Breezy ocean air, coastal grandmother wardrobe and lifestyle, tomato girl summer with a mediterranean aesthetic, featuring lemons. These are just a few of the vibes that summer offers. Every year, the summer months fly by faster and faster. One minute, it's the end of May/early June, anticipating vacations, breaks from work or school; the next, you're going to sleep at your regular time, setting an alarm for early mornings and prepping for school drop offs and appointments for the week ahead. sigh …Oh, the joys of adulting. |
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This summer was filled with unexpected surprises. At the end of the academic year, I didn't have many plans, aside from the hope of a couple day trips and making the most of the Fridays off, either to catch up on shows, read or maybe try a new restaurant around town. There were so many beautiful, unexpected moments, like a trip to Maine, trips to LA for fun events, time to create, time to unwind and just be. Time to look forward and see what else is possible…with life and the rest of the year. Looking back on my “bucket list” for the summer, I didn't necessarily get to everything I wanted, like days at the pool or going to the lake. I didn't take my solo trip or go to the nail salon or even watch JAWS. I did put my phone down a little more, I went to the beach and took a boat ride on the water. I read books that have been in my TBR pile(s) and bought more, of course. You can't have everything, can you? So, here's just a little recap of the last few months as we say goodbye to this season and start a new one. |
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- Trying and making new lemonade flavors
- Girl's Night Out with friends - dinner at a new restaurant in town, a carpool drive across town for ice cream
- Movie night with friends - pizza; A Simple Favor 1 & 2, Kill Bill Vol. I
- Seeing Lilo & Stitch with family
- Starting The Artfully Made Journal and pursuing interviews with people I admire and publishing more creative newsletters and blog posts
- Went to church again for the first time in a long time and brunch with one of my best friends
- Invested in new makeup with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Hailey Bieber's Rhode - fun playing around with blush, lips, mascara and skincare - not something I do as often as I should
- Finished a Bible study with Proverbs 31 for the Facebook group as a leader- Jonah; recorded my first official Bible study video teaching
- Honoring and celebrating one of our leaders on campus as he retired and was able to sit down and highlight him for our website
- Got a haircut to freshen things up
- Celebrated Father's Day - church and lunch with my parents
- Started a new hobby of Lifelines - dot by letter coloring books
- Continued reading a lot
- Watched one of my closest friends since childhood adopt her daughter
- Tried Sabrina Carpenter's Daydream Refresher drink from Dunkin' which is delicious and taste like a daydream
- Celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner out and cake
- Felt more creative and started acting on those ideas instead of waiting around
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- Got to be part of a fun video shoot on campus to get social media content for our new dance credential that started this semester
- Tried Scott Patterson's (Luke from Gilmore Girls) pancake mix and syrup - delicious
- Tried a new restaurant, and took one of the longest lunches I've ever taken with one of my best friends at a new lunch in town - tacos and coffee? We're ready to revisit!
- “family dinner” at home with close friends and their kids
- Celebrated 4th of July - more like, hiding from the fireworks and trying to calm our dog down, while watching fireworks specials on TV - Wasn't there a time when the holiday was ‘fun’?
- Took a little day trip to Porterville for ice cream, sandwiches and a little time at Target
- Visited Maine: Tried a lobster roll, ate gelato, attended a digital media in higher education conference and came back with many ideas for work, got to see/visit a real lighthouse (just as breathtaking and magical as I hoped for), took a ferry across the way to another island, which was so fun, walked around the charming little town - had coffee and donuts, ice cream, went to nice restaurants…A great trip that I was able to share with my mom!
- Saw George Strait, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town in concert at SoFi Stadium - incredible night with guest, Miranda Lambert, with my parents - celebrating their 40th anniversary - it was a great show!
- Work retreat to celebrate the past year - this year's theme was inspiration, so we had a guest speaker who led a group activity, we made candles and had some team bonding at a new restaurant in town - so fun!
- House/dog sitting for friends - lots of puppy snuggles, creative thinking and writing, catching up on TV and movies, enjoying the cooler weather outside
- Celebrated one of my best friends' birthdays with brunch and seeing Marvel's The Fantastic 4
- Remained faithful in blogging, working on potential novel idea, journaling and working towards the goals I have
- Read a lot
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- Spent time with my family friends visiting from the east coast for brunch and a memorial service for the grandfather/dad of the family
- Read a lot
- Obsessed over Freakier Friday and absolutely adored the sequel
- Tried the at-home gel nail kit I bought last month - I've had one before, but this was an updated, more high-tech version
- Made more bracelets and bought more beads
- Got my first PR package with Gilmore candles and broke 500+ followers on my account – ALSO, CAROLE KING's daughter followed me on my Gilmore Girls account. Carole King is one of my all-time favorite artists, so this was huge for me.
- Went to a taping for “Shifting Gears" on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. Also got to sing a song (along with the rest of the audience) with Daryl Mitchell from “House Party” --"hey chill, don't bump the table…" and got to witness a bit of a “Home Improvement” reunion, which I loved so much.
- Had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season
- Celebrated Taylor Swift's announcement for “The Life of a Showgirl” on New Heights, and, of course, her and Travis Kelce's engagement – What a time to be a Swiftie
- Went to my first Bible study in person, in ages, which was great to be more connected in community again
- Felt more creative and inspired
- Captured social media for the State Treasurer of California, Fiona Ma, when she visited our Edible Garden on campus
- Painted the town blue and gold with the first jersey presentation being hung up on the wall of a local establishment
- Went to Huntington Beach for an endeavor of my dad's – I drove home with my mom. One of the longest trips I've driven home, but we had Kelsea Ballerini, the JoBros and Taylor Swift to keep us company.
- Celebrated University Day and the start to a new academic year
- Went to women's soccer game for an event for our incoming freshmen, which is always an exciting time, especially for social media and videography
- Read more
- …So much more I've probably forgotten
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It's easy to get caught up, looking at other people's adventures on Instagram - jetting off to Greece, living it up by the pool everyday or family reunions in cabins by the lake. It's hard not to compare or wonder if you're doing enough. But, the most important thing about summer is doing things that refuel and replenish your soul. We all have our own lives to live! How was your summer? Was it everything you wanted, or do you wish more had happened? What hopes do you have for the fall season? |
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🍂🍁 What I love most about fall 🍂🍁 |
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The smell of apple and cinnamon wafting through the house, candles burning, pumpkin treats on the counter, costume parties, festive dinners and events to attend. The crisp smell of sunshine and firewood burning in the distance, your feet crunching the leaves in your heavy boots. It's filled with hope and possibility and excitement for what's to come of the last 3-4 months of the year. It's feeling like a kid again with activities like harvest festivals, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins and The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Halloween harvest festivals, Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives at home, cheesy Hallmark movies, fall decor with orange, red, brown and yellow - leaves, scarecrows, pumpkins – carving pumpkins, trips to the pumpkin patch down the street and turning it into a mini photoshoot. Roasted corn on the cob, trips to the beach, cozy sweaters, thrifting downtown, friend dates, walks in the park. Just admiring the beauty of the season changing. There's so much to do! Things I want to do this fall… 🍁 Antiquing 🍁 Fun fall photo shoot with friends 🍁 Spend a morning or afternoon at Echo Park Lake 🍁 Coffee dates with friends to try the local pumpkin/fall-flavored treats and catch up for girl time Are there any particular fall activities that you look forward to? Or make sure you MUST do each year? |
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Stars Hollow Ct.
Bakersfield , CA 93311, USA |
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