April Goals

 Hello! Last month I mentioned that I've been super busy and haven't had time to come on here recently, and that definitely did not let up in April. We started the month in Dallas- we visited the city to see the solar eclipse in the path of totality (pun not intended, but TOTALLY worth the trip- it was an amazing experience) and also got to visit a new baseball stadium, see the musical Chicago, and visit the JFK points of interest. 

The following weekend, I sold at my second vendor market (at Edit Brewing), then went to Asheville for a friend's bachelorette party. It was so much fun- we did a pub crawl/ghost tour, then a scavenger hunt where each stop had a fun activity (beer tasting, wine tasting, painting ceramics, hot sauce challenge, library book search, and chocolate truffle tasting). Then, the next weekend two of my friends from Pittsburgh came to stay with us which was a blast! We just got back from a camping trip at the Outer Banks, so I'm just kind of exhausted right now!

But- I'm here today to share my goal updates for the month, and another promise that I will Recap my amazing Argentina trip by the end of the month. Promise!

Fitness

ANNUAL GOAL: Try a new class each month. This month I tried out TreadXEndurance, which is similar to the class I tried in February but each segment (tread runner and pilates reformer) is double the length and you only have one switch instead of 3. It was a challenge but a really fun class!

To give an update on my other gaols- I haven't found a trail race to do (but I am signed up pace a friend at the Western States 100 Miler this summer, so I will get lots of trail running in!). I have my international distance/Olympic/full (whatever you want to call it) triathlon picked out, and also got a road bike this month so I feel a lot better about my chances of finishing! Which also leads into biking the entire Neuse River trail- unfortunately I found out that the trail is under construction and will be all year, so I have to figure out how to get around that to complete that goal.

 

Personal

I really need to get going on my scrapbook goal (especially now that I have another new one I have to make!) so I have to make one this month.

ANNUAL GOAL: Phone free day monthly. Two more days done this month and it was great- highly recommend!

 

 

Family

Deep clean entire house. This month I did our guest room (mostly to get ready for our guests visiting!) and our powder room.

ANNUAL GOAL: Date night every month. This month we pulled "Crafts and Drafts" - which is a shop in Durham where you can pick out a craft project or kit, and order drinks. I ended up doing a macrame hanging and Dan made a wood burned sign! It was a lot of fun and gave us an interesting activity to do together, plus we ended up with cool decor to take home.

 

 

Fun

 

Go to a local festival. When my friends were in town, we went to Brewgaloo in downtown Raleigh. It was a really fun event with live music, food trucks, vendors, and all the beer you could hope for. We had a blast!

Read best fiction of 2023. This month I read The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman, and Maame by Jessica George. I liked the beginning of the Invisible Hour- it was about a woman who ran away from home when she became pregnant and ended up joining a cult. The story then follows her daughter and gets a bit magical at about the half way point. I liked it until then, but lost interest when it became less realistic. On the other hand, Maame started a bit slow for me but by the halfway point it really picked up and I enjoyed it a lot! The story follows Maddie, a mid twenties Ghanian/British woman who is the main caretaker of her father, who is in late stages Parkinsons. She's never been able to let loose, but is finally able to when her mother moves back home (she was living in Ghana) and we follow as Maddie discovers dating and friendship and living on her own. I loved the characters and they all felt so realistic to me! Really good book, but it does start a bit slow.

ANNUAL GOAL: Monthly cooking challenge. This month I tried some recipes from a Vietnamese cookbook! The recipes I tried - Lemongrass tempeh crumbles, a slaw with green mango, jicama and cabbage, and umami garlic mushroom noodles- were all incredible and so flavorful. I loved the combination of ingredients and how you got so many different flavors from tangy to sweet to sour to spicy. It was all so good!