My Musings: June Moments

June was a busy month! We had lots of little memorable moments that added up to make this month full of fun.

I had been working without a single day off for three months. About half way through, I was feeling pretty burned out, so I booked myself a little staycation at the Grand America on my first weekend off to give myself something to look forward to. I have always wanted to do a little staycation here and I figured, what am I waiting for?

I booked the cheapest room available and when I checked in, I was told they were all out of those rooms so I was upgraded to a suite for free! I got to choose which floor I wanted to be on as well as a view of the mountains or a view of the city and the sunset. I chose the highest floor possible with a view of the the city.

The suite was super luxurious, it felt like staying in an apartment!

I checked in close to dinnertime, so after I got settled in my room, I went and picked up some take out from Cheesecake Factory. I brought it back to my room and watched an Ocean's 11,12 & 13 marathon that was happening on TV.

As promised, I did get a wonderful view of the sunset.

The next morning I slept in and had a wonderfully lazy morning.

Then I headed down to the spa for my massage appointment. The Grand Spa is lovely, this is just the lobby area. Once you check in, you are escorted to a separate elevator that takes you up to the spa.

I didn't want to disturb the tranquil vibes of the spa or the other guests by taking photos up there, but I really enjoyed my time and my massage.

After my time at the spa, I headed out to the pool! I hadn't ever seen the pool at this hotel before so I was excited to not only see it, but to also experience it.

It was a SUPER hot day, and there weren't a lot of shade options. I made a lap around the pool to try and find a chair, but it was super crowded and my options were looking slim. Luckily, in the very last corner I passed, there was one chair left, and it was in the shade! I was having the best luck on this little staycation!

I ordered lunch and virgin pina coladas. I love having a meal at the pool.

I made friends with the super nice lady next to me and I had the best pool day.

After spending most of the day at the pool, I went back to my room and showered and rested up a bit. Then I was antsy to get out of my room and do something, but I didn't feel like getting all dressed up and going somewhere since I was pretty tired from spending all day in the hot sun.

So I headed to the courtyard to enjoy the warm evening weather. I stayed in my cozies and picked up some little things for dinner at the gift shop and had a little picnic. I was still pretty full from all my delicious pool food, so I didn't need a big dinner that night.

The next morning I went to Sunday brunch at the Grand's new restaurant to see how it compared to their old brunch. I had planned to go by myself but decided to invite Beth and the kids since they had been locked up in their apartment with covid for the past couple of weeks. They had all finally tested negative and I thought a fun outing would be good for them.

It was so good to see them! I had missed all of them so much. We had a great time at brunch, even though I didn't find the food all that amazing. This bread pudding with a caramel rum sauce was delicious and my favorite thing I had. I have eaten at their restaurant for lunch and I loved it. So, I recommend going for a regular meal, but Sunday brunch can be skipped.

After brunch, I went to Beth's apartment to meet her new quails, Rudy and Dottie. They had been Vienne's class pets, their class had watch them hatch and everything.

They were beautiful and such sweet birds. This black and white one was Dottie.

I had more progress on my home update this month! Things are happening very slowly, but they are happening!

The rugs and artwork were delivered this month! I am blown away by the difference a rug can make in a space.

I wish the living room rug was about a foot or two wider, but I still think it looks beautiful.

I also got a new office chair, so I was able to bring my old one to the main floor and use it until my dining chairs came in.

All the rugs are Louis approved.

I'm working out what new bedding goes well with the new rug.

The night after the rugs were delivered, Louis opted to sleep on the bedroom rug instead of the bed, that's how excited he was about them.

With that one step forward of getting so many new things delivered, we also had a step back. The new couch I didn't like got picked up and I got a refund. But the new couch I ordered wouldn't be in for a few months. So we made do by making a cute little bohemian corner with all our decorative pillows and blankets. Our space looked pretty empty for most of the summer without a sofa.

We still got to enjoy the gorgeous view from my two chairs.

One night I went up and helped Mom and Dad tend the kids while Beth went on a date. We had SO much fun. We started off by getting dinner and root beer floats at Red Robin.

When we got home, the weather was so nice that we spontaneously decided to stay outside and play basketball. The kids hadn't ever played before, so it was fun to watch them figure out how to shoot a basket.

We also got to enjoy mom and dad's peonies that were in bloom!

We had a lot of celebrations this month!

Starting off with Fathers Day.

I did an ice cream taste off for dad again this year. This time I only went to two places and got three flavors from each place.

I went to Handel's and Brooker's Founding Flavors.

I tried to get a good mixture of different kinds of flavors.

The flavors this year were:

Cinnamon Roll

Key Lime Pie

Black Raspberry Chocolate

Mint Chocolate Truffle

Chocolate, Caramel, Marshmallow, Toffee

Banana Fosters Brittle

Brooker's won for cutest packaging, but Handle's won overwhelmingly in the flavor department. Black Raspberry Chocolate won this year.

Handel's won last year too, so next year I will just get six flavors from there.

Then we had a lot of birthday's to celebrate!

First came Moms.

Before mom's birthday dinner, Monty asked me to read to him. He also gave me fake glasses to wear so we could be twins.

Another week we celebrated Sue and Vienne's birthdays. They each got their own cake.

V decorated hers.

Beth created a fun, summer table for their birthday celebration.

It was fun to have some of Backer's chocolate cake, we normally always do their white cake.

Sometimes I am stopped in my tracks when walking into Mom and Dad's backyard, it is such a beautiful place in the summer. When the trees are full of leaves and the sunlight is dappled on the green grass, it feels like a tranquil secret garden.

I also love it on summer nights when the family either gathers on the patio for late night chats, or by the playhouse covered in twinkle lights while the kids swing on the swing set.

Work slowed down to it's normal pace this month which I was kind of excited for after being so busy for so long.

Since the weather was finally nice, this adorable pup, named Tank, would often times be out in his front yard when Oscar and I would go on our walk. I loved getting to spend a couple of minutes petting Tank as we passed by. He was velvety soft and was so sweet, I looked forward to seeing him every time he was out.

Oscar's neighborhood is stunning at the time of year. For about a month, all the flowers are in bloom and it is an explosion of red and purple. It was hard to get an accurate picture of how beautiful it is.

Wren, Odin and Jo's backyard was also in full bloom which made for beautiful visits with them as well!

And it was warm enough for water play! Drinking from the hose is one of their favorite things.

Odin would always get SOAKED from lapping up water from the hose. He looked like a little fuzzy seal.

I also had Jack and Roxy for a little bit this month. (Murphy had to be re-homed, he was causing too much stress on the other two and having three, big, active dogs was hard on the owners. He was adopted by a young couple that loves to go on outdoor adventures, so he is very happy.)

The first visit I had with them, there was a very loud thunderstorm happening and sweet Jack was a little nervous. He let me give him reassuring hugs to help me calm down.

I could tell such a difference in these two now that they are the only ones, they were much less stressed and interacted with me much more than they ever did before. So, it was a good call, all three pups seem to be fully thriving now.

I also had Raine as a client this month. On my walk up to her apartment, I noticed this perfect little nest of eggs, carefully created in a door wreath. Mama bird was always sitting on the nest but would fly just out of reach whenever she heard me on the stairs.

I checked on them everyday as I made my way up to visit Raine. They hatched soon after I found them, and I saw them grow up until one time when I visited later in the summer, they had all flown away. I loved getting to check on my little nest of birds everyday, it was so exciting.

One day, when I was getting into my car after walking Oscar, a little kid ran up to me and excitedly told me he and his friends had a lemonade stand up the street and that I should come and visit. They had set up their stand in a cult-de-sac at the top of a huge residential only hill. I knew they weren't going to get a ton of customers so I headed over to make sure they got some business. I got a glass of lemonade and an Otter Pop, the total came to $1. I only had a ten dollar bill so I gave it to them and told them to keep the change. I watched them ecstatically jump up and down and high five each other in my rear view mirror as I drove away.

I loved it so much that I spent the rest of the summer actively seeking out lemonade stands and largely overpaying for my treats and then watch as the kids celebrated their big sale as I drove away.

I got all sorts of treats from these entrepreneurial kids. Things from homemade suckers to cotton candy to jars of homemade slime, and of course lots of lemonade. I loved supporting their efforts!

I had an appointment at my favorite medical spa in Draper this month. They moved into a new location last year and I always love going there. The decor is fabulous and makes me feel like I'm somewhere fancy like New York.

They always have the most gorgeous fresh flower arrangements.

I always CRAVE to be in nature and it can be hard to find ways to get out and be fully surrounded in it. So I made a goal to try and make more time to be outdoors. When I crave nature, I crave sitting in it and soaking up its beauty and serenity. I can enjoy an outdoor adventure here and there but I crave just sitting in nature. So I would take my studies up the canyon and sit by the calming water of the reservoir or the river and feel the stress melt out of my body and my soul truly relax.

I loved when this Dalmatian was playfully frolicking in the water next to me.

Speaking of self care, I ordered Ruth's macaron box this month. She did a rainbow color pallet in celebration of Pride Month.

Swimming season began this month! My first time to the pool was with Lex and Lu at the traverse pool. Lu had Lex and I judge her different dives off the diving board. She wanted us to give her tips and critiques each time. It was so much fun.

My favorite time to go swimming is at night. I don't have to worry about sunburns or sunscreen, it's less crowded and it isn't blistering hot. Ang, Lu and I love to get take out dinner and/or big drinks and sit and chat at my pool for hours since it is open so late. I also have a hot tub at my pool which is a necessity for night swimming.