On a Personal Note—Welcoming May
Welcoming May in this week with an absolute gorgeous Monday full of sunshine. It’s early morning and I’m sitting in my big white chair in the bedroom. The windows are wide open and the temperature is slowly rising. The dog-walkers are out and about, people heading to catch the bus or metro, and the occasional car drives by… Most of the city is still asleep. It’s quiet and peaceful and I’m enjoying the birds and subtle hum of the street. The trees seem to have burst into green overnight and flowers are in full bloom all over the city. I love this time of year.
I cannot believe it’s May. Seems like just yesterday that the view outside my window was grey, with bare trees, frost on the ground, and people still bundled in coats. I feel like I can breathe again and am constantly wanting to be outside soaking in the fresh air, face to sun. It’s been quite some time since I did a bit of a check-in, so felt like the start of this month would be a good time to catch up with you all on a personal note! To be honest, life still feels a bit quiet on my end. I think the pandemic has really pushed my efforts to embrace slower living and I’m here for it.
What once was a life full of go go go, time outside of my apartment, working into the office, constantly going to happy hours, seeing friends, and keeping my calendar completely full has turned into maybe just one to two social events a week, lots of impromptu hangouts when I’m feeling up for it, and lots of time nesting and quiet evenings at home. It’s crazy what two years of isolation can really do. Home means so much more to me these days! And the comfort of building a space for myself definitely became a top priority—and still is—so I never complain about spending lots of time enjoying my place.
But lately, I’ve been getting out more, exploring the city on warm-weather days and doing lots of my photowalks. I cannot recommend these enough if you’re like me and just love to capture beautiful moments that otherwise go unseen… a sort of stop and smell the roses type thing. I get so much inspiration just walking the city and its cozy neighborhoods, people-watching, dining al fresco, laying in a park with the dog, and popping in and out of my favorites little shops. This time of year is my favorite in DC and I’m slowly building a bit of a fun to-do list for things I want to do, see, eat, etc. I’ve also been heavily using Reels on Instagram to capture these moments as a creative outlet I’m really enjoying. I have a love/hate relationship with them, but finding it very fun to create short, aesthetic videos that just make me feel-good. And it’s nice seeing you all enjoy them too!
Anyways, the social calendar is getting full again, as it tends to do come late spring and summer. I have a family trip coming up to Arizona later this month I cannot wait for! I’ve never been and am very excited to step into a desert scene. I’m taking the entire time off so having a break from work will be much appreciated since I haven’t taken a vacation since December!! I also have two weddings in June that are going to be very fun—one right here in the city and another in Newport, RI. I’m pumped to visit another brand new place and am plotting some time to drive off to the mansions and go to town. Both will be very fun reunions with college friends and then my roommates/friends from my mid-twenties. Other than that, I’m just planning out some fun dinner parties and friend hangs, and am toying with the idea of gathering a group of ladies who follow me and live locally! We’ll see… it’s fun to meet new people and hard to make new girlfriends, so it could be good.
What else, what else? I’m back in the office for three days in a row, once a month for my current client and I’m actually loving it. I cannot express enough how refreshing it is to get up early, get dressed in something nice, do my hair and makeup, and make my way downtown. It’s been so fun working in the office with our team face-to-face and having great conversations, mixing in some work and play of course. Having a productive day then heading out together in the afternoon to catch a good happy hour has been lovely!!! It’s made a big difference every month and has been something I look forward to!! The ground-hog days of the pandemic are slowly going away, so I’m grateful for the change.
I’ve also been spring cleaning around the apartment, washing all the white cushions, deep-cleaning, rearranging, and moving pieces around to make the space feel a bit new. I’ve been craving some little changes here and there and will definitely be sharing on Instagram as I update! It’s amazing what a turn of a table or switching pieces around can do. Doing everything without spending a lot of money… so shopping my own apartment and planning some small DIY projects to transform a couple pieces. More to come!
That’s all for now, friends! Hope you all have a wonderful start to May!! Summer is right around the corner.
