The June list, at last

All about the pups this month. (Plus that jalapeño butter shrimp!)

The June list is, at this point, a list of things I've done rather than to-dos. This is the month of the summer solstice, the start of no-clothes season in our south-facing apartment, and the end of Kev's time off as he started a new role today. 

Here's a sampling of what this month has been like in our household:

One. Post wedding finance assessment is complete. We've deposited our gifts, paid off our vendors, and opened a joint checking account. I've even gone back to using my budget spreadsheet and am back on track for saving! How adult of us. 

Two. Cook more. We barely cooked in May. Specifically, I didn't cook at all in May. Kev gamely made some big batches of food for dinners and packed work lunches. I wanted to get back into the kitchen after the wedding, and I kind of did. I made dinner twice this month, a couple of soups, and some breakfast sandwiches. Together, we made ice cream last week (on a week night!). This will be a continued focus in July. 

Three. Have a get together. We hadn't seen the people we usually go out with since our wedding, and we got to have that get together this past Saturday night in Brooklyn to celebrate Dennis's 30th birthday. It was a great summer hang, and Kev and I even got to have a dinner date at Olmsted beforehand. 

Four. Make lots of pottery. Yes! With my wedding projects complete, I'd really been looking forward to getting back into the studio. As it turned out, while I did make a bunch of new pieces, I didn't spend too much time in the studio. I did it all at home. I'm almost done with a bag of white stoneware and look forward to trying porcelain out for the first time next time. 

Five. Start planning Kev's 30th birthday. I started looking into this the day that I wrote this goal out. That very next moment, in fact. I almost instinctively knew what to look for. I started to text people to get them on board before I even texted Kev to run the idea by him. We've booked a house for 12 in Upstate New York. It sits on 60 acres of land and has a huge swimmable pond on premise. It's dog friendly. I'm so excited for this weekend of relaxation and pura vida, summer style. 

I'm so happy to be ringing in Kev's next decade with him as his wife. Having known him since he was 18, he has grown tremendously and at the same time stayed true to himself throughout each of the different phases of life I've been privileged to experience with him. I love him so much and am thrilled that we can have a relaxing weekend close to nature with some loved ones to celebrate this milestone. I had a feeling that this would be exactly his taste and I hope I'm right. 

Six. Seasonal cleaning. Gosh!!! What I've learned as an adult, and more vividly as a homeowner, is that cleaning never ceases. Never. This month, we've sent out two boxes of donations (working on the third) as well as purchased an air filter to help clean the apartment air. 

And here's a quick update on the May list: all done! :)