It’s Monday!!! Have we ever talked about the fact that I actually love Mondays? Yea, really. We’ve established that I am super Type A, love a To Do List, love goals, all that nerdy stuff. So it should come as no surprise that I love Monday, because it’s a fresh piece of paper every week. New start, new goals, new chances. This week is really busy with a lot of fun things, and we’re gearing up for a vacation, so I’m in an exceptionally good mood right now. But let’s talk about all the things that brought me happiness last week.

1. A BIG Donation. A few weeks ago, I shared that I was doing a collaboration with Pink Dinosaur, where we were raining money for Happy Bottoms. We got the final tally last week, and I got the pleasure of donating $500 to the organization. I am so grateful for everyone that bought, shared, and supported to make this happen. And of course, I’m super grateful for Elle, the owner of Pink Dinosaur for making my dream a reality. We’re already talking about how we can do something together again soon.

2. All The Jewelry. Yes, two weeks in a row, I’m talking about jewelry. But I just love it! So the fact that I got to attend TWO jewelry events this week made me so very happy. First up, the grand opening of the new Nickel & Suede store on the Plaza. N & S is a hometown jewelry hero, and its creator, Kilee Nichols, is an inspiration to women everywhere. Her newest addition is another retail storefront, which opened last week on the Plaza. I got the opportunity to attend a sneak preview, and it was so fun, and so inspiring. As soon as I left the store, I jumped in my car and drove over to Brookside, for a Piercing Party at the Sierra Winter boutique. I love Sierra’s jewelry so much, and I’ve been dying to attend one of these parties for over a year. She used to have them more frequently pre-COVID, but this was her first since the beginning of the year, and I was all in. It was great to see her, to make some new friends, and to finally join the double piercing club!

3. Day Trip. One really great thing about this weird Instagram world has been the friendships that I have made in the process. I am closer to some of these people than I am to people I have known for years. One such friendship is my friend Allison. We connected on Instagram, and we’ve bonded over the past few months over a shared sense of humor and similar views on this thing called life. A few weeks ago, she asked if I would want to do a day trip to Parkville to check out some of the boutiques and stores in the area. And um duh. It took some coordination, but last week, we made it happen. She is also an Orangetheory member, so we started our day with a burn at the Parkville studio. Then it was coffee and exploring Main Street, which was still mostly closed. And we finished with some shopping at Twill, which is a boutique that we both love. It was such a fun day, and it was nice to have the time together.

4. Surprise Date Night. When the team from Houlihan’s reaches out to you and asks if they can provide you an At Home Date Night, the answer is an obvious YES. And that’s just what happened. The restaurant offered a special Date Night menu on Friday and Saturday night, and they offered to provide us one for me to enjoy and share. I picked it up on Friday afternoon, and dinner was provided for several nights, because it was a TON of food. Everything was delicious, and it was such a fun (and needed) surprise.

5. Candy Truck. Yes, you read that correctly. Go Candy Go is a local candy truck that you can book for weddings, birthdays, showers, whatever! We connected on Instagram a few weeks ago, and we were finally able to schedule a time for me to come meet her, and to see the truck. Our whole family went on Sunday afternoon, and we got to explore, learn more about the owner, take some cute pictures, and get some candy! We’re working on some fun things, but candy is always a mood booster for me!

We’ll be on vacation next Monday, so no Happiness Report, but look for a BIG one on the 28th! Can’t wait!

XOXO,

Molly B.