Currently May 2022

Currently | 5.26.22

We spent a week in Phoenix visiting my Mom. It was the one-year anniversary of my father's passing and her birthday, so we headed to the heat to keep her company. It only took one week to remind me just how dry it can be there. Everything: face, hair, and nails were devoid of moisture within 24 hours!

We got to see our old neighborhood again. We lived in the Phoenix area for 2 years after our 18-months RVing and before we moved to the Raleigh area. I like the desert, it is so beautiful, but the heat is a killer!

I had last Friday off from my day job and we took the ferry from Swan Quarter Ferry to Okracoke Island to camp and do some Milky Way photography. It was the hottest weekend in May on record. Thankfully for the 3-and-a-half-hour drive to Swan Quarter, we had A/C, the 3-hour ferry ride we had a breeze, and we were camping near the dunes/ocean and had constant wind, otherwise, it would have been torture!

Ultimately, we were clouded out. Mr. Misadventures was unable to take any photos, but we enjoyed dinner alfresco and a comfortable night in our Tepui. It is the cutoff for camping before the oppressive heat and the attack of the mosquitoes, ticks, and green heads which appear in swarms during the summer.

Now, onto May and what's been happening in the Misadventures world!

Watching | Discovery

We watched the first 2 seasons of Star Trek Discovery when it first came out, but Mr. Misadventures wasn’t into it so we never continued with the series. But with the launch of Star Trek Strange New Worlds and the frustration with the lack of new movie releases not being pushed out on streaming, one late night while I slept Mr. Misadventures began re-watching Discovery and became re-enamored with it.

I was thrilled as I liked the series and now we have watched seasons 3 and 4. I have to say I miss Captain Pike (hello Anson Mount who I have been charmed by since Hell on Wheels) but so glad he and Spock got a spin-off! I liked the first half of season 3 and the second half of season 4. I read that there will be a season 5, but if not, they tied up season 4 with a bow and closure.

The one thing I don't like is how much crying takes place. I think there are more tears in this series than all Star Trek series and movies combined!

I watched the final episodes of Grace & Frankie and was a little disappointed with it!

Can't Wait to Watch:

• Top Chef Season 19
• Season 4 of Yellowstone
• 1883, a prequel to Yellowstone

Reading | Ack!

I didn’t do any new reading this month which surprises me. It happened without me noticing! I have the next Cara Black book, Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, waiting for me.

I have begun reading through Michael Joseph Oswald's massive guide on 63 national parks. In Your Guide to the National Parks, Mr. Oslwald somehow manages to be comprehensive AND concise about all the details you need to find a park to visit, how to prepare for your national park trip, and everything you need to know once you get to the park! It is a FANTASTIC resource if you are passionate about the American national park system!

If you are heading out to a national park, my fellow Bloghouse alum National Park Obsessed has an awesome new national park planner that is amazeballs!

I am also starting to read Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker. I have been reading Eric's newsletters for a decade and enjoy his writing.

Up Next…

• I pre-ordered American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee. I've read American Royals and American Royals II: Majesty so can't wait to read this one.
• I pre-ordered Jenna Kutcher's new book How Are You, Really? I follow her on Instagram because I love her attitude and body positivity even if I don’t buy her stuff. However, this book looked interesting so I hope to dive in soon.
• Speaking of pre-order, my friend Leigh from Campfires & Concierge who has a fantastic book on Arizona just announced her new book on Utah Day Trips by Theme (Day Trip Series) check it out and pre-order!

Best Bite | Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies

[Gifted] Sorry Mom, you make a mean banana bread (with Grandma’s recipe and secret ingredient!) but when it comes to cookies, I wish I had Tim Miller’s Mom. Thankfully Tim took his mother’s recipes and “cleaned them up” with more natural ingredients and organic coconut sugar and is sharing them with the world!

I had the privilege of trying every variety of Maxine’s Heavenly cookies and they are all really good. Mr. Misadventures and I had to divvy them up into individual servings and stick some in the freezer so we wouldn’t eat them all! The hubby’s favorite is the Chocolate Chocolate Chunk and I am enchanted with the Mint Chocolate Chunk.

Misadventures with Andi readers can get 20% off with promo code: ANDI20.

Working On | A summer of writing

With the humidity kicking in we are going to be sticking to the air-conditioned home. We’ll walk in the early morning (before my day job) because it is too hot to walk past 10.

In the evenings and on the weekend I will be tackling the mountain of partially written blog posts I have in draft form. I’ve got everything from our trip to Boneyard Beach to our month in Brittany, tons of Paris posts, and our month in Portugal!

In a recent Frenchie Friday I said I made it a goal to finish everything before I leave on my next trip to France in mid-September! P.S. if you aren’t getting my Frenchie Friday email, head over to the field under the Subscribe section and drop in your email address!

J'adore | CastleFlexx!

[Gifted] Continuing my fitness journey, I am now added a CastleFlexx into my weekly workouts. Its primary purpose is to help with lower back and leg pain (a great device for stretching after an international flight or walking Chicago or Lisbon for the day!) but it also is great for strengthening the core. Really in my experience, it is helping me build full-body strength as well.

Each CastleFlexx unit has a 2-pound detachable magnetic weight to adjust the intensity. It rolls up tight and would be easy enough to throw into a suitcase. I am a total newbie so I am using the videos they have on their website to help me pick and choose which workouts I want to do.

If I can use this, anyone can! And while I do not have any chronic pain or injuries (knock on the proverbial wood) I can see how CastleFlexx would help. Buy one today on their website.

Feeling | Frustrated

COVID restrictions have been lifted which means the world is dirty again. Our flight to Phoenix was delayed the plane was stuck due to weather. It arrived at our gate. People disembarked and then we were immediately boarded. No cleaning.

We landed in Austin. People disembarked. We stayed on the plane. People boarded. The plane was not cleaned. I went to the bathroom on the plane and it was disgusting. No more announcements about being cleaned with Lysol products. No more cleaning between flights.

It’s as if the last 2 years didn’t happen and it makes me sad. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the cleanliness!

Loving | My New Collaboration

Coming in June I will be publishing one French recipe a month. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but just hadn’t found the right person to work with. Someone who shared my vision and could translate it into a recipe.

I am bringing the story and recipe idea and she is bringing her recipe development and food photography skills!

Looking forward to sharing our first project next month!

Favorite Photo | Black Bear Yearling

Mr. Misadventures re-launched his website Sel & Poivre Photography which he built himself, bravo! He also went out to Alligator River and Pungo to look for bear cubs and came back with this photo of an-on-his-own yearling who keeps safe from the male bears in his very own tree hammock.

Published in May

• Why everyone needs a Generark Solar Generator
• My Tools for Remote Work
• The French Tuck
• French Men’s Fashion – How To Dress Like A Parisian Man
• How To Entertain Like The French
• [Guest Post] Family Travel Packing Tips

That’s my month, what’s CURRENTLY going on with you?

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