Top Five Friday #53

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday...so glad that we made it!  I don't know about you, but the week after vacation ends is the longest week ever.  I'm so ready for the weekend!

I have a big weekend ahead, including lots of house work and finally moving in!  If you want to keep up-to-date on what I'm doing make sure you follow me on snapchat (gretchxo).  Otherwise, I'll see you on Monday!



Linking up with Mar, Cynthia and Court 
as well as Heather and Momfessionals


Haircut

I figured there hasn't been enough change in my life already, so I decided to get a hair cut!  I've had the same cut for the past few years- long layers all over and angled in the front- so I decided it was time for something new.  I have a really high forehead, so I decided to go for side-swept bangs, and used this picture of Emma Stone for inspiration:


and I ended up with this haircut!


I'm loving it so far but still trying to figure out how to get the bangs to look just right.  If anyone has tips, please let me know!


Seawheeze Shorts


Is there anything better than coming back from a trip and having packages waiting for you!?  I don't think so!  I was so excited to see a package from Lululemon waiting for me at home- it was my Seawheeze shorts!  Every year for the Seawheeze half marathon, Lulu sends out a pair of their shorts with a unique design for the race, instead of the traditional race shirt.


This year's short (I got the speed short by the way) is a blue, green, white and black abstract pattern that I absolutely love. Their designs for the Seawheeze shorts are usually really out there and not my style, so I was happy these are more toned-down and match lots of my gear!


Window Shopping

I'm still in my no-buy (a little more than a month to go!) so I've been doing a lot of window shopping online lately.  Here a few things that I've been drooling over:

I love moto-style jackets, and this one looks so cozy!  I love New Balance's style, and this jacket is right up my alley.

I love everything about this outfit, but especially the skirt!  I love the bright colors and the abstract print.  So cute for summer!
If you're as obsessed with the highlighting trend as I am, then you are also dying to get your hands on the new product from makeup extraordinaire Pat McGrath.  This is a pricy product, but if it can make me glow like Lily Aldridge it's worth every penny!


Songs




What are some of your favorites of the week?
Do you have a vacation coming up?  Just get back from one?
What are you window shopping for lately?

post contains affiliate links.  thank you for your support :)

Comments

  1. Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In LawMay 13, 2016 at 1:09 AM

    Your hair looks super cute! I'm too chicken to commit to major hair changes, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kaitlyn DanielleMay 13, 2016 at 1:19 AM

    You're haircut looks great on you! If you ever feel like you're short hairs are standing up or frizzy, I use Redken Frizz Dismiss to give me that salon like feel to my hair. (http://www.clipzonesalon.com/blog/product-spotlight-redken-frizz-dismiss) This link can help you choose an oil that's perfect for you. I love the idea of themed shorts vs t-shirts, how cute. Hope you have a great weekend. Don't forget to take an Aleve before you do all that moving!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMay 13, 2016 at 2:28 AM

    I need to get a new pair of running shorts! it's on my list of things to do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMay 13, 2016 at 4:04 AM

    Gotta love new hair! It looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 13, 2016 at 4:40 AM

    LOVE the haircut and the Lulu shorts!

    ReplyDelete
  6. HannaMay 13, 2016 at 6:15 AM

    Great haircut!! I have always been a fan of bangs. I had side swept bangs a couple times in the past few years and you're right, they can be a little tricky to get right, because they're short enough to be bangs but long enough that they feel like they're hanging in your face sometimes. I have the best luck when I blow dry my hair so I can set them in place, and then use my straightener to give them an ever-so-slight curl under so that they have a bit of bounce and look feminine.

    Love the Lulu shorts! When did registration for that race open? Now I really want to do next year's so I feel like I should mark registration on my calendar (and take off work so I can sit at home and refresh my browser!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMay 13, 2016 at 7:34 AM

    CHECKING OUT THOSE SONGS! I need new music for my half on Sunday. You've got the best style. LOVE your hair. I so wish I could do something like that with mine. My hair is just...huge. If I cut it, it gets huger.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fairytales and FitnessMay 13, 2016 at 10:12 AM

    Cute hair. Looks like Emma's bangs are laying a little more flat then yours which could be from years of parting your hair on the side like that. Perhaps you could try blow drying your bangs to the front with a round brush and then sweeping them to the side with a little product. IdK, just a guess. Happy moving, I'm sure that will be loads of fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amanda @ Exploring Life & ThingsMay 13, 2016 at 11:35 AM

    I love the pattern of those Lulu shorts! I just got my first pair of shorts from there and LOVE them. Like I want 10 more pairs:) haha.

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownMay 13, 2016 at 12:39 PM

    I really like the new hair cut! My only advice with bangs is to blow-dry them with a round brush, and then with your straightener, curl them .I know that sounds counterproductive, but the rounder you curl them, the more volume they’ll retain throughout the day. I hate when I have limp straight bangs, and this usually keeps them from looking dead.

    I don't have a vacation coming up, but I AM studying abroad in Spain, which I'm pretty stoked about!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mar @ Mar on the RunMay 13, 2016 at 1:22 PM

    your hair looks great!!! nice cut.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wendy at Taking the Long Way HomeMay 13, 2016 at 2:30 PM

    I just got back from a fantastic vacation in California! I hope you enjoy yours. Those Lulu shorts are sweet! I'd love to do SeaWheeze.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Runningthroughdisney.comMay 13, 2016 at 4:34 PM

    Love the lulu shorts, cute pattern!! Good luck with your move, I hope it goes smoothly! I just got back from California this week and already have the post vacation blues.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Amy WarntzMay 13, 2016 at 5:13 PM

    You have piqued my interest with the Lulu shorts and the Seawheez 1/2 marathon. It looks like an AWESOME race. I would love to run it. Might need to put it on my running bucket list!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Morgan @ Morgan Manages MommyhoodMay 13, 2016 at 8:15 PM

    Your hair looks SO cute! I need a hair cur desperately. Have a great weekend, Gretchen!

    ReplyDelete
  16. UnknownMay 14, 2016 at 4:12 AM

    Love your hair! And awesome that you love the Seawheeze shorts! Happy weekend

    ReplyDelete
  17. Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC May 14, 2016 at 3:02 PM

    happy move - hope it all goes well!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kristen @ See You In A PorridgeMay 23, 2016 at 7:28 AM

    your hair looks so good! good luck with the bangs. i can't style bangs to save my life, so i stay away from them, even though they look good when my hair stylist cuts and styles them lol. i can never replicate it at home! that skirt is so fun. how exciting that your no buy is almost over!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Relationship Rules I Broke (and WEDDING PHOTOS!)

Image
Happy Thursday everyone! Today I have a different type of post to share today.  I don't talk about relationships or my dating life much on the blog, but I'm switching it up today!  I got married last Friday, and I thought it would be fun to share some relationship rules that I broke while Dan and I dated. I'll also be sharing some wedding pictures!  We got married at the Butterfly Falls at the Hidden Valley Inn in Belize (more on the Inn in upcoming posts!), and the pictures turned out absolutely amazing.  Since we had a "just the two of us" ceremony, there's not much to talk about the actual wedding.  In lieu of a full post on that, I'll be sharing some background information on our relationship, along with wedding photos and some #ThrowbackThursday pictures.  I hope you enjoy (and I promise- back to running stuff next week!) Guys are immature, so date someone older I've always read in magazines (which, by the way, have the worst datin
Read more

Towpath Half Marathon Recap

Image
Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday!  Today I'll be recapping my race this weekend, the Towpath Half Marathon.  Overall, I had a great experience at the race and would definitely recommend it!  Before I dive into the mile-by-mile recap, I just wanted to give some overall thoughts and reviews of the race as a whole. The Towpath Marathon features three races- a full marathon, half marathon and 10k.  All three races are in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but all run different courses.  The half and 10k start at the Brandywine Ski Resort, while the full starts at the Boston Mills Ski Resort (where the expo is held). The course is mostly on a narrow crushed limestone trail that is relatively flat.  There are a few sections that were paved and a few small walking bridges that provided the only real inclines.  It's really hard to pass people (particularly near the turn where it's two-way traffic) since the trail is so narrow. There are a lot of water stations, and each o
Read more

Review- Group Power

Image
Happy Weekend everyone!  Today, I'll be doing a review of another group exercise I do at my gym called Group Power !  Let's get right into it. First off, the description in our program guide is "This 60-minute barbell program strengthens all your major muscles in an inspiring, motivating group environment with simple, athletic movements such as squats, lunges, presses and curls." I don't exactly look like this when I'm curling..but you get the idea! Let me tell you, this is one intense workout!  For the entire 60 minutes, we're constantly moving and lifting and by the end I'm a pool of sweat!  We work out all the major muscle groups - Legs, Chest, Triceps, Biceps, Glutes, Shoulders, and Core with light to moderate weights.  We also use a step to do exercises like chest presses and split squats. For each song, we focus on one muscle group, and do a variety of exercises with lots of repetitions, set to the beat of the music.  The tempo of the
Read more