August 2021
Oh August…what a month! These past four weeks have been the rollercoaster of a lifetime. Usually, August is my wind-down-from-summer month, my birthday month! But this year, August was A Lot To Handle. Let’s get into it!
The Edna Turnblad Show
The last weekend of July and the first weekend of August was very exciting for my dad, and by proxy, me. For the first time since he was in high school, my dad appeared onstage in a musical! He was Edna Turnblad in the Renaissance Theatre production of “Hairspray”. He had only done high school plays, as well as drag shows, so he had never really done a true musical up until now!
I wish I could properly express how fantastic the show was through only words, but I don’t think my writing can do it justice. I’ve seen so many versions of “Hairspray”, and I’ve even been in one as a Dynamite Girl! Every production is unique in its own way, but the people at the Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield really put on an amazing production. The costumes were perfect, the actors were spot on…even the now-outdated jokes were delivered perfectly, getting well-deserved laughs! The synergy of the cast was obvious in their comedic timing and choreographed movements. I’ve never been so impressed with local theater before.
Of course, in my opinion, my dad stole the show. His version of Edna was very much a highlight in the production, a welcome B-plot that threatened to take over Tracy Turnblad’s story in the best way. I talked to him about a week before the show’s opening night, and the way he approached Edna’s character was exactly how I imagine a professional actor would. He took Edna’s storyline and truly focused on making her the star of her own story. For someone who hasn’t worked with a script or on a stage like that in decades, I think my dad nailed it!!
I’m hoping my dad does more theatre work with the Renaissance Theatre, because not only did he do a wonderful job, but the cast and crew of this particular production blew me away. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Birthday Surprises
My birthday was on a Sunday this year, which was convenient since I have the day off. I wanted a chill birthday this year, so I made plans to spend the day with my family and one of my best friends, Erin. I ended up having one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time.
I don’t really like to go out anymore; the loud bars are overwhelming, even during this pandemic! I also don’t like drinking as much as I did in my early 20s, so that appeal isn’t really there for me either. Instead of making a night out of my birthday, I decided to go get brunch with my family.
We went to Drunch, a Black owned brunch place on 4th Street, and lemme tell ya…the food? Amazing. I got biscuits and gravy and they were SO delicious. Everyone else’s food looked so good as well. It was really busy in there, but they are taking lots of precautions against the Coronavirus so it felt really, really safe. I’d definitely suggest going if you’re planning on celebrating something, or just want a nice fancy brunch!
After that, my mom, my sister, her boyfriend, my husband, and I went to Michael’s to buy some paint supplies. I’ve been painting more, so I decided my birthday gift to myself would be more supplies to create more art! It was strange being back in there, seeing as I used to work at the Michael’s we went to. Everything was where it was supposed to be, or as it was when I left. It was almost like walking into a time portal!
Either way, I went back home after that and played Mario Golf Super Rush with Matt. He had bought me it for my birthday, and I absolutely love it. He also bought me a game called Idol Manager. In this idle clicker game, you manage a J-Pop group and follow different stories based on the decisions you make. It’s actually SO much fun. My only gripe with it is there’s not enough cute outfit variety for the girls!
After hanging out for a while, Matt and I met Erin and her boyfriend Johnathan at Sushi Time, my favorite sushi place in Columbus. I made a reservation assuming that the place would be packed, but when we walked in, it was completely dead. Kinda felt like we were VIPs! We ended up hanging out, drinking and eating sushi, and generally having a good chill time. I’ve known Erin since high school, so anytime I get to hang out with her is wonderful. We both are really into plants, so she gifted me a philodendron and a rubber tree that I love!
All in all, my birthday was really relaxing and very, very nice. It was exactly what I wanted to do!
Oh yeah, and then as a birthday surprise, Matt took me to Old Time Pottery and bought me pots for my plants, as well as other various plant supplies. I’m not lying when I say I was SO excited to do so…it’s the little things in life that make life great, y’all. Even just buying pots for plants does it for me!
Seven Day’s Time
If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you’ll know that I found out I was pregnant a day after my birthday. I then had a miscarriage seven days later. A LOT of people have reached out to me to share their stories and condolences. It’s bittersweet knowing that so many women have been through the pain of a miscarriage. On one hand, it’s awful and it sucks to lose something so precious. On the other hand, knowing that other people have been there too makes me feel less alone.
I can’t express my gratitude to the people that have reached out properly, but I hope everyone knows just how important all the kind words have been to me this past week. Those reminders that I’m not alone have been astronomically comforting.
“So, after you guys are done grieving…y’all gonna try again?” you may ask. The answer is a resounding yes! Matt and I want to be parents even more now that we know we can be parents. Only time will tell if we make it happen…! And next time, I’m waiting until I know my pregnancy is happy and healthy before telling all y’all so we all can be happy together.
Music Obsessions
This month has been pretty good for music. Or at least, the last week of July! I believe all the “new music” on the playlist came out within the last week of July/first week of August. I’ve got some Super Mega and Matt Watson on there because I’m obsessed with them, as well as the new The Weeknd, Doja Cat, Lizzo, and Normani because all of their new songs are amazing.
This month’s playlist is also kind of a reflection of how the month has been for me emotionally. I’m still working through the grief of losing Damian, as I assume I always will be. The beginning of the month, however, was happy. I felt like I was getting along just fine! The turning point was honestly my birthday, and now I’m working through a whole different kind of pain. That being said, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I think I’ll get to that “just fine” feeling again eventually.
Either way, there’s some oldies but goodies along with some new tracks, so go ahead and listen here!
That’s it for the monthly wrap up! Let’s hope that September is SO much kinder than this month has been for me. If you’ve had a good August, good! Keep it up!! I’ll be on that good month wave in next month’s monthly wrap up!
In the meantime, follow me on Twitter to see what I’m up to every day. I post every blog update on there every Monday, so don’t forget to check your feed!
Thanks for reading, y’all! I’ll see you here next week for something new!
