July 2017 Favorites

I thought it would be fun if I took a moment each month to let you know what things are currently striking my fancy, so here goes the July installment! [This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase items through my link, I will receive a small commission.]

Current favorites:

Books:

I finally read Shauna Niequist's Present Over Perfect, which I had been putting off because I was fully anticipating it being really difficult for my soul-- in the best possible way, of course. And it was. It was SO GOOD. It was hard-hitting truth that my heart needed.

I also read Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (as an audiobook), and Vanished by Margaret Daley. I'm currently reading Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery.

Quote:

"Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one's lifetime." - Mark Twain

TV Show:

I've been re-watching the Canadian drama Heartland on Netflix, and it's just so good. It makes me want to move west and live on a ranch, surrounding myself with beautiful nature and lots of horses. Except I would miss being close to Target. So maybe not.

Song: 

I haven't been listening to as much music lately, considering how voraciously I've been consuming podcast episodes and audiobook content (who has time for all the things they want to listen to? how do you do it?!), but I'm loving Ellie Holcomb at the moment. I heard of her a long time ago, but never really took the time to listen to her music in an intentional way, and now I wonder what took me so long. She's so authentic, calming, and reassuring. Her songs are filled with so much truth, faith, and hope. I'm particularly loving He Will and Red Sea Road.

Food:

I made some really good broccoli pesto pasta and some BBQ zucchini chickpea tacos that were pretty delicious. I made and shared a zucchini noodle caprese salad with my friends, and everyone had good things to say about it!

Podcast:

My friends Laura and Danielle just launched their podcast, Living Your Moment, and I'm loving it! They're so authentic and loving, and they come across on their podcast just like they do in real life. The first episode is the two of them interviewing each other, and it's precious!

Program: 

I enrolled in a business development course called Momentum from Sarah King, and while I'm only about halfway through the material, I'm LOVING it! If you're not familiar with her, look her up!

Memories from July:

I got to celebrate one of my sweet, sweet college roommates with a bachelorette party cabin weekend and a wedding this month, and they were so much fun! It was such a joy to see friends I hadn't seen in months, eat lots of good food, hang out on a lake, stay up late reconnecting, and let go of my to-do list for a couple days. I also got to listen to an audiobook in the car on the way to the cabin weekend, so even the commute there and back was fun!

Looking forward to in August:

I'm going to visit one of my other college roommates, and I can hardly wait! She and I became fast friends freshman year, and I haven't seen her for far too long!

And last but certainly not least, I'm launching my course Discovering and Living Your Purpose next month (I know I said that last month, but I changed the release date)! I'm so, so, so excited about it, you guys! It's all about figuring out who you are, what you're good at, and how to live a one-of-a-kind life that matters! Watch my video for more information.

What were some of your favorite things this month? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!