Swim For Smiles | still being [Molly]

You guys, HAPPY FRIDAY.

It’s been a busy, but AWESOME week. And I’m off work today! My boss closed our office since we had such a busy weekend last weekend running Swim for Smiles! WOOP! SO, on my day off I’m going to go have brunch with my sister and nephew in Burlington, NC this morning, so I’m pumped about spending time with her and my ADORBS nephew. Also, I’m getting a cake from her for a baby shower for a dear friend of mine from church that I’m helping to throw.

Oh yeah, my sister makes baller cakes. She even made my wedding cake! And it was BEAUTIFUL.

Also, I had an awesome date night with hubs last night. Review of the restaurant coming in this week’s 52 in 52 later today (be sure to check back )!

Phew. That’s a lot. Anyway, here’s what I’m high-fiving / you know, highlights from the week, today:

[1. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Sweet Neighbors. You guys, my neighbor (to the right of us) is a sweet, sweet little old lady named Nell. This weekend she knocked on my door and brought me cookies. She felt bad she didn't welcome me to the neighborhood after I married John. Seriously? How sweet is that. This is why I LOVE living in the South. It's so rare you have a neighbor bring you Oatmeal Raisin cookies just for the heck of it. Oh, and also, the cookies were AMAZING. Nell don't play.]

[2. You guys, I conquered my fear of heights for the sake of a photo. So, I was in charge of taking event pictures at last weekend's Swim for Smiles - and I thought, hey, I should get a picture of the whole event from the top of the rock climbing wall. Sure, it sounded like a good idea at the time. But I'm scared of heights. I did it anyway! See? That camera there on my back. That's dedication to your job if I've ever seen it, folks. Anywho. I felt so relieved once I was back on the ground.]

[3. My JCrew via eBay via Hong Kong necklaces finally arrived!! I'm not afraid to admit that I finally caved on the Bubble Necklace Bandwagon and bought this baby from eBay. I don't exactly have $150 to buy the real thing from JCrew, so this is the next best thing. Now, I'm gonna say, this thing FEELS real. If it's fake, you could totally fool me. Anywho, I love it. I kinda wanna wear it with all my outfits. Sue me.]

[4. I am not high-fiving this. But it happened this week, so I figured it'd be appropro to share. It rained all day on Wednesday. We have a fenced in backyard at our house so we usually leave the dogs in the backyard all day while we are at work. They love it that way. However, when it rains all day, we leave them inside. This, ladies and gents, is why I HATE leaving them inside. They've been SO good about not going through the trash. And boom. I spoke too soon. Only God knows what they could have eaten. I know there was half an onion, a banana peel, and the innards of a New York Super Fudge Chunk container that were CLEANED OUT. It's a good thing our dogs have stomachs of steel cause they very well could have died. I'm not joking. But yeah, I know they don't mean it, but I was annoyed.]

[And then Tater does this and hangs her head sheepishly because she knows she's in trouble. And I can't stay mad at her. Look how cute she is.]

[6. Spending Mother's Day with my new mother-in-law. For those that know me personally or have been reading my blog a long time, you know mother's day can be hard for me - my mother passed away almost 10 years ago. But this Mother's Day I'm excited to celebrate her but spend time with my new mother-in-law! John and I are heading to Newton on Saturday afternoon after the baby shower to spend time with his parents. They're so wonderful and I'm so blessed to not only have one, but TWO amazing families I love so much! (This photo is of me and my MIL at my bridal shower)]

Anywho. That’s what I’m high-fiving / highlighting this Friday. What are YOU high-fiving? What are you celebrating? What are you doing for Mother’s Day? What’s making you happy? What fears have you conquered?

xoxo, all for now.

and as usual, I’m linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk.

You guys:

May the 4th Be With You.

And also with you.

Look, I’m not even a Star Wars fan (as in, like, I’ve never seen them. Shame, I know), but that joke cracks me up. I have no idea why.

A lot of things to high five about this week. Let’s get to it.

[one - this dog. you guys, i have two dogs now (you know, since you marry husbands and dogs) but this is my baby. she's been with me for over four years. and i love her. this is what she does to me outside my bathroom in the morning while i'm getting ready. SERIOUSLY? i can't handle her].

[two - burritos. i mean, burritos are my thing. they're my beat. i'd eat 'em every day if i could. breakfast burritos. lunch burritos. dinner burritos. fourth meal burritos. i love them. really, i love Mexican food in general, but you win me over with burritos. today, i'm going to purchase $30 in gift cards to Chipotle - cause if i purchase $30 in gift cards to Chipotle for "graduation" you get a free meal. psh. i mean, i'm gonna spend AT LEAST $30 at Chipotle in the next six months. i'm graduating... from being awesome. i give myself those gift cards. AND i get a free meal. that's called forward thinking my friends].

[three - these neon toe keds-looking shoes i made. yeah, i made 'em. you can bet your boots a tutorial is coming next week. they only cost me $5 dollhairs. BOOM].

[four - SWIM FOR SMILES is this weekend! the company i work for also happens to run a non-profit youth triathlon that raises money for the NC Children's Hospital and it's THIS SUNDAY. every one has been working SO hard and it's gonna be awesome to see it all come together on Sunday!]

[five - Christopher and his Lion Story. now, some of you who are new to my blog might not know that i went on a mission trip to Kiria, Kenya last summer. I also sponsor a young girl in Kiria named Anastacia (photo in this post). Kenya has a major place in my heart. i knew when i left that i would go back again, but i also knew i wouldn't want to go without my husband. so, john and i are going back in September. we're going to do the best we can to try and go back to the community once a year. it's going to be difficult, but God willing, it will happen. this post is not about that and i'll probably talk a lot about it later, but if you're interested in more information you can certainly ask me, or if you are feeling generous and want to donate - we listed information on our wedding registry on how to do that. ANYWAY. that's not what this is about.

this is Christopher. he is one of my many Kenyan friends. he has a story about a lion. now, this is a condensed version of the story i experienced, but it's still awesome nonetheless. i saw this video that was posted yesterday and it totally made my day. i miss that guy. can't wait to hear it again in person.

gah. i miss kenya].