Oh, goodie…  it’s Friday again! It’s been a crazy whirlwind of a fun last few days, and I’m so grateful the weekend is almost upon us. Which leads me right in to my first segment of this week’s Friday Favorites!

Favorite stressbuster:  I love getting the ol’ ticker pumping and working up a major sweat. Yoga, running, cross training… you got it. Yes, I’m one of (hit me with your air quotes!) “those” people who counts running stairs at Old Stadium as a good time, and dare I say, social activity. Tomorrow morning you’ll find me along with several thousand other dedicated pavement-pounders on Ward Parkway at Rock the Parkway in Kansas City. This race holds a special place in my heart—this was the race that got me addicted to half marathons two years ago. This year marks our third consecutive appearance among my tribe of running peeps. It’s always a good time!

Favorite pay it forward:  I just discovered Charity Miles and am super pumped to donate to a charity while we’re running on Saturday. Any votes on who I should donate to? Majority wins!

Favorite home find: I’m having a meltdown worthy of a four-year-old over this 26-drawer chest on the Foundary. Oh em gee.  I want. (Who would like an invite? I have some to share!)

Favorite sign of spring: I planted pansies. And spinach. Digging in the dirt made my soul happy.

Favorite truth: This.    Every single day… this. Cherry on top? Doing great work for people I admire.

Happy weekend!

It’s been waaaay too long since I’ve posted a Friday Favorites. Here’s a few things I’m loving on this week:

Favorite quote: This totally made me smile yesterday from Reign Magazine.

Favorite snack: I’ve been on a green smoothie kick lately, and this tasty treat with spinach, mango and banana is seriously good. Recipe, here!

Favorite Easter treat: if I were to stuff my face with donuts (I said if…)  these would be my first, er, victim from Varsity Donuts. Who doesn’t love peeps?!

Favorite Pinterest find: I cannot wait to DIY this to my hideously ugly folding table and chairs. Here’s the how-to.

Favorite fashion: I adore absolutely everything about this look from Madewell. Hurry up, spring!

Enjoy the weekend, and happy Easter!

Can you believe it—the end of the school year is here already?! We celebrated Little Man’s last day of preschool yesterday :: and the start of what’s sure to be a fun summer!

He’s changed so much this year :: we took the photo on the left on his first day in August, and the one on the right we photographed just a week ago. Still my little man…just so much more grown up. (I don’t have much doubt that he’ll be working on the blonde highlights and flawless tan just as soon as the weather allows…)

We were blessed with fantastic teachers this year and are grateful to them for all he’s (and we’ve) learned!

I’ve admitted this before and I’m not afraid to again….I love me some delicious food, but I am a terrible cook. And in all honesty it’s a good thing my eyes can’t drool— because if they could, it would be over all these awesome bites I’ve seen on Pinterest this week.

Oh! But wait, there’s more! Food Network is gracing our lovely little town this weekend, bringing deliciousness to the people. The Great Food Truck Race is stopping through here on its way from Denver to Kansas City for the weekend as they’re taping the second season of the show, so be sure to follow Tyler Florence on twitter or catch the category #GreatFoodTruckRace. Tyler (we’re on a first name basis, apparently) already been spotted around town doing some of the early commentary. So feast your eyes and stomachs this weekend, and stop by one of the contestants’ trucks through Sunday!

(I know, it’s the weekend, but I feel like this deserves to be categorized as a Friday post…)

Earlier this year, I declared my dream of running a half-marathon; it’s an aspiration I’ve held in my mind for some time and finally had the audacity to just get after it. It came to this :: if not now, then when? Truth be told :: I find myself sometimes living in regret…. yup, you’re getting the hard-core, honest truth here. There are times that I’ve either acted on something or watched the opportunity slip by and later find myself thinking I could have, should have done something differently. Honestly, I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. Those feelings come around less often than they used to in my life, but anyway.

I started sharing my story with others, of how I had this great big goal I wanted to accomplish, and figured that if I started declaring it to others I’d be held more accountable. Some gave me the head-tilt and a raised eyebrow. (probably the same expression I gave the hubs when he started mumbling something about participating in the race with me. youwannadowhaaat?) Others cheered me on without question, giving me advice, offering to log miles with me (which I LOVED), and sharing their own story of achieving something that at times felt almost too big to accomplish.

I felt like I owed it to myself to achieve this. To prove to myself and not anyone else that I was worthy. That I could see something, take steps toward it, and see the finish line in, well, a very literal sense. I needed to do it to prove to myself that I’m capable of taking on great big fat everyone-else-thinks-you’ve-gone-insane goals, and then take the lessons I’ve learned in its preparation and apply it to other areas of my business and life. So far, I’d say mission accomplished. I learned a lot :: and it’s all brought me closer to clarity (woo!) and the power of achieving something that seems huge in your mind. Broken down into bite-size weekly achievements, going and participating in the actual race was totally the icing on the cake. (I’d say it was gravy, but I don’t do gravy. ew.) And it was FUN. Race day was a great big lighthearted fun celebration.

The hubs actually took our Flip camera with him and documented bits and pieces of our experience on race morning. I’ll spare you most of the in-race footage as it’s a lot of shaking and breathless conversation.

The course was beautiful, weaving through some of my favorite parts of Kansas City — down Ward Parkway, through Brookside, and near Loose Park. And we loved the people, kids to grownups, cheering on total strangers as 6500 runners took on one mile after another. Some were dressed in costume; others with big signs saying things like “run, stranger, run!” and “go mom!” Their enthusiasm was contagious, but by Mile 11 I could really feel the physical and mental fatigue kicking in.

So much of this is in your head; training for countless miles every week and pushing yourself to take every next step. And then, once you break through those barriers — reaching the little goals that dangle in front of you, suddenly a whole new set of opportunities comes to light. And at Mile 11, as far as I had run to that date, I knew that this was going to take some seriously positive reinforcement to get to the finish line.

It came in the form of a text from our bestie :: we’re waiting at the finish line. Oh my god, at that moment I had the best reason of all to keep going. I could see our best friend, her daughter and little man’s shining faces waiting to hold out a hand and slap a high five for a job well done. That was the extra kick in the seat I needed at that moment to keep going.

Our finish time was better than I ever expected– when I first started training I thought I’d be happy if I finish at all, nevermind the idea that I’d finish in less than two and a half hours. We came in at a noble 2:08; which if the math serves is about a 9:48 average mile, finishing in the upper half of my age division. Woot! Now, I feel like that’s not only achieving a goal, but kicking it in the booty.

Redfaced and all, we look pretty good, no?

My finishers medal hangs in my office proudly, a visible reminder of what happens when you stick your mind and heart to a great big goal. Hopefully it’s the first of many more…anyone want to join me for the next one?

We’re attending a benefit this weekend and I had thought it would be fun to bring in a little Old Hollywood sparkle into my ensemble for the evening. I love these selections because they’re delicate, yet so striking.

Wishing you a sparkling, fun weekend! Cheers!

I’d be completely amiss if I didn’t profess my love one of these days for Nikon… it’s a favorite because it allows me to create like I do, while continually adding to my wish list of things that I just don’t think I could live without. Many of these things are in my camera bag already, but isn’t there always room for another pretty lens?!