June’s What I’m Into is a little early because I’M GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND!
Wedding Update
Taylor had his bachelor party the first weekend of the month, and I had my bachelorette party last Saturday. My bridesmaids ordered me a sweatband veil with our hashtag on it, which I loved both as a subtle ZBo shoutout and for its utility later – we did a Sprock n’ Roll party bike downtown! I’d never been on one of the bikes, and had always thought they were self-propelled and the pedaling was mostly for show. NOPE. The first leg of the trip was like a spin class and we were all regretting our decision. Thankfully, it got a lot more fun after that! We had a fantastic sushi dinner and also got ice cream. I felt loved.
Alanna hosted a lingerie shower for me, which was also really fun. No pics of the lingerie, sorry. ;)
My sister and sister-in-law have been here all week to help me, and everyone else will get here today or tomorrow. I’m trying to soak up this time as much as possible (and remember that I’m not responsible for anyone else’s feelings and opinions). My sense of being torn in ten directions should get slightly better now that I’m off work. No matter what, I’m about to marry a wonderful man who loves me, and that’s worth everything. ♥ I’ll share all about the wedding in a few weeks!
Reading
Once and for All by Sarah Dessen (4.5 stars) – I’m behind on my Sarah Dessen releases, but this is definitely one of her best. Most of her novels are set in the fictional town of Lakeview and/or the beach town of Colby. This one incorporates both, and rings true. It’s about the daughter of the town’s premier wedding planner, who’s still healing from a tragic loss.
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (4 stars) – A smart, enjoyable romance: a doctor and a lawyer meet cute in an elevator, he asks her to be his last-minute date to his ex’s wedding, and a relationship unfolds.
Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause (3 stars) – The parallel stories of a lonely debt collector with severe OCD, and an elderly woman telling her life story to a young relative. I can’t say much more, except that it kept me hooked with an increasing sense of uneasiness.
Anne’s House of Dreams and Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (5 stars) (reread) – I’ve needed some comfort reading, and these are my two favorite Anne books. They’re fresh and new every time, especially Rilla, which is criminally underrated. PS, what do we have to do to get better cover art for LMM’s entire oeuvre?
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski (4.5 stars) – A must-read scientific explanation of the distinct type of burnout and stress modern women experience, everything that causes it, and what we can do about it. Having struggled with varying degrees of burnout for much of my adult life, I felt so validated by the tips provided, many of which I’m already doing.
I Miss You When I Blink: Essays by Mary Laura Philpott (5 stars) – Loved it. Also, MLP has to be an Enneagram One.
How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents about Building a Happy Marriage by Jo Piazza (5 stars) – This book is The Geography of Bliss, but about marriage and in a similar voice to Jancee Dunn’s, making it a home run for me.
Fame Adjacent by Sarah Skilton (4 stars) (not pictured) – Holly is the only former cast member of a Mickey Mouse Club-esque show who didn’t become famous, and she just found out she wasn’t invited to the reunion. When she busts out of internet rehab to confront all her former friends, the trip there holds a lot of surprises. This book was very enjoyable, and deeper than I expected given the tabloidy premise.
Listening
Two must-listen podcasts this month: The Popcast episode 300, The No’s of Weddings (for when you need a laugh), and NPR’s Throughline episode 17, Apocalypse Now (for when you need an eye-opener).
I excitedly dove in to the EnneaSummer series on That Sounds Fun. The format is great – she starts with a quick chat with an Enneagram expert, then talks to two of her friends who represent each showcased type. However, all the episodes I’ve listened to so far feature a classic Southern pastor with a Super Hot Wife, so my enthusiasm has waned. I even quit my own Six episode early because the guy was Jesus-juking Sixness beyond my endurance. YMMV.
Watching
For Father’s Day, we took my dad to see the new Apollo 11 documentary at the IMAX. It included never-before-seen footage on high-res film. I couldn’t believe the quality. You can probably catch it on CNN several times in July.
I’m almost halfway through Dead to Me, and every time I think I know what’s going on, it throws me another curveball. Nicely done!
Around Town
My favorite local band, Ingram Hill, performed at Italian Fest on June 1. I hadn’t seen them in about five years and was extremely psyched. Last week, my mom and I saw Weird Al at the Orpheum with an orchestra! After loving Hanson’s String Theory show so much, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see Weird Al do the same thing. It was basically the same show he did at Snowden Grove a few years ago, but with an orchestra. The people watching was fantastic.
A Johnny Cash statue was dedicated in our neighborhood this month! It’s in front of a church where he performed publicly for the first time.
At Home
We started moving some of my furniture to Taylor’s house. As I’ve mentioned, I have some ongoing sadness and anxiety about moving out of my home, but I felt MUCH better once my china cabinet, desk, bookshelves, and favorite books were installed in the new house. Taylor is really going above and beyond to clear space for me and help me feel at home. ♥ I’m hopeful it’ll be all up from here emotionally.
We planted some dahlia bulbs in April, and they started blooming this month. If you need a showstopper flower, get a dahlia!
Eating
One of Midtown’s definitive eateries, Fino’s, reopened this month under new management of the most prominent chef in Memphis. Taylor and I hit it up on one of my free diet days and there was much rejoicing. Their tiramisu might be the best I’ve had.
We took my dad to Midtown Crossing Grill, a hole in the wall near Crosstown. I noticed it about a year ago and we just now took the time to go. Everything was fantastic. Next time, I’m getting the balsamic chicken pizza.
Beauty
I asked for a neutral lip for my engagement pictures, because no bright lipstick has ever lasted longer than half an hour on me. Then I thought I’d like a little more color for the wedding. After a lot of research, I ordered Kiko Unlimited Double Touch liquid lipstick in two colors. I watched multiple YouTubers eat apples and drink hot beverages in this product and it stayed flawless. Me? Prepped my lips, applied as directed, tried not to do anything… and still got a ring around my lips in no time. So I’m accepting that, like a stick-on bra, a long wear bold lip is an impossibility for me. But! Last week, my favorite fashion blogger mentioned L’Oreal Colour Riche Matte-Traction Red, noting that it fades evenly without leaving any weird outline. I went directly to CVS and bought it. It goes on smoothly and fades beautifully, so I’ll probably pick up a few more colors in this line. It’s exciting to wear red without worrying about upkeep!
I splurged on some luxury (to me) travel toiletries for my honeymoon, because if you can’t be fancy then, when can you? I got a Ouidad Climate Control travel set (the last time I did this was 2007), as well as some new Paula’s Choice serum and cream samples for our 4-hour flight. (I just can’t do a sheet mask on a plane.) Also, Ulta has I Heart Revolution eyeshadow mini palettes now, so I snapped up the Mint Chocolate one I’ve wanted for a while. Perfect for a trip.
Your Monthly Rufus
Rufus loves his summer mornings on the balcony. I hope he can find a place at Taylor’s house that makes him this happy! I’d love to let him hang out on the front porch with us, but every time we’ve tried, he’s quickly ventured out onto the lawn instead. We’ll see.
Quote of the Month
On the Blog
I wrote about my favorite weekly magazine of many years dropping to a monthly and canceling their radio channel. Yes, it’ll still exist, but I’m not confident it will be the same at all.
Good Reads
♥ William Langewiesche at The Atlantic: What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
♥ Sarah Bessey: Penny in the Air: My Story of Becoming Affirming
♥ Lyndsey Medford: A Practice That Changed My Life
♥ Emma Pattee at Mrs. Frugalwoods: My Friend Always Wanted To Be a Mom. Then She Got Prenatal Depression
♥ Captain Awkward: IT’S MOTHEREFFING WEDDING SEASON AGAIN, SO LET’S CHAT
♥ A profile of a former Jehovah’s Witness by Jacqueline Alnes at Longreads: ‘If Any of My Old Friends Are Reading This, It Is Okay Out Here.’ (I added her book to my TBR immediately.)
♥ Jeanna Kadlec at Catapult: I Let Go of My Faith When I Came Out—But I Still Believe in Jennifer Knapp
♥ Rebecca Jennings at Vox: Many people still believe the moon landing was fake. But who’s profiting?
Mary Laura Philpott really MUST be an Enneagram 1. She is definitely my people. I loved that book so much.
Happy wedding weekend!