March was a whirlwind of a month!
I started the month with my LONG awaited solo birthday trip to the Catskills with Getaway House. It was absolutely heavenly and everything my mind, body, and soul needed. And the month continued to pour in NEW and exciting adventurous — keep reading to find out more!
- Solo Cabin Getaway in the Catskills
4 -days, 3-nights in a tiny cabin, in the Catskill mountains, with no cell connections or any direct human contact with the outside world. This is my idea of peace. I have been so overwhelmed with life in the past few months, especially the entire length of the pandemic (as has everyone else in the world), that this getaway was a Godsent and absolute necessity!
Thanks to my brother, who gifted me this getaway for my birthday, I was able to recoup, rejuvenate and get some much-needed “me-time.” I will be making a detailed post about this exquisite experience soon over at Spirited Navigators, so stay tuned!
- Hello New Laptop!
After 8 years, I finally upgrade my MacBook Pro to the latest and greatest! After a year of just barely getting by because everything was constantly “full,” I had to bite the bullet, and pay an insane amount of money and buy a new laptop. I love it, and I don’t intend to upgrade again for another 8 years, at least!
- Weekend in New York City
My little brother and I share the same birthday (well, actually a day apart – and ten years), and as always, I love to give the gift of travel in some format for his birthdays. This year, just like my celebration, his had to be postponed too. So, we finally got a weekend where we were all available (my brother, our mom, and I), and we spent it in NYC! We love going to NYC in the Autumn and Winter months. But due to the pandemic, we hadn’t had a chance to do that for over a year — so this felt like an absolute treat!
We stayed in Tribeca, ate to our hearts’ content, walked all over, enjoyed a morning in Central Park where I didn’t have to pay for parking, saw sunsets (sunrises were harder to get in with the fam), and discovered an amazing bookshop, The Mysterious Bookshop!
Oh, and mom and I enjoyed a session at Face Gym (something I am committed to introducing everyone to this year.) 😂
- Monthly Sunrise and Sunsets
This month my sunrise viewing was all from the comfort of my kitchen window and balcony. I didn’t make it out to the ocean for any of ’em, mainly due to lack of time and rain — also the fact that it’s a 2+ hour drive from my home to the nearest beach.
However, I got some lovely sunsets in while visiting New York City!
- I Got Vaccinated!
Almost a year after having COVID, I got my first vaccine shot! Pfizer 💉
I got really sick for 36 hours — basically, all the original symptoms I had during my COVID days last year returned in full swing. This was expected as doctors say if you’ve already had COVID, your symptoms are worse, and it’s usually during the first dose.
But I’ll take 36 hours of hell over MONTHS of it — which is what I experienced last year; if you haven’t read that post, you can check it out here.
- First Day of Spring – Back to Hiking
After a full month of mostly being home (thanks to the ongoing snowstorm – not complaining; I love snow!), I finally got out on a hike on the first day of Spring! The same trail I usually do a couple times a month, but without the snow, it sure felt different! Also, the bugs seem to be in full swing again – not looking forward to that!
- Launch of What I Think I Say Podcast
There have been many exciting new happenings this month, but the launch of my Podcast (titled the same as this blog and my personal Social Media handle): WHAT I THINK I SAY is probably my most cherished!
For YEARS, I’ve wanted to write a book, and for two years, I have tried to make that a priority, setting daily and weekly goals, but by the time I hit March each year, it just becomes impossible to keep up with my well-intentioned routine. So, needless to say, I have not become an author…yet!
Additionally, I have wanted to create a podcast (two actually but more on the second idea later) — and one day this month, I was lying in bed, and it was nearly midnight when I decided to open up Canva and create a podcast “logo” so to speak. What you see below is what I came up with. It took me less than 10 minutes, if I’m completely honest. I thought to myself, “ok, this is a good start.” I had no plan as to when I would actually create a podcast but having an image was at least a step in the right direction.
The next day, I had my apartment to myself for a couple of hours – a rarity and decided to record a 60-second trailer. That also took less than ten minutes. And what I wanted to say in the trailer just seemed to flow right out of me, effortlessly.
And that was it — that was the moment where I told myself, just DO it. Publish the trailer. Announce it to everyone you know. Force yourself to DO IT NOW. And voila — my podcast has technically and officially launched!
I also have to say that a book club friend of mine really encouraged me to begin. She told me what platform she uses, which microphone has worked for her, and made it super easy, and she gave me tips on the best way to record. These seemingly small interactions with her made all the difference from “I plan to do it” to “I did it.”
And I am truly excited to share the podcast with all of you!
The first episode is not yet out, but I would love for you to listen to the trailer if you haven’t already! Your support would mean so much to me!!
- New Season, New Hair
Because riding in a new season has to be a visual change for me — therefore, it was time to get my hair done!
- New State – Indiana!
It has truly been ages since I’ve been to a new state or anything new for that matter. So, when we set out for a road trip at the end of the month and hit Indiana (my 43rd state), I was quite ecstatic. Just a handful more to go to complete the United States of America!
- Four Books This Month
It wasn’t the best month for my reading goals, but I suppose four is better than none. The books were also quite heavy, so it took me a while to get through them.
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
You can read a more in-depth review of the books here.
- Became a Member of NetGalley
In me, the bookish introvert was so happy and honored (to be frank) to get access to Netgalley – something I had never heard of until another book club friend mentioned it to me!
What is Netgalley?
Let me have them tell you in their own words:
NetGalley helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals. Publishers make digital review copies and audiobooks available for the NetGalley community to discover, request, read, and review. Here’s how it works, and here’s how to contact us.
https://www.netgalley.com/about
So what does that have to do with me you ask?
You guys – I am now a reviewer on there! I request copies of books of interest to me (Advance Reading Copy, also sometimes referred to as Advance Review Copy), and I am approved for them!! Can you hear the giddiness in my voice? Then I read, review, and provide feedback to the publishers and authors! It’s given me an excellent chance to read and review books before their release and really anticipate what is coming over the next several months. It is SUCH a joy! The future author in me is proud of getting more and more immersed in the literary world!
Biggest Takeaway: Reminder to myself that all my “big” decisions happened in moments of “stop overthinking it and just do it,” and I need to be more mindful of that as I am getting older. Time will pass one way or the other; I may as well do what I want with it — NOW!
I am VERY excited about April but really just very excited about 2021! It’s going to be a good year for me – I can feel it because I control it!
What I Think I Say 
Congrats on the new laptop. I think you might get a new one sooner than you think. They don’t make them like they used to.
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