Girls Trip 2016

My best friends were just here for the week and we had so much fun! I just love when we are all together and the shenanigans ensue. Here's the highlight reel.

They got in and we went straight downtown to see the bean, stop at the signature room, and then went to Anita's for a drink before dinner.

Dinner at RPM Italian, so delicious and great conversation.

On Tuesday, Katie saw her first squirrel and was *very scared.

Book club at my casa on Tuesday night!

Bike riding on the Lakefront path Wednesday morning.

And then home with grown up snacks :-)

Shortly after, wine :-)

And then the deep dish from Pequods...

Jamie's first time handling the classic Chicago pizza : /

Saw Anita's Great Love debate on Wednesday night at the Apollo. Super fun!

Pregaming before the Cubs -Sox game on Thursday night.

Jamie had a lot of fun, and many, many drinks.

I'm happy she lived to tell about it!

Jamie, we just love you!

Katie is one of the funniest people I know.

Well, it's the combo of the three or four of us I think.

If only I could share the hilarious videos made at 1am :-)

Katie went home on Friday morning : (

Jamie and I recovered all day, partly at the mall, then mostly on my couch.

But Saturday morning we did get to ZiCardio with Liz and that was super fun.

And a brunch with Lizzy and Brian afterwards!

I love these girls so much, and I'm so thankful that we all have summers off to reconnect. Next year we're planning for Boston!

and I'm hoping to be sober enough to pick out
the right shoes and avoid hours of name-calling.

:-)

Love you girls!

xo,

Fave Summer Products

Hey everyone! Happy Summer! Are you enjoying the long days relaxing on your porch with a cold beverage? I am (minus the porch I so desperately wish I had...future goals!)

My last post about my favorite Arbonne products was so well received, I wanted to do another one with my favorite products for summer! Check out a few of these that I've been using religiously and a few others I still haven't tried yet, but that are on my wish list!

Before we begin, you might be new here, so just want to share that with Arbonne, everything is pure, safe, and beneficial. Each product contains carefully selected, botanically based ingredients. Our products are rigorously tested. We're vigilant about the latest research regarding chemicals to ensure we're being mindful and cautious. Our products deliver results. As trailblazers, we must educate, empower, and inspire people to make better choices for the beauty, health, and wellness of their family and friends.

With that, let's go!

Awaken Rejuvenating Body Mist

from our Aromassentials line 

Not only is this a lovely lemony scent to wake you up in the morning, but it also serves as an awesome bug spray! I've been using it instead of Off and it's working like a charm. A friend took it to the woods in Wisconsin with great results, too!

Key ingredients: Awaken Essential Oil Blend which is a balance of lemon and coriander, clover extract, and ginseng extract.

Energy Fizz Sticks

from our nutrition line

I love, LOVE the fizz sticks. They are meant to break the coffee & pop addictions, but as someone who has been working out in the mornings now that it's warm, I usually find myself coming home and not wanting coffee. So, I make one of these and it's cold and refreshing and lightly caffeinated too. They come in pomegranate and citrus.

Some other cool things to do with them: Fizztini, add some Malibu, mix them with our Herbal Detox Tea, or add them to the 7 day cleanse for a little more flavor.

Key ingredients: antioxidants and a botanical blend of green tea, ginseng, guarana, combined with B vitamins and  chromium which helps boost energy

Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 for Body

from our Liquid Sunshine Line

Water-resistant mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide that creates a barrier between your skin and the sun. Protects from UVA/UVB rays. Super lightweight and non-greasy. 

Tried this out the other day for the first time at Lake Michigan and worked like a charm. Laid out for about an hour and a half before finally going into the lake, and I could tell it was still good to go even after splashing a little water on myself.

I also have the sunscreen for face and the chapstick, which tastes like coconuts. I'm nuts about it :-)

I haven't tried the Sunless Tanner yet, but I heard that mixed with the body firming cream, it's amazing, too! I will definitely be getting that out when I get the winter blues next February!

Renewing Body Gelée

from our SeaSource Detox Spa

This is one that I have tried a few times, but it's still on my to-buy list. It's a cool, refreshing gel that hydrates for soft, smooth-feeling skin. 

When I tried it, I had three bug bites. I put it on one but not the others just for comparisons sake. Here are the results after 36 hours:

Ridiculous, right? I can't even with this one, not sure why I haven't purchased it yet! So, this is just one use of this product. Here are some others that I'm going to try out after I get this for myself:

Sun burns

Bee stings, any bug bites

Headaches

Carpal tunnel

Fever reducer

Arthritis

Hot flashes

Let me know if you're interested - I'm not sure where you'd put it for hot flashes, but like for headaches, on your temples and back of your neck. I know some of you are already believers of this "magic blue jelly." What else are you doing with it?

Key Ingredients: sea kelp extract, ivy leaf extract, Japanese green tea extract

PhytoSport

from our Sports Nutrition Line

So this is one I *haven't tried yet, but was just talking about it last night with some friends. I'm running my first half marathon in September with my sister and so the other girls who are also runners were telling me how if you're going to be out running for an hour or more, this is a great product to use.

Three steps, and lots of carbs, key amino acids, electrolytes and more help support your workouts. After I get a hold of this and try it out, I'll be back with more details!

So what are you already using? Are you using any of these products any differently? Do you have questions? You can keep the conversation going in the comments section below!

And, if you're in Chicago and would like to join me, send me an email and I can let you know about a few events (one I'm hosting later this week!) that you could attend to learn more. You can reach me at hellogoodgoodlife@gmail.com :-)

Thanks for reading, and be well, friends!

Xx,

it's summertime in America's Greatest City!

Summer is officially here! Memorial Day weekend is a great time to visit with friends, have cookouts, and enjoy beautiful weather. This weekend was no exception!

Friday night there was supposed to be a meteor shower. I am not exactly the star gazing type, but Hektor loves to watch stars, so I let him wake me up at about 12:30 and we went up to his roof to await the star show. In my mind, a meteor shower would be easy to spot - lots of stars all shooting at the same time. Well, that's not exactly the case. He saw two or three shooting stars - me not so much. I couldn't be still up there - it was cold and my contacts were blurring and I couldn't see anything. I was so fidgety and the clock tower that's up on his roof was putting out too much light. So, no meteor shower for me, but he saw a few so that was good! We finally went in around 2:15...

Saturday we went to H's friend's birthday party/cookout. It was a beautiful day - not too hot, not too cold. Coleman did all the cooking - everything was delicious and we did a lot of day drinking. I was home and asleep by 9:30. I definitely had a hangover on Sunday - I do not recommend playing flippy cup with red wine....I'm such an amateur!

Sunday I went out to Bartlett - so. far. away. - but I got to see Jackie and Amy! They had a memorial day cookout so Tanya came with me and we met some of their other friends from their neighborhood who are super cool. We played bags and hung out with their super huge dog, Mason, and played a drinking game called Cheers to the Governor. I'm not going to explain all the rules (click that link to see them all) but you basically make up all these rules and go around the circle trying to remember the rule - one I made up was instead of saying 3 (as you count up to 21) you say, in a dainty little voice, "I'm a little girl." I know this makes no sense, but it's a super fun game!

Love Jackie and Amy and can't wait till we go to a Sox game next month! Teacher Appreciation Day June 10th! :-)

idk what's wrong with Amy's face...

Hugest dog EVER

Love!

And now it's Monday evening and H and I just had a super fun day renting Divvy bikes and riding around the lakefront! Divvy is a bike sharing program all around Chicago - pick up a bike for $7 for the day and then drop it off at any location. The only thing is you have to check it in every 30 minutes, so that's super annoying, but our ride was pretty sweet.

We started up by his place on Irving Park and rode the lakefront all the way down to Navy Pier and back. Took this pano from the little boardwalk that goes out into the lake over by North Avenue Beach. Speaking of the beach, it was packed today! You can totally tell that everyone is ready to be out in the sun after that nasty winter we had!

It was a beautiful day and weekend. and now, only 7 more days of school until bike rides, volleyball, vacations, and sleeping in fill my schedule!

And, no Memorial Day weekend would be complete without paying tribute to those that protect our freedoms! Our country is so amazing because of the servicemen and women who keep us safe! Thank you for all you do and for giving us this day to appreciate you all!

How was your weekend? Hope it was fab!
xo
Michelle