Happy Friday my dear readers! How was your week? Mine went by slowly, mostly because I was counting the minutes until my best friend Shannon arrived in town. This weekend, we’re celebrating a huge occasion for her — the big 3-0! Friends-lover that she is, I thought the photos above were the perfect way to kick off her birthday celebration tonight. Tell me — what did you do to toast a birthday milestone like this? Would love to hear your stories! Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

We are so good together. 

Italian living.

Go red! 

Cutie pie. 

Treat yo’self! 

Friday thoughts.

What birds do.  

Dinner in Paris.

More maps!

Your inner parrot.

I can’t stop thinking about Joanna’s puppy post from last week! Especially the energy of the dog in the photo at the top. It makes me wish I had a puppy of my own to play with year-round. I’m partial to golden retrievers myself after growing up with Leroy, our family dog and one of the coolest pups on the block. What about you — are you a dog lover? Is your puppy as cute as the dogs in the pics above?

More puppies here, here, here and here. 

(Images via Wit + Delight)

On Sunday, Shalah, Christian, Matt and I checked out A Hard Cider Revival, the kick-off event to Cider Week in New York. I don’t know about you, but when these crisp, October days arrive, I’m instantly reminded of why I love fall in New York. We sipped, we sampled, we savored the taste of different ciders from places located up and down the east coast. My favorite was the Sweet Stayman from Foggy Ridge in Virginia. So light and refreshing!

What do you love most about fall? Is there a fall tradition that you make sure never to miss?

For a complete list of Cider Week events, click here.

(Image 1, 2 via Sara Forrest Photography) 

How organized is your closet? It’s finally time to switch mine over from summer to fall, but this season, it’s about more than that. I need a new system for uncovering the outfits I want to wear. The wardrobe above is my inspiration — a minimalist approach in a New York-sized apartment seems the smartest way to go. Any advice before I take this project on over the weekend? Tell me — what do you do to continuously keep your closet in tip top shape?

(Image 1, 2 via Swissmiss)