If there’s one thing COVID-19 has taught me, it’s that none of the things I thought mattered actually matter. As in, I’ve survived without going to the movie theater, wearing real clothes, dining out or getting my nails done. I can still cook good food, walk my pup, visit with my immediate family and catch up on the billions of old movies I haven’t seen, so I guess I’m good! Here’s some of the things that are still bringing me joy this summer season, as weird as it may be.

FRUIT!

“What are you craving??” is possibly my least favorite pregnancy-related question because my answer is so boring: nothing really, except maybe ALL THE FRUIT. Watermelon, cherries, strawberries, grapes and most recently PEACHES!!! I asked Joey if he’d ever cried because he was so happy to be eating a peach and he said “definitely not,” so yeah, me neither…

Weekly Coffee Walk

We are so close to Tennyson Street that we can walk there! I had planned to make it a once weekly jog, but on our first outing Joey told me “you know, a long walk is fine too” and I haven’t jogged since 😂 Once we get to Tennyson, I grab us coffee at Downpours and we stroll on back. Oh and last week, we tried the donuts from Berkeley Donuts (aka Hops & Pie) and man, were they good!!! We split two and sent the rest to the office 😀

An Improved Bed Situation

I’ve hated our mattress, bed skirt, duvet cover and sheets for so long, so I vowed to upgrade once we moved. We shelled out for a Tempurpedic and I have gone from guaranteed nightly hip pain to like once or twice a week minor hip pain, so it already seems worth it to me! Plus Joey can’t feel me getting out of bed to use the bathroom, so he’s happy 😋 Also, my parents got us new linens and a quilt for my birthday and they are so so much better (and cooler) than what we had before!

Baby’s Crib!

Speaking of beds, baby’s is up! This is literally the only progress we’ve made on the nursery (waiting on some wallpaper samples before we can choose a paint color!) but I love it so much!!! I cannot leave or enter my room next door without peeking in at it first. I mean, he won’t sleep in there until at least six months after he’s born, but it’ll be ready when he is!

Dining Al Fresco

Okay, this is a summer favorite every year, but working from home means I sometimes get to sit out there for breakfast, lunch and dinner! And we have a little pergola, so there’s shade for these 95° days (THANK GOD!). Feels so good to sit out there for dinner when the heat is starting to wear off and we’re not distracted by the TV.

A Better Behaved Pup

Okay, not going to pretend Andi is a perfect angel now, but there’s much less activity going on the yards next to us than at the last house, so sometimes I can let him outside and leave him unsupervised for big blocks of time. I’ll sneak peeks at him and he’ll just be chilling in the sun. It’s the cutest! Also, I let him out when Joey tells me he’s headed home from the office twice a week and he patiently waits for his return. Now if only he would stop barking his head off at every delivery person that shows up at our house!

Please tell me what you’re loving in this unusual summer season 😊