Notes from May 2023

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 6/19/23.

We’re over halfway through June but still want to take time to recap May. I love making these lists monthly to make note of/remember the big and little things that happen over the span of a few weeks.

I need to apologize in advance though for any typos or sentences that seem like they were written haphazardly. My current state is living among a sea of packed/unpacked boxes and I’m at the point in a move when you cannot BELIEVE how many things you own (even post major cleanout!!!). Matt and I did phase 1 of our apartment move this weekend and I am so tired as I’m writing this, haha. It’s been a while since I’ve moved apartments and I forget how taxing the whole thing is! But also so exciting. If you have a move this summer, sending good thoughts your way (& wish I could send you an extra box/tape because it seems somehow, we never have enough at the end!!).

Anyways, onto May’s recap 

Notes from May:

• I was home in Orlando for the first week of May and it was just the best. I went down early before my brother Ryan’s graduation from Florida State University, and I loved the extra time with my parents. The weather was beautiful & it also lined up with a not-so-crazy workweek, which was just delightful! Feels like it’s usually the opposite (work ramping up when life is also ramping up, which is how I feel presently :)).
• Chances are that if we chatted in May, I told you about a new-to-me design service called Havenly. It’s an online interior design service that I used last month, and I LOVED it. One of the things I really like about my new apartment is that the living room, dining room and kitchen are all separate spaces. Which is great! But it also means that the rooms are unique sizes. Plus, it’s an older apartment with some charm (what some may call “quirks”). So, once we found out we got the apartment, I knew I’d want some help figuring out how to fit furniture and live/work spaces throughout. Enter Havenly. After a quick design quiz (which was also really fun), I was matched with an interior designer. We chatted virtually about what I was for looking for in each room, and then she worked her magic! In the end, I received two deliverables: 1) an initial mood board for me to give feedback to and then 2) an actual rendering of the designed room (both were incredible). I love that you can ask them to incorporate items you already own into the layout. And then for anything else featured in the layout, you can shop directly from Havenly. They make it incredibly easy with a shopping list. And even though you might be ordering from multiple different stores, it’s all handled through Havenly. Though, you also aren’t obligated to buy anything that’s in your layout. What you pay for is the design service per room. I elected to do our living room and the dining room and altogether, it cost me just around $250 (I purchased during a promotion and received an additional discount for adding another room). In my opinion, it was money really well spent. It gave me a vision and a game plan for my space. Highly recommend if you’re looking to plan a room’s design. And if you are interested in learning more, here’s a review I found helpful. 
• May is synonymous with graduation season, but it’s been a while since I’ve had graduations of family members to attend/celebrate. I was so excited to celebrate Ryan’s college graduation and my cousin Ethan’s high school graduation! Always a fun time and, especially in the case of Ethan’s, I cherished the opportunity to see extend family members.
• A couple of firsts happened in May… saw The National live (Matt’s favorite band) and visited Grand Rapids for the first time for a wedding! While I loved going to the concert, I think even Matt would agree with me that the wedding definitely takes the cake… it was his older brother’s wedding and just the most fun weekend! From the Friday celebrations to the day-of events, everything was wonderfully planned, and I loved being a part of it!
• And finally, some hits and some misses for books read in May! I read Romantic Comedy, Off Balance, The Housemaid, Beach Read and The Little Book of Living Small. Ranking The Housemaid number 1 as I read it start-to-finish during a four-hour plane delay. I was so thankful to have it with me!! The writing wasn’t my favorite, but it kept my captivated with its huge twist. On the other hand, I expected to love Romantic Comedy so much more than I did. The writing was great and I loved learning more about the workings of a Saturday Night Live type of show (or as referred to in this book, “The Night Owls”), but the pandemic storyline and some of the plot threw me. Wasn’t my favorite!