Just a few of my latest favorite things

Hi, friends! Happy Friday! I think this was the shortest week ever. Am I right? With the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday here in the U.S., schedules were totally off and next thing you know it’s almost time for the weekend again. Woohoo!

Our week was pretty good! And we have a busy weekend ahead, with a couple of adulting-type events like touring the hospital where I will give birth in a few months … OMG, hold me. But before we all head off to take on the world, let’s look at some favorites …

My favorite lunch al fresco: Mt. Diablo State Park

On Fourth of July, Dave and I didn’t have many plans, because almost all of our friends were out of town. But we wanted to do something outside of our usual routine, so we picked up some take-out lunches from a local grocery store, grabbed Rudy, and hit the road for Mt. Diablo. We’ve driven up to the top of the mountain before when my Mom was visiting last year, but this time, we settled for a picnic area about three-fourths of the way up.

We found the perfect shady spot to set up at a picnic table and hang. We had some music on Pandora, some food, a little breeze, and it was lovely. Rudy actually sat on top of the picnic table the whole time too, which is perhaps not socially appropriate — but nobody was around but us. And he’s more of a table dog, than a ground dog. 🙂 

Dave and I used to be very good about getting out for hikes on the weekends, and that has most definitely fallen by the wayside. And even though we technically didn’t hike at all on this excursion, at least we were breathing in the fresh mountain air! A lovely outing for sure!

My favorite sparkling beverage: Alta Palla

I should probably be drinking a lot more water than I am in the summer heat, while being active and pregnant, but it’s not that easy to do when you just get sick of drinking the same old thing. Thank goodness there are a ton of delicious sparkling waters on the market, which I’ve been trying here and there. 

I was first introduced to the Alta Palla brand’s sparkling juices when I went to a media event in Sonoma a couple of months ago, and I loved them. Well, then, the nice people at Alta Palla reached out to me to see if I also wanted to try their sparkling waters — easy answer — YES! I received a nice care package of all four of the flavors recently, and I’ve been enjoying them all. And by the way, Alta Palla is from the makers of Hi-Ball energy drinks, which is a San Francisco-based company. The sparkling waters are USDA organic, they have no sugar, and they have absolutely no calories. Did I mention they are REFRESHING too?

You can go to the Alta Palla website to see the retailers where you may be able to find these tasty beverages, or you can order a subscription on the site. Either way, know that sometimes I get to try Bay Area-based products before they make it to your neck of the woods, so if you don’t find them now, hopefully soon. Thanks, Alta Palla for keeping this gal hydrated. 

My favorite blogging resource: Blogger Summer Camp

Due to my pregnancy and the scheduling of another couple of trips, sadly, I won’t be attending IDEA World Fitness Convention or IDEA BlogFest this year. Sob. Sob. But, I still want to do some professional development, so that’s why I’m excited to take part in the Blogger Summer Camp virtually from my own computer.

I mentioned this to you all before, but it’s the LAST couple of days to sign up, before the camp starts on Monday. If you’ve ever thought of becoming a blogger or want to up your blogging game, this is a totally affordable and manageable way to do it. All you have to do is register, pay and then watch the lessons online and interact as much or as little as you want in the corresponding Facebook group. I’ll be there, and I hope to see you too! (It would be awesome, if you sign up using my referral link.)

By the way, these types of workshops always inspire me and open me up to new things to try here on the ol’ blog, so maybe you’ll see some little changes after I finish the camp too!

My favorite links from the week

A few good ones worth checking out …

• Mindful fitness: Well you don’t have to tell me twice. Restorative fitness is becoming a THING, and I LOVE it. Rest days. Gentle yoga. Walking. Sleeping. And more. Check out this long post all about it.
• Bay Area travel: Maybe it’s because it’s the summer and Dave and I have a trip coming up, but I’m feeling the need to explore. I love this list of cute small towns all within driving distance of San Francisco. I want to go to all of them!

And from A Lady Goes West …

• Pictures from the weekend and my weekly workout report at 24 weeks
• 15 things you should know about working out when you’re pregnant (world’s longest post!)

Have a great day and weekend, my friends! As always, thank you SO much for stopping by to say hello on the blog today.

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Questions of the day

What’s one thing you are up to this weekend?

What’s one great article you read this week worth sharing with the group?