Hello Saturday, Volume 9
Hi friends!
Welcome back to Hello Saturday. Grab a coffee and let’s catch up!
What I’ve been up to:
Last week, I took a week off work to vacation at the beach with my family and it was the absolute best little getaway I could have asked for. We spent the entirety of our trip at a quiet beachfront house where we enjoyed beautiful ocean views day and night. It was SO therapeutic. When we weren’t playing poker, dice, or domino games, we did lots of exploring; we traveled to a handful of coastal NC breweries in Wilmington, visited The Point in Oak Island, and took a ferry to Bald Head Island where we golf carted around and climbed to the top of Old Baldy Lighthouse. We also ate lots of good food too, like these donuts I posted to my Instagram feed.
After a week of fun at the coast (albeit cold, cloudy, and rainy the whole week), my family packed up the car and left NC last Saturday morning. Wanting to stick around Wilmington for a bit, I went to Starbucks, grabbed a brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso (had to try it), and stopped by my beloved Wrightsville Beach for a morning walk on the coast. The sun peaked out from the clouds for 10 minutes (praise!), so I sat on a beach bench and read a few chapters from my book while I drank my iced coffee in the 40 degree weather. I love the beach so much!
The rest of last weekend was dedicated to Alex celebrating his 30th birthday! I surprised him with 30 individually wrapped gifts and it was so fun watching him open them. Under usual circumstances, I’m such a bad planner which leads to lots of last minute gift buying, but I’m pleased with myself for planning this surprise out half a year ago! We went big for THIRTY over here, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Thanks to vacation and celebrations though, this past week was dedicated to catching up on life. I had a busy workweek and time was not on my side for much else. I’ve been trying to get up earlier in the mornings to read, but truth be told I have to get a morning routine established again. My company is ready to summon the workforce back to in-person, so WFH is coming to an end for me; last time I checked, it wasn’t proper to wear pjs in the office.
As for the weekend ahead, I don’t have much planned, but I know for sure I’ve got to do some spring cleaning around the house. I’ll probably tune into the basketball games later on, but for now, it’s time to read, drink coffee, and indulge in a hot cinnamon roll. I’ve got my eyes on a few at home coffee recipes too, so I’m hoping to experiment throughout the weekend. Sometimes it feels good to slow down and relax on a Saturday, don’t you agree?
What I’ve been watching:
New Girl. We’re almost at the end of season 6 now, only a handful of episodes to go. Side note, I read an article that said Amanda Bynes was almost cast as Jess over Zooey Deschanel (gasp!). We all know beloved Zooey Deschanel fits the role to a T, so I’m glad she was the one who landed the job.
Good Girls. Just finished the last of season 3 on Netflix, so sad! I really enjoyed the show and can’t wait for what’s to come.
Firefly Lane. Watched all 10 episodes last week and thought it was really cute. Will be interesting to see where the show goes next.
63rd GRAMMY Awards. I thought there were so many good performances this year. A few of my favorites: Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, and Maren Morris.
What I’ve been reading:
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman. Won’t lie, it took me several attempts to get into this one, but now that I’m more than 50 pages in, I’m hooked on the story. I’ve got two thirds to go, but it’s become more humorous and easier to read, so that’s a win!
What I’ve been listening to — music & podcasts:
Music:
You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) by Taylor Swift. Only Taylor Swift can release a song more than a decade after writing it as a teenager and have it sound like it belongs on today’s radio waves. Maren Morris was a great vocal companion on this track; it’s been stuck in my head since its release.
Malibu by Virginia to Vegas, NOTD. This is a groovy single.
Long Way Home by Brynn Cartelli. She’s been my favorite The Voice winner in recent years and I’m excited she’s finally putting out new music.
Crying by Emma Blackery. New single from Emma which I love, love, love!
Justice and Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) by Justin Bieber. Didn’t want to love it, but loved it nonetheless. My favorites include, Hold On, Somebody, Ghost, Peaches, Anyone, and Lonely. Credit where credit’s due Justin, you made a good album. I also watched his Tiny Desk last night and it was really good. You can tell he’s maturing, both personally and with his music.
Reckless by Morgan Wade. Random find for me on New Music Friday but I loved it so much I listed to it twice! I really loved the leading track Wilder Days.
TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD by Tate McRae. My take: wish i loved you in the 90s is a great song.
Spaceman by Nick Jonas. No idea why this album isn’t buzzing more; it’s a great project. Really enjoying 2Drunk and This is Heaven.
Future Nostalgia (The Moonlight Edition) by Dua Lipa. Future Nostalgia was one of my favorite albums of 2020. Love Levitating (feat. DaBaby) and We’re Good on the bonus track version, but truly, the whole album is a bop.
Podcasts:
Gal Pals. I love a good lifestyle podcast. This week, I listened to the episode Our Candid Thoughts 1 Year Into Covid — after such a crazy year, I think reflection is such a good thing. I love hearing other people reflect on their wins and challenges from the pandemic year. I’m working on my own blog post on this topic now.
Giggly Squad. I caught up on episodes on my commute to the beach. This is one of my favorite everyday podcasts.
Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain. This is a podcast I like to listen to while I work. I listened to the episode Advice Session #9 where Emma answers questions from the mass. I love question/answer/advice podcasts.
From around the web:
Pretty much the biggest meme’d story of the week features a container ship stuck in the single lane stretch of the Suez Canal, effectively disrupting global supply chains.
A local restaurant owner from back home is being featured on the Kelly Clarkson Show for his efforts to support other small businesses through pandemic challenges. Honestly, this is the good news I like to read!
Have you gained weight the past year? Looks like you’re not alone.
The cast of Gilmore Girls — where are they now? I watched Gilmore Girls for the first time in 2020, so I was a late bloomer to this ever popular show.
Post-pandemic anxiety will be real for lots of people. If you’re experiencing feelings of anxiousness thinking about reentry into the world, lots of others feel the same way.
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for one pot meals to ease dinner stress throughout the week.
Bombshells from Demi Lovato’s new YouTube documentary. Hopefully she’s on the right path to recovery. Addiction can be a really scary thing. In Demi’s case, it very nearly cost her her life.
Taylor Swift recently made history as the first woman to win Album of the Year 3 times. Folklore was my favorite album of 2020; I’m not at all surprised she took home the GRAMMY’s top prize for her work.
Speaking of Taylor Swift, did you see she donated $50K to a family who experienced great loss to COVID-19? Such an amazing example of her generosity.
Dr. Jill Biden on resilience. Honestly a great wholesome read.
100 women of color share their first experiences with racism. We have to do better, world.
Thanks for reading. I hope you all have a restful, enjoyable weekend!
Enjoy!
JB