Friday Favorites #23

Hi there and happy Friday! I have not posted a “Friday Favorites” in a while because we’ve had a lot going on over here. As most of you know, we lost our beloved dog, Nala, a few weeks ago. I published a post on Monday sharing my heart about that loss.

Owen asks to “look at Nala” everyday. He loved her so much and it’s all the feels when he holds her fur close to his heart and kisses her paw.

There have been many up and downs these last few weeks with friends visiting, the unexpected loss of Nala, visiting Ohio, and my parents camping with us. I pulled some of this week’s favorites from the “ups” as I do think you can experience joy and grief at the same time.

Tonight, we are planning to take the boys to their first drive in movie experience! The Cherry Bowl Drive-In is playing the new Ninja Turtle movie so I am sure the boys will have a great time.

We also have a very busy weekend ahead of us because we are moving out of our camper. It’s been a blast at the campground, but we are definitely ready to move back home. It will be nice to spend our last few weeks of summer at the lake before school starts.

Keep scrolling for this week’s roundup of favorites and have a great weekend!

Friends and Grandparents Visiting the Campground

Ryan and I threw out the idea to our close friends, Haley and Jimmy, of renting a camper at our campground for a long weekend. I am so glad they did! It was so much fun having them here. We have started to meet people up this way, but obviously don’t have close friendships like we do in Ohio. I know it takes time and we will find our circle eventually. For now, it’s awesome our Ohio friends are willing to travel to spend time with us:)

My parents made a last-minute decision a few weeks ago to bring their camper up here to camp with us. They arrived last Friday and left Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best weather, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying quality family time together. My dad celebrated his birthday while he was here so that was special, too.

Family Bike Rides

I had this all typed up and ready right before Nala passed away. I decided to keep it as a favorite this week, because we did enjoy two family bike rides around the campground this week.

Lucas and I also enjoyed a sunset ride when we were in Ohio last week. I love when we can get some one-on-one time.

I regret not including Lucas learning how to ride a bike in my last Friday Favorites post. He finally learned three weeks ago after struggling for two summers to get there mostly because of some rough falls. However, now that Lucas can ride, we can all go on bike rides together! We bought a trailer bike for Drew, and he balances on it really well. He’s not really pedaling yet, but we’ll get there. I mentioned in a recent post how popular biking is up this way and it’s awesome we can be a part of it now.

Cute and Handy Lil Vacuum

I scored this handheld vacuum half off on one of the Prime days mostly for use in the camper and my van. First, I love the mint color. Second, it’s small but has a powerful suction! It’s perfect for hard-to-reach places the regular vacuum can’t reach. I’ve also used it on the countertop, furniture, and even the boys’ beds! It’s very convenient and lightweight. I also like that it’s cordless and charges with a USB cord rather than a battery. I use it all the time and will probably bring it back to the cottage with us!

Family Photos

During our Ohio visit in July, we had family photos taken with Ryan’s side of the family. It was pretty hot, and I wasn’t sure how they were going to turn out. However, we got them back recently and they turned out really good! Our cottage is lacking family pictures, so I am looking forward to adding a few of these:)

Ohio!

Last week, I traveled solo to Ohio with the boys. It was planned before we lost Nala but ended up being perfect timing to find some comfort from that loss with family and friends. Some highlights included The Toledo Zoo, lunch with my sister and nieces, and girls’ night seeing the Barbie movie!

Cognition

This is a small interactive science discovery center in Beulah. I have been wanting to take the boys for a while now. It’s a far drive from our cottage, but not the camper, so we made a visit on Wednesday. When we first arrived, I thought “Man, this is small. The boys are going to want to leave after 20 minutes.” Two hours later, I had to drag them out of there! They loved it! There were small exhibits throughout the area. Andrew particularly loved the supermarket dramatic play area. I was not surprised because he loves helping at the grocery store, putting items on the conveyor belt. Lucas and Owen really enjoyed all the live animals. They got to hold a snake, rat, guinea pig, and pet a chinchilla and lizard. The next day they asked if we go back!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Ever since I read the ACOTAR series last year, I have been hooked on the fantasy genre. Fourth Wing was just published in May and became popular rather quickly. I had to wait patiently all summer for it to become available at the library and finally checked it out last week. (Thank you to my dear husband for picking up while I was in Ohio!) I started reading it Monday and am halfway through as of yesterday so it’s definitely worth the hype!

It has slight Harry Potter vibes (the setting is a war college for dragon riders) but WAY more brutal and spicier (throw in some Hunger Games/Divergent vibes too). If you like dragons, magic, intense action, romance, and suspenseful adventure you will probably love this book!

The next fantasy read on my radar is The Serpent and the Wings of Night. I am hoping to read it this fall so will keep you posted!

Other Books I Have Read Recently…

I would have included these books in my last few Friday Favorites. Since I haven’t posted, I figured I would still share with you.

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

I started reading this book several months ago, but it was right after I finished The Nightingale (one of my first Friday Favorites!) and I just wasn’t mentally ready to read another Holocaust book. I haven’t read much historical fiction this summer so decided it was time to pick this one up again. I am glad I did! I flew through this book because I was captivated by the characters and plot. I fiercely rooted for the main character and was in suspense throughout the whole book. One reason I love historical fiction is I tend to learn something new, and this book was no exception. It provided insight of forgers during WWII which I did not know much about and found very interesting. Last year I read The Winemaker’s Wife by the same author, and I think that one is still my favorite. However, I would definitely recommend this book and will continue to read books by Kristin Harmel.

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey

I love a book with a charming southern setting and this one did not disappoint. This book is one of those feel good, predictable reads with heartbreak, tragedy, love, and finding your happy ending. It’s a perfect summer read but not too light. There is some weight to the story that pulls at your heartstrings. The ending dragged on a little too much for my liking, but I flew through this book rather quickly. It was also my first time reading this author and I plan to check her out again.