Five on Friday: Team Teddy!

Happy Friday Everyone! Survived another week...it is just me or do the weeks go by faster and faster these days?

I always love participating in this really fun link up hosted by Natasha, Darci, April & Christina...but today is extra special and extra exciting! 

1. #TeamTeddy!

As you probably know by now, back in November one of my very best friends, Mary Fish, found out her son, Teddy, (who is now 10 months old) was diagnosed with Menkes Syndrome....a VERY rare and fatal disease that receives little to no attention, support and funding from the medical community. You can read all about it here. A bunch of Mary's friends came together to help the Fishes out with....well really anything, and called ourselves Team Teddy....word started spreading quickly, and it was amazing. We have raised almost $20,000 in just a month and a half to help alleviate some of Teddy's medical expenses. We've done a lot of social media work...and even named Tuesdays #TeddyTuesday where we try extra hard once a week to increase Menkes Awareness. Then we had this really simple idea to round up a bunch of people snapping a picture with a #TeamTeddy sign and turn it into a little slideshow for Mary's birthday......but the problem was we didn't think of it until 4 days before her birthday....so we posted something on Facebook and hoped we would get enough pictures to at least cover one song.

Well....we got 200 pictures that weekend. Enough for 2 songs....and since January 28th (Mary's birthday) we have received almost 75 more! I am so grateful and honored that the girls are supporting this effort and helping us get more people on board #TeamTeddy! Here is my official #TeamTeddy picture (with a cameo by my old roommate Emily)

The slideshow was a HUGE hit. Her family loved it, and it was worth every minute of that late night it took to throw it together....and the best part is, the pictures keep rolling in and every single time, Mary & her family gets so excited. 

Every single picture that is posted via this linkup will be posted to the #TeamTeddy Facebook album.....I anticipate it will take us a couple days to get it all done, but if you took the time to take a picture we will make sure to post it!

Thank you all, especially to our lovely hosts, for joining #TeamTeddy and supporting this family that means so much to me. I will never be able to properly convey through some typed words on a blog just how impactful this small gesture is to a family that sometimes barely makes it through the day.

Teddy is such an adorable, cute baby...and when you see pictures of him it is so hard so think that this little guy's time on this earth is so limited...it doesn't seem real. I can go on and on about this, but I simply don't have the room to do so! To connect with the Fishes and stay up to date on Teddy happenings follow along at any or all of these links:

Mary's Blog/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Donation Site

Teddy has been featured on P&P many, many times and I will continue to post updates as needed....but if you have any questions or comments, please always feel free to reach out to me.....I answer every single email I get, even if it takes me a couple days to get around to replying;)

Thank you again--we are all #TeamTeddy! 

2. Valentine's Day Blowout.

I'll admit it....I can be a pretty bitter single person these days. I wish I wasn't, but sometimes you just can't help it. I have so much love all around me, but for whatever reason I can't seem to make romantic relationships work, and it really takes a toll on my overall self-confidence....I hate to say that, but it's the truth, and I am not one for covering things up. I decided that on Valentine's Hug Your Single Girlfriend Day that I could treat myself to a blowout at DryBar. Please don't bother me at 7:30 PM...I'll be busy getting mah hair did;)



3. BaubleBar Georgetown Cupcake Collection

Any BaubleBar fans out there? I love BB...great prices, quick shipping and super cute items. If you haven't yet, you need to check out the Bauble Bar Georgetown Cupcake collection. There are some SUPER cute pieces right now!


via

I've got my eye on:

Pink/White/Silver Floral

4. Starbucks BOGO

Don't forget today, all lattes are Buy One, Get One. If I am at work, I will be treating my friend Jenna to a VDay latte...but if we are still snowed out, I am going to walk to the closest Starbucks and give my free one to a stranger....hopefully a mom with some rowdy kids or something ;)



5. Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

Not going to lie...my cooking is pretty terrible. I don't like it, I am not good at it, and I am not motivated to get better at it....but Baking is a whole other story. I am pretty dang good at baking...and I can make a MEAN chocolate chip cookie. I always use this recipe. It's really easy, low maintenance (esp if you have a mixer) and I swear every time I make them they come out better.

I took my mixer on her maiden voyage and made a batch while snowed in last night....and they turned out OH SO GOOD!

Funny thing...I am pretty Anti-Love/Valentines Day/etc...but this post is pretty much all things I love...Teddy, DryBar, pretty jewels, Starbucks and cookies!
Coincidence?

I really hope you all have a fantastic weekend (and stay warm!)
Thank you all for joining #TeamTeddy....I can't wait to pour myself a strong drink and upload all these pictures.

And one last time. thank you so much to Natasha, Darci, April & Christina for not only hosting this Link-Up every week, but using it to recruit more people to join #TeamTeddy.

I owe you gals!