Monthly Roundup: July Favorites

Oh man. July was… wow.

This month had some really tough, really sad, and really stressful moments.

My friend shared a quote the other day that stood out to me. “Things can be bad and God still be good.”

This is the hope and truth I cling to. Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, but God is sovereign through it all.

Although July was a roller coaster, there were some really special moments that I want to remember and share with you. Here are a few of my favorite things from July.

{ONE} Independence Day get together

Luke and I decided last minute to host a little family get together for July 4th. It was a lot of fun, even though it rained off and on. I was not planning on buying Lucy an outfit but I found a dog tutu in Target’s dollar section and it is, quite literally, the best $5 ever spent. I’ve had the flag shirt from Old Navy for years so I decided to be “that girl” and match my dog. But can you blame me? Look at that picture! The tutu fit Lucy perfectly and I swear she loves dressing up.

{TWO} Business Minded by Carly Riordan

I mentioned this in last week’s post but my favorite blogger wrote a book! I haven’t even read it yet (it comes out in November) but you bet I preordered it. Carly is the girl who inspired me to get into blogging 10+ years ago and I’ve loved following along as she got engaged, married, and now is expecting her first baby.

{THREE} Beach days

I’m very thankful that my job gives its employees Fridays off in the summer! Last summer it seemed to rain every Friday so I spent most of them at home (plus, you know, the pandemic). But this year, it’s been sunny and beautiful almost every Friday so Luke and I have been taking advantage of the weather and going to the beach whenever we can. It’s lovely to hear the ocean waves while reading a good book. I’ll definitely miss it once fall rolls around.

{FOUR} Visiting local coffee shops

I shared my local coffee shop bucket list a few weeks ago and I’ve been loving visiting local coffee shops whenever I can. When possible, I ask the barista what he/she recommends and go with that. It helps me get out of my coffee routine and so far, their picks have been amazing!

{FIVE} How I Met Your Mother

One of our New Year’s Resolutions that we’ve successfully kept so far is to only watch TV on the weekends. I’ve come to appreciate this change in routine and it makes watching TV even more exciting, as lame as that might sound. Luke and I recently watched all seasons of Queer Eye and we decided to start watching How I Met Your Mother this weekend. Seriously, how did it take us THIS long to discover HIMYM?! We’ve never watched more than a few episodes before now but we’re officially hooked. Can’t wait to watch more episodes this weekend!

{SIX} Worship night in the sanctuary

A year ago this month, our sanctuary was set on fire. Although we are in the process of rebuilding it, the church hosted a worship night in the sanctuary. It was an acoustic set and truly an indescribable experience to worship in the space that is literally stripped bare. We sang, prayed for the future of our church, and came together to show that the church is not just a building. The Church is wherever two or more are gathered to worship Jesus.