THINGS I’M LOVING FRIDAY #377
JULY 16, 2021 BY JULIE
Happy Friday to Y-O-U! I hope you guys all had a good week! Our time in Florida is coming to a close — we leave tomorrow afternoon — and even though I’m already kind of dreading the long haul back home, I’m trying not to let that sneak into my thoughts too much and keep my focus on the last little bit of time we have with family.
As I’m sure you could’ve guessed, we had a great week and I’m pretty sure all of our boys have morphed into little fish after so much time at the beach and in the pool.
(I swear every time we travel to Florida, Rhett sprouts some new teeth. He’s up to eight now and two broke through over the past week.)
It’s so hot and humid right now that anything other than water activities leaves all of us dripping in sweat so the pool and the beach always trump basically any other plans we dream up for the day. Keep us cool and near water!
As for tonight, Ryan and I are heading to St. Augustine for dinner with Daniel, Ryan’s cousin and best friend, and his fiancé and we are really looking forward to a fun night out. We’ll be driving back to North Carolina later tomorrow and plan to spend Saturday morning and early afternoon at the beach. I hope to have a second to type up a weekend recap to share with you guys next week and appreciate you stopping by the blog for this week’s round of Things I’m Loving Friday favorites.
Have a great weekend, my friends!
THINGS I’M LOVING FRIDAY
- PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION BY EMILY HENRY
Having previously read and enjoyed Beach Read by Emily Henry, I was excited to dive into her latest novel, People We Meet On Vacation. It’s a great summertime read — light and breezy but with some fun banter between the characters that made me laugh and kept me engaged. While I found the novel a little on the predictable side, I still looked forward to curling up in bed to read it at night.
The book follows the relationship of Poppy and Alex, two unlikely best friends who met thanks to a carpool ride home from college. They’re opposites in every way — Poppy is outgoing and unpredictable while Alex is reserved and lives life by the books — and despite the fact that they live multiple states away from each other, they stay dedicated to planning a week-long summer vacation every year for a decade… until two years ago when everything blew up in Croatia. Now, having not spoken in two years, a few texts exchanged between Poppy and Alex begin to fly back and forth and they agree to go on another summer trip together. Poppy misses Alex’s friendship deeply and knows this may be their last chance to repair everything even if it mean addressing their past… and their future.
(Picture credit: Chase!)
Never did I think I would ever find a pair of biker shorts I actually liked enough to wear in public. They were either too short or too long and I just felt like a tool every time I tried on a new pair. It wasn’t until I saw my friend Morgan in a pair of 6-inch biker shorts that I realized that was the perfect length and I ordered a pair to try that night. When they arrived, I instantly loved the feel of the fabric. They’re super soft, not too short or too long and hit at the perfect place on my leg. They’re modest enough that I don’t feel like I’m walking out of the house in hot pants but short enough that they don’t cut off my leg in a sausage-y way. I’m a fan!
- GUESS IN 10 GAME (ANIMAL PLANET EDITION)
This game is such a hit with our family! I pack this one for car trips and even though it says it’s for ages 6+, we’ve loved it for years because it’s easy to modify down the clues to make them a little easier for younger ones. It’s essentially a fancier version of 20 questions but only for animals and I make it work in the car by reading the clues to the boys and passing them the cards if they guess the correct animals. They love it and it definitely helps pass the time on long drives.https://263067ca141198c48d4c0c1964c7b025.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
I ordered Chase these swim trunks a few weeks ago and they quickly became my favorite swim trunks he owns because of the shorter length (so many little boy swim trunks are basically capris). When Ryan said he was in the market for a pair of swim trunks for himself with a shorter inseam, I told him to check out the maamgic trunks since I remembered that they made swim trunks for men, too. He ordered a pair of the 5.5-inch classic trunks in the beginning of our Florida visit and I think they look great! (They’re also available in a more traditional 7-inch length.) Ryan gives them two thumbs up so I figured they were worth sharing here, especially since the price point is great, too!
- FRIDAY FLASHBACKS
Maple Ginger Grilled Salmon (This marinade is made with minimal ingredients but packs a serious flavor punch!)
Cold Quinoa Salad (A perfectly summery salad, great for meal prep or family cookouts!)
