Hi, friend! How are you?

This week was definitely a little better than the previous one for me. While I was busy and it flew by, I didn’t feel quite so overwhelmed — just riding the ebbs and flows over here, to be honest.

This week, I created and debuted some new barre choreography in my LifeBarre class, which is a big undertaking, and I’ll teach it for the next few weeks. I also taught my other classes, got some lab-work done (more testing, of course), went to a tennis clinic, and mostly had all of my various projects under control for once. 

This weekend, I’m taking Brady to two of his friends’ birthday parties, and we’re full up with Halloween activities. We have two family Halloween parties, and Brady has a Halloween parade at school today too. He also has a little get-together with some school friends on actual Halloween, so we’ll be as social as can be the next few days.

Will you be dressing up or doing anything Halloween related? Are you into Halloween? Now that this is our second fall here, I can definitely attest to the fact that people in Charlotte love Halloween and do it up, with decorations and celebrations. I wasn’t into it before, but now I definitely see how fun it can be. And Brady, Dave and I have matching costumes for Halloween this year, which is a first.

Alright, let’s move into the faves for the week …

Current faves

Fun

A delicious and fun night out at Peppervine Charlotte

This outing was one of the highlights of my week last week! Last Friday evening, I went out to dinner with some of my lady friends.

We went to Peppervine in the SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte, and it was so good. I had heard good things about Peppervine, and the food and presentation were both excellent. I’m often a bit picky (after spending eight years in San Francisco, where all the food is amazing), and I don’t always love our food here in Charlotte, even if I always love the company. But Peppervine delivered some great eats.

Our group of ladies shared a bunch of small plates and entrees, and then we each got our own dessert. Basically, we had about the entire menu among our group of five! 

We had an absolute blast, and we were nearly the last ones in the restaurant. Afterwards, some of us went back to one friend’s house for another glass of champagne, which turned into me getting home just before 2 a.m. It was far too late (and way later than I normally stay up), and I was exhausted the next day, especially because the next morning, I went to Brady’s soccer game at 8 a.m., followed by a 90-minute tennis clinic and a bunch of work.

But we hadn’t gotten together in a while, and I will admit the conversations were worth staying out so late. I love this group of sweet and genuine people, and we’ve even added a new face to our circle.

But back to the restaurant, if you live in the Charlotte area and are looking for a delicious (and somewhat fancy) meal, head to Peppervine. The area where the restaurant is located, Piedmont Row, is super cute too, so I’ll definitely be back. Such a good night!

Family

Having my mom here with us in Charlotte

My mom has officially been with us here in Charlotte for almost a month, and she’s been in her own place for a little over a week. At times, I almost forget she is here, which is strange, because we’re still just rolling along with our regular routines, and the days fly by. But we’ve been seeing her about every other day or so, sometimes for fun, sometimes for errands and chores (you know, regular mom stuff). She’s also joined us for Target trips and little things that are just more fun with her around.

Literally, if you could have asked me what was one big change I wanted in my life for many, many years, it would have been to live closer to my mom. And we’ve finally done it!

After living in Florida for more than 40 years, living in Charlotte is a big change for my mom, but she’s excited about it. I look forward to having her around to hang out, help out and be even closer to Brady (he calls her “Grammie” by the way, because several people have asked about that). This one is a favorite, favorite, and it deserved a spot on the blog.

Deals

Use the code ASHLEY10 for a 10 percent discount off Les Mills Smart Tech equipment until November 21!

Had to share this one again!

If you follow my Instagram stories, you know that I’ve been back to using my Les Mills Smart Tech equipment at home about once a week and doing the new Les Mills Strength Development workouts on Les Mills+ (formerly Les Mills On Demand) when I can. And I even made a video about how I use the equipment here.

Whenever I post about my Les Mills Smart Tech Smartbar or Smartstep, I get a ton of questions. Well, Les Mills was so kind as to give me my OWN discount code for you. If you want to invest in this equipment (or give it as a holiday gift) you can save 10 percent off your order of anything from the site, with the code ASHLEY10. There are never sales on this stuff, so even 10 percent off really matters. This code is good through November 21.

If you’ve been thinking about investing in weights for home — this is definitely the route I’d go. And if you use my code ASHLEY10 in the next month, you’ll be supporting me too, so thanks for that! 🙂 

*I’m a proud affiliate for Les Mills and I have been for five years. I taught Les Mills group fitness classes for 10 whole years before moving to Charlotte, so I’m a real fan of the brand. And when you use my Les Mills links, you support me, and I appreciate it.

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Here’s where I share a recap of my previous week of workouts. I share this to show you how I try to get diversity in my week, and how I always take a rest day (almost always). But remember, I do a little bit more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor. 

Workouts from the week of 10/17

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Wednesday: Taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class with weights, 9:45 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 90-minute tennis lesson, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: Took 45-minute neighborhood walk, 11 a.m.

This past week was full! I ended up subbing an extra class when I would have normally done my home strength workout, and then I got very busy the rest of the week. But moving forward, I’m committed to doing my one personal workout a week (which I shared about this post about the last 68 days of the year). Other than that, I played tennis twice, taught six classes and had a rest/recovery day with nothing but a walk, so it was a decent week of movement for me.

Best read of the week

Here’s a light read that I thought was interesting:

The power of no. I really appreciated this article by James Clear about the power of saying no to distractions in your life. You probably know whether you need to say no to more things that aren’t serving you. For me, I like to say yes. And then I’m overwhelmed by my schedule and to-do list. I need to take a lesson from this article. Do you?

Quote of the week

Here’s a thought for you:

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at two blog posts worth revisiting, including a recent one:

The last 68 days of the year. What I’ll be working on and why, combined with some tips for you … “How I’m making the most of the last 68 days of the year.”

Morning beverages. Not a coffee person? (I prefer it later in the day rather than the morning, actually.) Here’s how I do my morning tea, which I drink every single day … “How I make my morning collagen tea latte.”

Invite of the week

One more thing before we go: Next Thursday evening 11/3 at 8 p.m. Eastern, my Beautycounter friends and I are hosting a virtual Zoom party, and we’ll be talking about skincare, sharing about our favorite holiday sets and doing giveaways. If you’d like to learn about how to clean up your products and have some virtual fun, I’d love to have you as my guest. Simply send me a DM on Instagram or an email (ashley at aladygoeswest.com) and I’ll save you a spot and send you the link. It’s a super-casual way to connect from the comfort of your own home.

That’s it for today, my friend! Thank you for stopping by the blog. Have a great day! 🙂 

Questions of the day for YOU

How was your week?

Are you dressing up for Halloween?