The Favorites (for now)

I know I know.
You’re confused, right?
You’re like, wait a minute, MICHELLE, what’s with the lame title? Is this just yet another regular YMFT Friday Favorites post with an unoriginal and highly uninteresting title because you still don’t know what to rename the Friday Favorites because even though you still post them on Fridays (when you even post them) you want an out in case you want to post them on, say a Tuesday sometime?
Why yes. Yes it is.

(Seriously, ya’ll. Help a girl out with a new title, will you?)

Before I get to the current favorites, let me tell you what I did this past weekend.
Wait.
It was my 27th anniversary last Friday so I’m actually not going to tell you everything I did.

But really, out of respect and honor for the 27 years, he’s my first favorite this week … and most weeks.
Not all weeks, don’t be silly.

Here’s a selfie we took because our kids were sitting behind us on their screens, completely ignoring us.

And here we are moments after making things legal.
Is it just me or does he look a bit like oh shit what did I just do?

In other news: Last week I deleted my social media apps from my phone and my iPad, and you guys, I didn’t die.
I know, no one is more shocked than I am.

Why would I, one who spends about four to five hours a day — thankyouverymuch iPhone screen time, for letting me know — scrolling Instagram and thinking about posting on Instagram and debating which GIF image I should add to my Instagram story and then composing and recomposing just the right caption, feel the need to delete social media??

I’ll give you a minute.

But really, I just suddenly realized I didn’t like who I was becoming. I didn’t like feeling addicted to it.
I mean, YOU’RE NOT WINE, INSTAGRAM.

But alas, my Instagram ghosting is over after six days. I needed to download the app and log in again the other day to check something I’d saved in an IG folder for an article I was writing, SO WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?
I will say, though, I was proud of myself. I checked my folder, looked at my kids’ stories up top, and then closed that shit down.
I DIDN’T EVEN SCROLL, YOU GUYS.
And the funny thing was, I really didn’t want to.

Sure, later today I’ll probably inundate my feed with all the photos I’ve taken over the past week — I missed an anniversary and Father’s Day, after all! — but I mean other than that I’m sure I’ll exhibit amazing self control.

via GIPHY

So in other news, my family is still quarantining, you know, BECAUSE THERE’S STILL A PANDEMIC.
Sure, we go to Target and the store when we need to, but we wear masks, keep our distance, and burn ourselves with fire when we get home.
I’m so damn confused by all the people who think because this is getting boring it must be over and it’s safe to go back into the water … in groups … WITHOUT MASKS.

via GIPHY

The other day my husband and I were at our favorite pizza place here in our little lake town and all the teenage servers were carrying out pizzas to the tables with their masks hanging from their ears down around their chins.
Apparently that’s the look?
As our server was holding our pizza — SIX INCHES FROM HER FACE — she says, “Here ya go! Anything else ya need?”
FOR YOU NOT TO BE SPEWING COVID GERMS FROM YOUR UNCOVERED MOUTH ONTO MY PIZZA WOULD BE NICE.
Another young girl came by a few minutes later, mask like a checkered beard, and stood right next to our exposed food and asked how everything was.
BETTER WITHOUT COVID THANK YOU.

I just don’t get it, you guys, but there’s a lot I don’t get right now so I’m just going to try my best to control how I react.
Looking up at all the screaming I’ve already done in the past ten minutes since starting this post I can see that I’m obviously doing a wonderful job with that.

via GIPHY

Let’s get to the favorites before I combust, shall we?

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Favorites TO READ…

Abbi Waxman is one of my favorite authors (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is on my highly recommend list) so I ordered this one as soon as it was released last week and you guys, it’s everything I love in a book. Waxman’s writing always, always delivers — it’s fantastically witty, relatable, and clever, and the relationships she creates between her characters are just so dang real.

This book follows a single mom and her teenage daughter on an east coast college tour and is told from each of their POVs, which she absolutely nails — hilariously (I think Abbi Waxman might be both a middle aged woman and an angsty teen).
I’m devouring it.

If you haven’t read her other books, check them out, too. I have loved them all.

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I’m enjoying this humorous, insightful collection of essays by R. Eric Thomas, who writes the hilarious column “Eric Reads The News” on ELLE.com (worth checking out). And good news! It’s less than $3 on Kindle right now!

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Favorites TO LISTEN TO…

You’re Wrong About podcast – Shout out to YMFT reader Anna Bakker-Anderson who gave me this awesome rec on the Facebook page after I’d written about the Jessica Simpson memoir in the last Favorites’ post. I immediately started listening to the four part episode where one of the hosts basically gives the other host a Cliff Notes version of the Jessica book, and I was instantly hooked. I loved their deep dive into the memoir and their hilarious commentary every bit as much as I loved the actual book! I’ve since listened to a few others (Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan; OJ Simpson) and am a new subscriber. Love these two hosts (both writers) and their original podcast!

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Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast – I’ve been waiting impatiently for his fun, charming, delightful, insightful, charismatic, witty new podcast to drop since March, and you guys, it’s finally here. I’ll be totally honest, the first episode (Chris Pratt) isn’t soul shattering, but I’ll let it slide and still give it a spot in the favorites, because …

(To answer your question, no I will never quit posting that photo.)

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Favorites TO WATCH…

I need help with this category right now, ya’ll.
We recently got rid of our cable so only rely on streaming services for shows (however, we switched to Hulu Live so do still have the ability to watch live TV and record). It’s astonishing how much of a savings it is, BTW.
So we now have literally thousands of shows to choose from from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Hulu Live.

And I can’t find anything to watch, naturally.

To be honest, I don’t really watch much in the summer anyway. The sun sets here in Minnesota around 9 p.m. so we’re usually outside until 9:30 or so — either on the lake or on the deck. By then I’m wiped and it’s time to head in and let my hormones keep me awake until 1:00.

I have caught up on The Bold Type (total Gen Z show but I love it) and am rewatching old favorites when I can’t sleep like Parks & Recreation and How I Met Your Mother (totally bingeworthy if you’ve never watched).

LMK shows you’re loving in the comments!

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Favorites TO EAT…

Eating on the other hand? I’m crushing it this summer.

I discovered these bad boys on a recent trip to Target and was furious that I couldn’t rip them open and eat them while I shopped (#thanksalotCOVID), but once I got to the car you better believe I Clorox-wiped the hell out of the bag, doused myself in Purell and strapped it on like a feed bag.

On a healthier note, this easy recipe is now on steady rotation around here during the summer:

GRILLED MAHI MAHI TACOS (<< click for recipe)

Not only did I fall in love with this delicious and super easy recipe (you know I wouldn’t dare make it if it wasn’t), I fell in love with the engaging and very enthusiastic couple who runs the cooking website I found it on (see what I mean below) –

Then I did a deep dive on their Instagram page (me doing shit like that is a main reason I deleted it a few days later) and found a photo of them from like 30 years ago and seriously, you guys, they look exactly like about 12 guys I was super good friends with in college. #80srule
So naturally, I subscribed to their YouTube channel.

Anyway, trust me and try the tacos. I get a big bag of individually wrapped frozen Mahi Mahi filets at Costco for like $15.

Also, to make it even easier, I just topped the seasoned, grilled fish with packaged, plain Coleslaw mix — I haven’t even tried their avocado-lime mixture or their aioli yet … but plan to next time!

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Leaving you today with this stunning photo taken as we watched the sun set on 27 years last week.
Enjoy your weekend, friends!