Initially when I sat down to write this post I wanted to share some things I do to beat the crazy heat during the summer. Shortly I realized it's slightly different for everyone and the biggest tip of them all really is just to stay inside and avoid it all. Then I realized maybe it's best to just share some of the wellness ideas I'm currently incorporating into my life instead. It's summer and I'm currently existing in the harsh Arizona hellscape so I guess these are currently my best tips for surviving the heat.

Gather round boys and girls it's time for another monthly playlist. Summer is probably one of the easiest times to make mixes. They just kind of write themselves. There's always something playing that sticks with me and creates a memory for years to come. Whether it's enjoying a nice meal with friends at a restaurant or just simply driving in the car when something funny happens, a memory has the ability to stick to these songs like glue (for better or worse). Rather than zone in on a particular summery theme like pool parties, BBQs, or road trips, I decided to try something a little different.

Summertime as an adult takes a lot more effort than it did when I was a kid. There's so many more things that require attention as an adult. I can't just wake up, eat some pancakes, watch MTV, and then hang out in the pool all day. Now if I'm lucky I might get a little vacation or staycation, but usually my time, like many, is spent working. But what about the weekend? Doing more fun adult things like laundry. Given it's mid-July I feel like I haven't made enough time for summer fun.

More than half the year is over which has completely taken me by surprise. I can't think of where the time has gone. It seems like just last week I was starting a new semester and contemplating having my wisdom teeth removed. Now its July. My semester went amazing, the wisdom teeth are freshly removed (yikes), and now we've reached the point of the year where everything begins to move faster than a snowball rolling down a mountainside. I must admit I'm hopeful for the rest of the year and I hope things begin to go a bit more my way, but I must remain cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.

It's Friday and technically the weekend. Well at least as far as I'm concerned because I'll be taking the weekend off to heal from some lame health stuff. Rather than leave this blog lacking updates I thought I would do something I've done on previous blogs that was pretty well received: Links I Love. Basically, Links I Love, is just that. Links of things you should read, know about, listen to, etc for the weekend ahead. Little slices of the web that peak my interest I want to share with you.

I often go back and forth between writing and not writing some blog posts. Especially when it comes to music but not posting about it wouldn't make this blog true to who I am. I don't feel like my taste in music is why anyone reads this blog to begin with, but I'm certainly not writing posts strictly to get likes (although those are pretty cool). So after some time of indecisiveness (a couple weeks really) I decided to give it a go. Plus I just love the new Fleet Foxes record so much.

Fourth of July is just a few days away. A time where everything to make a great American burger is on sale, so why not make the best at home burger possible? A few weeks back I received Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories as a gift (or bribe to make cheese sauce..either way). Pretty much everyone knows how much I love the Shack or just burgers in general so I was really excited to try to make one of my favorite burgers at home. Truth be told, I wasn't that great at making burgers at home...until now.