April has been filled with a lot of happy things—most notably, a lot of time spent enjoying nature. We’ve been spoiled with beautiful weather, as usual, while everyone else seems to be all, “SPRING, WHERE YOU AT?” So I’ve been trying to take advantage of the endless possibilities that come with living in San Diego.
In addition to getting active outdoors, I’ve been doing a daily set of exercises based on my 31-Day Core Challenge, which I’m actually finishing today!
…the challenge that I planned to do in December…but didn’t…because of being sick for a month-plus. So! I’m pretty excited to finally complete that. Weirdly enough, I’ve really liked having a little group of exercises to complete each day, outside of my normal workouts. I tend to spend way too much time sitting, so it worked well to motivate myself to get moving more.
I might create another challenge soon, because I can use all the motivation I can get!
For a look inside the past month of adventures and what I’ve been loving, check out my April favorites below.
April Favorites
Carlsbad Flower Fields – This is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile, but I kept missing the window when the fields were open. When I noticed tickets were officially on sale for this year, I immediately bought two to make sure we finally went. Well we started the month on a high note by visiting the beautiful flower fields, and it was as overwhelmingly gorgeous as I thought it would be. If you find yourself in San Diego before the fields close on May 13th this year, I highly recommend you visit!
Pinterest Sections – Not too long ago, Pinterest added the option of organizing Boards further with “Sections.” Me being the organization lover that I am, I had to put this on my list of favorites, because I am SO excited about this. My boards have gotten out of control over the past few years, and they’re kind of like a bottomless pit of ideas. It’s hard to find exactly what I want. But I just started categorizing my pins into these sections, and I have a feeling it’s going to make life so much easier (e.g., when I’m looking for recipes to make while meal planning or when I want a list of workout visuals that I’ve created in the past). To see them in action, make sure to head over and follow me on Pinterest!
Bitmoji – Hi, so I’m super late to the Bitmoji world, but I downloaded the app recently and kind of love it now. Create a cartoon of yourself…it’s cool, whatever. The magic of Bitmoji, in my opinion, is the extreme randomness throughout the library of “moods” or “reactions.” I just took four random ones to share, because I think they’re hilarious.
Lounging Bralette by Gilligan & Omalley – Ladies, do yourself a favor and go to Target to buy one of these $15 bralettes. I’m sorry, “lounging” bralettes. It’ll change your life. Comfy AF.
Eye Shadow as Eyeliner – This is a cool little makeup trick I’ve been doing for years. I originally started doing this because eye shadow doesn’t run like some eyeliners do (I’m not exactly sure why I had this problem, because I don’t anymore). Now I do this just about every day. I use a wide and short-bristled makeup brush (as seen below), which works perfectly to line my upper (and sometimes lower) lashes with black eyeshadow. It’s a lot easier to apply and remove later on. It works well for my somewhat low-maintenance self.
Ziplining – In an effort to do something fun and adventurous (as part of a belated birthday experience for Matt), I stumbled upon La Jolla Zip Zoom. We booked a time early this past Sunday morning, and headed up to Pauma Valley! Neither of us had ever gone ziplining, so it was a fun new experience. We ended up being the only people to book during that time (usually they have about 15 people), so our trip went by really fast. It wasn’t scary like I thought it would be—just refreshing and beautiful up there in the mountains. The staff was friendly and made us feel very comfortable. Since they only have three ziplines right now, though, we were out and back within a half hour. If you do this, I highly recommend going with a group because I think it would be more fun and make the trip go a little slower. Overall, we enjoyed the new-to-us adventure.
Disney vs. Pixar Bracket – I saw this “bracket” circulating soon after March Madness was happening, and I thought it was pure gold. I’m so curious what others would vote to win. I haven’t seen some of these movies (like Moana or Frozen…#ashamed), so I didn’t factor those in. But when it comes down to it, I was debating between The Little Mermaid or Toy Story for being my all-time favorite (with The Lion King getting an honorable mention). What would you choose?! They’re just all so goooood.
Embargo Grill in San Diego – I don’t highlight local eateries very often, just because a lot of my readers don’t live here in San Diego. But this Cuban place needs to be mentioned. Matt took me here a year or so ago, and I couldn’t get over how amazing the food was. We went again recently, and I’m pretty sure I ended up getting the exact same thing. To. Die. For. If you go, make sure you get an order of the fries / sweet potato fries. I don’t even understand how they’re so delicious.
Baby Succulents – Impulse-buying succulents has become a favorite activity of mine lately. I’ve “only” done it a couple times recently, but it makes me so happy. Succulents are plants that store water in their leaves and thrive in drier climates, which is why they’re all over San Diego. So in theory, they should be easier to take care of, but I’ve definitely killed a few in the past (by trying too hard? I don’t even know). Go to any plant nursery out here, and you’ll find a collection of young succulents. They’re cute and perfect and just begging to be spontaneously bought. #NoRegrets
