We’re back with another out of the kitchen post – here’s what we’ve been up to for the month of June!
Proof that we’ve been spending a lot of time at home: Salsa found a cozy spot in a desk drawer. He’s full of personality and keeps us entertained.
We celebrated our eighth anniversary on June 2. Ryan followed the traditional gifts-by-year idea — this year was pottery and linen — so he gave me a charming llama planter and a linen throw. I made him a thoughtful card and picked up his favorite coffee, since he runs on caffeine. We also took a mid-day run through a nearby forest and stopped at Starbucks to celebrate.
For our anniversary dinner we tried grilled pizza and instantly loved it. We’ve made it three times since. Ryan’s basil plants have been thriving and fresh basil on the pizza is absolutely delicious.
While Salsa can be standoffish with visitors, he’s definitely affectionate with me — which I consider a win.
This month I launched a redesign of my website. After five years with the old look, it felt great to move to a cleaner, more modern style. The new design had been in development for months, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Being in a different state from family is hard, especially for big milestones. My dad turned 70 this month. I couldn’t be there in person, so I sent a birthday box with “Cheers to 70 years” themed plates, napkins, cups, photo props and four varieties of cookies. My siblings and I also compiled a list of 70 things we love about him and had it framed as a keepsake.
We began shopping for a sectional to expand our living room seating. To visualize it, I mapped out the dimensions using our outdoor cushions — a simple trick that helped. We decided on a build-your-own sectional and are excited to see it when it arrives. A perk of Ryan working from home is that he captures candid behind-the-scenes shots of me working, which we like to share on Instagram.
Our friend Bethany joined Ryan and me to help a house affected by recent flooding. It’s been meaningful to serve the community together during recovery efforts. Ryan has also been eager to add new flowers and shrubs around the house. We planted some flowers by the mailbox — when we moved in three years ago, much of the yard was overgrown, so we’ve been slowly reintroducing plants.
We bought a used treadmill and I’m loving it. It was a bit of an adventure fitting it into our small SUV — we even drove home with the hatchback open — but it worked out. We’ve been missing our gym routine, so it feels great to get back into running. Ryan is training for a half marathon. The next photo is a behind-the-scenes shot of some lemon blueberry scones I made — they’re a summer favorite and I could eat them all season.
We wrapped up the month with an ice cream date to celebrate two milestones: Ryan completed a 10-mile run, and my site reached one million page views last month. We also finished another puzzle and took our customary photo in front of it to mark the accomplishment.
SEE MY PREVIOUS OUT OF THE KITCHEN POSTS.