What I’m Into: August 2019

Main Events

I turned 40 this month. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it. I didn’t have time to write the birthday reflection I wanted, but in summary, my 30s have been the most important years of my life. These last few were especially grounding, with the sense that I’ve finally grown into a whole oak tree from an acorn. I feel like a different person than I was on my 30th birthday, and also like the fulfillment of my core childhood self. I think she would be satisfied with where we are today, even if it took way longer than she expected. I’m hopeful for continued growth and doing some good in this next decade.

I worked a half day on my birthday (my wonderful boss spoiled me with flowers and surprise decorations), did a little shopping in the afternoon, and had dinner with Taylor and all of our parents at Ecco. On Saturday, my sister and her family came in from Nashville. Taylor’s present to me was a spa day for me AND Debra. After the pampering, we had a small birthday party at the house. I felt loved.

In other news, I finally finished moving out of my condo. I could not have done it without my dad and Taylor, who helped three weekends in a row. Nothing was ever properly packed (the curse of a non-urgent, household-combining move within the same neighborhood) and now we’re living among piles of stuff and random disorganized containers. It’s been a rough process logistically and emotionally – like ripping off a Band-Aid every time I went back over there. The transition was just too long. I’m looking forward to fully settling into our home and having a real fresh start in September!

Reading

Sweet & Wild by Viv Daniels (3 stars) – The sequel to One & Only, focusing on Tess’s half-sister. After a semester abroad, Hannah feels adrift and is still reeling from the discovery that her father has a secret second family. To escape her problems, she immerses herself in her anonymous movie review blog and starts hooking up with the bad boy next door, both of which end up meaning more to her than she planned.

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris (3.5 stars) – Read for one of my book clubs, this is by a doctor who’s led the charge in identifying adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in patients and considering their impact on overall health and risk factors. Very relevant and interesting information.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (3.5 stars) – This funny and touching romance hooked me despite my dislike for poor communication and/or pure stubbornness plots. I liked the focus on friends-as-family and the realistic portrayal of women’s health issues.

Severance by Ling Ma (4.5 stars) – Candace, a first-generation Chinese-American, agrees to a huge payout to continue working at her corporate job while the world is slowly ending via fatal zombie-like virus. The story is split between her time alone in New York, reflecting on her life and her parents’ immigrant experience, and her journey to a “safe” place with a small group of other survivors. I waited months on the library waiting list for this and finished it in one evening.

On Being 40(ish) by Lindsey Mead (editor) et al. (4 stars) – A solid collection of essays about being a woman in your 40s.

Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler (5 stars) – My favorite fiction of 2019 so far. This novel has everything: Florida, the 80s, space travel, weird science, a child genius protagonist, and families who really love each other but are bad at expressing it. The vibe is sort of Contact meets Stranger Things. I loved it.

Listening

I’m about to pick up a few new releases, so my thoughts on those are pending. But I did download some Miley this month. Don’t judge.

Watching

My new elliptical show is Four Weddings and a Funeral. I’ve never seen the movie – I KNOW – so the plot is new to me and I’m enjoying it!

Upon the announcement of the Breaking Bad movie this fall, Taylor started a rewatch. I’ve mentioned that he lured me into the prequel Better Call Saul with its legal aspect, so I agreed to give the original a try with him. Our plan is to skip over the most violent parts and he’ll just tell me what I need to know. We’re about five episodes in.

Travel

For the second year in a row, Taylor and I went to Miami in August during the Braves’ series with the Marlins. We considered not going since we just spent so much money on the wedding, but thought it was important to see my grandparents, both of whom are in their 80s. It was a short trip. We had just enough time to visit with them, have a little beach time each day, and go to the baseball game. Last year we stayed on South Beach; this year we went to Hollywood, my hangout growing up, and liked it much better. On our last morning, I ate half of a Publix mini key lime pie in bed while looking at the view.

aug19-mia4

We were also able to sneak in lunch with Kristi, my childhood best friend!

1994 // 2019

Around Town

A few months ago, our friend James won an auction for a private symphony concert. This month the concert happened, and we were invited! A small group of musicians played for our friend group in a cool retro event space at Crosstown. Some of the selections were original compositions. It was a really special experience.

My church hosted Phileena Heuertz for a talk about contemplation as a faith practice, and faith deconstruction/reconstruction. It gave me a lot to think about.

At Home

We got a Roomba as a wedding present, and it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me! No more taking out a big vacuum every day (Rufus is messy). I still do some touch-up vacuuming, but it’s such a relief to have the constant maintenance taken care of.

For my birthday, Debra gave me a set of fruit- and vegetable-themed kitchen prints. We hung this one right away.

This year’s garden is definitely not my most prolific – I blame all the rain – but August brought a big grape tomato harvest!

Beauty

I made a point of cashing in my Sephora and Ulta birthday gifts this year. Ulta’s was a bronzer I haven’t tried yet, but Sephora had a mini Drunk Elephant Protini moisturizer and Beste No. 9 cleanser set! They’re pretty good sizes for minis, and I am LOVING the Protini as an eye cream.

In my eternal quest for great eyeliner, I got a Sephora pencil eyeliner (in Sangria). So far I find it just as good as Urban Decay 24/7 for half the price! I also splurged on the all-matte, 40-appropriate Tartelette eyeshadow palette, and the Morphe Jaclyn Hill Dark Magic palette. While I love the colors in the Dark Magic palette, they apply kind of… streaky. Has anyone else tried it? The Tartelette is totally worth it, though.

Wellness

At my annual dermatologist mole check (a practice I strongly encourage if you’re able), I asked about some white spots I’d noticed under my arms. Turns out, I have vitiligo. My dad also has it, so I’m familiar with it and how it works. Everyone is different in terms of where, how much, or how quickly the depigmentation spreads, if at all. I’m choosing not to freak out about it right now. There’s not much they can do, and it would take a lot more spots than this to upset me. But I would really prefer not to get it on my face. Fingers crossed.

Random Happiness

I saw two rainbows this month, and some cool storm clouds.

Your Monthly Rufus

Rufus continues to love life at the new house, but he does not love porch visits from other neighborhood cats. This brown tabby, whom we’re calling Hungry Jack, has come around a few times. I hope they can eventually be friends.