May Goals and Highlights

April was a big month for me! There were a lot of big life changes as well as some fun trips and events going on. Just a quick summary-

• I started out the month by pacing a friend in the Umstead 100 Mile race. It was so much fun pacing and I think I'll do it again! Dan and I also volunteered at a water stop during the race and that was also a great time! I don't think an ultra marathon is in my future but I definitely enjoy being a part of the weekend.
• I ran my own race- the Tar Heel 10 Miler. Even though I originally wanted to race it for a PR I ended up just running with some friends and had a GREAT time!
• Right after the race I went to Richmond to meet up with my mom, sister, and nephew. We spent a few days together and it was a great trip! We explored a lot of cool areas and visited two of my favorite breweries- Stone and Hardywood. Need to go back since it's such a quick drive from Raleigh.
• While all this was going on, Dan and I were house hunting! It was a sudden decision when we got our apartment renewal and our rent went up 20%. We just wanted to see what was out there and ended up finding a dream house that crosses off (almost) all of our boxes. We're really happy with it even though the whole process was VERY stressful. We'll be moving in during the entire month of May so hopefully at least that part will be easy.
• At the same time, I was interviewing for a new job! It kind of fell into my lap and was a great opportunity so I jumped at the chance and am excited about the new group I'm in. It's still at my same company that I've been with for 10 years, but a brand new group that just got formed this year.

I can't wait to share some of the projects we'll be doing at the house, and also get back to a more normal schedule again. With Dan starting a job in March it feels like we're going through so many changes at once but they're all great!

With all of the news out of the way, let's take a look at my annual goals-

Spend More Time Outdoors

• 1000 Hours Outside -
• January - 54 total hours, breaking down to 41 hours running/walking/hiking, 5 hours reading, and 8 hours socializing/misc. 
• February - 52 total hours, breaking down to 31 hours running/walking/hiking, 7 hours reading, 13 hours socializing/misc, and 1 hour biking. 
• March - 97 total hours, breaking down to 47 hours running/walking/hiking, 17 hours reading, 32 hours socializing/misc, and 1 hour biking.
• April - 103 total hours, breaking down to 41 hours running/walking/hiking, 20 hours reading, 37 hours socializing/misc, and 5 hours biking.
• 2,022 Outdoor Miles - 
• January Running - 106 miles, Walking - 25.97 miles, Biking - 0 miles
• February Running - 101 miles, Walking - 22.4 miles, Biking - 10.7 miles
• March Running - 106 miles, Walking - 37.82 miles, Biking - 10 miles
• April Running - 65.15 miles, Walking - 41.43 miles, Biking - 32 miles
• Visit all the gardens and free museums in the Triangle
• This month I went to two different parks. The first was the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. It might be a bit early in the season because there weren't a lot of plants and flowers in bloom. But- it was a very relaxing spot with tons of trails that connect to the park, so I'll have to visit again.
• My second park was the WRAL Azalea Garden (this is the picture above). This one was incredible- it's a garden on the WRAL radio station lot, and is full of a ton of different varieties of azaleas and other bushes and flowers. It completely blew me away and I can't wait to go again.

Donate to a Different Charity Every Month

Reminder to check with your company if donations are matched! This month my work had a special match for donations to help Ukrainians, so I made sure to put that in.

January - Autism Center of North Carolina - improves the lives of individuals with autism, supports their families, and educates communities. 

February - Black Girls CODE - builds pathways for young women of color to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators by introducing them to skills in computer programming and technology.

March - GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund - supports humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled.

April - Amputee Blade Runners - I heard about Jacky Hunt-Broersma's attempt to break a world record by running 102 marathons in 102 days in order to raise money for other amputees. Her story is so inspiring and it's been a lot of fun following along with her journey (which included the Boston Marathon!)

Read all the Goodreads Best Books of 2021

This month-

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix - Best Horror - 3/5. Slasher-style horror book that felt like a fast paced movie. A little too much going on and too many characters for me to keep up with.

Previous months-

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Best Historical Fiction - 5/5. Fun story told in flashbacks and culminating in a disastrous star-studded party in a Malibu beach house.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Best Science Fiction - 4/5. Good starter sci-fi book for people who want to get in the genre! Gets a little tedious in the middle but fascinating book about a scientist who tries to save the earth from extinction.

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman - Best Poetry - 5/5. The inauguration poem for President Biden. Beautiful words but even better to watch Amanda perform! Makes me want to get more into poetry.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - Best Romance - 5/5. Lovely, sweet book to satisfy your wanderlust and just enough cheese for any rom-com lover out there.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson - Best Humor - 3/5. Some parts were laugh out loud funny and it was an engrossing (and sad at times) story- I just didn't enjoy the stream-of-conscious writing style or the disjointed chapters.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas  - Best Debut Novel - 4.5/5. This book seems to be very hit or miss (according to Goodreads) but I really enjoyed it!  A little slow and repetitive at the beginning, but once it got going I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave  - Best Mystery and Thriller - 2.5/5. Great, twisty start that had a disappointing and weird ending.

Re-launch Etsy!

I took a bit of a break from painting in April. There was just too much going on but I'm looking forward to getting back to it in May and actually having a dedicated art space! I don't have many changes in numbers from last month- I gained a follower to hit 72 followers in Instagram, and have 107 on TikTok with 1,727 total likes on my videos.

Here's how I did with my April goals-

Bike Once/Week

I did skip the week that I went to Richmond, but I made it up by biking twice one week. My favorite bike ride was on Easter Sunday- Dan and I went on the Tobacco Trail on a beautiful day and ended up seeing a friend and getting together after our bike ride. It was such a fun and random day- hope to have more of those soon.

Bootcamp and Strength Once/Week

Crushed this goal! I tried out the new Boxing Bootcamp in Peloton and they were so much fun. I did two of those and two bike bootcamps, with a bunch of random strength sprinkled in. I need to keep this up because it makes me feel so strong.

To finish out the longest blog post ever (thanks if you're still reading!) here are some goals for May-

Get Moved In

Since our lease is up at the end of May, this is really a necessary goal! Our plan is to move everything we can ourselves, and hire movers for the big pieces (the ones that were a PAIN to move into our apartment). We got a recommendation from friends for an online moving company and I'll share my thoughts next month since this is my first time hiring movers!

Bike 50 Miles + Kayak/SUP

Not trying to go overboard this month with workouts, but I want to try to up my bike miles a bit this month, and also get out on the water! It's been way too long, so that's a main goal for the month. I miss floating around in the water!

How was your April?