Happy end of July! I can’t believe August is here already! I saw a commercial for Disneyland Halloween Time the other day, and I couldn’t believe it. We’re still in the middle of summer, and it’s way too early to be thinking about Halloween.
That said, fall will be here before we know it. Right now, I’m just trying to make it through the summer without melting. Summers in the PNW are beautiful, but they can get surprisingly hot. I know a lot of people are shocked to hear this, but many apartments here don’t have air conditioning because, historically, we haven’t really needed it. Lately, though, it feels like every summer gets a little warmer. I guess that’s what fans and ice cream are for!
Here’s what I’ve been up to in July:
The World Cup ended.
Seattle was one of the host cities for the World Cup, and the tournament wrapped up in July. It was so much fun seeing all the visitors downtown on game days, with everyone decked out in their team colors. I heard so many wonderful things about Seattle from people who visited, which made me happy. At the same time, I’m looking forward to the city settling back into its normal pace.
Went to the Bellevue Art Fair.
The Bellevue Art Fair was the last weekend in July, and I made sure to go. I went last year and loved it, so as soon as I saw the dates announced, I blocked off my calendar.
The fair is massive, with vendors selling everything from paintings and jewelry to pottery, handmade crafts, yard art, wind chimes, clothing, and just about anything else you can imagine. It took me a couple of hours just to walk through and look at everything. There are so many incredibly talented and creative people. I ended up bringing home a bird wall ornament made from reclaimed materials, which I absolutely love.
Happy hour with friends.
I met up with my old book club gals for happy hour, and it was so nice catching up with everyone. We’ve started meeting at the Bookstore Bar in downtown Seattle, which feels perfectly appropriate for a former book club.
Watched The Sheep Detectives.
I finally watched The Sheep Detectives, and it was so cute! I’d wanted to see it when it was in theaters but never got around to it. Now that it’s streaming, I queued it up one evening and settled in to watch some sheep solve a murder. It ended up being even better than I expected. I really enjoyed the mystery, and those sheep solved it before I did!
Major reading slump.
I’ve been in a major reading slump for almost the entire month of July. I’m not sure if I’ve just been picking the wrong books or if I simply needed a little break from reading. I think I started a book that had a lot of hype behind it, but it just wasn’t clicking with me, and that kind of derailed my reading momentum. I only finished two books this month, which is very unusual for me.
I do have a couple of books on my nightstand that I’m excited about, so I’m hoping one of them will be exactly what I need to break out of this slump.
Had to buy a new Fire TV Stick.
My TV is old—at least 15 years old. I bought it when I first moved to Seattle, and it’s still hanging in there. Does it have a couple of lines across the screen where some of the pixels have given up? Yes. Do they bother me? Not really.
Since it isn’t a smart TV, I use a Fire TV Stick to stream Netflix, YouTube, and everything else. The other night, though, the remote suddenly stopped working. I changed the batteries, tried a brand-new pack, and even attempted to reset the remote, but nothing worked. Eventually I decided the Fire TV Stick itself had probably reached the end of its life. I ordered a new one, it arrived the next day, and thankfully everything worked perfectly as soon as I plugged it in. It was a little annoying, but definitely easier (and cheaper) than replacing the entire TV.
And that’s my July! I’m excited to see what August has in store. I’m not quite ready to rush into fall yet, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to cozy reading season. There’s nothing quite like curling up with a good book on a crisp autumn day, and thankfully it’s not too far away.
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