Five on Friday

It’s here, sweet glorious weekend!

This week flew by for me, anyone else? I don’t know if it’s that Christmas is right around the corner or that we’ve had a crazy busy week, but I’m not complaining one bit. A crazy Christmas theme party is calling my name tonight and Dane and I are taking the anything-but-clothes approach. Don’t worry – I’ll definitely be posting on social media! Be sure to follow my Instagram stories here.

1. Yesterday, Bill & Judy escaped from our fenced yard and were missing for 15 minutes before I was able to track them down. I have to say, it was the longest 15 minutes of my life. I was frantically calling their names, shaking a treat box and running up and down our street (in glittery gold slippers and matching pajamas) trying to figure out where they had gone. They have never escaped before, so all that was running through my mind was that they had gotten hit by a car, picked up by a stranger or worse. Thankfully, my sweet neighbor spotted them five yards down and we corralled them safely back home. Here, they had managed to jump our retaining wall (over 5 feet), climb across it tight rope style to the neighbor’s house, walk down their steps and shimmy out their gate. It was chaotic, but you better believe there is a construction crew at my house RIGHT NOW locking shit down. There will not be any more Houdini antics at the Hanson house!

2. I think part of the reason my week flew by so quickly was that I had training for a new job I’ll be starting in January. My work has always trended more toward the freelance/creative side of things and don’t get me wrong – I love that. But I constantly felt like I needed to do more. Be more. Do something meaningful. Does that sound weird? I don’t know, maybe I’m an anomaly. Regardless, when I had some off time this summer, I went back to school and began getting my certification for teaching. Wait, WHAT? I know – crazy talk. The truth is – I’ve always been interested in helping teach others why or how. In a former life, it was speech writing and speech delivery. After that, it was media training. And then it was social media consulting. So, I guess you could say that I’ve been teaching for awhile in some capacity, but this new role is just a little bit different.

I’m so excited to say I’ll be teaching military men and women who want to better themselves in a partnership the U.S. Army has with the Hawaii DOE. These men and women are either seeking to advance in their military career or transition into a civilian job and I couldn’t be more excited to be helping them with the classes they need. I’ll admit – I’m a little bit nervous! But I know that once I get into the swing of things and get into a routine it’s going to be so fulfilling. I really can’t wait!

3. A friend of mine sent me this articleto me on Tuesday and I couldn’t stop laughing. The 2016 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog is for anyone who seems to be lost in a sea of tartan this holiday season and is, quite frankly, fed up with holiday hoopla.

4. For any dog parents out there, don’t forget to enter this giveaway for an amazing pack of SmartBones Chews for your four-legged friend and a $25 VISA gift card for YOU! There aren’t too many entries, so your chances are WAY HIGH! Judy & Bill are picking a winner on Sunday, so stay tuned 🙂

5. Is it me or did this holiday season come at us like a wrecking ball? I can’t believe we are in single digits until Christmas. I have to be honest – I didn’t go crazy this year like I normally do with anticipation. I did my shopping, put up our tree and sent out our cards, but it more-or-less felt like just going through the motions. I’m going to chalk it up to buying a house, packing, moving and just general upheaval. I’m already looking forward to the fresh slate of 2017.

What are your big plans for the weekend? Tell me everything!Linking up for 5 On Friday