Rain, Rain Go Away!

It's been a rainy, stormy week--again! But like the good runner that I am, I stalked my many weather apps to find dry moments to get my outdoor activities in. I didn't always dodge the raindrops or even the lightning, but I got it all done. We had plans to go back to the lake this weekend, but with rain once again in the forecast, we decided to stay home.

I'm heading into a week off work, at home this time, and am looking forward to some much needed downtime. I do have some appointments, and I'm planning to do some decluttering around the house. Not my favorite thing to do, but it's long overdue!

A Moist Week

As much as I look forward to summer, I can't help but be disappointed when we have a summer that brings us lots of rain and moisture. I summerfess that I have spent more time indoors than I would have liked this year. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten all my runs done outdoors, but the humidity has limited my distance and/or my enjoyment. I'm glad I'm not training for anything! 

I'm looking forward to fall--it's my favorite season. I know what comes after that, so I plan to enjoy it as much as I can!

Mini Book Reviews: July 2026

I received ARCs of The Shampoo Effect, The Parisian Heist, Contraposto, Make Nice, and When Lemons Give You Life from NetGalley and their publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links. 

I won't sugarcoat it--this wasn't my best month of reading. While all the books I read were good, only Contrapossto was memorable. Sure, The Shampoo Effect was entertaining, but my reading felt uninspired and, dare I say...a slog? My complaint about most books right now is that they are too darn long, and not because they need to be. It's a trend that needs to come to an end. I said what I said. 

And speaking of Contrapossto, this epic coming-of-age story deserves more hype. Wow!

Another Whirlwind of a Week

After a really fun and busy 10 days away, I returned home Sunday night. I did my best to jump back into my routine, but as I write this, I'm feeling grateful for a rainy Saturday to put my feet up and recover. Our weather has certainly been strange this year! This summer has been abnormally warm, wet, stormy, and at times tornadic. On Monday, we had severe storms with more tornadoes in the area. I was home with Cocoa, and we watched the storms roll in around lunchtime. They blew up quickly, and there was no indication of how severe they would become. My area was spared the brunt of the storms--not everyone was so lucky. 

I'm ready for fall...

Time on the Water is Time Well Spent

What a whirlwind of a week, with lots of traveling--to Wisconsin and then to Alabama. I had family time, followed by friend time. There was a lot of time on the water between kayaking, waterskiing, floating, and boating. I couldn't have asked for more. Summer is so short, and we have to squeeze it all in!!!

Vacation Time!

I worked Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and then I started my stretch of 10 days off. WOO HOO! I got a lot of busy work done on Thursday, and on Friday, we hit the road for a long weekend with the boys and girls in Door County, Wisconsin. You may remember my parents had a lake house up there for many years. Sadly, my parents decided a few years ago to sell it. It was really hard to say goodbye to a place that was part of my life for so long. My youngest son was sad as well; he has returned there several times since. 

Earlier this year, he proposed a family vacation to my hubs and his brother, citing the big changes that will be affecting them this fall. He will be starting medical school, and his brother and wife will be welcoming their first child! Life will certainly be different for all of us, and he thought it would be great for all of us to go away together. The hubs and I told him to look for a place, and he found one, on Lake Michigan. It's time to make new memories!

An Uneventful Week

What? Uneventful? It was nice to get a break from the daily onslaught of family drama. I don't think it's over yet, but it was nice to focus on other things. 

It was back to running for me on Wednesday! The blister has mostly healed, and shhhh... my knees have been quiet. Now if the humidity would drop...