June Recap
Written while curled up on the couch with a sleepy pup and a storm rolling in.
Hales’ Happenings
What I’ve been up to
I entered into a celebratory explosion of water balloons and neon color at my first Holi party, hosted by one of my student’s families. Drenched and colorful, we laughed about fun memories from the year and sipped Mango Lassi. I’m still finding green powder in my ears.
My third grade teaching team got together for one last backyard dinner to commemorate our time teaching together (best team ever!!). I used it as a perfect excuse to crack open that expensive bottle of wine gifted to me by the PTA president ($370, remember?). The cork disintegrated into the bottle and made an absolute mess, which we laughed about because nothing could have encapsulated the year we’d had quite like that.
The end of the school year was emotional. I’m such a sap. With tear filled eyes and feelings of gilt, sadness, and relief all mixed into one, I packed up my old classroom and hauled over two thousand children’s books across the city to my new one. I’m excited about my new opportunity starting in August, but for now, I rest.
And rest she did. I came to the realization that there will never be enough days of summer break (or life, to be real) to read all the books, cook all the recipes, travel all the places, learn all the things, tackle all the projects, and create all the artwork that I want to. So instead, I’m letting my summer days take me where they lead. Less plans, more spontaneity. Less destinations, more side quests. And in doing so, I feel as though I’ve found my way back to myself again. I’m remembering that I like eating dessert first and singing (badly) in the shower and laughing until no sound comes out and chatting with strangers. And naps. So many naps.
My family had a wedding to attend to Up North, so we made a cabin week out of it. We stayed at my godmother’s cabin near Park Rapids and spent the week boating, grilling, and hammocking. Gracie lived her best life spending every possible moment swimming and listening to the loons. Megan, a long-time family friend, and Camden, who I know from college, were the ones who got married! My two worlds collided at their intimate outdoor wedding, which was beautiful.
The Coon twins hosted their annual cocktail contest for their 30th (and a half) birthday. Natalie and I took home second place with our Pineapple Mojito concoction! I thought we nailed it with the fresh mint picked from my backyard (everyone loves a local touch, right?), but the winners one-upped us by bringing home a special bottle of Pisco from their recent travels to Chile and made a decadent Pisco Sour that earned well deserving marks.
5 star reviews
What I’ve been loving
summer reads that are delighting me:
Seasons- Poems from the Southwest Journal Poetry Project- a collection of poems written by poets in Southwest Minneapolis (represent!).
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (on audio because British accent, duh)
Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley- I blindly chose this at a staff book exchange and I’m hooked! A young adult mystery/thriller that’s won a bazillion awards (for good reason).
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts- a historical fiction novel about the life of Maud Baum, wife to L. Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). Talk about a woman with enough brains, heart, and courage to go around!
“Perfect Pickle Pie” at Young Joni- hands down the best dill pickle pizza I’ve ever eaten. Thinly sliced sour pickles and crushed potato chips on top? I’m drooling. They’re closing for good in September so use this as an excuse to skip the resi and have a spontaneous ~moody~ night around back at their speakeasy.
Markets on Main- A new vintage, flower and farmers market at St. Anthony Main on Sunday afternoons. Think cobblestone strolls, live music, and lots of aesthetically pleasing places to stumble into.
Things I Googled This Month
Simultaneously hilarious and humbling
“what does it say about you if you’re team Conrad?”- we’re all going to secretly watch the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty but pretend like we aren’t… right?
“catcalling bird noise”- sounded like a construction worker on break whistling at women outside of my window each morning. Nothing to fret, just a Northern Cardinal saying hi.
“parent trap song hey mama”- sometimes you just need a feel-good song in the background. The real song name is “Never Let You Go” by Jakaranda. Sadly, you can’t stream it (womp womp).
“renascence mob wife theme”- the word-for-word dress code on a wedding invite a friend received. I’m still confused. But also jealous because it sounds like it’s going to be one hell of a party?! I call dibs if her plus-one bails.
“The Funnies”
My mom mails me newspaper comic clippings like best friends dm each other memes…
See you back here next month!
Much love <3