July felt like a long one and I’m thankful because it’s my birthday month and it’s truly summer.
I was fortunate enough to take a birthday road trip up to San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles and up further to Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz, & Half Moon Bay.
The theme of [the rest of] July was this:
This all started with a dream where an old friend appeared. I’ve since reached out and haven’t heard back. Unfortunately, we just lost contact. Of course, there’s a lot more to it – we’ve been friends since college and reconnected several times since. *Fingers crossed* that he’s okay and one day we’ll find each other again!
I’ve really thought about the people and things that matter. So, here are the good things in July (and life):
I was lucky to spend time with some of my best friends in a little getaway to the desert. After drinking a bit too much the first day, I toned it down the rest of the weekend. I charged my phone ONCE in three days! We cooked meals together, played in the pool, talked for hours, and stared at the desert sky.
Salt & Straw’s July flavor is its most popular and I remember it well: birthday cake and blackberries. I had a pint delivered when we were in Seattle last year and devoured it in bed! There was a lot more blackberry puree in my pint this year, making it rather sweet.
My family and I took a walk and we ate some vegan food (chicken nuggets and iconic fries from Plant Powered Fast Food). There’s been a lot of vegan food lately.
I met up with friends for lunch – I haven’t seen them or their babies in months – and got a matcha on the way to taking a friend to the airport.
I’ve made sure to check in on and go for bi-monthly walks with one of my dearest friends.
I think I’ve been in the pool more this summer than ever. For the friends I don’t get to see in person, we’ve continued with a monthly Zoom happy hour – this time, we all made Moscow mules.
Here are some other things I’m excited about or at least, find interesting:
- Tayshia is going to come in to replace Clare on The Bachelorette. Drama! What’s a summer without something from this franchise?!
- I read this personal narrative and then made myself a cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese coffee).
- I bought mountain-themed Google Slides templates for distance learning this year. I haven’t made a virtual classroom with my Bitmoji. Can I just buy one?
- I can’t stare at the stars in the suburbs, but I can watch the clouds move and image they’re different objects.
- These garage transformations are better than my home.
- I’m so glad everyone’s eating bread again.
Julie in the World 