August Recap
Written while sheltering from a severe thunderstorm in the bathtub.
Hales’ Happenings
What I’ve been up to
Kellen and I took a road trip to Voyageurs National Park near Canada. We had a beautiful week to explore the park by boat, enjoy sunset at dusk and the “dark skies” at night, and do some (surprisingly strenuous) hiking. We met a local, Tim, who indulged us in the rich history of the first Minnesotans who lived there shortly after glacial times. Life goals now include being Tim’s island neighbor on Rainy Lake.
August was filled with fun celebrations for my dear friend, Lis!
We spent a weekend exploring Northeast Minneapolis via PedalPub and Lake Minnetonka via pontoon for her birthday. We were sure to give Lis’ friend from Scotland the true American experience complete with a shotski from Otters Saloon and quality wealthy people people-watching at Lord Fletchers.
Lis and Liam tied the knot and threw the best dang party doing so! Everything about their day was so “them”- they wrote the same last line of their vows without knowing it (like a freaking rom com), passed dinner family-style, had guests write time capsule letters, served a special late night better-than-an-espresso-martini drink, and had everyone dancing until we were literally kicked out. Side note: Lis’ parents should be professional public speakers with the performance they gave- I still can’t tell someone about her dad’s speech without getting choked up all over again. Cheers to the Normans and their fierce, fun love!
My soul soaked up every drop of outdoor live music it could! Most notable:
Kennedy, Ally, and I took the Basilica block party by storm and made some new friends along the way (while simultaneously avoiding parents of students we teach, nice!). Goo Goo Dolls, The Fray, Dean Lewis, The Red Clay Strays, and Yam Haus!!!
Some friends and I bopped around the Uptown Porch Fest. On a single block, we witnessed a hard rock band with Kiss face paint playing among the hydrangeas, a large group of masked accordion players in bowling shirts that gave out sing-a-long sheet music, a little girl singing about the lemonade she was selling, and another little girl who stole the mic of an afrobeats singer to sing the Jesus Loves Me lullaby. My heart grew three sizes for Uptown that day. Man, I love my eclectic hood.
I got suckered into going to the State Fair (why does this happen every year?). To my surprise, however, it was so fun! Pro tip: mix in a juicy peach from the produce stand to make you feel better about eating a hundred cookies.
It’s back to school season, baby! I feel rested, inspired, and oh so grateful to do this important work. Our staff has been engaging in professional development at school for the past couple of weeks, but the real teacher prep has been happening behind the scenes: I’ve been practicing changing swear words into words like “holy cow” and “gosh darn it”, I’ve turned everything into an acronym, I sit on the floor instead of the couch, and have been getting 20,000 steps a day. Oh, and when I get the urge to go to the bathroom, I don’t for multiple hours. I’m so excited to meet my students who will soon feel like family! Unfortunately, the power went out at our Open House the other night, so I only met a few families. Somebody needs to write this into an Abbott Elementary episode, you can’t make it up.
5 star reviews
What I’ve been loving
Gigi’s Cafe- the neighborhood cafe I frequented all summer long. Their cherry ginger cardamom scone has my whole heart.
Yam Haus- my current favorite local band. Their song “Making Out In Cars” has been my summer 2024 theme song.
The Flow Trip- a magazine aimed at lifting your spirits and keeping print alive! It’s the best happy surprise in your mailbox each month!
Nerds Gummy Clusters- voted best road trip candy by yours truly.
Things I Googled This Month
Simultaneously hilarious and humbling
“Chessy from parent trap”- who I embrace every time I wear a jean shirt.
“is free standing one word?”- sure is… which would explain why people thought I was selling something on Facebook Marketplace for free…
“Chickie Donohue real story”- the Vietnam War beer run guy. Good shit. (oops, Ms. T means good stuff!)
“how to fry an egg”- I was today years old when I learned how to fry an egg. And let me tell you, it has changed the breakfast sandwich game!
“the borrowers”- dug deep into my childhood memory bank to pull this answer out for my only contribution at trivia night.
“The Funnies”
My mom mails me newspaper comic clippings like best friends dm each other memes…
See you back here next month after I complete my 30th trip around the sun!
Much love <3