Good morning and happy Friday! Sorry for the unplanned absence yesterday. Between lack off planning, a couple late nights, and my birthday the day before, the blog got put to the back burner. But, today is Friday (can I get an amen!?), I’m feeling refreshed after a semi- good night of sleep and it’s our date night tonight! I hope you all have some fun Friday plans and a fun weekend to look forward too.

As of right now, Landon and I are planning on a productive Saturday at home and I’m hoping to sneak in a long run on Saturday and Sunday we are planning on a morning at church and time in the afternoon with friends!

Before diving into this post, I wanted to take a minute and talk about the beautiful girl (woman, really) in the photo above. My sister Emily is turning fifteen today and I couldn’t be more proud of the wonderful woman she is growing into. Guys, her sense of humor is one that I can only one day dream of having, she is witty, caring, adventurous, a veracious reader, and she’s recently gotten into health and fitness! (Now all three of the sisters are into their own fitness routines. SO COOL!) Emily, I love you so much and I am so thankful that God chose you to be my ‘baby’ sister. I love how your selflessness, your care for others, you passion for music, reading, and your creative spirit. You are one of a kind and beautiful, inside and out. I hope today is super special, just like you.

Now that my favorite Friday favorite (does that work?) is shared, I’ll share a few more below…

Surprise Birthday Dinners + Picnics

Landon was the sweetest and for my birthday, surprised me with yellow tulips, my favorite, Halo Top vanilla bean ice cream, a trip out to this cafe that I have been wanting to go to for forever, and an evening at a forest preserve where we sipped on coffee and ate dessert while looking at a frozen lake. Once we got back home, he surprised me (again) with a movie I’ve been wanting to see, Priceless, at we finished the evening with a giant bowl of popcorn and coffee.

I didn’t take many pictures, since I wanted to soak in the day, but I did have a great day and was totally spoiled by my mom and sisters too! My mom came over in the morning and took me out for breakfast and a mani/pedi and my sisters kept me company all afternoon. On top of that, I received many texts and facebook messages that reminded me, again, just how blessed I am! Aren’t birthdays just great?

Tea Time

So, I will be the first to admit that I am a wanna be tea drinker. That being said, I do enjoy a good cup of tea every once in a while and lately, I’m trying to get into drinking more. We basically ran out of coffee (and now I have to wait for it to be shipped here – definitley NOT a Friday favorite!) which means I’m resorting to tea. Anyone have good tea recommendations? I do like green tea, but I want to find a flavor that I love that is also caffeine free. If you guys have ideas, I’m all ears.

Baby Play Dates

Benaiah’s friend, Louie, came over yesterday and it was so much fun seeing the two of them finally notice each other! Natalie (Louie’s mama) and I have been getting together ever since the two of them were around one to two months old, but I think yesterday was the first time they’ve actually interacted with one another. Guys, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have another mom friend who not only lives close by, but who also has a boy who is only two days older than Niah. And get this- Natalie’s birthday is two days after mine (which is today!) Happy birthday Natalie! I hope you have a great day and I’m so thankful for our friendship!

And on that happy note, I’ll leave you for today! Have a fantastic Friday guys and enjoy your weekend! I’ll chat with you all on Monday.

Questions of the Day 

1. What is something you are loving this week?
2. If you are a mom, do you have a lot of mom friends?
3. Do you have any fun weekend plans?!