Since I didn't get around to posting last month's draft, this post is a special 1.5-month edition! Just try and contain your excitement! :-P
celebrating - Not only celebrating, but 'officiating' a friends' wedding on the 19th! I was surprised and flattered to be asked, and now I have to figure out what I'm going to say. The couple sent me an outline, and there will be two other people doing readings. It will be the largest social gathering I've been to in looooooong time, so I am both looking forward to it and a little nervous.
collecting - More books from the Little Free Libraries around the neighborhood than I'll probably ever get around to reading. After a strong start to the year reading-wise, my pace has slowed down a bit. However, I have really enjoyed re-reading some books that I read in my teens and early 20's, including The Secret Life of Bees and The Thornbirds. Given how much more I'm getting out of them now, I may have to plan to re-read them again in my 50's!
gifting - Keizo turns the big 4-0 next month, and so far all of my gift ideas are super practical replacements for things he owns that are wearing out. He just built himself a custom bicycle, so I don't think there's really any hope of topping that!
thinking - (or not thinking) about anything much beyond the end of this month and our 3-week trip to Arizona in July. There's plenty going on at work to stay on top of, the aforementioned wedding coming up, two sets of friends coming into town, plus getting my head wrapped around the idea of getting on a plane after a year+ of social distancing. Seeing my parents, brother, sister-in-law and new niece, plus taking some time off from work are totally worth it, but it's a lot of change in a relatively short time after months and months of the same routine.
trying - To get the full benefits and stick to Whole30 through the re-introduction period. Spoiler alert: the "fast-track" reintroduction method takes another 16 days of adding back food groups one by one and going back to Whole30 eating for two days in between each one to gauge the effects. Added sugar is on the menu tomorrow, but gluten is still two weeks away.
MAY
consuming - Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish and coconut milk in our coffee as we work through the Whole30. I don't know if I've ever gone two weeks days without chocolate in my life, so if nothing else, that's a pretty big accomplishment. Otherwise, I'm a bit surprised I haven't noticed bigger changes from cutting out all carbs, sugar, and dairy, but maybe the 'reset' is just taking a while.
exploring - Last weekend we camped at James River State Park in central Virginia and explored High Bridge Trail State Park from Pamplin to Farmville and back by bike. The night sky at our campsite was incredible, and at some point we'll have to go back so we can actually see the high bridge the trail is named for (it was under construction).
seeing - what life is like after getting vaccinated. We got our second doses on May 8, and as of this weekend (5/22) can officially leave our masks at home for outdoor activities (though cautiously watching and waiting as local masking guidelines and capacity restrictions are being lifted). As a big fan of outdoor dining, I'm in no rush to dine inside a restaurant again anytime soon and hope that the proliferation of patio spaces is one pandemic era change that will stick around.
