I admit I still feel a bit rusty at running this blog again.
(Not that I was necessarily an expert at it before, but still).
I feel like I’m still navigating what Wayward looks like in 2021, and with the world the way it is (i.e., the days are still pretty slow around here), I feel like a weekly recap post is too much. Other bloggers will understand how writing a post takes way longer than the amount of time it takes to type the requisite number of words – research has to be done, links have to be gathered, and photos have to be processed and uploaded.
And I feel like I have a backlog of other content I want to write, but these posts take away from it. I’m currently mulling over reducing the number of these journal posts or moving them over to my newsletter entirely. If that’s something you’re interested in, you can easily fill in your information in the sidebar – no hurt feelings either way.
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But for now, let’s chat about last week!
The weekend was jam-packed, and I spent a lot of the weekdays at home. By far the highlight of last week was the annual Build Your Own Boat competition at the Whitewater Center. Participants created vessels from a small list of allowed materials and then tried to tackle the rapids. The weather was beautiful, and the event was a hoot. I feel so fortunate to live in Charlotte and to have the opportunity to attend outdoor events like this one.
Reading & Watching
I’m now 75% finished with both my audiobook and my book-book. Eleanor is finally growing on me, and I’m much more interested in seeing how her story ends over the characters in “Beautiful World, Where Are You.” For that novel, I’m just feeling… whelmed.
Last week I celebrated a friend’s birthday at a sleepover-esque party (minus the sleeping over). There were snacks-galore and face masks and a perusal of the Magnolia Network, a birthday gift she received from her husband. It’s been a decade since I’ve had cable, so I kind of missed the Fixer Upper craze, but I enjoyed watching In With the Old and Growing Floret with the group.
Not enough to add another subscription – Netflix and HBO Max already have way more content than I’ll ever have time for – but both were enjoyable watches for sure. At home, Michael and I are still chugging along with The West Wing and we have less than two seasons to go. In some ways, it’s refreshing to watch a show that moves at a slower clip, but I’m also ready for something new!
Some interesting things from around the internet:
-How cute is this home (yes, home) that HGTV is giving away?
-Chloe shared how to stop junk mail from arriving – such a great idea for so many reasons: it’s wasteful, we didn’t ask for it, and it could possibly lead us to spend money on something we didn’t intend to.
-This cheese-making class looks like a dream!
–I hope this comes true!
–That’s one way to kill time while waiting for your luggage at baggage claim.
-Today only, Everlane is selling their alpaca sweaters for $75. I own one in charcoal, and Michael and I always refer to it as my cat-tummy sweater – because it’s as soft as a cat’s tummy.
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Charlotte
We participated in another neighborhood cleanup this week with South End Social. The weather was unseasonably warm, but it felt like how I would prefer a summer’s day to feel. Michael and I always compete to find the most interesting piece of trash, and this month the prize (?) went to me: I found a very squashed used retainer (a good consolation as our raffle tickets weren’t drawn from the hat!).
Later that evening, we walked back over toward the Rail Trail to Nebel’s Alley Night Market and I couldn’t resist a pair of these simple gold fill hoops from a local maker. A few months ago I reopened my second piercings, and I’ve enjoyed mixing and matching earrings.
Surprising ourselves, we dined out a couple of times last week. We finally made it to Lang Van, often cited as some of the best Vietnamese food in Charlotte. The service was top-notch, but we ordered their two most popular dishes and I think I’m on the hunt for something else to be my go-to. The menu is massive, so I’m sure I’ll find my old standby next time!
We also dropped into Trolley Barn one night last week in an attempt to knock out dinner and another brewery at the same time. The meal was fine (it’s hard to mess up a burger!), but I could tell the staff were stretched thin. I think this is going to be the norm until workers are paid better.
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Home
The weekdays really flew by this week since we went to the gym a couple of nights and I spent the better part of one evening at the birthday party. In preparation for that, I made this vegan ice cream recipe, which I paired with some sprinkles and a homemade chocolate shell (which is just chocolate chips melted with a little coconut oil – once you pour it over something cold, the fat in the oil causes the chocolate to seize).
I also made my trusty bagel recipe as a gift for the birthday gal. She recently shared that my bagels are the ones she compares all other bagels to – so it seemed like the perfect gift!
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Beauty & Style
We had some cooler evenings this week and it felt so nice to be able to wear things with sleeves again. But by the end of the week, temps climbed to 80ºF. Throughout the pandemic I shopped so very little, so I’ve been really enjoying the new, shiny feeling of my newer (thrifted) clothes.
The accordion pleated skirt has been a real favorite lately, and I’m thinking about finding a solid-colored skirt as well – but the question is, what color? Black is forever my go-to, but I like this green one and this camel one as well. Because these skirts are now usually made from synthetic fibers, I would vastly prefer to find one secondhand.
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Next Week
Here on the blog, I’ll share a travel guide for the one destination we’ve flown to in the past year and a half (any guesses where we went?!). And as for life offline, we’re preparing to take a trip down to Florida in early November – Michael and I are going to be tíos!
Don’t forget to take the Wayward survey! One reader will win an item of their choice from Away.
