What Happened in July?
Hello everyone! I probably don’t have to tell you how July felt. Everyone seems to agree that it went by so fast, yet so, so slow. I just can’t believe it’s already almost August!
To me, July felt like a sleepy month; I kind of blinked and it was over (much like when I try to get some good sleep and utterly fail). That being said, a few choice things happened this month…
Driving To Michigan
Earlier this month, Matt and I were feeling very stressed. We decided it was time to get out of the house for a weekend and go somewhere! Because of the pandemic I didn’t want to go very far, but I did want to do something that would force me to practice driving on the highway.
We ended up driving to Ann Arbor one weekend. Matt and I split the 3 hour trip both ways, with me driving for an hour and a half both times. I really want to get my license soon (seeing as I’m almost 30 and I don’t have it yet!), so even though I absolutely hated driving on the highway, I wanted to just jump into it to get the fear over with. Now that it’s been a few weeks, I’m still nervous just thinking about getting back on the highway, but that feeling is definitely not as bad as it was before I tried to get on it in the first place.
While in Ann Arbor, we stayed at a little motel. It was Matt’s choice…Matt is not allowed to pick our motels anymore! That being said, it wasn’t the worst place I’ve ever rested my head. The motel staff was very nice and helped make us feel more comfortable cleanliness wise while we stayed the night there too, so that was a plus. I was very happy to come back to my own bed, however!
Bye-U-D
For the past 5 years, I’ve had an IUD. For those who don’t know what an IUD is, I guess I should let y’all know! An intrauterine device (or IUD) is birth control that sits in your uterus and throws out “don’t have a baby” hormones for 3 — 6 years depending on the brand you choose. It’s a great option for people who hate taking pills or just don’t want to think about their birth control that hard.
This year, my IUD was due to expire (in December, no less). Matt and I have been talking about the day I go off birth control for a while now, mostly because the side effects weren’t the best for my mental health (and physical, if we’re being real!). I fully planned on running the timer down on my IUD, but I decided to go ahead and get it removed early so that when Matt and I are ready to start a family we won’t have to wait for my hormones to reset, making it easier to make a baby happen.
For me, this is a HUGE deal. I’ve been on birth control for over 10 years, so I have no idea what I’m going to be like physically/mentally from now on. As some of you all may know, I’ve also always wanted to be a mom. Getting off of birth control is the first step into making that happen, and I’m very excited for when it’s time to try!
Having a baby during a pandemic is not what I want to do, however, so while my body readjusts to the lack of extra hormones, Matt and I have to make slight changes to our lives in order to avoid getting pregnant. I bought a basal body temperature thermometer and I’m learning how to measure my first-thing-in-the-morning temp to track my fertility. Right now it’s not doing much except getting the habit into my brain, but eventually I’ll be able to find out when I should avoid my lovely husband’s advances!
Is this Adulting? This flavor of Adulting is weird…
“How am I Supposed to Eat With A Mask On?”
That quote is something I hear literally every day at work. Before the statewide mask mandate, our store decided to make masks mandatory upon entering. Nine customers out of ten are totally cool with it, and don’t react too strongly when we request they wear them when they’re not sitting down.
That tenth person, however, always comes to shit on the day. I can’t begin to tell y’all how many times I’ve had to hold back either laughter or annoyance (or both) when someone asks “Why should I wear a mask in a restaurant? How am I gonna eat?”.
OBVIOUSLY TAKE IT OFF. You would think grown adults would know common sense, but here we are. It’s insane to me that I have to argue with people to follow the rules.
I’m sure all of the people who read the blog regularly are smarter than the average bear, but please…don’t be mean to everyone who’s working right now! Just wear your mask and be normal, it’s all we ask! It’s hard enough being essential, ya know?
Music Obsessions
I’m not gonna lie to you all: I finished the playlist for this month right before I wrote this part of the blog. I forgot to finish it!! I’ve been pretty obsessed with “Monsters”, by the Midnight (if you missed last week, you might have missed the memo). When I’m not listening to that, I’m listening to old Midnight tracks!
Earlier in the month before the album came out, I was really into SOHN’s live album, and we listened to Coldplay on the way back home from Ann Arbor. A few artists I like released new stuff (Freddie Dredd released a new music video for “GTG”; NothinButLag and Hi, I’m Chris released a single together) and I discovered some new-to-me music as well! If you’re interested in what I managed to pull together, take a look at the playlist!
Arts and Crafts
I’ve recently been taking a lot more pictures of clouds and scenery in general because I really want to get back into painting. I miss painting a lot, and now that I find myself budgeting better, I’ve noticed that I have a little bit of extra money to spend! I would usually buy clothes or makeup I’d be waiting to buy on sale but I haven’t had to buy makeup or clothes for a while (thanks, Rona). Why not spend that money on stuff I can use to make something cool?
Besides painting, I’ve been wanting to do something with all the yarn I have from when I used to knit. When I got diagnosed with carpal tunnel, I stopped knitting for good. My good friend Mari suggested I start crocheting! When we hung out a few days ago, she showed me the basics. It’s a little different and a little confusing, but I think I’ll be able to get a handle on it and maybe make a little hat or something!
What do you guys like to do, arts and crafts wise? Show me on Twitter! I’d love to get some new ideas for things to do (besides play on my phone all day and night)!
All in all, July was a speedy month. I hope August will be better for us all! My birthday is on the 15th of August, so that’s always something for me to look forward to. I may not post that following Monday so I can enjoy my birthday weekend fully, but I’ll keep you all updated!
Either way, I hope you all enjoyed the monthly wrap up! Stay safe out there, and I’ll see y’all next week!
