I find it curious that spring doesn’t end until late in June. It has felt like summer for weeks already. If the late spring heat in North Carolina is any indication, we’re in for a hot summer. I work in higher education, and the end of the school year is one of our busiest times. Spring was a blur for me, but I enjoy writing these recaps to help me document this time in my life.
Where we traveled
Spring was highlighted by our most ambitious 50 in 5 trip to date. We spent 10 days on a road trip across the Southwest. After flying into Denver, and drove a 2,000-mile loop down into New Mexico, across Arizona, into Nevada, through Utah and back to Denver. We slept in nine different hotels and visited five national parks. I had the worst sunburn of my adult life. There were many highlights of the trip that I look forward to sharing in more detail, but hiking The Narrows at Zion National Park was incredible, as was spending our ninth anniversary in Sedona, Arizona.
Hiking in Sedona, AZ 
A (very) hot stroll on the Las Vegas Strip
What i read
I’m making progress toward my goal of reading 10 books this year, and added “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Live Your Life” to my completed list this spring. I read the first book in two days and the second book in one day.
What I watched
On a whim, Brandon and I watched the entire series of “The O.C.” this spring. The show aired from 2003-07 while we were in high school. We both loved it before we met, particularly the music used in the show, but we had never watched it together.
Babies I met
THREE of my friends had babies this spring! My nephew, Camden, was born on April `15. Then my friend, Megan, delivered her son, Wyatt, on May 1. Alyssa gave me a special birthday gift by welcoming her son, Sammy, on June 10! I attended three baby showers and bought lots of baby gifts (my favorite books to gift here and here) over the last few months. Now, many of my ads on social media are for babies and kids.
Baby Camden ?
What i played on repeat
I haven’t done a “what I played on repeat” since my summer 2020 recap, but I’m not ashamed at all to say that I’ve had Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR, on repeat for weeks. Olivia is 17, and her music takes me right back to high school and my first heartbreak. I cannot get enough. Brandon and I have also been listening to a lot of Gary Clark Jr. since discovering him during our road trip.
On the horizon
In a few days I’m flying to San Francisco with my best friend, Jennifer, to visit our other best friend, Martha, for a few days. We haven’t been together since May 2019, and Martha has a one-year-old son we haven’t yet met! It’s going to be a fun reunion.
