Olivia Borer
My Favorite Things: July
Happy July! I can't believe the year is already halfway complete! I think I mention every single blog post just how fast time goes - all the more reason to really focus in on the present moment so I don't miss anything that life has to offer!

But, enough about time going by too fast - let's get to today's topic: my favorite things for July!
1. FitBit Charge 2
One of my clients let me borrow her extra FitBit to see if I would like it before I bought one for myself, and after two weeks of using it, I'm hooked! I don't think that it is 100% accurate on everything, which is completely fine and to be expected. However, I like it's ability to count my steps (I wasn't quite taking as many as I thought I was!) and track distances on my walks outside. Now I know just how far it really is around Holmes Lake! I'll definitely be buying my own soon.
2. Holmes Lake
And speaking of Holmes Lake, it also makes my list this month! I've been spending a ton of time out at Holmes here in Lincoln this summer because it is so peaceful and meditative. The water is so beautiful to look at, and although I'm not a huge fan of bridges, I love standing on either of the two large bridges over the water. It's really amazing to look out over the water and just enjoy the view.
3. Roasts
It may be 100 degrees outside, but I'm recently obsessed with making roasts in my slow cooker or Instant Pot. I've been using a pork sirloin roast, carrots, potatoes, a shallot (a small variety of an onion), and a basic herb mix (salt, garlic powder, pepper, and thyme). I can't get enough of them! It's a great meal to make once and eat twice or three times as well - perfect for some of the long work weeknights I have!
4. Crafting & Creating
In previous summers when I was in college and home for the summer, I often spent most of my free time making different projects (mostly sewing based). However, since starting at Prairie Life and living in Lincoln full-time (wow...I can't believe I just wrote that!), I haven't had as much time to do those type of projects. However, recently I made a simple glass project with an artist friend, and it reinvigorated my love for creating art and projects! As soon as I left, I had ideas flowing in my mind of different projects to start in the next few weeks.
5. The Better Part by Fr. John Bartunek
I recently purchased this book as a guide to help deepen my spiritual life and better understand the Gospels. In the book, it guides you through every passage in the Gospels bit by bit and breaks them down to help you better understand the meaning behind the passage. This has been so helpful for me to dig deeper into the meaning being the readings at Mass instead of taking them so literally! It's a 1000+ page book, so I still have a long way to go, but it has proved to be an amazing purchase.
How has your July and summer been so far? What have you been up to and loving lately? Feel free to share!
xoxo Olivia
