[The two of us, pumped to be hanging out together last weekend. Follow along on Instagram @megan_flynn.]

This week was wonderful because on Wednesday I turned in the signed and approved copies of my thesis, thereby completing my master's program! And then yesterday I finished my first big assignment at work, and some really exciting things are going to come of that.

I also haven't mentioned yet that this weekend is sort of my birthday weekend, as I'll be turning 24 on Tuesday. So many things to celebrate! I'm starting by driving to Tysons Corner once again, spending time with Rob, having a nice dinner with my cousin and some friends on Saturday, and then Rob and I will head back to Roanoke together (!) to finish out Labor Day weekend.

Here are some of my favorite things from around the web this week:

I can't wait to read Blue Like Jazz. It's next on my list after Les Miserables.

This person's Elmo impression is just too good.

Love him or hate him, President Obama on Reddit was cool.

And while we're on Reddit, I loved the first comment by "CalicoFox" on why bacon isn't bad for your cholesterol.

Rob's mother just launched her new photography website and it looks awesome! She is so talented and her work is great.

How perfect are these gold triangle earrings?

Don't forget to enter this giveaway with Joelle if you're in the market for a new blog design!

And last but not least, my friend Jackie recently opened an online stationary shop and it is cu-ute! She actually sent me a letter on one of her cards this week and it is so beautiful.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

I can curl my hair in about three minutes flat. It's become an almost-daily task in the morning, and I'm really fast. But, if I'm going out and have a little more time to get ready, I like to curl slowly and pin everything up while I get ready. I find that pin curls are bouncier and hold a lot better than a simple, hasty turn of the curling iron. Here's how to get the look!

  

1. Separate hair into sections and curl the first one under. Roll curling iron up as far as possible.

2. When the hair is hot to the touch, release it and carefully (it'll be quite warm!) roll the curl up with your fingers.

3. Pin the curl against your head. I think you could use bobby pins, but my hair is super thick and heavy, so I use those metal hair pins pictured above.

4. Repeat steps 1-4 all the way around your head!

5. Once everything is pinned up, give the whole thing a spritz (I use Redken Wool Shake).

6. Hang out around your house feeling glamorous until it's time to leave! (If I weren't taking photos for the world to see, I'd usually wait until this moment to do my makeup and put some clothes on.)

7. Take out the pins, shake your head around, and give the ends one final spray. Go forth and be fancy!

For about the past week, I've been feeling a little off. I powered through it so I could go to work and see my friends and keep plans and then visit Rob on Friday, but I think it finally caught up to me. And then I lost my voice a little? Driving back on Sunday included chills and a fever and the worst migraine I've had in months. So today I'm home, finally taking a rest and drinking some tea. Here's to being up and at 'em again in the morning.

How was your weekend? Happy Monday!