Behind the Curtain: June 2016

I’ve come to look forward to these monthly posts about what I’m into beyond travel because there’s so much more to my life than where I go, despite the fact that it’s something I love. It’s funny how many people respond with their obsessions or agree with mine! As with last month, I’m sharing the things I’m obsessed with at the moment. Thanks for following along! Be sure to share what you’re loving this month below!

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Reading

I didn’t do as much reading on my trip out west as I had planned on just because there was so much to see! I did, however, read most of and finish Rising Strong by Brené Brown, my first by the author. I heard about her on Elizabeth Gilbert’s podcast and immediately knew I’d enjoy her work.

I will admit that I was slow to catch on, but once I got into the book, I found myself underlining passages upon passages. Now I’m ready to read her other books, specifically Daring Greatly, which my friends at the wedding raved about. I also recently started reading Gone with the Wind and am only 3% in if that tells you just how long this book is. To see what else I’m reading, check out my Goodreads Profile here.

Listening

I haven’t been keeping up with my audiobooks, but I have been listening to Kimbra, one of my favorite artists from when I lived in Australia, and Sia, who is coming to Atlanta in November! I cannot contain my excitement and I hope that my Ticketmaster settlement (make sure you check to see if you have one!!) will cover it.

Watching

I’ve finished watching True Blood and now Game of Thrones for the season. I just finished Orange is the New Black, so I’m now looking for new binge shows. My sister recommends Peaky Blinders and Penny Dreadful for Anglophiles and fantasy lovers like me. Anything else I should add to my Netflix list?

Loving

I took Spanish in high school and French and Italian in college, but none seems to have stuck. After two visits to the Dominican Republic this year, and a possible Central America trip next year, I feel a responsibility to learn at least a conversational level of Spanish.

It’s useful even in Atlanta and New York! Enter DuoLingo. I have a setting to remind me to do the daily lessons on Chrome and it makes it feel like a game rather than homework. They have dozens of languages, including Klingon.

Working

In case you haven’t seen it yet, I got two big stories published this month that I’ve been trying to keep a secret until they were a sure thing. On Afar, I wrote about why you should be visiting Atlanta when you’re road tripping around the South.

For BBC Travel, I wrote a story on a craft brewery in Hot Springs, Arkansas that uses thermal spring water from underground for their National Parks feature. I wrote another special section for The Knot and the Georgia issue of the magazine I worked on a few months back will be on stands next week!

Look out for it if you’re local. I also worked more for Her Packing List and did a paid campaign with Loews Hotels, which you can read about here and enter to win a stay of your own! See what else I’m working on via my Contently profile.

Traveling

Last month was crazy. I spent two weeks out west with my sister doing limited work while attending my dear friend’s wedding and all-around exploring. A few days later, I said goodbye to my youngest sister as she started her post-grad life in Monteverde, Costa Rica as the photojournalism intern for her university’s study abroad program down there (follow her at @ugacostarica!).

And a few days after that, I was back at the airport to spend the weekend in Mobile, Alabama. Now I’m enjoying a few much-needed weeks at home before a brief southwest Georgia trip this week. So what’s on deck for July? As of right now, I’ve got a birthday weekend (!!!) in Georgia wine country with friends, a quick weekend in Birmingham, Alabama for a music festival (Ryan Adams!!!), and a long week in Las Vegas for a trade show. Send me your Vegas tips now, as I haven’t been since I was 18!