What I’m Loving Lately – July 2016

What a great month! July was filled with tons of activities with family and friends. We also checked a few more things off our wedding list, including a dress for me and a DJ!  As usual, I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer to share my July favorites!

TV Shows

The Wire – We’re now on to Season 2! So far, I don’t enjoy the new story line quite as much as the first season, but I’m hanging in there since I know it’ll wrap up well.

Real Husbands of Hollywood – We started watching this on a whim during our New Orleans trip and it was surprisingly funny. Kevin Hart stars in this spoof of the Real Housewives TV series.

Last Man Standing – This came as a recommendation from Jay’s friend and I think Jay’s already watched 3 of the 4 seasons on Netflix! Tim Allen is the manly man head of his household of three daughters and a wife. We find it funny because he doesn’t hesitate to express his Republican/conservative opinion on everything from the government to hipsters to Christmas.

Movies

Finding Dory – I convinced Jay to see this over the long 4th of July weekend. It was great, especially for a sequel! In typical Pixar fashion, I shed a few tears but left happy and heart-warmed.

Age of Adeline – I thought this movie sounded intriguing but never got around to seeing it in theaters. I was thrilled to see it pop up on Amazon Prime. Blake Lively plays a woman who doesn’t age and it showed a unique perspective on life and relationships.

The Lovely Bones – This also showed up on one of our streaming platforms recently, so I gave it a shot one night when Jay was at a work event. It wasn’t as graphic / disturbing as the book, but the scenes in heaven were a bit trippy. I’d say the book is better than the movie with this one.

Larry Crowne – I’m a fan of both Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, so I had slightly high hopes for this light-hearted romantic comedy. Basic plot: a man who got laid off decides to go to college and meets a group of young fellow scooter-riders and a crass, jaded professor. Unfortunately, let’s just say you can skip this one haha.

Music

Maddie & Tae – These girls are probably best well known for their hit, Girl in A Country Song. It turns out the whole CD is great! They have fun lyrics and catchy tunes.

The Civil Wars – I adore the haunting slow tunes from this duo. They have some newer albums, but Barton Hollow is still my favorite.

Books

Check out my latest reading update here!

Events/Activities

Wedding Dress Shopping – I found my gown! My parents came up early in July to begin the process and I found my dress at the second store we visited. Christina’s Bridal is a wonderful boutique shop and I was thrilled to support a local business. If you’re in the Lehigh Valley area, I highly recommend a trip there for gorgeous reasonably priced options and an amazing staff.

Ocean City, MD – Mid-July found us on the beach! Our only trip to the ocean planned for this summer was full of great weather, food, and games with the family.

Indianapolis / New Orleans – Despite the mix-up prior to the trip, we still saw two of Jay’s friends from Purdue and had a fun time exploring New Orleans. The city is full of life and you can’t help but get caught up in the excitement.

Julius Caesar – I gave Jay tickets to a local production of Julius Caesar for his birthday and it blew us away! The cast did an incredible job and I was surprised at how well I could follow the plot based purely on their expressions and actions.

What I’m Loving

Love With Food – Once again, Love With Food offered me a discount to start up my subscription, so of course I took them up on it! I got the Deluxe box and was eager to try almost everything included! Check out my review here. If you want to try it, you can get 50% off your first box with my code!

Twinings English Breakfast Tea – During our time in London, we noticed Twinings was the tea of choice for breakfast at our hotel. We finally picked up a box in the grocery store and have been enjoying it ever since. It has no bitter aftertaste, which appeals to me.

Jif Chunky Peanut Butter – Our most recent trip to Sam’s Club ended in the devastating realization that they no longer stocked massive jars of regular Jif peanut butter. I settled for the Chunky variety instead. Well, the first jar is almost gone : ) It’s excellent to eat with bananas or icing or just a spoon!

What were some of your July favorites / activities?

 

*I earn a tiny commission for any products purchased through the links included above. Thank you so much for supporting my reading / peanut butter habit : )