When I first clicked on Amanda's blog it took me about two seconds to decide that I wanted to be friends with this girl. Amanda is a talented photographer and her posts about her travels always make me really jealous. Make sure you head over to This Wonderful Life and say hello!
Hi everyone! I'm Amanda from This Wonderful Life. I'm so thrilled to be guest posting for Kate while she is away on spring break.
I've never really been the type of person that makes changes (resolutions) starting January 1. To me, starting a new fitness routine or trying to eat better is a lot harder to do when it's cold and dreary out. (Even living in L.A., there are some days that I don't want to get out of bed because it's dropped below 50 degrees. What can I say... I must be allergic to the cold). So for me, starting anew was always easier in spring. When the sun starts peeking through again, and the trees and flowers start blooming, there is something in the air. It's this time of year that I begin to feel that desire to start fresh, or start a new routine. There are even some things I do every spring, without fail.
1. Deep clean the house. My boyfriend, Peter, always makes fun of me when this happens. I've been known to do things like... clean the walls. But doesn't everyone do that? After a long winter of leaving the windows shut and blasting the heater (like I said, I'm allergic to the cold), I need some fresh air and that's when I whip out our vacuum and our duster. I love (and hate) this deep cleaning. On the up side, it's nice to feel like you're living in a clean, fresh home. On the down side, I can't tell you how many times I curse myself for waiting an entire year to sweep under our couch. Just sayin'.
2. Start a jogging routine. Around March 31, every. single. year. I start a "new" jogging routine. That should tell you a lot already. Don't get me wrong, I like jogging. I actually jog all year round. Just not routinely. But something about spring inspires me to start running consistently. It never really works out, but I always feel great when I start in on that schedule, even if it doesn't last very long!
3. Re-decorate our house. Usually this just means putting away all of the throw blankets and buying more fake flowers. (We have a lot of fake flowers because I can never keep plants alive).
4. Start a raw food, or vegan, or vegetarian, or juicing, diet. I'm all over the trendy diet fads. (Have you heard of The Fork Diet? Consider yourself enlightened). Yes, I've tried all of the above. No, they don't work, and yes, I may have given up on the first day. But at least I can say that I tried it, even if only for eight hours. (I'm sorry, but you can't expect a human being to live off of juice all day. You just can't).
What kind of things do you guys like to do when spring rolls around?
Have a good week everyone, and happy (almost) spring!
Thanks so much for having me, Kate! Enjoy your vacay!