So July 2017 has been all about new things. I’m trying to find a way to rephrase that so that I can communicate to you the level of absolute newness in my life right now. If July had a theme, it would be: surprise!
I met my newest nephew, Leo. I got back into poetry–which I’d been away from since college. Something unlocked in my brain and I’ve been writing in new and life-giving ways. I started a new project (that you can be a part of). I learned new things about myself that seemed to come out of absolute nowhere and have changed parts of me in profound ways. I got to try that new International Delight latte foam stuff they sell in the coffee creamer section… newness all around. I’ll go into this and so much more down below. Do enjoy a look at what July has looked like to me.

Ryan and I impulsively bought some plane tickets. Alaska Air was having a sweet, sweet flash sale and now when all the rest of the Kansas kids are dying from frostbite, we’re going to San Diego to visit our dear friends Doug and Staci (of My Friend Staci and The Voyageer).

Reading: Rupi Kapur, Milk and Honey and One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (for the July bookclub! Our discussion will take place on Tuesday, 8/1 at 8:30 pm CST on Facebook–message me for details of how to get in on it).

Shopping for pajamas. Obviously in the summertime it’s hard to wear anything but underwear to bed so this hasn’t been an issue yet but Autumn will come and when it does, I won’t have any jammies. I’m thinking about these or these or maybe something like this (just kidding, that’s got wedgie city all over it).

Eating only peaches and cherries because it’s too hot for anything else. Also because it’s peach season and why wouldn’t you be including them for every meal.

Like I said, we went to Cincinnati to visit my sister and her beautiful family. Here are just a few of the billions of snapshots I took:

“Your eyebrows have their own vocabulary”… My friend Elena wrote the most beautiful letter to her son on his first birthday.

Something about this new house has me feeling inspiration like never before and part of that is listening to so much more music. I am finding new things and visiting the old favorites like Tegan and Sara and Counting Crows.

But while we’re talking about music,  have you seen this NPR piece about the 150 Greatest Albums Created by Women? Or this… I’ll call it a “companion piece” about the 150 Worst Albums Made by Men? Finally someone else who isn’t creaming their jeans over U2.

Tatiana Gill wrote this beautiful comic about her Body Positive Journey. I love it so much. A lot of it felt like my own story.

Okay so do you want to talk about this new project? It’s a magazine. A real-live, hold-in-your-precious-hands magazine that I’m helping to develop with two other brilliant, artistic women who inspire me to work my ass off, dig deep, and not be afraid. It’s called &/Both and you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We do have a website but it’s going to be a minute before much gets happening over there. That’s okay, things take time.

What’s &/Both about? I’ll just let you read what Kalene wrote to describe it:
&/both Magazine is about holding space for the achy places in our lives. It’s about leaning into the complexities instead of running from them. It is about owning our own light and shadows, already and not yets. There is space at the table for you and we rejoice in that; it is also the empty chairs and all that they mean to us.

We are a magazine created by women exploring art, language and whole hearted living through the lens of intersectionality. &/both is for everyone willing to show up to the conversation regardless of gender, religion, sexuality, ability, or race.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on lately. That’s what July’s been about for me–what’s been going on with you?