Hi, everyone!! Is it bad that this is only my second monthly recap and already I’m starting to dread them because they highlight just how boring I’ve been?! Ha! In all seriousness, this winter (and now spring) has been a much slower pace. Do you find this time of the year like that, or are you just always in full force?
I guess I shouldn’t complain, it’s allowed me to do a lot of the things that my little introverted heart loves!! I’ve done lots of reading, lots of tv watching, I’ve stayed on top of our house more, and even got out walking almost every evening. I am hoping that the next few months comes with a few activities though because your girl is needing more socialization!
HIGHLIGHTS
We spent a long weekend at our cabin. Our cabin is around Northern Bay Sands, and since the road doesn’t get plowed, we don’t usually spend much time there during the winter. We had to pack up the hand slide and use the snowmobile to get in, but we were able to spend a few days relaxing at our favourite coziest place!! Plus, it makes it even more exciting knowing you’re completely secluded from the rest of the world for a few days (didn’t I just say that I needed more socialization?)!!
We went skiing…sort of!!
Newfoundland has two ski resorts: Ski White Hills in Clarenville (about two hours from St. John’s) and Marble Mountain, just outside of Corner Brook (about seven hours from St. John’s).
We try to make sure every winter we get a skiing trip in, so in February we made the decision to go to Marble Mountain for a long weekend and booked the same place we stayed last year for three nights. About a week or so before we were leaving, heavy rains caused a large washout at Marble Mountain and the resort had to close for almost a week. Even when they reopened, a lot of the runs weren’t looking great so we decided to cancel. We really didn’t want to drive the SEVEN HOURS if the skiing conditions weren’t great.
So, instead, we decided to go to Ski White Hills…much closer! It’s always so busy there on the weekends so we figured by taking a day off work and going in the middle of the week, it would give us a great day skiing.
We got up 6am that morning to hit the road, and it was such a beautiful day (we don’t get too many of those here, remember?). We got there just as they were opening, suited up, and made our way to the lift. As soon as we were in the lineup, the lift just stopped. We were next in line so we waited and waited, until finally someone came over to tell us that the ski lift had broke and they were starting the process of rescuing people. Closed for the rest of the day!!! Are you freaking kidding me? Luckily we got our money back but we were pretty disappointed to be turning right around and heading back home.
What’s funny (and I use that term loosely mind you!!) is that two years ago we drove right to Marble Mountain, only to discover that their lift had broke that day and we weren’t able to ski during our entire trip. I mean, do we have some kind of ski curse?
As disappointing as it was, I was just glad that we didn’t get there two minutes earlier as we would have been stuck up on that lift forever. That I wouldn’t have been able to handle.
The end of the month was the Easter holiday. Our friends invited us to their house on Good Friday for Fish n’ Chips (it’s been a little tradition of ours – we ordered from ‘By The Beach’ in Portugal Cove). On Saturday, Todd’s parents had the family (including mine) for an early Easter dinner. Todd made the dessert, and it was soooo good and everyone praised him for the great job he did. I wish I could have taken some of that credit!!
Here’s the link for the ‘Best Lemon Cake’.
It really was delicious – so moist with the perfect hint of lemon (not too much!). And the icing? Well, that was my favourite part!! I’ve already requested this for my birthday in September.
IN OTHER NEWS
I watched Joey’s season of the Bachelor. I haven’t watched the bachelor/ette in years (I believe Peter’s was the last season), but I needed something to watch while Todd was away for work. Did you watch? What did you think of this season? I know everyone seemed to love this season, or Joey as the bachelor, but I have to be honest and say I found it a little boring, and a lot…predictable!! I know, I know, it’s the bachelor! What did I expect? But I used to LOVE the Bachelor and was such a big fan!
I’m not really sure what it was for me – was it because it’s been a few years and my mind has been free of the Bachelor bubble? Am I just getting older? Or is it that the show really needs some changes? I truly think it’s the latter, folks! Every single sentence from both the lead and the contestant just feels like it’s been said every single season, over and over again.
I will say the one thing I have enjoyed is being able to follow along with certain Bachelor recap podcasts. And, for that reason alone, I’ll probably continue to watch. Dear Shandy and the Viall Files are probably my two favourites right now – I love being able to listen to these on my walks or when I’m doing mindless tasks at the office or home!
I also finished Season three of the Morning Show. I enjoyed it for sure, but it wasn’t my favourite of the three (that was probably season two). My biggest takeaway is that Jennifer Aniston looked amazing with those dark rimmed glasses, and now I really, really want a pair.
Oh, I wanted to briefly talk about the Whole30 diet Todd did in March. If you’re not familiar with the nutritional plan, he had to eliminate sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, dairy, and processed foods for 30 days straight. Basically it was a full month of eating meat and seafood, potatoes, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and some nuts.
He did fantastic and completed the entire challenge – no cheating at all!!!
Overall, he found it hard, but after he finished he said he had never felt better. While he lost 9lbs, the biggest difference he found was how much better his knees felt. The pain had lessened and his mobility got better. He also noticed improvements in his sleep and his energy. But, he did find it harder than he expected and experienced headaches for the first week while eliminating everything.
How bad is it to say that I even found it hard, and I wasn’t even the one who did it?! Ha! There was always so much cooking and cleaning to do, our grocery bill went up a lot, and there were many times through the month that I wished we could have enjoyed some treats together. But I am so proud that he finished it, and anything that makes you feel better is a huge win in my book!
Would I ever do the Whole30? I’ve gotten asked this question a bit. While I do think I have good self-control when I really put my mind to something, I honestly don’t know if I’d be able to do this. Watching Todd, it seemed tough, and I’m a big believer in balance, or even the 80/20 rule. Never say never though! What I do know is that if I ever did, the key would be to meal plan and to get as creative as you can with your meals.
ON ‘RENEE NICOLE’
All the books I read in March can be found here.
That’s it for March!
Until next time.
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