Welcome to the July List! Here you will find the things that I loved, laughed at, enjoyed, became obsessed with and whatever else this past month. I tried to do this in the past as Friday Favorites (please click 1, 2, 3) but it never really worked out how I wanted to. I have ended that series and hope this will be far more successful. Enjoy!
Mantra
I am fulfilled. I am fearless.
This is the mantra I have been using for a few months now. I must say I really connected with this mantra for many reasons. One because I feel that I am always looking for the bigger and better next thing sometimes without really enjoying my own life and where I am at the moment. Two because I am fearless but my actions needed to become more fearless. I do feel more fulfilled and more fearless now. Feel free to use this mantra if you need a little boost in your life. It has worked wonders in mine. I’ve retired it now and I’ll share my next mantra with you next month!
Shannon Hammond @photobyshannon
Click the handle to check her account out. I absolutely love this Instagram account! There is just something so pleasing about the photos she takes. Light and refreshing in style. Simple while still so beautiful. I seriously cannot get enough. Also, I love them so much that I am having a hard time describing them. Click to see what I really mean because they are so pleasing and I can’t quite put it into words.
BarbieStyle @barbiestyle
Barbie? Who doesn’t love this chick? Click on her handle to check it out. Now she has an Instagram where she shows off her daily style. There is something I will always love about Barbie. I grew up playing with Barbies and now I get to follow her on Instagram- a real millennial dream come true! As always, Barbie is still the fashionable cool chick and I love to see what she posts and what she wears.
Mari Andrew @bymarieandrew
One of my favorite blogs (A Cup of Jo click to check it out) posts weekly sketches done by Mari and I love them. This past month I finally took a moment to follow her on Instagram and I could not be happier with this choice. She does sketches that are so clever, wonderful and full of truth. Check her out- truly a new favorite.
Dean @dean_unglert
Ok, I am like a Bachelor superfan. Maybe not in the extreme way that some people are but in a low key cool sort of way. I’m laughing at myself. There is nothing low key about me even though I try so hard. Anyways, Dean has totally won my heart this season and I highly recommend you check him out on twitter. His ability to laugh at himself and just enjoy his moment of fame through the Bachelorette is what I love. He seems so down to earth. I feel like some contestants get annoying with their social media as they find a pocket of fame and pretend they’re the hottest A-level celeb but Dean is so chill. Love it! I can’t wait to see him on Bachelor in Paradise.
Malala @Malala
MALALA JOINED TWITTER!!! If you don’t know who Malala is you must be living under a rock. I highly encourage you to read her story I Am Malala. I read it last year and it was amazing. Malala is such an inspiration for young girls and boys as well as humans everywhere. She just began tweeting July 7th and already has made an enormous impact. I cannot wait to see how she uses Twitter for the good that she is spreading throughout the world!
EmergenSea Otter @EmergenSeaOtter
I JUST LOVE SEA OTTERS SO MUCH! Also, I realize that this is the weirdest group of 3 ever but this is my July List so I am going to do what I please. I just love otters and I love this account. I don’t know how you could not love otters! They are too precious! Too adorable! If you need a little dose of cuteness in your twitter feed this account might be for you!
Book
Sapiens
This book is amazing! Click HERE to check it out on Amazon. I bought this book at the airport in London because I needed something to do when all my devices died because I forgot an adapter and refused to purchase a new one. What ended up happening was me FALLING IN LOVE with this story. I was actually surprised that I could not put this story down. I even spent precious time at the end of the school year reading it when I had other things I should have been doing instead! It is a brief history of humankind. It is interesting and thought provoking.
TV Shows
Pretty Little Liars
Haters are gonna hate. If you don’t like it or have something negative to say about my recent teen obsession you can get over yourself. (Message specifically targeted for my sister #loveyou) So… I also used to be one of those people that didn’t understand PLL. I saw the previews on Freeform, previously known as ABC Family, and just saw an over dramatic teen show. I started to try to watch it several times but never got sucked in. This past year one of my good friends tried relentlessly to convince me to watch it. I ended up giving it one last chance and loved it. I may or may not have watched the series in record time but I loved every minute of it. What I loved about it was the crazy antics that it somehow pulled off but also the friendship that the main characters have. It transported me back to my high school days and made me remember when it literally felt like it was your friends and you against the world.
The Bachelorette
Oh my gosh! So by now, you know that I have been loving Dean this season but I also love Rachel. Rachel has a lot of pressure on her as the first black Bachelorette and people don’t really realize what a weight that must be on her shoulders. I do have to say that she is handling it with such grace. Rachel is so down to earth and I love her so much. I also love this whole series. The other day I was considering doing a blog series of recaps and my thoughts on the episodes. Anyways, let me know if you’re interested in reading that. I have a lot of opinions. This season has been great on the Bachelorette. I can’t wait to see who Rachel chooses at the end- even though I already know because I was impatient and I had to read the spoilers! #sorrynotsorry
Song
Sorry Not Sorry Demi Lovato
OH MY GOSH! First of all the phrase sorry not sorry is one of my all times favorites! Second I love Demi Lovato so much. Third, this song is so catchy! I can’t stop jamming out to it! I just LOVE it!!! Check out the song and the music video HERE. Demi is my girl!
Quizzes
If you know me then you also know that I have a serious obsession with taking quizzes. I think this love began when I was a pre-teen reading Seventeen Magazine. The first thing I would do once my lovely copy came in the mail was flip to the back to see what the quiz was all about. Then I would save it until I had finished reading everything. Today I still love love love taking quizzes online. Here are my favorites this month.
Design an apartment and we’ll show you which PLL guy to date
Obviously, I had to take this quiz (click HERE). I may or may not have taken it twice because I didn’t get my desired outcome the first time. The joke was on me though because I got Wren Kingston both times! I guess that is what happens when you try to work the system.
Design your own hotel room and we’ll tell you where to travel next
Now I love traveling and I love taking ridiculous quizzes about interior design. Click HERE to take the same quiz. I was so pumped to take this quiz and it let me down when I was told I should travel to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Nope. I’m going to continue to travel in Europe and another chapter of my life will be traveling in the USA.
Which pair of sisters are you and your sister most like?
I, of course, sent this link to my sister immediately. We both took the quiz and got different answers. I was told we were Katniss and Primrose Everdeen. She was told we were Patty and Selma from The Simpsons. I don’t know what this means for us but I’m sure it isn’t good. Our quiz answers used to always be so in sync. Click HERE and hopefully, you and your sister have better luck.
Build an engagement ring and we’ll tell you which The Bachelorette guy you should marry
Alright! I am not going to lie I was obviously hoping for Dean but I got Eric in the end. That’s ok though I do really like Eric! Click HERE to find out which Bachelorette man you should marry.
Place I Visited
VALENCIA!
Seriously? Could any other place I traveled to this month top Valencia? Doubtful. It was wonderful to return to the first European city I lived in. Read all about it HERE and read a letter I wrote to myself at that time HERE.
Moment
Hanging with my Mom and Dad on our Trip
I hadn’t seen my parents in real life in almost a year so it was great to hang out with them and travel. Some of my favorite moments from the trip were not when we were seeing all of the sites but the moments that it was just the three of us, hanging out and having a good time. I am so excited that they took the opportunity to come to Poland to visit.
Links I Love
Blue Ivy’s Rap
#sorrynotsorry honestly what did you think would be first? Click HERE! I love Beyoncé and I love Blue. Of course I now also love Sir and Rumi #congratsbey Anyways, WHAT this kid can rap? Of course Blue can rap and she is spitting out much better beats than I ever could! #respect I cannot wait to see what this one does in the future. Will she follow her parents’ footsteps? I hope so. My only dream is that one day I can attend an entire Carter family tour like the On the Run tour on steroids!
How Do You Travel When You’re Afraid to Leave Your House?
This article by National Geographic (click HERE) was really interesting to me. I have always loved using Google Maps Street View to creep on places all over the world but never really considered it traveling until I read this interview. Living with agoraphobia can’t be easy but traveling through Google is such an innovative idea. If you can’t travel at home I highly recommend traveling through Google!
The only ethical way to see elephants in Phuket
Ever since I saw the movie Blackfish, if you haven’t seen it yet you need to, I have been obsessed with animals in captivity. One time the Real Housewives of Orange County went on a trip and rode elephants. I remember thinking is this alright? Are these animals living a full life? Are they being abused? Click HERE to read all about elephants and elephant tourism. It literally broke my heart thinking about these elephants. Hopefully, as we move into the future, tourism that hurts or exploits the environment, animals or humans is put to a stop. Please consider the impact of tourist activities before partaking in them.
Jay Z’s Apology to Beyoncé Isn’t Just Celebrity Gossip- It’s a Political Act
I will say that I love Beyoncé more than I love Jay Z but I still love Jay. I recently listened to the whole album and I loved it. This article from Cosmopolitan click HERE was very interesting. It discusses the cultural significance of Jay Z’s apology to Beyoncé. A must read!
25 tiny changes that’ll make you feel really good about life
I am a sucker for self-improvement type articles and I really liked this one from Buzzfeed. Click HERE to read it. I can say that I have been practicing #1 this past year and it really has made a difference. Check out the list and see what small changes you could make in your life.
GoldieBlox Be Like Her
Oh my gosh! First of all, I really love GoldieBlox. They aim to encourage girls to check out engineering and encourage all sorts of girl power. Their newest video shows young girls dressed up as their female role models and I could not love it anymore. Click HERE to check out the video and see young girls being empowered!
16 “Compliments” you should stop giving to single women
As a single woman, I can tell you that from time to time I receive some backhanded compliments that I don’t appreciate. Click HERE to read just a few that you should stop saying. Also saying them in an ironic way usually isn’t very funny either.
8 Habits you should be done with by the time you’re 30
Another very interesting article about habits to end while you’re still in your 20s. I love lists like this and am happy to say that I don’t have many of these habits listed but still have bad habits to break while I am still under 30. Click HERE to check out the list.
Stop whatever you’re doing and reflect on these Iconic Real Housewives one liners
I love the housewives! In fact, I just purchased a season pass on iTunes so I wouldn’t miss any of the OC drama that may go down this season. Click HERE for this hilarious post. The sad/funny bit is that I remember most of these lines being dished out. The housewives never fail to crack me up with their hilarious antics.
Aaron Carter Arrested
This is news that shook my family to the core. I was engaged in many different groups and individual chats with various family members the whole day. Read about his arrest HERE. It is so sad to hear about and my heart goes out to Aaron and all of his family members. Hopefully, he can pull himself back together in the future.
