Monthly Roundup: May Favorites

It’s almost the unofficial start of summer and I am so excited. Luke and I have a fun trip coming up and I’ve been counting down the days until it’s vacation mode.

In years past, May has been an okay month. Nothing super exciting, nothing terrible. Just okay.

This year, though, May was pretty great! To prep for monthly roundup blog posts, I usually have a running blog post draft that I add to throughout the month so I don’t forget things I want to mention. I’m glad I did that for this month because I would’ve definitely forgotten about some of the little things that happened!

Keep reading for a fun little story from this past week!

{ONE} Front Yard Update

We tackled the front porch and yard this month and I couldn’t be more excited! I love all the flowers and bright colors we have going on. It not only “upped” our curb appeal, but now it’s a fun and relaxing space I use pretty regularly. My favorite thing is hanging out on the porch to work or read (while drinking coffee, of course). I wrote all about the transformation process in a recent post: Our Front Yard Transformation.

{TWO} Library Reopening

I love the library. I don’t care if that’s nerdy or uncool to say. I’m obsessed. When I realized last year that there’s one a few miles from my house (a 5-minute car ride), I was so excited. It’s been curbside pickup-only since the beginning of COVID, but when I went to grab my book a week or so ago, I realized it had officially reopened! I went inside for the first time and my inner book nerd’s day was made. Can’t wait to go back!

{THREE} The Last Blockbuster documentary

I love documentaries. When I saw The Last Blockbuster on Netflix, I was intrigued. There is only one Blockbuster left in the entire world and it’s located in Bend, Oregon. To this little community, Blockbuster is the greatest thing on earth. Seeing the inside of the store brought back memories of when I was little. Pretty cool documentary to check out if you have a chance!

{FOUR} Bible Study

I mentioned this a few months ago, but my church hosted a weekly women’s Bible study from March - May. We read Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund and it was incredible. I looked forward to Wednesday night Bible study and loved the conversation we had about the book. It definitely provided a renewed view of Jesus’ character and spirit. Highly recommend the book if you get the opportunity to read it.

{FIVE} New Bloom Vision Planner

I caved. My current Bloom planner goes until June but to celebrate finishing my first grad class, I bought a new planner! I purchased the 2021-22 Vision Planner in Daydream Believer. It doesn’t start until July but it makes me happy, okay? I’ve already started writing future plans in it; I couldn’t help myself. I love the feeling of opening a new planner (or notebook) and seeing all the blank pages.

{SIX} Target Bathing Suits

I admit: I hate bathing suit shopping. I don’t know anyone who loves it but every summer, I dread it. There’s no specific reason, but there’s something about trying on bathing suits that makes me want to just choose the first one I see and call it a day.

Enter: Target. Their bathing suits are the real MVP. I’ve found the most flattering cuts and styles at Target and they’re reasonably priced. I’ve tried other stores but never had the best experience and always left feeling down on myself. Target has styles for every body type and I really appreciate that. They also give you the option to buy pieces separately instead of as sets, and I love that you can mix and match while staying in your budget. Win-win!

{SEVEN} Engagement Ring Miracle

This is a longer highlight but stick with me!

This past weekend, Luke and I helped my brother rip out carpet in his basement. As we were taking out the trash to the nearest dumpster, my ring snagged on a trash bag but I didn’t think much of it. I looked at my ring to make sure it was fine, it was good, and so I went on with my life. After we helped Jeremy (my brother), Luke and I stopped by my father-in-law’s house to pick up Lucy (she was having a doggy play date with his dogs) and we came home.

The next day was Monday so I was working from home and happened to glance down at my engagement ring. One of the smaller diamonds was GONE. My heart dropped. It was just GONE. And I had no idea where it went or how long it had been missing. This is literally something I’ve had nightmares about and it was actually happening. I called Luke immediately, trying not to panic but also very upset, and he talked me off the ledge. “We’ll find it,” he said. “Or if we don’t, we can always replace it. It’s okay.”

Throughout the day, I took mini breaks throughout my work day to literally crawl on all fours around our house and yard. Lucy looked at me like I was crazy and avoided me completely as I crawled around staring at every speck of dirt and crumb that was in our house (apparently we need to vacuum more often).

Later that night, I had a dreaded feeling that it may be near Jeremy’s house, or by the dumpster when we threw away all the trash bags. It wasn’t until Lucy was outside doing her business that I had a pit in my stomach. What if she had eaten it? I said a silent prayer: Lord, I know this is all going to be okay, but I really don’t want to find the diamond in Lucy’s poop.

Thankfully at that moment, Luke’s dad texted me. “Look what I found on my kitchen rug!”

And there it was.

A photo of the diamond I’d been searching for all day. The one that I had just prayed wasn’t in Lucy’s poop. Thank you, Jesus, for answering that prayer!!

It must’ve gotten loose when my ring got stuck on the trash bag, and fallen out at my father-in-law’s house when we retrieved Lucy from her play date.

I’ve never been so relieved to get a text. I stared at the photo and started smiling like an idiot and laughing as the reality set in. Lucy definitely thinks I’m crazy now.

I’m so thankful he found it before we went to search around dumpsters. And, I’m very, VERY thankful the text came BEFORE I garnered enough courage to dissect my dog’s excrements. Hallelujah.

So, with that said, here’s your friendly reminder to take OFF your jewelry before doing house projects. I usually do and this was the ONE TIME I didn’t. #LessonLearned