Friday Favorites: Florida, tech, tea + more

Greetings from the Sunshine State! Dave and I got into Florida last night, were greeted by my Momma and happily whisked home to my parent’s house for a good dinner.

It wasn’t exactly seamless travel though. Although we arrived at the airport an hour before our flight, the lines were so long in both ticketing and security, that we had to run to get on our plane and were the last ones onboard. Because we flew Southwest, that meant middle seats for both of us. And the second leg of our journey was delayed too. But the good news? The Wifi was only $8 on the first flight, so I typed up much of this post in the air, feeling like I had gotten a great deal!

A weekend full of wedding fun

This morning, I’m heading to meet with the bride and other bridesmaids for manis/pedis and lunch to begin the festivities of the weekend. After that, I’ll be fitting in some family time. Tomorrow, we have the wedding rehearsal, Greek dancing practice (it’s a Big Fat Greek Wedding) and the rehearsal dinner, with the main event taking place on Sunday. It’s going to be a fabulous couple of days of celebrations!

My latest “Friday Favorites”

But you’re here today to look at this week’s round of “Friday Favorites,” so let’s get to it …

My favorite handy gadget

Have you ever been out-and-about when your phone ran out of battery and then you felt helpless? Well, you don’t have to worry about that when you have one of these trusty little gadgets. My brother got me this super-cool portable charger as part of a Christmas present, and I’ve finally been putting it to good use. Last Saturday, when I attended that amazing all-day Les Mills group fitness event, I charged my phone a couple of times during the day as the battery began to drop, and I was quickly back in business to Tweet, post on Instagram and take pictures. 

Poweradd phone chargerI highly recommend this Poweradd Ultra Slim Charger, which not only charges your devices and fits in your pocket, but also acts as a flashlight.

This little thing comes with adapters to hook up to most types of phones. All you have to do is charge it for a few hours, then take it with you on-the-go, and you’ll never run out of juice for your small electronics again. What a great invention! And thanks, Brother, for the useful gift! Oh and P.S. This is an awesome gift for Father’s Day, which is right around the corner!

My favorite soothing tea

My name is Ashley, and I scream at the top of my lungs for about 15 hours-a-week. True story. Being that I’m a group fitness instructor, who has to use my voice and project on a microphone, I have to do a few preventative things to keep my vocal chords in check. Other than hydrating and sleeping, I also load up on herbal tea.

Yogi teaLoving this herbal Yogi Tea Throat Comfort as a soothing nice warm beverage with wild cherry and licorice flavors. 

I recently started buying and drinking this tasty and soothing decaf tea in the afternoons and love that it has some gentle throat-coating properties. Even if you don’t need throat help, you’ll probably like the taste. Good stuff!

My favorite group of people

You all! Just wanted to thank you out there for reading this little blog, commenting, sharing and showing up. I love you guys! And that is all.

My favorite piece of mail

With free snacks, cheap WiFi and no baggage fees, Southwest is just about my favorite airline (except those cushy seats on Virgin planes are pretty nice). Dave and I almost always fly Southwest, so we can accumulate the loyalty points. Well because of that, you can imagine my delight when this came in the mail just in time for our latest adventure across the country …

Southwest drink couponFree adult beverages on a flight? I mean, twist my arm.

Thanks, Southwest. Now if only you served hot matcha lattes and carrot cake, then you’d totally be my favorite airline.

My favorite links of the week

Did you miss out on some of the good stuff on A Lady Goes West this week?

Also, thanks for the team at Fit Approach and Sweat Pink for featuring me in their weekly spotlight article — check out this “#SweatPink Spotlight.”

And here’s a great article from Gym Geek featuring my advice as part of “Experts Tell Us the Biggest Mistakes Newbies Make in the Gym.” And don’t make those mistakes!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday and long weekend, my friends! Check me out on Instagram to see some fun Florida and wedding photos. See you soon!

Read more Friday Favorites

If you’ve enjoyed browsing through this post, see below for previous editions or visit the the link-up hostesses, Heather, Clare and Katie

  1. A snack, a purse and a ritual
  2. A delivery, a bra and a guy
  3. A sweet, a wine and a read
  4. A drink, a gadget and a plan 
  5. A time, a bottle and a powder
  6. San Francisco edition
  7. Beauty edition
  8. Beach vacation edition
  9. Hidden meanings
  10. Kicks, a book and a bowl
  11. The very best sweatshirts
  12. Party hosting and froyo
  13. Fourth of July daytime activity
  14. Beauty basics edition
  15. Workplace edition
  16. Shopping, sales and a show
  17. The foods I always buy
  18. Sushi, a game and pants
  19. Fitness apps
  20. Delicious and healthy products
  21. Comfort, fitness and function
  22. Beauty, buddha and blog events
  23. Dining, the city and gift ideas
  24. POPSUGAR, sweets and such
  25. A bunch of fun stuff
  26. e-book, food, picnic and tunes
  27. A link, a superfood and a mask
  28. Pants, shoes, food and links
  29. Dining, protein and goodies
  30. Shopping, events and a book
  31. A gym bag, pumpkin and juices 
  32. Workout gear, a top and a massage
  33. prAna, a watch, tea and more
  34. Tasty stuff and gift sales
  35. Decor, bars, boots and a drink
  36. Flowers, music and more
  37. Coqueta, a brush and food
  38. My people and the holidays
  39. Beauty, bling and entertainment
  40. A hodge-podge of goodies
  41. Just a few special things
  42. Tasty food, drinks and moving
  43. A bunch of feel-good stuff
  44. Home, car and fitness finds
  45. Sweets, cooking, beauty and blog
  46. Gold, yoga, photos and more
  47. Celebs, scents, games and more
  48. Food, shoes, stretches and fun 
  49. Purse, snack, plant and more
  50. Fresh, healthy, clean and square
  51. Pilates, sneaks and much more
  52. Quite a few good things
  53. Food, jewels and sweat etc.
  54. Fun stuff and a giveaway
  55. Goodies and a yoga giveaway
  56. Orange, bikes and healthy food
  57. Food, tech, sparkle and more
  58. Clothes, home, a roller and more

Questions of the day

What’s something cool you’re loving lately?

Do you have a preferred airline to fly?

Do you have any plans for the Memorial Day weekend?

Ashley signature

 

 

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53 Comments

  1. Yay! I’m included in the group of your favorite people!

    Have a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to see pictures of all you girls! I bet your Mom is one happy camper right now.

    1. Hi Court! Yes, you are TOTALLY a favorite! And I’m at home with my Momma right now. It’s the BEST. Yes, I’ll share a ton of pics! Happy long weekend to you, my friend 🙂

  2. My iPhone loves to have it’s battery life go from 100% down to 50% just by me going on any type of social media. Grr! But thanks to you (and the very reasonable price of that charger), I’m going to order one today! Thanks for sharing and have a great FriYAY!

  3. I agree with Susie – a little power goes a long way! I get nervous when my phone drops below a certain % 😛 I have started preferring Southwest for a number of reasons: no bag fees, price, customer service. It’s nice that they value their passengers.

  4. I hope you have fun at the wedding! A Greek wedding sounds like it’ll be fun if it’s anything like the movie LOL. I’ve been seeing these portable chargers lately…seems like a worthy investment! I have no airline loyalty, sigh…those vouchers from SW airlines are too cool!

  5. My husband and I only fly Southwest, too! We have the cc and rack up the points like crazy. Love those free drink tickets, we have so many we get to split them up between all our flights, woohoo! Have fun with your family!

    1. Hi Pinky! Ahhh nice work! It’s good to have the Southwest credit card for extra point! Hope you have a nice weekend, lady! 🙂

  6. I love having an external battery for my phone! Mine is actually my phone case (it’s a juice pack) and it’s AMAZING!
    My favorite airline is definitely Lufthansa for international flights and United for domestic.

    I hope you have a great weekend! I’m really excited to go see America Ninja Warrior being taped tonight and tomorrow! Can’t wait 🙂

    1. Hi Gretchen! You’re seeing America Ninja Warrior being taped? Totally awesome! I’ve caught some of that on TV before — crazy folks! Hope your weekend is just lovely! 🙂

  7. I love yogi tea and you just reminded me to buy some. I really like the berry detox. Did you just discover those chargers? You’ve been missing out! I’ve had one for 3 yrs. I traveled to China for work and found one of those. I always have it on me. I’m glad the southwest wifi worked for you. It didn’t work for me last weekend. It took 30 minutes for a website to load. Have a fun weekend in Florida!

    1. Hi Megan! Yes, I know these chargers have been around but didn’t think I needed or wanted one until I finally got one ehehhe! And it’s definitely a good thing to keep on you. Yes, I had fast WiFi for most of my first flight, then it was a bit patchy toward the end. Hope you have a nice weekend! 🙂

  8. Have a great time at the wedding! Being Greek myself, I have to say Greek weddings are always a blast! Greek dancing is my favorite! I grew up Greek dance performing since I was in preschool and it is always a blast!

    1. Hi Brie! No way — bet you’ve been to a lot of Greek festivals! And I love Greek food and Greek weddings! OPA!!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Greek Lady!

    1. Thanks, Katie! We don’t have as many weddings as you this year, so we’ll be sure to enjoy this one to the fullest hehhe! 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  9. I just got one of those portable chargers at a bloggong conference last week. I actually won it in a drawing- I never would have gotten one on my own as I didn’t know they even existed. So clever- I have a feeling I won’t be caught without it anywhere from now on!

    1. That’s why it’s so good to continue to fly Southwest, because they make it worth your while! Hope you have a nice weekend, lady! 🙂

    1. Hi Heather! Totally cool! And this is my second Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I will say they are something else! Lots of ouzo, dancing, dollar bills in the air and more. Have a lovely weekend, lady! 🙂

  10. Have fun at the wedding! Looking forward to seeing pictures of the beautiful bride. Please wish her luck for me and say hi to your wonderful mom!

    1. Ohhh thank you so much Principal Jividen!! You are too sweet. I sent your love to Melissa already and will do the same to my Momma! Have a great weekend! 🙂 Thanks for commenting too!

  11. What a treat that you got those drink coupons! Just in time for your trip – perfect! I’ve always loved Southwest too. They just make things easy, which I appreciate. Have a fabulous time this weekend with family and friends. P.S. Got your email … thanks so much, Girl! I’ll be responding soon. xo

  12. I’m happy to hear you made it to FL without any issues! And yes, I love flying with Southwest too. They’re awesome! I just wish they flew internationally so we could get point for Brandon’s conference travel.

    Anyways, I hope you have a blast this weekend! It sounds like it will be a great time. 🙂

    1. Hi Marielle! I totally understand how you’d feel that way. I prefer to have my seat ahead of time too, but you can’t beat the no baggage fees and free snacks that you get on Southwest heheh. Hope you have a nice weekend!

  13. Enjoy your time in Florida! I wish Southwest flew into my area airport. 🙁
    I like Delta. I’ve never flown Virgin but cushy seats sound amazing!

  14. Oh my gosh how great would it be if they served carrot cake?! I also always fly southwest. Did you see they step up their peanut game? They are now honey roasted. Have so much FL and at the wedding 🙂

    1. Hi Sara! How did I not notice the peanuts were honey roasted? Maybe mine weren’t hahah! LOVE THAT though! Hope you’re having a good weekend! 🙂

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