Reading // The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle, Urban Jungle by Igor Josifovic, The Mothers by Brit Bennett, The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Planning // potentially to quit our jobs early to mid next year, an epic 2 to 3 weeks roadtrip out to Seattle and back
Watching // Bachelorette season 16 with lead Clare Crawley, Normal People tv drama series on Hulu, 2 tik toks that literally had me crying – I’ve watched each over 10 times, the feel good ABCs of careers, beat boxing-kid-edition linked here, Amber Burns youtube videos
Cooking // bacon triple cheese grilled cheese, shepherd’s pie, Primal Gourmet’s chicken meatballs with sun-dried tomato cream sauce from his cookbook (similar recipe on his blog here)
Eating // Holey Toledough donuts, brunch at Fowl and Fodder downtown, Taproot Cider House, North Peak Brewing Company
Drinking // Taproot Cider House, North Peak Brewing Company, Right Brain Brewery, Silver Spruce Brewing Company
Crafting // the absolute bare minimum anymore, I don’t decorate my planner at all, I haven’t kept up with my fitness planner in months, reading has occupied all my free time
Going // weekend in Traverse City with Kyle, hiking Mission Point lighthouse at the end of the Old Mission peninsula in TC,
Loving // my beautiful and thriving house plants, time spent with Kyle’s cousins
Dreaming // of Donald Trump out of the White House, a less divided country
Feeling // nervous but excited for the end of this election, heart broken for my residents contracting and dying from COVID-19 (pt count 2, 4, 6, 7, then up to 19 this month, our isolation unit had to become a COVID unit which became an entire wing of the facility), loved by my partner and friends during tough times, surprised how every sect of media is encouraging people to register to vote this election, from Instagram to Facebook, from Credit Karma to small and local businesses, relief and crying tears of joy when patient’s have moved off the COVID unit having recovered
Listening // Now That’s What I Call Music Volume 6, Normal People official soundtrack, Today’s Hits playlist on Spotify, huge decline in listening to podcasts, I’ve been really leaning into playlists on Spotify, also listening less and less to the radio
Celebrating // national physical therapy month and 2 years as a SNF PT, Kyle’s 27th birthday, running 8 miles, then 10 miles, then 2 weeks later, running a half marathon in 2 hours 41 minutes, having read 40 books this year, surpassing a net worth of 100k, brother and SIL home purchase
Supporting // postcards to swing states, a program encouraging registered votes to vote in the Nov. 3rd election (I personally sent 150 handwritten postcards to South Carolinians), independent bookstore Horizon Books in Traverse City
Buying // new jeans from H&M since most of my pants don’t fit having lost over 30 pounds this year, new battery for my car, 3 ARCs from the independent bookstore in Traverse City
Monthly Mood Board //
Until tomorrow, Meryn
MERYN MADE 