It’s inevitable: my husband and I always end up in a standoff right before vacation about how much stuff can realistically fit into our suitcases before they go over the weight limit. Wellllllll, I’ll admit that I was way off this year, and after swearing up and down that our bag definitely didn’t weigh more than fifty pounds, we ended up at the ticket counter with a duffel that was ELEVEN POUNDS over the limit. Luckily, I had folded up this comically-large-but-oh-so-useful tote bag into my backpack, and ended up using it to carry packing cubes, my hair straightener, and two pairs of shoes we took out of our checked bag to make the limit. I also used it as a beach bag while we were on our trip and when I tell you it holds everything, I mean everything.

While the Austin heat (especially this year) makes me naturally glowy (and by glowy…I mean sweaty), I’m still on a constant search for skincare and makeup products that make me look slightly like a glazed donut at all times (because then who can tell if it’s sweat or just luminance?). One thing I have found that keeps me glowing while also keeping my makeup from sliding off my face because I am also sweating is this makeup setting spray. The mist is just perfect (I’m super picky about my mists!) and it smells great, too!

Okay, this is a little bougie, so bear with me. I am not, by nature, a bathrobe girlie. I want to be out of the shower and back into regular clothes as soon as humanly possible because I am busy and don’t have time to mess around. But, I kept thinking that it might be nice not to have to try and rush to put clothes on, especially when I’m probably still slightly sweating even though I showered because I just worked out and it’s a hundred freakin’ degrees outside. So, I did some research on “summer robes,” and after purchasing and returning a handful of them, I found the most luxuriously dreamy, relatively lightweight robe that I literally cannot wait to put on after my shower to help me savor the few minutes before I have to get ready and move on with my day.

I’ve talked about the screen time issues in our house before (mainly the fact that too much/certain types of screen time make my child into a crazy person), but I am always on the hunt for educational apps that give at least a little more benefit than having her watch Cars 3 for the umpteenth time (my child is Cars-franchise obsessed). At a recent speech therapy appointment, her therapist recommended the Endless Alphabet app, which focuses on the sounds each letter makes, and after a few weeks, I can already tell a difference in her pronunciation! Hooray for results and low-mama-guilt screen time!

I actually got some reading time in at the lake this past month (which with four year old is an absolute miracle), so I’m feeling pretty accomplished. I finally finished Book Lovers, which I had borrowed from my cousin a whole year ago and hadn’t gotten around to reading. This may be an unpopular opinion, but it turns out, I’m not the biggest Emily Henry fan. While this was an easy beach read, I wasn’t invested in the characters and found it a little predictable, which was disappointing.

The photography mastermind group I’m a part of is currently reading Free to Focus, which teaches you how to balance productivity, proficiency, and passion in your business to spend more time doing what you love and not getting bogged down by the things that suck your energy. It’s been eye opening so far and I feel like I’m highlighting something profound on almost every page. As a to-do list obsessed girlie, this quote that hit me right in the gut:

“You are a human being, not a human doing. Maybe you’ve forgotten that, but not everything can be measured by check marks on your to-do list. Many of the best things in life happen in the spaces between our tasks, in the intentional moments set aside for other people.”

Oof, am I right?? I am trying to put these words into practice in both my life and my business as I head into my busy season!

I eat A LOT OF SALADS during the summer (I cannot be bothered to turn my oven on), but I haven’t been able to find my favorite salad dressing in stores for the past year or so. I finally did some digging and found out that while the company stopped selling the dressing, they posted the actual recipe online so their customers could enjoy it at home. And YOU GUYS. This dressing has no business being as good as it is and I put it on EVERYTHING. Thank me later.

TikTok knew what it was doing when it somehow turned me on to these little french yogurts that not only taste amazing (the lemon one is my favorite!) but come in the CUTEST reusable terra cotta cups. I use them as drinking glasses, succulent planters, q-tip holders…they are literally all over my house. I found a few different brands (and therefore different styles and colors of cups!) at Central Market in Austin!

I know we’re still in summer mode, but as I mentioned before, fall is just around the corner, which means it’s about to be family photo season! My mini sessions are already over halfway booked up and I only have four weekend spots still available for full family sessions, so please contact me or click on one of the links below to get on my fall calendar!

As always, thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine and continuing to allowing me to do what I love through serving my clients!

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