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July 2023 archive

Top 10 Things On My Mind

Every morning, I scroll through my Facebook feed and see a personal question posed to me on my profile.

What’s on your mind, Elisa? 

Oh, Facebook! Thanks for asking. How much time do you have? Luckily, today’s Ultimate Blog Challenge asked us writers to create a top 10 list. So, here are the top 10 things that are on my mind right now.

  1. I can’t buy any books for Amazon Prime Day because I want to stick to No Book-Buy July. But Mama needs a new FitBit!
  2. I decided to update our style guide at work. I thought it would take about an hour, but I was wrong. It took over three hours to complete. I’m happy with the result, and others will be pleased too. Summertime at work is the best time to complete the projects I can’t get to during the busy season.
  3. Along with this blog challenge, I’m doing a step challenge this month. But with these miserably hot and humid days and the torrential rainstorms in my neck of the woods, reaching 10K steps a day is not easy. I need to start pacing around the house to increase my step count!
  4. It gets harder to plan family vacations as the kids get older because — guess what — they have lives! Go figure. One works a full-time job, and the other is a full-time student. I’m starting to miss the days when the kids would just come with us — no questions asked. And it’s just going to get tougher. But I’ll adjust. I always do.
  5. The Supreme Court is starting to piss me off. Not to get too political or anything, but I used to feel protected by the First Amendment, which includes freedom of religion. All religions, not just the majority. I read this op-ed in the New York Times this week, which outlines how recent decisions have sided with the religious right. As a Reform Jew, I can’t help but feel under attack. I miss Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She wouldn’t put up with this crap. This has been on my mind a lot lately. How can it not? (End rant.)
  6. Back to my happy place. I’m starting a new book tonight. Our book club picked “The Maid” by Nita Prose. Has anyone read it? What did you think?
  7. I don’t know what I’m making for dinner this week.
  8. I decided that two writing challenges were too many for me this month. My goal is to write every day, but I can’t write all day and keep up with both groups. So, I’m keeping the Ultimate Blog Challenge and giving up the daily prompt challenge from Philly Writers Workshop. But I am going to their writing class tomorrow night. I can’t stay away too long.
  9. I’ve officially switched from Diet Raspberry Snapple to Turkey Hill Diet Green Iced Tea. This is big news! My addiction to Diet Snapple is legendary. I would drink two or three a day without thinking about it. Now, I can enjoy my diet iced tea without guilt. And some days I don’t drink any iced tea at all. I opt for a Mike’s Hard Lemonade instead. 🙂
  10. If you have commented on any of my blogs, I want to say THANK YOU! I love reading your comments. While writing is my passion, it gets lonely sometimes. Your kind words fill my heart and are greatly appreciated.

XO,
Elisa

No Book-Buy July

Inspired by a fellow blogger’s No Buy July post, I decided not to purchase any new books this month. As you know, it is difficult for me to refrain from supporting independent bookstores or downloading new titles from my ultra-convenient Audible and Kindle accounts. Right now, I have one Audible credit for July, and I’m not cashing it in until August. Is it killing me that it’s sitting out there, and I could have a new shiny book to listen to today? Well, yes. But I’m not giving in. I have shelf control.

I mean self-control.

So far, I’ve listened to one book I own — which turned out to be a 5-star read — and started a book on my Kindle that I purchased a long time ago. I’m also reading more New York Times articles and cleaning up my Kindle by catching up on the samples I’ve downloaded and never read. I deleted a few of them and put the two I liked on hold to buy later.

Here is the only downside. I haven’t stopped myself from making other random purchases this month. Just yesterday, I spotted a sterling silver bracelet featuring pressed flowers in a charming jewelry shop. I had no intention of buying anything for myself, but after I tried it on, I loved it. This sort of impulse buy would not have happened if I had made a recent trip to the bookstore. But since there was no chance of that, I decided to support a different kind of small business and bought the bracelet. While I had a little buyer’s remorse, I woke up this morning happy to see it sitting pretty on my wrist.

Of course, now I want a manicure, so this no-book-buy July might wind up being too dangerous for my pocketbook. But at least I won’t add any new books to my TBR tower. So, silver lining!

Water Baby

During the hot and humid days of summer, everyone wants to get in the water. Whether it’s swimming in the ocean or jumping off the diving board at the pool, the water is the place to cool off and have some fun.

But sadly, I am missing the water gene in my DNA. Ever since I was little, I have not been a fan of water. And I was born an Aquarius – a water sign! Regardless, I was a big baby about the water, and it took me forever to learn how to swim because I was afraid to put my face in or go under the water. I would cling to the wall during swimming lessons while others played games and raced to the other side of the pool.

Once I got over my initial fear, I figured out how to float, tread water, and swim enough to be able to save myself (G-d forbid). But I’ve never been comfortable in water that I can’t stand in. Case in point, when we took our kids to the water parks, you could always find me on the lazy rivers and log flumes but never on those massive water slides. That was Scott’s job.

At this point, you might be wondering how the heck I have a son who loves to swim, plays water polo, and works as a lifeguard?! Yeah, he didn’t get any of that from me. But because of my fears, I vowed my kids would be good swimmers. I threw them into swimming lessons, signed up for swim teams, and took them to the water parks. I didn’t want them to miss out on the fun like I did when I was younger. So, maybe I had something to do with Andrew swimming like a fish after all.

Last week, when our friends invited us out on their beautiful boat, I had some concerns, while Scott gave a resounding YES! I wish it were that easy for me. All week I was thinking about what might happen if something went wrong. What if we tipped over? What if I got seasick? What if everyone wanted to go in the water, and I’d look silly sitting on the boat in an orange lifejacket? But then I told myself to get over it. Most Saturdays, we are food shopping or running errands. This was the chance to have an adventure and do something fun.

I’m happy to say I found my sea legs pretty quickly and enjoyed myself today! We ate, drank, shopped, and laughed with our friends. Yes, the water was a little choppy in a few places, but I felt perfectly safe relaxing on the deck, checking out all of the cool boats and pretty houses, and being in the company of our good friends while exploring the Chesapeake Bay. I saw people on wave runners and all different kinds of boats. Some boats were anchored so that people could swim nearby. While you won’t catch me jumping off the back of a boat, I’d definitely go for another ride again and soon.

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