Friday I’m In Love: July 4th Edition

Happy July 4th Friday! I am sure many of you are off to the lake or the beach for the long weekend, if so have fun! We are hanging out in Charlotte because so many of our staff asked off so we couldn’t add to the sub request mania but we do have plans for a quick mountain getaway soon.

I have a few Friday favorites for when you take a break from celebrating our freedom! 🙂

I received the nicest package from Natural Delights to thank me for being a champion of dates. As you know, I love putting them in smoothies to naturally sweeten them but I’m also on a huge date + nut butter kick and eat it as a snack almost every afternoon. Natural Delights is all about lemon this summer so in addition to regular medjool dates, they also sent me their new Lemon Coconut Date Rolls and some other lemon-themed goodies.

The date rolls are crazy delicious and we’ve already polished off one container and are working on the second.

I stopped by Trader Joe’s yesterday to pick up plantain chips and left $90 poorer. I re-stocked on Yogi Organic Ginger Tea while I was there because they have such a great price on it. I drink this tea ever afternoon, sometimes multiple cups of it.

I avoided the wine aisle because I knew it was trouble but they had this one on an end-cap and Petite Sirah is my fave so I had to try it. Verdict? While not the best Petite Sirah I’ve ever had, for $9.99 it was pretty darn good.

If you missed my (maybe too long) SnapChat story yesterday (follow me @ jendecurtins), POPSUGAR sent me a Must Have Box to try and it’s full of fun summer things. Love the cheers bottle openener and there’s also some glittery red, white and blue nail polish, coconut milk and kale extract deodorant wipes (I know, I’m curious too), a fun game and a beautiful sarong, among other things. It’s always fun to get these boxes and POPSUGAR’s has always been full of really high-quality stuff! You can learn more about them here.

Group handstands! We auditioned one of our recent teacher trainees to join our mentorship program last night. She’s got the most beautiful handstand practice so to honor her we commemorated the experience with a group handstand! Can’t wait to work with her and watch her grow. Teaching other teachers is my favorite. <3

A perfect avocado. Does it get any better than cutting into an avocado to find it 100%, perfectly ripe and free of brown spots. Instagram agrees there is not! I got this avocado at Trader Joe’s yesterday and it was the best I’ve had in a very long time.

The nail color I’m wearing in the shots above is Set In Stone from OPI’s Infinite Shine Collection. It’s a a gel-like three-step system that doesn’t require a light, soaks off easily and wears up to 10 days. I hate getting gel polish on my nails because a) I can’t take it off at home when I’m ready (or at least not easily) and b) I feel like I’m ruining my nails every time it get scraped off. But when I get a regular manicure it looks terrible in 2 days because I’m so hard on my hands between the gym, yoga, cooking and all the showers I take. The OPI Infinite Shine System has been a wonderful compromise for me. Does it stay on perfectly for 10 days? No, but I get a good 5-7 days out of it which I’ll take.

They have a nice variety of colors. You can order online to do at home yourself or most salons are now carrying it but note, they may charge a little extra for it. Around here it’s about $3 more per service. If you’re doing it at home, be sure to order the base and top coats because they really make the difference in staying power.

I’ve got one more class to teach before I can kick up my feet and relax so I’m off to do that but here are a few more links for you to read if you’re looking for more entertainment! 🙂

Losing A Pet: Five Months Later (real and honest from my friend Brittany. Grief is not on a set timeline.)

21 Essential Tips for a Road Trip with a Baby (I don’t have one but I know many of you do and this is a great post!)

Lunges for Days Workout (because…lunges all day every day for me!)

Five Years Smoke-Free & How I Quiet a 9-Year Pack a Day Habit

Fajita Burrito Bowls

My Morning Routine: 5 Things I Do Every Day for a Productive Day (I so wish I could have a morning routine)

What are you loving lately? 

Any fun 4th plans?