What really happened with the move

You already know I blab too much and this post is too long to read in an email. You must open it in the substack app on your phone or computer.

This past week has been a glorious mix of insanity and moments of peace. We finally have our furniture (will speak more to that in the belly of the newsletter), I'm now almost 12 weeks pregnant and coming out of the first trimester whoas, and was even able to get acupuncture yesterday. We’re settling into this new town we live in and really finding the businesses and hidden gems that are making it feel perfectly aligned. I’m excited to finally share what has been happening, how we found this property, and everything in between. Hope you all had a great week and have a beautiful long weekend. And to those who celebrate, I’m wishing you a lovely and renewing Easter!

ps - we plan on trying a new church this weekend (yes, insane starting a new church on easter weekend) and we’re really excited and hopeful about it. I’ll report back next week.

📚 WHAT TO READ: Sorry guys, but I just can’t do The Nightingale. I really wanted to get into it, but (not to get political) with war starting I just found it much too anxiety inducing. My sister (aka my cute little bookclub hehehe) started the Just for The Summer by Abby Jimenez and within the first page I knew that I made the right decision switching books.

“Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez is a contemporary romance about Emma, a traveling nurse, and Justin, who have a “curse” where their exes find their soulmates after breaking up with them.They agree to a summer fling to break their curses, but their plan gets complicated by real feelings, Emma’s toxic mother, and Justin becoming the guardian of his three younger siblings, forcing them to navigate unexpected challenges and genuine emotions. It’s a witty, emotional, and critically acclaimed novel, known for its realistic portrayal of love and difficult themes like mental health.” -Google AI lol

📺 WHAT TO WATCH: The Bluff, where “A Caribbean woman gets her secret past revealed when her island is invaded by vicious buccaneers”, was PHENOMENAL. We stayed up until 10:15pm watching it and it was totally worth it.

🎧 WHAT TO LISTEN TO: LISTEN UP my TTC women (and men)!! Joe Rogan had Dr. Shanna H. Swan back on the pod to discuss her further research into plastic polymers, microplastics, and their impacts on fertility. It was an awesome podcast and I think everyone, regardless of if you’re TTC, should listen.

I’m not really a sunscreen person. I’ll use it if I’m going to be outside for a prolonged period of time, but yeaaaarsssssss ago I stopped wearing it daily. I wanted my body to actually get the sun it needed. However, since moving I have been outside A LOT. Like so much so that I’m realizing how little I went outside at our old house. Plus with pregnancy I’m just burning a lot easier. Because of both of those things I’m noticing the “sun damage” on my forehead poking through and I’m thinking it may be time to start including sunscreen in my routine again on an as needed, not daily, basis. However, you will neverrrrrr catch me using traditional sunscreen again. They ~can~ contain ingredients that are known carcinogens and logically that just doesn’t make sense to me. Fight cancer with cancer? Pass. However, I love tallow based zinc sunscreen. My go to is the one from Primally Pure. It’s organic, non-toxic and comes in Lavender Mint or Unscented. (I almost always prefer unscented products)

Full ingredient list: Zinc Oxide (25%) Inactive Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (from RSPO Certified Palm Oil), Organic Tallow, Organic Beeswax, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Mango Butter, Tocopherol (Non-GMO Vitamin E)

I’m in my new office. My laptop is propped up on a small box of replacement Canopy humidifier filters, I have boxes surrounding me, artwork propped up where it will someday live on the wall. Though in contrast, I’m finally at my normal desk, in my normal chair, with my normal monitor. I’m sitting in front of one of the two windows, window open, wind chime in front of me blowing in the wind while the birds chirp in the sunshine. There’s so much juxtaposition in my life right now. The immense beauty of our surroundings and feelings of gratitude for this major life change mixed with the all consuming feeling of overwhelm and an ever growing to do list.