Friday, sweet Friday. This is the first weekend in January I’m not speeding out of town right after work and honestly, I don’t know what to do with myself! I’m kind of looking forward to a low-key weekend. My mom, sister and I are finally going to see Lady Bird tomorrow morning, but the rest of the weekend is unscheduled and that’s a nice feeling.
Here are five things I appreciated this week!
1. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina
This woman is my new hero. In the midst of a horrible, awful thing, she’s used her position to empower scared and hurt young women. I’m grateful that Nassar is receiving the punishment he deserves, but I’m most grateful that these women had such a passionate and powerful advocate. This article is well worth a read.
“Leave your pain here,” Judge Aquilina told one young woman, “and go out and do your magnificent things.”
2. “Drawn to You”
I love Audrey Assad and am looking forward to her new album, Evergreen, so much. This song is so relevant to the season I’m in right now.
After everything I’ve had
After everything I’ve lost
Lord, I know this much is true
I’m still drawn to You
3. The Tres 3-in-one parka by Patagonia
Patagonia was founded in my hometown, Ventura, and they’ve been very generous in the wake of the Thomas Fire. In addition to donating free clothing in the early weeks of the fire, they also offered fire victims a 50% discount in-store and online. We had a lot of Patagonia apparel that we lost, so we made a pretty big purchase, but this jacket is possibly my favorite thing I’ve ever owned. The parka zips into the waterproof jacket for extra warmth, but you can wear each piece separately too! I fully plan on wearing the heck out of this in Ireland in April.
4. Foil Prints by lttlwlf on Etsy
I’ve definitely listed my friend Carly’s Etsy shop on FTF before but, a) it’s my blog and I do what I want, and b) she just listed these foil prints that are UNBELIEVABLE.
5. Ms. Downing’s Literature for Literacy Project
While I’m on the subject of my amazing friends, allow me to sing the praises of Ms. Downing, the best kindergarten teacher in the entire world! Her school is in a low-income district with a large number of second language learners, and Courtney is organizing a literacy event to give kids a chance to share their love of reading and books with their family members. You can donate to her project by clicking here. Donations are tax-deductible and you’re helping to build up life-long readers.
Happy Friday and have a great weekend! 😘
