Happy Friday! It’s my first Friday Favorites of the new year and I have a bunch of favorites! We have a four day week at school and it was a lovely way to ease back into work after a break.

Favorite 1: DRESSES!! We had two pretty mild winter days this week and I was so excited to break out some dresses. I am deciding to actively commit to wearing more clothes in my closet. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my black and navy pants, but I need to wear more of the winter clothes in my closet or get rid of them in some way (sell, consign, donate). These are two older dresses that I got at the loft and they are both so comfy. Here’s a funny dress story. I chose to wear a slip with the black swing dress. Luke came into my room that morning and was completely flabbergasted by the slip. It made me giggle AND made me realize that I really haven’t worn dresses regularly in a very long time.

Luke is my official blog photographer. When he gets home every day, he snaps a quick photo before he’s off to play. He does a good job, but he takes the picture no matter what I’m doing. Yesterday, he got this funny outtake.

Favorite 2: SUNSHINE!! You know I always love the sunshine and I am really loving that the days are getting longer, even if it is just a few minutes. We were treated to these sunsets this week. In the third and fourth pictures it was raining on my porch and those clouds over the corn field weren’t dropping any rain. Bizarre!

Favorite 3: PRETZELS! I love pretzels and I really love sourdough pretzels. When I found these, I picked them up immediately. I’m on my second bag already. They are so yummy with hummus and pub cheese. I am sure they’d be fantastic with a hot beer cheese dip too.

Favorite 4: PLANNING!! I love the start of year because it feels so fresh and is a great reset point. The start of the school year and the start of the calendar year both have the same effect for me. Luke has started practicing at an indoor facility with a great viewing area. This week, I went for a short walk and then parked it here with my calendar, water, Diet Pepsi, phone and a mini peppermint bark candy. I got so much done! The next few weekends are going to be BUSY and I need to have my act together during the week. The busy will be fun, but it does mean I need to be prepared each week.

Favorite 5: GOALS!! If you are familiar with Gretchen Rubin’s four tendencies, I am an upholder. I am also an enneagram 3. I love setting goals and accomplishing them. Instead of a new year’s resolution, I am back to my monthly goals. I created this habit tracker on Canva and it feels pretty good to see my progress this week.

I am working through my reading goal, too. Here’s what I’ve done.

Hello Monday
Jolabokaflod 2022
Currently

I am going to be poolside and courtside this weekend. I am looking forward to some time to read and get ready for the week while I am sitting in the stands. Swimming is a funny sport to cheer for because you are there for a long time and the less time your kid is in the water, the better. I hope you have a great weekend full of sunshine and books!