Summer Obsessions Part 2

Obsession — “An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.”

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

The second part of my summer obsessions post is finally here, I’m so sorry for taking so long to get this up.  This part covers what I loved of tv/movies, music, books, and other things that were released this summer.

TV/Movies

1.  Toy Story 4.  I grew up being a huge Toy Story fan so I had to see the last movie in the series.  I took a break from all of my bar studying to watch it in theaters and enjoyed every moment of it until the ending (I won’t spoil it).  I loved how Woody was reunited with his obvious one true love, Bo Peep, but his friends were still there supporting him.  I’m still partial to the OG trilogy and think they could have done without the fourth movie, but it’s still a good movie.

2.  Always Be My Maybe and Falling Inn Love.  To me, Netflix rom-coms are the somewhat raunchier version of Hallmark movies.  Always Be My Maybe stars one of my favorite actresses and stand-up comedians, Ali Wong.  It’s about two childhood friends whose lives lead them in very different directions but they still have a spark so many years later.  Falling Inn Love follows Christina Milan as a recently dumped woman who wins an old, dilapidated inn and then falls in love while fixing it up.  I really enjoyed these movies (unlike the other talked about Netflix movie of the summer, Secret Obsession) and are definitely must watch films.

3.  American Princess.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show when I first started watching it because I knew it was about a Renaissance Faire, but I got hooked after the first episode.  The main character, Amanda, finds her fiancé cheating on her the morning of her wedding, and while running away from the wedding, she finds the American Princess Renaissance Faire.  The show follows her as she grows accustomed to the Ren Faire life and all of its unique personalities.  I enjoyed the show; unfortunately, Lifetime canceled it after one season, but you should totally check it out!

4.  Christy’s Kitchen Throwback.  I feel like this entire post is about childhood favorites (see no. 1 above and no. 1 below).  But if you don’t know who Christy Carlson Romano is, she was Ren from Even Stevens, Kim from Kim Possible, and was in Cadet Kelly.  She recently started a YouTube show where she brings on old Disney Channel stars and has them cook with her and give an update on their lives.  Each episode is only around 15 minutes, but it’s a great throwback and I may or may not have binged watched all of the episodes in one day, oops.

Music

1.  Happiness Begins by Jonas Brothers.  I have loved the JoBros for a very long time so when I found out they were reuniting, I was so excited.  I absolutely fell in love with this album as soon as I listened to it for the first time.  Every song took me back to the 2000s when they were in their prime but with more mature voices.  I also had the opportunity to see them in concert and let me tell you, they were absolutely amazing.

2.  No. 6 Collaborations Project by Ed Sheeran.  As I was building my bar prep playlist, I came across this album by Ed Sheeran and became obsessed with almost every song on it.  The entire album consists of collaborations between Ed Sheeran and various other artists.  Some of the songs have recently found their way onto popular radio, such as Beautiful People (with Khalid) and I Don’t Care (with Justin Bieber), but I’ve found some other favorites.  If you’re tired of hearing Señorita, then you should listen to South of the Border, which features Camilla but I think it’s definitely a better song.

3.  “I Want It That Way” Revisited by Backstreet Boys.  I was and always will be a BSB girl so I love any of their new stuff.  But, when I saw they rereleased the song “I Want It That Way,” I was super excited.  I loved the OG version of this song and I love the new version.

4.  “Don’t Let Her” by Walker Hayes.  The meaning behind this song is super sad, but also sweet.  And it has become one of my favorite songs over the summer.  Basically the song is a letter from Walker to whoever his wife would fall in love with if something happened to him.  The lyrics are super cute and it’s such a beautiful song.  Definitely give it a listen.

Books

1.  You Owe Me One by Sophie Kinsella.  Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite authors since I first read her Confessions of a Shopaholic series.  Her latest book, You Owe Me One, focuses on the family drama surrounding a family business after the matriarch goes on vacation, leaving it in the hands of her three very different children.  Of course, things go south and there’s a bit of a love triangle with the main character, her old crush, and a new handsome stranger who “owes her one.”  I read this while on vacation and it was the perfect beach read, or just a read that will have you engrossed from the beginning until the very end.

Others

1.  Graduating Law School.  I cannot believe that I’m officially done with law school and that I’ve been running this blog for three years.  I wrote a whole post summarizing my law school experience in numbers, but still wanted to highlight it as going to law school has been a goal of mine since I was in the eighth grade.  It’s still really weird that I’m not back in school as I’m finally done after 20 years of school.  Crazy, I know.  Thanks for joining my journey and hope you stay along for the next part of my ride through the law.