Hi, my friends! Welcome back to our weekly current faves post! How was your week? 

My week flew by, especially as I was playing catch-up from being away on vacation, which included all the laundry, cleaning, work and general to-dos. This week, I taught two classes, took Brady to the pediatrician for a wellness visit, ordered a dress for a wedding next weekend and started training to teach another program at Life Time — yay (and more on that soon).

This weekend, we have our friends, Grant and Bre, and their kiddos, with us for a bit. They stopped to see us on their drive back up to Ohio. They had flown out of Florida for our Jamaica trip, because they left their kids at Bre’s parent’s house in Florida. We’ll have a little fun with them, then we’ll be doing work and other chores for the rest of the weekend after they leave — because we’re gone again next weekend. I know I said this was a crazy busy summer of good times, and I meant it. And oh how fast the summer is moving too.

Okay, let’s do those faves, friends …

Current faves

Fun

Memories from our trip to Jamaica

Okay, this is the last time I’ll mention the trip, I promise. Even though I wrote a whole recap post about our time in Jamaica, I have to list it as a favorite. Thinking about some of the fun stuff, picturing all the things we did and looking back at our photos and videos were things I did a lot this week. And to be honest: Leading up to it, we had a lot of rough times, so we needed a chance to check out a bit, like we did when we were away.

(My dress, my bag and my sandals.)

I just feel so happy and grateful we were able to make the trip. And yet, I also feel grateful to have Brady and Rudy to come home to — because I really missed them toward the end. All things considered, our trip mostly went off without a hitch, and we’re so thankful for that. 

My tan is fading now (it was a mixture of a spray tan before we left and real sun when we were there), but I often found myself saying, “this time last week, we were … ” and I didn’t mind that a bit. 

Fourth of July

We didn’t get to do too much Fourth of July celebrating, because Dave and I didn’t get back home until the evening of the Fourth from our trip. But as soon as we got back inside and snuggled Brady and Rudy, we had dinner, put a few things away, and then Dave, Brady, Gwena (Dave’s sister, who was staying with us to watch Brady), walked down to our neighborhood Fourth of July celebration. We had never been before (clearly, because we’ve only lived in Charlotte for six months), and it was awesome. 

There were bounce-houses for the kiddos, bars, food and yard games too, and it was full of families. We didn’t get to partake in too much, because it was almost dark when we arrived. So after Brady did a little bit of romping in the bounce-house (which you can tell from his red and sweaty face in the picture below), we laid down our blanket on the lawn and set up to watch fireworks.

This was Brady’s first time with fireworks, and he was excited, but nervous. I sat with him and held him the entire time, and at first, he held his own ears, but then I covered his ears for the rest of the time. We have some headphones for him that have gotten a little small, but we probably should have had those with us. Nonetheless, I kept his ears covered, and he was totally still and silent, watching the show in awe.

Dave and Gwena and I were trying hard not to laugh, because it was so darn cute. He didn’t cry and he didn’t scream, like some other kiddos around us, so overall, I think he was very brave.

Also, this was the latest we had ever let Brady stay up, and he was exhausted when we got home, right after the fireworks show. That night, he said he didn’t want to ever see any fireworks again. But then the next day, he said he liked the fireworks and wanted to see them again. Oh, kids. It was a short and sweet Fourth of July celebration as a little fam, and I’m glad we made it happen.

Books

“The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives” by Brian Moylan

Okay, friends, I never write about a book until I’ve finished it, but this one, “The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives” by Brian Moylan, is so good, I’ve got to share about it now.

My mom sent me this book before our trip, and I took it as my plane reading. I read it on the plane there and back and have been finishing it up this week before bed, and I have a little bit left to go. It reads so easily, and I’m not wanting to put it down. The writing is great. The details are stellar. And it’s so well presented too, with a ton of humor and gossip.

(“The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives“)

If you’re a Bravo fan, I would order this right away. The author, Brian Moylan, had some connections to members of production and the cast of all the “Real Housewives” series, and he gives us all the juice. He tells us what it’s like to get cast for the show, how the production teams put together the seasons and episodes, and how reality TV came to be. And he even tells us how so many of the housewives learn to deal with their new-found fame. It’s super entertaining. Loving it!

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Quick disclaimer: This section of the post is where I share all the workouts I did the previous week. And please remember that my workout schedule works for me, and it may not work for you. Your workouts should make you feel good and leave you feeling energized. If they don’t do that, it may be time to reassess what you’re doing regularly. 

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell strength class at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute virtual bodyweight Barre Burn on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Took 30-minute tabata class at Excellence Oyster Bay Resort, 9:30 a.m.
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Rest day

This past week was what my workouts looked like during my trip. I taught my two classes before we left on Wednesday morning, then I did one short group fitness class at the resort with Bre. I brought a pair of sneakers, just in case the mood hit us, and it did. But only one time. It was a lot of fun, because we did a class with a trainer, and we were the only two in the class. Other than that, I took the other days off, and I was totally fine with that. Everyone needs a break. 🙂 

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 few things from around the web 

• Training for your cycle. I’ve shared several articles on the topic of switching up your workouts depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, and here’s another good one from Les Mills. Important stuff, and I want to experiment a bit more on my own body with these changes.
• Mobility. Mobility is different than flexibility, and you want to be both mobile and flexible. If you need a little help moving through full range of motion, check out these exercises and tips on how to improve your mobility.

Here’s the thought of the week, which I posted to Instagram a few weeks ago and wanted to share here too …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Jamaica. This trip was the best. Here’s my official recap … “All about our adults-only Jamaica beach trip.”

• Skincare. Because your skin is your biggest organ, you have to take care of it … “How to improve the health of your skin.”

Have a great day, my friends! 

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What’s something you’re looking forward to this weekend?

Do you watch any shows on Bravo?