July was the definition of an action-packed, full-to-the-brim kind of month. Between milestone birthdays, family getaways, and rediscovering my love for the trails, time vanished.
Here is how it all shook out!
🎉 Milestones & Adventures
- A Landmark Birthday: My sister hit the big 5-0! To celebrate, I officially initiated her into the world of Lego with the Van Gogh Sunflowers set (since she’s spent her life gifting it to everyone else). Here’s hoping it brings her as much joy as building it did!
- The Noosa Family Reunion: We spent a week in Noosa meeting our newest little nephew. While the family time and beach walks were top-tier, Noosa in the school holidays is busy. Trying to get out to Hell’s Gate in Noosa Heads National Park felt like navigating a high-speed commuter highway. Lesson learned: give me the quiet, secret park entrance 200 meters from where we stayed for a peaceful morning run any day. (And a not-so-special shoutout to Europcar and our rental car dramas—we definitely won’t be using them again!)
- The Empty-Nest Era: It was strange doing a family holiday without Kayla, who was off making core memories in Europe. With the kids growing up, family holidays are officially evolving into adventures just for Tommy and me. Next on the travel wishlist? Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain and finally ticking off a summer climb up Mt. Kosciuszko.
👟 Running & Re-centering
July was a month of quality over quantity. Between holiday pacing, a bit of work sickness, and getting called in early, my mileage dipped to around 80km.
- The Trail Bug is Back: Hitting the trails in Noosa reminded me why I love them. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a couple of upcoming events to keep the trail fitness alive in my legs.
- Grampians Magic: Back home, the joy of hiking has firmly returned, and we’ve already squeezed in a couple of great Grampians day adventures.
📚 The Book Stack
Four books crossed my path this month, with a few wildly different vibes:
- Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum: An absolute, unputdownable train wreck of rich, entitled, awful characters. Loved every messy second.
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: Started on my Kobo, switched to audio, and learned a valuable lesson: I should have just DNF’d it. Not for me!
- Enemies with Benefits by Roxie Noir: Pure, delightful sunshine after a reading slump. Enemies-to-lovers co-workers? Say less. Instant add-to-cart author.
- In the Long Run by Emma Mugglestone: Loaned by my sister, this Aussie gem featuring a runner protagonist, top-tier witty banter, and a green-flag MMC was an absolute blast.
🎵 Melodies & Movie Marathons
Music and nostalgia did some heavy lifting this month:
- Concert Magic: I tagged along to see Laufey in Melbourne while in town for Six the Musical. Watching a 26-year-old Icelandic artist bring contemporary jazz and classical music (while effortlessly playing piano, cello, and guitar) to a multi-generational crowd was pure joy.
- On Repeat: The Kylie Minogue docuseries on Netflix gave me a whole new level of respect for her, cementing Tension as my top album for July. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift snuck into my #1 artist spot, and Robyn’s Dancing on My Own (thanks, Voicemails to Isabelle rabbit hole) played on a loop.
- Nostalgic Screens: I went straight down a 90s movie rabbit hole, revisiting Sliding Doors and unearthing the 1996 classic Dating the Enemy (Guy Pearce and Claudia Karvan body-swapping—fantastically bad and wonderfully awesome).
🧊 What’s Next for August?
Honestly? No idea, aside from first recovering from the annoying cold that decided to crash my end-of-month party. Probably more of the same good books, muddy trails, and great music.
How was your July?