet 🙂 Hope you have a great and relaxing MDW!!
Something I’m loving this week is a new veggie-centric restaurant that opened in Foggy Bottom, right near where I work here in D.C. It’s called Beefsteak and we went there for lunch to celebrate a coworker’s birthday. So good! I’m looking forward to staying in town this weekend, going to a Nationals baseball game tonight with my boyfriend tonight, and hanging out with friends outside. A song that’s making me super happy right now is a bit of a throwback with Beyonce’s Love On Top. I couldn’t help breaking out in a little dance this morning after my run!
Enjoy your weekend!
ooooh apples and cheese sounds so good together! I need to try that asap!
Now I am going to buy some hard cheese at the store, sounds soo good! Also, totally agree on the floss. I floss every night(always have) and have to use that Glide floss, I dont even care if it is expensive, it is the only thing that works!
Agreed!!
I recently ran out of floss so I’ll be checking that kind out 🙂 I’m not too picky, so I’m sure it’s great!
I’ve also been loving cheese lately! I really like the unexpected cheddar from Trader Joes..so good!
Have a great weekend 🙂
I really enjoyed “Me Before You”! I read another one of her books and loved it as well! Thanks for sharing the sale codes, I need to buy some new clothes for work, so this will be perfect! Have a wonderful weekend!
I’m with you on the apples + cheese combo!! My latest obsession is golden delicious apples paired with Boar’s Head smoked gouda. Can.Not.Stop. So good!!
I am always looking for new books, and suprisingly have not heard of that one! I am going to have to be on the lookout for it.
I’ll late to the game on reading a lot of popular books – that one is on my list yet!
I’m looking forward to the long weekend and my golden birthday on Monday.
Love a good sale! Memorial day last year I went into labor and my son was born so it’s pretty bittersweet this weekend. I can’t believe he’s almost 1!
I am loving that it’s a short work week for me this week! I live in Canada and we recently had a holiday on Monday. Since I am off Sunday/Mondays regularly, I got Tuesday off. One more sleep until the weekend 🙂
I am looking forward to a birthday party for my cousin tomorrow evening, as well as watching my friend’s flag football game on Sunday.
I am loving Money On My Mind by Sam Smith. I swear he can do no wrong. So good!
Apples + cheese is a great snack! Grapes + cheddar cheese is also delicious 🙂
Thanks for the book recommendation! I’ve been looking for a good read that isn’t too long– I’ll have to check that one out!
Hope you have a nice weekend, Julie!
Julie- Where did you get the two cute stuffed animals you showed in your nursery? They are so unique and I love them!
Thanks!! One was a Build-A-Bear and the other one came from a sale on Zulily <-- that site always has adorable kids' toys!
If it turns out that you have gestational diabetes, you are already well prepared with the apples & cheese snack! I had it with my pregnancy and that along with apples and peanut butter were my go to snacks, which was an adjustment from the pounds of swedish fish I loved to eat before finding out 🙂 It was really super easy to manage through diet and didn’t feel like a hassle at all, and I have a huge sweet tooth! Also I can’t wait to read that book, it’s been on my list forever and still haven’t gotten to it.
Haha yessss to eating waaay too many Swedish Fish at first! For a while there I could not stop eating gummy candy!
Oh good another book to add to my list! Thanks for the warning about the ending.
I have a giant multi-pack of that floss from Costco. My husband is super picky about floss too so we can only have THE BEST OF THE BEST. Have a great weekend!
my weekend happy is going to be chilling by the pool between waitressing shifts!
I’m always in the market for a good book to read so I will have to check that one out! Speaking of books…even though i’m jumping ahead to next week, my husband is publishing his very first fiction novel Hope in Every Raindrop on Tuesday!! We are so excited and it’s amazing! If you’re looking for a book to read next, check it out! 🙂
I loved Me Before You! but I am skeptical of a movie. SO curious about the casting on that one!
I am currently obsessed with Andy Grammar’s Honey I’m Good. Questionable morals on that one, but so dang catchy.
That boot camp workout looks awesome- I am totally going to try a modified version of it the weekend!
I have never read any thing by JoJo Meyers- that book is totally on my list now!
Have a great weekend!!
Here’s another tip: there is a SEQUEL coming out for that book called After You. It comes out later this year, in September or October. Exciting!
This week I am LOVING trader joe’s pretzel bagels — toasted and topped with turkey, goat cheese and their sweet and spicy mustard. best lunch!
Also, 30% off sale items at GAP with the code SUPER. I just bought this! http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=2163180120001&cid=1020191&locale=en_US
So many great things in this post! I love cheese + apples, such a great combo! I love, love that song! It’s a song from CXWORX, and I’ve been loving teaching it because it’s so catchy. 🙂
Annnnnd I need to find that book–sounds so good.
Apple and cheese on toothpicks was our “fancy” evening snack when we were kids, sometimes with grapes too 🙂 The simple things!
I’m going to have to eat some apples & cheddar! Since I’ve been pregnant I’ve been craving cheese like crazy…. and thats a way better option than eating it with crackers 🙂
LOVE apples and cheese! I’m about a third of the way through this book and cannot put it down!
I was a MESS while reading that book! It is so good.
never tried cheese with my apples – always peanut butter. I do love cheese though, so I’ll have to try it!
Jojo Moyes is releasing a sequel to Me Before You this autumn, titled After You. I can’t wait! Try The Girl You Left Behind sometime–it’s my very favorite of hers.
Yes, it’s always scary to have your manager in your classes! Glad it went well for you. And I’m coming to you in Florida and am a bridesmaid in a Big Fat Greek Wedding this weekend! Have fun grilling and relaxing! 🙂
I am loving the shows “Married at First Sight” and “Arranged.” Bad reality TV is the BEST.
And have you heard that new song “Cheerleader” by OMI? I love it! So catchy … Such a great feel-good song.
Hope you have a great weekend!
I have apples and now I just need cheese!
i’m looking forward to sleeping in for the first time in weeks. most looking forward to my friend coming to town from hawaii, wish it was the other way around. masterpiece by jesse j makes me most happy. if you haven’t seen her perform it on graham norton, go watch it right now!
I absolutely LOVED Me Before You – it made my Best Books of the Year list the year it was published. But, I haven’t had as good luck with the other novels of Moyes’ that I’ve tried.
my Y’s executive director took my aquacise class! the first time she showed up, i swear my heart stopped for a moment. i had quite the chatty class and had o be a tough enforcer to keep things in line, but it was never easy to “hush” my boss’s boss (aka “SuperBoss”) despite her swearing she was just another student (joined due to injury…and seemed to be a fan, while she’d not my direct supervisor,i figure the higher-level potential reference never hurt)
also, i find any floss labeled “satin” to be a winner and worth a little extra price-bump (esp when the store carries a generic)
I’ve seen that book on every “you should read” list, but I just haven’t taken the time to read so much as the synopsis! I teach 8th grade, so most of my fun reads are YA Lit – hah! I think I might hit this one up for a good grown-up read during summer break. Hope your evaluation went well!
Ah! I am totally on the look out for new clothing so thank you for the heads up on those sales! 🙂