READ
I finished two books, you guys! I am so stoked. Little by little, the bird builds its nest, am I right? One was a novel, the other a more scientific book. Recap to follow.
COOKED
I made my own pesto for the first time, and OMG, why haven’t I made it before? It’s so easy and so much tastier than the store-bought kind. I am trying to get my basil plant to grow again, so I can make more.
WATCHED
You must be wondering why I keep this category, because I rarely watch anything besides Friends reruns and 90-days fiancé these days. I did take a peek at the Democratic Debate again yesterday (and probably will today), just to stay informed. Are you watching?
LISTENED TO
I listened to a couple of episodes of the “Pod Save America” podcast. What else is new?
BOUGHT
We didn’t really buy anything but a ton of food this month (we totally blew our eating out budget, ahem. What can I say? We like to eat and we ate out with company a few times, so it added up). I also paid for my travel to San Francisco last weekend, obviously, but not much other frivolous spending for the month of July.
RAN
I ran 65 miles / 105 km this month. The number is not too shabby. It’s an average number for me and I always want to run more, but I also like my current workout schedule. I sacrificed some monthly mileage when I decided to go to cycling class on Tuesdays instead.
GOING-ONS
+ This month felt jam-packed and went by in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe we’re right smack in the middle of summer.
+ We had a little bit of a scare when my Mom was hospitalized two weeks ago with a stress-related heart condition and I am not going to lie, I was pretty worried there for a moment. My Mom is back home now and feels fine, but I really hope we can implement some changes to reduce her stress level going forward. She herself says that she didn’t really feel that stressed, but let’s be honest, she has a lot on her plate and she needs to realize that she doesn’t have to say “yes” to everything (sound familiar to anyone?) and that she really has to take care of herself first before taking care of others.
+ I had two races on my calendar this month. The Davis M00-nlight Run 5k (with J!) and the SF (Half)Marathon last weekend. They were both fun in their own way. Recap of the half marathon to come soon.
+ We hosted J’s friend for a week and it was nice to have some company. Would have also been nice if we still had that extra bedroom (dang it), but at least we made good use of our outdoor space.
+ We tried a new plant-based burger place in town that was recommended to us by some friends. I was positively surprised how good it was. And the herb fries were excellent.
+ I am embarrassed to say that we’ve lived in Sacramento for so long and we’d never been to the river beaches. We finally changed that. I know, there’s really no excuse or explanation, because I complain about the fact that I wished we lived closer to the beach all the time. I mean, the river is not the ocean, but it’s close enough, for sure. Must go back.
+ It’s been 8 months since we moved from our house to the new neighborhood and while I like my new running routes, I also kinda missed my old stomping grounds. J had suggested numerous times for me to drive over to our old neighborhood, park the car at the park and go for my run there, but I felt ‘weird’ about it (hard to explain). This month, I finally got “over it” and decided for two of my long runs to take me back to our old neighborhood and to the zoo to see my giraffe friends, and of course, I had the best time. It’s about a 10-12 mile run round-trip, so I can only use my long runs for a visit, but it’s better than getting in the car and driving over there. (I know I won’t do it – it’s much easier to lace up my shoes and just run out the door.)
How was your July?
heike
July 31, 2019 at 8:06 amCan’t wait for your SF Half Marathon recap. I am soaking in everything “Half Marathon” lately since I will be running one in October.
I also just put my running shoes on and run in the neighborhood. Hurray for safe neighborhoods.
Glad your mom is ok.
Look at your tomato plant. So jealous!
Deborah Brooks
July 31, 2019 at 8:37 amI love that there are so many new plant based burger options around now. Nice job on your mileage this month. Glad your mom is ok!
Tanja
July 31, 2019 at 10:22 amSo happy Mom is doing better. I’m sure making the necessary changes will be hard in the beginning but overall will help her to de-stress.
Still pretty bumped that SF didn’t work out the way we had planed it – well it least I was somewhat there to cheer you on. Way to go friend!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
July 31, 2019 at 10:58 amI need to make some pesto sometime soon. My basil plant has been growing like crazy. I harvested a bunch awhile ago and then go too busy that week to do anything with it! In the past I’ve made a bunch of pesto and then froze it to use later in the year so I need to do that again.
That’s great that you were able to run in your old neighborhood and see your old friends, the giraffes!
July kind of felt like a long month. The 4th of July feels like so long ago! But at the same time, the month went by pretty quickly. This is my favorite time of year as I love the long hours of daylight and the warm weather. We had some ‘firsts’ this month as we went to a park with a little wading pool with friends, put together a water table which Paul really likes to play with, and we went to the zoo.
Beth
July 31, 2019 at 12:14 pmI know the feeling of being excited to read more than one book! It has been a struggle for me lately as well but I’m getting more into reading again. I haven’t watched the Debates but followed along online. I still don’t know what to think. Homemade pesto sounds so good! We have fresh basil too, so I should see about making some soon.
Lecy | A Simpler Grace
July 31, 2019 at 7:12 pmI love making my own pesto. Once you’ve had a really good homemade, the store-bought just doesn’t measure up. Never heard of that podcast, but I’m going to check it out. Looks like you had a great month and I hope you have an awesome August!
Charl
July 31, 2019 at 7:24 pmI’m watching the debates right now. I’m so disappointed in Joe Biden—his answers just sound so ill prepared, and I feel like so many of the candidates are just going after each other rather than focusing on what they’ll do to improve the economy and what they’ll do while in power. I’m so worried we’ll get four more years of this 😩
Moving on…
My mom has a similar health scare and it stopped me in my tracks. I hope that she slows down, says no, and keeps her stress in check. Sending all my love and well wishes for a full recovery for her.
Also totes need to make pesto—I love it so much!
Anthea
August 1, 2019 at 4:48 amI’m sorry your Mom had a healthscare but glad she is okay. Always worrying when we get news like this. Stress is awful and unfortunately saying yes to everyone is a guaranteed way to feel pressured and overwhelmed. I hope that your Mom is able to take it easy.
Making your own pesto must be amazing! Well done on all your running – glad you got to see your giraffes!
ShootingStarsMag
August 1, 2019 at 5:01 amI’m glad your mom is home and doing a bit better. Hopefully she can find some ways to reduce stress!! That’s great you went back to your old neighborhood to run, since you liked it so much. I will never be a runner, but I’m always amazed on how much you run in a month. That’s fantastic!!
-Lauren
Kisma
August 1, 2019 at 5:09 amWho doesn’t love Friends re-runs, I mean come on?!
I love homemade pesto as well. Just a feel good moment on a bed of yummy pasta.
Stephany
August 1, 2019 at 12:50 pmYes – I’m watching the debates! I think Warren and Bernie did great on Tuesday and Kamala was a bit disappointing last night. I’m not a Biden fan (well, I was when he was VP but his behavior lately has put me solidly in the “dislike” camp), so I’m glad to see he’s not faring well in the debates. It will be interesting to see what happens in September when the field has been whittled down. Too many opinions from people who don’t have any kind of chance of being the nominee!
I’m glad your mom is on the mend and I hope she finds ways to lower her stress. <3
Shathiso
August 6, 2019 at 10:27 pmMy husband is the pesto maker in our house and I love it. Tastes so much fresher than the shop-bought one. Good mileage this month and looking forward to reading your race recaps!