What I’m Into: April 2019

This April edition is supersized, so grab your beverage of choice and settle in!

Wedding Update

We accomplished a lot of wedding stuff this month! We did a walkthrough of the reception space with our wedding coordinator and decided where everything should go. I bought my shoes after a long and stressful search. My mom and I took my dress to be altered. Invitations are printed, addressed, and mailed. I put together a website for RSVPs. I narrowed down options for readings and songs. AND… we had our engagement photos taken by our amazing photographer, Cassie Cardwell! Here are just a few of my favorites (seriously, I could post a hundred):

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My first bridal shower had a Tea and Books theme and was held at a tearoom in an antique store. A friend had a baby shower there a while back, and I really liked the venue. My sister and mom did a fantastic job planning the shower and making sure I felt loved and celebrated. ♥

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Pictures of joy: carrot cake from Muddy’s and a good pet-based vacuum cleaner.

I haven’t moved anything big to Taylor’s house yet, but the wedding presents and most random items that go out my door end up there. When we were first engaged, I mainly felt overwhelmed at the thought of leaving my home, but I feel more and more excited to live with him and start our real life together. :) I plan to start actively looking for a renter for my place next month.

Reading

Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz (4 stars) – The last couple of years have renewed my drive to study history as context for current events. I’m seeing both that there’s nothing new under the sun, and that a lot of what’s presented as The Good Old Only Right Way is actually fairly new and/or has corrupt motivations. (In other words, An Enneagram 6 Studies History.) This book focuses that lens on the institution of marriage and how it’s changed through the centuries. A long but worthwhile read.

Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage by Madeleine L’Engle (reread) (5 stars) – It was time for a reread of this memoir, which is as much about L’Engle’s sophisticated theatre life in midcentury New York as it is about her life with her husband, actor Hugh Franklin. It’s delightful, deep, and heart wrenching.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (reread) (5 stars) – Throughout April, the wonderful Rachel McMillan led a group (re)read of one of my all-time favorite books. It’s one of L.M. Montgomery’s few novels for adults, and I see new things in it every time. The protagonist is Valancy, a submissive, oppressed spinster who shakes free of her shackles after getting a terminal diagnosis. I’ve always related to her, but this time I related to her love story too!

All the Good Parts by Loretta Nyhan (3.5 stars) – Leona is a 39-year-old nursing student living with her sister’s family. When her doctor suggests she go ahead and have a baby on her own, she starts thinking hard about her options and rethinking her whole approach to life. Some aspects of this book were great, but the rude, pushy sister character got on my last nerve.

More than Words by Jill Santopolo (3.5 stars) – Hotel heiress Nina finds herself caught between a lot of rocks and hard places after her father dies. Despite the high society setting, this story felt real and I appreciated the complexity of the characters.

Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God by Lauren F. Winner (4 stars) – I started reading this from the library over a year ago, stopped and bought my own copy, then forgot to pick it back up. As often happens, I think I got more out of it now than I would have then. It’s more of the insightful, academic content you expect from LFW.

Listening

Sara Bareilles, one of my all-time top five, released Amidst the Chaos this month. I got so obsessed with this track, I thought about adding it to the shortlist for our first dance song.

In more faves news, Johnnyswim dropped their new album Moonlight, coinciding perfectly with the Blue Castle group discussion (Moonlight is one of the main character’s nicknames).

Current podcasts: Forever 35, The Cut on Tuesdays (loved this week’s interview with Nicole Cliffe and Daniel Ortberg), and I just added Ask a Clean Person.

Watching

On the elliptical: I finished Shrill; am in for the new season of The Bold Type; watched Beyoncé’s Homecoming (resulting in several new calorie burn records) and Amy Schumer’s Growing. Confession: I’ve been working on Season 1 of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel since before Christmas and can’t get super excited about it. It feels so slow! Maybe it’s just not a good exercise show.

While addressing and stuffing my wedding invitations, I watched 27 Dresses, Mamma Mia, and disc 1 of Friends Season 7 (the season of Monica and Chandler’s wedding).

Travel

My SIL Stefanie was in her hometown of Kansas City this month to star in a local production of Funny Girl! My mom and I came up for a long weekend to see the show. She was AMAZING. We stayed in the Country Club Plaza area, saw Avengers: Endgame Saturday morning (I LOVED it and am ready to go again), did some shopping, went to Union Station, took a trolley tour around the city, and checked out the downtown farmers’ market. Sunday night, Stefanie and I and one of her best friends went to a jazz club she loves. I also got the chance to grab coffee with Marie, one of my last “original” online friends (i.e. about 15 years) whom I had never met in person! It was great. I feel sure we’ll meet again.

Since we drove, Mums planned surprise stops for us in each direction. On the way up, we toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder House. I got to stand at the desk where Laura wrote several of the Little House books, which, b t dubs, she did not start doing until she was SIXTY-FIVE. My mom hoped I would get some writerly inspiration from the visit, and that one fact did it for me!

On the way home, we stopped at the World of Wildlife Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. They have lots of saltwater fish, sharks, a stingray touch tank, otters, alligators, jellyfish, a massive shell exhibit, and much more!

Around Town

Grizzlies season finally came to an end – with the firing of our coach, and the demotion of a GM who should have been fired. Now we wait for the NBA draft to find out how long we’ll have to wait to be in the playoffs again.

Our friend James had a birthday dinner at Bounty, a farm-to-table family-style place I had somehow never been to. It was a good time.

I volunteered with some co-workers at an immigrant legal clinic. As a paralegal, there’s only so much I can do at pro bono activities, but I’m glad to contribute what I can. I hope we go again now that we’re trained and understand how it works.

At Home

As usual, April was all about the yard and plants! With a LOT of help from my parents, Taylor and I made improvements to the back patio and backyard at his house. I hadn’t really planned to plant a vegetable garden this year, but my mom and I cleared an unruly area and found the soil in excellent shape. My dad quickly created a border and I popped some plants right into the ground – two tomatoes for me, two Roma tomatoes so Taylor can make pizza sauce, two bell peppers, jalapeños, and several herbs! I also planted some sunflower seeds along the back fence.

We’ve had many conversations about the 50-year-old azalea hedge in the front yard, and decided to wait until after the spring bloom to give them a needed pruning. The wait was WORTH IT!

At my house, a lily of the valley I planted four years ago bloomed for the first time! I’m leaving most of the plants at my house in place, but plan to move my Julia Child rose and a mature clematis vine to Taylor’s house. Should be interesting.

Eating

One of my favorite annual events, Cookies on Tap, moved from High Cotton brewery to Crosstown this year. Their new raspberry saison is fantastic!

I usually opt for grilled items at Soul Fish, but after reading a rave review in the paper, I had to try their special thin-cut fried catfish filets. They were especially satisfying on a day of yard work.

I finally cooked Smitten Kitchen’s shakshuka recipe, which had been on my radar for a while. It’s an excellent weeknight meal.

Single-serving drink mix update: Crush Strawberry is now available and delicious. I just wish we could eliminate unnecessary red dyes from these mixes.

credit: Cassie Cardwell/The Warmth Around You

Beauty

I’ve hired a makeup artist for the wedding, and had her do my makeup for our engagement pictures too. I was VERY pleased!

My future MIL gave me a Color FX face palette she got in a beauty box. I have no contouring or highlighting ability, but I enjoy playing around with it. I usually use the darker highlighters as blush.

Random Happiness

I’m obsessed with Cocoa Puff, a Continental Giant rabbit getting into all kinds of shenanigans with a charming family. He sparks joy.

My company had a small carnival for Earth Day, where I met a screech owl! Also, a few yellow-crowned night herons are nesting in my neighborhood as they do every April. Last time I drove over, I only saw one heron, but several nests. I’ll check back.

My church announced this month that we’re officially moving to an egalitarian leadership model, which means women can now serve as church elders. I am THRILLED to be part of a church where women’s voices are being elevated and respected. I’m a regular Communion server – my favorite, most life-giving church task – and I still sometimes marvel that as a woman, I wouldn’t have been allowed to do that in my past churches. Onward and upward. (PS, I got to serve Communion on Easter, including to my own parents, which was really meaningful.)

Your Monthly Rufus

I couldn’t choose between several great Rufus pics!

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Yoga with Rufus

Quote of the Month

A friend shared this, from medievalist professor Sara L. Uckelman, about the fire at Notre Dame. It reassured me, both in context of the fire and of my evolving faith: