Best of June

Welcome to the latest installment of my monthly favorites.

June Faves

The world is a different place since the last time a monthly favorites post went up. The United States, specifically, has undergone a serious shift.

Since George Floyd was murdered on May 25, justified chaos has erupted. Life, which was already paused to a certain extent, stopped moving. Protests, riots, social media demonstrations, and Black voices took center stage, taking up much needed space.

Black lives matter.

The past month has been busy for me. Yup, my personal life has been raging, especially since picking up our new puppy Wally, celebrating Chad’s 26th birthday, seeing friends and family (as responsibly as possible, since COVID is still a threat), and continuing to work on our new house. But the true busyness has come from pausing, listening, and learning. I’ve spent June trying to be a better ally and feminist and I’ve got quite a ways to go, but being anti-racist has been at the top of my to-do list.

Every day, my goal is to learn something new. I invite you to do the same. Because, as a white person and a human being, I have a responsibility to think outside of my existence, consider my privilege, and speak up. White silence is violence.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
– Desmond Tutu

And with that, here are my top picks for the month of June.

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Business Venture: Content Writing

Okay, here’s a #reallife update: I no longer have my PR job. As it turns out, a global pandemic is not totally compatible with the tourism industry. Since June I’ve been “fun-employed,” relying on my side-gig freelance writing job and applying for as many PR/marketing/editing jobs as possible.

After countless applications, cover letters, interviews, and rejections, I decided to invest more of my time into my own content writing business. I beefed up my media kit, nailed down prices, and sent out “cold call” emails; I’m in talks with new clients now! Sunshine Creatives specializes in website blogging and social media, and I’m so excited to see where it goes. Cheers to the future!

Check out my new business site at sunshinecreativesllc.com.

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Hike: West Colorow Trail

For a little date night, Chad and I decided to escape to a local trail. We hiked the West Colorow Trail in New Castle, which was about 3-ish miles. It crossed from west to east, with expansive views of our town. It was a sweet little evening escape.

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Pup Update

As of today, our sweet little monster Wally is 11 weeks old! Holy cow! He grows and grows; every time I look at him it feels like his legs are a little longer, his ears are hanging lower, and his teeth are somehow sharper (probably not, but tell that to my arms and hands, lol).

We love him! Wally is smart and can sit, stay, shake, and chase us around like the best of them. He’s goofy and a little uncoordinated and absolutely loves to bite and play. We’ve signed him up for some puppy classes that begin tomorrow, and I’m excited for him to get to socialize with some actual dogs.

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Treat: Rice Crispy Bars

I made some ooey-gooey rice crispy treats for Chad’s birthday this month. They were delicious and didn’t last very long. The key was doubling the marshmallows. Yum!

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Fitness Fad: Couch to 5k

I’m all about this app, Couch to 5k, which is all about transitioning from non-runner to non-stop runner (for a little over 3 miles). It’s interval training, incorporating a cycle of walking and jogging that progressively becomes more difficult. It’s been a challenge, but I hope to get through it!

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Home Project: Gallery Wall

I’m super proud of this gallery wall that I put together. I have plans to update it later with larger, matted frames. For now, it’s a beautiful ode to our family. (I wrote a post about it, linked below.)

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Family Moment: Meet Atlas

My brother and his wife had a baby! Atlas Theodore Nelson, my sweet nephew, joined Spencer, Mary, and Everest on June 8, 2020. I can’t wait to meet him and I’m so happy to have another kiddo in the family to call me “Auntie Boo.”

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Drink: Pura Vida

My good friend Bobby served up some delicious cocktails this month. The “Pura Vida,” inspired by Bobby’s honeymoon to Costa Rista, was a delicious and fruity concoction made with different types of juices, vodka, and orange liquor.

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Throwback: Yearbook Moment

In a moment of nostalgia, I decided to whip out some of my old yearbooks from elementary school. When I was looking at a collage page, I noticed a familiar face, not far from my own. Chad and I were both featured in some awkward photos on the page. Enjoy. 🙂

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June in Posts

This month, as usual, I had two posts per week. Here are the details if you’ve missed them.

• 5 gifts for pet lovers. This sponsored content is all about amazing gifts for pet owners and lovers.
• The Vincent Ehindero Blogger Award. I was nominated for a blogging award. Here are my answers and nominations.
• Happy, happy birthday. Chad turned 26, and I love him so. <3
• Top 5 Free Custom Font Plugins. This sponsored blog post is all about beefing up your site with fonts.
• Meet Wally, our new pup. I may or may not be someone who’s obsessed with their dog.
• Why your business website should have a blog. Seriously, every company needs one!
• My modern gallery wall. As mentioned previously, here’s the link to the home update.

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Road trip: Grand Junction and back

Chad, Wally, and I made a very quick trip to Grand Junction and back. It was Wally’s first open back seat car ride and adventure, and he did great! It was a little over two hours round-trip, and he handled it amazingly.

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Gift: Steven Showalter Pottery

Shout out to my brother Spencer and his wife Mary, for sending us a Steven Showalter original piece of pottery as a housewarming gift. It’s beautiful! I highly encourage everyone to check this artist out—he’s insanely talented and his pottery is completely functional.

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On the Screen

We’ve spent a good chunk of time in front of the TV this month. Here are some of my favorite movies and series, in no particular order.

• Atlanta
• The Order
• English Game
• Knocking Down the House (so inspirational!)
• Queer Eye (season 5)
• Coco
• ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
• Set it Up

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Spontaneous Purchase: Stationary Bike

I swear, some of my best purchases have come from Facebook Marketplace. We made a spur of the moment to purchase a stationary bike! Woo! Exercise! I’m hoping that we can use this bike regularly and I can find some videos to replicate a spin class. Go fitness!

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Photo of the Month

I love this photo, where Wally is enjoying our garden. What a darn cutie and nature-loving pup.

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And that rounds out my June favorites! Thanks for tagging along on my pursuit of sunshine.

Cheers,