Happy to be Alive, Because: Best. Week. Ever.

This week starts my favorite month of the entire year. I've been giddy (<--I erased that and tried to think of a different word that maybe didn't sound like a child in an early 1900's novel, but it's true--I've been straight up giddy, yo) since waking up yesterday morning because this week is going to be the best!

1. Mockingjay Tonight. This needs no explanation. I'm just really, really excited about it. 

2. THANKSGIVING. Chris and I celebrate Thanksgiving, just the two of us, on Wednesday, and it is one of my favorite days ever. Then we go see family on Thursday! So basically my heart feels as if it's going to explode for about 24 straight hours. And my stomach too, because turkey. 

3. Black Friday. I know there are a lot of opinions about black friday shopping, so if that offends you, just skip to the next one. I had never been black friday shopping until Chris took me two years ago, and I was instantly hooked. It's so much fun to drive around like crazy people together, listening to Christmas music and chugging peppermint mochas. And it's really nice when you have a tight budget--we pretty much knocked out most of our shopping in 24 hours last year!

4. I found out that my library will deliver books to your door. Megan told me about this, and it is life-changing. 

5. This morning, while watching the sunrise and drinking peppermint mochas, my word count crept over 37,000. NaNoWriMo, you've been good to me this year. 

What are your Thanksgiving plans for the week? 

Happy to be Alive, Because: Tiny Pumpkins + High Word Counts.

1. Gatsby has his own tiny pumpkin. He thinks it's the greatest thing that has ever happened to him and is carrying it around with him. I melt.

2. Toy Story 4 is happening. Buzz + Woody forever.

3. I've started planning my Christmas list and there are few things that make me happier than getting to buy other people presents. It's so exciting!

4. We carved pumpkins this week! Fall activities are approximately one billion times better when you're in love with the person you're doing them with.

However, my pumpkin was so incredibly terrible that the internet shall never ever see it.

5. I'm pretty on track with NaNoWriMo so far! I've got a little over 8,000 words done right now. If you're participating, tell me your word count! I want to know how everyone's doing!

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

Oh Hey, Friday! 5 Reasons I'm Just Happy to be Alive Today.

1. It's October. The best month ever. Coming soon: November and December. We're on the up and up, guys.

2. It's the weekend. This really needs no explanation.

3. I have a puppy (fox?) who likes to watch the sunrise. And it's just the sweetest thing. My heart is happy.

4. I'm spending my morning under the covers, drinking coffee and making to-do lists.  If you're a to-do list junkie like me, you need to go download these immediately. If you need some ideas for your to-do list this month, click here.

5. In a few hours, the love of my life will be home. And I don't want that to ever stop being something I get excited about. We dated long distance for a long time, and I would be so incredibly happy whenever he came home or came to visit me. And I'm still happy--I'm happy that I have a person who will come home, exhausted from working, and will sit and have coffee with me and pretend he cares about the to-do lists I'm showing him. That's pretty lucky.

Why are you happy to be alive this week? Link up with Karli to talk about it!

Happy to be Alive, Because: 3 Day Weekends & Pumpkin Season.

1. I mean, It's a three-day weekend. Those are always extremely welcome.

2. I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season this week! My husband dropped me off at a store and told me to buy clothes and then waited in line for 30 minutes at starbucks. So he wins all of the awards, ever.

3. Gatsby's birthday was yesterday. We bought him a new toy and sang him happy birthday like twelve times. Totally normal.

4. I'm taking my first ever barre class today! I'm kind of terrified but also super excited. I've been told you won't be able to walk after your first class, but that doesn't really interfere with my plans to park it by the pool all weekend.

5. It's the last weekend of summer. Unofficially, but still. I always start fall on the first week of September. And don't give me the "but it's still summer, it's still so warm" business, because I live in Florida and it's going to be pool weather until Christmas. And I would like to have fall before then.

So cheers to sending summer off with a bang this weekend! And then moving on to pumpkin everything.

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: FRIDAY.

I know that Fridays are meant for being happy and thankful, but this week is most definitely a contender for the worst week ever I've had in a while.

A car wreck (that I cannot wait to write about), a ticket (my first ever), a stolen credit card (Target, I love you, but you're killing me here), a 4:00 wake up call every. single. morning. (which I realize is normal for some people, but yo..I'm tired), and what I feel like are a thousand other things that have gone wrong since last Friday.

But weeks like this one are the exact reason I list out five reasons I'm happy to be alive every week.  So let's do this.

1. Friday is here. And I've never been so happy to see it. 

2. My family came to visit!

3. The pumpkin spice latte comes back into our lives on MONDAY. I know a lot of you are griping about this because you just can't be bothered to have pumpkin interrupt your summer.  To you I say:

4. On that note, I played this on repeat approximately seventeen thousand times yesterday to combat the horrible day I was having. #adultlife

5. New headbands are here! And they are super colorful.

On that note, I'm off to drown my sorrows in buckets of sunshine. It's just so much harder to have a bad day when you're tan, yes?

Linking up with karli + amy to celebrate how we're all just really happy to see Friday.

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Vacations & Mechanical Bulls.

1. I've been on vacation all week and it has been incredible. No responsibilities and lots of free time...perfection. 

2. Just about every day this week has been a pool day. I now have a tan that teenage me would have had the first week of summer, but adult me is pretty proud of it.

3. I rode a mechanical bull. 

Sorry for the bad picture, but really...when's the last time you saw a mechanical bull somewhere with good lighting?

At the beginning of this year I decided that one thing I didn't like about myself was that I was too timid. So this year I've been trying to say yes as much as possible and stop letting "no" be my first reaction to everything. So on Wednesday night I rode a mechanical bull while wearing a dress. And it was fantastic. 

4. Even though I'm super sad that we have to go back to the real world on Monday, I can't help but think about how lucky I am to live with someone every day who I would want to spend a week of vacation with. This next week may include a lot more work and a lot less pool, but it'll still include coffee in the morning with my very best friend. And that's pretty great. 

5. My parents and little brother are coming over today! I can't wait for them to see why I love where I live so freakin' much.

Happy Friday! Cheers to vacations and to real life, too. 

What made you happy to be alive this week?

H A P P Y F R I D A Y : vacation + new blogs.

1. After today, Chris is off for an entire week! When he normally only takes an hour or two off every day, a whole week feels like an eternity.  I am so excited!

2. I found the picture I was talking about in this post. 

so tiny and snuggly!

3. The new Pretty Lovely Littles goodies will be out in ten days! I've been finishing everything up this week, and let me tell you...I have never been so excited about new products before. These are, hands down, my favorite that have ever been in the shop.  Pssst: keep an eye out, because there may be a few pre-order items listed this weekend!

4.  Megan has started a NEW BLOG in addition to her photography blog.  She is a beautiful writer and I highly recommend following along. If not for her writing, then for the hilarious pictures she posts of her 101 pound dog who thinks he's the size of Gatsby.

5. It's Friday.  I'm drinking a cup of coffee.  The laundry is going and there are candles burning.  Sometimes it's the littlest things that make you happy to be alive.

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Lemonade + Local Friends.

1. It's August!  I love Fridays, I love new months, and I love months that bring me closer to to pumpkin candles and scarecrows. So today is a really good day.

2. Megan has moved to Orlando! 

I knew Megan and I were going to be great friends when we both went on a trip to LA two years ago and didn't know each other, but still adventured all over together all week. If by the end of the week you are taking grainy selfies (see above) together, you know the friendship is a keeper. 

3. Sushi and blueberry lemonade. 

Which is how we celebrated Megan's move to the great city of Orlando. I told you, a keeper. 

4. I plan on spending my entire weekend by the pool. Reason #873 Florida is the greatest: I can talk about pumpkin candles and pool days in the very same conversation and it's totally normal.

5. You can still go win yourself some money. Happiest of Fridays to you!

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Summer & Fall.

1.  I'm having entirely too much fun with the Party Party App.  Mostly just with Gatsby, but hey.  Who doesn't like having a photo booth in their pocket at all times?

2.  I can't get fall off my brain.  I love summer and am usually so sad to see it end, but I'm getting more and more excited for scarecrows and pumpkin spice lattes. 

3.  Because I have fall on my brain, I've already ordered the fabrics for my fall headbands.  Here's a little sneak peek...I can't wait to get my hands on them!

4.  In an effort to get more serious about my shop, I'll be creating an entire new line for fall.  I am SO excited about this.  That means that as of August 18th, all of the current pretties will be gone.  Until then, you can use the code "SEEYASUMMER" which will mark everything down 25%.

5.  It's still summer.  Because even though I am extremely excited for fall, it's still July, and I love that can cart myself, a book, and a mimosa up to the pool this weekend.  But let's get real...I live in Florida.  I'll be doing that until December. 

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Friday & Gatsby.

1. Friday is here, people!  I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: Friday just sounds so much sweeter on some weeks rather than others.

2. Chris. I've had a crazy, crazy week. One of those where you try to figure out everything in your entire life and then question everything you figure out at least twice. To have those weeks while living with someone you love that actually cares about your life? Incredible. 

3. As of this week, my book has been out for 3 months! That means I should be getting the first report soon. I can't wait to see how things are going and to try to decide next steps for that. 

4. I haven't had creamer since July 8th. This is huge, because I am a coffee freak connoisseur. But I was absentmindedly reading the back of a bottle and realized just how much sugar I was drinking (guzzling) first thing in the morning. I mean, as soon as pumpkin spice creamer hits the stores this will all go out the window. But it's nice to know I can actually do it. 

5. Gatsby cries every morning until I open the blinds. Then he sits and just watches out the window. It's the cutest thing ever.  

What made you happy to be alive this week?

On fridays we talk about being happy.

1. Um, my book comes out on Monday.  Really, this could be reasons 1-5.

2.  My best friends are coming over tonight to celebrate birthday/book weekend by going out for pho and champagne.  Does life get any better?  No, no it does not.

Sassy. 

3.  These were delivered to my work yesterday.  Please just look at that card.  I love him.  He's my person. 

4.  MY BOOK IS ON AMAZON.  This is real life, my friends.  And real life is good. 

5.  The next time I blog, I will officially be a published author.  That is insane.

Have the best weekend ever!  If you're wondering about me, I'll just be off partying like it's 1999 like I'm turning twenty-two and I have a book coming out on Monday.  And listening to this on repeat, obviously:

What made you happy to be alive this week?

I'm happy to be alive because of gold & glitter & cheap headbands.

1.  It's supposed to be 88 degrees today, and I will be enjoying every single one of those degrees by the pool.

2.  I haven't really been sleeping, and while that kind of sucks as a whole, I've had time to make things like this:

gold & glitter & ampersands, these are a few of my favorite things.

3.  I love April already.  I got to meet my mom for lunch yesterday and had the best time ever celebrating the start of book & birthday month!

4.  I'm so incredibly close to making my last payment on all things book related.  To help with the final push, I've dropped t h i s  h e a d b a n d down to $8, no code necessary, for this weekend only.  {psst, and I dropped t h i s  o n e down to $5!}

5.  Reading through your question emails this morning is so much fun!  Keep them coming!

What makes you happy to be alive this week? 

s h o p   h e r e :

Thankful Fridays: Hobby Lobby & Blueberry Muffins.

Happy Friday!  This week, I'm thankful for: 

1.  Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry muffin coffee.  My house smells like a blueberry muffin right now, and it's pretty amazing.  

2.  The fact that this is what blogging looks like this morning: 

My little buddy.  Also,  yesterday a lot of you asked me what kind dog he is.  He's a Shiba Inu...a breed that I had no idea existed until I laid eyes on Gatsby and knew he was meant to come home with me. 

3.  The Valentine's Day section at Target.  Because pink and gold, that's why.  And because these babies will all be half off starting February 15th, and really...aren't heart shaped bowls perfect for all year long?  

4.  This Emily Freeman quote: 

      "What is your moon, your airplane, your boy-wizard book?  What is your brave lyric, your odd first chapter, your new business motto?  What is your crazy idea?  No, not your perfect idea.  Not your logical, well-planned, power-pointed practical idea.  There's a place for those too.  But many times the most logical ideas start out crazy.  What is your crazy idea and what should you do with it? 

      Maybe you should chase it."  

                     

5.  Trips to Hobby Lobby.  There's not a lot that can put me in a good mood as fast as perusing aisle after aisle of craft supplies can.  Here's the outcome of yesterday's trip: 

You can pre-order it HERE.

What are you thankful for this beautiful Friday?

Check out this month's featured sponsor:

Thankful Fridays: 2014 edition.

Thankful Fridays was one of my favorite parts about blogging last year.  I decided it was time to throw it back into the mix this year.  I highly recommend you join me, even if you don't blog about it.  Forcing yourself to find things you're thankful for or things that made you happy in your week, even if they're silly things, can really change your attitude.

1.  Pitch Perfect 2 is coming out.

If this is your first time hearing this, just go back to bed now.  Your day isn't going to get any better than this.

2.  Encouraging comments, emails & tweets.

Because having a ton of people who would be strangers to me if it were not for the internet telling me they're excited for me is such a weird, incredible gift.

3.  TFIOS trailer.

Be right back while I go cry for approximately 37 days while I remember how good this book was.  Also, that has over 6 MILLION views and only came out about two days ago.  Please, try to tell me that this generation doesn't like to read.

4.  Authors.

More specifically, authors who have the ability to string words together in a way that just makes you feel.  I'm looking at you, John Green.

5.  Gold paint pens.

Because yes.

P.S. Book update:  I'm halfway there!  I only need to sell 155 more things to meet my goal.  You guys are amazing. 

Check out this month's featured sponsor:

Fridays are for being creative.

Fridays are for being creative.  They are for crafting and reading and writing.  For making new things for my shop. 

Fridays are for dreaming and deciding to take risks and just see what happens.  

And, of course, Fridays are for hanging out with this guy. 

Just chillin' in his Christmas sweater, as one does. 

Happy Friday--it's the very best day of the week.