Hello from St. Augustine, Florida!!! This city is full of so much charm and history and holds a special place in my heart. We grew up going every Easter to visit my grandpa and now that I’m older and can appreciate it more it is one of my favorite places to visit.
We are here for Easter again this year visiting my grandpa and enjoying the warmer weather!! It is my husband Casey’s first time visiting so we did all the things. I’ll be writing a full post of all the places we ate and things we did soon so be on the lookout for that!
Not going to lie, March was a tough one. It started out with an ER visit that led to a week stay in the hospital and an autoimmune diagnosis.
A lot of unknown, fear and anxiety.
But it has ended with me feeling like the healthiest version of myself in a long time.
I’ve been working closely with my dietician and have put on 6 pounds of healthy weight in 3 weeks. The steroid and anti-inflammatory medicine they have me on has totally knocked out all the debilitating symptoms I was having before my hospital visit. My energy is high, my mental state feels clear, and overall I just feel an indescribable gratitude for my improving health right now.
One thing that has really helped has been sticking to a morning routine and prioritizing 3 things:
Quiet time, movement & prayer. I wake up before my husband and 3 year old and get in 30 minutes of movement. I’ve been loving online Barre3 workouts. Then I take 10-15 minutes and read my daily devotional (Jesus Calling) and write in my prayer journal.
It’s the little things that are slowing but surely keeping me encouraged and helping me get back to feeling my best.
If you’re new here, each month I like to do an “edit” and share all the things I consumed. Honest book reviews, fun podcast recommendations, my thoughts on movies and shows I watched, all the things I’m loving this month, and one delicious recipe. I hope you guys enjoy! And happy April and spring!!!
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1) READING…
March was a good month of reading for me! Between my week stay in the hospital and my week off of work resting and recovering at home I got through 4 books. My reading mood recently has been very feel-good and happy which reflects the reading choices from this month (except for one unexpected sad one!). If you’re looking for some recommendations to read this spring with that same kind of happy vibe, check out what’s on my spring to be read list in my latest blog post!
HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS by Katherine Center
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
MY THOUGHTS: This is a story about a recently divorced woman named Heather who goes on a treacherous, hardcore two week hiking trip to try to find herself again. What she didn’t realize is that her little brother’s best friend Jake signed up for the same trip… but now he’s all grown up, cuter than she remembered, but is crashing her self-discovery trip. I absolutely devoured this story! I loved the author’s writing style and the feisty banter between Heather and Jake. It’s heart-warming, thought-provoking, and not too cheesy either. Just a feel good journey of a romance!
THE LITTLE ITALIAN HOTEL by Phaedra Patrick
⭐⭐⭐/5
This one was a joy to read. An Italian escape that was exactly what I was looking for when I was stuck in the hospital. It follows Ginny who is a middle aged radio host giving relationship advice to her callers while her own marriage falls apart. She gets the idea to invite 4 of her callers to a vacation in a little hotel in Italy. It’s cute, charming, easy and light! It lacks depth and character development which is why it got low stars, but again, it was a great read for the time in my life!
THE WISH by Nicholas Sparks
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
This is a story that is easy to get lost in as it flowed beautifully between the past and the present. It covers super heavy topics throughout that at times were gut-wrenching to read, but the coming of age slow burn love story had me hooked. We meet Maggie who becomes pregnant at 16 and is sent away to live with her aunt in a remote village in North Carolina. There, she meets 18 year old Bryce who brings her hope, fun, and most importantly a friend in a season that was pretty lonely. The storyline also flashes forward to the present where we meet a very successful Maggie in 2019 struggling with a medical diagnosis. I wanted to give this one a 4 star, but gosh it was just so sad and predictable. I saw another review that said it felt like the dialogue read like an interview at times which I agree and didn’t love. But all that’s to say if you’re a fan of Spark’s storytelling, pure innocent love, and coming of age stories you will be sure to love this one!
HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA by Hazel Prior
⭐⭐⭐/5
This one is so cute!! Fans of A Man Called Ove will love this story. It follows a 85 year old Veronica who is a bit of a curmudgeon, but equally as charming. Throughout the story, she meets her estranged grandson, tries to find a worthwhile cause to give her fortune to and ends up taking a trip to Antarctica to see and study penguins, and even ends up saving a baby one herself. We uncover that behind Veronica’s tough exterior is a childhood and life full of heartache, loneliness and tragedy. The story is heartwarming and I loved the penguins aspect of it, but it was a little too slow paced for me. I enjoyed it, but it was just okay!
2) LISTENING TO…
3 podcast episodes I loved this month:
- BE WELL BY KELLY LEVEQUE ↓
THE GRAIN-FREE ROAD RECOVERY FROM AUTOIMMUNE SYMPTOMS + SUPPORTING WOMEN OF LOSS … I was searching for podcasts on ulcerative colitis to educate myself more since being diagnosed and I found this episode from a few years ago with Danielle Walker. She was diagnosed with UC when she was in her early 20s and so venerably shares her story and experience with what helped her heal. This was such a good listen and helped give me some solidarity!!
- SHE WITH JORDAN DOOLEY ↓
THE MOM’S GUIDE TO SCREEN TIME (FT. JAYME YANNUZZI) … Another great episode that’s informative and realistic for mamas of toddlers and young kids!! It’s so hard to navigate the amount of screens our little ones are being exposed to now growing up and Jayme had some awesome tips like making a morning basket full of toys and books instead of turning on the TV first thing.
- THE MEL ROBBINS PODCAST ↓
13 THINGS I WISH I KNEW IN MY 20S… Raw and blunt advice that everyone in their 20s needs to hear!! Just really good practical reminders to help us navigate this decade and find out more about ourselves. Truly, would be good reminders for any age!
3) WATCHING…
- THE BACHELOR FINALE… ohhhhh my gosh you guys this finale was so good and so unexpected! I really thought he was going to pick Daisy, but now that I know it’s Kelsey I can totally see it. My favorite part was the friendship that triumphed over the usual “competition” between the final two girls!!!
- AMERICAN IDOL… I’ve been so into watching this season! There are so many amazing young singers and songwriters and I’m really enjoying watching their journey.
- BUYING BEVERLY HILLS SEASON 3… the houses in this show are absolutely insane. Paired with the crazy drama from this season I binged this so fast!!!
- HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS… after reading the book I watched the movie and it was eh. Loved the casting for Jake and Heather, but the book was so much better!
4) LOVING…
1. PURITY DECAF COFFEE… Since my autoimmune diagnosis I’ve switched to decaf coffee and have been lovingggg this brand. Not only is the taste amazing, but it’s clean and 100% mold & contaminant-free!
2. BARRE3 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP… Starting my day with a barre workout has me feeling so good!! I get in cardio, strength and mindfulness in just 30 minutes so it checks all the boxes.
3. JESUS CALLING DEVOTIONAL… This is one of my all time favorite devotionals that I’ve come back to time and time again. I’m currently starting each morning reading the small excerpt from the day and always leave with wisdom.
4. Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes to Make Anytime… as mentioned earlier Danielle Walker also struggles with an autoimmune disorder and found healing through food. This just got delivered so I’m excited to try some of the recipes this next month!
5. AMAZON SUNGLASSES… my go-to everyday sunnies that are on sale right now!! I seem to always lose my expensive ray bans so I opted for something a LOT more affordable so I don’t stress about losing!! Plus it’s always good to have a back up.
5) EATING…
LOW FODMAP SALSA | The recipe here ♡
My dietician shared this low fodmap salsa/pico recipe and it is SO GOOD!!! I was a little hesitant that it would be tasty and flavorful without garlic or onion, but this was a hit for not only me but my husband and 3 year old too!!! Def one to try. Would be great as an appetizer for hosting or a poolside yummy dip too! I paired it with sea salt Siete tortilla chips and it was delish!
BLOG POSTS FROM MARCH….‘
1. WHATS ON MY SPRING READING LIST
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