Surfing Waves (Plus Life's Highs and Lows) in August

Highlights and photos from the month.

A monthly edition of Morning Person, featuring the best moments, recipes, articles, and recommendations from the month. Let’s dive into some July highlights!

You know the adage, “Do one thing every day that scares you?” I’ve been taking it a little too much to heart this month. Over the past few days, I’ve traveled to the other side of the world alone, surfed breaks over coral reefs, scootered to remote beaches in Lombok with my friend on the back, and went scuba diving for the first time in nearly twenty (!) years, after a refresher course. I’ve pushed myself in so many ways, and have been rewarded by one of the most incredible adventures I’ve ever taken. I’ll be sharing much in a trip recap coming soon but, for now, I’m looking back on all of August, which also, amazingly, included a bachelorette in Park City, so much trip prep, and a breakup.

One thing I’ve never been so grateful for, this month especially, are the female friendships I have in my life. My friends absolutely rallied to support me when I went through my breakup, and Betsy and I have been marveling at how incredible it is to be traveling in Indonesia together—we met when she began dating my childhood friend twelve years ago (!). Read on for the three best things I packed, my most-repeated outfit, and my new obsession…

The most-read and shared issue this month

Issue #157: The "5 to 1" Rule for Packing for Any Trip (Really)

The top 3 things I rec’d this month

1. 📚 The Divorce by Moa Herngren: Not much happens in the first half, yet I found myself completely immersed in the accuracy of the way Herngren documents a marriage/life falling apart in slow motion—told from each side.

2. 📚 Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler: The memoir of John Mulaney’s ex-wife renders her in her full complexity, beginning with her hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital for intense suicidal ideation and self-harm, before deftly illuminating the ways in which men contributed to her self-concept as “crazy.”

3. 🍑 Peaches and Cream Pie: Still thinking about this. The cool sweet cream is the perfect vehicle for late summer peaches so ripe, no additional sugar is required.

Since arriving in Indonesia, I’ve worn my butter yellow B-sides jeans with a tank most evenings out. They’re the only pair of pants I packed this trip, with the exception of leggings for travel days, and have proved to be a worthwhile investment (I fell in love with the shape two years ago, when I bought the same style in black). I love that the subtle color lends a bit of pizzazz to even a super-basic outfit. ICYMI, here are links to every single item of clothing I packed for this six-week trip! (No affiliates or partnerships here, just genuine recs!)

I came down with a sore throat and headache a few days into the trip, despite wearing a mask on the plane, and was so grateful to have the “just in case” first aid kit I assembled before leaving for my trip. It has all the things I anticipate needing for an illness, including (top row, from L to R) Nyquil, Alka Seltzer, Tylenol, cough drops, ibuprofen (bottom row, from L to R) sleep aids (it’s labeled for Trazodone, a prescribed anxiety medication I very occasionally take for sleep, but left at home since it’s a good idea to keep prescriptions in the original bottle for international travel), motion sickness medication, Sudafed, stomach medication, Benadryl, Mucinex, and Dayquil. Although I hope I won’t need to take any more of it, it gives me peace of mind knowing it’s there just in case. And, the entire thing fits easily in my cosmetics case. I can’t see myself traveling without it, in the future!