Iāve been inspired by a favorite indie podcasterās monthly newsletter (The SHU Box)
to give this olā newsletter another try. She sends a monthly message and I think that frequency seems doable!. Plus, itās back to school time, so of course I need a new project. (Does this justify the purchase of āschoolā supplies? Yes, yes it does.)
August Notes
The big story this month was our family vacation to Michigan. We took another epic roadtrip this year - departing from Missouri, making our way through Illinois to our first quick stop in Wisconsin to visit my aunt & uncle, then north to camp for 3 days at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, through the UP and across the Mackinaw Bridge to camp for 3 days at Sleeping Bear Dunes, then south along the Lake Michigan coast to South Haven, Michigan, an adorable little beach town, to spend some time in a vacation home with my extended family & celebrate my parentsā 50th anniversary. (Then back to Missouri! I think it was about 30 hours of driving in all. š³ )
There were a lot of things I loved about this trip, but now I know for sure that two weeks is too long for me to be away (even if weāre not camping the entire time). However, I really enjoyed South Haven and Iām dreaming about visiting again sometime. I think one adventuresome week and one lazy beach week (separated by a month or two) sounds like the perfect balance for summer travel. My husband and kids have made it clear (ahemā¦ complained) that I plan too many activities for vacation, so we still need to work on finding a balance between rest and adventure. (For me it has a lot to do with the amount of time and effort it takes to get to a placeā¦ I didnāt drive 18 hours for you kids to lay around and play Roblox, ya know?)
Currently Enjoying
Another Michigan treat, Sanders Sea Salt Caramels (conveniently available at Costco!)
Taking a break from social media. Iāve taken the apps off my phone and Iām just checking in occasionally on my laptop. Iām still trying to find a balance with this.
The nights are getting longer which means Iām inside more in the eveningsā¦ more time for TV and crafting! I recently started watching Bad Sisters on Apple TV+ but Iām open to series suggestions! (Nothing too scary, though. If you think it might be too scary - it is.)
Monthly Highlights
My kids went back to school - they are in 3rd and 7th grade this year. Iām so lucky that our neighborhood is served by a K-8 school, so they are in the same building and have the same start and end times.
We had a great family trip to St. Louis with some long-time family friends to eat delicious Italian food on The Hill, go to the zoo, and watch a really exciting Cardinals game. (It takes a lot for me to get excited about baseball, but this game was so suspenseful! And our team pulled ahead right at the very end, which is always fun.)
My āPlanner Peaceā submission was included in a Best Laid Plans podcastās recent āHobonichi Deep Diveā episode.
Favorite Book I Read This Month
I had more time to read this month than usual since I was on vacation, so I have to pick two books!
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. This book is so good, but extremely violent. (I could never watch a screen adaptation of this storyā¦ too bloody!) However, the violent acts advance the storyline and make sense with the characters, so it worth gritting my teeth through the action scenes. This book provides a different perspective on some current social issues (race and homosexuality), but it definitely doesnāt feel like homework.
Scarlet in Blue by Jennifer Murphy. I picked this up while on vacation in South Haven, Michigan. It is written by a local author and a portion of the book is set in South Haven. Even if I hadnāt just visited, I would have loved this book. I just passed it along to a friend who loves psychological thrillers.
Picture of the Month
Stop #10 on Pierce Stocking Drive through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - a very popular spot to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan! š