May
May was a pretty busy month! I started
out the month by flying to Ohio for my sister's college graduation. It
was so fun to see her walk across that stage and I was so proud of her!
This was a big year for her - she graduated, got a job, got her
license, bought a car and moved to her very first apartment! While home,
we did a bit more mushroom hunting, but the season was just too late.
We also celebrated Mother's Day. I left the day before my Mom's
birthday so I made sure to celebrate that with her as well.
My friend Onyi from London came to town for a week and we spent the time catching up, shopping and grabbing brunch and coffee.
Later
that month, I headed to Miami for Amy's sister Sara's bachelorette
party. I had never been there before and we had a great time. We
stayed in a sweet suite (see what I did there?), had tasty drinks on the
beach in the clearest, bluest water I've ever seen, had 2 delicious
fancy dinners, and partied at LIV. We also were able to celebrate Amy's
30th birthday with the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had in my life.
June
In
June, Bill started a new job! This was quite the year for us in terms
of careers. His old job threw him a goodbye party early in the month.
I
went to a pop-up crab shack with our roommate BJ. I video-chatted with
my dad when he opened his birthday gift from us, a carve-your-own pipe
kit from Man Crates. I had brunch with friends. I tried Soul Cycle for
the first time (spoiler alert: I hated it and felt like I was
incinerating and dying).
June was clouded for me with the terrorist attack at the nightclub in
Orlando. I am still so sad over this. It could have been any club,
anywhere. That club was a solace for so many. I remember when my best
friend was coming out -- the local gay nightclub was the one place he
felt safe. That feeling has been forever shattered for so many and it's
so sickening to me that things like this can happen in this day and
age.
The month ended on a good note, however. We
drove to Columbus near the end of the month for Sara's wedding! It was
held at a beautiful golf club and we had a great time. She looked so
beautiful and grown up! The next day, we drove up to Cleveland for my
first bridal shower! My aunt threw me such a perfect day. I will write a
full recap of this at some point. My sister turned 24 the day after our
shower! We all went to a Cleveland-area chocolate shop to get her fave
ice cream.
July
This was another mixed month of highs and lows.
We started a Whole30 for wedding prep. It was . . . challenging. It ended up only being a Whole17 but I would try again.
The
month started by Bill & I taking a trip to his brother's house in
Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore. We had fun exploring the town and
lounging on the beach. I took a day trip to NYC to celebrate m friend
Tara's birthday. Later that night, Bill & I went to a sushi dinner,
watched fireworks from the restaurant and then walked the boardwalk.
Probably
the best moment of July was another bridal shower! My sister
(maid-of-honor), man-of-honor and mom threw me a 4th of July themed
shower in my hometown! The decoration and food was awesome and it was
so fun to see all my extended local family and friends.
I
don't want to harp on the sad events that occurred around the country
and world, but this was one of those months where the hits just kept on
coming. A terrorist horrifically ran down and killed 84 people in Paris
during Bastille Day celebrations. Countless black men were gunned down
by police officers and subsequent riots occurred where police officers
were killed. The violence in our society just sickens me and it was
heavy on my mind this month.
One of the bright moments
in July (and my life, tbh) was watching Hillary Clinton accept the
Democratic nomination for the presidency. Full disclosure, she wasn't
my original candidate of choice, but the moment that she walked out on
that stage in her white pantsuit, tears started streaming down my face.
I'll never forget sitting in our downstairs living room late that night
watching the convention with Bill and BJ, our then-roommate. The feeling
I felt to see a woman walk out on that stage was indescribable. Until
her nomination became a reality, I never realized that in the depths of
my heart, I didn't think I would ever get to see a woman on that stage.
Amy texted me that day with a post she saw online that said something
like "You see that outside? That's not rain -- it's glass." I truly
thought that she had shattered the glass ceiling and that night, I got
on board. It was time for a woman to lead our nation.
Our
joy was short-lived, however. A few days after that, we drove to
Pennsylvania to bury my grandpa's ashes and the whole experience was
just sad. On the drive home, we were dealt another blow. We got the
news that Bill's grandpa had passed away after a battle with brain
bleeding as a result of a fall.
August
August
began with an unexpected trip to Indiana to bury Bill's grandpa. In
short, it was awful. Though he had been sick, it was unexpected because
the only reason he had been sick was because of his fall. We drove
there and back with Bill's brother, 10 hours each way. It was very hard
to be back at the farm without his bubbly personality cracking jokes.
It was awful to see his grandma all alone for the first time in 40+
years. I know that his dogs were looking for him, wondering when he was
coming home. It was the first big loss on Bill's mom's side and the
first family member that Bill lost. The viewing was long and we had to
greet everyone who came - he was a very popular man in his town, known
for his tractors, humor, teaching and general kind spirit. Of course, it
was nice to see the family, but not for the reasons that we were
there.
The month got mostly better from there. We
watched the US kill it at the Olympics. I live-streamed gymnastics on
the whole ride home from Indiana. Gymnastics is my jam and this year
was incredible.
My local and semi-local bridesmaids
through me a bachelorette party at the end of the month! More on this
later, but it was a fun night on my old boss's rooftop party area and
then out dancing. Tara came in for the trip, so we also hung out with
the gang. It was so nice to have her in town. I never wanted a
bachelorette party, as they are just not my scene, but it turned out
pretty well!
The month ended with an absolute hair
disaster. I picked a pretty brown balayage color which was darker than
my hair at the time. I went to a new place with great reviews for being
one of the "best colorists" in town and somehow I came out with
completely blonde hair that only seemed to get lighter the next day. I
returned for a "fix" a couple of days later which ended with me in
tears. This was just a week before my wedding! I posted online for
help and my friend Karlee gave me a recommendation for her stylist out
in Old Town. She was blessedly able to fix it and it looked like what I
originally wanted. I know it's just hair, but it was for my wedding
and it was very stressful. I am forever grateful for Nina at Bazzak!
On a very hot day, the junkyard came to pick up my car. I sold it to them for a whopping $150! It was the best offer I got. Most places wanted me to pay them to come get it! That car served me well. I bought it from my Great Aunt Jeannie in 2011 and it got me through law school and then some.
I
headed home for "my" version of a bachelorette a week before the
wedding. I wanted a day with my dad to do whatever we wanted and then a
day with my mom. My dad and I went to lunch at Rooster's and played
some Keno and then we shopped at some antique stores. My mom and I went
to the fabric store to take care of some final dress-related items,
went to lunch and then shopped downtown at some local stores. It was a
perfect weekend!!
Whew, that was a long summer. Up next, fall.
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