I’m so excited to be writing this post. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and am finally getting started on it! Friday favorites! I have so many things that I love throughout the days/weeks that go unshared. Usually it’s just a thought to myself or maybe it’s a quick statement to Stephen, “I love this new laundry detergent!” Okay, okay that is a really lame example but I am sitting right next to the puppy’s bed that smells oh so good. Anyway, you get the picture. I’m going to be sharing all of the things I’m loving lately. Recipes, WODS, products, verses, etc. Let’s get to it!

• Friday Night Pizza Night

It’s FRIDAY! I love this day because not only does it usually mean that Stephen gets home earlier from work but it also means pizza night! We started this tradition last year and so far, it is my favorite tradition we have as a family. We don’t have a specific place that we go to or recipe that we try; it’s pretty much always something different. Homemade pizza dough, some Betty Crocker dough that you just add water to, a frozen pizza, delivery, take out, you name it. I think if we had to vote, however, making it from scratch would be deemed our favorite. It is always so delicious and fresh (it looks like dirt in the picture but trust me… It’s so good!)!

• Dry Bar 3-in-1 Triple Sec and Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder

The Phoenix climate is making my hair say, “What the heck is going on Jordan…” There are times when we have monsoons here and there which increases the humidity in the area so my hair is like, “YES YES! All the moisture! Time to be a lions mane..” and then there are weeks that are bone dry. Of course, those are more popular than the former. After all, we are in the desert! Anyway, when there is absolutely no humidity in the air, my very wavy hair goes from being very voluminous and frizzy to just sitting on my head looking like a worn out mop. I was fed up with it so I decided to look into products that could give me some volume (something I’ve never ever had to do before). I researched for products that would help and decided to try out the 3-in-1 Triple Sec as well as the BSH Volumizing & Texturizing Powder. They are a little different in how they are applied. One is a spray while the other is a powder. The Triple Sec also functions as a dry shampoo which we can all raise our hands in the air and praise for just a second… I honestly can’t pick a favorite though. I usually will use the texturizing powder after I dry and style my hair (either curly or straight it doesn’t matter). I put it along multiple parts in my hair just to give me more volume up top. Then the next day or later in the day, say if we decide to go out to dinner or something, I’ll spray my hair with the 3-in-1 just to give it some extra umph. It also smells fan-flipping-tastic so that’s a huge plus! The 0.53 oz bottle of BSH and the travel size of the 3-in-1 are perfect to carry in your purse in case you need a little extra volume throughout the day.

• “I’m thankful for…”

This is another tradition Stephen and I started that I love. We do this every single night before we fall asleep. We say to each other, “I’m thankful for…” and list at least three things to finish off the phrase. When we started doing this we only would list three. However, after doing it for months now it has evolved into much longer lists. Even if the day absolutely SUCKED (for lack of a better term) there are always so many things to mention. It keeps gratitude at the forefront and is a reminder before going to sleep that we are so incredibly blessed.

• The Office

On most nights we’ve started watching an episode of The Office together before we go to bed. Some might say that it’s a bad habit but we don’t see each other for very many hours during the day so it’s nice to sit down, unwind together, and just laugh like there’s no tomorrow. Because of that, it’s currently one of my favorites.

• USAA

It didn’t happen this week but it did happen last week and it’s still so fresh in my brain that this one definitely needed to be added to the favorites. USAA is a God send, you all. Last week, I was driving to the airport to pickup my good friend Erin and luckily had my other friend, Aubrey, in the car with me. Anyway, we were driving on a very busy highway at 4:15 PM and there was a gray/black looking thing in the road. I had the split second thought in my head, “Is that a bird?” “Can I move fast enough so I don’t have to run over it?” Needless to say, I was in the middle lane and surrounded by cars so there was no option other than to hope it was a bird and just run over it. Come to find out, it wasn’t a bird. It wasn’t a bird at all. It was a giant hook from a crane that was involved in the construction surrounding the highway. I hit the hook and immediately knew we couldn’t have hit that thing without something happening. Which it did… I had busted my front right tire completely. I managed to get us to the side of the road safely before another 8+ cars hit the same object and had to do the same. I called USAA and within 20 minutes there was someone there to replace my tire. Come to find out, my spare that had just been fixed was no longer usable so we had to get the car towed. It all worked out though because I ended up also having a busted back tire so it would’ve had to have been towed anyway. USAA made arrangements for a tow truck to get my car off the side of the highway even after I had left (there were so many people to tow it took 2+ hours just to get to my car so they told me to leave it) and bring it to Costco to get my tires replaced. They were SO EASY to work with and so kind during the not-so-pleasant situation we were in. Oh, and did I mention we had the puppy with us? Once she realized we were going to be there for a while the precious lil’ thing fell asleep. The whole situation was anything but ideal but I kept saying over and over again, it could’ve been so so much worse. I was thanking God that out of that many people affected by the stupid hook in the road, no one was hurt and thankfully, it was too heavy to come up and hit anyone’s windshield. Always count your blessings, friends. Thank you again, USAA!

• Homemade Almond Milk

I make this recipe every week because we use it daily and love it so much. I like both of them that I included but I think if I had to choose I’d take the sweetened over the unsweetened. I’m definitely a vanilla lover!

• Bloggers

Brighton Keller – Brighton’s blog is so inspiring to me. She’s not the type to post an outfit every other day with a few words and tons of pictures just because it’s cute. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy blogs like that from time to time and I think they’re great but I really love that she shares content much deeper than that. She does such a good job styling her posts and blog while providing great content to go along with it. It’s such a pleasure for me to read!

Mallory Ervin – If you need a ray of sunshine in your life, follow Mallory (especially on Instagram because her stories have me laughing on the daily). I found her months ago and I’m so glad I did! She radiates joy and positivity like no other. She’s definitely the type of person I’d want to have as my friend. Weird? I don’t care. Also, her accent is precious!

• Hebrews 12:1-2

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Question of the week: Does your family have any daily or weekly traditions? If so, what are they?

I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend!

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