April Month End Review

April was a good, busy month- no major complaints and happy that we were able to do most things (albeit differently) than we were not able to do last year in April. We began the month with four of us in Florida for spring break- we were thankful for the opportunity to get away to beautiful Florida and ended the month with the five of us living at home. Jacob’s sophomore year of college ended in April and he moved back home until the fall semester term start backs up in August. We celebrated Easter, my birthday, had typical April weather- beautiful days and cold, snowy ones and spent hours at track meets among other things.

Kids' activities- Alyssa’s track meets began in April. They have been going ok-ish (all depends on your definition of “ok,” lol).  Alyssa is running varsity but has only been doing one event, the 4 by 1600 relay. Lots of waiting around at meets. So far, she likes cross country about 1000 times better than track but maybe May will usher in some track love. Who knows... 

Abby didn’t have any dance competitions in April which is unusual. She was thisclose to trying out for her college’s dance team and if she had decided to do so, she would have submitted her try outs videos in April. However, she decided that due to the amount of hours the dance team would require each week, her (likely) difficult course load, and her other time consuming interest (fitness) for which she earns money (she is a sponsored athlete for a supplement company), she decided she would forego trying out for the dance team. I understand her decision completely... but, am sad that my days of watching Abby dance are coming to a close. 

Speaking of college, Alyssa received a letter of interest from a college for running cross country there. It is a small private school in a nearby state. I looked up the cross country team stats and Alyssa would be the school’s number three or four fastest cross country runner (based on Alyssa’s PR- times vary from race to race but it definitely looked like she would fit right in if her times remain consistent). Alyssa  has a long time to make college decisions and a few more years of running before any college/ running decisions need to be made...

Books that I read: (and a few thoughts on each)

• All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny- this is a book in a series about a French Canadian detective named Gamache. Set in Paris, it tells the story of the godfather of Gamache, a billionaire octogenarian, who is injured in what appears to be a deliberate hit and run accident. Gamache investigates and uncovers, well, a lot. It was a long book and it’s hard to concisely condense :). I liked the book a lot.

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara- At over 700 pages, this was not a quick read. Nor was it an easy one. It tells the story of four best friends (males) after college when they all move to NYC.  It follows their lives and particularly tells the sad story of one of the men who had a horrific upbringing and still bears the scars, physical and otherwise. While the book was well written, too much of the story line was terribly sad.

• The Two Lives of Lydia Bird- by Josie Silver- I was looking for some light reading after finishing A Little Life and this book almost fit the bill.  The main character’s fiance DIES in the first chapter so that put a bit of a damper in the feel good chick lit book I thought I would be reading. Then it delves to the impossible- the main character sees her finance and interacts with him whenever she takes a sleeping pill. In this “life” it is as if her finance had never died and the two of them live their lives as a couple. In her real life, she deals with grief but then moves on and meets someone else. The book was a quirky, quick read. I liked it pretty well. 

• In a Dark, Dark Wood- Ruth Ware- Set in Scotland, this thriller begins with the main character being invited to one of her former friend’s bachelorette party weekend getaway. Against her better judgement, our girl goes to the party which is held in a house in the middle of the woods. Someone is killed and everyone is a suspect. Lots of suspense- really good book!

• The Turn of the Key- Ruth Ware- I liked In a Dark, Dark, Wood so much that I immediately downloaded another of Ruth Ware’s books. This book begins with the main character in prison awaiting trial for murder. The book then takes the reader back in time to when the main character got her dream job as a nanny for a wealthy couple. The job turns into a nightmare and someone ends up dead. The main character insists she did not commit the crime. Lots of twists that were impossible to see coming- another good Ruth Ware book. 

Items Purchased:

My old Kindle finally bit the dust. The day we returned home from the Florida was the day that my Kindle refused to properly display text. The Kindle had exceeded its electronic life expectancy so I wasn’t surprised. Wasn’t thrilled to have to purchase a new one but I knew that I would love the bells and whistles of an updated Kindle. 

A few little things for the girls’ Easter baskets- it’s challenging to find non junky, small, and inexpensive things for the girls for Easter baskets (Jacob’s Easter basket is easier- lots of candy and gift cards :)). I found some cute items for Abby’s Alyssa’s and Autumn’s Easter baskets including small beauty items like body sprays and lip gloss. 

Perfume for me- I have not purchased or received perfume in probably twenty years (because I have never asked for it/ wanted it because I don’t wear it). I changed my mind about wanting some when, of all the odd things, a book I read in April (All the Devils are Here) mentioned the name of a perfume. In the book, the scent of the perfume was a clue in figuring out who had been in a residence. When the name of the perfume was listed, I immediately recognized the name of it as the only perfume that my mom owned and wore very occasionally.  It is called simply 4711 and it is the oldest cologne in the world. It was first made in Germany (Cologne, no less) and is a unisex fragrance Anyway, I had to purchase a bottle (it is pretty cheap, fortunately, or else I probably would not have purchased it) if just to bring back memories of my sister and me slipping into our parent’s bedroom and looking at the few pieces of jewelry in our mom’s jewelry box and opening the lid of her 4711 perfume to smell it. 

Recipes Tried:

I didn’t try a whole lot new this month- I tried one new dessert recipe on Easter that didn’t turn out well. Towards the end of the month, Alyssa and I were craving some nacho cheese sauce so I found a recipe online based on the ingredients that I had on hand. The cheese sauce turned out great. I will make it again. The recipe is here.

Pollen for my birthday? Alyssa declared that these flowers I received from a friend on my birthday smelled like pollen...

My mother in law brought macaroons to our house when we celebrated my birthday with Donnie’s family. I had never eaten a macaroon before. I thought they were ok- I won’t go out of my way to consume one again but it was fun to try them out. The package she bought had a variety of flavors. 

One of  my favorite low brow junky foods 😂. Alyssa made me a carrot cake so we had that as well for my birthday.

Jacob was still in college on my birthday. We met him at a restaurant that is half way between our house and his apartment. We had hoped to out to a nicer place but even super early, the first two places we tried had long waits. TGI Friday’s for the win!!

The backseat of my car- I am either homeless or I am at a track meet with a five to six hour wait time for Alyssa’s event. Fortunately, it’s the latter. I bring ALL THE STUFF to Alyssa’s meets when I am there for the long haul- blankets, coat, snacks, water, chargers, and of course my kindle. I wouldn’t mind sitting in the bleachers and watching the meet but for the mask wearing requirement. Hard pass on spending hours wearing a mask, especially on days that I’ve worked and spent all day in a mask. The car it is for me when I’m waiting for Alyssa’s event. If the weather is nice at her meets, I will spend some time walking outside (I don’t wear a mask if I am just walking around. Masks are required when watching the meets in the stands).

Getting ready to read for a couple of hours... in the car... my home away home during track meets

My new perfume ;).

My new Kindle is on the right. My old one is on the left. I love everything about the new Kindle!!

Our town’s only non- chain ice cream shop, the “K” opened for the season in April. Jacob and I made the mile walk from our house one evening after dinner. 

Easter- the second Easter in a row that we’ve watched church at home rather than going to church.