April Wrap-Up

Did April even exist? I feel like daffodils were only out for a day, tulips a week, and the trees are already bursting with leaves. Everything is so refreshingly green. I love it! As I get older, I realize more and more how much I just appreciate change - before I used to be a summer-season girl. Now, I'm just grateful for the seasons and the differences they each have.

Physical Lessons

I haven't gone to the gym at all this month, which begs the question: why am I paying for a membership? I'm holding onto hope, I guess. But what I have found interesting is that this month, I've worked outside a lot. I've dedicated whole Sundays, or afternoons and evenings during the week to shoveling topsoil, lifting mulch bags, tilling hardened dirt. Some days I'll do chores around the house, vigorously scrubbing floors or putting things into storage. I still do the occasional morning before work too. We haven't done a lot of spring cleaning, but I've done a lot of house work. Granted, none of it has led to weight loss because I'm still eating kind of poorly.

BUT! A huge accomplishment: I walked into Target and got exactly what I wanted (five cases of La Croix) and walked out with nothing else. How is that a physical lesson/accomplishment? I think my focus in May will be to avoid added sugars as much as possible. I don't know why this has become so prominent on my mind, but it just keeps popping up and I feel like I need to listen to it.

Also, sunscreen. Within the span of 24 hours, I heard or read about the importance of wearing sunscreen at least six times. At least. This was after I had sat in the sun for maybe an hour and my skin started peeling pretty badly for the next week. The skincare I recently started using has made my face ultra sensitive to the sun . . . so now, I wear sunscreen every day. This also helps with anti-aging, which I guess I need to start worrying about. And not getting skin cancer is kind of a thing I'm trying to do.

Relationship Growth

If I grew any this month, it was in learning how to deliver disappointing news to invested relatives. I know - that's very specific, so let me explain. My cousin was going to come over and add a porch to the front of our house, but the cost ended up being a little more than my husband and I could shell out this year. But my cousin was invested - he drew sketches, he called the county for permit information, he brought friends to make sure his estimates were right. As soon as Robby and I knew we couldn't afford the project, I knew I had to call and deliver the news. I did a test run on Robby first, because we were disappointed about it too, and if he felt better by the end of it, I knew I was on the right track. In the process, as with most things I'm finding out, your attitude plays a huge part in how a situation can play out.

I remained positive when I called my cousin. We were still going to plan on adding a front porch, but we wanted to be more financially stable (the truth). We live in an older house, and who knows what one could find when you start ripping things open (also, truth). If we started the project now and ran into complications, we simply wouldn't be able to pay for it (mega truth). I thanked him for his dedication to the project, and told him we'd be in touch around this time next year. I also let him know we were disappointed we couldn't make it happen this year, but at least we knew what kind of commitment it would require.

And, overall, it ended on a good note. Attitude, man. It really makes the biggest difference.

Twitter Highlights

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Professional Skills I've Learned

I think I've said this before, but I'm working on developing more confidence at work. I don't talk to my co-workers that often, and it's not that I don't want to. I just don't have a reason to, which sounds bad, right? I mean, I work in my office the majority of the day. Everyone else is in cubicles in a common area. Or, they're part of the program team and go places together for clinics. Or, they plan events together. The writing department is small - a two-person show in a shared office. So, not only would more confidence in my abilities overall be helpful, but also just more confidence in speaking to co-workers. A compliment here, a "How are you?" there - starting small can't be so bad.

Books I've Read This Month

I started this as an audiobook - I haven't quite finished it, but so far, it's been delightful. I do have to say though, don't buy it if you're looking for a cure-all to your bad habits. This is not really a self-help kind of book. I had in the back of my mind that maybe this book would help me fix my bad habits. But it more or less just points out the process of forming habits, and what happens psychologically. It won't tell you what you need to do to lose weight, or be more productive. It offers what has worked for other people (most of which I feel like I've already tried). But it's a good book nonetheless.

If you're interested in psychological reads, you'll probably enjoy this one. It reminded me of books by Mary Roach, and also Subliminal by Leonard Mlodinow. I'm definitely more aware of triggers and cues, but I haven't quite taken the necessary actions to create new habits. I haven't quite taken the necessary actions to recognize my cues, routines, and rewards. It should also be said though: you can't get rid of habits - you simply replace them. Regardless, if any of this piqued your interest, I would highly suggest it. I'm almost at the end, and I've found it really enjoyable.

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Monthly Mantra

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul."

— Alfred Austin

I used to hate yard work as a kid because I felt like my mom made me do it every Sunday: pulling weeds, moving stone, mowing the yard, planting shrubs. But I was actually excited to create flowerbeds and a garden this month. My mom came over and we worked for almost 12 hours around the house to create something I'm super excited for and looking forward to maintaining. I found this quote to be so comforting. Being in nature has become the kind of rejuvenation my heart looks for when I'm feeling weary and worn.

April Reflections

A lot of cool things happened this month. I had a great time celebrating Easter with Robby's family, we finally got our furniture delivered, we made our raised garden beds (post coming soon) and planted flowers, and we celebrated our close friends' birthdays this past weekend. Robby and I also experienced our first Orioles Opening Day, on Camden Yards' 25th Anniversary. It was such a fun day - AND, as my Twitter highlight said, we made it on the Snapchat MLB Opening Day story! My snap was viewed over 411,000 times!! How crazy!! (Clearly, my life isn't that exciting. Haha!)

Movies I watched this month: Moonlight and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. I liked them both. Moonlight wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was still really good. It was very emotional, very sad, but I also felt like I needed to see it. Fantastic Beasts was cute and fun, and I'm excited to see the rest of the series as it comes out.

I realized I posted only ONE of the posts I said I would in April, so that means I have more material for May. This includes how Robby and I made our raised garden (and how much it costs); how to start seeds; and healthy cookbooks/go-to recipes.

May is going to be crazy busy, but I'll do my best to get those posts up. Now that I've fixed the comments issue on my posts, please, please give me feedback as to what you'd like to see! :)

Here are the top five things on my Gratitude List for April!

1. Flowers, flowers, flowers!

2. New furniture! (That's gorgeous and comfy)

3. Walking in the mornings

4. Accomplishing major tasks

5. My heart feels so full (this was because of quality time with family and friends this month)

Here's to a great May! What are you aiming to accomplish this month? What are you most looking forward to? :)