“I’m sorry for the things I said when it was winter!”

I saw this quote on a plaque last year, and thought that pretty much sums it up! We had a crazy-cold winter in Colorado, but thankfully, I spent about four weeks of January and February in warmer weather, so I don’t have much to apologize for this year. 😆

Today I’m looking back over the winter months and sharing highlights, how I did on my seasonal goals, a few of my favorites, and what I’m up to. Hope you’re hanging in there with this quarantine and taking good care of yourself.

highlights

While it was a frigid winter in Colorado, we did spend quite a bit of time at our Scottsdale apartment. We also went on another Caribbean cruise! This one was a 7-day cruise on the amazing Celebrity Edge during Valentine’s week.

I know cruising is not on anyone’s radar right now, but when the pandemic passes and cruising is safe again, I highly recommend this state-of-the-art ship, which happens to be captained by an American woman!

One of the biggest highlights from the cruise was renewing our wedding vows after 32 years! About 1,200 people participated in this mass vow-renewal at sea on Valentine’s Day (also my husband’s birthday), officiated by Captain Kate McCue. Here a few pictures from our trip.

Another highlight was attending the H.E.A.L. Fairytale Tea in Phoenix at the beginning of March. The Happily Ever After League was founded by cancer survivor, Lauren Daniels, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 with three young children at home. H.E.A.L. gives assistance to Arizona mothers recovering from any type of cancer with at least one dependent child living at home.

It was a special day of playing dress up, connecting with friends, supporting this amazing cause, and being inspired by speaker, Jami Marseilles, a double amputee, paralympic athlete, and cancer survivor. Here are a few photos from the day.

One more highlight was collaborating with New York-based Fukinsei Bags*. They reached out to me in January to show one of their beautifully designed, hand-crafted, vegan leather bags. I love the sculptural and whimsical look of this one-of-a-kind bag.

*Fukinsei: the Japanese word for asymmetry 

how I did with my winter decluttering goals

I wrote a blog post on 10 Things I’m Decluttering This Season, and I’ve done pretty well. The only ones I haven’t done yet are numbers 4 and 5, but I’ll get to them. Also, I’m about to do my 4th closet declutter in a year. I’ll be doing it differently this time, so stay tuned for a post about this.

Currently reading and watching

• Just finished reading ➡️ Long, Bright River, by Liz Moore, a New York Times best-selling thriller that’ll keep you turning the pages.
• Just started reading  ➡️ The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See, one of my favorite historical-fiction authors. I always learn something from reading See’s work as she is a meticulous researcher. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane has been my favorite of hers so far.
• I’m about halfway through Season 3 of The Crown on Netflix. Have you watched it yet?
• These informative 2-7 minute videos from BBC on sustainable thinking are well written and produced and fun to watch.

favorite purchases

• I finally found some cushioned no-show socks that stay in place all day. I wear them daily with my adidas sneakers (currently 25% off). They also have compression socks and other styles. I really like this quality brand.
• Just purchased another pair of these EMU Australia sheepskin slippers to replace the ones I bought a few years ago that I wore to death. They come in 12 colors, and I love them!
• This white linen blouse with a tie waist is a new fave that’ll go with everything from shorts, jeans, and skirts for spring and summer.
• These $25 packing cubes are one of my all-time best travel purchases. Apparently others agree because they have 6,500+ five-star reviews.
• Lastly, I added these leopard print flats from Steve Madden to my closet. Love how cute, comfortable, and versatile they are! Click here to see one way I styled them with my new linen blouse.