Happy Saturday, my friends! I am so happy to be in your inbox today. Today’s newsletter is all about my recent trip, followed by a whole list of bonus random links for your clicking pleasure!
As I mentioned on Thursday, the Colorado trip was absolutely phenomenal. But also? It went not even remotely according to plan. A plan that was developed last November. Yes, this trip was gestating as long as a human baby, and all got kicked off with an all-call to the family on the day after Thanksgiving to see who was interested in seeing The Head and the Heart at Red Rocks with me. Red Rocks was high on my musical bucket list, and after making the horrible decision to forego seeing Caamp there last summer, I was DETERMINED to go this year.
Since I visit my mom every summer regardless, the concert was just what would dictate the dates of the 2024 visit, not actually determine IF I would go. But yay! My sister-in-law and mom and stepdad said they were in for the show and everything flowed from that. I immediately bought the concert tickets and booked the plane tickets for me and the kids I thought would be joining me on the trip. My brother’s entire family was going to be at mom’s with us the entire time. Everything was in motion!
At Christmas we recruited our niece and her boyfriend to add on a few days with us since they would already be in Denver for a wedding. Then this spring another kid found out he could go, and wanted a friend to join us. More plane tickets purchased.
Then in June we found out the oldest kid’s life plans didn’t align with this trip anymore. One plane ticket cancelled. In July I booked the car rental, we decided we wanted to go rafting and got that booked, and my sister-in-law and I booked our Denver hotel rooms and shuttle tickets for the night of the concert. We were ON IT.
And then. LIFE HAPPENED.
Right before we were supposed to leave, life threw a curveball that meant two more plane tickets got canceled, the two 17-year-olds ended up flying on their own, and the youngest and I had to drive. Car rental canceled. More hotel rooms needed for the drive. I swear, if you don’t laugh, you cry, and honestly, I did more of the latter for a few hours before turning things around mentally.
Even though we left later in the same day we would have headed to the airport, the youngest and I got to my mom’s house two days later than planned and missed all but the last 30 minutes of my niece and her boyfriend’s time visiting. When we got to the day of the concert, my sister-in-law and I realized that not only had we booked tickets with different shuttle companies, but also rooms at different hotels. The teens spend NINE HOURS in the airport after their plane home got delayed multiple times. We got home a full day later than planned.
It was seriously a tragicomedy of broken plans and messed up reservations and more driving than I had ever wanted to do this summer.
But you know what? It was STILL the best trip ever. We did all of my annual favorite things and also had so many first-time experiences ~ I got my first tattoo, we watched our first burro race, went to our first drive-in movie, went rafting in Browns Canyon National Monument for the first time, and of course, experienced the utter magic of Red Rocks for the first time, with some of my very favorite people. The youngest is a phenomenal cross-country travel buddy and the teens were able to fly on their own for the first time, building excellent independence skills. I was also prepared for my car to need oil and actually had some with me for the first time ever!
Remember how I was all smug about a packing list back in June? Well, I packed less than an hour before we left this time due to the life curveball and I was woefully unprepared for the highly unusual cold and rainy weather we experienced when there ~ for a full week I wore pretty much just two outfits and it didn’t matter even a tiny bit. I was literally in my pajamas for most of the time, freezing the rest of the time, and also, I don’t think I have ever laughed in my life as much as I did this trip. Unprepared doesn’t mean a bad time is guaranteed!
Will I plan trips that far ahead of time again? Hell yes. The giddy anticipation was worth it. Will I be fully prepared for things to fall apart? I’ll now be expecting them to. Will I ever again try to save money by prepaying for nonrefundable reservations? Well, maybe not. See? Lessons were learned! And now my girls and I have flight vouchers we HAVE to use sometime soonish, so let’s just consider the fact that now we actually get another vacation out of this? What a win. And I also discovered that my sister-in-law is the absolute best adventure partner ever ~ I can’t wait for whatever we plan (or fail to plan correctly) next! Whatever it is, we shall laugh our way through it.
Would you like even more chatty musings on midlife, even more book recommendations, and exclusive downloads and book collections delivered right to your inbox each week? These are all benefits of a paid subscription to this newsletter ~ please do consider becoming a supporter!
Linkety Links
Guess what! I don’t have a book list to share today because, well, LIFE. I have been reading mostly September releases when I have had time to read, and a few of the other recentish reads are being saved for future roundups. Therefore, here are some very random links for your clicking pleasure:
- was kind enough to include this publication in her piece about librarian Substacks in School Library Journal. I already review for them, and now am featured there in a different way! How fun!
Did you see the bag I made a few weeks ago? I’m now obsessed with the pattern. I have made two now and have plans for many more. And yes, you do need to print out and tape together the paper template!
Remember my friend
from newsletters past? Well, she finally got to sign her contract for her BOOK DEAL!!! I can’t wait to share the book with you when it’s ready to make its debut!I listened to this podcast episode on my drive through South Dakota on Wednesday and was totally freaked out. AND THEN. And then the very next day I saw something on an acquaintance’s online presence that made me realize SHE HAD JOINED A CULT. There’s much more to the story than that, but it’s not for the public interwebs. Thank goodness for podcasts ~ I would never have realized how dangerous that world was. I shall be watching the Netflix documentary ASAP.
Another podcast episode ~ this one listened to while covering the Iowa - Nebraska drive on a different day, and one I shared with so many people during gas station stops. I never actually finished reading the associated book, BUT have read and listened to so many hot takes on it that I honestly feel like I HAVE read the book. This episode does what the show If Books Could Kill does so well and well, pretty much ripped apart The Anxious Generation with such excellent statistical detail. Whether or not you have read the book, this episode is such a fantastic nuanced analysis and well worth the 2 hours it covers.
I absolutely adored this piece by
a few weeks ago, and it’s part of what led me to take way fewer pictures this trip than I normally do. I remember well the days of performing rather than living, back when I thought being an Instagram influencer was a hot thing to do. Honestly, it’s easy for it to become a thing on Substack too, and I definitely see some creators using this space for that.We saw Twisters at the drive-in theater in BV last weekend and YOU GUYS. What a freaking PERFECT movie to see outside in a massive field at the base of gigantic mountains, with lightning in the distance and with the wind howling around us. My SIL and I were in a truck with the three young teens and we were all delightfully spooked the entire time. I had read Anne Helen Peterson’s ode to Glen Powell just the week before, and couldn’t stop thinking about it the whole time we were watching.
I bought this dress in Freeport, Maine in June and have worn it multiple times per week all summer long, making it so worth the full-price cost when the per wear cost is now so low. It’s pretty short on me, but I wear my favorite running/walking shorts under it and those have the bonus of POCKETS. The dress also has pockets, but my phone makes it hang funny if I use those. I’m so proud of myself for not doing my usual thing of finding a shirt / dress I love and then buying it in every color / pattern. I love the black and am well on my way to wearing it to death.
We drove past this massive house while heading back to Suzanne’s from the city last month and she was telling me all about the bonkers billionaire owner and his now-feud with the town of Winnetka. And then this story from Curbed showed up in my email inbox within the week. Wild timing. Also, BILLIONAIRES, sigh.
That’s all for this week ~ thanks for reading!
I love to hear from readers, so please do reach out to me with questions or feedback at mindfullibrarian@substack.com . You can always just reply to this email if you are reading in your inbox, or hit the comment button if reading on the web or the app! If we aren’t already connected on Goodreads, I would love to see you there as well.
Your trip sounds so fun! I grew up going to drive in movies and it was the best way to watch movies (back in the old days haha). I love your excitement for your first tattoo! I got two tattoos when I turned 35 and while I'm not crazy about one of them the other I still love
Loved this!!!