July in Review
On Wednesday, July 1, we had our Sugar Cookie Taste off. I also had a dentist appointment. No cavities, yay me!
Friday, July 3, we left a little later than we wanted and got to my dad's a little after 2pm. We hung out and talked and got Waba Grill for dinner. I was dumb and ordered from a different location than the one that's close by.
July 4, I went on a run and did a workout. We got donuts from Class One. I really liked their Madagascar vanilla. Their buttermilk was decent. The maple bar was awful. But I was just grateful they had donuts left and that they were open on the 4th! We hung out and talked. Jason and Kellie got there a little after 2. I made corn on the cob and salad (from a bag), plus garlic bread. It was just the five of us. We ate and talked and played Speak Out. Jared came over after 6. We ate and talked and hung out outside for a little while. Matthew went to visit his cousin's crash site. We were in bed fairly early that night for the drive home on Sunday.
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| Flower my dad picked and gave to me |
Sunday, July 5 we left my dad's house at 9:23am (Utah time). We stopped at my nanny Carmen's to say hello quickly. I try to make myself slow down to talk with the people who won't be around forever. She sent us on our way with a bunch of food (all for Matthew: tamales, chorizo, salsa, etc.). We got home that evening at 7:30pm (Utah time). Given our detour to Carmen's house, 10 hours and 6 minutes isn't terrible time. Plus we waited in a drive thru in Cedar City (after giving up on two others in Mesquite). I started a load of laundry and unpacked and was in bed fairly early.
July 6 was back to work. I impressed myself with all I got done: a car wash, got gas, finished laundry, cleaned my house (which I usually do on Saturday, but nobody did so in my absence), and watched Downton Abbey. I also tried Zaxby's for the first time.
Tuesday, July 7, Matthew asked me on a "movie date." After work, he arrived at my house with a rotisserie chicken, mac & cheese, and bread from Sam's Club. I provided the vegetables. We ate and talked. We watched Troop Zero on Amazon Prime. I highly recommend it. It was nice to be together; it really was our first time alone together in five days.
Wednesday, July 8 I attended High Fitness. I spent the whole time stressing about how everyone was disregarding the place stickers on the floor to ensure distancing. But I had fun and got a ton of steps in before 7am. I also hit a fun mileage point on my car. Does anyone else take pics of their mileage? It's a weird thing I do.
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| Wore a flower to work |
I went to the plasma center after work but was sent home with a temperature of 100.4. I got myself some food and finished season 2 of Downton Abbey.
July 9, I worked from home since I got sent home from plasma with a fever. I picked up my laptop in the morning and brought it home. It was a pretty low-key day. And I took my first stab at nail wraps.
Friday, July 10, I made myself some dinner at home: coconut chicken fingers in the air fryer. It's one of my favorite meals to make. I don't enjoy cooking and prefer easy/quick things, but this one to me is worth some effort. I got some new Harry Potter masks in the mail I ordered on Etsy. So far I've gotten four for Harry's birthday coming up, but I'm disappointed with them. They're way too big, and the ones my mom makes are better.
July 11, I had Orange Theory, did all my usual Saturday things, went to the pool (which was empty for a good chunk of time!), and went to see Indiana Jones at the theater with Matthew. Matthew's heart rate was super high during the movie, and we discovered it was his body's reaction to a bee sting he got while doing yard work. We were supposed to go to Provo that night for his cousin's birthday, but because his body wasn't reacting well to the bee sting, we ended up staying home. I picked us up some sushi, and we watched a movie.
Sunday, July 12, I walked, called my grandpa and Carmen, went to the pool, and went to the movies with Matthew again to see The Empire Strikes Back. I feel like going back to the movies should've made me happier, but the contrast to how things used to be versus how they are now still upsets me. It was a wasteland in there, and seeing an old movie instead of a new one made the whole experience sad. It made me long for normal life.
July 13, I was able to donate plasma again, finally. I need the money as I have a lot of new expenses currently, especially medical bills and car repairs. I had an appointment with my doctor to take a culture of the mucus in my face to see if we can find an antibiotic that can address my issue. I also had therapy that evening, which I wasn't emotionally charged enough for, but it ended up being really good. I also got Waffle Love after my appointment, but was disappointed with it. It was cold and dry and not the best waffle I've had, sadly. But it looked pretty.
Tuesday, July 14, I had to pick up some prescriptions so I ended up getting some new supplements at Wal-mart including Calm (sleep aid), Elderberry gummies, and ashwagandha. I spent a lot of time back and forth with my ENT and setting up a new appointment with an allergist. I tried to go to Trader Joe's, but the line was out the door, and I didn't need anything urgently. I made myself a pb&j for dinner. Matthew came over, and we started Schitt's Creek.
July 15 I donated plasma again. At work, we held our first Book Club meeting about Atomic Habits. It was fun. I had two other people in the conference room and probably five people on the conference line. I did a giveaway ($10 Amazon card). Matthew had a rough evening at work. But he stopped and got us each a soda and some Clark's Malasadas. Since I made myself a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich earlier, he made himself a grilled cheese for dinner. We've been trying to eat at home more often.
Thursday, July 16 I got to pay a lot of money for the brakes on my car to get redone. I have to remind myself that I don't have a car payment, and my car has been so good for me the last 11 years. It's not a waste to keep it up. Thankfully, the mechanic was able to give me a ride to work (in my own car), and I got a ride from a coworker to go pick it up. I made myself some Indian food for dinner, got soft serve, and watched Downton Abbey. I asked Matthew on a dinner date. I tried to watch a webinar about fertility and pregnancy, but Zoom froze up and wouldn't let me back in. That made me sad. I'm just trying to prepare and learn all I can for when the time comes.
Friday, I had an appointment at an allergy specialist. We had dinner at Sicilia Mia in Holladay. It was nice to go out, and the food was so delicious!
Saturday, July 18, I had Orange Theory at 8am. I did my normal Saturday things (laundry, cleaning, groceries) and went to the pool. We also went to various stores to look at engagement rings. I think he has a pretty good idea of what I like. We watched Aladdin and planned our Yellowstone trip.
July 19 was Matthew's cousin's birthday. We went to Ruth's for breakfast. I got waxed and also picked up something super awesome and important but can't say what it is because it's for my mom's Christmas present. I spent the rest of the day working on that and watching Downton Abbey. I did other miscellaneous things too like clean my bedroom blinds.
Tuesday, July 21, I tried a cardio kickboxing class at Vasa. After work I got Crumbl and visited my grandma for a few hours; we just chatted about life. It's such a weird time to be alive.
July 22 I picked up a few things at the store, tested the air mattress out, and did my best to pack for our Yellowstone trip. Most importantly, I got Waffle Love and watched Downton Abbey.
July 23 after work, we left my place at 6:40pm and didn't get to Idaho Falls until midnight due to traffic. We spent July 24-25 at Yellowstone, which got its own post here.
July 26, we drove home from Idaho Falls and got home a little after 1pm. I did laundry and unpacked. Matthew picked me up again a little before 5pm to go down to his brother's house for a family dinner.
Monday, July 27, I donated plasma, worked, watched Downton Abbey, and had therapy. Matthew asked me out for a Wednesday night dinner. I self-cared hard after therapy and ate chocolate cake in an epsom salt bath.
July 28 was an average day in general. Ate dinner at home and spent the evening with Matthew.
Wednesday, July 29 we went to Per Noi Trattoria for dinner and watched Schitt's Creek. Matthew put me to bed early. I was exhausted from early plasma donation. I woke up the next morning to a really sweet message on my white board.
July 30 was just a standard day. Except that during my evening workout, I realized my hip wasn't hurting. This was some kind of miracle, since my hip has been hurting since October or even before that. That night, I ate theater popcorn, I made a mug cake with homemade whipped cream, watched Downton Abbey.
Friday, July 31 was Harry Potter's birthday. I went to High Fitness in the morning. I wore a Harry Potter necklace and my Harry Potter face mask when I went into the store. I made Harry Potter treats that were called peanut butter bon bons. We ate bread sticks but not pizza because it was super old and gross. We went to Megaplex and watched the first Harry Potter movie at the theater! I got some bad news on this day, and it felt like a really long and hard day. But we have to find the gratitude and look forward to the good things.
In the early part of the month I struggled with terrible allergies. I've had a mucus problem for 7 months now, and it's usually clear. But with allergies it turns bright green. On top of using an antihistamine nose spray, I was struggling with fatigue so bad. My whole body hurt, and I had very low energy. Life in general has been a struggle, if we're being honest. But I'm diligent about a daily gratitude practice and try never to take all the blessings I have for granted.
Books in July were a little slower for me. I'm still in the middle of Little Women, which I'm not enjoying like I feel I should be.
I started How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, but took a break. I'll restart it next week. It's a lot for my brain.
The only book I started and finished in July was Atomic Habits by James Clear, for our company book club.
I started The Dutch House as well and am almost done with it.
I started The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and already know I will love it. It fits right into the box of all my favorite books this last year and a half (Eleanor Oliphant, Man Called Ove, Rosie Project, Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, etc.).
So I did start a lot of books in July and will hopefully have a lot more read in August.
Overall, I feel like July has emotionally been the most difficult this entire year. I found myself sad, emotional, and struggling quite a bit. But certainly Yellowstone was a highlight and helped lighten my soul.
In this last full month of summer (August), Matthew and I will hopefully get a few more campfires in as well as a hike, and maybe shooting. We also have our 1.5 year anniversary coming up this week, which I'm excited for. Here's to a happier (hotter) month.
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