Top Five Friday #3 - Everyday Essentials

Happy Friday!!  What a great week it's been.  It's finally warmed up in Pittsburgh, and I could not get outside enough.  I hope you've also been having a terrific week and are ready for a relaxing or fun weekend!

This week, I'll be doing a special "Top Five Friday."  I'm linking up with Cynthia, Courtney and Mar on their Friday Five Linkup.

Each week, they have a theme, and this week is "Day in the Life."  I'm adding my own spin to it, by sharing my Top Five Everyday Essentials!  Enjoy, and check out the fantastic hosts.  I'm also linking up with Clare, Katie and Heather!!  (this is why I love Fridays.  Linkups are so much fun!)

1.  Brita pitcher and soft bottle

Lately, I've been drinking so much water.  In fact, one of my goals for the month was to drink a glass in the morning, after work and before bed.  This has been so easy by having a Brita pitcher filled up at all times!  The water tastes delicious and is refreshingly cold.  I add fruit to the water to make it more interesting and add some flavor.  I'll share some of my favorite infusions next week, because I've been trying a lot!

At work, I keep a Brita soft bottle, and aim to drink 3 bottles a day.  I like the look and the feel of this bottle, and love that it comes with a filter built in!  Super convenient and great for work.

2.  Kindle Fire HD 6

One of my resolutions was to read 12 books this year (which I've now increased to 15) and I've been reading every single day on the bus to work thanks to my Kindle.  This one is great because it's also a tablet- so I can read emails, listen to Amazon Music and surf the web if I want to.  It's so small, so I just slip it into my bag before leaving.  I barely even notice it's there!

3.  Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC

This is my every day purse.  It's the absolute perfect size for me, and I own it in taupe and black.  I'm not one for designer purses, so this is my one and only splurge in that area!  This purses hold all my essentials- phone, wallet, keys, lip balm and contact solution.  I even have room for my Kindle!  I especially like this purse for traveling since it's a cross body.  I recently ordered the black one (linked) because I was searching for an all-black purse with black hardware for the longest time.  I love the look of this one!

4.  Phillip Sonicare Toothbrush

I'm a recent convert to the electric toothbrush.  I figured they were too expensive and wouldn't really make a difference.  I saw this one on Amazon one day while browsing, and decided to give it a try since it was inexpensive and had great ratings.  It's fantastic, and has improved my oral health tremendously!  I had no idea I was brushing for such a short period of time, because getting through the 2 minutes this brush is programmed for seemed like an eternity at first.  My teeth look and feel cleaner, and I've noticed my breath has improved as well (you're all welcome!)

5. Mophie Juice Pack Helium

Like everyone else, my phone is forever running out of battery at the worst time.  I've wanted a power bank for a while, but never ended up purchasing one.  I finally decided to try this out- the phone case acts as a battery pack and can charge your phone on the fly!  This is going to be really handy when I'm traveling in Europe next month.  It's also great on days when I'm out for a while and have to go to the gym or run outside.  Definitely got me out of some tough jams!

What are some of your everyday essentials?


Now let's get to some other favorites from the week!

Five Workouts

Monday: C25K run with Dan. I got to wear capri's and a long sleeved t-shirt!  Amazing!  We ended up covering over 2 miles and did some crazy hills when we went on a new route.  Great run!

Tuesday: Group Centergy.  My normal instructor was out, so my Group Power instructor was filling in, who I absolutely love.  I'm starting to feel really confident about this routine, but it's changing in 2 weeks, so I'm excited to do new moves!

Wednesday: C25K run with Dan and Selma.  We went to North Park and covered almost 2 miles together, then I did another 2 alone.  There's a loop near the boat house that we ran on- through the tennis courts then turning left roo run up the hill back to the start.  I did this with Dan once, then ran it the second time by myself in half the time!  I was testing out a new pair of shoes and needless to say I love them.  I'll have a review on Wednesday!

Thursday: Group Power and 30 minute run before class. It was too beautiful to not go for a run. I feel like I'm a minute/mile faster without all those layers on!

Friday: 6AM Spinning class. SO EARLY but I actually love it, and really enjoy our instructor and her fun playlists.

Five Songs

-Lay Me Down- Sam Smith and John Legend
My two all-time-favorite male singers.  This song is just beautiful!

-Top Down- Fifth Harmony
I watched this group form on the X Factor a few years ago, and I'm loving this new song of theirs.  It makes me want it to be summer NOW!

-Best I Ever Had- Gavin DeGraw
I've always been a huge fan of Gavin, and this may be one of my favorite songs by him!  My spinning instructor played this the other day, and I couldn't stop smiling and pedaling like crazy.  It's such a great song to spin (or run) to!

-It's a Man's Man's Man's World- Gerald Albright
You might not know this about me, but I play the saxophone and played in college.  When this song came on the Watercolors station on Sirius (listen to that station if you like jazz!) I was immediately in love!  This is a great version of one of my favorite songs.  I love it and want to play it now!

-Cough Syrup- Young the Giant
I've heard so many covers of this song, but finally listened to the original a few days ago. Yes, I'm super late because this is an older song.  It's sooooo good though (and I love the name for some reason.  Does anyone else love or hate songs based on the title?)

Let me know what you're listening to and how your workouts went this week!