Friday Favorites #11

Hello and Happy Friday! I wasn’t sure I was going to get something published tonight, but as I was cooking dinner, my mind kept wandering to all the little things I’ve loved this past week, so here we are — with a new post! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Back-to-back beach weekends

We had so much fun two weekends ago at the beach, we couldn’t help but go back for another trip, this time Wrightsville Beach! We got a later start to the day, so we didn’t get out to the ocean until after 3pm. No problem though — a late start on a verrrry windy day meant we got to watch wind surfers, take a quiet beach walk, and enjoy a surprise sunset over the dunes. We stopped for bubble tea on our way home, which was the icing on the cake. Mogul sure loves his beach trips. I’m sad that doggy beach season is ending soon :’( but alas!

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s STUNNING performance at the Oscars

Do I speak for us all when I say this performance made me shed actual tears??? Or what??? I’ve watched so many times on repeat over the last week and TBH, I find myself rendered speechless every (!!) single (!!) time (!!). Defying Gravity IS that song. Cynthia Erivo sings the part so beautifully!

Harriet the Spy

RIP Michelle Trachtenburg, who I’ll always remember as MY Harriet M. Welsch. Harriet the Spy was my absolute comfort movie as a kid. I can’t tell you how many times that orange VHS tape got played in my parent’s VCR over the years. With Michelle’s passing, I had to take a trip down memory lane. I loved my rewatch experience; it made me feel so so so nostalgic for my childhood. I always wanted to be like Harriet growing up... I remember begging my mom for a composition notebook quite often. Or sneaking around the neighborhood spying on my neighbors haha. Good times!

Kelsea Ballerini’s PATTERNS (DELUXE)

Sometimes a deluxe album feels like a b-side, but in the case of Patterns, I really feel like the 5-track deluxe finishes the album. The songs feel right and necessary, and Hindsight is Happiness is probably the best kind of closing song Kelsea could have released to bookend an important body of work at such a pivotal time in her life and career. I’m a fan!

How Bad Do U Want Me by Lady Gaga

Okay, I’m in on the 1989 vault meets Hits Different vibes this song gives. It’s been all over TikTok today and is already becoming an ear worm. I need to listen to the rest of the new Gaga album, which I’ll try to do over the weekend, but so far, I’m loving what I’m hearing in this era!

Have the best weekend, whatever you do! Sadly, we won’t be 3-peating the beach, so we’ll have to find something else to fill our days off. Our Nissan needs a bath, so maybe we’ll finally read the instructions on how to go through a car wash (yes, it’s a whole thing) and knock it out.

PS — Friday Favorites #10 from last week if you’re interested.

Enjoy!

JBW