When the weather starts to change from winter to spring, my mood always starts to lift, too. I’ve been feeling really content and grateful lately for all of the small but happy things going on in my life.

Bonfires and Mountain Pies

The weather cooperated over the weekend, and we were able to have our first fire of the season in our solo stove, and the first mountain pies of the season, too! If you’re not familiar, mountain pies are basically pizza sandwiches (bread, cheese, pizza sauce, any other toppings you want) but cooked in a “pie iron” over the fire. I’m not even a huge pizza person, but mountain pies are just the perfect food at a fire – there’s nothing better.

Reading on the Patio

Another thing I love about the return of warmer weather is being able to read outside on the patio in my backyard. Obviously, I don’t only read outside, but it’s by far my favorite place to read. It just feels so peaceful – whether I’m listening to music in my headphones or just the sounds of the neighborhood, it feels like an escape into another world. I’ve been going outside to read during lunch, or when I have a five minute break, and I always come back in feeling refreshed.

So Much New TV

As much as I love reading, I’ve been loving all the new TV shows / new seasons of old favorites that are back! Succession, Ted Lasso, Schmicago (season two for Schmigadoon) are all back and I’m loving them all, and Jury Duty is a new show that I raced through in just over a day, I think. It’s just fun to have shows to look forward to watching and then talking about with friends!

New Reading Friends

I’ve joined a few different virtual book clubs / reading groups, and it’s just been really fun. I’ve loved connecting with new people – some locally, some spread a lot farther – who also love to read, and it’s helped expand what I read, as well! Sometimes I tend to get stuck in the same genres of books that I already know I’ll like, but I’ve gotten some great recommendations of books I never would’ve found otherwise but have ended up loving. It can be hard to make new connections as an adult, so I’m very grateful for this chance, even if it’s been mostly virtual so far.

People to Celebrate

So many people in my life have had things to celebrate lately – birthdays, pregnancies, upcoming weddings! It just feels really exciting to have so many things to celebrate with people, and excuses to get together. It makes me feel grateful for all of the amazing people that I’m lucky enough to have in my life.