High Five For Friday - Link Up, Vol. 2

It's Friday y'all!! :) And today I'm linking up again with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk for High Five for Friday (H54F) - thanks for hosting Lauren!

So here are FIVE of my favorite things from this week...

ONE. Alright, so I have a really hard time waking up in the morning...you might be thinking, well who doesn't?! I mean, once I'm up, I'm up, but I really want to be the type of person that wakes up and isn't rushing around to get ready...I want to take my time, make some coffee/tea, read some news headlines, maybe run on the treadmill, and just enjoy my morning (as opposed to waking up at the last possible minute just so I can get 5 extra minutes of sleep). But this is so difficult when I wake up and it's still dark outside and I wake up to an annoying alarm. SO, enter the Phillips Wake-up Light: 

It's an alarm clock that wakes you in a natural way with light that increase gradually (the light begins turning on 30 minutes before your alarm goes off). So the idea is that it simulates the sun rising! And you can either wake up to (1) radio, or (2) natural sounds - birds chirping, wind chimes. Okay, it may sound silly, but my coworker swears by it, says it has helped her get up easier in the morning. I value her opinion, so I bought it myself...and although I've only used it a few times, I really like it! It's a favorite purchase this week :)

TWO. I'm a MAC girl, all the way...have been since undergrad. I occasionally buy the random make-up product, but for the most part I stick with MAC. That definitely includes their nail polish, which I've always found to be of high quality. Plus, they have such cool colors...lots of vibrant, dark, funky polish colors, and I probably own about 10 of them. :P

And no different, is my latest purchase, this neon yellow/green beauty. And if it couldn't be anymore cool, it's named "Al Fredo"...haha, I just love it! I haven't tried it yet, but will be posting pics as soon as I do. It's definitely one of my favorites this week though!

THREE. Last week, I attended our monthly happy hour at a new place that just opened up here in Charlotte, called World of Beer. Sounds great, right?! It was...lots of beer to choose from, the only thing that I didn't like was that they don't serve food. No food at all (something about sales and a %age of their sales, etc.)...I don't know about you, but when I'm drinking beer, I need something to munch on. But anyway, I tried a few samples, but ended up ordering a Sweetwater Blue (a light-bodied ale with a hint of blueberries). Not only was it delicious, but the server brought it to me and it had actual blueberries in it!! It was AMAZING, and I highly recommend (1) this beer, and (2) adding blueberries to it as you drink it - it will blow your mind! :) 

FOUR. My birthday was a few weeks ago and my AWESOME sister sent me this rockin' maxi dress from Target. Isn't the color-blocking combo great?! And she sent me earrings to match...not just 1 pair, but 3 pairs...each pair matches a different color of the dress. Isn't that a great idea?!

I love you Megan, you are the best! :)

FIVE. I'm sure most of you have heard of the movie that came out not too long ago, The Vow (with Channing Tatum & Rachel McAdams)...a love story about a married couple who get in a car accident. The wife loses parts of her memory, basically everything having to do with her husband (so she doesn't remember him at all, let alone being married to him). The movie follows her recovery and shows the husband's determination in trying to get her to remember what they had, in hopes of continuing their marriage. Oh, and it's a true story.

Anyway, I'm reading the book about the actual couple's story...and it's SO moving. Like most stories, the movies aren't quite as good as the books or the true tales, but this one is completely different. It's a great story though, and just such an inspiring tale of resilience, determination, faith and love. I highly suggest you read it if you get a chance!

Alright well, see you all next Friday for another High Five for Friday with Lauren! Feel free to link-up with her too and feature five of your favorite things from this past week!