Hi there! Long-time no see. I have had a very busy past few months, hence the absence from my blog, but I’m feeling inspired to write again. I’m currently working on a blog post all about my recent trip but I’ve had some difficulty getting my pictures/video footage uploaded to my computer. So, instead of a travel post, I’m ending my blog hiatus by sharing some things I have loved this summer, including restaurants, movies, and TV shows.
Travel: Family Trip to Portland, Oregon
I had wanted to visit Portland, Oregon, for such a long time and I finally got to cross the Rose City off my bucket list in July. I went with my parents and older brother and we had the most amazing time. As I said above, I am working on a blog post that will include everything we did and everywhere we ate so I won’t share too much here. Some highlights from our trip include hiking the Trail of Ten Falls, visiting a lavender farm, exploring a portion of the Oregon Coast, visiting Mount Rainier and Mount Hood, and seeing 15+ waterfalls in the span of a week. I fell in love with Oregon and I really hope to visit again one day.
Restaurant: Virtuos Pie
Hands down, the best vegan pizza I have ever had is from Virtuous Pie in Portland. My family and I ate there twice during our trip because it was so good. All of their pizza ingredients are made in-house and their pizzas are the perfect single portion size. Both times we went, my mom and I ordered Margherita Pizzas with white sauce instead of red. My brother got the Margherita Pizza as it comes with red sauce and my dad got the Sweet Pepper + Sausage Pizza, which he loved. We also ordered garlic knots both times we went and those were also delicious and not overly garlicky. I would love to go back and try their mac + cheese skillet and their ice cream. 10/10 would recommend eating here if you are ever in Portland, Vancouver, or Toronto.
Ice Cream Shop: Frankie and Jo’s
On our trip, we also visited Seattle, WA, because it was cheaper to fly in and out of Seattle than it was to fly directly to Portland. Two summers ago, we visited Seattle but, for some reason, never made it to Frankie and Jo’s. This time around, I was adamant with my family that we go there and try their plant-based ice creams. Frankie and Jo’s has several unique flavors, including Gingerbread Golden Milk, California Cabin, and Salty Caramel Ash. They also have seasonal flavors that change throughout the year; their summer flavors are Blueberry Buckwheat Streusel, Chocolate Kale Coconut, and Almond Butter Cherry. I ordered a scoop of Chocolate Tahini Supercookie, which was essentially chocolate ice cream with cookie bits mixed in, and it was really good. I also loved that it came in a compostable cup. I don’t remember all the flavors my family ordered but everyone enjoyed what they got.
Book: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing is a coming-of-age story with a murder mystery mixed in. It quickly became one of my favorite novels I’ve ever read and I couldn’t help but empathize with the main character, Kya Clark, as she raises herself after being abandoned by her family. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Synopsis from Goodreads.com
It took me a while to get this book from my library because it was so highly requested. When I finally did, I dove right in and was hooked by the second chapter. I was immediately drawn to Kya and I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to this poor girl all alone in the world. She is intelligent and resilient and learns how to survive on her own. Author Delia Owens not only crafted a beautiful story but she also included the most beautiful nature descriptions that place the reader in the North Carolina marshlands with Kya. If you’re looking for a fast-paced novel with a lot of action, then this wouldn’t be the book for you. If you like coming-of-age stories with strong heroines and a little mystery involved, then I think you’ll love this novel as much as I do.
Movie: Five Feet Apart
I’m not sure why I didn’t watch Five Feet Apart when it was out in theaters but I’m glad I finally got to see it last month. I watched it on my flight home from Seattle and, I’m not going to lie, I was crying on the plane during a few scenes. Luckily, my parents were sitting next to me and not strangers or else I probably would have gotten some weird looks.
If you haven’t heard of Five Feet Apart yet, it’s about two teenagers, Stella and Will, who have cystic fibrosis. They meet in a hospital while they are there for treatment and start to fall in love. Now, people with cystic fibrosis are not supposed to be within six feet of each other in order to prevent cross-infection so Stella and Will must always remain a minimum of six feet apart. As you can imagine, this is a challenge for the couple and it’s implied that this love story is doomed from the start. I really loved this story and thought Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse did a terrific job bringing their characters to life. I would love to watch this movie again and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes romances and/or needs a good cry.
Movie: The Lion King
I saw the new live-action version of The Lion King with some friends a few weeks ago and I felt like a little kid again as I watched my favorite Disney movie reimagined with the most realistic CGI I’ve ever seen. The story is the same one we all know and love and, from what I could tell, there weren’t any significant changes from the original 1994 movie. While the original will always be my favorite, I love this new version, too.
TV Show: Schitt’s Creek
My parents recommended this show to me and I’m so glad I listened to them. Schitt’s Creek is my new favorite comedy show and I have watched all four seasons that are currently available on Netflix. The show is about the wealthy Rose family: husband Johnny, wife Moira, and their children David and Alexis. The family loses their fortune after their business manager embezzles their money. The government allows them to keep one asset, a small town by the name of Schitt’s Creek that Johnny had bought David as a joke birthday gift years earlier. The show follows the Roses as they move to Schitt’s Creek and adjust to their new lives. I really enjoyed watching the main characters grow each season as they make roots in their new hometown.
This show is hilarious and endearing and the perfect feel-good show that’ll brighten your day if you’re feeling down. Schitt’s Creek just got nominated for four Emmys and season five should be coming out on Netflix soon (it already aired in Canada earlier this year) so now is a great time to start watching it. Below is a clip from one of my favorite scenes but, be warned, it’s from season 4 so don’t watch it if you don’t want to be spoiled.
TV Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
Thanks to having a Spotify Premium account, I now get the most basic Hulu account for free, as of a few months ago. This means that I could finally watch The Handmaid’s Tale, the Emmy Award-winning show based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. I had heard really good things about this show and was not disappointed. Back in April, I watched seasons one and two and season three is almost finished (the last episode airs next week).
If you’re not familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale, the show is a dystopian drama set in the near future in a country named Gilead, a totalitarian society that was once the United States. In this society, there is a strict social class structure and women are viewed as the property of men. Women are not allowed to read, write, handle money, or do just about anything; the list of things they can do is shorter than the list of things they can not do. It is an infuriating and hard-to-watch show at times because of how the women are treated but it’s also empowering, diverse, and full of badass female characters who do what they can to survive. The Handmaid’s Tale also has some of the best acting, writing, cinematography, and symbolism I’ve ever seen in a show and I highly recommend checking it out. Just be prepared from some intense scenes.
TV Show: Stranger Things – Season 3
We finally got a new season of Stranger Things this summer after over a year and a half since season two came out on Netflix. Season three premiered on July 4th while I was out of town so I waited until I got back home to start watching it. I’m proud of myself for showing some restraint and not watching all eight episodes in one weekend like I did season 2. I really enjoyed this season though it was probably the grossest one yet. I liked seeing Eleven getting to be a normal teenager (she deserves it!), Joyce and Hopper’s relationship developing a little, and Eleven and Max becoming closer friends. While this season was good and I still love the show, I feel like it has lost some of the charisma it had during season one and I’m hoping season four, which might be the final season, can gain some of it back.
What have you been loving this summer? Are any of my summer favorites also favorites of yours? Let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoy the rest of summer!