Well, hey there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I was in Wisconsin visiting my husband’s family a few weeks ago, and now I’ve been playing catch-up at work, so I’ve let our lunch slide. It doesn’t mean you’re not important to me…honest!

First off, I’m sure you’re wondering what’s for lunch. Well, how about these chicken pesto bowls? They look healthy and flavorful and filling. Since it’s summer, it’s easy to find fresh pesto, green beans, and tomatoes, so this should be good. Are you in? If not, you could always go for a cheeseburger. I won’t judge. But be honest, you’ll probably regret it once you see (and smell) my chicken pesto bowl.

So, let me tell you a little about my trip, one of my current favorites, and a new favorite. First, the trip. It was great to see my in-laws and all my husband’s siblings, their spouses, and families. Lots of food, drink, and laughter. I needed some rest time when we got home. All the siblings and spouses met with their parents one night to discuss what they want when their parents are gone (jokingly referred to as the “conclave”), we celebrated Bobby’s graduation from physician assistant school, we saw one of our former neighbors and the beautiful house he and his wife built, and Joe golfed with his brother John one day while I spent the day with his wife Anna. We put together a fire pit for use later that night, drank wine, and made a Sicilian ring pasta for dinner that was completely gone before we all went to bed.

If you’ve been to the Midwest in the summer, you know it can be pretty humid. At least it wasn’t hot while I was there, so the humidity was bearable. My Colorado dry skin and hair sucked up the moisture, which is good for my skin, and not so much for my hair. My hair gets crazy in humidity! So, I put my new Living Proof styling products to the test. My 5-in-1 Treatment Cream helped keep the frizz down, as well as an additional precautionary measure of a small amount of conditioner on damp hair on the most humid of days. I am a new raving fan of most all of the Living Proof products I’ve tried. I am now using their Timeless shampoo and conditioner, with the 5-in-1 cream added before styling and drying. Then, it’s the Amp2 texturizer/volumizer to finish off my ‘do. Have you tried any of the Living Proof products? What was your experience? I love how they always have samples available with your orders, and free shipping and free returns. As a matter of fact, I ordered a travel size of the 5-in-1 that I didn’t use, and when I asked about returning it for a credit, they told me to just keep it and share it with a friend, and they refunded my payment. Great customer service!

The other company that I’m impressed with is Clarisonic. I ordered more brush heads for my Mia Fit, and the order wasn’t going through on the website, so I kept trying. As a result, I wound up with four new brush heads! When I called them, they refunded me for all four of them, since there was a website issue. Guess what? I’ll continue buying their products, for sure.

Okay, so one other great thing I discovered was a facial scrub that my sister-in-law introduced me to. Her sister is a dermatologist, and she had a set of face products private labeled from her sister’s practice. The scrub had salicylic acid, and I loved what it did for my skin. I decided to do a little online searching for something that matched it, not wanting to pay for shipping, etc., and I ran across this Replenix Clarifying Brightening Polish. I just got it, and I’ve used it once, so I’m not sure it matches the private label version, but I’ll let you know. This antiaging stuff takes so much time to research, and sometimes money. I’ll definitely share what’s worked for me, so feel free to do the same.

Thanks for lunch! It was great to see you. Let’s plan for another great meal in the next week or so. Taking time to do this with you is so good for me, so thank you.