You know how Oprah always had those lists of all her “favorite things” that she’d share with America, and then at the end of the show she’d surprise her audience members with all the things by telling them to look under their seats?
Well guys, I don’t want you to get too excited or anything, but I made you a list of my own “favorite things”.
At the end of this post, I would love to tell you all in a singsong voice to look under your seats because “everyone gets humpback whaaaaa-ales! YOU get a humpback whale! And YOU get a humpback whale!”
But let’s all be real here: this is problematic for a number of reasons. Namely, because I’m not Oprah. Secondly, because “humpback whale” is fun to say in a singsong voice, but ironically enough, is not actually on my list of favorite things.
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But I digress. Back to the list. I don’t know about you guys, but I fully plan on indulging myself this summer.
“In what,” you might ask?
Well, all the things.
All the television. All the books. All the food. All the music. All the podcasts.
It might be a little over-ambitious to cram so much delight into two and a half short months, but I can’t help it. I tend to subscribe to the Liz Lemon philosophy in life:
So without further ado, here is my list of Favorite Things at the moment:
T.V. Shows
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Because the one-liners are pure gold. They’re always saying things like, “Teeth are the boobs of the mouth!” Or “If I find a job in the classifieds, am I allowed to tell anyone?” They weave the jokes in so seamlessly, you have to pay close attention or you’ll miss at least a third of them.
- Barely Famous: Because it’s like a new Curb Your Enthusiasm, but with sisters. One is a writer and one is an actress, but they’re both beautiful, funny, whip-smart women who have zero sense of self-preservation in their pursuit of sharp comedy. They poke fun at themselves and it’s brilliant, not just because they’re in on the joke, but because they’re telling the joke.
- Scrubs re-runs: Because these characters stole my heart and I actually miss them. This is one of those shows that definitely started off wonky but got better and better with time. My all time favorite episodes were when JD dates a girl he really likes, but ultimately dumps her because he can’t stand that she always says “That’s funny” instead of actually just laughing, and when JD confesses he is a poo-fainter. As in, he faints every time he takes a #2.
- 30 Rock re-runs: Because Liz Lemon is my spirit animal.
- Outlander: Because I’ve adored the book series for years, and because Jaime and Claire are one of the realest made-up love stories of all time. Don’t even get me started. I could talk about Outlander for days.
- Fixer Upper re-runs: Because Chip & Jo are everything. Also because Husband and I began flipping houses this year, and even though we’ve seen every episode, we still can’t seem to get enough shiplap inspiration.
Music
You should know that I used to be very cool and hip. (Operative word there, being “used” to, as evidenced by the fact that I just said “hip”, which everyone knows isn’t cool at all.) I used to go to shows at the Troubadour and other hidden little back-door venues in L.A. I used to pride myself on knowing about cool bands before they were cool.
That was a long time ago and while I do still care about music, now it’s more about how fun it is to car-dance to, than how edgy, age appropriate, or popular it is. So basically, yah- I’m a 34 year old woman who “bee-bops” in the carpool lane to that Amy Grant/ Tori Kelly remix of “Baby, Baby” and I don’t care who knows it. Apparently my inner 90’s-church-geek has a strong sense of nostalgia that won’t be denied.
Don’t get me wrong, my playlist is awesome, even though I just spent two whole paragraphs telling you how my taste is music is slipping. Just know that it’s random and fun and maybe even a bit surprising. If you’re looking for some kickass summer jams, I’ve got you covered, with everything from Ice Cube, to The Cure, to Death Cab for Cutie.
So if you’re curious, this is the soundtrack to my life right now. Whether I’m writing, driving, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner, I pretty much always have this playlist on shuffle.
Podcasts
- Rose Buddies with Rachel and Griffin McElroy: Okay, these two are quickly becoming my new favorite humans. This podcast is a husband and wife duo, who not only watch all episodes of The Bachelor franchise TOGETHER (how cute is that?), but they break it down for us each week in a way that’s arguably more entertaining than watching the show itself. Laura has been telling me how funny it is for months, and I wish I would have listened sooner because now I am obsessed. I listen to it as a distraction when I do cardio at the gym and I always wind up cackling like a fool the whole time. People around me are beginning to wonder what’s so hilarious about the treadmill.
- Hope*Writers with Emily Freeman, Myquillin Smith, Brian Dixon, and Gary Morland. It’s no secret that Hope*Writers has been a huge source of inspiration to me, and the podcasts are by far my favorite element. They’re informative and funny, and for some reason hearing their voices has a calming effect on my frazzled writer’s-nerves. I feel like the angsty kid-sister who’s cooler, wiser siblings are going, “Shh. There, there. It’s going to be okay. Here’s what you do…” Somehow just listening to them makes me feel a thousand times smarter and braver.
- This Good Word with Steve Wiens: I love this podcast for the diversity. Each episode Steve chooses one word to discuss and it could be anything from Fear, to Sweat, to Creativity. He speaks with all different kinds of people about all different kinds of things, but I can always expect an interesting, thought provoking conversation. I was honored to be a guest on this podcast a few weeks ago. The word we discussed was “Courage”, but we also managed to include faith and fear, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, writing and dreaming, and how to correctly order Taco Bell. So yah, there’s not much we didn’t cover. I made a few confessions and over-shared as usual, but we laughed a whole lot. You can listen by clicking here: Episode 43: COURAGE, with Amber Salhus.
Books
Okay, this is just embarrassing. My summer reading list needs to calm down already. For months I’ve been ordering and stashing books away for the perfect lazy summer day at the beach, but now it’s just gotten completely out of control. I didn’t realize exactly how many books I intended to read until I pulled them all out yesterday. I’m going to need to separate them into little piles around the house before Husband starts asking questions about how much money we’ve been spending on Amazon Prime.
A lot of these are classics and I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t finished a single one of them yet. But that’s all about to change! Because the whole point of the Summer of Fun is to fill up the tank and enjoy life. For me, one of the best ways to recharge and get inspired is by reading a good book.
Or 20.
- The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
- Garden City by John Mark Comer
- Rising Strong by Brene Brown
- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
- Never Have I Ever by Katie Heaney
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
- A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman
- It’s Okay To Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too) by Nora McInerny Purmort
- The Best Yes by Lisa Terkeurst
- Wild and Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan
- Bandersnatch by Erika Morrison
- Looking For Lovely by Annie Downs
- Simply Tuesday by Emily Freeman
- Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- For The Love by Jen Hatmaker
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The Summer of Fun is already off to a strong start, if for no other reason than the fact that I’ve at least made lists.
I do love lists.
Almost as much as school supplies.
I’d love to hear what you’re listening to/ reading/ watching! Leave it in the comments!
Love you guys.
molly says
I’m on a memoir kick lately. I can’t get enough of getting inside the brains of other people. I just finished “Bloom” by Kelle Hampton and “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” by Mindy Kaling. Next up: “Yes Please” by Amy Poehler. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I run out of female comedians! 🙂
ambersalhus@msn.com says
Molly, I LOVED both Mindy Kaling’s and Amy Poehler’s books! Have you read BossyPants by Tina Fey?
Leanne says
I really wanted that humpback whale, but I guess these lists will do because they’re pretty good lists. 🙂
I just finished reading The Invisible Girls by Sarah Thebarge. Not adding to your reading queue, just saying it’s a good one once you’re all done with your list. Haha!
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to check out Hope Writers.
ambersalhus@msn.com says
Leanne, I’ll have to check out Sarah’s book! Thanks for the recommendation! And you will LOVE hope*writers!