I used to have a thing called Friday Favorites here on the blog, but it didn’t take off because I’m lazy and a spotty blogger at best. But I’m not ready to let it die!

Because we’re all much more than just runners. We’ve got full lives and other interests besides mile splits and training runs. And even the most seasoned runner knows that rest days are the most important part of training: a chance to hit our physical – and mental – reset buttons before diving back into the hard work. So, with that in mind, I bring you the Rest Day Round-Up!

In these posts, I take a break from talking about running to share what I’m digging in the non-running world. This week for the inaugural post, let’s take a look at all the things that tickle my intergalactic fancy with a special Star Wars Edition!

This action figure that I got from eBay for $7

Sorry, Beyonce. You can take your floral arch and your beautiful little babies and your flowing veil and chill out in the Sea of Tranquility behind you. Pregnant Padme wielding a blaster is the Feminist Icon we need in 2017.

But seriously, when I first saw her, I thought she was a joke. But this is, in fact, a very real action figure they released when Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005. And she currently protects me (and Luke and Leia in her belly) from her perch on my desk. I don’t think I’ve ever loved an action figure more in my life.

My recent exchange with the official Star Wars Twitter account

It all started last week when I discovered the Star Wars app (yes, I’m a late adopter), which has an Augmented Reality feature that pops a character into your world when you scan certain photos. When I used it to play with K2-SO, I thought it might be fun to play with the folks in charge of the Star Wars Twitter feed. And it kind of blew up in an unexpected and awesome way:

Yes, Star Wars replied to me in the sassiest, most adorable way. AND YES, that says 503 likes. FIVE HUNDRED AND THREE, YOU GUYS. Apparently, when Star Wars replies to you, it gets you some mild attention. I had a blast checking my notifications all day and still giggle at how something as simple as a tweet can connect us to brands and communities we love and create so much pure joy. Bless those folks.

The latest BTS Footage of The Last Jedi

Speaking of BLESSED, allow me a moment to be grateful for the gifts that were bestowed upon us on Saturday in the form of new behind the scenes footage and a series of incredible teaser posters unveiled at Disney D23.

Folks who aren’t in the fandom might not understand, but this footage is a seriously Big Deal. It raises so many questions! Why were there so many Kylo masks? Is Benicio del Toro a good guy or bad guy? And WHERE CAN I GET A PORG OF MY OWN??

Fun fandom-centric, female-friendly gear

I’m very lucky that I get to work in an office that allows us to wear basically whatever we want within reason. This gives me the opportunity to wear SW gear basically every day if I wanted to. But I’m no one-trick pony, and have tons of regular clothes that deserve some play, too.

So while I’ve discovered that my new signature look is basically a bold lip and a SW shirt (see the floral stormtrooper and blue comic book shirts below), I also like to throw subtle nods to my fandom with gear I’ve picked up from Her Universe and Love & Madness:

While L&M recently stopped selling Star Wars gear on their site (boohoooo!!) I managed to clean house there and picked up pretty much one of everything they offered. And Her Universe is always offering fun new stuff, like the Rebellion Romper in the first pic up there. I rocked that for a 4th of July BBQ and got so many compliments – especially when people realized it had tiny little droids and X-wings hidden in the floral print!

That about wraps it up for the first installment of the Rest Day Round-Up, so tell me: what are YOU crushing on lately? A binge-worthy tv show? Fun new podcast or flea market find? Share the love in the comments!