July Edit: Beaching, Biking, and Bopping Along in Life

I busted my nails but picked up a hobby

Aug 07, 2025

Y'all mind if I spin up another random monthly roundup right quick? I’m writing most of this from Panama, so it’s going out later than I planned, but July was a whirlwind of a month that’s worth reporting on. (BTW, I’m still playing around with the format for these “report” style posts, so you’ll notice a new section.)

If I’m honest, I barely remember last month. So much happened, including another beach trip that required me to relax and refocus. But I needed that break in routine, needed to hear the sound of waves and feel the breeze coming through a screen as I read my book in a rocking chair. I needed the reminder that my current chaos is temporary and, in the grand scheme of things like the ocean’s depth and the state of a starving world, small potatoes.

Anyway, here’s what I liked, did, ate, etc. in July!

Beach towns, particularly the easily walkable (and bikeable!) ones like Seaside (Santa Rosa Beach), Florida, where I went with family in July.
Bikes. I’m randomly rediscovering the joy of riding, and it’s great.
Lucy & Yak’s Charlie shorts, which I have in leopard print. The quality is much better than any of my other shorts.
The charm necklace I made at Lala Links in Seaside. I’ve wanted one for so long!
Spontaneous hangouts. This was easier and more frequent when I lived in the city, but one “Are you at home? I’m near your neighborhood” call made me think about how much I love the casual, everyday moments of friendship.
This double-wide padded chair from Buc-ee's, which I passed up the first time I saw it, but not the second!
Doing my nails at home has been all fun and games until I over-filed them recently. Nailtiques Formula 2 and OPI Repair Mode helped me bring my nails back to life.
Tower 28’s SOS Gel Cleanser, which I decided to try after my last one ran out. My skin has been much clearer since.
howlongtoread.com because I couldn’t just read my book like a normal person; I wanted to test my reading speed and determine how long it’d take me to finish it.

The butter candle at Gallion’s in Rosemary Beach, Florida
Hot dogs on my grill with pico de gallo
MTH Pizza, which some new friends recommended recently (hi, Erika!), and we’ve been there twice since
I didn’t have the brain power necessary to make my own cookies for a gathering, so I bought Love & Cookies frozen cookie dough and was so impressed
Primal Gourmet’s picadillo recipe from his cookbook (but also here)
Spicy Caribbee’s Green Heat hot sauce has been making every dish better (I bought it in Puerto Rico)

I read six books in July. My favorites were:

Audition: A Novel: This is a firmly modernist, deeply interior literary fiction novel. It won’t be for everyone, but it was for me. It’s hard to describe and even comprehend at parts, but the writing is stunning, and the book asks interesting questions about identity. My thoughts are the same as Roxane Gay’s: “I'll be honest—I don't know that I understand all that was going on here but this is sublime writing from one word to the next, from the first word to the last.”
Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story: Within the divorce memoirs category, Splinters isn’t my #1. But just like Audition, it’s beautifully written. It’s an intimate exploration of love lost and new love found, motherhood and its complexities, and what taking our art seriously can mean for the other areas of our lives.
Wake Up to Wonder: 22 Invitations to Amazement in the Everyday: I’ve barely been able to tolerate a lot of Christian books from traditional publishers lately, so I was surprised how much I liked this. This one highlights historical figures, such as Henri Nouwen and Fannie Lou Hamer, and dedicates a chapter to lessons from their lives, activism, faith practices, and more. I needed a lighter read, and this was a good one.

Instead of branching out to new shows, I’m rewatching Girlfriends
I also finally watched the first Shiny Happy People about the Duggars and plan to watch the new season soon (media about cults and cult-like things will always be my jam, I fear)
I only got through three movies (that’s more than I’d usually watch in a year, so…), but my favorite was Crossing—hands down—about a seemingly cold and guarded retiree from Georgia who, along with her young neighbor, crosses the border into Turkey to search for her transgender niece (Whatever genre of movie this is, that’s my type)

Since consuming media other than books is a 2025 goal, I’ve been tracking TV shows on Serializd and movies on Letterboxd. Add me if you want!

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea podcast, which is about the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s-90s (again with the cult-like things—I’m so predictable)
My “seaside drive vibes” playlist (Larry and I made it when we were dating and filled it with perfectly beachy songs)
Plenty of Olivia Dean
I rediscovered Kehlani’s blue water road album and became re-obsessed with it
My “now walk it out” playlist, which I made in 2021 and am still proud of, got a lot of play because I’ve been doing a lot of walking on trails

Film cameras / The cargo skirt I didn’t buy from Nuuly but should have / MTH Pizza’s Caesar salad with anchovies / How nothing hits like old time Gospel music / My husband saying this design reminds him of me (lol) / How at peace I feel in a screened in porch / This take on Christian parents setting their kids up to fail / Should I buy an e-bike? / Becoming a morning person again / Smash burgers, all the time