"Donna Wins" + Things I'm Looking Forward to in July

 MWEG does this thing each month in our online office space called "MWEG Wins" where we can post successes we've had in our work for MWEG that month. I've decided to adapt it for my blog to document my personal "wins" for the month. I don't think I'll do it every month, maybe just those months when I need a little extra boost or want to document some successes in my life. So, without further ado, I give you some of my wins for the month of June. All except for the first and last ones are work-related. Nothing too momentous, but wins nonetheless!

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

I've been bitten by the travel bug and booked a trip to Guatemala for a yoga retreat this winter! It will be my first time traveling internationally by myself.

I applied for an additional library substitute position at another library (I'm still doing it for my town library, and I love it!). I don't know if I'll get an interview, but I'm glad I put myself out there and applied.

I hosted two live "office hours" for the Op-Ed Lab on MWEG's new member website. I'd never done anything like that before. We're going to do two each month going forward. Growth!

I've been working on planning and developing content for a virtual summer writing group that the Op-Ed Lab is running. Again, it's something I've never done before, and sometimes I'm not sure what exactly I'm doing! 😅 I'm thanking my lucky stars that a few months ago I hired a writing professor as one of our editors—her help is invaluable, and she helps make up where I lack. This is also a professional win for me because I had great candidates to choose from who all would have done a great job, but I think I chose the very best one who complements me well.

I started doing work for Rhode Island Moms.

Cape Cod Moms got a lot of hits this month, partly because one of our posts (that I did some extra good editing work on, I might add--for the layout, the pictures, and the text) went viral!

Similarly, my humble little blog here has exploded in views this month. It's reached nearly 20K for the month of June, where usually it's closer to half that on a monthly basis. I'm not sure why; I think adding hashtags to the cruise posts might have made a difference. Also, the superb quality of the writing helps. 😜

Okay, enough bragging. 😁 (There's plenty to not brag about, believe me!) Here are things I'm looking forward to in July, one of my favorite months of the year in my favorite season!

Vacationing on the Cape a couple of times

My dad arriving for his annual visit

The Republican National Convention (who will be Trump's VP pick??)

In that vein, possibly/probably finding out who the new Democrat presidential candidate will be. After last night's debate, it's clear to everyone now, Dems and the liberal media included, that it can't be Biden. (I've been saying for years that he never should have run for president in the first place due to his badly aging mind. I only take minor satisfaction in being right about this. His age-related blunders make me sad.) The Dems are in a real pickle now because of their poor choice of Kamala Harris for VP. I'd love to be a fly on the wall of the strategy meetings/panic sessions they must be having. The only Dem who strikes fear into my heart as being able to beat Trump is Michelle Obama because of how popular she and her husband still are. 
Alright, I've gotten a little sidetracked. But I'm intrigued to find out what will happen in the next few weeks. Will they wait until the Democrat National Convention in August to replace Biden, or do it before then? Time will tell. Maybe July will tell! 

The Olympics in Paris beginning

My birthday

Aaaaand, that's about it! 😆 I'm going to be working a lot in July, and the boys are going to be away for half the month, so it's not going to be the most exciting of months! 😑

May 2024 Randoms

This is Newbury Street in Boston, where my hair salon is. As you can see, it's in a very posh area, surrounded by the likes of Chanel and Rolex. It's where I get my posh hair!

Fake hair, don't care! (Even though it's 100% real hair—and has the price tag to prove it. 😱) It's so much better than my real hair! I like how it fits and blends in with my hair. I save so much time (and maybe money in the long run??). I love it!

Me with my freshly done head of hair waiting for my Uber ride to take me home because I'm too afraid to drive into Boston and find parking.

Also me

Shout out to me on Instagram Stories (Me, me, me!)

We went up to Pickity Place again this year to celebrate Hayley's birthday. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, and I still wasn't feeling great because of my post-cruise cold from hell, so I didn't have a big appetite. But what I did eat (and drink) was good!

This salad was so nourishing. After the week I'd had, I needed all the nourishment I could get.

Pretty lilacs and pretty Hayley

A rustic door with a bright forsythia wreath, leading into the gift shop (where I didn't buy anything! After dropping a lot of dough on the cruise, my hair, and Violet's surgery, I hold back almost everywhere else.)

Sam had some fun adventures in May besides the cruise. He ran his first RAGNAR relay race with a group of friends, mostly from church. He didn't train very much for it, and I was worried that it would be a bad experience for him, but he did well and he really enjoyed it. 🙌

I can't believe they ran this whole distance, from Connecticut, through Rhode Island, and up into Massachusetts! It was about 200 miles, and it took about two days and a night!

The following week, they had a reunion of sorts and he went to a birthday party for one of the boys from the group.

They did go-karts!

I went to a great presentation at Sam's school with an internet safety expert. Pretty much everything she said validated my own long-held thoughts and feelings about kids, teens, social media, and phone use.

Meg, my boss at Wicked Good Mom Media, asked me to be the managing editor not only for Cape Cod Moms, which I've been doing since January, but also now for Rhode Island Moms, which I happily agreed to do. A few days later, a surprise package arrived in the mail. It was from her and was full of some great swag! It really made my day! I'm truly so thankful for my work opportunities.

This tote bag is so nice!

T-shirt

I love notepads!

I love all office supplies. 😍

The gummy bears were delicious! 😋

Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in May

I think this is so funny 😂

Religious humor aimed at the United Methodist Church and its increasingly progressive ways

🙄

I know this is true and will always be true. Increasingly so in the days to come.

Ha ha

I love the principle and quality of integrity. I did a ten-hour values project about it many years ago, and it changed me forever. 

Buttigieg, green energy initiatives: they both get a 🙄 from me.

😆

The talented Mr. Krabs makes his move!

LOL

Yup!

Crazy Times Scrapbook, May 2024

 For those who don't like my "crazy times" posts because they disagree with my political and social opinions, this may be a "crazy times" post that you can tolerate better because of its short length. May was a crazy month for me with the cruise and then with being sick, so I don't have as much as usual to share beyond that personal craziness. (Did I say "crazy" too much in this paragraph? Ha ha.)

This is from a well-known Democrat, I might add.

I'm not sure to what degree it really matters at this point (actually, I think it will continue to matter a great deal), but the Jews actually did come first...

"From the river to the sea" is an inexcusable, hateful thing to say.

Hamas started it, and they could have stopped what came next, but instead, they ran and hid like the cowards they are. 

Reason #136 not to vote for Biden

Honestly, this is only going to help him.

Pretty Nature Scenes of May

Cheerful spring tulips at the Boston Temple

Fragrant lilacs and abundant ivy in New Hampshire

A peaceful sunset sky, seen from my driveway

Last but not least, one of my favorite nearby trail walks. Few things help me to feel more alive, at peace, and joyful than a good walk in the woods!

There was a beautiful bluejay who hopped along the trail from branch to branch as I tried to surreptitiously follow along. I wanted to get a nice close-up picture, but that bird outsmarted me at every step! This is the best I was able to get, with its back to me. 

It's not an impressive picture, but the bird itself was beautiful and it was neat to see it. I guess that's what matters most. (But the picture we could have had! 😥😄)