Dear friends, I hope everyone is enjoying summer, finding time to unplug, explore, eat ice cream, catch fireflies, watch movies… and more. The hard part of conscious unplug is what to write when you want to dip back in for a quick update.June: Don't you love this photo? I don't like to get my face wet and realized moments before running through this ambush what was about to happen... I have posted several photo's from that day to Instagram for all to enjoy.
I'm training for a half marathon in September and a marathon on November. Trying to stay injury free I'm running just 3-4 times a week. So far it's working well.
Project Declutter: Real Simple posted this photo to Instagram early June... the caption says "1945, when the average American owned 10,000 things." Gulp. Over the next week I found myself looking around our home, realizing very little of the stuff in our home belongs to my husband. Conclusion, most of this stuff is mine?!
Since that day I have been on a mission, to clean out as much as possible before we leave for Europe in August. As I write this post today, I have gone through EVERY drawer, closet, and room in our home. Going through a hundred photo albums from my Grandma, removing duplicates, blurry photos and strangers... I have two show boxes of photos. I brought several bags of clothes to the goodwill, garbage cans full, and ... are you ready for this.... I still have a room full of the last of Frank and Barbara's furniture to donate. In the storage room above the garage sits two sofas, five chairs, four bookshelves, a queen size bed, three coffee tables, and a dozen pieces of framed artwork.
July: I'm a year older. The World Traveler flew from Switzerland to celebrate, having seen him for just 36 hours in five weeks... being together was perfect. We had a quiet, lovely day.
I'm also growing out my bangs (a dreadful process)... here are a few rejects from some photo's my friend took a few weeks ago. I can't wait to get through this process! 46 was filled with lifetime highs and lows... I hope 47 grants my wish. Regardless, I will embrace this crazy little life.
Reading: Contemporary fiction/ new releases are my books of choice this summer. My favorite two books read so far are Freud's Mistress, and The Marrying of Chani Kaufman. I recommend both! In addition to fiction, I have been devouring cookbooks. I have a few to review in the fall (preordering a few copies of one of them, love!). 
Sonderborg Denmark (source: google image)
Travel: I'm busy planning/packing for a late summer getaway. We are flying to Germany to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday. They live seventy miles from the border of Denmark, so we will day trip to Denmark and explore a seaside village. Then we are off to Switzerland.I hope you are having a lovely summer, enjoying family, finding time to unwind with friends, and relax. ~ much love, Mari
