Top Five Summer Favorites

July is nearly over, but there's still a good month of summer vacation left, so I wanted to share some of my summer favorites with you! This time of year is always pretty low-key for me. I spend a lot of time reading or lounging by the pool (cliché, I know), so most of my faves will be based around that. Light your sun-drenched linen candle (which smells like summer at my Nunny's house) and enjoy!

1) Five Minute Journal: I LOVE this thing. I write in it every morning and every night, and it takes literally five minutes of your life. A few posts back, I talked about my struggle with anxiety. One of the things that I kept hearing about as a way to combat that was gratitude, and while I'm not going to say I am not anxious at all anymore, it's definitely toned down a lot. In the morning, under the inspirational quote or weekly challenge, I have to start my day by listing three things I am grateful for-- and I try to really think outside the box on this. Then I write three things that would make that day great. Sometimes it's "eat healthy and work out" or "don't be anxious" or just "being creative". Then I write daily affirmations to instill positive thinking. At night, I write about three amazing things that happened to me and then one way I could've made the day better. Again, this isn't always earth-shattering stuff. Not every day is me getting engaged at a waterfall or parasailing or something, but the point is appreciating the day-to-day and finding joy in the little moments.

2) DIFF sunnies: I've had my DIFF sunglasses for a couple of years now, and while my exact pair is no longer available, there are other cute style options for different face shapes, as well as blue light and prescription glasses (and a collaboration with the lovely JVN). I wear mine every time we go to the pool. The blue polarized lenses are wonderful, and each pair of glasses is made with one piece of acetate, so they're super flexible as well. With each pair purchased, DIFF makes a DIFFerence (haha) by providing eye exams, glasses, and surgery to people around the world who cannot afford eye care. According to their website, they've provided over a million pairs to date. They're less expensive than designer glasses, and you're giving to a good cause! As someone with atrocious vision, I understand how monumental it is to be able to see and ensure someone else can as well.

3) Summer of '69: Two of my friends and I have an on-again, off-again book club, depending on how busy life is. This summer we picked up with two options for July (and only read one so far, haha). This book by Elin Hilderbrand was such an easy summer read. I tend to gravitate towards non-fiction, but I love when books tell stories from multiple perspectives. Each chapter is a member of the family, and it vacillates back and forth as they weave the story of the summer of 1969. I knew I was going to like it when I flipped to the chapter titles and realized they were all named after some of my favorite songs (I am a flower child at heart). It also hit a soft spot for me because it is centered around the Vietnam War, and how the family reacts to the brother/son being over there. My uncle was in Vietnam, and my mum and her other brother & sister and my grandparents had to deal with that and the aftermath. It is one of the wars where people were not excited to go there, they were mistreated when they returned, and they were changed. It puts in perspective how far we've come with veteran care, even though we still have so far to go.

4) "Queer Eye": I was v. late to this train, henny, but after having multiple people tell us how good it was, Shelley and I quickly watched the first three seasons this past spring. Last night, we finally started season four (okay, "finally" is a bit dramatic, as it just came out July 19th). This is so much more than a makeover show. Sure, they might get a haircut, a new outfit, or an updated living space, but it's really about learning to love who you are and how to let that person shine through instead of hiding. It's one of those shows that actually makes you smile as you're watching it. The Fab 5 put things into perspective, teaching the people they meet to find joy in the little things, be true to who they are, and always utilize the French tuck. I'm big on appreciating the small moments and being authentic, so this is a definite favorite.

5) Kingdom & State swimsuit: Okay, I wasn't trying to make three of my five items have a connection to the Fab 5 but when I was researching this option, I learned the company where I got my favorite swimsuit was actually founded by Tan France back in 2011. The swimsuits are stylish but affordable, and they sell clothes as well. I got the Suzie two piece. I love the gingham detail, the old Hollywood silhouette, and the fact that the high waisted bottoms hide my "loves pizza" area without making me look like an overgrown toddler. The one-piece suits are adorable as well, and the quality is good enough that I know I'll be wearing it for years, which is quite something in this world of fast fashion and daily new releases.

Hope you enjoyed reading my summer favorites-- let me know if you try any of them out! I've linked everything except "Queer Eye" because you can find it on Netflix.

Adventuring in Cape May

I don't know what it is about the beach that I find so alluring. I can't really swim, Shelley and I get eaten alive by bugs, I am fair-skinned, and I get very angsty about all that is unseen in the Atlantic Ocean while we're all floating around in there. Sand gets EVERYWHERE. It's hot. It's crowded. And last summer I had jellyfish stings up and down both legs and around my entire left forearm because I must have wandered, unknowingly, into a bloom of them. Waves literally try to push us back to the shore, like, "Hey, we don't want you here!" and we all laugh and bob back in, pushing our wet hair out of our faces and spitting out seawater and seaweed.

Ready to go!

Cape May, New Jersey 

With all of that, it's actually hard for me to believe that I am so drawn to the siren song of those waves ebbing and flowing to the shore, but I love it. I love the vastness of dark blue meeting the lighter blue of the sky. I love the sand underfoot, and all the colors. I love the salty air and the sun and the way my hair just gets wavy and out of control. I love the kitschy boardwalk sweatshirts and shark tooth bracelets. I love the live music and smells of pizza and funnel cake, and I even the people drinking out of coconuts with little umbrellas in them.  

Shameless tourist (AKA me)

This year, as we're trying to save for our wedding, we aren't going on a big vacation like we usually try to do, but we did seize the opportunity for a weekend away at the Jersey shore. We decided to head to Cape May, where neither of us have ever been but a friend recommended. I was drawn in by the images of old Victorian homes, a lighthouse, and Cape May diamonds. 

Selfie with the lighthouse

Shells walking along the beach 

These colors are unreal!

We drove out late Saturday morning and got there around dinnertime. Our first stop was to ride past all of the enormous houses from the late 1800s and walk along the shore. I was admittedly a little wary, still, of jellyfish that may be lurking close to shore, so I didn't get in as deep as Shells did, but I enjoyed it just the same. We climbed along the rocks and watched people play in the surf and ride by in yachts before heading over to the lighthouse (I blame growing up watching "Murder She Wrote" and all the joys of Cabot Cove for my love of lighthouses) and checking it out, along with an abandoned bunker and a lookout from World War II.

V. excited 

Cape May lighthouse 

For dinner, we went for lobster rolls and local IPAs. Our plan was to spend the first night sleeping near the beach, as is our tradition. Luck was not on our side though-- the biggest heat wave in forever was rolling through and it was like 96 degrees. We got a fan, lots of water, and spent much of that night sitting down by the ocean watching people fish (and only catch copious amounts of trash) while we stared at constellations, talked about life, and watched the waves ripple along the shore.

car camping 

We made it to the car eventually and woke up with the sun changing the rainbow-sherbet-colored sky... and woke up to a flat tire. I didn't believe it when Shelley told me, but there it was, like a cartoon drawing. It was already so hot at 6:30am as she put on the spare and we rode out to Walmart when it opened at 7, already 6th in line, just to get a new tire. (Last year in Myrtle, we had to get new brakes-- my car, Arlandria, apparently does not like road trips.)

Up with the sun & this little guy

FOUR HOURS LATER we were back in the car, heading to the beach. We ended up on Sunset Beach after the other two we tried were packed and required pre-bought tags. We slathered ourselves with sunscreen and dragged our folding chairs down the beach to the surf, where we sat with the water washing around our ankles, just basking in having some beach time before we had to leave. The bugs were relentless, and at one point I decided to wade in up to my knees just to get away from them. I was about to take another step when I heard a kid yell out that he'd gotten stung by a jellyfish! I was outta there! Then it happened to a couple other people as well, so Shells and I busied ourselves sifting through sand on the edge of the water and looking for Cape May diamonds. The fish were jumping in and out of the water like crazy, and we even saw some sharks circling in the distance!!!

Cape May diamonds 

Literally covered in sunscreen :D 

On our way back up the coast, we stopped off at Ocean City because Shells wanted to see the boardwalk. We got Mac & Manco's pizza and toured the boardwalk-- mostly ducking in to the air conditioned shops to get away from the 104 degree sun beating on us. The beach was gorgeous though. It was my first beach I ever went to, and I'm happy I got to share it with Shells, even if it was brief!

At the boardwalk

Ocean City, NJ

Still smiling!

Overall, this trip was pretty eventful-- more than we would've liked, I think-- but I am happy that we were able to look on the bright side, smile, and enjoy our time together at the shore. 

Home sweet home!