August Favorites

What a whirlwind month August was!

We were busy but not. Hah. There was lots going on but somehow the month still felt low key. It was great.

And now, I feel finally ready to say goodbye to summer. By the time we get to August, I am kind of over it. I know. Controversial statement. I’m just ready for the crisp, cool weather to settle in, football to start, and the routine of school for my kids.

August was the month of concerts for me. Early in the month, Dan and I went to see two of my favorite artists: Andrew McMahon and Dashboard Confessional. From ages 18-22, they dominated all my music listening. The concert was a dream come true – I had seen both of them perform in the past (like, 20 years ago!), but it reawakened something in me. I’ve been revisiting a lot of the music I used to listen to back then, and damn, it’s good stuff.

My sister and her husband went to the same concert at a different venue, and she is equally obsessed. SO! On a total whim, we decided to road trip to Virginia to see them again! It was SO worth it. We were in the third row, and not only did Chris Carrabba smile at us a few times (for real! I may have actually swooned), but Andrew McMahon came into the audience and stood on my chair while singing! Talk about an out-of-body experience. We were on cloud 9! Best concert experience to date.

THEN! We went to see Goo Goo Dolls with my parents, and that was also such a blast. They sound incredible live. It was such a good show.

In addition to all my concert-going, we had a bunch of BBQs and pool days. We squeezed in lots of lazy movie days, too.

Kieran’s baseball schedule is about to pick up again. He’s also playing flag football. So, August was a nice break from all the sports schedule stuff. We’re about to get back into the swing of things (no pun intended, hah), for sure.

The kids had their first day of school last week. Kieran started third grade (what?!?!), and Finn had his first day of full-time preschool. Our township offers a 3- and 4-year-old preschool program, and he got accepted!

It’s wonderful and bittersweet at the same time. I had him home with me a couple days a week, and I know I will miss having my one-on-one time with my little buddy. It will be so good for him to be in a more formal program, though. We feel very lucky.

My cool dudes.

And that about wraps it up. BRING ON FALL! Here are some things we’ve been loving this past month.

1. Let’s start out with my reading list. Once again, I’ve been blowing through books like crazy this year. August was no exception. I read By a Thread by Lucy Score and enjoyed it! Predictable but good. I also started the Briar Off-Campus Hockey Series by Elle Kennedy: The Deal, The Mistake, and The Score. I absolutely LOVE this series so far, and I’m moving onto the next books shortly. Each book gets better than the last, and I love when that happens. I also read Meghan Quinn’s newest: Royally Not Ready and thought it was great. Up next on my list: the Drive series by Kate Stewart and Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Mass. ACOTAR remains my favorite book series to date, so I am hoping TOG will hold up!
2. Dan and I absolutely loved The Gray Man movie on Netflix! We’ve watched it a bunch already. We love action/spy movies, and this one holds up. Ryan Gosling is incredible.
3. I also watched The Partner Track on Netflix and loved it. Such a cute series! It reminds me of a female-focused Suits. Very good and easy to binge. Next up on our list: the GOT and LOTR prequel series. I’ll report back.
4. I finally got my hands on some Elmhurst Pistachio Crème Oat Creamer. I have been on the hunt for this stuff for months, and none of my local stores carries it. I got it through Thrive Market and adore it. I prefer it in iced coffee over hot. It’s delightful. Not too sweet with a good almondy-pistachio flavor.
5. For over 10 years, I’ve been getting regular gel manicures. I was finally ready to try something different, so I went with acrylic tips with gel dip in a French ombre color, and I am obsessed. I love the almond shape and having length. I feel very girly and fun, but the length is not too much to interfere with daily life. I will stick with this trend for a bit, I think!

6. We are so late to the game on this one, but we finally got our hands on the internet-famous Dot’s pretzels. My sister made me try them, and goodness, they are ADDICTING. Super seasoned and savory. Yum. Dan and I love snacking on these. I bought jumbo bags on Amazon. Oops.
7. I bought this all-in-one charger for my bedside table, and I love it so far. It charges my phone, apple watch, and earbuds all at once, and I love the upright display for the phone. It helps in the early morning when my phone alarm clock is going off. It’s cute and doesn’t take up a lot of space on my table.
8. I finally gave into the hype and bought a Stanley 40 oz tumbler. I bought mine at Whole Foods on a whim, and I’m obsessed. I use it all the time and get annoyed when I have to switch to another cup for washing purposes. It holds 40 oz of water but isn’t bulky. It fits in my car cup holder, has a built-in handle, and keeps things super cold. BIG fan. I get the hype.
9. I’ve been sticking to my hot yoga habit and going 2-3 times per week. I’ve bought numerous yoga mat spray and wipes, and while they’re great, I run out fast. So, I made my own using this recipe and it’s amazing. Not only does it make a ton (I keep mine in a large glass spray bottle), but I can customize the scents with my wide array of essential oils. Game changer.
10. One thing that happens in our household way more than it should is dirty dishes getting loaded into a dishwasher full of clean ones. Argh. To help, I bought one of these cute magnets, and it’s doing the trick so far! A silly thing that actually turned out to be useful.

I hope everyone has a successful transition into fall and a new school year. Xoxo!

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