LINKS || July 13, 2023
If you haven't heard me constantly crowing about it, my 35th birthday is imminent and to me, this feels like a milestone birthday. Not that anything interesting is about to happen - although I did get a new driver's license - but rather it's a fresh page in an increasingly old book, and the thing about fresh pages is A.) I love them and B.) I always think, let's write something really different this time.
35 is still really young in the grand scheme of life, so I'm thinking hard about my next 5-year plan, and also what habits I want to instill or change now. What do I want to do while I'm still young?
This isn't unique. I have these same thoughts every year, at least twice - usually around my birthday and always around New Years. I'm constantly toiling away at being a "better version" of myself, which I'd argue is an admirable ambition. But I also wonder, as my list of "I'll start doing this and stop doing that" grows endlessly, at what point, am I allowed to stop hating myself? Every year I'm mystified and also somewhat impressed by my husband who makes zero new years resolutions. I mean, what's it like to be so confident that you're totally fine just the way you are?
I don't actually hate myself, but there are certainly parts of me that make me constantly cringe (mentally reviewing every social interaction, for instance) and that I'd like to change. I'd really like to become one of those people who likes exercise, or thinks that chicken tenders and diet coke and everything served at McDonalds is gross.
You know what would be a really wild chapter? Something completely different from all the chapters before it? If I didn't have any goals. If I couldn't first fill the pages with wild dreams, and then close them out with the disappointing failures of not meeting them. I don't know, maybe the big goal for 35 is to just....let it go? I think self awareness is important and I will always embark on eating little healthier and scrolling a little less, and just being nicer in general, but also it might be burden lifting to accept that I think diet coke is freaking delicious. And to me, there is nothing - nothing! - like a McDonalds french fry, hot and crispy, fresh from the drive-thru window.
Anyway, there's probably at least 5 more posts just like this one coming as my birthday gets ever nearer. I give you all my support, as if you need it, to skip my breakdowns over the next few weeks. They'll be increasingly tedious, but this is the only way I can deal with this. I'm getting older and still largely waging war with the same internal battles that I was when I was 25. When do I finally get my shit straight?
1 // ICYMI
in case you missed it, here's what I've pushed "publish" on recently
Related: what I'm reading this summer
2 // INTO IT
3 // SHOPPING
My sister is getting married in a few weeks and she gave the bridesmaids deliciously loose instructions. The directive is: buy a dress, make sure it's powder blue adjacent, and then wear it. She dropped the hammer on me that I also have to wear cowboy boots, which is not my typical vibe, so that's been a little bit more of a challenge, but it's also the gift of a bonafide reason to shop.
Here's the dress I bought, but this, this, and this were strong contenders.
Still working on the cowboy boots thing, but thank God that Taylor Swift is in her Eras tour and sparkly boots are very accessible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Amazon will include these beauties on their Prime Day sales.
Speaking of Prime, I mostly just purchased spares of things I always buy: This Sunday Morning serum that is the only thing that keeps my skin from literally peeling off of my face in January (on sale for $15!). This weird cutesy hydrating stick of which I primarily just love the scent. I have the Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick, and was woo'd by the $17 prime deal for the face stick. I'm diligently babysitting the lightning sales and hoping this book drops in price at some point.
4 // THE FOURTH UP NORTH
The long weekend was a wonderful sprint. We spent it with family at our new lake house and our days were filled with eating corn dogs, running around the Cherry Festival, a few too many drinks, bonfires and, of course, the beach. A restful few days off it was not, and I went headfirst back into work on Wednesday. The following weekend, I needed to recuperate. Duke, Ryan and I spent Saturday at home, taking nap after nap, and getting up only to eat. I'm only just starting to feel recovered from the holiday.
So more concisely, the 4th was a blast.
5 // LINKS
A case for Steve Brady. 100% supportive.
I made a hot honey chicken marinade a couple days ago. Ryan fired up the grill and it was wonderful. Ten out of ten recipe.
The Five Second Rule - I gave pause recently during a conversation last week and had the most wonderful result - the other person spoke first. I learned a valuable lesson.
Some people do the Lord's work.
Simple joys: Duke and I made this ooblek on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it absorbed at least 20 minutes of his attention, and was ridiculously easy to clean up.
Recently bought this cook book and it's such a joy to peruse.
Have you watched Shiny Happy People on Prime yet? This is interesting follow up.
6 // CONSUMING
Reading: Almost done with The Arsenal of Democracy, which is well outside of my usual genre, but very enjoyable thus far, thanks to good storytelling writing. This non-fiction book covers the Detroit auto industry and The Ford Motor Company's pivot to producing B-24 Liberator airplanes during WWII. Interesting history written in an engaging way.
Eating: Not patiently waiting for tomato and sweet corn season to begin, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying living off summer salads. This caprese, along with potato salad made haphazardly (aka, by memory and with no recipe) are our daily drivers.
Watching: Not much of anything, really. I do have a running list of some things I'd like to watch once the summer is over though. The Bear on hulu is on my list, and I'd like to rewatch some summer classics, like Dirty Dancing.
Listening: Duke has been working on a Spotify playlist all summer, so we listen to that constantly. It's mostly Imagine Dragons (three different remixes of Believer - this is not a joke and I am dying), with a few video game inspired dance tracks mixed in. Lots of bleep bloops. Meanwhile, I'm also working on a soundtrack for my sister's bachelorette weekend, and feeling pretty good about it.
7 // PLANS
This weekend I'm celebrating my sister's bachelorette party and very much looking forward to it. We have a Shania inspired playlist - aka, let's go girls - and more champagne than a handful of girls could possibly drink in 24 hours. However, up for the challenge.
But then....nothing. And I'm keeping it that way. The first part of the summer is always such a sprint and it feels like it passes so quickly because every weekend is packed with visitors and holidays and plans. For the next several weeks, I'm looking to stay home and have no plans at all. That should loosen things up for spontaneous beach visits and walks on the pier with an ice cream cone. If the lazy summer days will not come to me, I will pack my ish and go to them. Dog days, I'm headed for ya.
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