Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, everyone! Got any fun weekend plans? It's been so cold and gloomy out and it's supposed to rain again this weekend, but I'm hoping for even just a few hours of sunshine and warmer temperatures.

I've got a long run on Saturday morning. I sort of injured my leg at the race last weekend and I've been taking it easy since then, but I'm really anxious to get out there and work it out. Hopefully, things go smoothly. We've got another race coming up in a couple of weeks and I've got my eye on the prize.

Have a great one. XO.

I want to go to there:

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The weather this week has been so miserably cold and windy. What happened to Spring? It has me severely depressed and crabby. I think the weather is also to blame for the reason I've been feeling so tired lately. I need the sun!

So, let's go on a pretend vacation, shall we? Today we will be visiting Cinque Terre in Italy. Andrew and I are actually planning an Italian trip (not in the immediate future) that includes a stop here because I am dying to spend an afternoon floating around in the cool, crisp water.

Here's what I will be bringing on our imaginary trip:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight

Now join me in daydreaming about warm sun on your shoulders, eating cold gelato, and dipping your toes into that deliciously refreshing water.

Milk:

I'm starting an experiment: I'm going dairy-free for a few weeks/months. I read an article the other day about dairy and how it aggravates some conditions. I'm wondering if this is the case with me. So, I'm going to cut it out of my diet for a while and see how things go.

And as is the case with most things (here is where my need to research things to death has come back to bite me), I read some blog posts (here, here, and here) and it kind of grossed me out about milk.

I've been looking into alternatives to milk but am unsure which road to take. Almond, soy, cashew, and now sunflower. I've tried almond milk before but wasn't that crazy about it. And in my experience, it doesn't mix that well in tea, which is one of the major ways I consume milk. Has anyone had any success with any of these?

We love:

Kate Spade recently launched her new line, Saturday. Needless to say, I am in love. It's the preppiness of Kate Spade that you know and love with a bit of laid-back, airy casualness, don't you agree? The pieces are really lovely. I cannot get over that abstract floral print!

Go to their website to see the entire collection. It's cute. Kate Spade always has such great site design.

New Music:

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Happy Monday, everyone. Having a little trouble getting started this morning? Allow me to help. My gift to you on this Monday morning is a really fantastic playlist created by one of the blogs I love to read, Note to Self. Enjoy:



May it help you ease into your work week. And it's totally okay if you end up listening to it until Friday. I am probably doing the same thing. Right now. Because it's that great.

You're welcome.

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday! Could this week feel any longer? Seriously, there was a point when I felt like it was infinite; that the weekend would never get here.

But here it is, so what are your plans? I'm running in a 5k tomorrow morning with my running club's Grand Prix team. And then I'm headed out of town to spend the day with an old college friend who lives out of state. And we're eating at Rolando's -- my favorite restaurant! Sunday is my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!) so we'll be celebrating with a family get together.

Our week's highlights:

1. Got a muscle in my leg pulling on my sciatic nerve -- super annoying and frustrating.
2. I celebrated the first day of Spring by wearing shorts while running! Finally!
3. Green Cuisine, our favorite food truck, is back in business!
4. Registered for 4 new races over the coming months.
5. A's got some pretty exciting job opportunities. We'll see what happens.

The weather's supposed to be gross this weekend -- rainy and cold. I'm taking a page out of Jackie O's book and hunkering down with my trusty trench and wellies; although I won't look half as glamorous as she does. 

Have a good one. Stay warm and dry!

New makeup:

Disclaimer: This is a post about makeup, so all you guys out there may just want to go ahead and scroll on down.

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For the past few months, I've been using Urban Decay's Naked foundation. I've been pretty happy with it. No real complaints. I liked that the company had such a firm stance on animal testing. And then I did some research (my need to research things to death is the source of all my problems, I'm convinced). Apparently, when China passed the law requiring cosmetic companies to undergo animal testing in order to sell products in their country, Urban Decay decided to jump on the bandwagon. And then the rest of the world got super upset. So they rethought their decision. And things were good for a while. But I just read that they were recently bought out by L'Oreal -- a large cosmetic company that uses animal testing. And it just bummed me out.

I still had about half a bottle left though, so I just decided to wait it out -- until my bottle fell off the bathroom counter, broke, and leaked out all over the floor. Suddenly, I was in the market for foundation again. I did tons of research (about 1.5 weeks of it, actually) before I finally landed on La Bella Donna Ultimate Pure Perfection liquid mineral foundation. And here's why:

1. They don't test on animals
2. It's made with natural ingredients like fruit extracts (cucumber, fig, etc.) and spices (thyme, rosemary, etc.), so I can feel good about putting it on my skin
3. It's got aloe so it's very moisturizing and gentle

It's a little pricey ($58 for 1 oz.) but a little goes a long way (for me at least) so one bottle lasts for a while. And it covers so well that I don't really need to use anything else. It really sinks in as opposed to just sitting there on my face so it feels like I'm not really wearing anything at all. And I like that. I hate the feeling of wearing makeup. And the glow. Oh, the glow. I love a good glow and this stuff does not disappoint.

I've been wearing it for a few weeks now and have started to see an improvement in my complexion, even when I'm not wearing it. I breakout less. I have less hyper-pigmentation. I'm not sure if it's the new makeup or not. It may just be a happy coincidence. But I'm pretty happy.

La Bella Donna is available at DermStore, if you're interested. And they offer free express shipping and a 100% color guarantee, so you really can't lose.