Sunday Recap #9: Celebrations, Meal Prep & Looking Ahead

A work celebration, meal prep, cooler walks, and a few things I'm looking forward to as summer winds down.

Welcome to my end-of-week wrap-up! I'm linking up with the Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and the Sunday Salon hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

♡

Hi friends,

This was one of those weeks that seemed to have a little bit of everything. I traveled for work, spent some time meal prepping before I left, managed to get several walks in, and we're slowly checking a few more things off the list at home. We're also starting to look ahead to a much-needed vacation in a few weeks.

♡ A Little From My Week

One of the highlights of my week was traveling for a Best Place to Work awards celebration. The company I work for received the honor again this year, and I always enjoy seeing so many people come together to celebrate their workplaces and the people who make them special.

Our CEO is also giving everyone a day off and treating the entire staff to lunch to celebrate. We have seven locations, so lunch will be delivered to everyone wherever they're working that day. It's just one of the many ways appreciation is shown throughout the year, and I think those gestures matter.

A Little Meal Prep Before the Trip

Knowing I would be traveling, I spent some time meal prepping before I left. It made the busy days much easier, and I also tried a few new recipes along the way that I can't wait to share with you.

The timing was especially fitting because I shared my How to Meal Prep for a Busy Reading Week post this week. This was one of those weeks when having food ready ahead of time really did make life easier.

Walking, PT & Taking Care of Myself

The weather has finally started cooling down a little, and I managed to get four walks in at the mall this week. I also joined Pacer and discovered its walking leagues. You earn points through your steps, and if you finish the week above a certain level, you can advance to the next league. Apparently adding a little friendly competition was all I needed to make getting my steps in even more interesting.

I also made it to physical therapy twice and have been icing my arm between visits. My stomach had a bit of a flare-up this week as well, but thankfully things seem to be settling back down. It was one of those weeks when I had to balance staying active with knowing when to take things a little easier.

A Pretty Ending to the Day

We've had some beautiful sunsets lately, too. I caught this one from home as the sun was disappearing behind the trees. No matter how busy the week gets, sometimes the prettiest moments are the ones that make you stop for a minute and simply look.

One of this week's beautiful late-summer sunsets.

Finally Planning a Getaway

We're also getting ready for a vacation in a few weeks, and I am more than ready. It's been almost two years since we've really gotten away. We had everything planned last year, but with a hurricane heading toward us, we didn't feel comfortable leaving Lucy behind. I canceled the trip and still took the time off, only for the storm to end up passing us by. Better safe than sorry, but that one definitely hurt a little!

So this year's getaway feels especially overdue. I'm already thinking about where we'll eat, what we'll do, and, of course, which books will be coming with me.

The Renovation Finish Line

Our home renovation is slowly nearing the finish line, too. The shower door was installed last week, and now we're waiting on the bathroom vanity and countertop. After living through all the decisions and construction, seeing the final pieces come together feels very good.

📖 New on the Blog This Week

• How to Meal Prep for a Busy Reading Week — A practical approach to getting a few meals and ingredients ready ahead of time so busy weeks leave a little more room for reading.
• How to Create Book Club Questions That Actually Get People Talking — Ideas for moving beyond yes-or-no questions and creating book club conversations people actually want to join.
• Book Blogger Hop: What Grabs You and Keeps You Hooked in a Book? — This week's question had me thinking about what keeps me turning the pages once I've started a book.

This Week's Spotlight

If you're part of a book club—or you've ever sat through one of those moments when someone asks a question and the whole room goes quiet—this week's How to Create Book Club Questions That Actually Get People Talking is one I'd especially recommend. I put it together to help turn book club questions into actual conversations instead of a list everyone feels obligated to work through.

📌 Popular on Pinterest

Two reader-focused posts have been getting extra attention on Pinterest lately—one built around the fun of letting a book surprise you, and another filled with practical ways to read more without adding another subscription.

• A Blind Date with a Book: Why Readers Are Falling for the Surprise — Wrapped books, a few carefully chosen clues, and the fun of letting your next read find you instead of the other way around.
• The Best Apps to Read Books for Free — A roundup of apps and reading tools for finding ebooks, audiobooks, library books, and other free ways to keep your TBR moving.

☕ From the Archives

This week's trip through the archives goes in two very different directions. One takes us all the way back to 2015, while the other is a handy little guide for anyone who's ever wondered what all those romance-reader abbreviations actually mean.

• The Bride Wore Denim by Lizbeth Selvig — Author Guest Post — A visit back to the Forever Book Lover archives from 2015 featuring Lizbeth Selvig and The Bride Wore Denim.
• FMC, MMC, OMC?! Decoding the Alphabet Soup of Romance Book Acronyms — If you've ever stumbled across a romance recommendation filled with letters and wondered what everyone was talking about, this guide breaks down some of the acronyms you'll see most often.

📚 What I'm Reading

I'm currently reading Falling Into You by Jill Shalvis, which has brought me back to the Colburn family. This time we're getting Tucker and Hazel's story. They made several appearances in the first two books, and I already had a feeling there was much more going on between these two than we knew. Now I finally get to find out.

I'm also finishing up reviews for two books I've recently completed, so there are more bookish thoughts coming to the blog soon.

🍽️ This Week's Pairing

Some nights just call for pizza and a good romance. This week's pairing brings together Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez with my Homemade Margherita Style Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta. It's an easy pairing for a relaxed night at home—make the pizza, settle in with your book, and you've pretty much got my idea of a good evening.

🔖 Coming Up Next Week

Next week I have a dinner with our Advisory Board, a group of community members who help bring us ideas and opportunities based on what they're seeing in the community—often things like financial education and small business workshops.

Here on the blog, I'll be sharing a new recipe, a book review, and, of course, another Book Blogger Hop.

And somehow September is already here! That's usually my cue to start packing away the summer things and slowly bringing out the fall decor. I'm ready for that little seasonal change—even if the weather doesn't always get the message quite as quickly.

Let's Chat

What's one little thing you're looking forward to as we head into September?