It’s been a while since I’ve done a round-up of Weekend Reading, but I had a few things to share with y’all this week, so we’ll get into those in a minute.
The past few days, I’ve been proud of myself for crushing it in the kitchen. I’ve been picking cucumbers, onions, making cold brew, and cooking whole, healthy meals at home. It took me a while to settle into a true routine in our new place, but I’m feeling like it’s all falling into place now. And, right now, I’m gearing up for a busy weekend celebrating my husband’s birthday, while we’re also doing all we can to soak in every last minute of summer.
Okay now that you have the quick rundown on what I’m up to, it’s on to the links…
- I loved this post from Monica Dutia on what goes into a travel guide. It’s a lot of WORK! When I’m traveling, I’m taking notes, making sure my photographs accurately represent the location (that means NOT running around just photographing murals!). I want to give my readers a realistic itinerary that includes both what I did and what I would do differently.
- I was so overwhelmed at the response I got from readers when I posted a quote from my most recent article on The Everygirl on Read This Before You Monetize Your Passion. So many of us are bombarded from all sides with the message that we need to quit our day jobs and take our side hustle (or hobby!) full-time. But, in the same vein, I too often see posts in freelancing groups that say, “I quit my day job to travel and pursue photography full-time and now I’m not making ends meet. Help!” Y’all, be practical and think long and hard before you turn your passion project into your sole source of income.
- In other things I’ve been writing online, I also dove into my thoughts on the no wedding party trend in this post, I Didn’t Have Bridesmaids and I Have Zero Regrets.
- I can count the number of clothing items I’ve bought in the past 6 months on one hand, but I did grab these pajamas during the Nordstrom Sale and I’m OBSESSED. I’m wishing they came in even more colorways and more styles! They’re 100% worth the non-sale price.
- Next weekend, we’re headed down to the Northern Neck to my parents’ river house. I haven’t yet pulled together a travel guide on the area, but Katie did a great recap of her stay at the Tides Inn and what she was up to in the area (she went to one of my absolute favorite breakfast spots!).
- I don’t always love the Call Your Girlfriend podcast (I think they can be overly woke at times), but I always at least tune into their episodes to see what’s going on because the hosts, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, are insightful, smart, and easy to listen to. Their episode on Marriage and Friendship was one that I listened to from start to finish—definitely worth checking out.
- In other podcasts to add to your must-listen list, I also loved this episode from Women Who Travel on How to Plan a Trip Around Someone Else’s Wedding. Over the past couple of years, the destinations we’ve traveled to have gotten further and further away—but you’ll find zero complaints from me. If I have to take a day or two off for a wedding anyway, I’d much prefer to go somewhere awesome and turn it into a vacation.
