The Sweetest Bridal Shower of All Time

Of course, I'm biased, because it was my bridal shower... But my bridesmaids and dear friends Kalee, Merry and Beth threw me the sweetest shower just a couple weeks ago. I'm getting teary thinking about it! I feel so blessed to have all these lovely ladies in my life, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside and learn from so many women.

As evidence of that, the very next day, I had another shower with my close family friends — people who were initially my parents' friends, who became my friends, too, because becoming an adult is cool like that.

Anyway, I could blab for days, but I wouldn't blab very eloquently, and these photos from Beth Solano are more fun to look at:

The. Sweetest.

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Mint and Citrus Sun Tea

Welp, friends. Labor Day is coming up, which means everybody who loves fall will be crushing my spirits on the daily, with reminders of #PSL, pumpkins, Christmas and this meme. Hobby Lobby has already gone and done it by stocking Thanksgiving supplies. What nerve!

Anyway, you already know I love summer. But did you know I love making sun tea in the summer???? Maybe you did. Maybe that's obvious. Maybe it takes one look at me to say, "hey, that looks like a lady who loves making sun tea in the summer." I wear my heart (food) on my sleeve.

Ok, ok. Here's the recipe and such. I highly recommend you make sun tea before the sun begins to set too early — it's the easiest, and it makes you feel like a champ when you have a whole pitcher of tea to drink!

Ingredients:
- 2 family sized tea bags (or one per quart of water). If you're using regular, smaller tea bags, the general rule of thumb is about 8 bags per gallon of water.
- Water
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 3 sprigs mint

So then you slice up that lemon and add mint, tea bags and water to your pitcher. That's it! Go put the pitcher outside in direct sunlight (preferably in a pretty garden), and leave it for about 3 hours. You could go to a hair appointment and come back in that time if you wanted, or you can supervise your tea. It probably won't move, but it might.

....And, voila! It's tea!

Enjoy for 5-7 days, if it lasts that long! The lemon and mint add the best flavor to this tea, so you may not even need a sweetener. If you do, I recommend just a dash of honey. Hope you enjoy the tail end of summer! xo

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10 Lingering Questions About the Solar Eclipse

So, the solar eclipse is happening Monday, and everybody has been talking about it — including NASA, which is probably obvious. While I've read a lot of articles about the eclipse on NPR, The New York Times, etc. nobody seems to be answering some lingering questions I have. Here's what's on my mind:

1. If I wear the same thing Monday that I do on Sunday, will nobody notice because it's dark outside?

2. Do you think people are going to go crazy and crime will be legal like in The Purge? This hadn't crossed my mind, but my friends Merry and Erin BOTH said this, so now I'm considering it as a possibility.

3. If so, do you think they're making an eclipse reality show and have a production team covering this? I know of one. (Jk that is a link to my fiancé's company and he would not think that's as hilarious as I do, but I'm just going to leave it and hope he doesn't read this blog post 🙃)

4. Can using the code ECLIPSE17 get me discounts on something? Anything?

5. You're gonna need some eclipse glasses. Are you going to remember to save them for the next one? No, absolutely not. (If you're anything like me).

6. Is there going to be a sequel to Interstellar ever? I'm waiting.

7. Do people have to go to work on Monday? Is school cancelled? Who wants to hang out?

8. Is it safe to drive during the eclipse?

9. Is it safe to do ANYTHING during the eclipse?

10. What if it doesn't happen? Does that mean science was wrong about everything?*

*note: this is highly unlikely, as I believe in science. But I suppose anything could happen.

**also note: the glasses pictured are not eclipse glasses from Walmart or Amazon or anywhere. They're just an old pair of regular sunglasses from The Loft — not safe for viewing the eclipse — but I think I got them on sale.

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