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My Favorite New Gift Boutique

Good morning! Today’s forecast makes it seem like our sunshine may finally go behind the clouds for a bit as this evening scattered thunderstorms are expected. I had to go through the flat closing the windows and vents before I left this morning to ensure I don’t come home to puddles!

IMG_9007The rainy forecast has also made me decide that it’s time to join the gym at our offices. I hear it isn’t luxurious but for $45 per month it includes a few different classes each day, weights, treadmills, lockers, and showers. Those benefits along with the convenience of being one floor above my desk and open from 6am-9pm means it is the right investment for me at this time. I doubt I’ll spend much time on the treadmill as I enjoy running outside far more but knowing that it’s there in case of fowl weather is a welcome comfort. I have a lot of work to get done this evening which means I’ll probably be at the office quite late. Maybe today’s run will be done on the work treadmill as a quick experiment!

In other news, I spent a few hours last night writing thank you notes and picking gifts for many of our friends and family back home. Bo and I both have so much to be thankful for as so many friends helped us over the past few weeks by either hosting our farewell party, spending their Saturday taking photographs of us in our favorite spots, or helping us with the actual move. I like taking the time to send personal gifts whenever possible as I find it provides a warm touch. While I wish I was as craft as my dear friend Erika so I could make each of the gifts, right now I don’t have the talent nor time to do so.

Luckily, I recently found out about the company Lila Mae, an eco-friendly boutique that strives to bring high quality, local USA made gifts to the masses. It reminds me of a small boutique you’d find on a square in Savannah or along the cobblestone streets of Brooklyn. Everything they source is from small companies which adds to the charm! The entire site is a joy to shop due to their easy navigation, fun category titles, large images, and handy account system!

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I have spent the past few evenings shopping on the site and pinning things to my Geneva Flat Pinterest board. Though all our furniture is currently on a slow boat to Europe from the United States, we will need a few pieces in both the Geneva flat and London flat to fill out the space. I have fallen especially in love with the Nest+Nourish section and more specifically, their vase collection as my poor flowers are currently in my plastic measuring cup!

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I love that the Fire & Light vase is made from recycled glass!

When not shopping for the flat, I’ve fallen in love with their candles and jams as perfect thank you gifts. The candles are all organic and have some of the most unique scent combinations! I hope that peony smells as delicious as it sounds as I’ve already ordered a few of these as thank you gifts for girlfriends! The French Lavender will be perfect for our powder room while grapefruit orange will bring a bright, vibrant clean scent to the living room area. How unique that the French Lavender candle comes complete with dried lavender petals?

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The Sqirl Preserve jams come in 8 tasty flavors including June & Rich Lady Yellow Peach, Blenheim Apricot and Blackberry Meyer lemon! We loved these unique flavors so much that we ordered a trio immediately for Blake and JP as a thank you gift for hosting us in the Hamptons! image 

Have you heard of Lila Mae before? If not, I highly recommend checking out the site for your next hostess, thank you, birthday, or a gift for yourself! In addition, give them a follow on Pinterest.

What’s your favorite way to thank someone?

*This post is part of a partnership with Lila Mae USA, though all thoughts and recommendations are my own.

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ashleyd /

The Mizuno Wave Sayonara

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno.

Since mid November, I’ve been running in my beloved hot pink Mizuno Wave Rider 16s which I’ve absolutely loved. In fact, before discovering these shoes I had never found a lighter weight shoe that also provided me the support I needed. In fact, they even protected my feet as I scaled, hiked and ran up the Saleve in February during my Geneva visit.

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When I had the opportunity, through my partnership with Fitfluential, to try the new Mizuno Wave Sayonara, I was ecstatic.

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A new shoe in the Mizuno line up, the Sayonara replaces both the Mizuno Wave Precision and the Wave Elixir as it marries the best features of both into one super light weight shoe! Here are the stats for your reference:

  • 7.1 oz weight
  • Heal to toe drop of 10mm
  • Performance neautral
  • $119.99

I’ve worn these shoes for multiple different workouts over the past few weeks including a long run along the Hudson with friends, a few shorter runs in Central Park, Barry’s Bootcamp classes, an Uplift Strength class, and finally today along the Highline and Hudson River.

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The verdict is that I am truly a fan of the Wave Sayonara. The love didn’t begin immediately though. My first run in them was a Central Park 6 mile loop and my legs were a bit sore afterwards. However, after a few runs today they felt wonderful! I think the key to these shoes is gradually increasing the mileage since they fit differently than my other running shoes and they have a bit more drop. But, give them a week and you’ll love how responsive they are and how light and stable you feel in both running and bootcamp class alike!

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If you’re looking to try a new pair of shoes I couldn’t recommend these enough! Head to your local running store or Mizuno Running Store to order a pair! Your running will thank you! How can you not feel speedy in such bright, light shoes?

So, since these Mizuno Wave Sayonaras are heading to Geneva with me and will quickly get used to running hills, I figured sharing a hill workout with you all is quite fitting! Hill training isn’t always fun but it definitely makes you strong and you notice results within just a few workouts! This one is short enough that you can do it even if you’re just starting out with hill training and since it is geared towards a treadmill, you can do it either at your gym or on the road at a hotel gym!

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Hill workouts – love them or hate them?

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Soldier of Steel Workouts

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Soldier of Steel™.

I can’t believe it’s midnight in Geneva! The week has been exhausting but wonderful! In addition to hours of meetings and business, I’ve had the chance to swim in freezing Lake Geneva with co-workers and dine al fresco, enjoying the perfect Summer weather.

As you all know, business travel is a regular occurrence in my life. In order to maintain my health and wellness, working out while traveling is a non-negotiable. When possible, my travel workouts are based around running in a new city but this week, when staying in a remote location, they are in either my hotel room or the gym. Running on a treadmill can get boring and sometimes I’m not creative enough to make my own hotel room workout.

Therefore, when Fitfluential told me about the new Soldier of Steel workout series created by Mark Twight, Hollywood fitness trainer, I was more than intrigued. I hoped that the workouts would be things that I could do without a proper gym as let’s get real, half the hotel gyms are bare bones. I figured if the workout could help National Guard soldiers stay in shape and whip actor Henry Cavill into the MAN OF STEEL™, it had to be a serious workout!

The series of 28 workouts is available on their site for free!  The 28 day plan not only includes daily workouts but also videos which show proper form and training tutorials! Most of the workouts require nothing more than your own body weight which means this is perfect for me to use while traveling or when I arrive in Geneva next month!

This morning I added one of the moves, wall squats, onto my morning workout and I loved their version of a common exercise which left me challenged in a new way. Watch SoS Wall Squat VideoI’ve always done wall squats/sits with my back to the wall versus my nose like they show! Give it a try and see how much it challenges you! My plan is to add it to each workout this week and then move onto a new move next week! But, when I’m looking for a challenging workout on the go, doing one of the full routines will certainly leave me sweating!

Want to learn more about this awesome workout? Don’t take my word for it then – ask the expert! Ask Mark Twight your questions on Twitter tomorrow night. On Thursday, June 20, Mark Twight will answer fan questions on the @NationalGuard Twitter handle. Follow the conversation from 3PM EST – 4PM EST at #TwightTakeover.

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