Friday’s List

I had been doing really good. I made myself a little blog calendar to keep up with post ideas and a schedule so that I wouldn’t inadvertently drop off the face of the blog again. Oops. I actually had posts planned for three days a week through the end of the year and then I just didn’t write them. Last week, I was so excited about our girls trip that I neglected pretty much everything. Then this week I was trying to get my life back in order, celebrate my birthday and get us all ready to go out of town for the holiday. It’s a miracle that I’ve squeezed it all in, but with vacation on the horizon and lazy days ahead I am excited to get back on the blogging train. Nothing much momentous happened this week, so instead of multiple posts I decided a list was in order to get you all caught up!

ONE: So, my birthday was yesterday!! It’s weird to be thirty-five, because I completely don’t feel like it. I’m thinking we’re still college aged newlyweds with a long life ahead of us and then I realize that was a long time ago. There is an upside to being a grown-up, though. I’m in control of the credit card and I buy fabulous gifts. I was long overdue for a phone upgrade, so I picked up the iPhone 6  a few weeks ago and then might have bought myself a pair of Tory Burch Revas at Nordstrom Rack.

Thursday doesn’t make for a very exciting celebration, so I bought myself Chick-fil-A for breakfast, went to a yummy lunch with my friend from work, picked up Urban Cookhouse for dinner and sent Josh to get a chocolate milkshake at 9 o’clock. My day seriously revolved around good food. My best friend texted me at 3:17 in the morning so she wins the prize for first birthday wish of the day! After that, my phone pretty much rang off the hook and I got sung to multiple times throughout the day.

The real celebration is today and I should probably hate that we aren’t doing something kid-friendly, but my husband completely surprised me with a fun night out on the town! We are headed out to see a band play at a really fun venue, eating a fabulous dinner and staying the night in town. I have to work again tomorrow, so I’m thankful that we can enjoy a lazy morning and a big breakfast and I don’t have to dread a long drive into the office. Husbands for the win!

TWO: Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?! I know people say this all the time, but I feel like this year really got away from me. I think part of it was my work schedule during the first part of the year and then life just never seemed to settle back down after that. Since I didn’t get to join my family at the beach for our annual vacation, I’ve been looking forward to this week since June. We are taking the RV to the mountains on Sunday and enjoying the entire week out of town. It’s always a little weird not to cook Thanksgiving lunch, but Cracker Barrel does a bang up job and I won’t be complaining while I read a book by the campfire. Nope, not at all. The girls and I packed for hours last night and you would think we were moving out of our house!! I hope to wear sweats as much as possible, finish up some Christmas card orders, read everything on my Kindle and get our family photo shoot knocked off the list.

THREE: Did you see this video on Instagram? You can always watch Sophie in action by searching the #tazvod hashtag on IG. She keeps us in stitches on a regular basis and I always have a camera roll full of goodies to share. She and her daddy were rocking out to Pearl Jam a few days ago and they sent me this video. I die.

FOUR: Christmas shopping. Have you done that yet? I’m pretty much done with the girls except for a few things that I plan to order after Thanksgiving. I was really struggling with what to get them this year, but stumbled upon THE MOST AMAZING GIFT OF ALL TIME. I cannot wait to share with you on Christmas morning, but I’m keeping tight-lipped so as not to spoil the surprise. I still have a few gifts to pick up once I’m back in town, but it’s a good feeling to have most of it knocked out.

I’ll be traveling for work the first week in December, which puts a huge cramp in our Christmas tree decorating plans. We always pick it up the day after Thanksgiving and this year we’ll be waiting two weeks longer than usual. I did go ahead and get most of my other decor up so that we could enjoy it for a little bit longer, but I’m still kind of depressed about the tree. I might have to let it linger a little bit longer this year. Would you judge me if my tree was still up on Martin Luther King Day?!

FIVE: This is why I love my family. My MIL sent a group text out this morning and this is what followed. Josh had us all in stitches for several hours.

SIX: I need some serious book recommendations, friends. My Kindle was virtually empty this morning and it was making my heart race. I usually have 25+ books at any given time, since I just buy them as I see something that looks good. When I bought the new phone, I started fresh and I’m worried I might run out before my vacation ends! I did download this book today and I’m going to pick this one up in hardback on my way home from work tomorrow. I’ve also heard great things about this one. Any other recommendations?! I have no idea what Tunnel Vision is about (it was free and sounded interesting) and clearly I have plenty of John Green on tap. I need to read something light and fluffy in between those, though, or I’ll spend my entire vacation feeling depressed.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got. Have a fabulous weekend with your people and I’ll be back to share some actual posts next week!

Kristin is married to her high-school sweetheart and the mother to two daughters. Professional by day and creative by night, she is a family lifestyle blogger who writes about faith, family, and fitting it all into a busy schedule. At Taz + Belly, you’ll find healthy recipes, children’s party ideas, tutorials, DIY projects, and more. Click Here to Read More About Kristin