Summer Runnin': 100 Days of Summer 200 Mile Challenge

If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that I participated in a little running challenge called the April Showers May Flowers 100 Mile Challenge hosted by Will Run for Bling and Charity. It was a virtual running challenge where you had 45 days to run 100 miles. I managed to complete this challenge during the tail end of my marathon training and fulfilled the 100 miles when I reached mile 24 of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Best part? The challenge supported an awesome charity and I received a medal bigger than my face.

Because I had such a great time running in this challenge and because training for marathon #6 is right around the corner (announcement on what marathon I'll be running is coming soon!), I thought I'd attempt the next challenge - the 100 Days of Summer 200 Mile Challenge! If you're doing the math in your head, that means I have to average 14 miles per week throughout the challenge in order to hit the 200 mile mark within 100 days. I definitely think I can do it, but I know it will be difficult when all I want to do is lay outside with a book! But hey, I guess that's why they call it a challenge, right? :P

This challenge starts on May 27th and lasts until September 3rd, so I'll be underway starting on Saturday! I have more summer running plans which I will be sharing here on the blog soon, so stay tuned for that post! I'm looking forward to another great summer running and training season!

Do you have any summer fitness plans?

Let me know in the comments!

Elephant Awareness Month | Awesome Elephant Conservation Organizations

Today is WORLD ELEPHANT DAY! So to celebrate, I'm sharing with you all three wonderful organizations that dedicate themselves to the conservation of wildlife and especially elephants! Reading about these organizations brought such joy to my heart that these awesome people are doing such amazing things for elephants and other animals that aren't able to speak for themselves. Hopefully you'll discover some awesome organizations through this video and maybe you'll want to support in some way in the future!

PAWS - pawsweb.org The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee - elephants.com The David SheldrickWildlife Trust - sheldrickwildlifetrust.org World Elephant Day - worldelephantday.org
I hope everyone has a wonderful World Elephant Day! :) <3

Elephant Awareness Month | The Elephant Pants Unboxing & Review

Two weeks ago I mentioned The Elephant Pants in my Favorite Elephant Saving Organizations post, and shortly after I made my very first purchase! As I mentioned, this company gives a portion of the profits from your order to various wildlife conservation organizations, mostly to those that focus on the conservation of elephants. Basically, they're awesome. I thought that I'd do a little unboxing and review for you all to show you what I bought!

Classic Prints 

I ordered 3 items outright - two pairs of pants ($18 each) and a pair of shorts ($16 each), all in classic prints (TEP donates $1 per item for classic prints). The cool thing about each design is that each is named after a famous elephant in history. When I first discovered this website I spent a solid half hour just clicking onto each design and reading the story of so many elephants. Not every story is easy to read, but it does help you remember why it's important to make an effort - no matter how small - to save these animals from harm. I wanted to share with you the stories of the elephants behind the prints that I bought.

Left to Right: Tyke pants, Billie shorts, and Black Diamond pants

"Tyke was a circus elephant who on August 20, 1994 in Honolulu, Hawaii, killed her trainerAllen Campbell and gored her groom Dallas Beckwith, causing severe injuries during a Circus International performance before hundreds of horrified spectators. Tyke then bolted from the arena and ran through downtown streets of Kakaako for more than 30 minutes. Police fired 86 shots at Tyke, who eventually collapsed from the wounds and died." 

"Billie was a circus elephant who was known for rebelling against trainers and their abuse. She was rescued along with fifteen other elephants by the USDA from a barn where she had been retired to after attacking a trainer. Her life is documented in the book 'Last Chain On Billie'." 

"Black Diamond was an Indian elephant with Al G. Barnes Circus."

Mystery Box 

As I was shopping around the site, I noticed that they had Mystery Boxes available. These tend to sell out quickly, so I knew I had to scoop one up. For $25 (promting a $1 donation), you receive a pair of classic pants as well as two mystery gifts (one that usually is in the $10/$15 range and one that is a bit smaller) - not too shabby! I was very eager to receive this mystery box to see what kind of items were coming my way, and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

I received a beautiful pink and maroon pair of pants (which I later found out were the Ruby pants), a canvas tote, and a TEP Sharpie! (I can only assume that the Sharpie is intended to fill in the blank on the tote design!) I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved the design of the pants I received. I don't think I would have ever picked out the Ruby design for myself (for whatever reason I tend to go for cooler colors when I shop for clothes) and I'm so happy that these were the ones I received. I was also PUMPED about the canvas tote! I was really considering buying the "This Bag Helped Save and Elephant" canvas tote and ultimately decided to wait 'til next time, so when I saw the tote in my Mystery Box I was VERY excited! (Oh, and who doesn't love a good Sharpie?!)

"Ruby was an elephant artist, resided at the Phoenix Zoo; at least one painting was sold for $100,000."

And since this is a haul post of sorts, I figured I'd also try on the items I bought for you, to show you how they look. (Please forget the lighting and the down angles that are inevitable when taking a mirror selfie of your legs!) For reference, my pant size can range between 7-10 depending on the pair of pants (amirite ladies?), and the elastic waist accommodates shapes between 0 and 12! My runner butt and thighs fit super comfortably in each pair of bottoms, and each item is super light, airy, and COMFY AF. I'm SUPER excited to start creating some outfits with these beauties!

Clockwise from top left: Billie shorts, Ruby pants, Tyke pants, Black Diamond Pants

I spent a total of $77 dollars and got a decent amount of gear that I know I'll be wearing regularly. The shipping is free after $75 and my order got to me relatively fast (I ordered late on a Tuesday Night and I received my package on Monday). The pants themselves are made in Thailand (information on how the pants are made and how the employees that make these pants are treated is available on their website, if that is an area of concern of yours) but they ship from NYC, so if you're in the US I'm assuming you'd have a similar shipping timeline (though I live in MA - not far from NY - so maybe it will take longer). 

I am thrilled with this company and the products I bought and I'm so excited to be sharing this awesome company with you all. I would strongly encourage you to consider making a purchase at The Elephant Pants, and if the pants aren't your style, consider donating to one of the organizations that this company supports!

If you would like to see my unboxing & review video, check it out below!

Elephant Awareness Month | My Favorite Elephant Saving Organizations

Happy Friday, everyone! 

For those of you that might not know, August is Elephant Awareness Month! (Don't feel too bad if you didn't know. My elephant-loving self only just found this out this year. There seems to be an awareness month for everything, so it's hard to keep up!) We all know by now that I LOVE elephants, so I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to talk about a few of my favorite organizations whose aim it is to help save elephants from poaching, abuse, and captivity. I highly encourage you to check these organizations out - all of them are fairly active on social media and all do very cool things!

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

I found out about this organization earlier in the year and instantly fell in love. This wonderful organization takes in orphaned animals - primarily elephants and rhinos - and raises them to the point where the animal can live in the wild once again. Coincidentally, I am right in the middle of reading Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story - perfect timing for this month! - and am learning all about the story of how this organization came to be (look out for the book review next week). They also offer a program where you can donate to foster an elephant, which I think is the coolest thing EVER. I definitely plan to participate in the foster program sometime in the near future, and would LOVE to visit the trust in Nairobi one day. They're doing such wonderful things!

Elephant Parade

Elephant Parade is a really cool art project that raises awareness of elephant endangerment and donates 20% of their proceeds to various organizations that work to prevent the poaching of elephants and improve the welfare of the species. The organization has artists from around the world paint large elephant statues in their own unique way and displays them in cities around the globe to raise awareness. You can even buy smaller statues on their online store - each one unique so you just have to collect them all!

The Elephant Pants

Black Diamond, Mamie, and Tyke

This style is so in right now, so why not buy a pair that supports a wonderful cause? The Elephant Pants donates $1-$2 dollars per item to various elephant conservation organizations, and during the month of August, a few select items will donate $5! I love how each print tells a story about a famous elephant in history. I could click through each item just to rad the story that goes along with it. It really reminds you why these causes are so important. They sell pants (my favorite designs are above!), shorts, bags, tapestries, and even a cute little charm bracelet. I can't wait to get my hands on my next paycheck so I can buy a handful of these beauties! :)

Do you have any favorite wildlife conservation organizations? 

Let me know in the comments because I would love to check each and every one of them out!

A Few of my Favorite Links {#11}

Happy Tuesday everyone! Several snow days and impromptu days off the past couple of weeks have allowed me to roam around the interwebs and accumulate quite the list of links to share with you all today. From the Patriots to puppies to adopting elephants (you read that right), I'm really excited to show you all my favorite things on the net as of late!

Patriots Win Super Bowl XLIX!

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THEY FREAKING PULLED IT OFF! The Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl Sunday night and what a game it was! I don't think I ever went through so many emotions while watching a football game in my entire life. I was happy, I was sad, I was angry, I wanted to hide and turn off the game all together. Seriously, you should have seen the room I was in on that final Seattle drive. We were all SO depressed! I did not think we were going to be able to pull off a win. I thought for sure that we had lost a third Super Bowl in a row. Then BOOM, our undrafted rookie makes the play of the freaking century. WOW. What an ending. We are the champions once again!

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Budweiser "Lost Dog" Super Bow XLIX Commercial


It seemed like this year's Super Bowl commercials erred on the depressing side (check out my thoughts on that here... #COMmajorprobz), but Budweiser stole my heart once again by continuing their #BestBuds legacy and claiming my #1 pick for Best Commercial of Super Bowl XLIX. Their 2014 commercial was also my favorite of last year's Super Bowl, so if you missed and are a puppy lover like myself, I definitely recommend checking it out here!
Here's What Real Healthy People Actually Snack On

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I'm definitely a snacker. I prefer eating many smaller meals throughout the day instead of sticking to the big three (though I'm a huge fan of breakfast), and I'm always at a loss for what to grab when my tummy is rumbling. I know I should snag an apple or banana, but when I'm hungry, having just a piece of fruit or a salad does not fill me up and leaves me a little frustrated. This list gives you extremely healthy options for snacks which also keep you satisfied for a few hours! (I especially love mashed avocado on wheat toast! YUM)

How to Be Productive Every Day

This is a cute little post from one of my favorite blogs, Lemon Freckles, that gives you a few handy tips on how to stay productive. Even though this post is aimed at students or those who are self-employed and tend to work without someone peering over their shoulder, I think these tips can really apply to anyone. Being productive can seem elusive on some days, and we all know what happens when we're not productive - we get stressed. Try out a couple of these tips to help stay on top of your mountains of to-dos!

#CowArt

A friend of mine posted this on her wall and I couldn't stop watching/laughing. A couple of farmers in the Mid-West decided to get a bit creative when feeding their cows and tried to see if they could get the herd to create some aerial designs! Click play to see what they create - so funny! :) 
30 Day Push-Up Calendar

I just completed this 30 Day Push-Up Challenge that I found on Pinterest! My upper body strength is pretty low, so I knew that I wanted to challenge myself to do more with it. I decided to kick off the year with this challenge and I actually got all the way through! The thing I liked most about doing a challenge is that I had an opportunity to exercise each day, even if my day was busy. I also really enjoyed that with this challenge, you're given rest days every 2 days so your muscles can grow and adjust. I really felt a difference in my upper body strength and will very likely be doing this challenge over again!

DoYouYoga

In searching for a February fitness challenge to attempt, I stumbled across DoYouYoga.com. (True Life: I just typed "DoYouToga" and almost didn't catch it...) This website is an awesome community of individuals learning and practicing yoga and features blog posts, a message board, and even video courses! I'm currently participating in a 30 Day Yoga Challenge video course which has been awesome so far! (I will be posting a full review when I am done!) If you're interested in trying out yoga for the first time or learning more about this form of exercise, I highly recommend joining! (You should also add me as a friend here!)

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

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WHY AM I JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS FOUNDATION?! I heard about this organization through a monthly favorites video on YouTube. It is a wonderful organization committed to the rescue and preservation of Wildlife in Africa, especially orphaned elephants and rhinos. The best part? You can donate and foster an elephant or rhino! The program works by receiving donations from foster "parents" or families, and you can then receive updates and photos on how your fostered animal is progressing! SO AMAZING! I know for a fact that when I am more financially stable I am 1,000,000% going to participate. Take a look at their website and read up on the organization. It is wonderful! (P.S. Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick has shot right to the top of my to-read list upon discovery of this organization! #newrolemodel)

What links have you been loving lately?

A Few of My Favorite Links {#6}

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic week and enjoying your August. Can you believe how fast it's flying by? It's already half way done! It's been a big couple weeks for internet finds - some happy and some sad - but a lot of interesting things to scroll through. Here are some of my favorite links as of late!

Robin Williams Quotes That Will Stay With Us


The passing of Robin Williams came as a total punch to the gut for me, like many others. I remember loving every movie he was in while I was growing up (Mrs. Doubtfire being a staple in the childhood of my sister and I) and I could probably say he was my first favorite actor. Though this is a very sad situation, a lot of important and necessary dialogue surrounding suicide and mental illness is coming to the forefront which is a positive thing. This blog post, in many ways, put the thoughts I have on the subject into words (see the entire section of how we, as humans, try so hard to make things nice & positive, saying things like "You're free now", when in doing so we can actually wind up causing even more harm), however I know it's much more complex than this. It's just sad that a tragedy such as this one, and the suicides of millions of others, is what it takes to prompt such conversation. For now, I've just been reflecting on the happiness he brought me and the rest of the world with lists like the one above. Remember to love each other, be kind, and lend a helping hand to someone in need.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Ian Maclaren

Every #StrikeOutALS Ice Bucket Challenge Video

A still from my own video!

I know there's been a few negative Nancies hating on this trend, but I think it's great! I laugh every. single. time. I watch someone's video and it just warms my heart that it's also being done for a great reason. I know that there are some people who are missing the point of this challenge (that you're supposed to be raising awareness AND donating to an ALS charity) and some people don't even realize that it's for a cause, but those individuals who are doing it right have all the respect in the world from me. I was honored that I was tagged to do the challenge and be a part of it this wonderful movement to raise awareness for a disease that doesn't get all that much attention.

And to make it even better, here's our wonderful New England Patriots (including head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft) participating as well!

Finnish Bluegrass AC/DC (Thunderstruck - Steve'n'Seagulls)


My dad and I heard this on the radio on our way up to Maine (of course) this past weekend. It's a Finnish Bluegrass band called Steve'n'Seagulls doing a cover of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and it's as awesome as it sounds! I mean, just look at how that guy rips it on the banjo! If you can appreciate sheer musical talent, this is definitely worth 4 minutes of your time.

26 Foods You Should Learn to Cook in Your Twenties



I find myself learning new things in the kitchen almost every time I cook. Of course, this has happened much more frequently since I've been living on my own and haven't been able to use my work compensated meal plan, but each time I cook it's more and more fascinating and my kitchen confidence is continues to grow. I've mastered a good chunk of the items on this list, but would love to say I could easily make all 26 by the time I enter my next decade. (Luckily, I've got some time!)
Succulent Monster (v2)

I totally came across these by accident. If you're a Tumblr user, you'll know that when you're at the log in page, a random post will generate as the background. This photo generated as I was logging in yesterday and they IMMEDIATELY shot to the top of my wishlist as soon as I saw them! I mean... Bulbasaur succulent pots? Get. Real. I don't want these, I NEED THESE. The only drawback to these is that they're about $50, and I can't justify spending that much on a planter right now. Guess it'll just have to go on my Christmas list! (by ShamefulSquid on ShapeWays - rumor has it that they also have a Charmander oil lamp in the works!)

Disclosure - Latch (Dueling Violins Cover)


You know from my Summer Favorites post on Tuesday that "Latch" was my summer JAM. I really enjoy this rendition by YouTuber ThatViolinGuy, especially the first minute - I can't get it out of my head! Definitely check out his channel, he has tons of great covers, especially this Drake cover and this Ellie Goulding one!
What are your favorite links of the moment?