Coffee Talk

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Good morning! Let's catch up over socially distant coffee. I'm still loving my Dunkin Donuts with a splash of half and half and a scoop of GLG collagen. What will you be having?

Last time for this view...

If we were having coffee... I'd fill you in on my pandemic vacation to northern Wisconsin. Most of you already know that this was my last visit to my childhood summer home. Yes, it was bittersweet, but boy, did we make the most of it! The weather could not have been better--think sunshine and 80s every day-- and I came home pleasantly sunburned. Both of my sons and my youngest son's girlfriend were there, along with my parents, who I hadn't seen since March! We made lots of memories and vowed that we will go back, even though it means we will have to rent a place the next time we visit. I've been so lucky to have had this getaway for the past 45 years!

No filter!

If we were having coffee... I'd tell you how pleased I was to see so many COVID-protective measures being taken by businesses and other people while we were in Door County. Most of the businesses we visited required masks and limited the number of patrons. Many restaurants were only offering carryout. We whiled away a very pleasant evening at an outdoor bar, sitting at our socially-distanced table. Sadly, one of the other bars we checked out had no social distancing in place and there wasn't a mask in sight. Drinks in hand, we left that bar after a very brief time there. Yikes.

Social distancing at an outdoor beer garden!

If we were having coffee... I'd tell you what a great feeling it was to get my hair colored and cut a few weeks ago. I'm not high maintenance at all, but seriously, I felt like a new woman after my trip to the salon. Someone commented that it must have felt good to be pampered. I would not consider this appointment pampering at all, unless you think wearing a mask and sitting in the corner on a folding chair while your color processes is pampering. But it was worth it. Whatever it takes in the time of COVID, right?

pretty much!

If we were having coffee... I'd thank you for reading my RA posts and supporting my sponsored posts.  While this has always been a running-focused blog, it's also my personal story and RA has become very much a part of that. I absolutely love the support of the blogging community!

If we were having coffee.. I'd talk about how happy I am that Black Lives Matter is still a very active movement. A month ago, I shared my thoughts, as a white woman, about the movement on a very well-received post. While I can't condone the violence that accompanies some of the protests, it's nice to see that justice is being sought for victims of police brutality. My youngest son, who is in Madison, Wisconsin, attends protests regularly. He sends me updates frequently, and shared this mural, which is painted on a boarded up restaurant on State Street, which is the street that runs between the campus and the state capitol building.

If we were having coffee... I'd share with you the books that I read over the past month. As always, you can check out my reviews on Goodreads.

• The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. A super cute, kinda cheesy story about a lost dog who brings 2 strangers together. Sometimes you need to read something light, right? It's really good!
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. I think Cari summed it up better than I when she described the book as 'dense'. There's a lot to digest here. This book is intended to help well-meaning white folks become more aware of their unintentional racism. And if what you read makes you uncomfortable, well that's the point. 
• The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin. Giffin is a gifted writer and while I enjoyed this love story, the setting of losing her love in the 9/11 tragedy just didn't sit right with me. Still, I coldn't put it down. 
• Pretty Things by Janelle Brown. What a bunch of unlikeable characters! Two people set out to con an heiress. The book kind of dragged until about halfway through. It was just too long and I'd recommend waiting for the Amazon series.
• A Good Marriage by Kimberley McCreight. My favorite book of the month. A man charged with murdering his wife calls his old law school friend to defend him. What she learns about the case makes this a really interesting story. This thriller has so many twists and turns, I got dizzy. 

Finally...if we were having coffee... I implore you all: WEAR THE DAMN MASK! I can't believe how quickly COVID has spread since we are all opening back up. And if you feel like you are suffocating in the mask, I can assure you that I wear one all day at work and I feel fine. Need more food for thought?

Well, that was a lot to share! Thanks for listening. What would you tell me over coffee? Are you masking? Any book recommendations for me? Have you ventured out to restaurants? Salons? 

Indulge me one more photo from my vacation....

I will miss this view and wine with my mom

I'm linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date and with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.