We’ll be honest: July hasn’t been all that kind to us. Between Zelda’s apartment hunt and Scout’s job/roommate hunt, we might be having a little trouble keeping our shit totally together. But y’all have been our solace in a rough mental landscape; it’s been nice to have something constant to anchor us in this ever-more-stress-inducing environment. At the end of the day, whether we’ve spent it hunched over cover letters or trawling apartment listings, whether we’ve had panic attacks on the train or lost the will to leave the apartment altogether, you were there for us. So thanks, for giving us something to look forward to. Here’s hoping next month will be kinder.

What We’re Doing: The July heat had our brains all befuddled, but we weren’t going to let that stop us from delivering posts to your screens, three days a week, as promised. From Zelda’s resolutions to Scout’s inner comedy nerd, pictures and movies and letters to July, we covered a lot of territory this month. Scout paid homage to one of our favorites Homes Away From Home, Zelda waxed poetic on one of her favorite Girls Raised in the South, and we brought our first ever guest writer into the mix! A few summer brews and summer vibes brought it all together, and now we head into August poised to start a new chapter, celebrate our blog birthday (gah!), and see what this next year has to offer.

What We’re Listening To: Our July playlist came courtesy of the coolest cats we know: you folks! We asked our favorite fellow Southern transplants which songs reminded them of home, which tracks took them back to front porches or backyards, BBQ festivals and fish fries and lazy afternoons by the lake. From Dixie Chicks to Debussy, y’all delivered, cooking up a playlist steeped in Southern flavors both classic and contemporary.

What We’re Watching: Zelda has been loving Emily Diana Ruth’s YouTube series “Letters to July,” so much that she made her own (albeit textual, not video) entry. Scout succumbed to the will of the Tumblr-verse and dove into Netflix’s Sense8 with abandon (cue the gifsets). And we both cheered along as the US Women’s National Soccer Team kicked absolute ass to win the World Cup! (Well, to be fair, Zelda’s cheer was more of a silent celebration, since she was at work. But the enthusiasm was the same.)

What We’re Reading: There were so many awesome things to read this month, we couldn’t choose just one! July is usually the month of beach reads and pool-side fluff, when we turn our brains off for a bit and let the pulp in. But the internet doesn’t take vacations, and this month had no shortage of both fun and thoughtful pieces for us to sink our proverbial teeth into (plus, you know, cute dog videos). Topics include: the Napoleon complex of the museum docent (Scout identified intensely with this one), Misty Copeland’s unlikely rise to ballet acclaim and mainstream fame (an oldie but a goodie given her recent promotion), the surprise country music culture of Kenya, the ascendance of baby Elsa’s in the post-Frozen era, the silent power of Facebook icons, the enduring wonderfulness of Gilmore Girls, photographing a people who shun the art form, what it means to be a Daughter of Appalachia, all of the terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad things that could happen if we invited someone to coffee, and the bawdiest, most delightful movie review we’ve ever read (courtesy of Roxanne Gay, of course), which actually made us want to pay New York prices to see Magic Mike XXL.

What We’re Eating: Scout and her roommates threw a little pre-Fourth of July FREEDOM party, and her roomie, Stephanie, cooked up these mac and cheese cupcakes (or perhaps more accurately muffins, since they are savory). We here at Z&S are firm believers that everything that can be cupcaked should be cupcaked, in the same way that what can be waffled should be waffled. As it turns out, mac and cheese does both. Yum.

What We’re Drinking: Zelda took another page from Mamrie’s book (literally) and mixed us up some Alabama Blizzards (otherwise known as peach bourbon tea slushies), to drink while we watched animated French cats make a Homeric journey home (the cure for stress if we ever met one). Scout spent most of the month drinking beer, as usual, and shared some of her favorite local brews with the blogosphere.

What’s On Our Wishlist: With college football season fast-approaching, Scout is hankering for some new swag in which to cheer on her usually mediocre Wildcats. So she anxiously awaits the Shop Local KY release of this tank, and lusts after various emblem-emblazoned tees. She’d also like a full time job and a new roommate, but alas. Zelda, meanwhile, asks only one thing of the universe this month: a new place for her and her books to call home. Apartment hunting in New York is the worst, y’all.

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