What I’m Loving Lately – June 2016
June was a mix of relaxing, entertaining, and productive. We went full tilt into wedding planning mode and already set a date, picked a reception venue, and selected a photographer. It was also such a blessing to have a few blank days on the calendar to recover from all the excitement and decisions. Here’s what I was loving last month. Check out other posts in the linkup on Leigh Kramer‘s blog!
TV Shows
The Wire – Oh my goodness, this show. Jay has been trying to convince me to watch this since we first started dating and I finally gave in. It’s phenomenal. I couldn’t believe how invested I became in the characters. It takes a while to get through since the episodes are a full hour and you really have to pay attention, but it’s absolutely worth the time.
Catastrophe – This Amazon Prime show has become a replacement for Frasier and Parks and Rec. It’s about an accidental pregnancy and hilariously honest and sarcastic.
Game of Thrones – Such mixed emotions about this season! We were not impressed through most of the season, but the final few episodes were awesome.
Parks & Recreation – This month saw the end of a Parks & Rec era. We finished the final season and it was perfect.
Movies
The Count of Monte Cristo – Jay picked this out to watch one night while I was working on the blog and I ended up getting caught up in it! It’s an excellent story and the movie was well made. Side note, does anyone else always want to say “Monte Crisco” every time instead? Haha.
The Man in the Iron Mask – After watching the movie above, we decided to continue on the Alexander Dumas train and watch this one next. I figured you can’t go wrong with Leo DiCaprio. Ohh I was wrong. It was awful – to be honest I didn’t even bother finishing it.
Braveheart – Another of Jay’s picks (that I agreed to). It had been a long time since I saw this, but it certainly holds up well over time. Still a fantastic, moving film. I was bawling like a baby at the end.
X-Men Apocalypse – The only movie we saw in theaters this month. I generally love the X-Men movies and this one was as entertaining as expected.
Music
Cam – Her debut album has been playing on repeat in my car for the past two months. I first heard of her as a result of her hit, Burning House, but I’ve fallen in love with the rest of her CD. She’s country, but has a unique voice and a wide variety of songs.
Books
Check out my latest reading update here!
Events/Activities
Baby Shower – Our close friends are having a baby boy in August, so we spent one pleasant Sunday afternoon celebrating his upcoming arrival.
New Baby Girl – We’re quickly becoming surrounded by babies! One of my best friends from college just had a baby girl and we got to spend a hilarious two hours hearing about the labor and delivery process. Let me tell you, they held nothing back! I also got to hold their daughter which was quite a joy.
Tennis League – I’m a co-leader of the tennis league at work this year and we’ve finally started tournament play. It feels great to get outside for an hour or two after work and get in some fun exercise.
Golf – Two weeks ago Jay convinced me to go to the driving range to learn how to golf. Then all of a sudden this past weekend I found myself wearing a Polo shirt and playing on a real course! It was surprisingly fun, especially spending time with Jay and being outdoors. He’s now trying to convince me to buy my own set of clubs…
What I’m Loving
Ibotta – This is a money saving app that gives you cash back on all sorts of grocery, alcohol, and clothing type items. You search for “coupons” and then scan the barcode of any applicable products and take a picture of your receipt. Then the app gives you the coupon value in cash back! If you sign up using my referral code (“occaodi”) you get an extra $10 added to your account!!
Capital Blue Cross – My insurance offers free fitness classes at a nearby Capital Blue Cross store practically every day of the week. I’ve already tried a 30-minute shred and a tabata class. Hoping to fit in my first barre class too!
Ebates – Apparently I’m all about the savings this month. I finally got my $30 cash back for using Ebates when I purchased my self-hosting package from HostGastor. They also had a 40% off sale on Magazines.com so I snagged a year subscription to Real Simple for $3!! If you use my referral button below, you get a free $10 after your first purchase!!
What were you loving in June?
I heart Catastrophe!! Just started season 2. Love it. Also, I just fell down a very lengthy rabbit hole looking at all your Stitch Fix reviews. I’ve always been curious about what they send and how much it costs, and since you link to others at the bottoms of your posts, I just kept clicking!
I love reading about your upcoming wedding. I remember being super overwhelmed by the whole process, so it’s fun to see someone else go through that. I feel like a wise old sage at this point, having been married for 2.5 years now!
It’s so easy to get sucked in to Stitch Fix reviews : ) As for wedding planning, I get these moments where I go crazy stressing over something little then come back to reality haha. Overall, it’s been a lot of fun though. You’re certainly wise compared to me!
Good morning from Leigh’s! And yes, let’s hear it for ebates, rebates, coupons … anyway to save some cash …
Happy 4th to you!
Happy 4th of July to you too! I’m all about saving a little here or there. Then I can buy more books…
Hi Rachel!
I love Parks and Rec and was so sad when it ended! I’ll definitely have to check out The Wire…like you I don’t think it would be for me but after reading your review, you’ve changed my mind!
Yes! I catch myself saying crisco instead of Cristo too!!
Yay to getting things done on your wedding checklist!
Bethann
Yes yes yes to The Wire! It was intense but amazing. We’ll be starting Season 2 soon!
I finally decided to give in to the Game of Thrones koolaid and start watching. Currently trying to buy seasons 1-5 DVDs on Kijiji.
What is Kijiji?? I’ve never heard of it…
I miss Parks and Rec dearly – I want to unwatch it somehow so I can do it all over again! Congrats on your engagement – good luck with the wedding planning!
Thanks so much! Luckily Parks and Rec is one of those shows you can watch over again and still find hilarious. There’s nothing like watching the first time though : (
I loved Parks and Rec so much, and they tied the show up perfectly in the last season! I am going to have to check out Catastrophe.
Yes, I was very impressed with how they handled the wrap up. Also, I definitely teared up when they brought back Ann. That was perfect.
Hi Rachel!
I have watched “The Man in the Iron Mask” so many times. Also I love to watch spiritual movies. I have a great collection of Christian movies in my home theater room. Happy 4th my friend.
~Dr. Diana
Happy 4th to you too! Any favorites from your Christian collection that you’d recommend?
I just signed up for Ebates this month, but I haven’t used it yet, I love Ibotta though! I didn’t watch any of this season on Game of Thrones! I feel so behind! And I love Cam’s Burning’ House! Maybe I should check out the rest of her album. 🙂
I’d recommend adding the Ebates button to your internet browser – it gives you a notification whenever you’re shopping on a website that offers cash back! It saves you the time of checking the actual Ebate website each time to see if the store is included.