Imagine spending the entire month of July essentially holding your breath.
Now I of course don't mean that in a literal sense, but I've known since July 1st when I started photoshopping the necessary elements of my book cover (read about that here) that the month would end in the publication of my book.
It's terrifying, it's a little awe inspiring, and overall it gives me lots and lots of butterflies.
But I am getting a smidgen ahead of myself because while most of the month was spent in anticipation of the big event, there were also plenty of other things that occured that are just as notable, if not more so.
So July started with a week off of work, and that was amazing. No travel, no real plans to do anything, just a glorious week of enjoying summer and getting to act like a kid again (complete with swimming in a pool in someone's backyard and drinking lots of apple juice (Redd's apple juice, natch)). I spent a lot of time with Miss T and reconnected with her after a few stray months of getting too stuck in my own world.
But really we did spend a lot of time together this month and it was very nice. We went to Sawdust days in Oshkosh for the 4th of July and saw a whole slew of people with eyepatches and rotting teeth, and sadly wearing what they probably considered their best outfits. I tried to fit in by making one eye wander independently from the other (that's the truth, too). The picture above was from later in the month after seeing her husband, J, play in the Glam Band in Houdini Plaza for the Appleton Downtown Concert Series that goes on every thursday night in the summer. We went to katsuya after (my first time there) and had a blast with our chef who told me I looked like Thor.
#winning
Later in the month I was told I look like the offspring of Thor and Brad Pitt.
#doublewinning
There was also my 10 year high school reunion, and despite rehearsing my speech to recite a detailed account of how I concocted a miracle glue recipe (I really hope you all get that reference), hardly anybody showed up. What a bust. And really, that was heartbreaking, because I wanted to show off how much thinner I got since the last reunion five years ago.
All kidding aside, I had been looking forward to seeing more people and that just didn't happen. I didn't get out a pen and paper to tally but I doubt more than twenty or so people showed their faces. That just goes to show how maybe high school was a miserable experience for more people than just me and they don't really need to relive it. That's what Facebook is for anyway, isn't it? I went to the reunion with @jonathan_kent and @leahvanrooy and had a blast though, with @caitcd showing up later in the evening. The drinks were strong and cheap so that's always a winning combination. And also it's worth mentioning that I did reconnect with some friends from elementary school and that in and of itself made the night worth it.
Maybe I'll be the organizer of the 15 year reunion?
There was also the event of this lovely gal's bridal shower, on a day with weather that could not have been more perfect if you begged for it. Warm, low humidity, brilliant sun and a good breeze. And the day went off perfectly as well and really that's all that matters. @caitcd got some great gifts, I got a great doorprize, and we all won! Sunshine and rainbows for everyone! The day of her wedding is getting closer and closer and I've started working on the speech she asked me to give at it. It's difficult to mix the right amount of humor with the right amount of heart, without alienating anyone in the audience, but I suppose that's what makes a good speech, yeah?
Overall the month was great. It was mostly hot, sadly not filled with any really great lightning storms, and it was as long as it needed to be. I love summer and I'll be sad when it's gone, but right about now is when I start thinking about fall and Halloween and all that entails. I'm juuuuuust about ready for cooler nights, bonfires, rainy days with orange leaves in the gutters, and of course some pumpkin spice lattes.
Until then, I'm content wearing a tank top and trying to get a tan.
So what else happened in July? I finished re-reading the Harry Potter series (and re-watching all of the movies) and both started and finished Game of Thrones on HBO. I babysat my sister's kids for the first time in my life, nailed a karaoke duet with Miss T, and finally bought something at the farmer's market with @markstyleme. Made a great chocolate zucchini bread, went out to the art walk to support my friends at Anagen Eleven, and I suppose above all I began to work on the final edit of my second book. No time like the present, right? RIGHT!
Check back at midnight for the next blog, aptly titled "no longer self-proclaimed." You'll see why if you didn't already know (c:
PS I'm OBSESSED with this song right now. Ciao for now! Biggest news of my life drops August 1st!
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