Have I Told You Lately - July

I decided to change things up a little and “update” my Lately posts. Hope you enjoy!

Eating - Another month filled with all the goodness! We started the month in Lancaster and had so much delicious food! We started at Dockside Willie's, bought chocolate buds at Wilbur's Chocolates, tasted a Blue Butterfly Latte at The Speckled Hen and finally got to sample Taylor Chip Cookies - which were delicious but man, they were a LOT.

The best part of our weekend in Lancaster was finally getting to eat at C.R. Lapp's (the restaurant belongs to Ryan's cousin) and taste the famous chicken corn soup and apple dumplings... and we brought home the chicken pie, which was amazing!

I split some really delicious Schaffer's BBQ with Ryan on a Friday night picnic, including a BBQ eggroll that was new & delicious! I took some epic Strites Donuts to hang out with Katie and I also whipped up a delicious Chicken Fajita Pasta one night! Lastly, my Mom and I spent 24 hours in the Charlottesville area and enjoyed gelato and a divine supper from The Champion Ice House!

Drinking - Well y'all. *sigh* I've gotten to a place where I need to drop about ten pounds before my wedding (I don't have to but I'd like to) and so now I am eating... or should I say drinking.. Slim Fast twice a day. I don't hate it, so that's good. And here's hoping that it will help me achieve my goals

Reading - I read a variety of books this month, there’s something for everyone! *cheering* I started the month with Hide (the thrills & chills book) by Kiersten White, and I was really excited to read this… and it kind of let me down. The plot follows 14 people chosen to compete in a winner takes all hide & seek championship in an abandoned amusement park, but when people start disappearing, the real game is revealed. Sounds thrilling, right? It was excellent – until the end because it just ended. There was no resolution – it just ended. *sigh*

The second book this month is Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (the romance book) by Julia Quinn and it’s the fourth in the Bridgerton series! The book follows Penelope and Colin as they fall in love, and it might be my favorite book in the Bridgeton series yet! Which is really exciting since the third season of Bridgerton will be based on this book – I can’t wait!

 

The third book of the month was called Everything Sad is Untrue (the semi-biographical/dramatic book) by Daniel Nayeri and was my favorite read of the month. The book is told from the point of view of young boy who is a refugee from Iran, living in Oklahoma. He tells his life story (so far) from the memories he has of life in Iran, Italy and then in Oklahoma and honestly – it really made me think about the life of refugees and people who come to our country as immigrants. It was only at the end of the book that I realized that the book was semi-biographical as the author explained in his bio.

The final book of the month is You’re Invited (the murder mystery) by Amanda Jayatissa. I'm only about six chapters in but so far, I'm intrigued! I'll update you more on this next month!

Watching - Well… I have found three shows that have occupied my time (our time) in the last few months: The Chosen, Alone and Super Store! We have drama, reality TV and comedy – lovely! Ryan and I finished the second season of The Chosen in the middle of the month, and it truly is such a moving and masterful telling of the life of Jesus! We stumbled on Alone and devoured the first season; watching people be left in the wilderness to survive on their own know how and skills, left all alone! Lastly – Ryan has watched some of Super Store before and introduced me to it and I was immediately hooked! The storyline is interesting, and the humor is perfection! I love it! 

The movies this month... I'm sad to say, were nonexistent! Three movies I really want to see came out this month (Thor: Love & Thunder, Where the Crawdads Sing & Elvis) but I just didn't get the chance to get to the theater to see any of them. *sigh* I am planning to see Elvis on Tuesday night, so at least I'm chipping away at my list?

Loving - I'm loving that the countdown to the wedding is almost in the double digits! It truly does seem like time is flying and before we know it, wedding time will be here! My Mom and I spent some time in Charlottesville just last weekend picking up my dress - after two visits for alterations, she finally fits like a glove and is back at home. The dress will need a nice steam and it will be good to go! 

The invitations are currently being addressed and they are looking spectacular (see a sneak peek above). We will spend a chunk of time the weekend of August 12th - 14th getting them all packaged up and then they will be on their way on Monday, August 15th! I can't believe we are just over three months away from our big day! I am loving how (so far) everything is coming together and I can't wait to be able to take in all the fun, excitement and joy of our rehearsal dinner and big day (and the bachelorette weekend).

Wanting - I am on the hunt for the perfect dress (or outfit) to wear to our rehearsal dinner! I've already taken care of the dress for the big day, so now I just need to find something to wear for the evening before the big day! If you read this and you have suggestions - let me know! We are planning a trip over to Tyson's to see what they might have to offer...

Quoting - “What you believe about the future will change how you live in the present.” – Daniel Nayeri

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Y'all. There are only five months left in this year. Does anyone else feel like this year has been speeding by? Five months left and only 104 days left till the wedding!