{Monthly} Midweek Ramblings

 July 2023: 

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Highs of the Month:

• A really fun day trip to a waterpark in North Carolina with three other couples that we've become friends with. I hadn't been to a waterpark since high school, and it was so fun to go to one again! Highly recommend hitting up a local waterpark for a fun summer double date or group date idea. 
• A perfect and quiet Saturday with Ryan in mid-July that might have just been my ideal summer day. It reminded me of the importance of having some summer weekends with few plans and lots of free time to see where the day takes you. The two of us really needed a Saturday like that after the craziness of moving.
• Sweet Magnolias Season 3 on Netflix!!! My absolute favorite Netflix original show. I also got Ryan into it a bit, and it ended up being really fun to watch with him. He's not as into it as I am (as expected) but I loved the fact he was willing to give it a try with me.

Lows of the Month:

• The stress of moving during a really busy season at work. While I'm so happy to be getting settled in the new place and the dust is finally settling, the timing for the move was just not ideal, since June and early July are one of my busiest times of the year at work. I've felt kind of burnt out all month long, and it's delayed me from getting as unpacked as quickly as I wanted to. 
• The most expensive credit card bill of my life, which had all of my moving expenses and a lot of remaining medical bills from the spring. Very thankful that I paid it off in full (and am getting a ton of points from it), but woof that was a high number!! Hoping the rest of the year is calmer on the expenses front, and I can really focus on rebuilding my savings again. 
• A horrible dream near the end of the month that woke me a few hours before my alarm. I don't get nightmares often anymore as an adult, so it's always unsettling the rare times they do happen. 

July Weekend Recaps:

• 30th-2nd - Such a busy weekend with preparing to move. I had a work event that Friday afternoon, and then I'm pretty sure I spent the rest of the weekend doing moving related things. The good news is that I was productive enough this weekend that Ryan and I got to go to the beach for a couple hours on the 4th of July with a couple we are friends with and enjoy a little bit of that day taking a break from packing!
• 7th-9th - Delilah and I moved into our new place on Friday evening! I headed back to my old place on Saturday morning to meet the movers, and then spent the rest of Saturday getting settled in. On Sunday afternoon, Ryan's parents came over to help us unpack, which was very appreciated! We then went out to dinner with them afterwards. 
• 14th-16th - I had to work the radio station tent for a few hours before a concert on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, Ryan and I had a brunch date at Bay Local, which is a great local brunch spot. I then went over to my friend Bailey's house for a few hours. After getting back home, I baked for the first time in the new place and made my favorite frozen key lime pie! On Sunday, we had a blast going to H2OBX Waterpark in North Carolina with three other couples that we are friends with. It was a really fun summer day that was much needed after the stress of moving. 
• 21st-23rd - A perfect summer weekend! Truly I think this will be one of my favorite weekends of the year. Ryan made chicken piccata (my favorite recipe of his) on Friday night for dinner. The new season of Sweet Magnolias had dropped the day before, which I was so excited to watch. On Saturday, Ryan surprised me with Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and then we spent a few hours at Sandbridge Beach. I really enjoy Sandbridge (it's a quieter beach) but I had never been with Ryan before. We got pizza and ice cream after, and then I headed to our apartment pool for more outside time that afternoon. We watched more Sweet Magnolias on Saturday night! On Sunday we went to church, I had coffee/tea with a new friend, we went to an afternoon event at our church, and then Ryan's family had a cookout to celebrate a few of the summer birthdays in their extended family. 
• 28th-30th - We were supposed to spend the weekend in Edenton, NC with my aunt and uncle, but they had something come up at the last minute and we postponed our trip. We ended up doing a really fun Saturday day trip with our couple friends Bea and Eric up to Cape Charles on Virginia's Eastern Shore! We went to Chatham Vineyards, got ice cream downtown, and then enjoyed a windy but beautiful evening on Cape Charles beach. On Sunday, we went to church and then took a lovely walk at the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier after church! The rest of the day was quiet- I ran a couple errands and then hung out at home. 

July Purchases:

• I haven't been nearly as into shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in the last few years as I used to be, but I did make a purchase this year that I'm excited about! I finally decided to try these popular pajamas, and the quality didn't disappoint. 
• And also have to share my one Amazon Prime Day buy- one of my favorite beauty items at a really great sale price. 
• I've followed Dare & Co. dress company on social media for a couple years now. They're a Virginia based small business that specializes in classic styled dresses that are all made in the US. I finally decided to buy my first Dare & Co. dress after they launched this new summer style called the Annie dress. I'll be bringing that with me for a fun weekend girls' trip this weekend!
• For a couple home and apartment purchases: I got some new pillows for Ryan's couch after I moved in. I thought these were a great price point. I still want to order some additional pillows that are colored, but for now I like these neutral ones I found. 
• Ryan and I picked out this cute little vase with faux greenery in it to use as a dining table centerpiece when we don't have fresh flowers or seasonal decor. It's not my normal style, but it matches the apartment kitchen and dining vibe well. 

July Blog Posts: 

• A Different Type of Moving Announcement
• A Couple Health Updates

   

      God Bless,

       xoxo Annaliese