Friday Five: September 5, 2025

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is our wedding reception, and I'm honestly just ready for it to be here. We've been planning this celebration ever since we had our intimate ceremony in May, and after months of constant decisions and walking through logistics, I'm sitting here putting the final touches on favor bags, feeling a mix of excitement and "please, please let this go smoothly." Here's what else has been on my mind this week as multiple things seem to be changing at once:

1. Our wedding reception is tomorrow, and I can hardly believe we've made it to this point. We got married in May in an intimate, private ceremony that felt perfect for us, but we've been dreaming of this larger celebration with our extended family ever since. The preparation has been intense, a whirlwind that has left me simultaneously exhausted and energized.

   
   

   Tonight I'm putting the finishing touches on our favor bags, which feels both surreal and satisfying. After months of planning, vendor coordination, and countless small decisions, it's wild to think that in 24 hours, all of this preparation will finally transform into actual celebration. The stress has been real, but so has the joy of imagining all our favorite people in one place, celebrating together.

   
   

   

   Wedding favors :) I put these in a small organza bag.

2. Our garden has been absolutely prolific lately, especially with cucumbers and peppers. I'm talking serious abundance. I've been browsing Pinterest and food blogs for cucumber recipes beyond the usual salads, I'm planning to try my hand again at refrigerator pickles next week. The peppers are presenting their own spicy challenge. I'm thinking stuffed peppers, roasted pepper soup, and keeping my eye open for other ideas as well.

   
   

   There's something so satisfying about eating food you've grown yourself, even when it means cucumber and pepper everything for two weeks straight. It connects you to the seasons in a way that grocery store produce never quite manages, and it's forcing me to be more creative in the kitchen, which I always appreciate.

   
   

3. The weather took a dramatic turn this week, dropping from summer heat to genuinely cold temperatures almost overnight. I keep accidentally walking outside in shorts and a tank top, only to immediately regret not dressing warmer. My body hasn't adjusted to the new season yet, even though my mind is ready.

   
   

   Usually, I'm one of those people who dreads the end of summer and spends the first cool days in denial. But this year feels different. Maybe it's because summer was so chaotic with travel and major life events, or maybe I'm just ready for the slower pace that fall promises. There's a coziness to autumn that feels especially appealing after months of constant motion. I'm already imagining weekend mornings with coffee and a book, soup simmering on the stove, and the kind of quiet contentment that comes with shorter days and longer nights at home.

4. Once the reception is behind us, I'm channeling all that organizational energy into a big home project: cleaning out our garage. It's become one of those spaces that collects everything we don't know what to do with, and it's time for a major purge.

   
   

   I'm genuinely excited about this project, there's something therapeutic about clearing out accumulated stuff. We're planning to sell some items, donate others, and hopefully create a functional space instead of a glorified storage unit. There's always such relief in tackling these kinds of projects, being able to find things, move freely, and feel lighter in your own space. It's like giving your home room to breathe again. Plus, with winter coming, having an organized garage will make the seasonal transition so much smoother.

   
   

5. Next weekend brings Infrasound Equinox festival at Harmony Park, 30 minutes from where I grew up. This venue holds special significance for me. It's where I attended my first camping festival, which opened my eyes to the magic of live electronic music and festival culture. The lineup is incredible this year: Rusko, Supertask, Phrva, Josh Teed, Ivy Lab, and so many other artists I've been wanting to see. I love experiencing amazing music in a place that shaped my musical tastes and introduced me to festival community.

   
   

   This time we're skipping the camping experience, partly because we live so close, but mostly because spring Infrasound taught us that camping in cold, rainy Minnesota weather isn't always the move. Sometimes comfort wins over being where the action is, and that's perfectly fine. Being able to attend such a high-caliber music festival practically in my backyard makes me feel very lucky. It's one of those reminders that you don't always have to travel far for incredible experiences, sometimes the best adventures happen close to home.

   
   

This week has felt like a perfect snapshot of transition: celebrating love while preparing for autumn, harvesting summer's abundance while welcoming cooler weather, finishing one big project while anticipating the next. There's something beautiful about these in-between moments where seasons and life phases overlap. Fall is almost here, and I'm ready for whatever it brings.