We hope you enjoyed the July 2021 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Thanks for reading and thanks to our contributing authors for their wonderful work.

Welcome to the August 2021 issue of This Awful Awesome Life.

Unfortunately, after the initial success of the vaccination roll-out and loosening of COVID restrictions, we’re seeing increasing numbers of COVID19 infections and decreasing numbers of people getting the vaccine. Hopefully, the realization this virus isn’t going away anytime soon will persuade everyone to take it seriously and take steps to protect themselves and their fellow humans.

This month we’re focusing on picnics, healthier living and how to squeeze the most fun out of the remaining weeks of summer. Lilly Kauffman is back with a humorous story about a bus snafu and this month’s quiz has a back-to-school twist.

In July, I ended up in the hospital for an unplanned surgery. While working from my hospital bed, I used the opportunity to speak with nurses about their careers and their hopes for their patients. Later, I spoke with retired nurses and their responses were eerily similar.

August is National Picnic Month. I have ideas to make your picnics safer, greener, and more fun. Linda Cahill has delicious picnic-perfect summer recipes from Pampered Chef. Author Luke Murphy has a new book out and Joann Cantrell is still looking for stories about people raised in Pittsburgh orphanages.

Our August 2021 soup is Broccoli Cheddar paired with a fresh and colorful Quinoa Salad.

This month I chose an unusual book to review. If you are interested in all things mid-century modern, this is the book for you. We have reading recommendations for kids and adults with a travel/vacation theme and Orlando Bartro ponders the question of what to write. In answer to the question, “What are You Streaming This Month?” I selected two “escape” shows from DABL about relocating and changing your lifestyle. Don’t miss August 2021 in Pictures, Our Author Page, and our sneak peak of the September issue.

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, 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 won’t share your name or email address. Like us on Facebook for the latest from This Awful Awesome Life!

Happy Reading,

Fran