Happy first Friday of July everyone! I hope you have some great 4th of July plans! This year is the first in a long time that I won’t be spending it in the Northwest boating with my family and friends. Every year we go tubing on the river and always try to shove each other off the tubes. It gets real crazy. But it’s always worth the rope burns and bodies that feel like rubber the next day.

Although we won’t be home for the 4th this year, we are excited to spend it visiting our friends that just moved! Thankfully we will still be on a boat, so at least we won’t die in the heat. I’m also excited to visit because they just got THE CUTEST little puppy of which Matt and I are self-declared godparents. It will take so much self-control to not take him with us when we leave.

Anyways, I have some great new favorites to share with you this Friday! Enjoy!

RocksBox
By now, we’ve all heard of different subscription services, consisting of everything from healthy snacks, to makeup samples, to dog treats. But RocksBox is incredible. It’s a jewelry subscription where you pay $20/month for 3 pieces of fantastic jewelry with unlimited swaps. It’s basically like getting new jewelry every month and then instead of losing it in your jewelry box you just exchange for new jewelry. And if that’s not enough, you get a $10 credit every month to buy jewelry for lower than retail prices if you want to keep anything!

How it works: You choose from a wide variety of pieces from designers like Kendra Scott and put them on your wish list, then your own stylist will put together a collection for you based on your wish list and what they think will go together! You can leave feedback on each piece for your stylist so that they can tailor to your taste. Everything about this company is personalized. It’s brilliant. And they even send you the return label to send it back!

My boss had been talking about this service for a month and I decided I had to try it. And thanks to a promo code, my first month was free! I was so thrilled to get my first box and see those beautiful Kendra Scott earrings that seem to be everywhere! Here are a few pictures from my second box. I wasn’t a huge fan of the earrings, but that is what the feedback option is for. Anyways, I was super impressed with the customer service and fun jewelry and would definitely recommend it!

Cafe Veronese
A few weeks ago, I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with Mary, one of my best friends from home who was in the area. Our birthdays are a few weeks apart, so we took the opportunity to celebrate together! I took her to one of my favorite places, Cafe Veronese. It’s an eclectic, artsy cafe in the bottom floor of a house with a sprawling garden and lots of little cozy nooks. I love going there because it reminds me of the hipster cafes and boutiques at home in Portland. The link above has some great pictures 🙂

Anyways, we had a great time sipping Korean-style iced coffee and eating a huge waffle ice cream sandwich. I know it looks like I ate it all by myself but I’m not that greedy. It was so fun catching up with her at one of my favorite places! I hope you all can take advantage of the summer weather and spend some time with a friend somewhere you love, too!

New Summer Song
If you need a new song for your summer playlist, I have the perfect one! Justin Timberlake’s new song, Can’t Stop the Feeling, is the essential summer song, whether you’re at a party with friends are singing along in the car. Every time it comes on the radio in our car I immediately start dancing because I just can’t help it. I even have somewhat choreographed moves now (which Matt is super embarrassed about, which makes it even more fun). And the music video is so cheesy, yet so fun. Take a listen!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Asked to bring food to the 4th of July party? Kids are bored 2 weeks into summer and need something to do? Need to satisfy your sweet tooth? I could keep going but I don’t think you need more reasons to make these cookies. I made my first batch of Chewy  Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies a few weeks ago (I took a risk and made a double batch of about 50) and it was a great choice. Matt loves oatmeal raisin cookies but I just don’t understand why you would want to ruin something as amazing as cookies with raisins. That’s just crazy. So I found a good compromise recipe that substitutes chocolate chips instead and I hit the jackpot. Everyone loved them! They were surprised at how well the cinnamon and chocolate mixed together for a unique twist on a classic cookie. I think this will be my go-to from now on!

Love Kindness
Last but not least, I love this book written by the president of my alma mater, Dr. Barry Corey. Counter to today’s argument culture in which conclusions are made and walls are put up quickly, Dr. Corey’s book is about living in the way of kindness. He has inspired me to be receivable to others, to “have a firm center with soft edges,” as he often says. Here’s a little description from the site:

Kindness is not what we have been taught it is. It isn’t a soft virtue, expressed only by sweet grandmothers or nice Boy Scouts. Kindness is neither timid nor frail. Instead, it is brave and daring, willing to be vulnerable with those with whom we disagree. It is the revolutionary way that Jesus himself called us to live. The way of selfless risks. The way of staggering hope. The way of authenticity.

The book is a collection of stories with inspiring messages and a quick read. I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list!

That’s all for this month, I hope you all have a wonderful July!