Lately

Good morning!  How's everyone's week going?  My organization is hosting our biggest event of the year, a big gala out on Kiawah Island tomorrow, so to end my week of blogging, I thought I'd share a little early "Five on Friday"-type post to share what I've been doing lately...

Traveling - The weekend before last I flew up to Philadelphia to meet Mike in Delaware for his grandmother's 80th birthday.  It was so nice to see all of his family, and during our 5 hour layover in Chicago on the way back, we even enjoyed some deep dish pizzas with a friend from college.

Cooking - Football Sundays for us mean crock pot fun!  Last weekend we made the most delicious slow cooker Mongolian beef (but I added 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a bunch of dashes of sriracha) and spicy zucchini.  I haven't been the only one busy; Mike made a from-scratch German chocolate cake, and I can't wait to share the recipe next week.

Golfing - I had Veteran's Day off from work, so Mike and I played a round of golf where we've been members for the last year.  I've been striving to break the course record all year, and I did with an even par 72!  I started off playing well, parring every hole through 10, except for one birdie.  I three-putted the 11th to go back to even par, and held there through 17.  On 18, I hit my ball into the hazard and took a drop.  From 137 yards out, I hit the ball to about 15 feet from the flag and made the putt to make par and shoot even par!

Anticipating - I have another Charleston Blog Society event to attend tonight.  This time, it'll be "Bloggers at the Barre," and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time to try my first barre class.  Usually, we have events at boutiques and new spots around town, like last month's event at The Spectator Hotel, so I'm really excited to try something new!

Yelping - I was so excited to get an email this week that I was accepted into the Yelp Elite squad.  I've been Yelping for a few months now and am loving getting to know another group of people in Charleston.  I'm even helping to plan my first UYE (unofficial Yelp event) with Erika in a couple of weeks.  Are you on Yelp?  Add me!

Wrapping - 95% of my Christmas shopping is done and everything I have is wrapped.  Like last year, my parents are driving down to spend Thanksgiving with us, and they're going to bring all of our gifts back so we can fly up without a million suitcases!  They're the best.

Gifting - One of my favorite gifts I've wrapped so far is for one of Mike's cousins.  As part of an art kit, I requested Doodletopia: Cartoons from Blogging for Books.  He is absolutely going to love it!  The step-by-step instructions and tips are perfect for kids of any age, and the student learns how to draw every part of the cartoon from their expressions to their outfits.  There is even space on many of the pages to draw right in the book.  Mike's cousin is 12, and I know this will be the perfect gift for him, as he likes to follow instructions, but also has quite the imagination and can take the tips from the book and run with them.  I can't wait for him to open it on Christmas morning!

Wishing - The only person I haven't finished shopping for yet is Mike (we do our gifts at home before traveling for Christmas), and I've been thinking about gifts for him as well as creating my own wish list.  Here are the links to my lists from last year and 2013.  What's on your wish list this holiday season?