The Little Things No. 39

The last Friday of every month I like to reflect on the past four weeks and appreciate the little things. I truly believe that gratitude is one of our greatest gifts and helps us find happiness in the every day. Previously, I shared a “The Little Things” post at the end of every week, but I felt that a monthly reflection was better for my readers and it also made me see the entire month as a whole for all the good that it was.

Dear friends,

Tomorrow morning we embark on our first vacation together since 2019. Matthew and I are very excited, but still taking every precaution to be safe on our journey. Originally, we had always planned on visiting Egypt and Jordan for Matthew’s graduation gift, but with things as they are we are staying much closer to home. We are so fortunate that the United States has so many incredible national parks. We fly out to Utah tomorrow morning and end our trip in Colorado.

We are flying by plane as it is the best way for us to get there, but we are taking off from a local airport and most of our adventures will be outdoors at parks and away from crowds. We are both vaccinated, plan on wearing our masks in busy places, and feeling a positive outlook for the first time in ages. I respect that everyone has a different comfort level and set of circumstances. We made the choice to travel when it felt right to us.

There is much to be grateful for this month. Because we moved to a place that gives us more access to nature and activities, I feel as we have had the best spring of our lives. We didn’t travel. We didn’t see many people or go very far. We spent most of our days living simply, going for walks and hikes in the parks nearby, exploring our new neighborhood and befriending our neighbors, getting creative, gardening, riding our bikes, reading, bird watching, and flower pressing. That’s pretty much it. Besides work and Matthew’s school and graduation, our spring has been a simple one. I feel lighter than I have in ages. I hope that spring has been uplifting for you too.

I have been creating a healthy morning routine; waking up at a natural time for my body clock, a morning meditation, breakfast, and tea. I also spend some time in my garden or reading. Sometimes I work on my blog before going into the office.

I went flower picking at the new Connecticut Wicked Tulips location in Preston with my friend Lydia.

So proud of Matthew for his big accomplishment!

So many spring walks through town.

I took my mom out for Mother’s Day. We had a really nice lunch together.

Found a quartz mine while going for a hike with my dad.

I’ve been taking the extra time to take care of myself from the inside out. My skincare routine has gotten even lovelier with Badger products.

All the spring outfits.

Loving all the afternoon light in our new home. My spring duvet (from Ikea three years ago) is now on the bed.

I have been reading so many vintage gardening, flower, and bird watching books.

Madeleine is a happy girl. She loves our new home and I always find her sleeping in all sorts of spots. She loves the kitchen window the most, but in the mornings she will sit in the living room window and watch me water the garden.

I finally built my garden beds.

I was not able to pick the best spot in the yard because we are renting, but our landlady was kind enough to allow me to put my raised garden beds in the woodchopper area next to the house. I was worried about the spot being too shaded, but I read that most vegetables flourish in the shade. So far so good.