Hello! Happy Friday! Happy November!

It was a strange, great, busy, odd, short-feeling October. On Tuesday morning, I said, “Gosh, it got cold so quickly this year.” Then I realized – it’s November! Of course it’s cold. I feels like it should still be September, but here we are, inching closer to the holidays, which we all know means it’s basically 2017 already. Here are a few things on my mind this week:

1. London. It’s been a little quiet around here lately (the blog, not life, obviously). After the school auction, we spent a week in preparation because Husband’s parents came to stay with BB and BG, and WE WENT TO LONDON! It was wonderful and awesome and lovely and fun. Husband and I have been before, in 2008, but this trip, I felt like I really got the lay of the land. We walked A TON (17-24K steps a day!) and I figured out the tube fairly well (3 separate times, Brits asked ME for help!). We hit a few places we did before, but we found lots of new things to see and do and fun restaurants to try. (Whatever they say about British food, I say “Bah.” We had some amazing food.) I’m working on a post about our trip, so stop by next week to check it out.

2. Taste Freeze. “No! Not true!” shouts the girl (over 33, ahem) who has about 4 playlists she streams over and over again. But I DO know who The Chainsmokers are. (On a related note, I’m going to dig into this post to discover some new music. So there.)

3. This quote. How about you remind me of this when I start thinking about the new year, okay?

4. Beauty is not a waste. As someone who finds beauty and possibilities of beauty in almost everything, this piece completely resonated with me.

5. One Day HH. Laura Tremain’s blog, Hollywood Housewife, was one of my favorites for years. Laura has moved away from blogging and on to other projects, like the Sorta Awesome and Smartest Person in the Room podcasts, but I still enjoy her newsletter and Facebook posts. Every year, she hosts #OneDayHH on Instagram, a day to document the ordinary moments in our lives. I started last year when I was new to Instagram, and I had so much fun posting little bits of my day and seeing posts from others. This year’s OneDayHH was this past Wednesday. As I said earlier in the week, both times, I’ve ended the day with a deep sense of gratitude – for the small blessings of my day, for the gift of this life, and for the connections made and feeling of community when we see the everydays of others. Check out my Instagram feed to see what I shared this year, and check out others’ as well.

What are you up to this weekend? We’re finishing up a Pinewood Derby car, taking in a show, and generally catching up on life after being out of town. Hope you have a wonderful, good weekend full of music and beauty. Thanks for reading!