We hope you enjoyed the June 2021 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Thanks for reading and being a part of what we do.

Happy Canada Day and Happy Fourth of July! Fireworks are one of the traditional ways of celebrating these holidays, but prolonged exposure to loud noises can be traumatic for pets. Please be careful to make sure your pets are safe and be considerate of your neighbors’ pets as well!

This month in “The Twelve Days of Soup” we are featuring Minestrone Soup paired with a traditional Italian Hoagie and an Italian Vegetable Hoagie. We’ve also included a recipe for homemade Giardiniera. Linda Cahill shares some quick and delicious recipes from Pampered Chef to make the most of your summer meals.

I have some safety tips for handling the hot weather, when to stay indoors, and knowing who is most at risk for heat related illness during a heat wave. Check on your elderly neighbors to keep them safe and be sure to watch out for small children and pets in the summer heat.

What is an artist? How narrow or broad should that definition be? I’ll be exploring that question and looking for ways to help you define your design style or aesthetic. Don’t miss our July 2021 in Pictures!

Even if we aren’t all ready to become world travelers yet, our July quiz visits 40 of the leading art museums in the world to test your knowledge of what you might see during a visit.

I reviewed Believe IT by Jamie Kern Lima. Everything she has accomplished is fantastic, but what made a lasting impression with me is her positive and inclusive attitude. It’s a book not to be missed.

Lilly Kauffman and Orlando Bartro are back this month with interesting articles, and we have some exciting reading recommendations for kids and adults.

We’re still running our Call Out from Joann Cantrell for information about Pittsburgh orphanages and children who were raised there in the last century.

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 was raised 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, thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

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Happy Reading,

Fran