Happy List: July 2022

Well were at the start of a new month again which of course means it’s Happy List time. I think this is one of the first lists to actually be out early in the new month though for a change! That’s what happens when I’ve got time off work to actually focus on my blog though! I hope July was a good month for you, it was for me and I’ve lots to share so I hope you enjoy this latest Happy List.

I know I say it most months but these really are my favourite bits of content to sit down and write. I’m naturally not a very optimistic person, I’m definitely a realist with a dash of pessimism at times but there’s something about taking some time out to focus on the month just gone by that makes my soul happy. I love sharing these little snippets of life with you and I love that these lists are always so positively received, so a big thank you to you too for taking the time to read these and for always leaving such lovely comments.

Let’s get into July now shall we?!

1. So we’ll start with my wedding blog, The Thrifty Bride. I shared a few pieces of news last month about it and said there was something else to come but that I would be sharing it this month. Well I’m pleased to announce that my lovely little wedding blog has been nominated for a Yorkshire Blogger Award for the second year running! I actually won my category (finance) when I was nominated last year and this year is even more exciting as I’ve been nominated in the wedding category. Finance was a great fit for The Thrifty Bride considering it’s all about small budget weddings and cutting costs but being nominated in the wedding category just feels more special. I started The Thrifty Bride as there’s little to no resources out there for small budget brides so to be finally recognised as a wedding industry contender is pretty great!

2. I’ve already briefly mentioned it but the end of July saw the summer holidays roll around so I have 6 weeks off work. I’m already just over a week down and it’s been great. I’m making sure I use this time to really focus on my blogs too and prep lots of content ready for when I’m back at work and I simply don’t have the time to dedicate to blogging that I’d like. I’ve mentioned it for most of this year but I fell out of love with blogging for quite a while this year and there were a lot of reasons for that but one of them is definitely lack of time. I work full time and quite often do overtime and then there’s things like chores and exercise to factor in as well as actually having a life so blogging has had to take a backseat. That’s why I’m enjoying this time over summer to give it my full attention.

3. My reading was back on track in July too which was great. I love those days where I can just sit in the garden and read and luckily I had a couple of those. Though not during the peak of the heatwave as it was just too hot! But there’s nothing that brings me more peace and joy then a day spent in the garden reading. If you’re an avid reader too why not come and give me a follow on Goodreads.

4. July was a good month for making memories too. We enjoyed a few days out this month as we went to a beer festival and we saw Creed Bratton (from The Office) live which was really good! I still have those odd little moments of complete gratitude when we do things like this as I think back over the last few years. It’s wild to be so appreciative of being able to live a normal life again.

5. The end of July saw my birthday roll around. I wrote a whole big reflective post about my thoughts on turning 31 and it was such a happy and positive post and it felt really good to get that all down and share the journey I’ve been on. My birthday was really lovely. We didn’t do much on the actual day as my husband was super busy with work but I had a really chilled out day with lots of cake of course. I also went for my nails doing and went with the really cute watermelon design you can see above! We finished the day off with a pub quiz. We did go out for food and cocktails at the weekend though which was lots of fun and involved the epic Kinder crepe also pictured above. It was amazing but I’m not sure I’d ever be able to eat it again, it was soooo sweet!

6. I purchased a little birthday treat for myself in the form of the new Sims expansion pack. I’m a huge fan of The Sims so I was very excited to have a new world to explore with all new gaming options. I still need to play it a bit more to see where it fits on my list of expansion packs but I’m really enjoying the game.

What did you get up to in July? Let me know in the comments!