Hey you spectacular human being! How’s it going? We’re running out of August days! People are already going back to school, can you believe it? (Speaking of which, did you see my list of 50 Ways To Use School Supplies [Not For School], per request of an Uncustomary Babe?) Lots of people are viewing September 1st as the beginning of Fall, including the technical meteorological calendar, but I’m definitely one for recognizing the solstices and equinoxes… maybe that’s because I’m born on one! 😉 Anyway, as amped up as I am for my favorite season to get started, I say you’re allowed to celebrate Summer as long as you want — or at least officially till late September! Hah. And if you’re looking to cling to the last days, remember I’ve got a Summer Bucket List with a hundred ideas to inspire you… and I haven’t forgotten about you southern hemisphere babes! Here’s the Winter one!

Well the big news this past week was the Solar Eclipse! Could you see it from where you were? We were intended to have perfect visibility around 2 PM in Baltimore, but then a ton of clouds rolled in and it started drizzling and we barely got to see anything. It was still fun, though. A friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in a decade contacted me to see if I wanted to watch it together, and we sat on a blanket in the park across my house. As soon as the eclipse started the power on my block went out — creepy! After an hour it started raining to the point we had to pack up our blanket and come back to my front step, where I finally got to meet my awesome next door neighbor and a bunch of her friends, and then all of a sudden one of the giant clouds cleared and we got to stare through our NASA glasses and see the 80% covered sun! That was when the power suddenly came back on and Laura showed up to celebrate the eclipse with us and we got to lay back out in the grass. It might not have been what we planned for, but it was still fun. And thank goodness for my dad working for the library so I could snag a pair of glasses! Those things sure got expensive fast! (PS – Anyone else get their period super early because of the eclipse? It seems like I’m definitely not alone in this phenomenon! It’s pretty crazy!)

This week I also got to see my friend, Cristen, for the first time in forever. We caught up and she treated me to tacos at happy hour at a local restaurant. I was glad to finally show her my new place and reconnect. Today, Joe and I drove about an hour and a half north west of Baltimore to a town called Hagerstown to see this GIANT mural by one of my favorite street artist’s, HENSE. It’s called the “Unusually Large Mural”, and it’s the main attraction on the Hagerstown Cultural Trail which connects the downtown area to their local museum. I’m going to put together a whole post about the attraction because it’s so adorable, but I’m sharing a few random photos of it, and I posted a couple pictures on my Instagram Stories.

Speaking of Instagram Stories. I’m trying to post lots more on there, especially now that I have way more time during that day that I’m not at the flower shop! I hope we’re friends on Instagram and you’re following my stories, too, because I’m trying to post useful/inspirational content, including daily quotes! Here’s a quote I posted last week you can feel free to repost (just credit Uncustomary). If you’re an Uncustomary Babe, you’ll have access to ALL the quotes as they’re uploaded, in addition to all my content upgrades I post at the bottom of my blog articles and other square Instagram images for you to repost (plus tons more perks like getting a membership card in the mail, monthly snail mail surprises, and access to an exclusive online support group)! It’s only $5 to join, what are you waiting for?!

 | Uncustomary

Photos from last week:

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[Extra Sparkle] * Never being able to have a ‘normal’ interaction with a sales clerk because I have no filter * Fried cheese at Sheetz * When Joe kisses me extra hard before I leave just to run errands * A new phone light gadget that lights up selfies for better video quality * Brainstorming birthday present ideas with Joe and high fiving when we come up with our idea * Deciding no one says “bozo” enough * Watching Cuban Fury with Laura and Liz, even if it’s not a “great” movie, because it wasn’t depressing * Signing up to participate in a bunch of events in September with the Artist’s Compound * People wanting to go with me to the hot air balloon festival * Joe being my DJ for my iPod in the car * The liquor store by my house just using our licenses as our loyalty cards so I don’t have to keep track of anything * The fact that Joe refers to my Alpaca purse by his name every single time * My dad bringing me things I need, even though I live 20 minutes away now * Putting together an absurdly long list of TV shows I like for Charlotte to watch since she’s bed-bound… and her finally getting her hard cast off! * Finding out there’s a new Duck Tales, even if I haven’t had the time to watch it yet * New earrings from Little Arrow * Cashiers telling me my hair matches my dress and people yelling out of cars to tell me they like my hair * The way my hair looks when I’m mid-process (the way the bleach blends in with the red/orange so it looks like fire) * Giving Laura presents as part of a project to cheer her up




Things to check out online:

This week I’m obsessed with a song from Beans On Toast, a band I forgot about. The song references not just Baltimore, but my favorite place on Earth: The American Visionary American Art Museum, and is generally SUPER happy and upbeat!
 

What’s on your happiness list this week?
Sending you lots of love and glitter!