Diva Night Made Possible by 28 Bobby Pins

That's how many it took to create my girls night out hair style Saturday. 28...that's a lot of bobby pins, but it was so worth it!

I could not have timed things much better Saturday and it was all by chance. I scheduled my usual hair cut with Eleanor at Embellish (go see her...she is simply amazing!) weeks ago. Then, a few days ago found out about Willow's Photography Diva Night with all sorts of fun stuff and gift bags, and on the spur of the moment got tickets for Michelle's birthday. Went with an experience gift this year.

Thanks to lucky timing I had amazing hair for a night out. Seriously if you want amazing hair for any reason Eleanor won't stop until it's perfect. This up do was the 3rd attempt at a style for the night. The first two looked great to me, but Eleanor wanted perfection and kept at it until it was exactly how it should be. Every woman needs a stylist like that in their corner!

Aptly called "The Walk of Shame" because it's so messy, but it's an up-do so it's fancy too! And, it's a style I never would have thought to try myself, so it was totally different which made it even more fun. The fun part was Eleanor and Embellish were at Diva Night doing hair and makeup consults and quick styling, so it was super fun getting my hair ready with her earlier in the day, then being at the event for the final product.

We had so much fun. This event was totally outside my comfort zone for sure. I just don't do things like this very often. Room full of ladies, hair, makeup, polarity consultation, nutritionist, tarot card readings, henna, manicures sponsored by a business I have no connection with. It was a total whim but I had a hunch it would be a fun experience for Michelle for her birthday. And, I was right. Willow's Photography went the extra mile to make sure we had fun and felt pampered.

Photo: Michelle with her mad selfie skills!

The swag bags were amazing and among other things (pretty great chap stick, lotion stick, calming spray, and laundry soap recipe made by Willow herself) contained false eyelashes. I was a bit unsure about them as I have never worn false lashes before. I know, I'm late to the game, almost 40 and never faked it with my lashes. Thank goodness Athena, makeup artist with Embellish, was there and putting lashes on, and doing makeup touch ups. She did an awesome job walking me through step-by-step how to put them on myself, how to care for them, tips and tricks and now I feel 100% confident I can do the lashes again myself. I also got some great advice on eye makeup and how to handle the changes to my eyelids that have taken place over the years. 

We both fancied up our eyes with our lashes and then Eleanor worked her magic on Michelle's hair and we were set for the night. Honestly we had so much fun with the makeup and hair, enjoying the margarita cupcakes, and taking selfies that we didn't even make it to anything else. Some of it I wasn't interested in anyway, so don't mind. The polarity therapy session would have been interesting. It may sound sort of whoo whoo to some, but she also does craniosacral therapy and that was the only thing that made the headache I had for months go away after I got kicked in the head a few years ago. I would have liked to see what she could have done, if anything, to help with my car accident recovery. 

Final Product...wow those lashes are amazing, just so much fun!

Since the event was over at 7 we decided to hit the town, and go somewhere fun for dinner, and opted for Marrow which has a most eclectic food and drink menu. I was excited Michelle chose Marrow...it was her birthday so was totally her choice...but I LOVE Marrow and don't get to go there often.

The drinks oh man the drinks! Everything is made in house. The Tonic, Simple Syrup etc...all made in house, all fresh, and all take your drink to the next level. Michelle had the Beatrice and I had the Samsa. Fair warning it's one of those places you want to try everything, but there is no possible way you can try everything you want in one night and make it home. Don't be afraid to let the server choose for you. I've been twice now and their choices have been spot on both times. 

Once you settle on your drink it's time to get started on the food. We were both starving, and everything looked so good! Sharing is the best option here so you get to try more things. We started with the Toast (Hedgehogs are a mushroom btw) and then I ordered the Charcuterie and I wish I could tell you which meats I picked, but I actually didn't know what any of them were so had the server pick her two favorite for me, and Michelle ordered the Root Vegetable Pot Pie which was so fancy and so good! 

I ended up with liver pate which I never would have ordered myself, but I'm so glad the server picked it. It forced me to try something I had a mental block about and it ended up being my favorite thing! The mango chutney helped I'm sure, but regardless it was really good.

I had so much fun, and am thankful Michelle was excited about this since it was a birthday gift for her. I can not wait for Willow's Photography  to do another Diva Night because I'll be there, and hope some of my girlfriends will be there with me!

Readers local to the Tacoma area go like the Embellish FB page and keep an eye and ear open. There are some very exciting things brewing for them, big changes. I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds! While your on FB go ahead and like Willow's Photography page as well. I love how much she loves helping others feel and look amazing! And, Willow is just a lot of fun, great personality and want's to help others be the best they can be.

P.S. I didn't take a ton of pics because for one I was too busy having fun. But, I'm learning that if the lighting is dim don't bother with my phone at least. I would rather have zero pics than have bad ones. Second I'm really aware of not posting pics of others on the blog if I don't have permission, so crowded event with others in the background is a no no. Third, food photography is hard, and a true art form. It's really hard to take food photos in a dim restaurant and have it look as yummy as it is. And, we were at a long table dinning elbow to elbow with strangers so didn't want to be annoying with the phone photos. I'm surprised actually that the above photo turned out at all.

P.P.S. - No one asked me to do this post, I'm sharing the links/business info because I want to and believe in the businesses myself.

From The Kitchen and Other Stuff!

From The Kitchen:

Two things I'm sort of obsessed with right now.  I put one or the other on pretty much everything I eat lately. 

It  has to be the Buffalo flavor of Frank's, although I have the regular Frank's in the kitchen as well.  I put it on eggs, avocado toast, tacos, nachos...basically anything that needs a little kick. 

 

I love anything Penzeys!  Their spices, rubs, herbs etc are the best.  End of story.  The Mural of Flavor may be my favorite thing though.  If I'm not putting Frank's on it then I'm putting Mural of Flavor on it!  It's especially good on Trader Joe's White Cheddar macaroni and cheese.  Sky likes hers plain, but I like to sprinkle on some Mural of Flavor to make it more grown up. 

I received a Penzeys gift box for Christmas last year and have been in love ever since.  I know you can order on line, and they have a store front in Seattle.  I really want to visit the store in Seattle and see what other wonderful stuff they have! 

Other Stuff:
Fleet Feet Diva Night was so much fun!!!  I met a couple of awesome ladies at the wine hour before hand.  Totally excited for the referral to a chiropractor that adjusts feet and tib/fib!  He works on lot's of runners/athletes, and best part is he is in Lakewood!!!  Can't wait to make an appointment.

Amy, one of the girls I "knew" from Tuesday Night run group, but had never met, was super awesome!  Turns out there were several of us who all wanted the same shirt, thankfully we needed different sizes, since she paid her bill first she ran down to the store and snagged the size I needed and held on to it for me until I could pay my bill and get down there.  Good thing because my size/color were gone by the end of the night.

I LOVE my new Oiselle Flyte top! 

 

Best part is it goes perfectly with my new Athleta running tights (pictured above and below)!  I like color for sure, but the grey will go with all my running tights and all but 1 or 2 of the skirts.  I really like how long it is, and the sleeves have thumb holes which is a bonus feature that I love.

 

Close up of the detail on the pants.  There are reflective strips as well, and the pattern is repeated down by the ankles also.  There are also mesh vents at the back of the knee to help cut down on overheating. 

I'm so excited to have some updated cold weather gear.  I already cleaned out the old pants and tops that were smelly/stretched out/didn't work that great in the first place.  There are a few more tops on the bubble, but I'm going to give them one more run before tossing them.  

I may need to break out the  new top Sunday.  Last long'ish run before the last 1/2 of the summer and it looks like we will get rained on.  It will be my first run in true rain in 3 or 4 months!  I'm not sure I'm ready for running in the rain yet! 

I also won a hour Foot Zone Therapy session in the drawing last night!  I had to come home and look up what it even was! 

Zone Therapy is precise, directed pressure to the various “zones” of the feet. The Zone Therapy practitioner observes the foot and interprets the “messages’ it conveys through discoloration, texture and tenderness.  More info can be found HERE

I'm really looking forward to it.  It sort of reminds me of the Craniosacral Therapy (more info on that HERE) I had after my concussion.  I wonder what the foot zone person will think of the nasty blister scars I have?!   

A couple of non-running purchases, because life isn't all about running.  

My skin needs a little help, especially with all the time it spends covered in salty sweat.  I have been looking for a papaya based treatment for a long time.  I had one I liked but they went out of business years ago, so was excited to be able to order this from Birchbox.  I had some points saved up to use so thought I would give this a try.

Fall makes me want to wear boots.  All. The.Time. (And drink salted caramel mochas.)  I had a pair I wore 3 or 4 times a week, but being clumsy I had scratched the toes up pretty bad catching them on stairs or what not.  They were not fixable so I've been looking for a replacement pair all summer.  Finally ordered these from MakeMeChic.com.  They are a dark brown color, the picture almost makes them look black.

 

I have always had really good luck with makemechic.com  The prices are crazy good.  I know the risk with that is the quality can be crazy bad, but so far I have been really happy.  Since I'm not all that hard on my shoes they last a long time.  I have had my black ones from them for 3 or 4 years now, and the ones I just replaced I had for 3 or 4 years.  Not bad for boots under $30!  Thank you Dad! 

I also have some new cookbooks on the way that I can't wait to share recipes from.  Get ready for all things Paleo!  It's a great GF/Dairy Free option for Mark.  There isn't anything in a Paleo diet that he can't eat, so I'm going to give it a try and see what we think! 

No Sky pics today...she has a nasty little cold going on and not fun to take pictures of right now. 

Questions for you:

What do you have planned for the weekend?
We did have a night out planned for a friends birthday, but with Sky being sick I'm staying home and Mark is going to represent for us.  I don't mind though because I was out last night, and I like being able to cuddle her to sleep when she is sick. The rest of our weekend plans have been cancelled as well except for my Sunday morning run, not going to cancel that!    

Do you go to the State/County Fair? 
I haven't been to ours in 10ish years.  I don't like the hassle of the crowds, parking miles away, $$ to get in, the smell of fair food makes me sick, as do the rides.  But, Sky would love all the animals.  We are running out of time though, so I think it's a pass this year for us once again.

When do kids start sleeping with pillows? 
Sky still doesn't but was wondering if it would help to elevate her head a bit and make breathing easier when she is sick?



 
 
 

Stroller Run Group

We had an awesome run/walking group today!!!  Yannick (sp?) guy in the yellow shirt, is a regular at the Tuesday night run group, but he loves us so much he comes and volunteers to push strollers so the running momma's get a break!!!  How awesome is that?! 

Something else awesome is the support from Umpqua Bank we had today.  We run past their windows every week and apparently that has been a source of inspiration for them.  So, they brought us brunch, prizes, and giveaways after our run/walk today! 

I love our stroller group!  I can't believe it's almost been a year!  I should probably come up with a way to celebrate a year of Stroller Running/Walking!!! 

I took a peak at the shirt I want to get tomorrow at Diva night, and yep I still want that shirt, and they have 2 of them in the color/size I want.  You better believe I'm going to be there right at 7:30 to get one of them!  After the wine happy hour though, for sure hitting the wine hour first!  So excited to blend girls night with running fun!!!

Time for a caption contest!!!  Ok it's not much of a contest because I don't have a prize, but this picture is too funny!

What do you think is going on in this picture?! 


  

 

Cool Weather Running - Not Ready

I seriously can't believe that I'm already thinking about Fall/Winter running!  When I got up the other day for a run and it was cooler and raining I was actually stumped as to what to wear.  It has been skirts and tanks for almost 4 months now. 

As much as I'm irritated by all the it's the end of summer talk it did prompt me to take a look at my cold weather running gear.  I've been wearing some of the stuff long enough that it's time to replace it and/or I'm at a point in my running life that I'm not willing to put up with stuff that does not function perfectly.  So there are some items that have been tossed. 

I was super sad to lose my favorite long sleeve, wore it on every cold run for two winters, top.  It is surprisingly still in perfect condition but it smells like a mountain goat and that's before the run starts. 

I have my eye on this top from Lululemon:

It's taking some hits from the customer reviews though, so I'm not totally ready to spend the money on it given some of the issues people are having. 

 

There are two tops in the store that I have my eye on as well, but am being patient for Diva night on the 19th.  20% off all apparel!!!  I may even be able to get new running tights as well with the discount.  My go too ones are still in good shape, but they are starting to pill a bit. 

 

I found these Athleta ones that I love, and it's Athleta ones that I need to replace:

 

 

But, like I said I'm waiting for Diva night at the store.  In the meantime I'm going to go in and pre-try everything I have my eye on so I know what size and color I want so I can breeze in and grab them quick and not have to wait in dressing room lines! 

 

Until then I will window shop and save my pennies for the 19th!  I'm so excited for wine at the pre-party and then Nuun tini's at the store!  Should be a fun evening with some great running ladies! 

 

Any must have cold weather running item that you love?