Friday Favorites

TGIF everyone! I have the day off from work, so I plan to run a bunch of errands and maybe even start wrapping Christmas presents. Wouldn’t that be productive?! But before I can start all of that, I need to share with you my Friday Favorites.

Before I get into it, if this is your first time here… hello! Friday Favorites is a series I’ve been doing on my blog for years now. The photos are usually taken on my iPhone and are super casual {all of my other posts have better quality images, I promise!}. Enjoy!

Wrabel

If you follow me on Twitter, you know how much I LOVE this singer, Stephen Wrabel {his stage name is just Wrabel}. I tweet about him at least a few times a week. You may have heard his song “Ten Feet Tall” with Afrojack. It was a huge hit a few years ago, and I think was played during the Super Bowl.

Back in October, Bryan and I saw him in concert when he opened for Gavin DeGraw and Andy Grammer. He was absolutely amazing! When I got home from that show, I downloaded all of his songs and started following him on every social media platform. Not only is his voice basically perfection, but after watching a bunch of his interviews on Youtube, I realized how genuine and kind he is. 

Fast forward a couple weeks. I found out he was performing another local show – this time at World Cafe Live in Wilmington, Delaware. I immediately bought tickets and this past Wednesday was the show. OMG you guys. It was the absolute greatest venue ever. If you’ve never been there, it’s basically a SUPER small room with maybe a couple dozen tables, a bar and a stage. That’s it. We were seated right next to the stage. I could touch the stage with my foot if I wanted to.

But anyway, it was the best concert that I’ve ever been to. Stephen’s voice is mesmerizing and so pure. He writes all of his own music and each line is straight from his heart. For example, his song “11 Blocks” is about how his ex {who dumped him on Skype} moved 11 blocks away from him, right when he was starting to get over the breakup. My favorite song is “Hurts like Hell.” Listen to both. They are amazing. He is amazing. He’s basically the bomb (dot) com. His album is coming early 2017, and I know I’ll be purchasing it the DAY it drops.  

Ok I need to stop fan-girling. But one more thing. Before the concert, Bryan got up to go to the bathroom. I looked over towards the bathroom and saw Stephen just sitting by himself! I was SO nervous to say hello. My anxiety was going nuts, but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t go over to him. We chatted briefly about his tour and what he has planned for the next few months. He was really friendly and was grateful that I was there. Ahhhh. Best night ever. 

Koziar’s Christmas Village 

Last weekend, our friend Jonathan came to visit. We were at lunch brainstorming different things to do when Bryan brought up Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bernville, PA. Bryan and I went a few years ago, and it’s one of the most holiday-ish things you can do if you live in the tri-state area. The place looks like Christmas vomited all over it. It’s been named the Best Outdoor Christmas Display in the World, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Although it was my second time at Christmas Village, I still had a great time. You basically just walk around the whole place and look at their light displays and artwork.

The traffic to get there though was INSANE. A trip that would typically take 1.5 hours ended up being closer to 4. If you’re thinking about visiting, I highly recommend going during the work week. I would never go back during the weekend. It’s just not worth the hassle. 

Madewell Elinor Loafer

My in-laws gave me my birthday present early, and I’m so glad they did. It was the Madewell Elinor Loafer. It takes me a long time to find shoes that I like. So when I saw them on the Madewell website, I fell in love. They are super versatile and can be worn with pretty much anything. So far, I’ve work them with dress pants for work, but I know that they are going to look great with skinny jeans too.

I posted them on my Instagram and a lot of people asked if they were comfortable. Yes they are! I understand when people say that fashion hurts, but if I’m wearing shoes for 9+ hours a day at work, they better be DAMN comfortable. I can’t recommend them enough. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the Gucci loafer, these are your shoes. 

Our Christmas Tree & Ornaments

After many years of buying a real Christmas tree, Bryan and I decided to get a fake one. My heart breaks a bit that it doesn’t have a nice smell, but that’s what balsam candles are for! Plus, I don’t have to pick up pine needles {aka “ho-ho leaves” if you’re Bryan}. So yes, our Christmas tree is definitely one of my favorites this week. We bought it from Target during their 50% off Christmas sale, and I’m BEYOND happy that we did. It’s a 7.5 foot pre-lit Douglas fir. It’s the perfect size for our apartment. I make Bryan light it when he gets home from work, so our apartment is all festive and calm when I get home. LOL. It’s the little things, right?!

We got our ornaments from Target as well {I swear, this isn’t sponsored!}. I wanted a mixed-metal tree this year, and lucky for me… a lot of our ball ornaments broke last year so we were in the market for new ones anyway. Aside from those ornaments, we have a lot of unique ones too. Every time we travel, I make it a priority to bring back an ornament. I love the feeling I get when I unpack them each year to place on the tree. I call it our travel tree! 

// Alright my friends. That’s all for today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!