Motivate Yourself

 

Top Ten Favorites - Summer Friendship Movies

 

 

 "Friends are the family you choose." (Now and Then)

Hello, my lovely friends! 

    I put together a list of the ultimate summer friendship movies that just feel like a warm hug. These are the ones that make you want to grab a cold drink, curl up under a fan, and remember why having people who truly get you is the best thing in the world. 

    We have to start with the ones that take us right back to being kids, where summer felt like it would last forever. Now and Then is basically the gold standard for this, capturing that exact era of riding bikes, keeping secrets, and promising to stay friends no matter where life takes us. In that same breath, Stand By Me has that raw, dusty, late-summer magic where a simple walk down the train tracks with your favorite people changes everything. There is something so comforting about watching kids navigate the world together when everything still felt huge and full of mystery.

    If you want pure, sun-drenched escape, we can travel back in time to the coast. Gidget Goes Hawaiian brings that sweet, colorful sixties innocence with the sand and the surf, while Shag takes us to Myrtle Beach in the late eighties for one last wild, pre-adulthood weekend of dancing, bad decisions, and unconditional loyalty. If you want something a bit more modern but just as salty, Blue Crush is perfect for that early-twenties rush of adrenaline, showing us a group of girls living in a beach shack, working tough jobs, and holding each other up so they can conquer the biggest waves.

    Of course, summer needs a little bit of ridiculous, laugh-out-loud chaos, and One Crazy Summer is just the ticket for that. It is silly, nostalgic, and reminds us of how fun it is to band together with a group of misfits to save the day. But when we want to get deep into our feelings, we turn to the heavy hitters. Steel Magnolias and Beaches are the absolute blueprints for what it means to love each other through the highest highs and the most devastating lows. Whether it is laughing through tears in a beauty parlor or singing your heart out on a boardwalk, these two show us that true friendship is the only thing that actually keeps us anchored when the world falls apart.

    To wrap up the perfect lineup, we have to travel down south for those rich, messy, beautiful stories of women who share secrets across decades. Fried Green Tomatoes gives us that unforgettable bond between Idgie and Ruth, serving up strength, laughter, and a little bit of mystery at the Whistle Stop Cafe. And then there is Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which is basically a love letter to the wild, imperfect, and incredibly fierce bonds of female friendship that span generations.

    Honestly, looking at this list just makes me wish we could all be piled onto one giant couch together, sharing a massive bowl of popcorn and talking over the dialogue like we always do. But until we can make that happen, I hope you pick one of these tonight, pour yourself something cold to drink, and know that I am sending you the biggest hug from my corner of the world. Let me know which one you are starting with, and let's keep the chat buzzing.


Top Ten Favorites: Summer Friendship Movies
1. Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)
2. Shag (1989)
3. Steel Magnolias (1989)
4. One Crazy Summer (1986)
5. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
6. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
7. Beaches (1988)
8. Blue Crush (2002)
9. Now and Then (1995)
10. Stand By Me (1986)

It means the world to me that you took some time out of your day to visit. Wishing you a beautiful, peaceful day ahead. Until next time, stay cozy and be good to yourself!

Keeping You Motivated

 

The Heat Is On

  "I was smiling yesterday, I am smiling today, and I will smile tomorrow. Simply because life is too short to cry for anything." (Santosh Kalwar)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

     What a week it’s been on this end. Honestly, it felt like a total whirlwind between spending a couple of days running around to doctor appointments with my mom and dealing with this absolute wall of heat. It got so incredibly hot here that just stepping outside felt like a chore, so I've mostly been hiding out indoors trying to keep cool and catch my breath.

    Let’s get the news about my mom and her MRI out of the way first. Monday was the day and she was really worried about it—so much that her doctor requested a sedative for her. Even though she’s had them before, facing two MRIs in a row meant being in that machine for a couple of hours, which completely set off her anxiety. Thankfully, she was done in under two hours and they said she did really well, though the pill definitely knocked her out and left her a little loopy for a few hours.

The next day, she saw a new doctor to talk about her pain. He doesn't think she has an infection and actually changed one of her medications, noting that she had the right meds but the wrong dose. She goes back in a month to see how that goes, and she also has a phone appointment on Thursday, which I’m assuming is to discuss the MRI results and next steps. For now, she’s still in limbo.

    It feels like the heat has been teasing us for a week, just begging to cross into the triple digits, and it looks like this coming week might finally do it. Between that and how dry our winter was, the mountains are really paying the price with these wildfires. There are about eight of them burning right now, and almost none of them are contained yet. The worst part of it all is that we lost three firefighters who were out there trying to protect everything.

The air quality down here has been so brutal because of it. At one point last week, the mountains completely disappeared behind a thick, heavy haze. We did get a really good rain in Denver that managed to clear things up a bit, but you can still smell the smoke sitting in the air. Just stay safe, stay inside where it's cool, and keep those crews in your thoughts.

    Mike and I dragged ourselves out of bed early yesterday to hit the farmer’s market before the heat got brutal, mostly because I wanted to be back in time for the World Cup. My mom always complains it's too far away, but it's literally a twenty-four-minute drive. I used to go years ago when the massive fill-a-bag deal was only ten bucks. It is up to seventeen dollars now, but it is still an incredible steal for what you can shove in there.

I went all out and managed to stuff three entire bags to the brim with potatoes, corn, cucumbers, broccoli, jalapeños, and bell peppers. Then I hit up another stand for a bag of fresh lettuce and herbs. We grabbed some lunch on the way back and made a whole day of it. It was honestly the perfect morning, and now my kitchen is overflowing with fresh produce.

I completely forgot to snap a picture of the veggie stash before I put it all away, but I'll definitely get a photo of the massive salad I'm throwing together for dinner tonight. I have an idea for a brand-new recipe with some fresh fruit mixed in, so I'll make sure to share how that turns out on Tuesday's blog post.

    Did anyone see the post on FB about a new Sparkpeople? I’m sure it won’t be like the one we all loved, but the idea of a new one sounds good. Wonder if it’s free or a paid one? Any of you know anything about it? 

 Thank you for being here. It’s always a treat to share this space with you. May your day be sweet, calm, and wrapped in comfort. See you in the next post!

Top Ten Favorites - Summer Vacation Movies

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." (Joseph Campbell)

Hello, my lovely friends! 

    I was thinking about how much we all need a collective escape right about now. Since we can’t all magically pack our bags and jet off together this very second, I did the next best thing and put together a list of our absolute favorite summer vacation movies. These are the classics we’ve talked about a million times, the ones that feel like a warm breeze and an open road, or just make us laugh until our stomachs hurt. It’s the ultimate lineup for those nights when you just want to curl up on the couch and pretend you’re anywhere else.
 

    We have to start with the ones that completely capture that old-school, sweeping European romance we always dream about. Think about Suzanne Pleshette in Rome Adventure, wandering through Italy and falling in love when everything felt a bit more glamorous, or Katharine Hepburn in Summertime, capturing that beautiful, bittersweet ache of a Venice vacation. There is just something about those vintage colors and the sheer drama of a holiday romance that never gets old. And speaking of Italy, you know we can’t talk about escaping to the Mediterranean without bringing up Under the Tuscan Sun and Letters to Juliet. Every single time Diane Lane starts rebuilding that gorgeous, crumbling villa, or Amanda Seyfried goes hunting for a long-lost love in Verona, it makes me want to immediately buy a one-way ticket, drink endless red wine, and start fresh in a tiny stone cottage.

    If you're looking for pure, unadulterated joy and a soundtrack that will stay stuck in your head for days, Mamma Mia! is always the answer. It’s basically our friendship group chat in movie form—dancing on a Greek island, singing ABBA at the top of our lungs, and dealing with a chaotic but beautiful life. On the complete opposite end of the vacation spectrum, we have the Griswolds in National Lampoon's European Vacation. Honestly, nothing makes me feel better about our own travel mishaps than watching Chevy Chase trap a whole family in a London roundabout for hours or accidentally knock over Stonehenge. It’s the perfect reminder that sometimes the best trip memories come from everything going completely wrong.

 

    For those quiet, rainy summer nights when you want something a little deeper, Before Sunrise is the ultimate mood. Just two people walking through Vienna, talking about everything and nothing until the sun comes up, perfectly capturing how a random encounter on a trip can change your whole life. Then there’s Nights in Rodanthe, which gives us that cozy, coastal storm energy, wrapped up in a beautiful, mature love story that proves it’s never too late for a second chance.

     

    Of course, we have to throw in Weekend at Bernie's, because no summer list is complete without a little ridiculous, late-eighties beach party chaos. Carrying a dead boss around a luxury beach house is objectively absurd, but it still makes me laugh every single time. And finally, we have to close it out with the blueprint for all vacation movies, Roman Holiday. Audrey Hepburn escaping her royal duties to eat gelato, see the sights on a Vespa, and fall for Gregory Peck is pure movie magic. It’s the ultimate reminder of why we travel in the first place—to break out of our routines, even just for a few days, and see the world with completely fresh eyes.

 

    So, which one of these are we watching first next time we all get together? Let me know what you're craving—whether it's vintage Rome, a chaotic road trip, or just a bunch of people singing on a dock in Greece. Love you guys, and I can't wait for our next real-life adventure soon.


Top Ten Favorites - Summer Vacation Movies
1. Rome Adventure (1962)
2. Summertime (1955)
3. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
4. Letter to Juliet (2010)
5. Mamma Mia! (2008)
6. National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
7. Before Sunrise (1995)
8. Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
9. Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
10. Roman Holiday (1953)

It means the world to me that you took some time out of your day to visit. Wishing you a beautiful, peaceful day ahead. Until next time, stay cozy and be good to yourself!

Just Believe