Summer Playlist

letters from rita summer playlist

Listen to my SUMMER 2016 PLAYLIST on Spotify here!

I love a good country song, but I equally love a good dance-y pop song. My summer 2016 playlist has a bit of everything. I will have to say that Maren Morris and Michael Franti are winning as my favorites currently, but the rest of the songs are absolutely worth a listen or 10! Here is a sampling from the playlist:
~~~
Sugar – Maren Morris
Raised On It – Sam Hunt
My Lord – Michael Franti + Spearhead
Lemonade – Matt Wertz
Saltwater Gospel – Eli Young Band
Maybe IDK – Jon Bellion
Love Drunk – Steve Moakler
~~~
Listen to my SUMMER 2016 PLAYLIST on Spotify here!

Coffee Date | July 4th Wknd

We haven’t had a coffee date in a while! So let’s do this: grab your Tuesday-but-it-feels-like-Monday coffee and stay a while.

On Saturday afternoon Nate and I, along with two friends, put our kayaks into the Charles River and took off for what was officially our longest ride yet. We were on the water for almost 3 hours! We explored a lot and I liked it. The way out was nice and easy because the wind was carrying us along, but on the way back the same winds were not on our side. Definitely an arm workout! Highlight of the day: the 6 cute turtles I saw. Because turtles.

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On Sunday we drove up to my parent’s house in NH to celebrate the 4th a day early. Nate’s parents were there too, so it was a whole big party! We played yard games (bocce! kanjam!) and then walked along the perfectly sunny beach for a while. The weather was the bomb dot com and the buffalo chicken my mom made for dinner was something to write home about (or at least pin on Pinterest). Lowlight of the day: Nate and I lost to our dads in bocce ball.

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On the actual 4th we watched our local parade (it’s a big deal), and hung out with some friends before the fireworks! Low key and livin’ life. I’ve never had a strong love of July 4th as a holiday, but I definitely appreciate it and all it’s American dreamin’. *insert american flag emoji here*

OMG WAIT! Last Friday I installed my first ever solo art show! It is up and viewable in the bakery on Natick Common until September 1st. It’s a collection of bold and fun life lessons to encourage your day, lovingly named ‘Paper Pep Talks’. Highlight of this: Maybe I’ll be famous soon.

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Short coffee date, but hope you had fun! Come back Thursday for a summer music roundup!

My First Market!

natick farmers market - letters from rita

Last Saturday morning I was a vendor at my very first market! I’ve been a long time attendee of the Natick Farmer’s Market, so it was extra special to actually be a vendor at it! I honestly went in with no expectations; I knew I would probably give away a lot of business cards, and was OK if that was it. But luckily 4 sweet souls found pieces of art that they loved! I was so surprised! I had a lot of good feedback on my work, and quite a bit of interest in custom work, which I am praying will pan out in the future. I loved being part of the local action and getting to meet a variety of people from my town. One observation I made was that teenagers were particularly interested in my art. I am wondering if that is because hand-lettering is so prevalent on social media these days… or if they were just really cool teenagers 🙂

I also had a personal squad who came to support me! Nate was key is helping me set up the tent and tables, and bringing me coffee 🙂 My parents, my in-laws AND two of my four siblings-in-laws came to hang out (my mom was the principal photo-taker). A few different friends from bible study and my running group stopped by, and my sweet friend Amy surprised me with a visit as well! Thank you to all who made time in your day to say hi!

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I will be back at the Natick Farmer’s Market on July 30th and August 6th and I’d love to see you there!

Stephanie

Weekly Obsessions

letters from rita blog - weeklyobsessions

ICED GREEN TEA
Summer means iced drinks. Coffee is good, but sometimes I want to switch it up, so I make my own iced green tea! I steep the tea bag as usual, then drop in 5-7 ice cubes and add a splash of almond milk. It’s a summery drink that has some health benefits too! (I don’t know the health benefits, but you can google it.)

THESE THREE ALBUMS
Guys, music is so cool. I love music. Did I mention music is my favorite. I can’t stop listening to these three new albums. My ears are so happy.
– Maren Morris’ sassy and smart debut album ‘Hero’.
– My ever-favorite Matt Wertz’s new sound on ‘Gun Shy’.
– Jon Bellion’s incredibly creative and real “The Human Condition”. 

ECHO PRAYER
I only recently learned about Echo. It’s an app that reminds you to pray! It’s so simple: you make a list of all your prayers, set a reminder, and then pray when the notification comes up. It’s been very helpful in making time for intentional prayer and I would really recommend it!

SUMMER FARMER’S MARKETS
My town’s farmer’s market is a 37 second walk from my house. I go every Saturday morning and get a bagel and love my life. The cool thing is that 3 times this summer (June 25, July 30, Aug 6), I will have a table full of artwork for sale at that very market! It will be a new experience to be on the vendor side of the market and I am excited! For more info on Natick Farmer’s Market, go here.

Happy Friday!

Doing Our Best

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There’s a phrase I repeat over and over to myself whenever I’m either A) being judgmental towards other people or B) being really hard on myself. That phrase is “We’re all trying to do our best.” It is never meant to be a way out of trying hard (in the “hey, at least you’re trying” vein). Instead it’s a firm reminder that everyone is fighting a different battle, everyone has their own way of doing things, and that we have to trust that every person really is trying their best in life. When I say it to myself, it’s a reminder that I am not ‘them’. I am me. If I am truly trying as best as I can, then I can’t be mad at myself. Try saying this phrase to yourself the next time you’re feeling judge-y or putting yourself through the comparison trap. It definitely helps me get my head back in the right space.

image by stephen grigoriou