Five on Friday!

Happy Friday, y'all!  This has been the longest week in what feels like forever, so I am oh-so-happy to welcome the weekend with open arms.  Let's get right to a little Five on Friday, shall we?

{one} family/new house photos
Since we moved into our house the week of Thanksgiving last November, the holidays were a little cray-cray for us.  We were still in boxes, I hardly decorated, none of the rooms had furniture or decor... it drove me crazy.  And I hated that our first Thanksgiving/Christmas didn't really feel like the holidays because of all of the chaos.  Well, with a year (and MANY trips to HomeGoods) under my belt, the house is finally in a place that makes me feel happy and warm when we walk in the door.  Add to that the new addition to our family last January (Miss Molly, obvi!) and you have what I see as pretty perfect for us right now.  With the traditional first wedding anniversary gift being paper, I surprised Brian and hired our wedding photographer to come and take photos of us with Molly at the house.  Who knows how our lives could change in the next year, and I really want to document what and where our family is right now... and I'm so excited!  She comes Halloween afternoon and I'm already thinking about outfits and such-- loving the look of something like these!

{two} flats 

I'm on my feet a lot during the day, running around for photo shoots, meetings, etc. so I tend to stick with flats at work.  I purchased a pair of black TB Revas two years ago and while I loved the look, I've a) worn them into the ground, and b) hate how much they hurt me feet for the price that I paid.

Is it common for the Reva to rub your feet the wrong way?  Moreso my heel-- it's awful and painful!  And I definitely sized correctly-- I tried on sizes bigger and smaller, did the walk test, etc.  Since I'm in the market for a new pair, I'm considering the Caroline flat.  Any insight on one or the other?  I won't be buying another pair of Revas but could consider the Caroline if y'all can persuade me!

{three} workin' on my fitness

After a long hiatus from the gym, I've made myself a little commitment calendar to get back it for the month of October.  We have two weddings coming up and I would love to feel even better in the two dresses that I've already bought to wear.  I'm thinking I might do a check-in one day each week to keep me accountable.  My little reward for myself is happening if I complete every workout-- I'm buying myself a FitBit (finally).  Working out is such a trigger for me-- once I get in a routine, I'm overall happier, I sleep better, I make better food choices... basically, it's a necessity!  AND it keeps me sane.  What more could I ask for in something FREE that literally just requires me to move my body and put myself first?

Last resort motivation?  Our (destination yet-to-be-determined) beach anniversary trip in January.

{four} christmas crazy

Call me crazy, but in line with my whole "I want to enjoy the holidays and not be stressed!" approach to the end of the year, I've already started my Christmas shopping.  I've made two gift purchases, ordered our Christmas cards (thank God for Minted and their "Buy now, personalize later" deal), bought a new return address stamp from Etsy (with our married name and new address-- woohoo!), and have my list made for the rest of the family/friends that we buy for. I'm convinced that in the long run, shopping early will save me money too-- am I the only one more apt to impulse buy something for someone when I'm stressed and under the gun on December 22?

I want time to watch my favorite Christmas movies with my guy, bake cookies for our neighbors, decorate early enough in the month to enjoy and soak it all in... not be running around like a lunatic on my lunch break and after work to wait in line and lose the sentiment of the reason for the season!  I'm also loving that this is our first Christmas with Molly.  I MIGHT (ok, I totally did) have ordered her a mini stocking that matches ours (monogrammed, of course), a jacket to wear in the rain/snow (again... monogrammed) and a Bark Box subscription. I can't wait to have her as a part of all of the fun, but I'm totally preparing myself to come home to a disaster once we put the tree up-- Molly loves few things (aside from tennis balls and mint bones) more than branches and logs in the yard.  Could be interesting...

{five} weekend fun

The first thing that Brian and I said to each other this morning was how ready for the weekend we are. If I can just make it through until 5pm, I'll be good to go.  I'm painting our living room and we're mounting our TV (seriously so excited-- the battle that ensued over to mount vs. not to mount is one for the books AND I WON).  Tomorrow we're planning to watch football and break in the firepit with lots of wine and pumpkin beer, and Sunday will be lots of relaxing while Brian plays in a golf tournament.

Cheers to the weekend, friends!