We hope you enjoyed the May 2022 Mystery Month issue of This Awful Awesome Life.

Special thanks to Lilly Kauffman, Orlando Bartro, and Linda Cahill for their outstanding contributions and support.

It’s June! The kids will be getting out of school soon and summer is on its way!

What can you do to ensure your family makes the most of summer? We have some suggestions to help the whole family unplug for some quality time exploring the great outdoors. We didn’t forget your pets in this issue. Don’t miss our safety guide for growing flowers, plants, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Which are toxic and what is safe for our pets? I’ve also included a link to the ASPCA website for an article about safe and toxic people foods for your pets. You can never be too careful about what you leave on the picnic table or underestimate your pet’s ability to sneak food.

Lilly Kauffman, a self-proclaimed “Miss Priss,” shares her views on “roughing it,” and Orlando Bartro is back with a deck of cards and a lesson about making assumptions.

Linda Cahill shares delicious summer recipes from Pampered Chef. Our vegetable of the month is kale. Learn what all the well-deserved fuss is about this vegetable and enjoy links to the two delicious and easy to prepare recipes I followed.

We’re streaming summer movies. Spoiler alert – I went old school for several selections, and we have reading recommendations for kids and adults to help you make the most of a summer outside.

While you are enjoying family time, don’t forget about Father’s Day! I hope you enjoy my special Father’s Day tribute.

In honor of wedding month, I reviewed If the Dress Fits by Daisy James.

Don’t forget to take our State Park quiz. Our National Parks may be better known, but a visit to a state park can save you time and money this summer without sacrificing any of the majesty of our beautiful lakes, forests, mountains, or canyons. How much do you know about the state parks near you?

I shared my thoughts about the elementary school shooting in Uvalde Texas on Facebook, so I won’t rehash them all here.

We have the power to address the violence that’s happening in our streets, schools, grocery stores, and places of worship by voting for candidates who support sensible gun regulations and improving access to mental healthcare.

It will not stop all gun violence. Violence is like a cancer. It grows and destroys if it remains untreated. If you have had cancer, and I have, you understand that there is no cure. You can become cancer-free, but there is never a guarantee that your cancer will not return. This uncertainty should not stop you from treating the illness with every resource at your disposal. The treatments aren’t always pleasant, there’s never a guarantee they will work, and they aren’t without consequences. I have surgical scars and permanent skin damage from radiation treatments. All the treatments we use to treat gun violence may not work. They may require more paperwork and be inconvenient for some people, but like my scars, they are a small price to pay to save a life. If my cancer comes back, I will fight it just as aggressively as I did when I was first diagnosed. Whenever gun violence invades our community, we must be ready to fight back. The best way to fight will always be with our vote. Vote for the change you want to see.

Samantha Sayers has been missing since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page. Thank you!

Please share our link, www.thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

Be sure to subscribe to our free mailing list and each new issue of This Awful Awesome Life will be delivered directly to your inbox with a personal note from me. We fixed the glitches we were having on our mailing list, so you will receive the link for the new issue the same day it publishes. Please check your SPAM folder and if you find our email, mark it as not spam. We value your privacy, and we won’t share your name or email address. Your email address is never visible to other subscribers. Our email notices are sent through Mailchimp because they provide outstanding security to ensure the emails we send are safe. Here is a link explaining their security, https://mailchimp.com/about/security/#:~:text=All%20login%20pages%20(from%20our,the%20year%20using%20different%20vendors.

Like us on Facebook for the latest from This Awful Awesome Life!

Happy Reading,

Fran