Wednesday Stuff.

Lots going on this week.

1. Divas San Francisco. I am prepping for the Divas Half Marathon: San Francisco Bay. I've kicked up my mileage to 9-10 miles this week and I've been walking around like a rag doll, not sure whether my legs are actually attached or not. I see them, but I can't feel them (I guess insane amounts of Icy Hot will do that). Mom and I leave on Thursday May 2, early early - 6am! We are going to Napa Valley (my first time) and so I need some suggestions. Where the heck do we go? So many wines...so little time. Anyways, the trip will culminate with me running 13.1 miles that Sunday, and then basically I'll be crawling onto the plane for a red-eye and back early Monday morning. Good luck to the people in close proximity to me- I'm sure I'll be moaning in pain the whole way back. Hopefully Mom will sedate me with something good. P.S Go DIVAS! 

You can see a flashback of the last race that Dad attended - the Divas Half: North Myrtle Beach here.

You'll know me when you hear my dad screaming: GO RACHELLLLL!

Embarrassing or Supportive? 

YOU DECIDE.

I'm at the 5:20 mark.

P.S My dad cracks me up with the pep talk the whole time.

Maybe he should have been a coach! :)

2. Yves Saint Laurent. I've very excited to announce that my Yves Saint Laurent lip stain and lipstick has arrived[!] I love the light, creamy, peachy color - it's perfect for summer! I've been wanting a more neutral daytime lipstick, and I plan on leaving this color all over my coffee cups - so coffeehouses that host me, beware! I also blame it on my obsession with Emily Maynard. Her blog has me all sorts of frenzied (in a good way). You can find the blog listing that led me to make this purchase here.

Don't mind my extremely WHITE winter skin - I'll be sun-kissed before you know it.

Showing off my new Yves Saint Laurent lip stain and lipstick. :)

3.  What I'm reading. I am just finishing up 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' - I liked it a lot! I am not sure what to read next - but trust me, it's not for lack of a list. I am thinking its between 'Glass Castle" - a memoir or 'The Fault in Our Stars'. Has anyone read either of these? I'd love your feedback.

4. Homemade Body Butter. I am newly into D.I.Y projects and homemade stuff. I am planning on hosting a craft night at my apartment to "Make Your Own Soap" - don't laugh, I'm serious (I know, if you didn't think I was a big enough loser as is, now I really have sealed my fate!) and this week I plan on making homemade body butter.  Coconut Oil + Honey + Citrus Zest = Don't be surprised if I lick my skin. I'll let you know how it turns out.  If you need some ideas, check out some of my other D.I.Y crafts here and here.

Homemade Body Butter.

5.Goo Hoarding. I had my little sister over for dinner last night and  I made a new recipe. It was delicious! If you want a lighter pasta dish for Spring, definitely check this out - its a heavily mix of olive oil, garlic, basil, parmesan, and pine nuts! Anyways, after dinner we were fooling around on YouTube and she showed me Jenna Marbles YouTube channel. We spend 15 minutes cracking up on my couch, giggling hysterically (like abs are sore the next day laughing). Please excuse the profanity (she curses a lot) but this girl is hysterical. Known for being brutally honest, she tackles topics like "Drunk Makeup Tutorial", How to Trick People Into Thinking You're Rich", and Things Girls Dont Understand about Guys. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Excuse the f-bomb this and f-bomb that, HOWEVER if you can make it through a video without feeling like you need to go to confession, I highly suggest you do. Obsessed.

In this particular video, Jenna talks about GOO HOARDING - the pink lip glosses? Guilty as charged.

"For those of us that have almost ZERO SELF CONTROL,

when you see anything that falls under the motif of 

PINK and SPARKLY

this is a problem. "

GOO HOARDING! 

Ha, ha. 

I think she's been spying on me.

xo,

Rach

Don't miss out on:

Lemon Garlic Whole Wheat Spaghetti

or my April Faves!

Quote of the Day: 4.24.13

"Dear God," she prayed, 

"let me be something every minute of every hour of my life.

 Let me be gay; let me be sad. 

Let me be cold; let me be warm. 

Let me be hungry...have too much to eat.

 Let me be ragged or well dressed. 

Let me be sincere - be deceitful. 

Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. 

Let me be honorable and let me sin.

 Only let me be something every blessed minute. 

And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so

 that not one little piece of living is ever lost." 

— Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)

I was reading the tail end of 

'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' last night in bed

when I came across this quote.

It jumped off the page,

because life is so short and precious,

I never want to waste a drop.

When I think about how I spend my days -

cooking, knitting, running, blogging, reading, volunteering,

at church, out with friends, even out at the bar for a much needed

cocktail, I always evaluate whether I am spending my time wisely.

Do I spend 2 hours browsing Facebook or 

do I spend it reading a good book?

Do I catch up on Dexter or

do I enjoy the beautiful weather outside and go for a run?

We are all faced with these decisions daily...

How will we spend our time?

I don't think it matters how you spend it

as long as its not being wasted.

So how do you do that?

(Not waste it, I mean)

Well that depends what you place emphasis

 or value on in your life. 

What do you find personally fulfilling?

What brings you personal happiness?

What gives you the warm fuzzies?

What can you check off your bucket list?

Whether its skydiving, or hosting a tea party, or 

even reorganizing your refrigerator -

Make Good Use Of It.

xo,

Rach