Things I’m Loving Friday #214

Hello, my friends. How are you guys? I didn’t mean to go dark on the blog for three days in a row this week but I was down for the count beginning on Sunday. By Monday evening I paid a visit to urgent care where I found out I have the flu. From then on I was battling nausea, headaches, achiness, an incredibly sore throat and complete exhaustion through Wednesday afternoon. I’ve never had the flu before and I can now officially said it is just as awful as everyone says it is. Thankfully my fever is down now and I’m slowly regaining energy and feeling more like myself.

Unfortunately our grand plans for this weekend had to be canceled. I’m really disappointed because Ryan planned a surprise trip to New York City for us and bought us tickets to see HAMILTON last night as a Christmas gift. (Yes, Hamilton! Ugh.) To say I was bummed to have to cancel such amazing plans is a severe understatement and I hate that such a special trip had to be scrapped at the last minute.

On the VERY bright side of things, my family seems to have remained healthy and avoided the flu so far which is wonderful. I’m hoping and praying for a healthy Christmas in our house and for good health all around for all of you as well!

Since I wasn’t able to do much of anything this past week, I missed several work-related deadlines so much of this weekend will likely be spent playing catch up. The good news is I’ve been fever-free since Wednesday afternoon and apparently the flu is no longer contagious once you’re 24-hours removed from a fever, so if my energy levels pick back up, I’m hoping we may be able to do some fun holiday things this weekend as well. We’ll definitely be playing it by ear.

Now after that looong intro, let’s dive right into your usual Things I’m Loving Friday post! I hope you all have a fun and HEALTHY weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

Charleston Girls’ Weekend

I spent last weekend in Charleston, South Carolina with six of my best friends from college and we had the most incredible time eating, drinking and exploring such a beautiful place. The trip went by in a flash and thankfully I felt healthy for most of it up until Saturday evening. (The drive home on Sunday was miserable and I had to stop six times in four hours… clearly the flu hit.)

We all arrived in Charleston on Friday around lunchtime and wasted no time checking into the house we rented, grabbing drinks and changing for dinner at The Grocery. We spent the night out at The Belmont and The Commodore which had great live music! Saturday began with brunch at Hominy Grill (the she crab soup was fantastic), followed by an afternoon tour of the Boone Hall Plantation and drinks at Prohibition. My friend Merri and I didn’t make it out on Saturday night because we were both feeling under the weather and while I was sad to miss the final night of fun, my body clearly needed the extra rest. I had no idea what was about to hit!

Even with some sickness sprinkled in, Charleston was a BLAST and I loved every second with my girlfriends. Truthfully, I feel like we barely scratched the surface when it comes to seeing everything Charleston has to offer and Ryan and I are talking about making a spring trip to Charleston to see more of the historic sights, eat plenty of delicious southern food and enjoy a weekend away.

Popsicles

When you have an incredibly sore throat, not much feels good to eat other than ice cold popsicles. I lived on popsicles for the first few days of the week this week and loved these mango, strawberry and coconut pops from Helados Mexico. The size was perfect (they’re mini) so I could eat one when I wanted something to soothe my throat or enjoy a few if I wanted my sweet treats to last a little longer.

The Holiday and Love Actually

The first few days of the week I was so tired and achy and had such a roaring headache that I couldn’t even watch TV and just laid in bed or on the couch with an eye mask on for most of the day. By Wednesday, I was up for TV again and tried to put a positive spin on the flu and took advantage of my inability to do anything and watched two of my favorite holiday movies that I knew wouldn’t interest Ryan in the least. A small perk of being sick!

DRINKmaple Organic Raspberry Lemon Maple Water

A week or so ago, I received a package of DRINKmaple’s new organic raspberry lemon maple water and the timing could not have been better. I’ve tried to prioritize staying hydrated as much as possible this week and this water made it a little bit easier when I wanted something flavored but not too sweet. Maple water contains antioxidants, minerals, electrolytes and natural prebiotics and tastes fantastic. I first fell in love with maple water years ago during a trip to Canada and love it as a delicious, lower-sugar alternative to coconut water.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts

This show was a recent Netflix discovery and one Ryan and I enjoyed watching together. Cooking and baking competition shows typically fall under the umbrella of shows that appeal to both of us and we had fun watching the contestants compete and create some beautifully intricate sweet treats that often had our mouths watering. We’d typically fast forward through some of the longer competition scenes (the beauty of Netflix!) but the show was a nice way to unwind at the end of a long day.

Around the Web

Food: Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins / Grandma’s Peanut Brittle / Healthy Garlic Scallops / Vegan Eggnog

Fitness: 20 Minute Butt + Legs Workout / Beginner Interval Workout

Sales and Holiday Savings: Extra 30% off sale at Kate Spade with code EXTRATREAT + free shipping (love this wine-color crossbody) / Nike Gifts Under $50 (the strappy back on this breathable tank is adorable and I have this sports bra and love it for low-impact workouts) / Everything on sale up to 60% off at Old Navy (awesome prices on toddler winter clothing)

$350 VISA Gift Card Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Marie, the winner of RetailMeNot’s $350 VISA gift card giveaway! Marie said, “I love the 50% off at Walgreens so I can finally get my Christmas cards printed and sent! Nothing like waiting til the last minute! I also printed the Christmas Tree coupon – I love that store!!” Marie was emailed first thing this morning. Thank you so much to all who entered!!

Friday Flashbacks

Large Batch Holiday Puppy Chow (The perfect festive recipe to make during the holiday season when you want to spread a little joy to a lot of people.)