Best of June

Welcome to the fourth installment regarding my monthly favorites.

June Faves

This year is going by at a rapid speed. Do you feel me there? This month has been one of the fastest culprits: it feels like only yesterday—maybe even early this morning—that June first sprung upon us, along with all the tides of summer.

My month has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I traveled to Washington, D.C., Denver, Gunnison, and Steamboat Springs. I hiked—on Doc Holliday’s Trail in Glenwood Springs, throughout our small town of New Castle, and in the Gunnison Valley wilderness. I drank plenty—at Casey Brewing and Blending, the Black Dog, Glenwood Canyon Brewpub, Alpine Brewery, and at a mountain festival (mentioned later in this post).

June was filled with both incredible sadness and many causes for celebration. We mourned the death of my childhood dog Olive, so shortly after my other pup Caesar passed away. Luckily, I was also able to spend time with tons of family—my parents, in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, brother, nieces, and my nephew. Chad turned 25, which is definite highlight of the month.

On the last day of June, I’ll be saying goodbye to my physical office and working from home. I’m excited, a little anxious about moving out all my stuff, and ready to get productive in my newly designed office space.

And, of course, I blogged. I reached over 520 followers on WordPress (I love you all!), hosted a Twitter giveaway (congrats, Carmen!), am nearing 12,000 site views, have grown my Instagram account to over 500 followers (no easy task), collaborated with a hot springs facility, and sent out five different orders from my blog store. I love writing, and I get to do it daily.

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

 

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Movie: On the Basis of Sex

 

You know who is a total bad ass?! Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I highly recommend watching this movie, which is a portrayal of the sex-based tax discrimination case that ignited her successful career and essentially put her on the map as a future Supreme Court Justice, along with many of her early struggles and triumphs. I watched the film on my plane ride home from D.C., and it was just the dose of empowerment that I needed.

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Music Video: “You Need to Calm Down”

I’ll admit it: I am a Taylor Swift fan. I was reluctant in early high school because of my obstinate dislike for country music, but finally gave in when I found out that screaming the lyrics to “Picture to Burn” in my car was actually quite therapeutic. Since then I’ve been a loyal fan, buying all her music, arguing on her behalf in newspaper articles, liking all her Tweets, and even going to her Reputation Stadium Tour last May.

So, I’m jazzed about the prospect of new music. I’m looking forward to hearing the cohesiveness of an entire album, but the video for “You Need to Calm Down” left a definite impression (probably more than the song itself). It’s colorful, fun, exciting, whimsical, and silly in the best ways, and I’m here for the LGBTQ support. And, I’ve gotta admit, I almost screamed when I saw the Fab 5 doin’ their thing.

Watch the video here: youtube.com/watch?v=Dkk9gvTmCXY

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Booze: Reds, Whites, & Brews

My birthday gift to Chad was a weekend trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with two tickets to the Reds, Whites, & Brews beer fest. Even though the weather was rainy and even snowy, the festival was awesome. Our VIP status granted us full pours, tent coverage, and delicious food throughout the day. We did a cheers after every stop, and had a major blast.

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TV Show: Kim’s Convenience

 

The misadventures of a Korean-Canadian family running a convenience store are hilarious, heartwarming, and enjoyable to watch. Catch my full review of the show here, and be sure to give this Netflix series a quality binge. I definitely did this month, and I’m very happy about it.

Next up on our roster: Fleabag.

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Self Care: Working Out

I’ve always said this and I’ll continue to do so until the very end: I do not like working out, and I prefer being tricked into exercising. (You know, team sports. Base running. A pick-up game of basketball. You get the gist.) However, in June I really jumped back into my fitness regimen after taking a few month break. I’ve begun doing half an hour of cardio, followed by a 30-minute 21 Day Fix program. I’m happier for it, even though I’m often exhausted afterward. I’m here to crush some goals, y’all.

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Date Night: Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Okay, I have a thing for hot springs; and by that, I mean a ton of both work and personal experience with marketing, traveling, and soaking in and behalf of hot springs facilities. It’s my jam. So trust me when I say that Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs is a one-of-a-kind hot springs experience. I’ve never been anywhere like it. Chad and I were able to unwind, relax, and totally immerse ourselves in this all-natural setting.

It even started to snow. On June 21. The steaming waters made up for it, though. Full Hot Springs Series review to come!

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Closet Item: Floppy Hat

As featured above, my latest addition to my closet is a black floppy hat. After wearing it in Steamboat Springs’ turbulent, wintery weather, it quickly became my best purchase in recent months. It’s comfortable, provides great coverage for sun, wind, rain (snow, too!), and stylish. I found it at Target, available here.

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Book: The Ship of Brides

Jojo Moyes strikes again. After cruising through Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind, and One Plus One, I was able to enjoy her novel titled The Ship of Brides. Though initially a little hard for me to get into, and full of lots of description and fully packed imagery, I loved this book. It followed the intertwined lives of Australian women who married British soldiers, and were being shipped across the sea to go live with them since World War II ended. There were brave, cheeky, unlikable, heroic, kind, and startling characters from start to finish. I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself.

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

Cheers,