The Monthly Edit // Apr. '20

"Quiet the mind and the soul will speak."

- Buddha

I took a drive on Wednesday morning through the wineries. I woke up to a glorious blue sky with painted clouds, took one look at my car keys sitting on the kitchen counter, grabbed a very excited Nettie, and made a beeline for the door. I needed to clear my head, and what better way to to do that than by driving through the valley with all the windows down on a sunny day.

The warm air smelled of jasmine and orange blossoms. After the rain we had at the beginning of the month, the barren vineyards had transformed into a sea of lush emerald green. I turned the radio up, laughed at Nettie's lips flapping in the wind as she stuck her head out the window, and let out a huge breath that I had been holding for what felt like weeks. The beginning of April dragged on, but the ending was exactly what I needed. 

Fazeli & Robert Renzoni Winery

We watched one of our favorite shows on televison, Ozark. We only allowed ourselves two episodes per night, but the season went so quickly and was so gripping that we felt kind of depressed once it was over. If you haven't watched the series, you must! Just make sure you start at season 1. Other notable shows included "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" which I highly recommend, and The Housewives of New York City and Beverly Hills. I like watching The Housewives back to back with a glass of wine in hand. Say what you will about reality shows, but they offer a fun break from actual reality.

A few of my favorite people have May birthdays, so I searched Etsy for personalized meaningful gifts. I can't be with them physically this year, but that doesn't mean I can't still wish them a happy birthday! Plus, I'm all about supporting small shops and businesses now.


A family member who is licensed in the practice of mindfulness started a Zoom workshop, and I'm learning so much already. The class is once a week for two hours, and along with therapy sessions, it is really teaching me how to be present in my own life. We as humans have over 60,000 thoughts per day, and much of those days are lived on autopilot. No wonder we are anxious, distracted, and overwhelmed.

It's been pretty warm the last couple weeks (dare I say hot) so I ditched my joggers and long sleeve shirts for shorts, camisoles, and kimonos. I really only dressed up a bit for Zoom calls and virtual happy hours, but it was a nice excuse!

Nate and I spent last weekend cleaning up our backyard. It was overgrown with weeds. We have rented this house for a few years, and although there are many things we aren't allowed to change about it, we do what we can to keep things nice and make it feel like home. We really want to buy our own home, but with everything going on now, we will have to wait longer than we expected.

Happy May! I hope everyone is going to have a great month. Summer is near...