Currently: July 2022

I am overwhelmed by the fact that it is the end of July.  I have no idea how time has gone so quickly this summer.  Part of that is because I was in a holding pattern with work, waiting on the June board meeting, and then suddenly everything just started cascading and happening all at once on June 28…  I have a lot of hiring to do, and truth be told, it is not an easy time to be hiring.  I presented at a conference this past week, came back for a few meetings and presentations, and POOF, it’s August and time for training.    

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Eating

A week ago, I went to the first Gelato Fest at Eataly with Larisa.  It was actually really fun, and we took a wine break in the middle of our gelato.  We were feeling adventurous and tried a few different sweet and savory flavors – tomato sorbet, anyone??  (That’s going to be a no from me.)  My favorite was probably the strawberry with balsamic vinegar or hazelnut gelato with gianduja, but both of those seem too easy.  I didn’t use all my tickets or try all the gelatos (who knew a gelato limit existed for me?!), so I’m trying to find a way for Michelle and I go again.  

Travel Planning

I’m hoping that we can make our anniversary trip this year.  Between my surgeries and things happening in the world, we haven’t been able to do much to celebrate with each other.  We have tickets purchased for September, and I’m hoping we can make it happen.  Our anniversary trip is supposed to come back through LHR, and I’m definitely thinking about trying to change that… but also, it might just be too expensive to worry about right now.  We have a long layover so that is a positive.  I feel very fortunate that we have not encountered too many travel snafus over the last few months.  We *almost* missed our flight home from Paris a few weeks ago because we didn’t totally think through how we wanted to get to the airport, but we made it (and so did our luggage).  I’ve flown to Philadelphia and Houston (twice) in the last two months, and my flights have been on time.  I’m hoping my luck continues this week.  

Photo Editing:

I’ve been going through our Alsace photos.  I finally finished my post on the Christmas markets in Colmar and Strasbourg and it was fun to go through it all again.  I still have a lot of photos to edit, but it did push me to do a little more.  I’m trying to finish a post on an Austria itinerary that I have been working on for several weeks, too.  Every day I think I’ll make time to write and not work, but I just haven’t been doing it.  I hate that I chain myself to my work in so many ways.  It seems hollow to say that I’ll do better at this point.  

Wearing:

I’ve been shopping the mid-season sales and found some great deals.  My favorite right now is an Emilia Wickstead shirt dress that I found with an additional discount, cash back, and used a merchandise credit for part of the cost.  I think it’s the perfect thing for the summer heat.  It’s made from Italian cotton and it feels incredible in the heat.  It is LITERALLY the most comfortable thing I own right now.  I also bought a few pairs of Oscar de la Renta wide-leg shorts on clearance that are made from a similar material.  I love them, too.  Given how many of 105+ degree days we’ve had lately, I’m just trying to stay comfortable and look relatively presentable.  

I did send this gorgeous aqua winter coat back because I just couldn’t decide if I liked it or I needed it after a week of 100+ degree days.  I tried for a week and decided to send it back.  If it’s meant to be, it will be there when it cools down. 

Loving:

That we randomly stumbled upon a Venetian festival in Riquewihr, France.  That I went to pastry school in Paris for a week.  That our air conditioning is mostly standing up to the extreme heat.  That I get to celebrate another year of Tom this weekend, even if he doesn’t actually want to celebrate at all.  That I was reunited with two of my favorite people at a work event this week.    

That I can continue to see the good, even when things are hard.