Happy weekend you guys, we made it! It's been a really long time since I shared links with you on a Friday, but as usual I've been saving some to post. Hope you enjoy!

To Read:

• An interesting cultural piece that I embarrassingly enough related to a lot: Tell-Tale Signs of the Modern-Day Yuppie.
• Trauma Workers Find Solace In A Pause That Honors Life After a Death. Sometimes the smallest moments can mean so much. Several of my good friends have gone through UVA for their medical education and I'm so proud of all of them.
• Speaking of friends I'm proud of (and NPR), can we all take a second to listen to this story by my awesome journalist friend Desiré? It was so surreal to listen to her voice on my computer!
• Your Child Should Never Be Forced to Hug Anyone--I was so into this. I'm obviously not a parent and I can't really remember a time that I didn't want to hug a friend or family member, but lately I've been dealing with this really weird situation:
  • Since getting our dog, I've sort of befriended two middle-aged men who work near my apartment. We exchange pleasantries and they pet Ender and over the past few months we've become friendly acquaintances, but now they always want to hug me when they see me and it freaks me out! I usually just give them an awkward one-armed pat on the back, and it reminded me of a scene from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in which Matt Lauer says "I'm always amazed by what women will do because they're afraid of being rude." Anyway, it's all just food for thought and definitely something I will think about when I have kids. We shouldn't ever feel weird about not wanting to hug someone. 

To Watch/See:

• This poster is HIV-positive. What a brilliant and moving campaign.
• I laughed so hard at this video. I'm a big fan of fall but Matt Bellassai makes some compelling arguments.
• What a gorgeous (nude--NSFW) photo of an inspiring and beautiful woman. Life goes on, indeed!
• I think this song is the cutest and I'm obsessed with Pentatonix so obviously I loved everything about this version.

Wish List: 

• This cozy vest.
• A watch with a leather band like this one.
• This hat.
• These sweatpants that I would most likely wear every day.

PS I'm working on a sponsored campaign with Ragu and would love for you to learn more by checking out their landing page here! I appreciate your support as I continue to work with brands.

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After a crazy few weeks, I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home. What fun plans do you have for this long weekend?

Happy Friday, everyone! It's been crazy week over here as I've been trying to get as organized as possible for our trip to California, but I wanted to share some links that I've been holding on to with you before I go!

To Read: 

• What 10 Years Taught Me. Sam has such a wonderful way with words.
• A fascinating piece on what the use of one simple word can do to our credibility, especially in the workplace. Now I catch myself using it all the time and am trying to find better ways to communicate in emails.
• Barbecue is an American Tradition--of Enslaved Africans and Native Americans--an interesting piece about a southern staple.
• Beautiful thoughts on what it means (or doesn't mean) to change your name after you get married.
• My friend Julie of fitBallet wrote an eBook and it's fantastic. It's full of tips and workouts and meal plans, but also some really beautiful words--the first few introductory pages gave me passion eyes. It has been truly amazing to watch a friend take an idea and turn it into something real, something successful, and something that actually helps people. If you'd like a copy, you can take 10% off with the code FRECKLEDITALIAN; or you can enter to win one below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To See/Watch: 

• I just got around to watching Cake and it was totally beautiful.
• Conan interviews some of the cast of Game of Thrones. I love seeing these actors as regular people.
• Emilia Clarke's valley girl accent is too good. (Sorry, I guess I was in a GoT mood!)
• A fun infographic by Gym and Fitness.

Wishlist:

• Always on the hunt for another jumpsuit.
• This looks like the perfect tee.
• Love these glasses so much.

What are you guys up to this weekend? I hope you had a great week!

Photo: Another favorite from V.A. Photography's secret garden at Tuckahoe Plantation this spring.

Happy Friday and hello from Washington, DC! Rob and I got here on Wednesday evening and have been spending some time with my brother-in-law and his sweet girlfriend before we catch up with a few friends who also live in the area!

I'm finishing up edits on our latest episode of Hello, Butter and have a couple of meetings before I step away from the computer for the weekend, and while I'm still here I wanted to share some links with you. Enjoy!

Let's start with this--what a day!

To Watch/See:

• 100 Years of Beauty: An engaged couple ages quickly with the help of hair and makeup, and their reactions are absolutely moving.
• Peter Dinklage singing about Game of Thrones--what more do you need?
• This video made me smile. I feel the exact same way whenever Ender destroys something I love.
• Harry Potter's Matthew Lewis Makes His Clothes Disappear For Attitude Magazine--why not?
• A chef plates junk food like high-end cuisine and the result is really beautiful.

To Read:

• An important read (I'm still so confused about how these people are as popular as they are): Quiverfull of Shit: a Guide to the Duggar's Scary Brand of Christianity
• The Confederate Flag is America's Swastika--why is this even a debate? Let's take that thing down.
• 20 Things You Didn't Know About the Paleo Diet, or, what I got from it: Calm Down, Paleo Police.
• So excited about this book!

Wish List:

• This bathing suit.
• This romper!

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What are you up to this weekend? I hope you have a great one!