Reading // The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
Planning // a return to my previous work schedule (going between each building every day) for June 1st, a cheat day of June 5th aka national donut day
Watching // Chef’s Table: Massimo Bottura, Melissa Urban’s Gus the Duck saga, local news coverage for riots in response to police, video of Flint, MI sheriff Christopher Swanson addressing and marching in solidarity with protesters
Cooking // zuppa toscana soup from The Defined Dish, black pepper chicken from The Defined Dish cookbook, chicken lettuce wraps from Life in the Lofthouse, sweet and savory chicken salad from Mary’s Whole Life
Eating // solely whole30 up until May 14th, took a few days off, then 97% whole30 through May 29th, homemade frozen fruit popsicles, lots of potatoes (frozen hash browns, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes)
Drinking // new la croix flavors – LimonCello, Hi-Biscus!, and old faithful Key Lime, hot coffee at work with either Nutpods or sugar free vanilla almond milk, always always Biggby ice coffee, either black or with a splash of coconut milk
Pinning // more whole30 meal ideas, sweet treats like coffee cookie crack bars and birthday cake pancakes, how to care for string of pearls, retro modern house numbers (for no other reason than style appeal), solitaire style engagement rings
Crafting // my own hand written fonts via Calligraphr.com (inspiration via Tik Tok), weekly planner spreads, #the100dayproject over half way through!
Going // walks at Toledo Botanical Gardens, Oak Openings, Westwinds, Wiregrass, and WW Knight Nature Preserve, vital stops at Biggby and Kroger, short stay in Defiance to deliver Mother’s day flowers
Loving // having evening fires in our fireplace, 25 lb. kettle bell, string of peals house plant (Margarita) Kyle gifted me for our 6 year anniversary, Toledo Public Library for borrowing digital books, Origins GinZing gel moisturizer, hanging out, listening to music, and reading on the balcony, spring blooms, patient’s doodles on the therapy gym whiteboard
Dreaming // of traveling literally anywhere beyond a 50 mile radius from Toledo, OH, but also returning to Scotland (inspired by reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which is set in Glasgow)
Feeling // scared, worried, but hopeful we’ve turned a corner, at least in Ohio
Listening // Podcasts: binged Nutritional Freedom – Claire Siegel’s new podcast discussing “sustainable nutritional health habits and living a life in alignment with your values”, Live Free Creative episode 91 featuring Elise Cripe discussing her three things method, Almost 30 – I’ve just started episode 319 with Rami Sethi about wealth, Approachable with beauty youtube sensation Samantha Ravndahl, The Financial Confessions was back with 2 new episodes this month after a COVID hiatus
Listening // Spotify Playlists: 2000s Teen Angst, This is Adele, This is Lord Huron, This is Of Monsters and Men, This is The 1975, Today’s Top Hits, Lights Lacquer playlists including Olivia + Mila (in conjunction with their launch of nude nail polishes)
Celebrating // 6 year anniversary with Kyle, Mom’s birthday with a meatloaf dinner in our apartment, the re-opening of Ohio businesses including bars and restaurants for outdoor dining, high school best friend Leeann’s engagement, finding toilet paper at Kroger – like Charmin, not just Kroger brand, custom wheelchair delivery day x 2!
Learning // my preferred literary genre at this point in my life is thriller/suspense/mystery, to love myself through the ups and downs of a weight loss journey (down 18 pounds since the first of the year)
Supporting // Hoen’s Garden Center in Holland, #irunwithmaud a 2.23 mile nation wide walk/run in honor of Ahmaud Arbery on what would have been his 26th birthday, Sodbusters hole-in-the-wall bar in downtown Sylvania, joined Book of the Month with my first selection coming in June
Buying // bath and body works candles, soaps, and hand lotion, Happy Planner product, industrial looking strings lights for the balcony, Kyle bought a tin Guinness sign for the bar area
Monthly Mood Board // a collection of images I’ve saved on instagram
Current Events // via wikipedia
[6] video surfaces of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery (February 23, 2020) by 2 white men in his Georgia neighborhood by 2 white men
[11] Shanghai Disneyland reopens with new social distancing rules, death toll from COVID-19 in the US exceeds 80,000
[17] NASCAR becomes the 1st American sports league to resume its season
[19] Edenville Dam in central Michigan collapses after 3 days of heavy rainfall resulting in declaration of state of emergency for 3 central Michigan counties
[25] George Floyd is murdered by Minneapolis officer who was recorded on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck eventually causing his death, protests and riots break out nation wide in response to Floyd’s death to bring attention to continued police brutality
[28] death toll from COVID-19 in the US exceeds 100,000
[30] SpaceX launches Crew Dragon Demo-2 carrying 2 NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral
[31] the number of worldwide cases surpasses 6 million and the US remains the global epicenter accounting for ~29% of all reported cases in the world
Until tomorrow, Meryn
MERYN MADE 