Friday’s Odds + Ends

Featured image credit, left to right: Melina Coogan | Starbucks | Matt & Riley

Happy Friday friends! I always enjoy writing this little weekly round-up of what’s been going on and what I’ve stumbled across in the course of the week. I collect links throughout the week, dropping them into a draft when I come across something I want to share, and then early Friday morning I pull it all together before going to work. It’s kind of a fun way to start easing into the weekend. And as you might have figured out by now, I’m always happy when it’s time to ease into the weekend.

A few fun notes from the week … on Monday the new project at work started and it was actually really great. It’s not often I feel energized at my day job but on Monday, I did, so we’ll see how it all turns out. On Tuesday I got to snuggle my coworker’s new baby, who is about as snuggle-ready as they come. She slept in my arms the whole time, her tiny little face shifting and shaping into little dreamy thoughts and tiny baby smiles (gas? dreaming of an awesome bottle? dreaming about another awesome nap? who can know…), totally flopped and relaxed against me. She opened her eyes a couple times, blinked at me, and passed back out. Love. I’ve had a headache all week so on Tuesday after work I tried to beat it back with some Tylenol and a new Hazelnut Macchiato from Starbucks. Sometimes I just really want a fancy coffee, sorry I’m so not sorry. On Thursday morning I found out I won an awesome giveaway at The Wilder Coast, yay! Also on Thursday I found out my ex-husband is working on becoming a nurse. Which … okay, two things, one is that I actually think he will be a great nurse, he has the personality to make a patient feel at ease, and two is that I’m a little bit envious. Because I still kind of want that, every other day or so.

As of Wednesday night we have a house guest for the next week-and-change – Riley! (See him up there making googly puppy eyes at my boyfriend?) When Riley visits, I get to practice my own nursing skills by giving him twice-daily insulin injections. My poor little buddy is blind – though he gets around really well – and has diabetes. It’s a little sad, but also a little sweet, to have opportunities to care for him as his life cycle winds down. I remember the first time I saw him, there were two puppies, brothers from the same litter, and one was for us and one was for our friends. Well when the breeder (our neighbor and friend for many years at our old house) brought the two little lads out Megan whispered to me, “I know which puppy I want to be ours.” And sure enough, that was our little Riley. I should dig out my photo albums and post some puppy Riley pics while he’s visiting! He’s a bit of a handful, but he’s my good buddy. Aaaaand I’m hoping Sprout will learn one great habit from Riley – he lets us know when he needs to go out!

Finally, here’s a bit of what I’ve been reading* this week.

*Side note, there’s some heavy, controversial stuff in there. Let’s keep things respectful in any discussion that ensues!

The Secret Power of Introverts [Forbes]

Authenticity [Row House 14]

Girl Power – ways to start investing in the younger women in our lives [Darling Magazine]

I dress for me. You dress for you. [Elliquent]

The Day I Lost My Baby Girl [Prodigal Magazine]

Surrogate offered $10,000 to abort baby [CNN]

The Best Time to Write Your Book was Last Year. The Next Best Time is Now [Ben Arment]

PS – Just discovered the Honest Toddler’s Twitter feed. If you’ve ever known and loved a toddler, go read it and laugh till you weep and/or pee your pants. (For example: “If hair brushes, toilet brushes, and toothbrushes aren’t interchangeable why do they share a last name.” Oh, and “I could say ‘I’m done eating’ but pushing my plate to the floor is how I live my truth.”)