Hi everyone!! How was your month? I hope you guys had a great February and are also ready for spring to start springing!
Casey and I were talking the other day about how it feels like New Years Eve was just yesterday, and then we blinked and it’s now March. This has been a very short and tame winter in Atlanta… not that it’s ever too crazy! But compared to last year when it snowed and felt like the cold dragged on for way too long.
I walked outside this morning (the last day of February) to 70 degree weather and saw a light layer on yellow on my car: pollen!!! I even saw bees flying around our porch this afternoon too which I haven’t seen in months. The only good thing about pollen and more bee sightings is it means spring and warmth are upon us!
February Overview
If I could describe February in three words I would say it was active, wholesome, and eventful!! I was looking back at my camera roll to remind myself of all the exciting things I did this month, and I didn’t realize how busy February actually was. It luckily didn’t feel busy at all, and instead felt FUN and relaxing before a busy upcoming spring. Some big highlights of the month include:
- My trip to Greenville in early Feb to reunite and see my college friends.
- Visiting my parents for a night to support my sister in her high school pageant.
- Seeing the Gals On The Go liveshow with a new friend.
- Double date night at Puttshack in Atlanta.
- Went shopping with my future mother in law and found her mother of the groom dress for the wedding (yay!).
- Tried out Solidcore workout for the first time.
- Visited the Children’s Museum in Downtown Atlanta on Valentine’s Day with Blakely.
- Celebrated one year of being engaged together on February 11th!
- Got my first wedding dress alterations done.
- Hiked Amicola Falls for the first time with Casey, Blakely and Casey’s dad!
Wow!!! If you missed my word of the year blog post, my word for 2023 is “YES.” I feel like I stayed true to following my word this month by trying out a lot of new things and saying yes to new adventures, new friends and fun plans. Excited for what March will bring, but first, let’s recap February’s favorite things.
1) READING…
My reading goal for 2023 is to read 30 books. To recap, I read four books in January, and two books this month. One was an audio-book and one was a physical book I actually found at Goodwill! I have a lot of books on my ‘to be read list,’ so I’m hoping to read more of them in March!
Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
- 3/5 stars!
- I listened to this one on audio-book (Perry reads the book himself) and don’t think this one is a must-read celebrity memoir unless you were a fan of Chandler Bing from Friends, or just a fan of Perry in general. I’d recommend reading this one in a physical book because the timeline jumps around a lot which made it hard to follow on audio. Be prepared for a not-so-pretty behind the scenes look of his continuous struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. Perry is honest and vulnerable as he shares his sometimes dark, yet entertaining thoughts and experiences with his Chandler Bing humor sprinkled throughout.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- 4/5 stars
- I really really enjoyed this read! Ove is a grumpy, set-in-his-ways old man with a secretly really big heart. The book outlines his day to day and ultimately his journey from his present depression and solitude to the realization that life is better when it’s shared together. This book made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think. I will say a few parts of the book dragged on for me as it was a very very slow-burn type of story, but nonetheless a beautiful, charming and heartwarming novel that I’d recommend!
2) LISTENING TO…
Changing it up and sharing my top 3 favorite podcasts I listened to this month AND an EP I have had on repeat:
- Kelsea Ballerini: Divorced at 29 | Call Her Daddy Podcast
- A 45 minute VIDEO episode where Kelsea opens up and answers all the questions about her relationship, marriage and divorce. She even reveals some information about her new relationship with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes. If you are also a fan of Kelsea Ballerini, this is a great episode to tune in to!!!
- Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest | Move With Heart Podcast by Melissa Wood Tepperberg
- Half Baked Harvest is a food blog started by Tieghan Gerard over 10 years ago. She has gained a massive following and is such a wholesome, kind, humble, and wise human being. Tieghan and Melissa have an open conversation about Tieghan’s family and childhood, her HBH team and the creation of turning it into what it is today, social media and creating an online presence, and more. They really dive into a lot of different topics and listeners feel like they are in the room apart of the conversation!
- Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Leading with Strength and Sincerity | WorkLife with Adam Grant
- My mom recommended this podcast episode to me and it’s one I wouldn’t normally have listened too (not very into politics)… but I’m so glad I did!! Prior to this episode I didn’t know anything about Kaja Kallas (the first woman to hold the position of Prime Minister!!), nonetheless Estonia as a country! In this 49 min episode I gained so much knowledge on her leadership, her thoughts and action against Russian authoritarianism, and how learning from the past can help us move forward in the future. This is an interesting one to check out and I have so much respect for the Prime Minister!
- Rolling Up the Welcome Mat | Kelsea Ballerini EP
- This EP is incredibly raw, emotional, heartbreaking, and overall SO GOOD. I’ve had it on repeat since it’s came out; I’m even listening to it as I write this post! There are 5 songs plus an interlude that outline the story of her marriage and recent divorce with her now ex-husband Morgan Evans.
3) WATCHING…
Shows And Movies I Watched This Month + My Thoughts:
TV:
- Outer Banks Season 3… I binged this so fast. I love this show and the cast so much! What are your thoughts on season 3??
- Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test… Run don’t walk to watch this. 16 celebrities are removed from society and taken across the world to go through 10 heart-pounding, grueling days of special-forces training challenges. It’s still airing on Fox, but you can watch all the episodes that are out on Hulu!
- Dance Moms… My comfort show on Hulu right now that I just throw on in the background when I’m cleaning, working on my blog, or working on wedding to-do’s.
MOVIES:
- Your Place Or Mine… This is the new Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher romcom movie and I would not recommend. Critics say it’s well cast but lacks a spark, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. It felt very forced and I found myself scrolling on my phone majority of the movie.
5) LOVING…
Five things I’m loving right now:
1) MADELINE MOVES STRENGTH TRAINING PLAN… I am on week 8 of this strength focused workout plan I started at the beginning of January! It’s through the Moves By Madeline app and is geared towards lower reps and higher weight to build strength and put on muscle! One of my fitness goals for the new year was to gain muscle and get stronger, so this plan is helping me achieve that one workout at a time!!
2) D-BRONZI ANTI-POLLUTION SUNSHINE DROPS… This is a summer NEED! As it’s getting warmer outside I crave that summer facial glow and this product gives exactly that. My younger sister has this and has let me try it a few times, and ultimately I was convinced to order it! It’s hydrating, smooth, and gives your face an instant glowy tan. It sells out QUICK, but I just saw it recently restocked at Ulta!
3) TODDLER HIKING BACKPACK… As you saw in the beginning of this blog post, we hiked Amicola Falls this past weekend and Casey wore this amazing toddler hiking backpack all the way up over 600 steps!!! Talk about a killer workout! We’ve used it a bunch of times over the course of the last few months on hikes all around Georgia and Blakely loves it!! It is super comfortable for toddlers and is very safe and secure!
4) ON CLOUD X SNEAKERS… I now understand all the hype around OnCloud sneakers! This is the most comfortable shoe. I wear it for everything: working out, going on walks, running errands, hiking, and just your normal day to day activities. They’re super lightweight and overall a great quality sneaker that is worth the price.
5) ALWAYS PAN… After using my toxin-free, non-stick Always Pan for over a year now I feel like I should give an update on how much I’m still loving it! Seriously, it’s just about the only pan I use anymore. We even keep it out on our stove full time because it’s so pretty and aesthetic too! <3 Highly recommend it!
6) EATING…
My favorite recipe this month was:
LEMON CHICKEN CAESAR WRAPS
The recipe <3
Anyone else have trouble figuring out what to make for lunch each week? You could always fall back on a trusty sandwich or fridge clean out salad, but it’s nice to change it up every now and then and get EXCITED about your lunch! That’s exactly how I felt about this recipe: excited. I actually made it for dinner Thursday night which made for the perfect light, healthy, no-stress dinner, and had it prepped for lunches over the weekend!
The homemade Caesar dressing is to-die for. There’s just something about making your dressing from scratch that makes it taste 10 times better. I blended all the ingredients in my Ninja blender and was left with creamy deliciousness. I even left out the anchovy paste and it still tasted amazing.
The chicken turned out perfectly crispy and tasted amazing in the wrap with the lettuce, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing to top. I can’t wait to make this dish again for my lunches this week!!
7) FEBRUARY BLOG POSTS
In case you missed it:
- How To Save Vs. Splurge In Wedding Planning | Wedding Wednesday #1
- 23 Must-Read Books You Should Binge in 2023
- How To Make The Ultimate Protein Berry Smoothie
- Honest Solidcore Workout Review From A First Timer
- A Week Of Weeknight Dinner Ideas | February 2023
Leave a Reply