the Weekender

July 24, 2021

Hey there! Happy Saturday. It’s been a minute, right?

Actually, it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted the Weekender — and unfortunately, they were a couple of tough weeks. The first week consisted of a second garage sale. It was soooo hot too. I crashed after everything was said and done. Phew.

And then there was last week. Probably the second hardest week of my life, as we let our sweet Parker Posey (our Maltese) cross over the rainbow bridge.

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In less than a year we lost both of our dogs, friends. My heart is broken into a million little pieces and I just haven’t had much energy to do anything.

My hope is to share a memorial post next week as I did for Buster. However, the emotions are so incredibly raw.

More on that at a later date… please say a prayer for me as I adjust to a new normal. I would appreciate any extra prayers you might send up on my behalf.

Nevertheless, I have to keep moving forward, amidst the heartache and tears — even though most days I just want to sit in front of the tv and do nothing.

But TODAY is a good day. Why? Well, it’s the weekend and I’m happy to be here with YOU.

Miscellany:

1. Between the two garage sales I held this summer, I made over $2K. Wowzer. It was a lot of work, but worth it in the end.

After the garage sale we held at my parents, we packed up what was left and donated it to a local thrift store. Sayonara, baby!

2. The beach is finally in my near future. Praise the Lord. Steve and I are planning a trip to Sanibel Island in Florida. We need to get away and the beach is my happy place. Have you ever been to Sanibel?

3. So with the beach, comes the need for a bathing suit. GULP. Yep, I had to go and do some dreaded bathing suit shopping this past week.

It’s pretty depressing for the most part, right? I most certainly do not have a bikini body, so it’s always a matter of balancing out what flatters my body, isn’t ugly, and doesn’t cost a small fortune. Haha.

Well, lucky me. I found a couple at JCPenney and they checked off all the boxes in regards to fit, cuteness and price. One suit went from $70 to $28. Yes, please and thank you.

Minus the sweatiness I acquired from spending what seemed like hours in the hot dressing rooms, I left pretty darn happy that I found not one swimsuit, but TWO!

I got this one-piece and this olive tankini top with these high wasted (full coverage) black swimsuit bottoms.

4. So, how many of you have seen Springfield, MO on the national news? Sadly, Missouri is one of the top states with COVID right now. A friend from college just lost her husband yesterday (Friday) morning. It’s starting to hit close to home. This Delta Variant is scary. I trust you’re staying safe and healthy.

5. This past Wednesday my parent’s church rented out the local Dickerson Park Zoo for the evening. I haven’t been to a zoo in forever. We made the best of it, considering how hot and humid it was.

My favorite part of this zoo experience was feeding the goats and the giraffes. Crazy fun and cool.

My favorite animals are usually the zebras and the giraffes. The patterns on them amaze me.

Did you know that no two zebras stripes are exactly the same? Like a human’s fingerprints. So cool.

6. I’ve mentioned before that I have fairly sensitive skin. As a result, I have to be careful of what I put on my face. I recently saw something in a magazine about a facial mask called I’m Lavender Lullaby Sleeping Mask by TonyMoly. I wasn’t at all familiar with the brand, but I was willing to give it a try.

Guess what? It’s amazing. I have some rosacea and it truly hydrates and soothes my skin while I sleep. I’m glad I gave it a try because it’s going to be a regular part of my nightly skin routine now.

7. It looks like the trends of the ’80s and ’90s are making a return. Two words, Dear Lord. There’s an age where trends just don’t matter anymore, right? Somewhere in the mid-forties? Yeah, good. That’s what I thought. Ha!