Monthly Musings: August 2023

Hello friends! Happy Saturday and welcome to our Monthly Musings: August 2023 post, I hope it finds you well! Wowwwza, July passed me by at record breaking speed. I mean, seriously speedy! How is it August already!? It feels like I’ve just been go go going and, honestly, I’m so mentally & physically drained at the end of every day. It’s obvz a combination of the stresses of starting a new job & also getting to the home stretch of wedding planning, but man, it’s A LOT. The only good thing that has come out of my near-breaking-point disposition of late is the ever lovely Fiancé; he gifted me these beautiful flowers after one particularly ridiculous almost-water-works situation at the train station the other morning. Isn’t he the actual sweetest?

Anyways, how are youuuu? Have you been out there enjoying the summer heat? It’s been a little rainy (read: treacherous downpour kind-of-rainy) around these parts of late, but we can’t complain too much after such a sunny June. I’ve heard rumblings of an apparent heatwave coming our way though, so maybe things won’t be this wet for much longer. I hope that, wherever you are, you’ve been able to get out to enjoy the summer, even if just for a little bit in between rain clouds.

Our musings for the month ahead are below, filled with all the usual ramblings. Wedding talk, recipes, travel, movies, books, and the odd tidbit. You read on ahead; I’ll be here, savoring my coffee and sighing contentedly thinking of the long weekend ahead of me.

monthly musings: august 2023

Our wedding is in 96 days from today, ahhh! On the wedding bulletin board for this month: our menu tasting, which I talked about last month, was a total success! We ate so much food, tried all the wine, and even had our operations meeting with the planner while we were there! Everything was beyond perfect, and I feel much calmer now. Also! We gave notice of our intent to marry to the Irish state! It was essentially just a formality & a way of the country getting €200 out of us to confirm we are who we say we are etc. – but still! I also had my first wedding dress alteration appointment this week and gah! It’s all happening! More on this next month!

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Related: Fiancé & I celebrated our 8 year anniversary at the end of July! 8 whole years together, and only 3-months away from becoming man and wife! Can you even believe it? It’s crazy! We spent the day in town, and it was so perfect. We kicked it off with actual life-changing pastries at Bread41: a pain au chocolat & an epic almond croissant. The latter was legit the best pastry I’ve eaten maybe ever: gooey, buttery, almond-y goodness! From there we went to the registry building to give our wedding notice – which, yes, I booked specifically for our anniversary date – and then we moseyed on over to look at suits for Fiancé. We rounded the day out with a celebratory pint of Guinness at John Kehoes & an impressive feast at Aperitvo. It was *chef’s kiss*.

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It’s official, my birthday is just around the corner. In a mere 28 days from now, I’ll be leaving my twenties behind and striding into my thirties! I’m using the word striding because I’m hoping to have a little more pep in my step by then – please pray for me. I have exactly zero plans made for any form of celebration, but I’m going to have to remedy this asap! All birthdays should be celebrated, but especially milestone birthdays! Watch this space!

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In case you missed it: I shared my Summer Bucket List, 2023 last month! A little late in the game, maybe, but who the heck cares. Do you make a summer bucket list? I got the idea from Joy the Baker a couple years back and I’ve found it to be such a sweet practice. Since sharing mine, I’ve already ticked off a) getting a haircut and b) giving our notice. Fiancé & I have beach plans for this very weekend, aaand I have my eye on this rosé sangria to enjoy with my gal-pal next week! Getting it done!

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Gosh, it feels like we haven’t been travelling in so. long. In reality, it’s only been seven months since we left the country – but that is an inordinately long time for me. Pre-pandemic, I left the country an average 4.51 times a year. Heck, even during the pandemic, between 2021-22, I left the country seven times. Honestly, I’m going a little crazy, and I’ve found myself longingly reading back over past travel guides – how pathetic is that? If you’d like to join me, here are some guides from Augusts past: Berlin Travel Guide | 4 Days in the German Capital / Two Days in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia / or, closer to home, Seven Days on the Dingle Peninsula | A Staycation Guide.

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So, I didn’t forget about my supposed lunchbox series – but I am nowhere near ready to share anything like it! I’m struggling so bad with my lunches! This is the first time in my life I’ve had to bring my lunch to work with me and it’s strangely stressful! How do people do this every single day? I canny! Please send help in the form of an easy to duplicate lunch plan! I’m borderline worried I might starve if it carries on this way.

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Let’s talk recipes from around the web, shall we? I recently subscribed to Alison Roman’s Substack – a newsletter – and I’m loving it! Her recipe for Dip with Sizzled Scallions and Chile just sounds so! good! Elsewhere on the internet: Joy the Baker’s Chinese Cheeseburger Fried Rice, an oldie that somehow attracted my attention lately. I mean, does that not sound absolutely insane? I’m adding it to my to-make list this week. Also! I recently made this simple Spaghetti with Garlic & Olive Oil for dinner and it was a huge hit! So oily and luscious!

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In a shocking turn of events, I only read one book last month. I know! Disgraceful. The book was Cleaner by Brandi Wells; it’s about the cleaning lady in a big office who thinks she pulls the strings behind the scenes by the way she manipulates their desk work during her shifts. It’s nothing special, but it was a fine and easy read. What are you reaching for this summer? I’m in need of something truly page-turning!

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Did you watch anything great last month? We ourselves were rather terrible movie fans; only 7 movies were watched, and only 3 worth mentioning. Disturbia, which we have on DVD & love, Paddington, which we put on in desperation but ended up loving, and Nothing Compares, the Sinead O’Connor documentary, which was heartbreaking yet great. TV-wise: we’re in the midst of The Summer I Turned Pretty S2, which I love for all the awkward teenage feelings it brings out in me. We also finally watched The White Lotus S2! We were late to the game but totally LOVED it – way more so than S1! Every single character is s-p-o-t on and well written; it’s so fun! Bring on S3!

And there we have it, our Monthly Musings: August 2023 post! As always, I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you found something to take away with you – be it a recipe or a new cheesy TV-show. Let’s catch up again next month, yeah?

My love to you,

Vicki xo

related posts:

August 2022 // August 2021 // August 2020 // August 2019

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