Hello, my friends. I’m back on the blog today, because I love to write and share with you, when times are good and when times are not as good.

First of all, physically, I’m doing so much better now, which helps a lot. And I even went back to teaching my classes at the gym this week, and I felt totally fine doing it. That has helped my mental state a lot. But of course, there’s still a lot of recovering to do in other ways.

Second of all, I was absolutely overwhelmed with the sweet messages, emails, texts, calls and comments that I received from so many of you after I published my post about experiencing a miscarriage. I couldn’t believe how many of you have gone through it too, and some of you have gone through it more than once, and you didn’t talk about it as much as you wish you had when it happened. It doesn’t make it any easier to know that miscarriage is so common, but it does make it easier when you open up about it, so you don’t have to carry the weight on your own. Thank you for letting me do that with all of you. And thank you to those of you who shared with me.

I’m glad I wrote about happened to me. And I will continue to tell you how I’m doing, as I work through healing moving forward. But today, I want to keep it light, because we have a big reason to be happy and to celebrate as life goes on …

Current faves

People

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVE!

Today, my handsome and wonderful man, turns the big 4-0! 

Dave is my literal rock. He is such a good sport by letting me share so much of our lives on the internet, and he certainly doesn’t have it easy being married to me. He supports me in every single thing I do without question, and that is the greatest feeling in the world. He is the absolute best, even if he still doesn’t like me (or Brady) to talk to him before he’s had his morning coffee. (Yes, we still try.)

This weekend, we were supposed to have our best friends in town to celebrate, but they had to delay their trip, so we quickly changed plans and were able to line up a great weekend anyhow. Today, Dave is golfing, then we’ll be hanging together and doing some stuff, and we’re going out to a nice dinner tonight too. Then tomorrow, we’re going to a Zac Brown Band concert with some friends. Dave and I both love Zac Brown Band, and we’ve never been to see their show before, so we’re pumped about it. Also, it’s been forever since we’ve been to a real concert — so excited for it all.

But back to Dave: It’s hard for me to remember life before Dave, because he’s been in mine in such a big way since we met on January 16, 2009 at a happy hour in downtown Orlando. We’ve pretty much been together ever since. And I’m thankful every single day that I have him. Sending all my love to him today (and every day), but I had to give him a proper tribute on the blog in observation of his big birthday. 

Good times with friends

Even though I’ve been dealing with a lot of emotional and physical stuff the last couple of weeks with the loss of my pregnancy, there have been so many moments of joy, mixed in.

As I’ve said before, I’ve met some wonderful people here in Charlotte, and I have a sweet group of girlfriends in my neighborhood. Last weekend, one of the ladies hosted a pumpkin decorating party for the kiddos, and it was the cutest. We’re going to hang with these lovely folks for Halloween this year too. All of our kids are in the same age window, and they played so well together. 

Also, check out Brady trying to catch the other kiddo in the tree behind us in this photo. 

Having two full weeks with my momma

And yet, there’s more good stuff. We had my mom here for two full weeks. And she was not only able to jump in and help with so much, but we loved hanging out with her. Brady and Rudy literally follow “Grammie” around the entire time she is here.

We were all a little mopey when she left earlier in the week, but luckily, we’ll have her back again in a few weeks for Thanksgiving. Things like this are why we never question why we made the move from California to North Carolina, even if sometimes I have to complain about the food. 

Stuff

Special deliveries from sweet folks

Not only have I had the most messages from you guys that I’ve ever had, after sharing about my miscarriage, I’ve also had an outpouring of love from my friends and family through special gifts. As someone who has had two big moments of loss in the last year, these little gifts are so appreciated. (And gifts are not even my love language. Words of affirmation are, for your reference.)

I’ve had friends pop by with gifts, and I’ve had delivery men pop by with gifts, and each time, it’s brought a huge smile to my face. People are so good to me, and I’m grateful to have them in my life — both near and far. I feel lucky, like I’ve done something right, to have so many good people in my circle. And that boosts me up, it really does.

Just take a look at some of the beautiful and thoughtful deliveries that have been coming my way …

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

This part needs a bit of a disclaimer.

This section of the post is where I share all the workouts I did the previous week. I want to remind you that I do more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor, and it’s part of my job. 

Your personal workout week should work with your lifestyle, be diverse and leave you feeling energized. It doesn’t need to look like mine or anyone else’s. It’s yours.

And in order to stay injury free, you should pay attention to the gear you use during your workout. Are you wearing the right shoes? Check out this post to find out … “How to choose the right athletic shoe for your workouts.”

• Monday: Taught 1-hour full-body barbell workout at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Rest day
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Rest day

This past week of workouts was full of days off. After my D&E surgery, I took some time to rest and heal and it was much needed. I did a couple of slow walks and light stretching and foam rolling over the weekend, but other than that — it was full-on rest.

Promo codes

A Lady Goes West favorite products

There are certain brands that I swear by in my own life, and so I like to share them with you. If you choose to try them too, and if you use my links or promo codes, you will be supporting me. Thanks for that!

• Carbon38. I’m always wearing stuff from here, and it’s the coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT. 
• G2G protein bars. I love these tasty and minimal-ingredient protein bars. You can get 15 percent off your order on the G2G Bar site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Organifi supplements. This is my go-to protein powder brand. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Beautycounter. The best safe skincare and makeup. Send me a message, and I’ll share a 20 percent off code for your very first order.
• Les Mills On Demand workouts. My favorite fitness brand. You can do a whole month of workouts during a free 30-day trial by using my special referral link here.

Best reads

A couple of good ones from around the web 

• Social media podcast. As you all know, I never talk about the business of blogging, because this is not a blog for bloggers. But I do want to share a podcast that I really enjoy for short social media tips. This show, “Build Your Tribe” is hosted by Chalene Johnson and her son, and they do an excellent job of breaking down short tutorials for being successful on Instagram. If that is of interest to you, check this show out. I listen to it here and there when I need to be inspired, and it works.
• How to get rid of children’s clothing. This post has a round-up of ideas for donating, selling or reusing children’s clothing, once your kiddos grow out of it. We used to get a lot of hand-me-downs for Brady in California, which was great. But obviously, that has stopped now, and that means we’re buying more, which I don’t love. I definitely plan to pass down what he’s done with, and I like the idea of getting the clothes directly into the hands of moms in need. 

Here’s the thought of the week …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Miscarriage. In case you missed this big one … “My experience with a miscarriage and D&E surgery.”

• Fitness talk. Because based on my Instagram polls, a lot of you are still working out at home … “How to get more from your virtual and digital fitness classes.”

Thank you for coming by A Lady Goes West, my friends. I appreciate you! Be well. 🙂

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

What is your love language? (It can be: Gifts, quality time, acts of service, touch or words of affirmation)