Weekly Recap: A Trip to Wisconsin, Always Good for the Soul
After a busy, fulfilling week of traveling, I’m finally back home in NC and it feels so good. While it’s sad to pack your bags and wrap up a good trip, it’s also nice to get back to normalcy and routine in the confines of your own space. My boys were excited to see me, I was able to make dinner in my kitchen, and I actually felt well-rested after a good night of sleep in my bed. And while we’re on the go already today (because of course we are! — traveling to Outer Banks, NC for our anniversary weekend), I got a day and a half of good rest and I feel like a brand new woman.
What I’ve been up to:
The last couple weekends have been busy, busy. Two weekends ago, Alex and I went to a wedding, then took another trip to Wrightsville Beach (yes, again haha). I hadn’t been to a wedding in a bit, so it was nice to get dressed up and take a few cute pictures. The Wrightsville beach day was a HOT one though. It’s rare to have a windless day at the beach, but that particular Sunday was brutal. We didn’t stay too long, but enjoyed the time we spent there, as usual. There’s something about a Wrightsville beach day, as I’ve shared in a separate post on the blog. It’s my favorite NC beach for so many reasons.
This past weekend and week, I was off visiting family in Wisconsin. It was honestly a great trip. After a late flight in last Friday night, we kicked off Saturday with breakfast at a little diner, then drove over to Milwaukee to catch a Milwaukee Brewers’ baseball game. The Brewers lost (as they usually do when I’m in attendance lol), but we had a good time. My niece is big into baseball right now, and loves singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game, so you know we sang that song a hundred times on loop!
Sunday we celebrated my niece’s baptism and then hit the pool on a hot afternoon. It’s rare that my sisters and I are together for an extended period of time, so it was awesome that we all got to goof off and share some hearty laughs that Sunday afternoon. Monday we spent strolling the downtown area of Lake Geneva and Tuesday we swam in Lake Michigan at Kohler-Andre State Park. Loved every minute!
On Wednesday, my last official day in Wisconsin, we hung around my parents’ house in Central Wisconsin. We went to breakfast with my grandma at my late grandpa’s favorite breakfast spot (so many childhood days spent getting breakfast with him there — nostalgia level 100), then stopped by the cemetery to say hello… to my grandpa, my paternal grandparents, and my aunt Judy who unexpectedly passed away a few months ago. It’s a sad place to be, but felt like a necessary stop. We wrapped up the day with dinner and a quick stop at Belts’ Soft Serve, my all-time favorite ice cream place.
Such a great trip — time well spent with my sisters, my parents, and my sweet little niece. A few short days never feel like enough, but those days recharged my batteries and refreshed my soul… which I desperately needed.
What I’ve been listening to:
New music Friday was lit this week — The Subway by Chappell Roan (LOVE this one from Chappell), Blame It On You by Daniel Seavey, Worth Your Wild by Russell Dickerson, Limbo by The Band CAMINO, and Leona Street by Pool Kids (first heard this song live on their tour opening for Beach Bunny, so it’s good to have a studio version now).
Gave Reneé Rapp’s new album BITE ME a spin packing for our trip this morning — Tracks that stood out most to me on the first listen through included Mad, Kiss It Kiss It, Good Girl, and Shy.
12 to 12 by sombr — I’ve heard people talking about this song in recent weeks, but I finally got around to listening myself. It’s super groovy.
Maren Morris released her deluxe D R E A M S I C L E album — I really like running.
Kelsea Ballerini’s stripped version of select songs from PATTERNS — Such a huge fan of Kelsea. This acoustic setting was refreshing.
Billions Club Live with Miley Cyrus: A Concert Film — Also love Miley when she’s performing intimate shows. And I love that she loves singing The Climb again.
Hayley Williams is back with new music — Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of Hayley’s solo work, but I love Paramore. That being said, I was trying to listen to her newest collection of solo songs, but I’m not quite vibing with them. I don’t really like what she did with her voice in the verses of Glum, but let’s see how I like the other songs before I form a full opinion.
What I’ve been reading:
I was on a great streak 4 and 5 star reading streak, but lately, the books I’ve read/listened to have been severely underwhelming. Hopefully I’ll get back to some good books again soon.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman — I really liked The Family Game (4 stars), so I thought I’d try something else by the same author, but this one didn’t hit the way I wanted. The main characters weren’t very smart and the plot was a bit weird.
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall — No one can know what? Because I still don’t really get it! But I liked her latest book A Killing Cold (4 stars), so if you’re looking for a thriller recommendation, I’d recommend that one.
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson — This was our July virtual book club pick. And I kind of hated it, not going to lie. You win some you lose some.
What I’ve been watching:
Enigma — Actually found the Aaron Rodgers documentary to be quite good. He’s an interesting guy, but these few episodes really gave me insight into why he is who he is today. Seems he’s at peace with the way his career’s transpired — and he appears happy with his life, which is all that really matters.
A few other (random) things:
Is Happy Gilmore 2 on your watch list? — It’s on mine, but I need to rewatch the first movie before I jump in.
August Book of the Month picks are in — I wasn’t thrilled with this month’s core selections, but I chose Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham as the main pick, then added The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison since it’s my virtual book club’s book for August :)
Here’s your sign to fix your windshield if it’s cracked — Special thanks to my husband for taking care of it for me while I was away. It’d been cracked for five years, right in the line of vision, so it was high time.
I joined team PopSocket again — Bought this cherry one. Love that they are magnets now. You don’t have to worry about things being permanently stuck onto your phone!
Blog posts you might have missed:
Hope you have a great weekend! I’m so excited to be celebrating our second wedding anniversary in Outer Banks, NC this weekend. Can’t believe it’s been two years.
Catch us outside doing lots of beach walking for the next few days :)
Enjoy!
JBW