currently loving

Currently Loving- June 2017

CURRENTLY LOVING

How is June over?! That means summer is halfway over. For teachers July always means you have to really start thinking about school again. Because, contrary to popular belief, teachers really do have to do work in the summer. There’s a lot of planning and putting your classroom back together. It’s no joke. So don’t hate on your teacher friends during the summer. They do a lot of stuff in those two months to prepare for your kiddos to come into their classrooms the next school year (on their days off, no less).

Watermelon

Another favorite this month- watermelon. Oh my goodness. There’s a man selling watermelons for $10 across the street from the country club, and I first thought it was steep for a watermelon, but I’ve changed my tune because they are absolutely worth every penny. Watermelon is maybe my favorite thing ever about summer. So delicious!

The Tony Awards

It’s no surprise to people who know me that I love award shows. I am a major lover of The Golden Globes, The SAG Awards, and The Oscars. But probably my most favorite award show is The Tony Awards which honors the accomplishments of people in theater. I have been fortunate to see Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway. I saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway as well on Mr. W.S. Godwin’s trip he used to take every year to D.C and New York. I was thirteen years old and did not know how huge this was to see such icons on stage. I wish I had kept the Playbills! And then while in Louisiana I was able to see Wicked when it toured through New Orleans. Holy crap! When is this movie coming out so more people can love it?! Someone please make a movie!!!

The reason the Tony’s are one of my favorite things is because Ben Platt, the lead actor in Dear Evan Hansen won for best actor in a musical. You may remember him as Benji, the weird roommate of Jesse in Pitch Perfect. He performed in their finale in the first movie and reprises his role in Pitch Perfect 2.

Google Images/ Click the image for a link to his acceptance speech.

But during his acceptance speech at The Tony’s he said, “The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful.”

I thought that was such a profound statement. Perhaps I’ve watched too many teenage/high school dramas lately, but being strange is often something that really hurts people and something they try to hide because others don’t seem to understand their “weird”. But Ben says to do it anyway. And I agree. If you’re the theater nerd in your group of friends and they think that’s crazy, let them think that. One day, that strange thing is going to help you do something that makes you happy. I’m here doing it now by writing a blog that probably only a handful of people read.(Thanks, Mom, Mrs. Robyn, Aunt Sharon, and Christy) 🙂 Ha! But you know what? I don’t care. If it makes me strange then that’s okay, because who knows? One day it could be the most powerful thing I’ve ever done.

Google Images/ This is actually an image from a blanket. I need it!

Home Improvements

My next two favorites come in the form of home improvements. I don’t go too many places over the summer. This is a pretty busy time for Paul’s line of work, so I spend a lot of time at home relaxing, reading, watching Netflix (I’ve gotten into even more shows, y’all.) I think I’ve officially got a problem. But I also get projects on my list out of the way in the summer because I have lots of time to do it. So, I can’t let June go by without mentioning my two favorite home improvements:

The Rug Switcheroo

The Leopard Curtains

More TV

So, I said I’ve gotten into more shows, but one that I’m rediscovering as an adult is Designing Women. Y’all…..I can’t get enough! It is so witty, and I am loving the strong woman that is Julia Sugarbaker. She is fierce. And how funny is that show? I know some of y’all remember it, and if you don’t, just search it on your cable box. I bet it’ll give you the times and channel that it’s on. And look at that 80s hair and fashion! Love!

Google Images/ Click this picture for a link to a “Where are they now?” article.

The Shack

I also have to reiterate my love of The Shack. I posted a review of it on Thursday, but it has been sticking with me since I finished the book. And I encourage you to watch the movie too. The library here has it available to check out for one night. And it’s free! Support your local library!

Professional Golfer

Cam with his mom and dad, Todd and Ginger.

Lastly, I was able to watch my husband’s cousin win his first professional golf event. Paul has been coaching him through videos, countless texts and phone calls, and every now and then in person while Cam was at college and we were in Louisiana. It was great when we moved back that they could do more lessons in person. So when Cam went to the regional competition for the NCAA and then on to the national championship competition in Chicago, it’s an understatement to say how proud of him we were. Cam knew he wanted to go the pro route, and Paul has been able to be there every step of the way since we’ve moved back. It’s been a lot of fun to watch. Then Cam was able to win his first event as a pro! I shared a golf cart with Paul and his Aunt Ginger, Cam’s mom, to see him win, and it was very cool. I feel very honored to have been allowed to be there. I’m not sure if Cam knows how proud Paul is. He didn’t stop laughing and smiling until we got home from the tournament. He was in the best mood and all because he was so happy for Cam. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for this guy. He’s the real deal, y’all!

So, my June was fun. How about yours? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Here’s to another month in the books and to a great July!

Currently Loving-March 2017

Can it be April already? I feel like this has been the fastest year ever. In an effort to slow down and reflect on this past month and what I enjoyed, I’ve come up with a list of things that I would like to share with you. My hope is that these things bring some happiness into your life as well.

One thing I’ve recently discovered (and I know I’m a little late to this party) is Kari Jobe’s new album The Garden. If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to this mega-talented woman sing, please go to YouTube and have a quick listen, then head over to iTunes and download The Garden or any of her other amazing music. I tend to listen to praise and worship music during nap time at school and one day I was scrolling through my usual list of instrumental praise music and decided I wanted to listen to some Kari. (Sidenote: Her Pandora station is pretty fantastic too.) There was a playlist for The Garden, so I decided to listen. I’m so glad I did. The song, “The Garden”, almost had me in tears. It’s so beautiful. It will bless your soul. Go listen!

Switching gears to beauty. I got Sarah Jessica Parker’s new perfume, Stash, for Christmas. I’m still loving it. It’s technically a unisex fragrance. I love it so much for myself, though, that I’d be intrigued to smell it on a man. There’s a warmth to it that I just love. I wear it day and night but like to spritz on a little extra when going out in the evening. It’s just so lovely. Stash is sold at Ulta and is available in a rollerball if you’d like to try it without committing to a whole bottle. I know fragrance is so individual, but if you like warmer scents, you might like this one.

Can we just talk about these for a second? Perhaps my favorite candy of all time. Let’s just say that I love them so much I’ve been known to say that these better be in Heaven when I get there.

This month brought the return of Designated Survivor. We recorded the show when it originally started but never got around to watching it. One night when our DVR was cleared of everything else that we watch, we pushed play and were hooked. The season premier was so great and last week’s episode!! Y’all!! Are you watching too? You need to go catch up if not!

Paul’s not a huge movie watcher, but if I can get a “guy movie” in his sights, he’s going to at least consider it. Cue Hacksaw Ridge. Mel Gibson may have a reputation of being a bit crazy, but the man can make a movie. It is a war movie with its fair share of gore, but the story was so beautiful. And one I had never heard before. It tells the story of Army Medic Desmond Doss and his heroic actions to save 75 of his fellow soldiers ALONE. He did all of this without firing a single weapon and was awarded a Medal of Honor. It was an inspiring story of standing up for what you believe in and not backing down even when the odds are tremendously stacked against you. It’s a must watch.

I’m a pretty avid reader, well, more so in the summer than during the school year, but from August through May I like to listen to audio books. This month I listened to The Girl in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Boy, was it a good one! I am not a scary movie person or a ghost story person. Not once in Louisiana did I want to go on one of those ghost tours in New Orleans or in St. Francisville. When I watched The Grudge in college, I was so thankful that my dorm roommate was not in town because I slept with the lights on for three nights. I do not do scary stuff. This book, though it had some scary parts, is a thriller which is slightly less scary to me. I can do thrillers most of the time. This one is about a woman who goes on a cruise and thinks she hears and sees something horrible, but when she tells the people in charge of the cruise, no one believes her. Everyone thinks she’s crazy…or do they? That’s all I can say because I don’t want to give anything away if you’re intrigued and want to read it. If this is your genre, you’ll like it. I did figure out the ending before it all unfolded, but that’s okay. I got to have that moment of victory in the last chapter when my suspicions were confirmed.

As a teacher I am so fortunate to get to still have a Spring Break. It was glorious to sleep in and be lazy. That’s me in PJs and slippers mid-morning.

I finished a series I was watching on Amazon called Z: The Beginning of Everything about Zelda Fitgerald. I didn’t know she was originally from Montgomery. Thought that was pretty cool. It was a fun show, and I love that it’s a period piece. I am a sucker for that 1920’s fashion. Zelda was a real spit-fire, and I kind of liked that about her.

I also got to go shopping with my mom to a new store (well, new to us) called At Home. Y’all, it was like Heaven. We had made our way around the store, though not all the way through, and I stopped and looked at my mom and said, “This is what Heaven is going to be like for me: home decor, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Jesus.”

March also brought a reunion with some very special old friends. I have been friends with these people for nearly 20 years. They are the kind of friends that even though all four of us hadn’t been together in almost seven years, we fell right back into our pattern of easy conversation, jokes, and hilarity that may or may not have involved a belt that contracts your abs for you. We went around the circle talking about our current life situations including jobs, relationships, children, and even some crazy neighbors one of us has-I mean REALLY crazy. It was good for my soul to see these people that feel like family, and I pray we get to do it again before seven more years passes us by.

Well, that’s what I’m loving this month. Have any of you also discovered some of my favorites from March? Do you have some great music, books, beauty items, or T.V. shows you are loving lately? Tell me about them in the comments. I hope March was great to you and here’s to an even better April.