Weekly Recap: My Sister's Bridal Shower and Inevitable End of WFH
Grab a coffee and let’s catch up!
What I’ve been up to:
Last weekend, I flew back home to Wisconsin to attend/host my sister’s bridal shower. It was supposed to be a surprise buttttt the Brandl fam is terrible at keeping secrets, so the word got out a little early (thanks Mom, still love you). Busted secrets aside, the shower ended up being a lot of fun and my sister thoroughly enjoyed herself, so I’m calling that one a win. It was also nice having a few extra days off work as I was able to spend time with family, visit with my grandparents, and indulge in a few of my Wisconsin favorites. I stayed up way too late for three consecutive nights, but shared lots of laughs with loved ones which helps justify the exhaustion I’ve been feeling since I returned back to North Carolina late Monday night.
That being said, the past week has been quite a tiring one. On top of general fatigue from sleep deprivation and travel, projects in my professional job kept me super busy, so much so that I worked through lunch and past 6 PM just about every day. I’ve been trying to be more cognizant of my working hours, but work from home has been difficult for me when it comes to establishing routine and maintaining work-life balance. Equal parts fortunately and unfortunately, our office is opening back up, so we’re back to in-person office work starting next week. Guess that means it’s time to dust off the old work clothes as pjs and cozies won’t cut it anymore!
Looking forward to the 3-day Memorial weekend ahead (seriously, thank goodness for 3 days off), I plan to lay low and enjoy an extra day of r&r thanks to Monday’s holiday. Aside from general household chores, I want to shop for some outdoor patio furniture, setup a new standing hammock I just bought off Amazon, and sneak a couple walks in with the pup seeing cooler temperatures are forecasted (66 degrees on Sunday after a week of mid-90s, praise!). Other than the aforementioned subjects, I don’t have any big plans for the weekend, which is ay-okay with me. I might buy too many graphic t-shirts, I might not. I’m thinking oversized graphic tees are about to be the soundtrack of my summer, so stay tuned for a haul on shirts that may or may not show up to my house in a couple weeks.
What I’ve been reading:
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I absolutely loved this romcom novel, enough to give it 5 stars. This book made me laugh quite a lot with all the witty banter between the two main characters. We love to read a good enemy-to-lover love story and this one didn’t disappoint. I’m super excited to read more books by this author in the future (which is actually two people, mind blown!).
What I’ve been watching:
The Affair. In desperate need for a new show to binge, I browsed Amazon Prime options last week and came across a multi-season show called The Affair. It’s an interesting show (so far) that features two points of view in each episode — one part focusing on the man’s recollection of events, the second focusing on the woman’s. It’s been good so far!
What I’ve been listening to — music & podcasts:
Music:
sour by Olivia Rodrigo. Louder for the people in the back: “IF YOU HAVEN’T LISTENED TO THIS MASTERPIECE, LISTEN TO IT NOW!” My 29-year-old self has been swimming in feelings of teenage angst ever since Olivia’s debut album released last week Friday, and I know I’m not alone. I’ve had this album on repeat for days straight and I’m not sorry about it. My favorites from the album are: traitor, deja vu, good 4 u, favorite crime, and hope ur ok (ugh, hope ur ok is beautiful). But really, the entire album is so good.
Buy Dirt by Jordan Davis. This new album features 8 new songs, all of which I really enjoyed on my first listen through. Need To Not, Drink Had Me, Lose You, I Still Smoked, and Trying are the ones I keep going back to over and over again.
Based on a True Story by Brynn Cartelli. I’ve been obsessed with Brynn’s voice ever since I watched her win The Voice with Kelly Clarkson several seasons back. I’m so happy she’s finally releasing new music — she has a great voice and she’s an excellent emotional songwriter, both of which I love. Fingers crossed for a full album in the future.
Here And Now (Deluxe) by Kenny Chesney. Sometimes you need a little Kenny Chesney in your life. He’s got one of those classic country voices I love to listen to. Here And Now released last year, the deluxe version is a new release! Knowing You, Someone To Fix, You Don’t Get To, and Happy Does are four tracks I’m loving right now.
Leave Before You Love Me by Marshmello, Jonas Brothers. We love the Jo Bros over here! In fact, so much so that I bought tickets to their upcoming tour — super excited for October!
seaside_demo by SEB. This song blew up on TikTok and has been stuck in my head for weeks. It’s such a chill song, perfect for the summer chill playlist.
Darkest Hour (from the Amazon Original Series PANIC) by Tate McRae. New track I stumbled upon listening through my release radar playlist on Spotify. Her voice is so good.
Podcasts:
Adulting with Teala & Nia. I can’t remember where I got this podcast recommendation from, but I started listening to it last week and powered through all the episodes. Each week, Teala & Nia cover a different topic of #adulting and in my opinion, it’s relatable as ever. Definitely recommend — episodes are only ~20 minutes too, so it’s good for the short attention spanner, like me.
The Morning Toast. I hadn’t listened to this podcast for awhile, so I kind of forgot about it. Have no fear though, it’s back in my rotation. In the latest episode, the ladies were talking about Katy Perry’s incredible American Idol performance of her song Thinking Of You and it was soooo good (insert heart eye emojis here). Check out the linked performance and the podcast if you’re in need of a daily, everyday life podcast recommendation.
Giggly Squad. My girls! This is my ride or die weekly podcast. I’m a few episodes behind so I’ll be catching up over the next week.
From around the web:
Instagram is rolling out the option to hide “likes”. So many people focus on how many Instagram likes they get vs posting content they thoroughly enjoy and want to share, so I think this *could* be a really great thing that would (hopefully) remove some of the pressure people put on themselves when it comes to posting on social media. The real question is — will people actually take advantage of it, or will it be a flop?
Shopping sales this weekend? Here are some Memorial Day sales to shop. Also some other good home sales and some Target home sales too!
Best shows on HBO Max, have you seen any of them? I need to get to watching as I am looking for recommendations and haven’t seen the overwhelming majority of these.
Drugstore makeup recommendations for beginners on a budget — 2021 version. This is a post I found from a blog I recently stumbled upon.
Revitalize yourself this summer by wearing colorful clothing! After a long year, we could all use some bright spots, so why not color it up? This was an interesting article.
What happens when Americans can finally exhale? This is a really great piece that perfectly encapsulates my pandemic feelings a year later. With so many people getting vaccinated and the CDC relaxing mask and social distancing guidelines for fully vaccinated people, summer is looking a little brighter this year.
Handling pandemic burnout, another excellent article that hits the nail on the head.
The Gossip Girl reboot is almost here. Watch the trailer now, XOXO! I’m so excited for this as a true fan of the OG series. I’m so glad it’s new characters and new storylines, not a redo of the iconic show. Will you be watching?
Also adding to my watchlist: Cruella. Have you seen it? I’ve heard mixed reviews so I’m trying to go into it without expectations.
Coming to the end of Mental Health Month, here are some physical signs of anxiety. Plus, Ryan Reynolds shares insight into his battle with lifelong anxiety on his Instagram. Here’s to ending the stigma on talking about mental health. We need to normalize it.
Thanks for reading. I hope you all have a restful, enjoyable holiday weekend. And happy unofficial start of summer, too! May you always remember to wear your sunscreen, turn on your air conditioner, drink too many iced coffees, and read your favorite beach reads by the pool. Summer 2021, here’s to you!
Now, time for some weekend reading…
Enjoy!
JB