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fa·vor·ite:  [fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

~NOUN:  A PERSON OR THING REGARDED WITH SPECIAL FAVOR OR PREFERENCE~

i spent last week in beautiful jackson hole, wyoming for our annual ski trip.  i have had the good fortune of being able to travel to many ski destinations on the west coast and i have to say, unequivocally, that jackson hole blew me away.  the love affair began as the plane descended over the grand teton mountain range.  i was breathless.  the mountains are unlike anything i have ever seen.  simply put, they are stunning and will reinforce a belief in a higher power.

for me personally, when it is time for vacation to come to an end,  i'm usually more than ready to come home.  i miss my house, my friends, and my sweet brown dog.  this time was no exception.

however, it always seems that re-entry back into work is painful and again, this time was no exception.  it has been a l-o-n-g week.

so, friday, thank you for arriving (even if it did take you f-o-r-e-v-e-r)!

besides friday, here's what i'm loving this week!

*reusable straws - unless it is coffee or wine, i prefer to sip my trusty spa water through a straw.  what i don't love?  those plastic one-use wonders.  i've used them before (quite frequently), but the environment-loving girl in my heart felt guilty.  enter reusable straws.  my mama santa put some in my stocking this year and they are awesome! sipping my spa water and iced green tea guilt-free over here these days.  i'm thinking of maybe picking up some beachy colors for the spring and summer!

santa left me this festive holiday pack, but you can find similar ones here.

 *alone time - maybe this is an only-child thing, but i need my alone time.  if i don't have it, i am one cranky girl and will take it by force, if necessary.  i need my space to journal, read a book, meditate, practice yoga, run, whatever.  i actually had a nice alone day in jackson hole, where i got to read a book, take myself out to lunch, and get a manicure.  it was fantastically lovely.  speaking of books....

*the host by stephanie meyers - when my friend, stefanie, suggested this book i was a tad skeptical.  unlike 99% of the female population, i did not get into the whole twilight series.  i read the first one and it was good, but not good enough to prompt me to read the next three books, nor see any of the movies.  plus, i'm not a big sci-fi fan.  however, stef assured me that i would love it and since she had indulged me and read gone girl, i decided to go for it.  so, so glad i did.  this book was awesome.  it took me awhile to get into it, but about a third of the way in, i was hooked and completely invested in the characters.  i even yelled at her for not warning me it was 620 pages because i wanted to know what the freak happened already!  (see - i'm warning you. it is 620 pages, but it is an easy read and well worth it.)  it made me question so many things about humanity....how we treat each other...is our nature inheirent....heck, would we be a kinder and gentler race/planet if someone/thing else took over?  go check out the host.  it is especially perfect if you are jaunting off somewhere that necessiatates a lengthy plane ride.  (did i mention it is 620 pages long?)

*my new "orioles" necklace from swell caroline - my husband is from maryland and is a huge orioles fan.  h-u-g-e.  huge as in one day i came home from god-knows-where and he announces that he has switched us from our local cable provider to directtv, because directtv is the only provider that carries the masa channel.  for those of you uninitiated, masa is the only channel that carries the orioles baseball games all season long.  (i will spare you the whole diatribe that ensued about the owner and his wicked ways that cause this to be the case.  you're welcome.)  i am all about sporting my teams colors and considering that i am now an adopted orioles fan, i knew i needed to get some gear.  however, their colors are black and orange.  black, i have plenty of but orange, eh, no.  seeing as how i am a redhead, the closest to orange that this girl is going to get is an accessory.  enter swell caroline.  i absolutely love how it turned out and of course, i opted for a monogrammed charm.  this should not surprise anyone who knows me irl.  what was even better is that this little pretty arrived on valentine's day and since husband and i were apart (as he was travelling for business) this cheered me right on up! we will be heading down to sarsota in march to check out the orioles at their spring training camp and visit friends and some of my family. i can't wait to debut this at the game(s)!

go orioles! 

*today's semi spring-like temperature - this warm-weather gal is completely and totally over winter.  my heart skipped a beat when i saw it was going to be sunny and 64 degrees today!  i can't wait to take bogue for a walk this afternoon before it, apparently snows tomorrow??  ugh.  what the heck mother nature?!?!  oh well, i guess i'll take what i can get!  (really though, mother nature, if you want to go ahead and move on into spring, i'm completely okay with that.  just sayin'.)

happy friday, friends!  have a lovely (snowy?!?!?!? gah!!!!) weekend!

xoxox -

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fa·vor·ite:  [fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

~NOUN:  A PERSON OR THING REGARDED WITH SPECIAL FAVOR OR PREFERENCE~


it has been a hot minute since i've blogged.  i have had a health snafu going on (as it seems most folks have these days), but i am on the mend and feeling lots better!

just in time for another round of friday favorites!

*  my word of the year necklace - my next door neighbor and good friend, tracey, shared the link to this lovely necklace earlier in january.  she thought it would be perfect for me and it is!  my necklace just arrived a week or so ago and i l-o-v-e it!  not only is it dainty and lovely, it is such a good reminder of my word of the year.  i decided to go with the sanskrit word for contentment, santosha, to make it a bit more personalized for me.  while i chose the silver, it also comes in gold. 

loves, loves, loves it!

*  my electric blanket - unless it is in excess of 80 degrees, i am going to be cold.  over thanksgiving, my mom broke out these comfy, cozy electric blankets.  i was in heaven!  then, she told me that we could take them home!  they were supposed to be part of our christmas gifts, but she decided we could have them on the early side.  i question how i ever survived any winter without it.  i was so in love that i actually gave one to my mother-in-law for christmas and who has called me 3 times to talk about how wonderful it is.  i am curled up under right now, while it is 25 degrees and sleeting outside.  speaking of another favorite....

*  snow days  - unfortunately, i no longer get snow days because i, fortunately, am a mobile worker and work from home 99.9% of the time.  i still love a good snow day though.  i love watching those big, fluffy flakes (which are supposedly headed this way around 4 p.m. EST) float through the sky, creating a big white blanket.  i love how quiet and peaceful it gets, at least for a little while.  i love the frequent knock at the door as one of the neighborhood kids ask if they can use our driveway and hill for sledding. (yes, sweetie.  always yes.  just be careful.)  i love that it gives me an excuse to drink one more cup of coffee, a silly amount of hot chocolate, followed by an even sillier amount of hot cider for the sake of keeping warm.  i love putting a pot of homemade soup on the burner, all warm and bubbly, that is sure to take the chill off from snowman building.  i love the fire my husband gets going in the fire pit outside.  i love how bogue tries to figure out "what in the heck is this white stuff."  i love cuddling and getting cozy.  now if this freezing rain and ice we are currently experiencing would turn to snow, well, that would be swell.  (sigh, winter in nc.  lots of ice.  not-so-much snow.)

*  homemade spa water - for probably going on 3 years now, i do not drink soda except on a rare occasion.  we are talking maybe once a year, if even that.  so, i drink a lot of water.  water on its own is okay, but it can get, well, rather boring after a while.  one day i was at the spa with my bestie, melissa, and we were commenting on how yummy and refreshing the water was.  i remember looking at her and asking, "why don't we ever think to do this at home?  it isn't hard.  all they are doing is floating some cucumbers in a pitcher of water."  now, i do this on the regular.  i've branched out as well.  at any given time, you'll find cucumbers, lemons, clementines, oranges, strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries floating in my water.  it is delicious and so refreshing!  i'm rocking the cucumbers today:

just say no to processed "fruit-flavored" water and make your own.  it tastes better and is better for you.  promise.

* gone girl by gillian flynn - i finished this book awhile ago, but i have been slowly convincing my friends to read it.  it is so much fun hearing their reactions!  even though, like many of my friends, some parts of this novel just down right ticked me off (but what good piece of literature doesn't inspire intense emotion), i loved every.single.second of it.  so many mystery/crime novels follow a certain formula these days that by about half-way through i've already got it mostly figured out.  this one?  absolutely not.  do me a favor.  if you like mystery/crime novels, please, please read gone girl.  trust me.  you'll be shaking your head at the end wondering what-in-the-hell just happened.  perfect read on a snow day!

happy friday, friends!  stay warm and have a lovely weekend!

xoxox -