I hope you had a lovely month (see what I did there? I have dad jokes for days…) 😀 hehe. It sure has been a fun and busy month which has lead me to catch the dreaded flu and it totally knocked me out.
Life Lately posts are a way to share some of my favorite products and random ideas for blog posts that would be so much fun to write and share with all of you, but, unfortunately, I don’t have the time to share all of them, so I thought this may be a fun way to share some of these ideas/thoughts on a monthly basis. I would love to get feedback from you – is there a certain topic you would love to see?
LIFE LATELY – FEBRUARY 2018
What I’ve been Buying or Loving this Month:
More like what I’ve been lusting after….SMEG x Dolce Gabbanna Tea Kettle
This neutral duster is the perfect trendy, transition piece
I’ve been living in this comfy and bold sweatshirt
Bright pink pineapple phone case
My Beauty Favorites:
A customized serum made just for me
Who knew a 3 minute mask could make such a difference in the look of my skin?
Throwback Post:
I must have a thing for Valentine’s Day heels…not only did I find these gorgeous XO heels this year, but two years ago I found these lip print heels perfect for Galentine’s Day
Favorite Blogger Posts of the Month:
Thinking about making a career change? Kayla shares some great tips
This crepe King Cake is one the most amazing things I’ve ever seen
Karen looks adorable in this blush top
Fellow gingham lover, Liza, looks amazing in this OTS top
Favorite Workout Class of the Month:
Since I was traveling so much this month, I had the opportunity to try so many new classes. I try to capture my initial reactions on InstaStories (shameless plug to make sure to follow me on Instagram – @EmilySGSB ), but I’ll be sharing a more detailed review here.
L.A. is two hours behind Houston, so the first morning I was on the West Coast I was wide awake a 4AM. I don’t care to work out in the morning – I feel like I don’t work as hard, but since I was up I went to a 6AM Full Body, Body by Simone dance cardio + toning class. The class was an hour long and rotated between heart-pumping cardio dance routines and muscle burning strength exercises. Overall, it was a good class and I felt sore for the next few days, but I definitely got lost numerous times during the dance routine. I would definitely go back and I think that each time I would go, I would start to pick up the routines (from my understanding, they stick around for a bit) and get a rigorous workout.
A few days later, I got up early again (who have I become?) to go to Nichelle’s 6AM spin class at Cycle House – Hollywood. Now, if you love E!, you may know Cycle House from the TV show Hollywood Cycle that was on about 3 years ago. When I was in L.A. two and a half years ago, I had the opportunity to attend Nichelle’s class and absolutely loved the energy, so I made a point to return to her class when I was there this year. My booty totally got kicked and I was out of breath two songs into class. And there’s no way to give less than 100% because Nichelle will not let you slack in her class. But, that’s what I’m there for – to get a fantastic workout and have fun in the process. And the ride home is my absolute favorite part of her class and something I wish would happen in every spin class I go to (I don’t want to spoil the fun for when you go, but it happens during the last song of class and I guarantee you will know when it’s happening because of the energy in the room).
I was feeling really strong after all of these classes so I decided to try one of the original HIIT classes, Barry’s Bootcamp (and I even went to the original Barry’s studios). We started on the treadmills where we walked/ran/jogged at different intervals to get our heart rates up. Then we spent about 5-10 minutes doing strength activities on the strength floor. We kept rotating between the treadmills and the strength floor for the 50 minute class. Although I don’t like running, am terrible at it and felt like I was not going to be able to make it through class, I left feeling like I had one of the best workouts of my life (and the proof, I was sore for a week. A week, y’all). I hope they bring one to Houston soon, because it would be a class I would love/hate to go to, but just what I need. The cherry on top is the Barry’s Fuel Bar which has smoothies to help you recover after class. I had the PB&J smoothie and my mouth is still watering for it…when am I going back to LA? 😀
The best part about all of these workouts – they were all on ClassPass! Which means I could try them on my plan and save money because I pay a flat fee for the month and am able to use the credits at so many different studios across the country. If you love Group Fitness classes, I would highly recommend this membership as a way to try new fitness classes.
What I’ve Been Watching:
Lady Bird – In an effort to see all of the Oscar nominated movies, I went a couple of weekends to go see Lady Bird using MoviePass. I had really high expectations for Lady Bird, and maybe it was the mood I was in, but it wasn’t my favorite of the nominations. It just didn’t pull at my heart strings or make me think about my life or actions – but that’s what so beautiful about art – it’s subjective to interpretation and totally biased based on our experiences and beliefs. I can’t wait to see who ends up winning this Sunday!
Queer Eye – Let’s start by saying I was a huge fan of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and when I heard about the remake version on Netflix, I could not wait to see it! And, y’all the remake may be even better than the original! I am completely obsessed and binged watched the entire season in a week. So, Netflix…when is the next season coming out?
P.S. If you love seeing movies, check out MoviePass. For $9.95 a month, you can see a movie a day. It’s definitely a great deal if you go to the movies once a month or more. And if you are a Costco member, you can get a yearly MoviePass subscription for under $90.
What I’m Reading this Month:
With all of my traveling, I really haven’t been reading this month…
February Travel Updates:
I took almost every type of transportation this month – planes, trains, automobiles and buses – I took them all.
Let’s start with cars, I partnered with Toyota this month to test drive their new 2018 Highlander and I had so much fun galavanting around Houston in it! I can’t wait to share my full review of on SGSB it soon!
I took my first train ride this month from Washington D.C. to New York City for work. It saves so much time and is more convenient than flying to other locations. I can see why all my North East friends love to take it. I was able to get a ton of work done and loved arriving in NYC in a little under three hours. Sufficient to say, if I have the chance to take the Amtrak again, I totally will.
After a whirlwind 4 city in 5 day trip, I found myself needing to get back to Houston from Austin. Luckily, I discovered the Vonlane Bus last year and I had been itching at the chance to take the luxurious bus and it did not disappoint. I booked my bus ticket about a week prior to my trip online and was able to book my specific seat. I decided to book the solo seat since I was traveling by myself (it’s a 2-1 configuration so there are two seats together on one side of the bus and 1 on the side). The seat was one of the most comfortable seats I’ve ever sat on and there is a ergonomically friendly footrest which is perfect for sitting through the trip or laying almost flat to sleep. This isn’t your ordinary bus ride – the 16-20 seat buses are first class all the way. They offer you blankets, pillows, phone and computer chargers and even Bose headphones to enjoy during your trip and the attendant came by multiple times asking if she could bring me any drinks or snacks to make the three hour trek more enjoyable. And the best part, I was able to sit back, relax and get some work done. Overall, a fantastic experience and I know I will be using it in the future to get to and from the Texas cities.
I’m looking forward to sharing these life updates with all of you and hope you enjoy them! If you ever have any feedback, please let me know!
