Fridayyyy! So happy to see the sun is shining, I’ve got a half day in the office, and it’s been a really productive week. I actually got some sleep, too (although, it never feels like enough these days) and squeezed in a few good workouts in between checking off tasks on my to-do list!I’m so excited to be heading up north this afternoon to meet up with my family! They’re here for my little brother’s hockey tournament and I can’t wait to watch him out on the ice and catch up with everyone. I’m staying the night out in the suburbs with them and will be able to catch his next game bright and early tomorrow morning before it’s back to the city for a holiday trolley with friends! Planning to get to myself to a Sunday evening candlelight yoga class to unwind after what’s going to be a busy weekend. Oh, and Sunday supper with my friend Cody. We’re trying to make that a thing. So it should be a really good weekend and I’m really looking forward to it!

Alright, here’s a look at what I’ve been loving lately – enjoy!

Song of the week: Naked – James Arthur (I just love the acoustic version so much). Turn it up and listen as you browse this week’s links 🙂

AROUND THE WEB/WORLD:

• In case you missed it, my winter bucket list is up. And if you sign up for my email list, you’ll get my special Chicago holiday bucket list, too! So many fun, festive things to help you get in the holiday spirit. I also shared the best gifts under $50.
• I promised you all gift ideas for guys, so here it goes: I always like gifting experiences (tickets to a game or concert, a really nice dinner out, a plane ticket to see his friends, and so on). And I don’t think you can go wrong with food, either! I discovered Chicago Artizen last night at a holiday pop-up shop and picked up a little package of their dusted pecans for my Dad because he loves stuff like this! I taste-tested them and highly recommend. A few other things: I really love the look of this Ralph Lauren pullover, this YETI cooler holds ice for days (not even kidding!) and is perfect for camping, tailgating, backyard activities, and all that fun stuff. It comes in a few different sizes and colors! This Kieh’ls gift set is full of things the guys in your life will actually use and who doesn’t love Cards Against Humanity? One of you sent me a DM on Instagram saying your husband loves Lululemon shirts so I thought I’d share that here too. Hope this helps!

• Did you see Shopbop launched a boutique on Amazon?
• I love the look of these workout leggings from Onzie, which is a new-to-me brand.
• This is the best 2019 planner. I like that it’s 8.5 x 11 so I can easily slip important sheets of paper in without have to fold them or risk the edges getting torn up (random side note: the website lists the wrong dimensions for this planner). Is it weird that I really enjoy filling in all my dates and reminders each year? #thelittlethings
• Grace launched a new dating column featuring Clara and after reading her latest on how to meet people in person, I’ve been challenging myself to take out my headphones and make an effort to engage with people around me. Love that so many of you commented saying you are going to do the same!
• I mentioned in my winter bucket list that I’m attending Snowball in January and I’ve already started scouring my favorite sites for the perfect dress! Going to try really hard to go with something that isn’t black. 😉
• I love what Meghan is doing with her #SpreadKindnessSpreadJoy campaign. I sent a letter to a friend and my Grandma this week and have plans to bring cinnamon rolls to our weekly team meeting on Monday!
• I’m just going to leave this “thank u,” next video here. And as a Cancer, I feel this haha.
• Added this salted brown butter butterscotch oatmeal cookie recipe (a mouthful, no pun intended) to my list of things to make this winter. YUM.
• I need to find a pair of good winter boots, but I can’t decide as I don’t think they’re the most attractive shoes, but that’s not what they’re for I suppose. Do you have any favorites?
• I always get so many compliments on this tote bag and found a few more in stock and thought I’d share! A woman running through Gold Coast the other day actually yelled, “Great bag!” as she breezed by me.

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What are you up to the next few days? I hope it’s the best! I’ll be sharing in real-time over on Instagram stories, so be sure to follow along there!