Project 12: March

Project 12 posts have become some of my favorite to write and read. It's a really fun way to recap the month and I look forward to looking at all of them at the end of the year! I don't know about you guys, but March flew by! I had just gotten used to writing "3" on date stickers at work when before I knew it it was April Fool's Day and I had NOTHING planned. March was a fun month and I'm thankful for all we were able to do. For the record, this was the first month that we took a picture on the first day of the month. Enjoy a walk through our March. 

DATES

1. We finally went out and did what I had given Alex for Christmas. A date to this local comedy theater. They put on stand-up comedy much like "Who's Line is it Anyway". It was super fun to be part of a smaller audience because they used suggestions that we would shout out. It was affordable, entertaining, and we will definitely be going back. 

2. Five Guys. This is probably one of the two best local places for hamburgers and we got to enjoy a little bit of the deliciousness this month.

DISCOVERIES

1. One should not eat a large fatty Chik-Fil-A meal after fasting for 12 hours. I worked Monday night and had to fast from 4AM until my doctors appointment at 2PM. I got home from work, went to bed without breakfast, and drove an hour to my appointment. Nothing sounded better than Chik-Fil-A after 12 hours of not eating. I indulged in my regular sandwich + fries but decided to add on a milkshake since I had fasted. Three hours later I was running sprints and almost threw up on the sidewalk in front of some high schoolers. I think my body got confused as to why I was feeding it in the middle of the night, then not feeding it at all, then feeding it a ton of fatty food, and then sprinting. Needless to say, I haven't had Chik-Fil-A since.

2. That David's Bridal can't ship to a different store than the one you purchased the dress in. While we were on spring break in San Diego I got the dress I needed for a wedding in September. Unfortunately they said they couldn't ship it to Colorado, but thankfully offered to send it to my house at no cost. Just an FYI for all you bridesmaids out there.

3. Blog life becomes a lot harder when I'm on night shift. I haven't done a rotation of night shift since I got more consistent about blogging, and it's taken me a little bit by surprise this time. My days and weeks are all messed up and before I know it and I have no posts planned. If you're wondering why I'm a little quieter these days, blame it on the fact that I'm kind of a vampire. 

BOOKS & MOVIES

-Books-

You guys. I actually read some books this month! Mostly because I was on vacation and had 40 hours of driving time (round trip) to devour some pages! 

"Interrupted" by Jen Hatmaker. I had been on the wait list for this book for months at the library and finally got it! I loved this book, but I'll be honest- I had a hard time getting into it because the first few chapters are uncomfortable. They're uncomfortable to read because they are so true. The second half of the book was wonderful and inspiring as she gave tangible examples of how to live out Christianity in a radical way. This book only reinforced our yearly goal of being generous, and I'm continually praying for the Lord to present us with opportunities. I highly recommend this book to everyone- just know that you need to stick with it through the first several chapters. 

"Stroke of Insight" by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. This was a book that was recommended to me by a friend at work. It is about a neuroscientist that had a massive hemorrhagic stroke in her left hemisphere. It's something that probably should have killed her, but thanks to her extensive understanding of the brain, she was able to orchestrate her own rescue and fully recover in 8 years. Though it's not written from a Christian perspective and she mentioned nirvana one too many times, it was absolutely fascinating to read her account of the morning of her stroke and how she responded to different nurses and caregivers depending on how they treated her. As a nurse who deals with patients following strokes and traumatic brain injuries, her insights have become invaluable to me in my job. She also gave a lot of perspective into the fact that we can get stuck in our own negative loops of thinking and it takes practice and perseverance to change these loops but they can be changed. If you can get past her nirvana talk, this was a fascinating book. 

"One Day at a Time" by David Sloan. Alex works part time for a home healthcare company, and has recently begun taking care of a man that has debilitating multiple sclerosis. This book is his autobiography that talks about the quick progression of his disease and how he has managed to stay hopeful throughout it all. It was a really inspiring read and cool to get to know the man that Alex has been working with a little better. 

-Movies-

Divergent. Alex had told me that I wouldn't like this movie very much so I hadn't ever seen it. After watching The Giver and enjoying it, Alex decided that I might like Divergent so we watched it one night. I totally enjoyed it- in my opinion it was the more interesting version of The Giver and I'm excited to see the new one that came out recently! 

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. Alex came down with the sniffles one night and woke up with a full blown cold the next day. I guess he must have been feeling generous because when I woke up with a sore throat the following morning, I knew it was game over. We both spent the next couple of days pounding vitamin C, water, soup, and we bought our first humidifier. Next time Alex is sick I think I might sleep on the couch because he clearly has the superior immune system. 

2. Spring Break! We had planned to go on vacation with my family a couple of months ago because Alex's, my brother's, and my mom's spring breaks all happened to land up being the same week. My Dad and I took time off from work and we headed out as a family. My family, being the planning family that they are, decided that San Diego would be our destination about a week before we left. We had a blast, and I hope to write recap post soon! 

BY THE NUMBERS

Miles run: 67

Miles driven: 2,268 (to San Diego and back)

New recipes tried: 1. These oven-roasted fajitas were super flavorful and will probably land up on our menu again. 

In N Out burgers eaten: 5. This number would have been closer to 7 if it weren't for my Dad who doesn't seem to understand why daily In N Out visits are important. If I ever move to a place that has an In N Out close by, I'm going to need an accountability partner and a rehab program to help overcome my addiction. 

How was your March? What exciting things did you do?