five friday favorites #9: week of dec. 5, 2014

"Beware of December 5th!"

If you know what book that quote comes from, I will be forever grateful! Back when I was in junior high or early high school, I spent the night with my cousin, and we read this story that was in an old volume of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. The story had something to do with a woman who escaped from an abusive relationship and met a seemingly wonderful man who turned out to be evil. Or something. I think there was a toy train involved somehow. But I am positive that she received a note that said, "Beware of December 5th." I've been trying to figure out the name of the book for years to no avail.

Anyway, it's December 5th, and this is my 9th Friday Favorites! It's been an interesting week here in Husker Nation ...

1. The Hiring of Mike Riley
On Sunday, Nebraska Football Coach Bo Pelini was fired. I wasn't one of the many Bo haters in the state, and I thought the firing of a coach who won at least nine games in every season as head coach was a bit ludicrous.

Yesterday morning, I was in a meeting when someone got a text. "Nebraska hired Mike Riley," he said. So, we all immediately whipped out our smart phones to find out who on earth Mike Riley is. (In Nebraska, football news is worthy of interrupting a meeting.)

At first, I thought hiring him was crazy. The man has a worse record than Pelini, and Pelini's inability to take the team to the next level was cited as a reason for his firing. Then I started reading articles about Riley. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, he laughs with refs, and he did a decent job at a school that doesn't have nearly the level of football resources that Nebraska does.

I'm feeling optimistic.

2. Nashville
About two years ago, my friend Joanna started talking about this show called Nashville. I didn't know anything about it except that it starred Mrs. Taylor and the cheerleader and it was all about country music--and one of the actors was the goofy Chip from Whose Line Is It Anyway.

I started watching Nashville about a week ago--I'm not even sure why--and I absolutely love it! It's still hard for me to wrap my brain around seeing Chip (who now goes by Charles) in a serious role. I mean, this guy?

And he is absolutely my favorite part of Nashville!

3. Shawn & Cory Reunite
Boy Meets World was one of my favorite shows in high school. When I heard about Girl Meets World, I was giddy. Then I actually watched an episode and realized that it was absolutely, most definitely geared toward pre-teen girls, and I basically lost interest ... until I saw this:

I have no idea if the episode will be great or a train wreck, but you can bet I'll be watching! The episode airs tonight at 7 on the Disney Channel.

4. This Cat
Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed it, but trust me, it's worth the click. Go here.

5. A Weekend with No Commitments
This has been an incredibly long week, capped off by an absolutely insane work day today. So my last Friday Favorite for this week is the fact that I'm now home, and I don't have to go anywhere until church on Sunday. I'm going to savor this weekend--speech Saturdays will be here before I know it!

What things are you enjoying this week? Be sure to check out the other favorites in the linkups at A Little Bit of Everything and Housewife Glamour, too!