{Monthly} Midweek Ramblings: June 2024

June 2024:

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Highs of the Month:

June was honestly such a great month for weekends. Despite me having to work some weekend days at my new job, every single weekend this month ended up being fun and enjoyable in some way! And I also had two full weekends off, which lead to two fun weekend trips. I feel like I'm always in a much better mood during the week when I've had a great weekend or have another great one to look forward to. See the Weekend Recaps section of this post below for everything I did on weekends this month!

The June weather in Virginia Beach! Oh my gosh, what a stunning month. This spring felt colder and cloudier than normal for coastal Virginia, so this month was truly a treat. So many consecutive sunny days, with temperatures in the mid-low 80s. Heavenly!! Now the intense summer heat and summer storms are more upon us with the start of July, but last month was just great. Isn't it amazing the affect good weather can have on your mood?

Starting to really feel more like myself again post job-loss, and feeling like I'm settling into my new job and weekly routines. I'm still not 100%, and I am still grieving in some ways... but the differences in my overall moods and state of mind from how I was in April and May to June is astounding. I'm thankful for the healing that time brings! And I look forward to even more of that as the year progresses.

Lows of the Month:

My friend Alex and I tried to get Sabrina Carpenter concert tickets for her fall tour... and we didn't get them. Alex went to the Eras Tour last year and said that Sabrina's tickets were a harder and more frustrating process than the Taylor Swift tickets. Woof!! Alex was a trooper and tried to do the presale for us while I was working, but it just didn't work out. Ah well. Not meant to be!

There are some things that I'm still adjusting to schedule-wise with my new job and weekly routines. One thing that I have barely had time for the past couple of months is reading. I love reading and for the past several years it's been my number one hobby, but lately the time just isn't there. When I'm at home and not working, I'm trying to catch up on my blog, emails, wedding planning things, and tasks around the house. The times I have been to the beach and pool lately I've always been with someone, so it hasn't been the solo time I crave so that I can knock out books. Hoping to be able to carve out more reading time again in the later half of the year.

Honestly... I really can't think of a third low for June! What a blessing that is. It was a good month.

June Weekend Recaps:

5th-7th - I worked on Friday, but then was off Saturday and Sunday. Friday right after work I headed down to one of my very favorite places, Edenton NC! I spent the night with my aunt and uncle, which I love doing. We went out for a great dinner in downtown Edenton on Friday night, and then on Saturday I did some shopping at some of my favorite little boutiques, and then spent more time with my aunt and uncle on their dock. I made it home to Virginia Beach by late afternoon, and Ryan and I went out to play a quick 9 holes at a local golf course that evening! On Sunday we went to church, and then I went to the beach in the afternoon with my friend Maddy. Honestly it was kind of a perfect weekend?!

12th-14th - I worked the entire weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), but still had some fun! My friend Bea and I went out to a great dinner on Friday night at a Virginia Beach Oceanfront restaurant called The Pink Dinghy (where the photo is from at the top of this post!). On Saturday evening after I got out of work, Ryan and I went for a beach walk and then got Dairy Queen. On Sunday evening, we had an early dinner with Ryan's parents at their home for Father's Day.

19th-21st - I worked Friday and Saturday, but had fun plans both evenings. On Friday evening I went to dinner with a newer friend that I met through Junior League, and on Saturday evening Ryan and I had a fun double date with our friends Bri and Christian! We got pizza at the new Mellow Mushroom in Virginia Beach, and then ice cream at Lolly's, which is one of our local favs. I was off work Sunday, and Ryan and I stayed home the entire day to deep clean our apartment. Being honest, I'd barely done any cleaning beyond necessary laundry and dishes since my job loss. Ryan had also been slacking. Our apartment had gotten so messy and dirty. We cleaned for literally the entire day... but it was so worth it! I've never had such a clean place! And so nice to have this done before a few weekend trips.

26th-28th - I was in the gorgeous mountain town of Highlands, NC for my friend Emily's bachelorette trip! This was my first time here, and I just loved it. We enjoyed a hike, swimming in a lake, shopping downtown and lots of great food. Later this month I hope to write a little Travel Diary post for the blog! The only downside is that Highlands is quite a hike from Virginia Beach... it's normally about 8 hours by car, but took us 9 hours to drive home Sunday with some accidents and inclement weather.

June Purchases:

First a non-clothing item: these darling customized thank-you notes for my upcoming bridal showers! I'd highly recommend the Etsy shop that I got them from.

My big splurge of the month: these sneakers for my new job in hospitality! They are quite an investment, but they have been helping with the foot pain that I was experiencing in May as I adjusted to standing on my feet for 8-9 hour shifts.

I purchased a new golf polo from the pro shop of one of the local public courses that I play at. They were having a sale on some women's golf items, and I loved the color of this polo. I can't link the exact one I bought, but this one is super similar.

I needed more black dress pants for work, and finally tried one of these pairs that I feel like I've been hearing about online for well over a decade. I get the hype now: they're comfortable and affordable!

My friend Emily and I made a pitstop at Julie's Boutique in Charlotte, NC on our way to Highlands for her bachelorette trip. Julie's is such a great boutique, I used to shop there in college 10 years ago! We each ended up getting some really fun things, as they had a great sale going on. The first dress I got is this gorgeous floral number! It looks so cute with a belt, too. (Julie's doesn't have it on their website yet, but I found the exact one on another boutique website.)

The other dress I got at Julie's is a gorgeous blue printed maxi dress that I am saving for our honeymoon! It also isn't online yet and I wasn't able to find it at another retailer, but this is sort of similar!

Finally, I also got a fun little beaded necklace at Julie's! (This one is similar.) Excited to pair it with some summer outfits.

June Wishlist:

I stumbled across the cutest floral workout set this month. Here's the top and here are the leggings! This was something I 100% didn't need, so I didn't get it. But I sure did want it! It's totally my colors and aesthetic.

This white floral dress is just so darling. It found me first in a targeted Instagram ad, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

I don't think this little white dress is the exact vibe I want for a bridal shower outfit (hence why I haven't purchased it). but it is still a really cute dress!!

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale begins this month, and I am so tempted to invest in another pair of these pajamas this year. They're so comfortable and high quality.

June Blog Posts:

God Bless,

xoxo Annaliese

July 3, 2024