Hi, friends! It’s the end of May! This is particularly exciting if you are a teacher or work a teacher’s schedule. That means my wake ups won’t be quite as early, and I won’t have to be in charge of twenty little people at any given time. Basically, I get to live my best life. 🙂 Technically, I’ll still have to set an alarm (trying to make exercise a real thing now that I’m almost mid-30s), and I’ll be checking in with my mama on the regular now that she’s broken her ankle and has to be off of it for most of the summer. But it isn’t lost on me how blessed I am to have the summer off and not have to go to my actual job every day. #perksofbeingateacher
Paul Turns 32
May started on a high note with Paul’s birthday on the 2nd. We had dinner with his parents and then the next night with my parents. Basically lots of food and family time which is how we like to spend our birthdays anyway.
Books I Read
I finished four books this month and am almost finished with the last one- the important one- the book club one.
I first read The Break Down by B.A. Paris. A while back I read her first book, Behind Closed Doors that sparked a book report of sorts. It was very thought provoking. I “read” The Break Down as an audiobook which was quite nice, but I wasn’t prompted to think as deeply with this one. That being said, I quite liked it and highly recommend it if you are into the psychological thrillers like I am. I didn’t see the twist coming, and I love when that happens in a book.
Next I read Hatchet by Gary Paulson. My last class of the day has snack while they are with me, and they have it at the end of the day before going home. We started making it a thing that I would read aloud to them. They all voted and chose Hatchet. I remember reading this in elementary or middle school and was excited to visit it again with students of my own. I managed to leave them with a cliffhanger on the daily, so it was lots of fun to torture them a little, too.
Next we read The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison as a class. Again, they voted on it, and it was a cute little story about growing up and not always being the cool kid. I had to skip a few parts that were a little over their heads, but the message of the book was not lost on them. Most of the students knew the author from his YouTube videos and were interested to hear more. I’m glad I read this one.
I also “read” (audiobook) The Other Woman by Sandi Jones. Like a lot of the books I read or listen to, I found this one through Reese Witherspoon’s book club. I was very excited and had heard her rave about how great it was. But I ended up not loving this one. I was intriguing and definitely would make a great miniseries on HBO, but when the big twist was revealed I was like, really? It seemed a little far fetched and ridiculous if I’m being honest. Like, that would never happen. I did enjoy that it kept me guessing and kept me interested, but I didn’t love the ending.
Finally, I’m working on Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, and I am flat out loving this book. It is such a beautiful love story with such incredible Cuban history, a history I didn’t know much about. It’s told through the eyes of a grandmother and granddaughter and bounces back and forth in time. Her writing is exquisite; the descriptions of feelings, emotions, and Cuba make you get all caught up in your feelings. Thank you, Jehle, for letting me borrow it, and you better believe I’ll be asking to borrow the sequel. I can’t wait for book club to see if everyone else loves it as much as I do.
Met Gala
Y’all know I love a good fashion moment, and the Met Gala always delivers on the good fashion. It delivers on the crazy fashion, too. The theme this year was Camp. Here were some of the looks from the night.
Countercontrol Products from Beautycounter
Back at Christmas I ordered a gift set that included some of the Countercontrol products, and I was excited to give them a try. I was really liking the Clear Pore Cleanser that came in the set, but it was just a travel size, so I was pretty excited to give it a go in the full size. I also really committed to using the Matte Effect Gel Cream which is the line’s moisturizer. I also made great use of the SOS Acne Spot Treatment during this rather stressful last month of the school year. I’m working on an updated skincare post, so I’ll share more later, but overall these products are my favorite skincare line from Beautycounter.
Newest Shoe Obsession
It’s no surprise that I have a thing for shoes. I particularly have a thing for SJP Collection shoes which are beautifully crafted and so much fun, and I think I’ve found my next pair. The only problem is that I think they’re only available in the Middle East boutiques and in the Dominican Republic. I’m unclear of the transcontinental shipping availability, but maybe she’ll bring them stateside soon. There’s a boutique in Biloxi. That would be convenient.
Game of Thrones Finale
I probably should have made this a post all of it’s own because I have all the thoughts, but I’m not that big of a super fan…not really, anyway. My GOT journey started one summer where Paul and I binged seasons 1-6. We watched season 7 in real time and then waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally season 8 premiered last April and we watched. I’m still trying to process everything. I’m mostly okay with how it all ended except for a few things, but those people that signed a petition to redo season 8 are total jerks. If you want a different outcome, write fan fiction. I cannot even imagine the work and sacrifice it took to film and edit this season. Each episode was nearly film-length, and they were all expertly done. I’ve never seen any TV show done to that caliber. It was fantastic.
Now that I’m off my soap box, can we talk about episode 3 with the battle at Winterfell? I dreamed of being in battle all night long and needed an IV of caffeine that Monday. Might have needed some therapy after all the emotional trauma and anxiety I experienced. Anyone else? And again after episode 5 when they got to King’s Landing? Geez.
One more thing about GOT and I promise I’m done. If you are going to rewatch the entire series or just season 8, I highly suggest you listen to the podcast Oysters, Clams, and Cockles. It is a scene by scene breakdown of every single episode, and I have never analyzed a show more or been more involved in one as I have with GOT because of this podcast. Ross and Barrett are hilarious hosts and very intuitive about all things GOT. However, they’re now tackling more shows since GOT has ended. I’m mostly excited about them discussing Chernobyl and Big Little Lies on HBO. They said they’d also be breaking down Stranger Things once it is released on Netflix. I’m pumped!
Speaking of Podcasts
I have a podcast, you guys! My friend, Anne came to a few of us girls and suggest we stat one. Low and behold it all came to fruition, and we have a legit podcast. It’s called Adults (By 40). You can read about how it came to be here. And you can listen to it here. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We are so excited about it and can’t wait to keep giving you more content. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget to give us a good review.
Paint Your Pet Night at Artitude on Main
Y’all, I cannot tell you how much I love this. I know I’m not a professional artist, and Stacey could have done so much better, but she knew I could do it, encouraged me, and I will literally treasure this painting for the rest of my life. The next time she has a paint night that suits your interest, you have to sign up and go.
I know May can be so busy for people because of graduations and weddings and all the things, but I wish you a restful June and hope that your air conditioners keep working to their full potential. 🙂 What was good about your May?
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