Monthly favorites

And just like that, another hectic whirlwind of a month is over. I’m a little frazzled and ending July on a frantic note (as you can tell by my posting in August), but I’m thankful for all of the experiences of the past few weeks, which have had me both running circles and traveling cross-country.

Also, I’m grappling with a recent shortcoming and reminder that we’re all human; for the first time in three years, I missed my twice-a-week blogging deadlines. I fell off the wagon, and it’s been incredibly difficult to catch up. But I will! I’m just allowing myself some grace in the meantime.

I hope everyone had a fantastic July! Welcome to my monthly favorites. <3

Places we’ve been

Casa de Nelson (Grand Junction, CO). We came back to my parents’ house again this month for a mini family reunion! My brother Spencer’s family came for a final Colorado visit before they head to Turkey for the next three years. We also had family photos once again. 🙂
The Happiest Place on Earth (Orlando, FL). I went on a vacation with my parents! We went to Disney World and Universal Studios and stayed at the wonderful Dolphin Swan Resort.
Back to School (Basalt, CO). I’ve been in Basalt several times to do some behind-the-scenes coaching training prior to the start of the fall softball season.

What I’m excited about

Here are just a few things that I’ve been excited about this month.

Vacation! Anotha one?! Wow, this was a fun trip with my parents! My top highlight was Universal Studios and seeing my imagination come to life with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
We got to spend time with our besties for the resties, Alexis and Jessica. They drove twice as long as usual to get here, and it was beyond nice to have them around. Miss them already.
We sent off my brother and his family before they move to Turkey for three years. It was very special to spend time together and get some family photos taken. Also, my other brother and his family were able to join us, for an extra fun weekend.
A housewarming party! We threw a housewarming party last weekend! Though there were several cancelations (thanks to a crazy interstate mudslide shutdown), we had a great time planning and playing host, and we appreciate all of the people who were able to make it. <3
NEW CASTLE GOT A COFFEE SHOP! CHEERS TO COLORADO DRIFTERS, LOCATED ON MAIN STREET!
I got to see my childhood friend Annie! We met at nerd camp and New Castle is actually her home town! She was back for a wedding and we grabbed drinks. 🙂
We built a patio. This is so exciting, lol. Thank you to my dad for driving over on a Sunday and helping us lay some pavers! We threw together some light decor but I have dreams of a more thorough setup later on.
In the same vein, we got some tree stumps removed in our back yard. Honestly, this is riveting and very exciting (not to mention pricey). Lol.
My mom and I took some professional headshots together, done by Drop Anchor Productions. I can’t wait to see how they turned out!
I’m CPR certified. Basalt High School softball girls—I could potentially save you if you start choking.
I’m also mini bus certified! After a long training, I’ve got the credentials.
New clients! I’ve added a new client into the ring (welcome, Ben Kelloff Agency!) and picked up work with a former client, Siloam Designs. Things are incredibly busy and I’m #thankful and #blessed.
My sweet bestie Alexis sent me a surprise Venmo to grab coffee at the beginning of the month. Thanks buddy!!!! 🙂 <3

Things we’ve watched

As usual, we’ve consumed our fair share of television and movies. (A little less this month—we’ve been kinda busy!)

Loki
The Bachelorette (!!)
The Movies That Made Us
The Toys That Made Us
Downton Abbey (the show)
Downton Abbey (the movie)
Love is Blind: After the Altar
Where’d you go, Bernadette?

Activities we enjoyed

Pool dayssss! I spent a good chunk of time with my family in my parents’ pool (maybe too much time), and it was so fun. I also swam in Florida!
Kelly Clarkson live stream. While my parents saw Kelly Clarkson perform live in Orlando, I got to watch the stream from the comfort of my hotel room. I loved every moment!
Theme parks. This was a huge part of our vacation and though it was hot, the theme parks were a ton of fun. Shout out to Universal’s water rides that left us drenched, lol.
Our party. Such a blast! We had signature drinks, a few decorations, and cookies shaped like our front door. Even a huge rain pour couldn’t dampen our spirits.
Seeing a bear. I’m excited about this! My friend Jessica spotted a bear in a tree as we tried to find my parents’ campsite.

Foods I ate

Tacos from Taco Party. This might just be my favorite restaurant in Grand Junction. Huge fan of the pork belly!
Lunch at the Crystal Palace. My mom made reservations at this Disney World restaurant and it saved the day with its air conditioning.
Late night snack from Culver’s. It hit the spot to eat cheese curds and ice cream late night in my parents’ Airstream.
Tacos from Ferny’s. We ate some delicious Mexican food from Ferny’s food truck in Silt, CO.
Breakfast at Lazy Bear. We love our tradition to grab breakfast in New Castle with Alexis and Jessica before they leave.
Latte from Colorado Drifters. New Castle finally has a coffee shop!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my soy vanilla latte was delicious. I’m SO excited about this!

Stuff I posted

Stuff I bought

Tevas. I bought some Teva sandals and wore them exclusively to the Florida theme parks. No blisters (a miracle)!
Patio furniture. I found a great set of chairs on Wayfair.
Etsy balloons. They spell out “home.”
Artificial grass for a photo wall, from Amazon.
Customized iced sugar cookies, from instagram.com/amyj-cookiedesigns, located in Rifle, CO.
Floral straws, from Amazon.
Solar Edison lights, from Amazon.
A cordless vacuum, from Amazon.
An ER vet visit for Wally, who we thought ate some grapes. (He’s fine.)