1. July was a month full of surprises. Some good and some not so good. As usual, good days (mostly thank goodness) and, of course, some not-so-great days.
2. The clock ticked away as the end of summer break neared and preparations for school and work began. Sadly, today is the end of our summer break. We'll be back to work and school tomorrow.
3. I'm still blown away that my middle child, Gabriel, will be in high school this year. Michael and Gabriel are really excited to be going to the same school again, which has helped settle my nerves a bit. I'm looking forward to how much my sons will grow this school year.
4. The end of July and the month of August always feel odd. It's still officially summer, but the hints of fall begin to trickle in. Although I'm sad summer break is ending, I'm so excited for autumn. I'm ready for cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes, all the baked goods, and all things cozy.
5. I dove into recipes and really liked this chicken meatball bowl recipe and lemon pasta recipe. Even better, the boys really loved it too!
6. John and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 13 years since we got married, and we've been together for 18 years. Time truly flies by. It was so great. We went to the Marietta Square and ate at one of our favorite restaurants. We also stopped by one of my favorite little coffee shops afterwards. We celebrated the entire week, which was so much fun.
7. We celebrated Mami's birthday, and I got to see my nephews and nieces. I'm always blown away by how much they seem to grow. We all had a blast spending time together. I can't wait for the next family event.
8. July was the month for movies. I watched Remarkably Bright Creatures and Voicemails to Isabelle. 10/10, highly recommend both movies.
9. I learned a lot of lessons in July, and some were very much-needed and ultimately incredibly appreciated. Again, this summer was a summer of lessons, and I'm grateful for it...even though some of them were hard. I truly think everything that happened needed to happen.
10. In July, I found myself really taking care of my health and making it a priority. If there's anything you can take from reading this, it's to please, please, please remember to take care of yourself. Stop putting off going to the doctor or ignoring what your body is trying to tell you. Protect yourself and your future.
11. I love that my little sister and I have been bonding a lot more. It's been a while since we talked for hours on the phone.
12. As I think about August, I hope that it's a smooth transition and we get used to going back to a routine. I really hope that there are no "surprises" in August. May the next month bring consistent creative energy (it seemed to slip a bit in July) in whatever form or medium it arrives.
13. So long, July. You were truly an experience. Hello, August. I'm equal parts excited and nervous. Just like July, I think you're going to be a month full of lessons. There's going to be some major changes, and I'm trying to be hopeful. Please be kind to me.
Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash