I’m a lover. I love helping others. But…I’m also a fighter. I will fight tooth and nail to not give in to particular things. I ended up giving in today on some of those particular things. I guess waking up at 1 am will shatter will power. Yes. You read that right. I woke up at 1 am. Not I woke up and fell back asleep an hour later. No. I tossed and turned for an hour and a half before finally giving in to chilling on the couch by myself in the wee hours of the morning.

I even decided to head to the gym for when it opened at 5 am because I figured a dose of endorphins couldn’t hurt. I ran three miles on the treadmill and almost instantly felt more energetic. Then, I came home and got going with my day…when I suddenly realized the fatigued body was now a fatigued, achy body. My inner thighs, around my knees, and my IT band seriously needed some rolling pin action.

After rolling pin rolling (is that what you would call it??) while reading to Makenzie, I determined we needed new library books . So, we packed up and headed to the library for the morning. I had another motive as well. A pit stop by the grocery store to use a $1 off Kashi coupon while Kashi cereal was on sale at Kroger lead to this…

I gave in to the $12 bag of xanthan gum. I told you. Diminished sleep = diminished willpower. I always want to buy the special powder others swear by to help make thicker, creamier smoothies but stop myself because of the price. Of course, I had to try it out to determine whether I should rejoice or glare you all down for lying to me all this time.

Shake consumed after giving in to a long, much needed nap. Thank heavens!

I added vanilla almond milk, a frozen banana, a spoonful of peanut butter, a pinch of xantahn gum, and 1/2 a serving of vanilla protein powder to the blender to whirl into creamy oblivion.

It works. Creamy, thick, shake-like consistency achieved. I tried to capture the better texture on camera but I’m not so talented.

And the shake’s taste? Ohmygoshsogood!!!! I have wanted to pick up some protein powder to add to my shakes for awhile since I usually enjoy my shakes post-workout. The extra protein makes a good option for post-workout fuel. Then, Power GY came to the rescue offering me to review some of their whey protein powder geared for workout recovery.

I like that the product has less ingredients than other powders I have seen, but still has similar statistics with 110 calories, 26 grams of protein and no sugar – just sweetened with stevia. I appreciate that it blends up smoothly with no grit and has a smooth vanilla taste most of all. Not kidding when I say ohmygoshsogood!

My will power would have succumbed to ordering myself a full container had I not ended up giving in to something else.

I now have an iPhone. I kept fighting the smartphone, but here we are. I knew I would give in eventually. Now…HELP ME!!!

• What are your favorite apps? Especially for things like social media (anything special for Twitter/Google Reader/etc?), practical stuff (like weather/music?), or other fun. Clue a girl in!
• What’s something you thought you would never give in to trying or using but eventually did? A food item? A workout? A big purchase? A popular trend?

Typically on Monday morning I like to recap the fun events from the weekend and head into the week remembering the good times. Well, that won’t work today since I did absolutely nothing really worth mentioning over the weekend. At least that I haven’t talked about already:

• Wrapping Up Week 3 of Half Marathon Training
• Hanging Out With A Friend + FFF Features
• Self-Love Reflection: The Deeper Issues

Saturday consisted of normal ole stuff, running errands, and playing catch up on some things I needed to get done. I even headed to bed at 7:30 with some FRIENDS on DVD because we had nothing going on and I had a headache. Talk about a fun-filled day, huh? 😉

Sunday was another day of standard routine and ending the day by plopping on the couch and wondering where the weekend went. I typically like when we don’t have a bunch of set plans on the weekend, but this one was just…so…dull. Church on Sunday morning provided the only highlight of the entire weekend.

We enjoyed a lot of quality discussion with our friends in class, sharing about using our gifts and talents to honor God and show love for others overall in the process. Then, during worship service, our pastor continued to focus on the concept of love and how it solidifies everything in life. Love connects us to people in a meaningful way to take this journey of life and make it more worthwhile and enjoyable. I can’t agree more! Life would be so dull (like my weekend) without any love.

I think one of the biggest reasons blogging fills me with such passion and intensity goes hand in hand with the amount of love in this community. We don’t seek to tear each other down or ridicule one another. We all cheer on the goals of fellow bloggers and help offer a shoulder to lean on when needed. We also combine forces powerfully to make things happen.

Many of you have likely heard about Susan from the blog The Great Balancing Act and her recent diagnosis with lymphoma cancer. Well, the blog world has come together to raise money for Susan’s medical bills with The Great Fundraising Act hosted by the wonderful Janetha.

The Great Fundraising Act will have two parts – an online auction/bake sale as well as a page for direct donations for those not wishing to bid on items and give simply a donation.

The auction and bake sale will have OVER 100 ITEMS (!!!) from bloggers as well as packages from fabulous companies – including some of my favorites such as Love Grown Foods, Chobani, and Physique 57. I also plan to donate a batch of my Lemon Raspberry Muffins and a FFF shirt or tank of the winner’s choice.

The sale will occur Monday July 25th from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm EST.

The account for direct donations is already up and running. You can donate to Susan simply by clicking on the link.

If you would like to participate in the auction or want more details, please visit the page dedicated to The Great Fundraising Act. You can also learn more about how to promote The Great Fundraising Act yourself. Let’s get the word out and make powerful things happen. I have seen our community in action before and I have no doubt the love we all have to give will take my breath away yet again. It’s what this community does. And I’m proud to be a part of it!

• What is the most powerful thing you have seen happen when a group of individuals come together for something?
• What is something fun from your weekend? Let me live vicariously through you!