Five on Friday

Look! Two posts in two days! It's almost like I'm back on track with regular posting. Just you wait: give me a few more days, and I'll be back to two-a-days for y'all. You're welcome. :)

For now, though, since it's Friday, I will follow along with The Good Life Blog, Hello! Happiness, Carolina Charm, and A. Liz Adventures for a little "Five on Friday."

  

Since I'm hooking you up with nothing but randomness today, make sure to hook me up with a little random from your life in the comments.

~~ONE~~

We got some weather last night! I was a smidge nervous about driving to Ottumwa (for a tennis meet) due to the weather we were supposed to be getting in Des Moines. Luckily, we made it back safe and sound, and aside from a few sprinkles right before starting the matches, Ottumwa was a-okay weather-wise.

And, we had some gorgeous views on the way home:

I wish you could've seen it in real life: this photo, even with the filters, does not do it justice.

In addition to the gorgeous views, it was a really fun trip. I absolutely love the girls, and Shaw's okay, too.

~~TWO~~

I'm not going to lie: one of the main reasons I was a bit hesitant about heading two hours away with pending storms was because of my cats.

I know: crazy-cat lady alert.

But, I was nervous for two cat reasons: first, the Today Show mentioned that Des Moines could be expecting tornadoes this evening (it's never a good thing when a national news show says that). And, I was worried that if a tornado hit Des Moines, my cats would be all by themselves, without me to cart their little butts down to the basement.

Second, one of my cats is a little weenie when it comes to storms:

Yep: the little prissy princess who likes to help me with everything cowers under the bed, in the closet, inside the couch -- pretty much wherever she can cram her tiny little body into the smallest space imaginable -- the minute thunder hits.

This one, on the other hand, could care less about storms but is absolutely certain that the vacuum cleaner (even when it's not turned on) is going to kill him:

Thankfully, both cats were fine (albeit one of them being hidden) when I got home.

~~THREE~~

Starting the Thursday before the Lincoln Half Marathon, my Whole30/Paleo plan kind of went down the toilet. (Interestingly, that happened quite literally.)

It has been so bad, in fact, that I have eaten cookies, pasta salad, cinnamon bears, pizza, and more.

And you know what? I feel absolutely awful. I feel like I weigh 400 pounds. I feel like my tummy is no longer flat. I feel like my face is poofy and no longer slim. I just feel gross.

So, on Monday I am going to for real for real start back on a Paleo plan. However, I am going to make a few exceptions with this Paleo plan. I am not going to worry about compliancy for Eric and Alicia's wedding at the end of the month, and I am not going to cut out alcohol 100%, only because I have not been over-indulging anyway. I will mostly stick to a Paleo plan -- and mostly stick to a Whole30 plan.

I just want to get back to feeling good. And good for me means taking control of my nutrition.

My new Costco purchase should help:

Source

I have wanted this cookbook for a really long time, so when I saw it for relatively cheap at Costco, I bit the bullet and just bought it. I'm pumped to look through it and start meal-planning again.

~~FOUR~~

Ironically (after discussing how Whole30/Paleo is the way for me), I just have to mention my summer drink of choice: 

Source

Seriously, the Moscow Mule just might be the most refreshing drink in the history of ever. The mix of lime, vodka, and ginger beer is simply heavenly.

I see a lot of these happening in my future.

If anyone would like to buy me a copper mug so that I can make my own, that'd be great. K thanks.

~~FIVE~~

I have a date on Sunday. I cannot even tell y'all how stoked I am about this one. We have exchanged several (thoughtfully-written, correctly-punctuated) emails and have texted back and forth a ridiculous amount in the last few days.

He is super smart and well-educated, he is driven and motivated, he is well-rounded and interesting, and he cracks me up, even just through email and text message. We share tons of similarities, so many, in fact, that it's unbelievable to both of us.

Hopefully he's pretty darn cool in person, too.

I'm trying not to get too excited about it (because, as my mom says, I love jumping into everything head-first), but let's be real: I'm really freaking excited.

Finally, I had to include a freakin' funny picture. I was searching for "first date" images and was bored by everything I saw, until I came across this one:

Source

It absolutely cracked me up. It's not necessarily true for this date (which part is untrue? I'll leave that up to you), but I literally laughed out loud when I saw it.

So anyway, wish me luck. :)

Tell me about the best/worst date you ever had. I have some doozies -- that I'll have to save for another day. :)