July celebrations
“Every day is a reason to celebrate life’s beautiful moments.”
I chose CELEBRATE as my 2026 Word of the Year (WOTY). One way I’m putting that word into practice is to take note of the many things I have to celebrate…large and small…during the month and to share the highlights with you on the final Tuesday of each month.
July celebrations
As I began putting this post together, I realized I didn’t take a lot of photos this month. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying things, just that I wasn’t taking pictures. So if this post is shorter than some of my celebration posts, just know that it’s only a small sampling of July’s celebrations.
A new hobby: pickleball
I mentioned my new-found hobby in an earlier blog post, but I felt I needed to include discovering pickleball as one of the things I’m celebrating in July. It’s been a little too warm to play much recently, but autumn is not far away.
Another beautiful jigsaw puzzle
It’s no secret I love putting jigsaw puzzles together. It’s like meditation to me. I’m also celebrating the fact that some of my sisters also like puzzling, so we are able to exchange puzzles with each other. Recycling at its best!
Reading good books
In addition to puzzling, I love reading. This month I am celebrating two great books, Westerly, by Susan Donovan Bernhard, and Come Back to the World, by Catherine Ryan Hyde.
The Constantly Varied Gear (CVG) birthday sale
As I’ve mentioned before, I love CVG activewear. The only thing that could make a new pair of CVG shorts better is getting them on the CVG birthday sale. In case you are interested, these designs are called (from left to right) Knockout, Pages & Petals, and Shocked.
Related video
Fun with AI
For some reason, I decided to ask AI (Claude) to predict what I would look like in 20 years using one of my current photos. I think this result may be a little optimistic, but it was a fun little game nonetheless.
Mother Nature’s cloud art
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any cloud pics. Maybe that’s because the clouds have been few and far between this summer. Now it’s monsoon season, and we’ve had a number of afternoon thunderstorms and even more beautiful clouds.
Summer nail art
I just love these nails. Kylee knocked it out of the park again!
Pioneer Day and Pie & Beer Day
This month, the state of Utah, where I live, celebrated Pioneer Day. Pioneer Day marks the arrival of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It honors the resilience of early settlers, Utah’s state heritage, and the broader pioneering spirit of all diverse groups who helped shape the region.
Many of us also like to celebrate a tongue-in-cheek alternative holiday of Pie & Beer Day. I prefer to combine the two for double the fun!
Your turn
That’s it for my July celebrations. Now it’s your turn.
- What did you celebrate in July?
- Do you like pie? What flavor is your favorite?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love hearing from you.
