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Happy July!!! Is everyone getting ready for the fourth tomorrow?! I plan to just sit on the beach, relaxing with the hubs and pup! If you’re new around here, at the start of each month I do a little round up of my favorite posts, trends, or products from the previous month! Catch up on past “10 Things I Love” if you have some extra time!

My Birthday

ICYMI, last month I officially hit a decade of adulting! These last ten years have been a rollercoaster. While I am beyond grateful for where I am today, and wouldn’t necessarily have wanted a “crystal ball” I did write a post on what advice I would’ve told my 18 year-old self, which I think is applicable to most stages of life.

Reading

Summer is always my favorite time to settle into a good book. It’s a great time to slow down, reflect, and grow. Here are some of my favorite memoirs by women I think everyone should read.

Orange Is The New Black

Since you already read about the memoirs I recommend, it should probably come as no surprise that I am a huge Orange Is The New Black fan, even before the show. These last two seasons keep getting better in my opinion. I love how they are tackling real issues that our countries criminal justice system faces. There’s the obvious more talked about: police brutality; but the not so obvious which I hope people don’t over look during this season: felons and inmates are treated like animals, less than animals, they are treated like they don’t exist (in my opinion, thats worse than being treated like dirt). You see, our criminal justice system is built around punishment. It’s designed to increase recidivism back into the system.

This season of OITNB happens over the course of four or five days during the riot, and I know some people on twitter were super pissed about that, but they clearly had their eyes closed! This season maintained the typical comedic relief in such a desperate situation, which maybe led people to overlook the amount of truth and reality on critical issues they shined a light on in those few days. Inmates can’t get access to basic things like adequate health care (imagine if you were totally cut off from credible doctors who can actually make a diagnosis, help you get the appropriate medications, or even from something as small as tampons). Or, imagine being cut off from humanity, and in turn losing your own.

If that’s not good enough reasoning to look at how we are doing things, then ask yourself why was President Obama the first ever sitting President to visit a federal prison? *cough* not wanting to face guilt and shame at the system? *cough* This is something that’s ignored in our country and then we wonder why crime rates are so high. I hope this show continues down this road. Jenji Kohan said that while the show is contracted for 7 seasons currently, in theory could go on forever. I hope she extends it!

Understanding Health Insurance

Health insurance has always been something that totally confuses me or overwhelms me.  I spent some time getting all the terms down, I called my doctors to make sure I understood what was going to be covered and shared it all with you guys in my post on understanding health insurance.

Sharing My Heart

June also marked seven years since my dad passed away. The year he past away Father’s Day happened to fall on my birthday. This year I decided to open up about him in my post, A Fatherless Father’s Day.

My Office

Did you catch my official Jungalow inspired boho office reveal last month?!? Ugh, it feels SO good to have my office done! I spend so much time in here each day that I needed a bright and clean space to really get the creative and productive juices flowing. This was the first room I have ever decorated 100% by myself in my life! It felt so good to see my vision come to life and can’t wait to share the other rooms with you as they come together the next few months!

Conference-ing

I attended my first every blog conference this year!! I had so much fun meeting other bloggers, drawing some inspiration and motivation from the energy, and of course, learning how to improve! Honestly, blogging is one of those things thats always evolving and changing, I feel like the potential and things to learn are limitless! As an introvert attending a conference can be tough, so I share my 10 tips for making the most out of a conference as an introvert.

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Mindset Shifts

I don’t know about you, but it seems like all the negativity in the world has been rearing it’s ugly head and impacting the conversations coming into my life. Without even realizing, I started to give into it, gossiping a little more, being a little more passive aggressive, and just generally throwin’ shade. I noticed it was a lot of other people’s energy around me that I was feeding off of. So I decided to cut out the toxicity, excuse myself from those conversations, and keep peoples names or topics out of my mouth that don’t serve me. I also loved this guest post on understanding health insurance which gives actionable advice on shifting your mindset.

Summer Dates

Summer has so many options of things to do! But sometimes, summer dates can feel a little played out. I shared some of my favorite summer date ideas for when your broke, that are a little more unique than “watch a sunset!”

Noosa

I know I worked with Noosa on Instagram, and this part is not sponsored, but just SO dang good! You guys, if you’re looking for a delicious yogurt and over the boring flavors, you have to try out Noosa! They use natural and non-GMO ingredients (yes even their milk is tested for non-gmo’s and if you know about the dairy industry, you know what a big deal that is). I am loving the coconut and strawberry rhubarb. My friend Michelle from She’s Not So Basic recommends “the coconut yogurt with berries, almond butter, cacao nibs, flax seeds, and chia seeds” – which legit sounds UH-mazing and I am totally trying it ASAP!

Shop this dress (it’s only $13!!!)

My Forbes Articles On Work-Life Balance From June:

How To Achieve Work-Life Balance Before 9 AM Every Day

5 Entrepreneurs Share Advice For Working From Home

How This Millennial CEO Integrates Work & Life To Create The Ultimate Workplace

Digital Nomads Living The Vanlife Share Challenges & Work-Life Balance Tips

CEO Of Mindbodygreen Shares How He Encourages Work-Life Balance