For some reason, March feels like a great month for me to participate in a photo-a-day challenge. I’m sure it’s because it’s the official month of Spring, and the weather is starting to warm up and everything just feels so nice.

I participated in a challenge last year and documented it in my personal Instagram account but I’m very new to this sort of thing so I didn’t share it to my blog or my blog’s Instagram account, and I probably didn’t even do it right to begin with, but anyway.

I like having the prompts to help nudge my creativity. Sometimes, the prompt is very literal so it’s easy to snap a picture and post it, but other times the prompts are more abstract so it takes a lot of thought, cleverness, and imagination to get the right shot. You can end up with some really great photos that way! So, I’m going to participate in a photo challenge this month and post photos both here and on the blog’s Insta, and I’ll try my best to also post last year’s photos here for reference!

Here’s the challenge prompt I’ll be following this year:

Be sure to follow along here, on Instagram, and my Facebook page!

Y’all. Trying to do it all isn’t easy. I’m sure you all know exactly what I’m talking about so instead of preaching to the choir, please just commiserate with me, friends. I have the desire to do so many things each day but not enough of the energy required to do them.

My new job is going really well. I’m settling in, I’ve moved into my own office, and I’m quickly picking up all of my responsibilities. But the transition at home for my family is slow going. Sebastian is having a little trouble adjusting to daycare, which is totally normal. His fever ended up being hand, foot, mouth disease (a viral infection like a cold that is really common for kids his age) but luckily he recovered quickly, but we had to work from home for a few days. Nick and I are having trouble adjusting to the new routine, which is only exacerbated by Sebastian’s a rough time adjusting to daycare because he wakes us up a bunch at night seeking comfort and reassurance that we’re still there. Because we’re not getting a full night’s sleep, we’re waking up much later than we should, so mornings are hectic. I’m drinking copious amounts of coffee. Work time is for work, obviously. Then we come home, cook dinner, bathe Sebastian and put him to bed. Then I have about 2 hours to live my life before I pass out from exhaustion. Sound familiar? I thought so.

I don’t consider myself to be very artistic or creative. In fact, I was a very late to use Instagram because I didn’t feel creative enough to use it, but sometimes I surprise myself and take photos that turn out kind of nice. These are the best/my favorite Instagram photos that I took last year. Not only are these somewhat artistic, but most of them just give you a little glimpse into my life. Some of them I may have already posted so I apologize if you’re seeing them again but I do hope you enjoy!

Snow falling outside of my kitchen window.

Snow in the back yard.

The perfect Valentine’s date night includes ice cream.

Wild onions in the spring time.

Coffee!

Enjoying a sunny day in the hammock.

A beautiful night out.

Flowers on the beach.

My furbabies.

I really enjoy exploring old, beautiful, and peaceful cemeteries.

My gifts reflect my lifestyle: cooking, clothes, reading, and coffee!

Nick made me a sign for my birthday!

Another Sunday Funday! The weather has been beautiful in my neck of the woods for the last few days, so I’m in a good mood! I’m serenading you with a happy, upbeat song today that reflects love and summer, “Summer Day” by Sheryl Crow.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Sushi Date. I love sushi; it’s my all-time favorite food in the world. I haven’t had any in a while so Nick and I had a sushi date this week. It made up for a rough couple of days I had at school.

2. Nick’s Spirit Animal. Nick can be grumpy sometimes, so I told him his spirit animal was Grumpy Cat! After seeing this, how can anyone disagree?

3. All the Silly Ways that Mia Sleeps. She’s super cute when she does it but seriously, how can any of these positions be comfortable?

4. Breaking in New Shoes. It would be awesome if all shoes automatically formed perfectly to your feet, but since that doesn’t happen, you have to break them in yourselves.

5. Grown-up Dining Room Table. We’ve finally upgraded from our Ikea table to a real, grown-up table from West Elm. I’m not very good at decorating so I snapped this photo of the table they way they decorated it in the store for some inspiration.

Have a great week, everyone!

Wow, another week has flown by and we have a cool announcement:

Nick and I were invited to participate in a segment on HuffPost Live, the online streaming news network at the Huffington Post, about the rise in men wearing engagement rings. In 2011, I commented on a post about “man-gagement” rings, stating that Nick wore an engagement ring just like I did and a producer contacted us to talk about it on the live show. Unfortunately, I’ll be in class and won’t be able to participate but Nick will be speaking to them. Make sure to tune in this Monday, (3/3) @1:20PM/EST to see Nick talk about his decision to  wear a ring during our engagement.

Back to our regularly scheduled program:  Today’s serenade is ‘World, Hold On’ by Bob Sinclaire featuring Steve Edwards. It has a nice beat, rhythm, and a good message. Open up your heart, what you feel is real.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1.  Teachers Who Care. There’s nothing is better than having a teacher who really cares about your future and will help you succeed in any way they can.

2.  Fun Conversations. Hanging back after class with friends because you’re having such good conversation is a true gift.

3.  Finding the Perfect Accessory. Have you ever been on the hunt for an accessory, and you know exactly what you’re looking for, but it takes a while to find it? But then when you finally do, it’s awesome. This means you’ll be seeing my new clutch on here soon.

4.  Perfecting your Café Con Leche. Well, it might not be exactly perfect by Spain’s standards but it’s perfect for me and I look forward to it every morning!

5.  Baby Showers. My friend is having twins and I’m so excited for her. We went to her baby shower and had a blast.

My Week According to My Instagram

My newest obsessions: journaling, gratitude, and inspiration

Because he loves me

Me and these hot pink pumps are ready for spring

You know you’re in public health when…

Nothing worse than being stuck in traffic when you have to pee

Have a great week, everyone!