PushUP24: Things I’m Loving Friday #133

Good morning from Jacksonville!

Right when Ryan got off work yesterday, we piled into the car and made the 6+ hour drive to my parents’ place in Jacksonville, Florida. We’ll be here through Sunday morning and came in town for my mom and dad’s big Kentucky Derby party on Saturday. I will be spending the day today helping with food and party prep and can’t wait for all the fun ahead! I’m also hoping to spend some time at the beach if the weather cooperates. I think Chase needs another beach experience under his belt since the last one didn’t go so well…

Throwback to one of my favorite pictures of Chase everrrr.

But before I sign off for the weekend, let’s dive into your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where I highlight a few things I’m loving each week. As always, you’re more than welcome to join in the fun and share a little bit about something that is making you smile in the comments section of this post.

Have a fantastic weekend, my friends!

Things I’m Loving Friday

Ryan’s Massage Gift

I asked for one thing and one thing only for my birthday from Ryan this year: 31 massage coupons (one for each year of my life), each valid for a 20-minute massage from him. It’s quite a budget-friendly gift request (FREE!) and though I asked for massage coupons it as a joke (well, technically a “truth joke” because I really DID want it!), I was psyched when he came through and I opened up a piece of paper with “massage coupons” on it on my birthday last week. The best part? Ryan accidentally miscounted when he was copy/pasting “1 Massage” over and over again in a Word doc, so I now have 36 20-minute massages in my future. BIRTHDAY BONUS! WOOP!!!

Burn Boot Camp Leg Workout

Thursday’s Burn Boot Camp leg workout was a KILLER. I had jello legs all day afterward so naturally I kind of loved it. After a brief warm up, we completed as many round of the above circuit as possible in 25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of walking lunges to top everything off. It was a tough one for sure!

Floor Mat Meals

Confession: I enjoy a lot of different aspects of being a mom but one thing I don’t really enjoy is feeding Chase real food. Sometimes things go well and I like it but I often find feeding him extremely messy and a bit frustrating. I’m trying to find ways to make it more enjoyable for all of us (eating my meals at the same time I feed Chase helps a bit so it feels like “meal time”), but when my mom bought these floor mats to help with clean up during her visit last week, I thought they might work well for on-the-floor eating fun!

On Monday night, I stripped Chase down to his diaper and set him up with some food and let him go to town while Ryan and I ate our dinners on the floor beside him. It was so much fun to watch him have a ball as he explored his food! Yes, he still got messy but he ate a bunch and we just brought him right upstairs for his evening bath after dinner, so cleanup was a breeze! I see a lot more floor mat dinners in our future!

Wine to Water Cabernet Sauvignon

Ryan and I found a new favorite wine! We first tried this wine when we took a cooking class at Sur La Table for my birthday and Ryan ran next door to Whole Foods to grab a bottle of wine for us to enjoy throughout the evening. It was a little too drinkable (we finished the entire bottle before our dinner was done), but it’s a delicious cabernet and we’ve since purchased two more bottles to enjoy. I also love that $4 from every bottle sold goes to support the Wine to Water mission.

The Food Entrepreneur S ummit

I am SO pumped for this *virtual* summit! Since having Chase, I am not able to travel and attend blogging-related events nearly as much as I used to (or, um, at all lately…), so when I saw Nicole Culver announce the first ever virtual Food Entrepreneur Summit, I had to register! Ever since I started listening to Nicole’s Blissful Bites podcast (<—highly recommended for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit), I’ve found myself craving more and more information from Nicole and her inspiring guests, so this summit is right up my alley. I just had to share it here in case and of my fellow bloggers out there might be interested as well! (And just FYI, you can get 40% off your registration fee with the code EARLYBIRD through May 16!)

Here are more details from the summit’s website:

The Food Entrepreneur Summit is filled with 20 speakers and 18 masterclasses all geared to help you focus and grow your business while connecting with other entrepreneurs. The theme of this summit is CONNECT. Get ready to learn how to focus, zero in on your why, speak to your audience and so much more.

More Outfit Breakdowns

I try my best to remember to provide outfit info in my posts but including fashion-related details often slips my mind! I’m sorry!! Here’s a breakdown of some of the requested items you guys asked about from Tuesday’s post:

Cheetah-print sandals: BC Footwear (I initially got these from White Plum but they’re no longer available. I found them on 6pm.com though for $40!)

Jeans: Just USA via Nordstrom Rack (These were super cheap – 30! I cannot find the exact pair online anymore, but these and these are similar and also only $30.)

Strawberries and Cream Cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes

Prior to moving to the Charlotte area, I had never heard of Nothing Bundt Cakes (apparently it’s a franchise), but I’m so glad this little bakery is in my life now. Their cakes are so delicious and when my friend Carrie surprised me with a trio of mini bundt cakes for my birthday, I was especially excited to try the new strawberries and cream flavor. It lived up to my lofty expectations and tasted fantastic!

Videos To Share

If you’re into videos, I share a lot more videos on Snapchat (find me at juliepbfingers), but here are a few videos from some recent projects I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of over the past few months…

The video I shoot with the Marriott in Charlotte is done in editing and available for viewing! You may see it here:

Marriott Flex Video

The videos from the Pureology shoot I flew to NYC for back in March are also up! If you’d like to check them out, you may see them here:

Style + Care Infusions Video

Blow Drying Tips Video

Friday Flashbacks

Cherry Almond Chia Seed Pudding (Cherry and almond flavors take over this pudding thanks to the crunchy almond pieces and sweet crushed cherries you’ll find in every spoonful. It’s a recipe you can enjoy for breakfast or dessert!)

Dumbbell Core Workout (This core workout utilizes a dumbbell to maximize the burn. It can be done at home or in the gym for a challenging abdominal workout.)