Happy Friday! 

[I usually try to post a picture from like, yesterday but this one is from like, January 10th. 
Whatever, you guys! It was a good hair/dress day.]

Some weekend reading for you:

This killed me. I love it when The Onion just tells the truth.

Kari at All My Good Intentions is such a sweetheart. She leaves me the nicest comments and I just think she's wonderful. Stop by her blog and say hi this weekend.

I love this Ode to Girls. That show is fabulous. Lena Dunham is so talented.

I posted this essay I wrote in 2009 before anyone really read my blog. Going back and re-reading it makes my heart ache for college. I think I need to visit my brother at school soon! Also, I still can't sing.

How Forks Gave Us Overbites and Pots Saved the Toothless. This blew my mind. Also I feel silly for never having read The Atlantic before this article.

Don't forget to enter to win a custom date book from Datevitation!

My old friend and college roommate Raquel sent me a link to this essay. What do you think--is The Great Gatsby's Nick Carraway gay?

--

We're supposed to get snow again on Friday, and I need to be in Northern Virginia this weekend, so last night I drove up and am working from Arlington today! What are you up to this weekend?

While I'm not exactly a "cat person," I do pretty much love all warm and fuzzy animals. Rob's sister-in-law has a cat named Naomi who just absolutely stole my heart while we were visiting over Christmas. Used to the Arizona heat, she would paw at the chest of anyone who was wearing a sweater; especially Rob. She would climb into his zip-front hoodie and fall asleep on his chest. I've never met a more cuddle-friendly cat.

She actually used to be a show cat but the next person who wound up with her thought she was ugly, so Beth got her for free. They've been together for years.

I took these photos of her as she lounged in her sunny little cat tower one afternoon, and I've just sort of been saving them for a rainy (or perhaps snowy) day. Her coloring is just gorgeous and I got a fabulous shot of her looking crazy in the middle of a yawn. Hope you enjoy. I miss you, Naomi Cat!

I'm so excited to be working with Datevitation, an online store that allows you to create custom coupon books full of fun date ideas for people you love. There are a number of reasons I'm loving Datevitation: the gender-neutral/custom images that allow you to make a coupon book for a friend or for your partner if you're in a same-sex relationship; the $10 off you'll get when you use the code ITALIAN; the amazing range and variety of date ideas in their library; and the fact that they let me make a book of my own and that now I have a sweet little gift to give to Rob on Valentine's Day.

A springtime segway tour of Rob's new city, Thai food delivery and a movie at home (a Friday night favorite), a musical (we've seen Wicked about six times collectively--it's probably time to branch out), the promise to at least try to play some of his favorite video games one night, and plans to come up with a new tradition. What will you put in yours?

Want to give them a try? Enter below to win your own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway