Friday Favorites

It's FriYaY and it also happens to be the first week of summer for many of you, so hopefully you have your summer playlist on repeat, some restaurant salsa mixed up and a batch of margaritas chilling in the fridge to kick the weekend off right. If not you need to rectify some things stat (right after you finish reading this.)

Here's a quick list of things I'm loving right now. As always, hit me back with your own recommendations so I can enjoy more goodness in my life courtesy of your fabulous self.

Happy Weekend!

This is How it Always Is
Some of y'all probably saw me binge-reading over the weekend via my Instastory. How I loved this read! Pretty sure I found it via Anne Bogel's summer reading list (if you love books and don't follow Anne's blog The Modern Mrs. Darcy you need to change the way you're living life). It's about a family that has to deal with the major curveball life throws their way.  The title comes from the idea that as parents we frequently make life decisions for our kids based on variables we cannot control and without sufficient knowledge. So relatable. I found myself empathizing with a situation I have never experienced personally and wrestling with how I would react given the same circumstances. SO GOOD!

Tybee Island Marine Center emails
When I took the kids to Savannah in April we joined the Tybee Island Marine Center (for a whooping $25 we got a year long family membership) which is a tiny but interesting building right near the beach that you could see in its entirety in 25-35 minutes. However, becoming a member got me on their email list which means that right now (during turtle nesting season) I get real time updates each time a loggerhead turtle comes to nest out on the beach! It is SO fun to get these little pictures and updates several times a week in my inbox and for real, it has been the highlight of my day more than a few times. The highest number of nests they have had since they began tracking is 23 and just a few weeks in to nesting season, they are already up to 9!! It could be a big year for sea turtles folks.

Elevation's Chocolate Mint protein bars
Maybe you saw this in my Instastory already, but these bad boys are LEGIT YUM.
I've been on a major protein kick this year to help me build muscle in the gym and in an effort to get my huge amount of protein each day, I picked up these bars from Aldi. They are kinda high in carbs (31g if you're watching that sort of thing) but I usually eat little in the way of carbs at other meals (I make up for it with my fat intake #cheese #almonds #chocolate). Most significantly, these are reminiscent of Thin Mints and even BJ thinks they are good. High praise indeed.  

Heavy lifting
I'm still at it and y'all....I am sooooo close to getting that pull-up! I've been using bodybuilding.com to find a variety of great, free plans (like this 4-week plan for women, with nutrition and workouts all laid out for you) and am loving the change of pace from my usual cardio-heavy routine. Lifting makes me feel so strong and confident. Plus at the YMCA there's a tight-knit crew of people who lift so joining the club has increased the adult conversations I have during the week by approximately 750%. I can do a kipping overhand pull-up now and can do a chin-up or a neutral grip pull-up from a dead hang. Fear not, I will for sure let you know the very second I get my real pull-up. (via Instastory, so be sure you're following me there if you care about such things...@leipprandt)

Sexy Marriage Radio Podcast
Huge thanks to my friend Annie for this recommendation. Sexy Marriage Radio is the podcast "that believes the best sex is happening in the marriage bed." The two hosts are married (not to each other) and the focus of each episode is on having great sex within your marriage. Their approach is frank but not explicit.  Both BJ and I have been listening this past month and since healthy, awesome (and sexy) marriages are our heart and passion, I had to share it with you guys. Can't recommend it enough to my married peeps.

Summer Moms Group
This is less of a what-I'm-loving-now and more a what-I-know-I'm-about-to-love.  In two weeks I'm hosting a moms group using this Birds on a Wire curriculum, which is AMAZING. There are six sessions on Purpose, Boundaries, Time Management, Personalities, Discipline and Contentment. I cannot wait to get to know some moms better and encourage one another! If you're local and are interested in joining us, text/email/comment and let me know, we'd love to have you!