High Five for Friday: 12.2.16

1. Tom's parents came into town a week ago Tuesday and stayed for the Pentatonix concert, Thanksgiving, and a couple extra days of fun, food, and football. Tom and I especially appreciated their willingness to hold down the fort on Wednesday so we could work; we spent almost seven hours at Tom's office writing blog posts, editing photos, reconciling fundraising order forms, writing quizzes and exams, and recording lectures so we could actually enjoy a couple of days off!

2. A football rivalry exists between Iowa and Nebraska on Tom's mom's side of the family. They even have a trophy - the Corn Cup - that goes back and forth between Tom's parents and Tom's uncle's family, depending on which team earns the "W". The 2016 Iowa vs. Nebraska showdown took place last Friday, and when our Hawkeyes won the game, Tom and I celebrated by simulating a gatorade dousing...using a candy corn-filled Corn Cup. Go Hawkeyes!

3. Do you venture out on Black Friday and/or Small Business Saturday? On Friday morning Hallie, my MIL and I popped into TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby, and then Tom and I made a stop at Academy around lunchtime. (TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby weren't any busier than a normal weekday, but Academy was awful - we found what we needed and escaped that nightmare as quickly as possible.) In general I dislike Black Friday; Small Business Saturday, on the other hand, is one of my favorite shopping days of the year. I only had time to visit one of my favorite local establishments - a friend's dance shop - but I picked up new ballet slippers and tights for Hallie!

4. Are you a Gilmore Girls fan? If so, you probably spent at least part of your week watching the newly-released Netflix revival. I watched "Winter" on Friday night, "Spring" on Saturday night, and both "Summer" and "Winter" on Sunday night into Monday morning. I won't write much about the series here, lest I accidentally spoil the ending for fans who haven't yet had a chance to watch, but I will say that I truly enjoyed returning to Stars Hollow 10 years after my last visit.

5. I have officially packed away all of our Thanksgiving decorations and put out all of our Christmas decorations! The tree is up, lit, and decorated; the (brand spankin' new) stockings are hung by chimney with care; and my wooden Christmas tree collection - which includes a couple of new additions this year - is displayed proudly. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

6. A bonus high five... So many of you reached out to Will and me after hearing about his broken wrist, and for that I'm tremendously grateful. Thank you for lifting our spirits!

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here: