Happy Friday gang! Who is ready to pop some bubbly and enjoy the weekend?

By the time you read this, my out of office message will be posted and I will officially be in vacation mode. How do you kick off vacation? I’m starting things right with a much needed manicure + pedicure, a glass of wine with a friend and then dinner at Empellon Cocina.

The next two weeks are a mix of time down in Savannah with our families, followed by a week-long staycation in Brooklyn. I have a long list of books I hope to read over the break, including this one for January’s book club meeting. This is actually my first official book club so we’ll see how it goes.

So, as you count down the minutes until the weekend begins, let’s dive into this week’s (or maybe I should say month) edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

The United States and Cuba finally reached a commercial flight agreement. Maybe this means I can cross Cuba off my travel list sooner than I thought! I see history and mojitos in my future!

My black boots died a sad, death last week when I found out their zipper and the insignia were beyond repair. I’m so accustomed to wearing black boots with everything during winter months that I could barely go a week before replacing them. A Bloomingdale’s gift card made it possible to finally invest in the boots I’ve long been lusting over. After walking 40 blocks in them today, I can attest to the fact that they are not only SUPER flattering and fashionable but also comfortable!

Every year, my mom and I spend the first day that I’m home for the holidays decorating the house, baking cookies and blasting Christmas music. It is a tradition that I hope will never end. To keep things fresh, we typically add one or two new cookies into the mix of three annual favorites. Since I love Snickerdoodles and my dad loves chai tea lattes, I think this one is a no-brainer. These Chewy Chai Snickerdoodles use all the right words as chewy is the only way I like my cookies!

I went in for a quick bang trim earlier this week and walked out with a lighter, healthier, albeight shorter hairstyle than I wanted. It turns out that while long hair is gorgeous and flattering, about two of my inches were a dry and dead. Since I love picking my stylist’s brain while she’s snipping, we chatted shampoo and conditioners. It turns out that the shampoo and conditioning pair I’ve been using has way too much heavy product in it, adding unnecessary weight and buildup to my hair. While some people can use this type of product without issue, since I wash my hair daily, the result was pretty ugly. This gave me the excuse I needed to return to one of my favorite shampoos – Bumble and Bumble Gentle. Light enough to use daily but rich enough to leave my hair soft and smooth, this shampoo also smells heavenly!

Yes, I’ll admit, I was one of those people who waited for an hour yesterday, attempting to buy Adele tickets on Ticketmaster. While it’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back, I still love Adele and her music. I fell in love with her just a bit more today while reading this article about her recent weight loss. “Her regimen? “I mainly moan,” she says. Small cackle. “I’m not, like, skipping to the fucking gym. I don’t enjoy it.”  Can we give her an award for honesty and candor?

Traveling for the holidays? Stock up on these snacks before you deal with the crowds and lines at the airport. Who really wants to throw elbows for an overpriced, day-old wrap anyway?

I love that our favorite NYC workout, Fhitting Room, sent this holiday email to their clients!  A fun way to keep clients motivated through the holidays and how tough do these workout sound when you do multiple rounds?