You’ve Been Away All Summer

What a summer it was. Here’s a recap of June, July, and August:

I turned 45! Partied with friends on top of the Memphian hotel, and went to South of Beale one night and Flight another!

I ate a lot of ice cream cones.

Trips to the zoo and the Botanic Gardens with our besties.

Sporting events.

Friends’ birthday parties and 90-minute Eras Tour Hot Pilates.

Family walks with C’s mini Jeep up and down the street.

My church turned 14 years old this month! I’ve been there for 10 of those years, and what a journey. Thankful.

Travel

Taylor likes to have a trip planned for holiday weekends. We’d talked about going back to Boulder for Labor Day, but while watching the New England episode of Aerial America one Saturday morning (as we do), we got inspired and booked a trip to Maine! We flew into Boston and took a (partially) coastal drive up to Portland. It was wonderful.

On our way back, we had a few free hours in Boston. We took C to Boston Common and just walked around the area. C is a great traveler and has been a lot of places for a 3-year-old. We often take him to whatever playground is nearby and he has a blast. It’s also fun talking to local moms. (I took him to a park in Portland right after we arrived. We ended up staying two hours, and by the end we had both made friends.)

A few weeks ago I went to Chicago by myself as my birthday present from Taylor! It’s been about a year since my last solo weekend away, so that makes it my second annual mom escape and now this is an established thing that must continue. This trip was considerably less relaxing than my weekend in Clearwater (aside from a great spa appointment), but that was on me. I was too excited to see as much as I could. I walked about 10 miles a day and wore out my 3-day train pass. I am a city mouse to my core and few things thrill me like efficient, accessible public transportation. I could say “this area looks cool” and hop on the train and go, instead of paying a $25 (or more) Uber to get there.

Lincoln Park

Jeni’s ice cream near Wrigleyville and whipped feta at the Purple Pig. Life-changing.

Architectural boat tour by night. I am ready for a Divergent re-read now that I have a physical sense of the city.

My second trip to the Art Institute and I still haven’t seen everything! But I did find the Chagall Windows.

Reading

I cannot review three months of books at once, so just ask if you want to discuss one of these! (Church book club selections are starred.)

Listening

The energy we need this fall.

Vertigo could have been on an early 2010s Paramore album and that is some of the highest praise I can offer.

I’ve been enjoying the Australian pop culture podcast Shameless. They have a good 3-episode series on Katy Perry. I also recommend Conspiracy, She Wrote.

A good listen as we head into holiday card season: How to Look Better in Photos

Wearing

In Chicago, I tried on every style of jeans in Madewell (and Abercrombie) and emerged with two pairs of non-skinny jeans to bring myself into the 2020s. I can’t remember the last time I bought 1. new, not secondhand, jeans 2. from somewhere other than TJ Maxx, so this was a big fancy deal.

I saw this outfit in the Free People window in Portland and took a picture so I could look for the items later or at least try to copy the look at home. (The Chicago Free People didn’t have any of the pieces when I went there.) I am loving the leopard trend.

My best Old Navy purchase of the summer was this slightly cropped fitted ribbed top. I have it in multiple colors. The double-layer crop tank is also good.

Post-summer sandal review: pretty much every pair of sandals I own, including my Oofos recovery flip flops, have left me with heel and Achilles pain at the end of the day. The best of the bunch is probably the Reef Water Vistas, although I do not recommend walking 10 miles in them like I did. Looking forward to a season of more supportive footwear. #old

Beauty

I’m really getting into DIY nail art and following a lot of nail artist accounts. I wish Olive & June sold all their colors in stores so I could get the ones I want gradually over time. Every time I load a cart with online-only colors, I just can’t pull the trigger. Remember Sinful Colors? Great shades $3 each at Walgreens? I miss that.

I got a second ear piercing two years ago. For logistical reasons, it was at a Claire’s, and I was still having problems with the piercings after all this time. This summer I decided to let the holes close and then went to a reputable local piercing establishment to have them re-done. They are now healthy and fine. Please learn from my mistakes. I’ve decided to get a THIRD hole (wooo!) soon at the same place and then I’ll be done.

My hair texture has changed in the last few years. I’ve gone from a 3b curl to a 3a or even a 2c, and the products and routines I’ve always used aren’t really working anymore. I’m conditioned (ha ha) to think MORE HYDRATION AND HOLD is the solution to any hair problem, but I found Welshie Curl Girl and considered that I might actually need lighter products to let it breathe. I’ve been using the Odele smoothing shampoo and conditioner, and their leave-in conditioner, and my hair seems to like it. It smells great too.

Wellness

Exciting announcement: for the first time in a year and a half, my iron levels are normal!! I definitely feel stronger and more energetic, and am hovering back around my pre-anemia Peloton PRs. The “unplugged” feeling is gone. However, I’m still getting a lot of sleep and often need a nap on weekends. I figure I’m still catching up from not sleeping through the night for 2.5 years (C did not do so until after his diabetes diagnosis). My therapist said my brain is also used to these sleep patterns and it may take it a while to adjust.

I’ve lost about 10 pounds since April. I’m a little over my 2020 weight, which was my initial goal, but I feel pretty comfortable so it’s okay if I don’t lose more quickly, or even at all. This is the first time since 2020 that I’ve really felt like myself and like my body is working properly. Yay!

Random Happiness

I got some upgrades over the summer: new phone and new Kindle Paperwhite! Now all the electronics in our house are USB-C… first world problems, but everything on the same charger makes daily life a lot easier. I also upgraded my 24-oz water cup to a 40-oz. I pee 20 times a day but am extremely hydrated!

Home

The garden was kind of a bust this year. My pepper plants are currently having a late boom, and the grape tomato did okay, but the squash never produced anything (as usual) and I had two rounds of cucumber plants die early. Even the basil has been puny. I’m starting to think I may never have a really successful garden in this house. It be like that sometimes.

However, my fiddle-leaf fig is THRIVING. I also spruced up the plants and shelves on the front porch. It did not look this nice before.

We had to replace our upstairs HVAC this month. ** flying money emoji ** Both our upstairs and downstairs units are like 25 years old, so we knew we were on a clock. The upstairs one was finally taken out by electrical problems. (I smelled burning plastic a couple of times leading up to the demise, but sort of shrugged it off and moved on, if that tells you anything about my everyday mental state.) I’m glad to have an efficient new unit that won’t break down every few months.

Toddler Update

C and I are getting more involved with the local chapter of Breakthrough T1D. We attended a fundraising dinner, and I gave a short speech to my department at work. I’m excited for the Breakthrough T1D Walk at the end of this month – our team has already raised over $800! Looking forward to making new “diabuddies.”

C has officially made the transition to little kid, not a baby anymore! This is the first time I’ve personally felt the “kids grow up too fast” narrative – TBH until a few months ago I was just in a survival mode that felt eternal. Now I’m experiencing more moments of companionship and joy and what I thought having a kid would be like. We’re doing more things together. He “helped” me make banana bread last week and it made me so happy!

C had an intense Peppa Pig phase over the summer, but while the Pig family is still very much in our lives, he has re-fixated on Numberblocks. Because of Numberblocks, he can add and subtract (I’m not kidding) and count to around 70. He is also reading (again, not kidding). Every day he reads another word I didn’t know he knew. When we read aloud together, he often asks me to show him a certain word, and then he nods like “Got it.” His current favorite books are Green Eggs and Ham, Where’s Spot?, and “Memphis bridge book.” He loves the library, zoo, Children’s Museum, all parks, and jumping on the couch.

Your Monthly Rufus

Not much to report kitty-wise. I feel like he’s starting to show his age a little, but he still has plenty of energy and personality.

Public Service Announcement

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? I think the deadline in most states is this week, so if you’re not, please do it today! If you need help with your absentee vote, or getting to the polls, or finding local help with anything voting-related, reach out!

Also, if you have the means to get a passport, now is a great time to do that! We are in the process of getting C his first passport, and getting me a replacement, because I lost mine somewhere in our house. I intended to take care of this months ago, but, life.

WOMEN: reminder that your vote is your own and you don’t have to tell anyone who you voted for! I have more to say to my fellow white women before election day, but I still haven’t figured out how to say it. Alexa, play Freedom by Beyonce.

Good Reads

Can Zac Posen Reinvent the Gap? // What It’s Like Being a Billionaire’s Personal Assistant // Ms. Rachel’s 9 Favorite Things

Welcome to Bama Confidential – a 5-part series, A+ journalism // Maya Rudolph on Her Mother Era // 100 Pieces of Pop Culture That Defined Obamacore

How to write fearlessly in a world that silences strong women // I would have bled out in the parking lot // When Oprah says ‘childless cat lady,’ and the camera’s on you // In Defense of Creators at the DNC

stranded in space for nine months // An epidemic of never being alone // Parental burnout in parents of big-feeling kiddos (validating)

Good morning, kitchen! Good night, kitchen! // Becoming Becks