Favorites On A Friday (Including An IG Announcement)

Cheers for a short week (thank you work for being closed on Monday in honor of Presidents' Day) and that it is F-R-I-D-A-Y!

Friday is truly the perfect day to share a list of favorites because you can't help but be in a great mood that the weekend is upon us.

Last Friday my post shared all of my favorites things that focused on Valentine's Day. While I typically like to go with more of a themed post, this week was pretty eventful so I'll just focus on that for now.

Whole 30 Completion

Did you catch my last Whole 30 related post?

Yes, this graphic means that I FINALLY completed my fourth round of Whole 30. While it wasn't my best round (more on that later), it was still deemed successful and gave my husband more than enough dishes to wash. I plan on going compliant again, following this weekend. Curious about Whole 30? Here is a list of all things Whole 30 for your perusal:

Why I Started Whole 30

Round One Week One Meal Planning

Round One Week Two Meal Planning

Round One Weeks Three & Four Meal Planning

Round One Results

Whole 30 Recipe Index

Whole 30 Food Processor Fun

How to Survive Whole 30

Meal Planning & Grocery Shopper

Whole 30 Meal Plan: Week One

Whole 30 Meal Plan: Week Two

Whole 30 Meal Plan: Week Three

Whole 30 Meal Plan: Week Four

I must warn you that more Whole 30 posts are on their way. I plan on sharing my results (let's face it, that's what everyone wants to know about anyway) and a resource that will be beneficial for you if you ever decide to embark on this journey or if you want some clean recipes to add to your arsenal. 

Strep Throat Appointment

Wait, say what?!

I haven't discussed our ongoing battle with E and strep throat, but plan to at some point. It's not that it's too personal to share, it's just semi-boring (IMO), but could be beneficial to others who are facing the same war.

The abbreviated version of this LONG story is that when E gets sick, it's strep throat 99% of the time. Her behavior has been dreadful at home and at school these last few days, plus she started complaining that her mouth hurt. Being a toddler, she's not great at giving details as to what hurts. We are now at the point where I can call the pediatrician and get scheduled for a simple strep test usually that day or the next. We don't have to see the doctor and if it's positive, a prescription is called in.

Since we have a big weekend planned, we decided to be good parents and take her in for a quick test this morning. The simplicity and flexibility of our doctor's office in handling the situation is why it's one of my favorite things this week.

Fingers crossed we get the all clear!

National Margarita Day

Hopefully you stay up to date with all of the important holidays: Christmas, Easter, National Margarita Day...

That's right. Wednesday was National Margarita Day.

I haven't celebrated this day in quite some time and was really excited when my friend, Lindsay, invited me to a girls dinner with all of her besties. I was a little bit anxious because well, I'm ALWAYS anxious (even going to something like spin class), but also because joining a group of ladies who have been BFF is intimidating and can sometimes end poorly. Thankfully, this was not the case...at all. I had a great time, heard some crazy stories, tried to guess which patron of the restaurant sent a drink over, and most importantly, laughed. It reminded me of hanging out with my friends from high school and college. Thanks for the invite, twin!

Date Night

Lately, our town has been pulling in some decent names for entertainment. Around this time last year we saw Elton John in concert.

He was absolutely fantastic.

I was thrilled to discover that Dierks Bentley was headed our way!

When I have a crappy day at work, I may listen to a few of his jams on repeat. It puts me in a much better mood!

To kick off the evening, we met our friends at a fun, craft beer bar downtown. Perfect for the beer lovers and foodies alike.

We headed over to the concert and wound up sitting around some really random people. The couple in front of us was very much into each other (PDA to the extreme) while some guys a few seats ahead provided the most entertaining dancing, ever.

Of course, we sat almost directly behind Lindsay and Brian.

We missed Jon, but were in our seats for Cole. He was great and excited to be back so close to home.

Dierks came out and I may have melted.

Dierks shotgunning beers with a concert attendee. 

Dierks & Jon

Dierks & Cole

My favorite song...

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was thrilled when Dierks decided to do a Tiger Walk during his concert. I may have petted his shoulder. #creepyfan

All in all it was a great concert and not too late of a night. On Fridays I get to sleep in a little later, which is definitely appreciated after an eventful evening.

Instagram Chat Loop

Instagram has quickly become one of my favorite social platforms. Facebook has my heart, but Twitter and I continue to grow apart. #sorrynotsorry

Growing your audience organically is challenging, but worth it. It amazes me how many people do the follow/unfollow game. I swear I gain thirty followers and lose twenty. Frustrating.

Through one of my Facebook groups, I stumbled across Abby's blog and immediately liked her content. She and I (mostly her) have been working on putting a bi-weekly Q&A chat loop together on Instagram. The graphic is ready to go, but we are finalizing our core group. If this is something you may be interested in, send me an email. We only have a few spots left (if she hasn't filled them by the time this post goes live), but would love to connect with other blogger boss ladies!

Even if you're not a blogger, I'd still love to connect with you on your preferred social sites. Click on the links above or the icons on the left side of the page to follow.


Like I said, it's been a pretty good week so this week's favorites weren't hard to determine. I hope you have a fabulous weekend and can't wait to share our adventures (hopefully) next week!






*Linking up for Friday Favorites with Momprofessionals, Smidge of This, and Meet @ the Barre