Sunrise Runs & Flowers: Thinking Out Loud #40

Happy Thursday!! I had intentions of being more present on the blog this week but that just didn't happen. Life has been hectic this past week and I haven't had much free time, but I do have some posts I want to share including one about my trip to California. In the meantime let's jump into this weeks thinking out loud.

1. I'm pretty shocked to say this but Cora's new toy is still intact😱 I picked up a new toy for her last week while I was out and normally toys with stuff last 2.5 seconds, but for some reason she hasn't destroyed this one yet. She did kill the squeaker, but all the stuffing remains intact. I think it's largely due to the fact that the weather has been so nice so she's basically lived outside for the past week. 

2. Speaking of beautiful weather it's FINALLY feeling like summer here in the Mitten🎉 some of the mornings are still cold, but largely I've been running outside and I'm loving every second of it. Running on the treadmill is great, but running outside is so much more interesting. There's tons to see, which makes long runs far more interesting, and nothing beats watching the sunrise over the lake while I run. 

3. Since my mileage has increased I've definitely become a lot more hungry. Tuesday I was all over the place between meetings, but luckily I had a NoCow bar in my car. It was slightly warm from the heat, but still delicious. I'm not one to eat protein bars anymore because I've really been trying to get all my nutrition from real foods- fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc. Sometimes though I can't whip out veggies and hummus in the car so these bars have been lifesavers. They're gluten, dairy, and soy free and the ingredients are pretty clean. It does contain sugar alcohols which I'm not a giant fan of, but once in awhile isn't going to kill me. 

4. With the warmer weather more flowers are in bloom and it's making my morning runs so pretty! I love looking at all the beautiful flowers people have planted and the ones that are just wild. The beauty of creation always amazes me🌸

5. I'm definitely no artist, but when a two year old wants me to draw flowers and rainbows I'll happily oblige. I haven't played with chalk since I was a kid, but while babysitting the other day the little boy whipped out chalk and we spent over an hour drawing all sorts of things. The bonus of him being so young is he thinks everything I draw is amazing, gotta love kids😂

6. I came across this quote this morning while I was scrolling through Pinterest and I love it. Authenticity is something I think the world is lacking because people are so desperate to fit in that they lose their sense of self and what makes them unique. All of us are guilty of it, myself included, but in the past year I've really worked on not caring what other people think. There's always going to be mean and judgmental people. When you free yourself from just not caring what they think of you it's an unbelievable feeling. Be authentic and just be yourself. You are beautiful and amazing the way you are. You don't need to change anything about yourself for anyone. Love yourself and live freely💜

I'm going to end things there this week. Have a fantastic Thursday and I hope you get a chance to enjoy some amazing weather this weekend! 

Are you doing anything fun this weekend? 
What is your favorite time of day and why?