Currently: July 2025
A new favorite book, songs I wish I wrote, & the 2000s
July Recap
A month of enjoying the little things.
I started going to pilates more often, and I worked another wedding. We took a road trip to Tennessee to visit family and celebrated a few family birthdays. I got a haircut and went on a coffee date with a friend. I attended an author event at the library by myself, which made me a little nervous at first. We have gone on walks, made lots of yummy meals, and really soaked up as much of the summertime as we could.
PS - I am already feeling very excited for fall but am encouraging myself to stay present and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
Reading
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh - A women’s fiction / romance story set in a retirement community in Wisconsin. This is my favorite book of the year so far! It has relatable characters, simple yet lyrical writing, and beautiful themes of not taking things too seriously, community, and chasing your dreams. I loved this entire cast of characters plus all the theater infused in the book! No spice, no language!
The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter - A women’s fiction / romance book set in coastal North Carolina. This story had me right from the beginning, especially because there is a little mystery element going on. No spice, no language!
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - A women’s fiction / romance book set on Long Island, NY. This story did take me a little longer to get into, but once I did, I loved watching Ali find her spark and joy again. The romance was sweet, and I appreciated the underlying themes in this book about love and loss. Closed door with some infrequent language.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - Not to be dramatic, but this book is changing my life! It is written as a 12 week course on recovering and nurturing your creativity. I am only about halfway through it, but I already love it! I plan to share more about this in a future newsletter, but if you have ever wished you were more creative, been stuck in a creative rut, or put off a creative dream - I think this book would help you!
If you want to follow along with more of what I am reading each month, check out my other newsletter that is all about books!
Watching
Duck Dynasty: The Revival - I have followed many of the Robertson kids on social media for years now, so it has been so fun to watch this show! It is wholesome and funny and always brings you back to the things that truly matter in life - faith, family, and ducks. Well, at least the first two?
Big Brother: Season 27 - Jackson and I started watching Big Brother together last summer, and I have been looking forward to it ever since. I think they have a pretty good cast this season, and I love that the eviction night competition has become a permanent part of the game. If you are watching this season, let me know what you think!
The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season 3 - I read The Summer I Turned Pretty books in June and very quickly binged the first two seasons of the show. Now, a new episode in the final season is being released every week on Wednesdays. I am having the best time watching and have even got Jackson hooked! Even though I have read the books, I am on the edge of my seat - you never know what changes they will make!
Listening
I just started this playlist recently, but I really love creating it. Whenever I hear a song that makes me think, “I wish I wrote that,” it goes on the playlist. My latest addition was just yesterday when I rediscovered the song “When We Were Young” by Adele. Goosebumps!
Thinking
Thinking About Thinking - I have realized recently that I don’t think enough. It feels like asking questions, thinking outside the box, or dreaming big is harder than it should be. That might sound really strange, but I bet it’s probably true of a lot of us. If you feel like this is you too, here are some ways we can combat this:
More silence and space. This doesn’t have to look like sitting on your couch, doing nothing but staring at the wall. It can be a walk or making dinner - time when your thoughts can drift.
More conversation. It seems funny to say that since talking is the opposite of silence, but we need both. And by conversation, I don’t just mean any conversation - I mean ones where you talk about dreams or ask each other random questions or say “wouldn’t it be fun if we” and then say something outlandish and talk about how you could make it happen.
Living more like the 2000s - Lately, I have felt a desire to make life feel a little more like the 2000s, like my childhood, like life before iPhones. Here are two ways I have done this:
Listening to the radio. When Jackson and I went went on our little cabin getaway last fall, all we listened to was the radio, and it was so nostalgic and fun! Now, I am trying to bring that into my everyday drives.
Watching shows on specific nights at specific times. Yes, we can always stream them on demand later, but there’s something special and nostalgic about waiting for the show to come on and watching it at the same time as everyone else.
Quote
“You can find fun anywhere. It’s when you stop looking for it that it disappears.”
- from Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, it would mean so much to me if you would share it with a friend!
Take care,
Caroline
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Excellent newsletter this week!
Loved this one!! 💗