High Five for Friday | 08/08

1. I visited Montreal and Quebec City with the family for almost a full week! This included forcing my brother to take embarrassing pictures with me at many international landmarks.

2. I finally met (in person) my longtime Canadian pen pal! We "met" when we were about 16-17 commenting on LiveJournal message boards, and we've been writing letters and sending care packages ever since. It was so great to finally meet Shannon and get to spend some time with an old/new friend!

3. I tried on these super cute bracelets I received in the mail from Black Tied (a UK jewelry company) - these are quickly becoming some of my favorite everyday accessories! Also, I have a little something special for all of you coming up courtesy of Black Tied - so be on the lookout next week!

4. I went. To see. Beyonce. Ok, and Jay-Z was there, and he was awesome too. The whole show was structured like a movie (with clips from their tour trailer interspersed between the acts) and there was a costume change approximately every song (including for Mr. Carter himself.) What a night!

5. Book club took place this week in Rockridge at an adorable Italian place Evan selected. While the book (All the King's Men) wasn't my absolute favorite, it was well-written, and I'm chalking it up to one of those "book club is supposed to broaden your tastes" things. We're reading Outlander next, and I couldn't be more excited!

So, that's an abbreviated version of what I've been up to. How about you?