We made it to the first REAL Friday of 2016 (January 1st, as you were spent on the couch, you don’t count). While the weather may have reverted back to its ugly face, this week was filled with warm, sunny surprises. In the figurative sense at least.

On holiday lights

Fun fact: The Twelve Days of Christmas begins on Christmas day, meaning I insisted we soak up the holiday through Wednesday. January 6th, known as Three Kings Day or The Epiphany, celebrates the day the three wise men reached Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The meaning behind this part of the season is something I fall more in love with every year and gives us an equally opportunistic chance to listen to N’Sync and pause to consider the joy that comes with the kings’ journey.

Tuesday night we made it out to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for the holiday light exhibit and it did not disappoint. Bonus points: it wasn’t crowded, it was actually cold enough for s’mores and the Christmas music was still blaring. My holiday heart can rest happy until Advent 2016.

On baby bulldogs

This week I had two opportunities to get back in touch with my UGA roots. First, I enrolled in Grady’s student mentorship program late last fall and met with my mentee for the first time this week. If only she could take me to class on Monday, it would have been perfect. Next up, UGA’s Give a Dog a Bone campaign kicked off this week, with my stack of cards and envelopes arriving Thursday. The campaign asks alumni to write cards of congratulations to incoming freshman (class of 2020) and is still seeking volunteers if you’re interested. It’s also a fun excuse for me to practice envelope calligraphy.

On sparkly things

I put my new Peal Ex Powdered Pigments from Paper Ink and Arts to work this week after receiving a set from P for Christmas. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write in plain, black sumi ink again. So far, the rose gold is just to-die for. Since the inks are powder based, I can mix as much as desired for each sitting. I can’t wait to experiment with mixing a little into some of my other colored inks as well.

If you’re new to Friday Favorites, this is a series where I catalogue random happenings from Monday to Friday that bring joy to what can feel like the boring part of the week. Weekends shouldn’t get all of the life credit you guys. You can catch other posts from the series here.